After an hour of marching through the forest with the strangers, Ike and his friends ended up in a wide grassland. There, they started a small fire and planned to rest for the night. The blue-haired man and the armored knight vigilantly patrolled the area. The blue-haired woman and the blond man fell asleep next to each other in front of the fireplace. The angel was still awake; he lied down on his back on the cool grass and watched the stars twinkle in the sky. Next to him was Roy, who curiously gazed at the tiny white specks in the sky.
"Hey Pit, what are these things called?" Roy asked the angel, pointing to the specks.
"They are called stars." Pit answered.
At the same time, Samus was tending to Fox's and Falco's injuries, which included a deep cut in the arm, wing, and legs. Finally knowing that he could sleep in peace, Marth took his well-deserved Meowth-nap. Ike was talking to Link's father, who was watching Link freely pace around the site.
"So, you're Ike, am I correct?" Link's father asked.
"Yeah!" Ike answered.
"I must thank you and your friends for bringing Link back." Link's father continued. "I was worried about him."
"You're welcome... Er..."
"My name is also Link. However, you may call me Time. Ever since Link was born, my fellow men had been calling me an Old-Timer!"
"You're welcome, Time!" Ike finally managed to answer.
"I have a question, what exactly happened to Link?" Time asked, a bit stern. "Did his captors do anything to him?"
"Well, he was used as an energy source in a power company." Ike explained. "If you don't know, a power company generates power for the city from where I come from. As a result, Link was greatly weakened and a traumatized. Due to the pollution in the air, he nearly died."
Time flinched at the sentence and looked at Link, who lied down next to Roy and Pit and began to stargaze with the two younger males.
"Luckily, we managed to safe him and get 'em out of there in time." Ike finished.
Time quivered a bit as horrifying pictures raced through his thoughts. "I just can't believe something like this happened to one of my sons..." he said shakily, clutching his fists. Time's face became a deathly pale.
"Hey, are you ok?" Ike asked, setting a hand on Time"s shoulder.
Link overheard the conversation and quickly got up. Seeing Ike trying to support his father, the younger Hylian hurried over and worriedly asked, "Father, are you ok?"
Time quickly recovered from his dizzy spell. "I'm ok, thank you Link."
Link smiled dearly and sat next to his father.
"Well, I know that you're Link's father, Time." Ike spoke up. "But, can you tell me who are these other people?"
"Ah, I should introduce you to members of the Hyrule Castle Guards." Time replied. He pointed to the midnight-haired man and knight. "These two men are Chrom and Frederick, two of the three captains of the royal guards, me being the third. Chrom is trustworthy and a bit easygoing. He breaks the most objects during training. Frederick is strict however, he has a soft side."
Time pointed to the two teens sleeping next to each other near the fireplace. "These two cousins are Lucina and Owain. Lucina is the daughter of Chrom and Owain is the son of Frederick. Although the two are as different as black and white, they get along quite fine."
"How are they different?" Ike asked.
"Lucina tends to be more serious while Owain is a bit rowdy." Time answered, turning to Pit. "This is Pit. He is an angel from Skyworld, a nearby angel-like kingdom near Hyrule. He is childish and a bit shy. Ever since he and Link met when they were little, the two have been best friends."
"I see..." Ike replied. "Can I talk about my friends too?"
"Sure." Time answered with a smile.
Ike began to describe his friends to Time. He told every single detail about them, from the time he met Marth, to Fox's favorite color. As he listened, Time gently cradled Link in his arms, who slowly drifted to sleep. His energy level corresponding to Link's Ike felt sleepiness twirl in his head and make his eyelids heavy.
"Roy knows how to treat people with sicknesses and injuries..." Ike yawned, trying to stay awake. "He... Wants to be a doctor like his father Eliwood..."
Time smiled as he gave Ike a friendly pat on the back. "I think that's enough for today." he said. "You need some rest."
Ike wanted to protest and say no, however his fatigue, a heavy weight attracted to his body, caused him to hesitantly give in. With a drowsy nod, he lied down on the ground and drifted to sleep.
Wanting to patrol the area for any signs of danger before going to sleep, Time gently set Link onto the ground, trying not to wake him up, and stood up. He went behind the two sleeping teens and began to patrol the shady, dark surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, Link had briefly awoken. Shivering due to the source of warmth vanishing into the air, he huddled closer to Ike, who only stirred before setting a soft hand on Link's blond hair. Before Link's subconsciousness enveloped his consciousness, he thought he saw a tiny, weak beam of gold light emitting from the back of Ike's left hand.
The next day in the morning, the group traveled through the grassland. What seemed to be a never-ending land of green grass led to a kingdom surrounded by a small river, protected by powerful stone walls, and heavily guarded by Hylian soldiers in watchtowers.
"Halt!" one of the guards exclaimed, causing some of the soldiers to cautiously rise their weapons. "Who goes there?!"
"It is your captains, Link, Chrom, and Frederick!" Time shouted back. "We have returned from our mission!"
"Who are these guys then?" the guard suspiciously asked, pointing at Ike, Link, and their friends.
"This is Link and his newly-found friends!" Time began to explain. "They—"
The protective, watchful guard interrupted Time, his eyes full of shock. "Wait, did you say Link?!"
Link's face turned completely pink. He quickly looked away in embarrassment.
"Yes, it is." Time answered. "He has escaped from his captors and returned!"
"Oh my! So sorry!" the guard called back. "I didn't recognize him. I mean, I usually see Link dressed in a green tunic and hat and what not but, oh Hylia! Link's back!"
The guard turned to his fellow mates. "Everyone! Link has returned!" his statement was followed by bewildered gasps.
"Link is back?!" some of the other guards exclaimed. They quickly looked to see if they were not hearing things. "Hoorah! He is back!"
Some of the guards quickly raced down the tower, through the town, towards the castle; excited to inform the others about the news. Joy raced through their hearts. Finally, after many countless days of dreadfully worrying and helplessly hoping for Link's return, he was finally back!
"As I was saying," Time continued. "These strangers are Link's friend. They helped him escape from his captors and bring him back to us. Now, I trust that they will do no harm. Please let them in with us."
"As you say, captain!" the guard replied with a beaming smile.
The guard finally let the drawbridge down, allowing the group to enter the bustling town. It was a bit large to Ike. The two-story houses that lined up with each other were large, made of wood, and painted to match their environment. Fountains splashed crystal-clear water. Children were playing in the grassy fields as the adults were either working or relaxing with their friends.
As he walked down the town with his friends, Ike felt heads turning to look at him. Some of the Hylians were fascinated— or greatly shocked at the sight of the mysterious strangers. Who were they? They certainly were not Hylians, as their ears were not pointed. They also could not be angels, as they did not have wings. Were they aliens from another world? Some of the Hylians quickly looked away and began to whisper to each other, beginning a new trail of gossip.
Link noticed Ike's anxiety and nervousness. "Just ignore them." he said. "They hadn't seen you and your friends before, so they are a bit wary."
"I see..." Ike whispered back. "They are looking at me like if I'm an alien!"
"Don't worry, they'll get used to seeing you." Link replied. "The only humans they had ever seen were Chrom, his sister Lissa, Frederick, Lucina, and Owain. It took them a while for them to adapt to them."
Ike followed his friends to a large vivid garden in front of a looming castle. The garden had lush grass, tuffs of shrubs with tiny colorful flowers, plants with ripe berries, tall trees, and patches of flowers. Combee buzzed and darted around the flower, collecting its nectar. Starly, Pidgey, and Spearows perched in the trees and chirped nosily with them, creating a small melody. Lulled by the bird Pokemon's melody, a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander slept underneath the tree's cool shades.
As soon as the group arrived at the entrance of the castle, the doors suddenly slammed open. A brunette Hylian occupied by some guards and a blond lady with blonde pigtails garbed in a yellow maid dress quickly entered the scene. Her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a purple and white dress with a colorful crest and gold armor plates. A matching crown with a blue jewel indicated that she was powerful and in high-status.
"Lissa, it true that Link has returned?" she asked in joy.
Lissa nodded her head. "Yeah!"
Noting the brunette, Link timidly stepped forward, grabbing the Hylian's attention. "Princess Zelda, it's... It's me." he shyly said with a small smile.
Trying to hold back her tears of joy, Zelda walked towards Link. "Link... She said, throwing her arms around the blond Hylian and giving him a hug. "You're back...! I missed you..."
"I missed you too." Link softly said back, hugging Zelda back.
After releasing each other from their warm embraces, Link began to introduce Zelda to his friends. Yet, not all of them were fully paying attention. Roy was chatting with Pit. Fox and Falco were whispering to each other. Samus was admiring the garden; she had never something anything like it before. Marth and Ike were the only ones listening.
"Princess Zelda, these are my friends Ike, Marth, Samus, Roy, Fox, and Falco." he said. "They saved me from my captors and guided me back home."
Zelda smiled at the welcomed guests. "Welcome to Hyrule." she said, setting her right hand on Link's left hand.
All of a sudden, a golden, bright triangle shone brightly on the back of both Link's and Zelda's left hand. In astonishment and shock, Ike's and Marth's eyes widened. Their different hues of blue orbs were filled with amazement. Hey... They saw that gold triangle on Link's hand before! What was it?
"Did you see that?" Marth whispered to Ike.
"A gold triangle on Link's and Princess Zelda's hand?" Ike whispered back. "Yeah!"
"I saw it before!" Marth replied.
"You only told me." Ike replied. "But still, that was surprising!"
Link's and Zelda's sensitive pointy ears caught the secretive conversation.
"Is there anything wrong?" Princess Zelda asked.
Ike slightly jumped. "Oh, nothing is wrong." he answered. "It's just that, when you and Link held hands, we saw a gold triangle shine on both of your hands! What is it?"
"Oh, it's the Triforce..." Zelda said, looking around the garden carefully.
"The Triforce?" Ike and Marth looked at each other in confusion. "What is that?"
"May we talk about this somewhere else?" Zelda asked. "We would like to discuss in a private area."
"Sure." Ike answered.
As Zelda entered the castle, Link motioned to Ike and Marth to follow him. Looking at each other awkwardly and shrugging their shoulders, Ike and Marth followed the two Hylians.
Author's Notes: I've seen the light!
Finally, here's chapter 3. I know, the story's kinda boring now. But, the next chapters will be interesting! It will cover the Triforce, the strange dreams Ike and Marth are getting, and whatnot.
BTW, I reopened the poll, only that it has two choices removed. So please check it out!
Story Questions:
When Ike put his left hand on Link's head, why did a gold light emit from it?
Who would you like to see in the next chapters?