Thank you Triton668, SageOfTheMinish, and Dark Cross for the interest in Quietus. I appreciate it.

This is one of the longer chapters, which are scattered throughout the fic. I hope everyone enjoys.

Legend of Zelda and all official characters are licensed by Nintendo. They are not mine, I take no credit for them, and I make no profit off of them. All extra characters are mine, as well as the overall plot of the story.

It takes a while to finish a chapter, so expect sporadic updates. I'll try to post every time I finish a chapter. Finally, I hope you all will enjoy the fic.

The Legend of Zelda: Quietus

III

Link visited the nearby village to pick up some assorted goods Uncle Darius wanted. Things with Eriol still hadn't worked out, so the elder brother thought it best to stay away for a while. When his uncle had mentioned this little trip, Link jumped at the chance. Of course, this seemed to make Eriol even more upset. Nothing seemed to please him when it came to Link.

The sky darkened with the approach of a coming storm as he walked home. Without warning, the familiar apprehension that had gnawed at him for weeks suddenly overtook him. Link stumbled and raised a hand to his head with a gasp. What happened? Something was wrong… definitely wrong. Not here… if he were in immediate danger, he would have known right away. Somewhere else… where?

Home.

Link took off at a run. If he sensed something wrong at home this far away then something horrible must have happened. He was never wrong about these things, much to his own dismay.

If only I had a horse, he thought to himself. Why couldn't I have bought one from Lon Lon Ranch? They had a beautiful mare there… if only I hadn't been so damn intent on enjoying the hike!

Link was a formidable runner but even he had to take a break to catch his breath before reaching the house. They lived away from the village in the seclusion that the forest offered. Now it seemed the distance and seclusion was working against the Hylian. Once he had his breath back, he ran.

Now he noticed the smoke rising up in the distance. It was thin at first but soon grew into a pillar of black fog. It grew as he approached and now Link realized that whatever was causing that smoke wasn't a small fire like they had in their fireplace or in the firepit outside.. This was a full-blown blaze. A wave of dread swept over him.

Finally! Link crested the final hill and paused at the top to catch his breath once more. When he looked down at the hut, his home, his heart seemed to stop beating as the breath he was gasping for wouldn't come.

The house was on fire.

The entire hut was wreathed in flames. Even from here, Link could hear the snapping and popping as the wood burned. It was a giant tinderbox that was consumed by the fire. Acrid smoke filled the air and a wave of heat swept over the grass. Luckily the house rested on a dirt patch, and the plants in the area hadn't ignited. Yet.

"Eriol! Uncle Darius!" Link called their names as he dashed down the hill. His first desire was to run straight into the house, but the heat that assailed him when he got near warned him to take caution. He circled the house and ran to the well, hauling up a bucket of water. When he could reach it, he grabbed it and dumped it on himself.

Tossing the bucket aside, Link ran to the back door and raised his hands to protect his head as he barreled through it. He paused inside and immediately the flames tried to burn him. His vision was half-obscured by the smoke so he dropped to the ground, raising his tunic to cover his nose and mouth. The heat was unbearable. The fire danced around him. He looked around, but everything seemed to be consumed by flames.

There! By the table, not far away, Uncle Darius lay on the floor. He was pinned beneath a wooden beam that was still burning at one end. Not far from an outstretched hand lay an overturned oil lamp. Well, now he knew the source of the fire.

Link crawled forward, quickly checking the life signs of his uncle. They were there, but faint. The Hylian braced himself against the burning beam and shoved as hard as he could. It was heavy but after two more heaves, the beam fell to the side. Crouching over his Uncle, Link looked around once more, wondering where Eriol could be.

And there he was. Through a parting of the smoke, Link saw his brother on the other side of a trail of fire, standing in front of the fireplace, staring at their father's sword. What the Hell was he doing? "Eriol!" Link bellowed.

His brother glanced over his shoulder then back at the sword. Wordlessly, he reached up and pulled the sheathed weapon down, holding it carefully in his arms.

"Eriol! Get over here! Uncle Darius is hurt!"

Again, the younger boy looked back at his brother. This time, Link could clearly see the contempt on his face. "Playing the hero again, huh Link?" He coughed and raised a hand to his mouth.

"Come on! I need your help!" Link began to rise, moving towards his brother.

Eriol took a step back, coughing harder. "And where were you when I needed your help?" He coughed again and shook his head.

"Eriol!"

Before he could leap through the flames to his brother's side, the roof between them caved in. Link fell back, raising a hand to ward off the heat. His brother was trapped! He needed to get through and help him!

No time. Uncle Darius needed to be carried out. Link scooped his uncle into his arms and with a grunt, charged out the back door. He stumbled but kept his footing. Setting his uncle down against the well, he checked for any burns or wounds. There were none visible, but he would have to check more thoroughly later. In fact, he seemed to be regaining consciousness.

Link turned to go back for his brother but a hand weakly clutched his arm. Uncle Darius coughed and tried to speak. "Link," he murmured, "my bedroom… beneath the… nightstand… a box… get it!"

Link looked at his uncle like he was crazy, but even now, the man had summoned enough strength to give the Hylian a look that could not help but be obeyed. With a nod, Uncle Darius' hand fell away and Link ran back into the house.

He went first to try and find a way to get to his brother. Crouching low to avoid the worst of the smoke and using his tunic to filter his breath, he circled the living room. There was no way through. If anything, he would have to try to get through from the outside. Through the wall… he prayed to the Goddesses that he could reach Eriol in time.

Halfway to the door he remembered his uncle's request. Gritting his teeth, he turned towards the door to the bedroom and pulled some burning debris away. This would only take a moment, hopefully, and he had given his word. He slipped inside and coughed despite himself. The fire had not consumed the room, but a billowing cloud of smoke had.

Feeling his way along the floor, Link reached the night stand and grabbed it with both hands, shoving it aside. He felt along the ground beneath it but realized there wasn't anything there. But his uncle had said…

No, wait. There was something there, beneath the floorboard. He couldn't explain it, but he felt it. Link felt along the floor but couldn't find a place where he could pull the board up. The Hylian growled in frustration. With a surge of anger, he raised his fist and slammed it into the floorboard. It snapped in half under the blow.

He immediately wished he hadn't done that. Biting back a cry of pain, he cradled his bloody right fist in his shirt. Well, it had done its job. With his stronger left hand he pulled the pieces of the broken board away and felt beneath. Yes, there was a box there, metal by the feel. He pried up two more boards and carefully pulled the box out, using his right hand to pull it up despite the throbbing pain in it.

Link had the box now. Wasting no more time, he scrambled out into the inferno and stumbled towards the door he had entered through. Above the roar of the flames he heard an ominous snapping sound from above. Gathering himself, he leapt through the door just as the entire roof caved in. He rolled along the grass, the box slipping free from his arms.

On the ground for no more than a moment, Link scrambled to his feet and half-ran, half-stumbled around the house to the far side. He had to rescue his brother! But when he rounded the corner, he saw that the wall had already folded in on itself. The roof had caved in. If he was in there, then…

"Eriol!" Link screamed, collapsing to his knees. The hut burned and collapsed in front of him. He punched the ground with his fist and doubled over, tears streaming down his cheeks. He had tried to get to him…. He had tried….

But no, the box… he had set Eriol's life aside for that damn box! He had chosen to fulfill his uncle's request over saving his own brother's life! Link wept, feeling sick. How could he? How could he have done such a stupid thing? He pounded the ground again, barely noticing the pain the shot through his fist. Or the rain drops that began to fall.

Get a hold of yourself, he thought. He forced his pain away. There's time to grieve later… I have to take care of Uncle Darius first. With a great effort, Link pulled himself to his feet. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he gave one more mournful look to his lost home and stumbled away towards the well.

He checked his uncle's wounds. He wasn't burned, but several of his ribs were broken. Every time he coughed, blood came up. His eyes wandered. Link didn't dare think of it, but the signs were there. His uncle's life was running short.

"…I'm such a fool," the older man muttered. "I fell… and hit my head on the table… who knew…" He fell into a coughing fit with Link trying his best to alleviate it.

"Don't talk," said Link. "Save your strength…"

Uncle Darius shook his head. "My strength's gone… I'll be with the Goddesses soon…"

"Don't talk like that…"

"We both know it," said Uncle Darius. He coughed up some more blood. "The box… did you get it…?"

A dark look passed over Link's face. "Yes…"

"Don't look like that… that box holds the last gift your father wanted you to have… your family's legacy…" His head bobbed. Uncle Darius was fighting to stay awake. "Eriol…?"

Link said nothing.

"He's a good boy… don't forget that… don't…" Uncle Darius' eyes began to close.

Link shook him. "No… stay awake, uncle! Don't close your eyes!"

The elder Hylian smiled faintly. "…Great things… meant… for great things…"

The rain fell. It drizzled first, then it turned into a full-blown storm. Lightning crashed in the distance. Thunder roared. The fire that had consumed the hut began to flicker and die, fighting a loosing battle against the cleansing drops from above. By the well, Link knelt, arms wrapped around the body of his uncle as he passed away.

--

Link buried his uncle in his favorite field. The tool shed had been untouched by the fire, so he had found a shovel and spent the night digging. When a good-sized grave was made, he carried his uncle's body into it, laying it down carefully. He then shoveled the dirt back onto it, saying all his prayers when he was done. A piece of wood from the wreckage of the house served as a grave marker. Link used a hunting knife to carve in the name of his uncle.

When he was done with his labors, it was dawn. The storm had cleared and a rainbow could even be seen on the horizon. But that didn't matter. Link had lost his family and his home in one night. Not by enemies or monsters as he had always feared, but by a fire caused by a stupid accident.

His mind was empty as he moved through the rubble. He moved bits of wood around, clearing the area around the still-standing stone fireplace carefully. A bandage made from his own shirt was wrapped around his right hand and Link made an effort not to strain it too much.

As he dug through the wreckage, he noticed that his brother's body wasn't there. He even dug as far as what remained of the floorboards, but still nothing. A flicker of hope welled up within him. Was it possible Eriol escaped?

Link moved away from the rubble and went into the woods near the side of the house Eriol had been trapped in. With a trained eye he went over the landscape, aided by a growing hope of his brother's survival. If there was some sign…

There! On the tree, a cut, as if made by a sword. Link checked the area around it and yes, several plants had been hacked through. Hope flooded in, as well as relief. Eriol had made it out, most likely using their father's sword to cut his way free from the burning house. He had then stumbled through the woods, using the blade to slash through any obstacles, since he would not have been able to see anything at night. Yes… Eriol was alive.

I have to find him, Link thought to himself. I have to tell him what happened… try and bring him back… The Hylian went back to the ruins of his home and over to the tool shed. A hunting knife, bow and arrows, an axe... he grabbed all of these, as well as several other tools he felt would be important. He laid these out on the ground and went to fetch some food from the storehouse when his eyes fell upon the box he had pulled from the fire.

Uncle Darius had made sure that Link saved this thing… why? What so valuable about it? He had said that it was Link's father's last gift to him. Curious now, the Hylian moved over to it and knelt. It had two clasps on each side. He undid them and pulled the top free.

Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this. Link reached in and pulled out a green tunic. The material felt light in his hands, yet strong. It wasn't made from any kind of fabric Link had ever encountered before. There was a hood beneath it, made of the same material. The Hylian pulled this out, and found more clothes beneath it. A white shirt. Leggings.

And beneath it all, an ocarina. It wasn't very impressive… a clay one, by the looks of it. Yet when Link picked it up, the brown surface felt warm in his hands. It felt… familiar. No, not just the ocarina… these clothes. All of it felt familiar, as if they had been his own for years, despite this being the first time he had laid eyes on them.

Uncle Darius wanted me to have these… No, my father did. Uncle Darius made sure I received them. But why? If only he had told me…

Link put that thought out of his mind. He had grieved even as he had buried his uncle and there was no need to continue now. He turned his attention to the clothes he wore instead. They were wet, torn, smelled like smoke, and covered in dirt. The Hylian placed all of the items he had withdrawn from the box and took it with him to the river.

He bathed briefly, cleansing himself of the horrors of the previous night. He washed away the dirt from the grave. The smoke from the fire. The ash from his home. The guilt for his brother. His pain and anguish was swept away in the river. He had to find Eriol… if he needed time to grieve, it would be after he found him.

When he was done Link dressed, not in his old clothes, but in those he had found in the box. They fit as if they were made specifically for him. They were lightweight and comfortable; warm in the cool morning, but not uncomfortably so. Link pulled on his old boots and tore a strip of cloth from his old shirt to wrap around his injured hand.

He returned to the tool shed and gathered his supplies, tucking them into a clothe pack he had found in the shed. The Hylian slid the hunting knife in his boot and the axe at his waist so that he would have weapons just in case anything should happen. Next, he went to the storehouse and gathered a bit of food. He couldn't carry much and doubted he needed a lot, seeing as how Eriol couldn't have gone too far without supplies of his own. When he was ready, Link paid his respects one last time at his uncle's grave then moved to the edge of the forest where he had found Eriol's trail.

Orienting himself, Link began to track his brother. It was the only thing on his mind. He had lost his home and his uncle… but he wouldn't lose his brother.