Chapter 3

After the board game was over and Julia completely dominated the others, everyone but Sky went to bed. In the middle of the night, Link woke up to a creaking noise. He sat up, seeing his door was opening. He turned on a light just as the door fully opened. Erin was standing in the doorway, clutching a blanket in her arms.

"Oh, hey, Erin. Is everything alright?" She nodded. "Ok. I'm glad. I suppose I'll see you tomorrow." Erin smiled then shut the door. Link fell back asleep, only to be woken up by someone shaking him awake.

"Come on, it's time to get up. We have stuff to do. Things that need to get done." Link opened his eyes and saw Sky standing above him. "Come on. Let's get going." Link sat up quickly while Sky started to walk away.

"W-wait, what? Where are we going?"

"We need to get you some new clothes and then I need to make a few calls. Also, we have to pick up the girls from school."

"O-ok…" Link got up and put on his boots.

"What's your kind of style of clothing?"

"I don't know. I've always worn a tunic, ever since I was little."

"I see. Hmm, so dresses?"

"No!"

"Hahaha, I know. I was only messing with you. We'll figure out something. If you see something you like, be sure you point it out."

"Alright." Sky started to walk out of the room and Link followed. "Oh yea, I've been meaning to ask." They started walking down the steps.

"What?"

"Well, I couldn't help but notice Erin never speaks. Is there any reason as to why that is?" Sky stopped and looked back at Link.

"We aren't sure. She never speaks. She understands every word we say, but she hasn't spoken a word since she was born. Doctors have tested her, but they find nothing wrong. Her vocal cords are fine, as is the rest of her throat. Her brain is developed enough for a 10 year old. She just says nothing."

"Huh. That's pretty strange."

"It is. We try to get her to speak. But not even Roxie has heard what her voice sounds like. You can still understand her though, by the look in her eyes. We here have gotten used to it. You'd get the hang of it too if you were around her a lot."

"I hope I can learn." Sky smiled and continued walking down the stairs. He was about to walk outside after grabbing his keys. "Um, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"Your shoes."

"Oh yea. Thanks for reminding me." Sky got on his shoes and then they went out to the car. Now that it was light out, Link could see many details of the house. The house was surrounded by a forest, the only real path was a pebbly one, with moss covering quite a bit of it. The house itself, there were two windows in the front on the second floor. One was on the bottom, then there was one at the very top of the house where the attic would be. The house had white peeling paint on it. The porch was only two feet above the ground. The porch and the railing was white and peeling as well. The forest had many living trees and very few dead ones. The sun could barely be seen through the canopy.

Sky and Link got to the store and were looking around for clothes for Link to try on. Link was in the changing room while Sky was waiting for him. He heard someone call out to him and he turned around.

"I thought it was you. Hello."

"Oh, hi Miss. Lauren."

"It's a pleasure to see you again. What are the odds of seeing you here of all places?"

"Seems fate's strings keep pulling us together. Link is currently trying on clothes. I figured I might as well get him some clothes to wear so he didn't have to constantly wear that tunic."

"That's very nice of you. I'm glad to see he's being taken care of."

"Yea." Sky Looked to the side and then sighed. "I haven't even bothered seeing if I could locate his parents or any relatives. I know he won't have any here. I did some research and I think… he's a Hero."

"A Hero?!"

"Shh. Keep it down. We're in the middle of a store."

"Oh yea, sorry. Hehe…" She blushed with embarrassment.

"Yes. I think he's here because darkness is trying to take over this land."

"You're kidding…" Sky shook his head.

"I'm still an officer. It's not that I trust you, but I have to do my duty in checking your background to make sure you're capable of taking care of him. I don't know what it is, but I really care for that boy and last I want is for him to get hurt. I can tell, he's had his fair share of trauma and sadness."

"You're really sweet. You know that? I'm a patient person, Sky. I can wait."

"Thank you, Miss. Lauren."

"You can just call me Janet. Goodbye." Janet smiled and walked away. Sky just realized how much his heart was racing. Link walked back out.

"Hey, Sky." Sky turned around. "What do you think of this outfit?" Link was wearing dark blue jeans, tall brown, leather boots, a green shirt, and a red jacket.

"I think that looks great. What do you think of it?"

"It's alright. I'm just not used to wearing this sort of stuff."

"It takes some getting used to."

"I guess."

"Go ahead and get changed back into your normal clothes. I think we got plenty of clothes for you."

"Alright. Thank you for taking me shopping for clothes."

"No need to thank me." Link went back into the changing room. Sky stood by the cart and waited. That's when he heard a voice whisper the word, 'die'. It was right in his ear and made him jump. He turned around, looking around, but could not find the source of the voice. Link walked back out wearing his green tunic and Kokiri boots.

"I'm all ready." Link noticed Sky seemed freaked out. "Is everything ok?"

"Y-Yea. I thought I heard something abnormal but it must have been my imagination."

"Alright." Sky started to walk away with the cart after Link put in the clothes. They got checked out, then were on their way back home. "Hey, Sky. I've been meaning to ask. How come you live in the middle of the woods?"

"It was the only house I could find that would support all of us. Though, I meant for one of the twins to take one of the bedrooms upstairs. They chose to share the same room in the basement. They were used to sharing a room and they were really close, so they still share a room."

"That's kind of adorable."

"Yea. Erin sticks close to Roxie almost all the time. They're practically inseparable. If any harm comes to Erin, you can bet Roxie will make heads roll. Roxie is also very protective of Julia and me. She cares a lot for her family. We all care for eachother so much and do anything for eachother. We have to protect eachother, because we're all eachother have. Basically everyone else in our family abandoned us so we have to fend for ourselves."

"Julia had mentioned you work two jobs."

"Yes. I work full time at the police station and work third shift at a grocery store. Usually I organize things, sometimes even help with shipping in stocks which usually come early in the morning. It's not in the safest neighborhood either. But it pays decently. So does the police station, but it's not enough to pay for everything, so I have to take up a second job just to make enough to support my girls. Their welfare comes before my own, no matter what. I'm their guardian and that is what I must do."

"That sounds very noble of you, being there for your sisters when no one else will. It takes much courage to take in three girls, let alone make so many sacrifices for them. I don't think many people would do that. Obviously the rest of your family won't. You're very courageous in my opinion." Sky smiled.

"Thanks. That means a lot. Coming from you, Chosen Hero." Link's eyes widened.

"How did you…?"

"I did some research and I found out Hyrule would always be thrust into darkness. A hero chosen by goddesses would come forth dressed in a green tunic and save it, according to legend. You said you were from Hyrule and you appeared in a green tunic." Link perked his ears back and looked over to the side. "I find that amazing that a child your age is able to save an entire land from destruction."

"It's a part of my past, I wish I could forget… It brings nothing to me about pride or anything like that. Only darkness, fear, and sadness. And how foolish I was."

"How is saving a land from peril foolish?"

"It would have been safe if I had kept the sacred realm's door closed. I opened it and drew the Master Sword from its pedestal. At the same time, a wicked man entered the Sacred Realm and took a piece of a relic known as the triforce. He took the Triforce of Power, making the remaining Triforce of Courage and Triforce of Wisdom to go to a host. The princess, Zelda, became the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. I gained the Triforce of Courage. I was then locked in the sacred realm for 7 years until I was old enough to become the Hero of Time. I awakened the sages and went to stop Ganondorf and save Zelda because she was kidnapped. I felt it my job to save her. I saved her and defeated Ganon, having him sent to the Sacred Realm so he could cause no harm anymore. I was then sent back in time to regain my lost years, but then my companion, Navi, left me. I spent a lot of time trying to find her, I even saved another land from being destroyed by the moon in a different dimension. Though, I could never find Navi. She was the one who was with me throughout my entire quest, the one who knew everything we've been through. She was one of my beloved friends. If I hadn't opened that door and drawn the Master Sword, I still be home with Navi and I would live my life among the Kokiri."

"You were chosen by Goddesses, right? Well, it was their design that that would happen. They conditioned everything so that way everything would turn out the way it did. That's what I believe. They planned for you to draw the Master Sword from its pedestal and make you 7 years older. Everything happens for a reason. The fact that my parents died and the girls came to be in my care, my parents died for a reason, what that reason is, I don't know yet, but I'm sure I will find out one day. You are here for a reason. I'm not sure what yet, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. It just takes patience and time. Until then, keep your chin up high and do what you can to make the most of life. Let go of the past, but never forget it." Link took in every word Sky said.

"Alright. I'll try my best. Thank you, Sky."

"No need to thank me, kiddo, I'll always look out for you. You're my friend." Link smiled then looked out the window. The sky was a crystal blue color and very few clouds. It was a lovely day, but little did the young Hylian know that darkness was starting to stir and darken his world.