Chapter 2
Link would have thought that he was dreaming, if he ever had dreams that weren't nightmares. He had never had his own room before. At first he had just roomed with Mido, but as the orphanage filled up, others moved in. They moved out just as quickly. He wasn't even sure he could remember how many roommates he had had altogether.
He now lay on his very own bed, which he had moved to the very center of his room. He had so much space! Mr. Timmons could have fit six, maybe eight other people in a room of this size. Link could probably even move completely into his closet and still have more space than he was used to.
His clothes, folded neatly, took up but a quarter of the ornate wood dresser that sat across from his desk. Beyond that, his ancient suitcase from the orphanage had contained only a couple notebooks and a small bag of he had distributed among his desk, his nightstand, and the second-floor bathroom as appropriate.
"All settled in, Link?" Anju's voice interrupted his thoughts. She stood halfway through the door, a hand resting upon its white frame. "We ought to go over the house rules downstairs, when you have a moment. We'll have brownies, too."
"Yes, ma'am!" Link replied, bouncing to his feet.
"Just 'Anju', please," she said. This was not the first time he had heard this phrase from her, and he had no doubt it would be some time before it was trained out of him. Mr. Timmons had been quite particular about manners.
Anju led him down a carpeted staircase and into the sitting room. Kafei rose from his leather armchair as they entered, setting down his book on an end table.
"Everything okay so far, Link?" he asked.
"Oh, yes s-" He cut himself off. Anju and Kafei exchanged an amused smile.
"It's great," he tried again.
"Excellent." Kafei took a seat and motioned for Link to do the same. He sank into a similar armchair across from Kafei, resting his hands upon the arms as if he were a king on a throne. Anju took a seat on the edge of the sofa, hands folded primly in her lap, posture erect.
"Now, I know no one likes to talk about rules, but we may as well get it over with, right?"
Link nodded. He was all too familiar with rules.
"Rule number one, then," Kafei said. "School comes first. Always. Our district's high school has a bit of a reputation for its difficulty, so you'll really have to focus."
"Hyrule High?" Link blurted. He had known, of course, that he had moved to an upper class neighborhood. Only a fool could have missed the increasingly ornate and individual houses that dotted the streets as Kafei drove him ever closer to his destination. His own house-well, Kafei's-was a three-layer construction of solid stone, complete with crenellated balconies outside the upper windows. But he had not quite made the connection to the school.
Hyrule High. The best of the best. It was said that Princess Zelda herself studied there. It would be full of kids who had been raised on tutors, who read novels like Twilit Meditations for fun.
Link suddenly felt very small. There was no way he could keep up; the only reason for his good grades at his old school was that he worked so much harder than everyone else. He could barely even remember what an absolute value was, let alone the intricacies of the royal line. How could he compete in a school where everyone already worked hard?
"Is there a problem?" Kafei asked. Some of his apprehension must have shown on his face.
Link couldn't meet his eyes. They had wanted someone smart. They had wanted someone to send to high school and show off. They would send him back.
"I'm not good at school," he mumbled at his feet. He clenched his hands on the armrests, waiting for the reprimand, the disappointment.
"No one's good at everything," Kafei said. "That doesn't mean it's not worth trying."
"But it's Hyrule High. I can't-"
"Have you been there before, to speak so certainlly?" For the first time, there was an edge to the man's tone, a passion that caused Link to shut his mouth before he could even think about it. "Failed a test, perhaps? Or maybe a teacher there told you never to attend."
Link didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing.
"What Kafei's trying to say is that it's alright if you truly can't do this. If it doesn't work out, we'll find a different school for you. We just want you to try your best," Anju said. Link could have hugged her.
"That won't be a problem," Link said. "I always try my best."
"I knew I could count on you," Kafei said. "Now realize, Link: this rule goes both ways. If there's anything we can do to make your studying better, let us know. Anything. Anju's quite brilliant, and you can always feel free to ask her for help with something you don't understand.
"What we can give you right now is time. We have more money than we'll ever need, so there's no reason for you to waste your study time trying to earn more of it."
"But college-" Link protested. Kafei waved the concern off.
"We'll worry about that when it gets here. Let's focus on getting you into a good one for now, okay? If you really want to work, we can talk about it again once we find out how school's going for you."
A repeated beeping sound from another room interrupted them.
"Oh, the brownies!" Anju said. With a final smile at Link, she stood and rushed to the kitchen. Kafei watched her go, then leaned in closer to Link.
"Our unofficial rule is to try not to let Anju cook anything," he whispered. "Especially not for company."
She returned moments later, bearing a plate stacked high with walnut-topped brownie squares. Link and Kafei both took one, wrapping them in provided napkins. He tried not to look at it too carefully. They certainly smelled delicious, but Kafei's warning left him unsure.
He took a tentative bite. The crust had burnt brittle, but that did not stop the surge of chocolate from flooding his mouth as his teeth bit into the hard center. He had certainly had better brownies before, but none ever so vibrant with the fresh heat of the oven.
"This is wonderful," Link said when he swallowed.
"Don't encourage her," moaned Kafei. Anju slapped him playfully on the shoulder.
The only thing surprising about the remaining rules was how much freedom he had. He would have chores, of course: lawn care, cleaning, and the like. Nothing he wasn't already used to. He was to keep his room clean, be civil, and always be home by 9:30.
"If there is something keeping you out late, call," Kafei said at the end. "Do you have a cell phone?"
Link shook his head.
"One more thing for the list, then," Anju said.
Their shopping list had grown quite large by the time Anju took him out that afternoon. Despite his constant protests that he was fine with what he had, they each needed to make two trips from the car to carry his new possessions up to his room. He spent the rest of the afternoon before dinner hanging his new clothes in his closet, finding the best place to store the armload of notebooks, and setting up his new electronics.
Besides the cell phone, Anju had also bought him a laptop to do his schoolwork on. He had at first tried to get one of the cheaper ones in the store, but she had smiled and suggested a different one that cost well over two hundred rupees. Link did not know why he needed a computer that expensive, but neither did he want to offend her.
The next day, Anju and Kafei returned to their jobs. For the entire week before start of term, Link found himself in a rather enormous house with very little to do. He spent much of his time on his new computer, now connected to the Internet. He had never had more than fifteen or twenty minutes online at a time before, and he soon lost himself in the myriad of websites now available to him. Here, he could easily find information on the latest clothes, or strange new recipe. He could even do more research on dreams. There were also the weird sites, of course, including one devoted exclusively to artwork of historical Princess Zeldas.
He also taught himself to cook. When Anju and Kafei first came home to a fresh pot of stew, brewed from the scraps Link managed to scrounge from the refrigerator, they were quite pleased indeed.
Kafei seemed a good deal happier about this development than his wife.
Even so, the days grew tiresome. Back at the orphanage, even on the weekends, there had always been something to take care of. Someone skinned his knee, or two boys would get in a fight over a lollipop, and more often than not Link was left to clean up. In his new home, he could only spend so long at the computer before he grew restless, and there was not much left in the house to clean.
He found himself missing his four roommates. They were obnoxious, true, but anything would be better than the endless silence. Even when he had his laptop's speakers turned up, blaring music as loud as they could, he couldn't seem to break the sense of stillness that pervaded the house. Without the constant yelling, or clatter of children making noise, it seemed somewhat dead.
And then there were the dreams. Lying in his large bed, nothing but empty space all around him, he felt the darkness pressing in, as though it were trying to smother him. He buried his head under his pillow, and that helped somewhat, but he could not shake the feeling of those burning eyes watching him as he fell asleep. He even thought he could hear whispers, sometimes, when it was quiet enough.
And so when Kafei called him one afternoon to tell him that they were being taken out for dinner that evening, Link could not have been more relieved. Anything to escape the monotony of his new house.
By the time his new parents returned home, he was waiting in the lounge, changed into a freshly-ironed set of the dress clothes Anju had bought him.
"What's the occasion?" Link asked as they got into Kafei's car.
"One of your future classmates want to meet you before term starts," Kafei said.
"Why?" Link asked. Naturally, Kafei would have told his coworkers about the adoption, but it seemed odd that someone would go so far just to meet him. He was just another boy. School would start in just a few days anyway.
"I've stopped asking her that question," Kafei said with a chuckle.
"Who?"
"I'll let her introduce herself."
Link sat back in his seat, trying not to think too hard about it. He considered himself a patient person-he had spent some fourteen years waiting to be adopted, after all-but he was about to meet a new friend. Not only that, but she would be around his age, too! It would be very good to know someone before he started school. Maybe they could even study together.
His stomach fluttered in anticipation, but he shoved the excitement aside and forced himself to listen to his parents' conversation as they continued their trip.
"It's just really hard sometimes," Anju was saying. "Everyone just looks the same to me."
"I'm sure there's a way to train that," Kafei said. "You can tell some people apart, right? How do you do that? I mean, you never have any problem recognizing me."
"You have purple hair, darling."
At last they arrived at the restaurant. Steeling himself with a deep breath, Link emerged from the car. The sun was already making its way below the horizon, leaving the air slightly warm and dry.
"Ah, looks like they're already here," Kafei said. Link turned to see where he was looking. A girl trotted toward them, a stream of blonde hair trailing behind her. A rather imposing woman followed. She held herself firm as steel, and though she walked with a steady dignity, she still somehow managed to match the girl's hurried pace.
A Gerudo, he knew at once. He had never met one before, but it was evident from her tan skin and burning red hair. He wondered how many of the stories he had heard were true. Clearly not all; common wisdom was that Gerudo, even those who had settled in the city, traveled in packs. This one stood alone.
"It's Link, right?" the girl said as she approached. "It's so good to finally meet you. I'm Zelda."
Link took her extended hand. There was something familiar about her eager smile, her blue eyes. He had seen her in the coffee shop, he suddenly remembered. She had been staring at him.
Then he realized what she had just said. Her name was Zelda. The Princess's name was Zelda. Princess Zelda was rumored to attend Hyrule High. He was shaking hands with a princess.
The resemblance to the pictures in his history books was so obvious, now that he saw it. It must have been her smile that threw him off. The royal family was nearly always depicted was unyielding faces of stone, fixed with a timeless wisdom. Or perhaps it was just that he did not expect to see a princess of Hyrule wearing a skirt and a white blouse.
He was suddenly very aware of himself, of the thin, warm hand clasped in his, fingers brushing against his wrist. A million thoughts assaulted him at once. No one had told him how to talk to a princess before. Was he supposed to be kneeling? He'd read of people kissing great ladies' hands before; surely she could not be expecting that!
"Your highness," he forced himself to say. He cringed at the words as they came out in a faint squeak. Lowering his head, he began to drop to a knee, when the hand that he forgot he was still holding yanked him up.
"Not here," the Princess of Hyrule said, laughing. "That stuff's just for when I'm in my princess outfit."
Blood ran to his face. It seemed like everyone in the entire parking lot was staring at him. He tried to stammer out an apology, but Zelda just giggled, took his arm, and led him toward the restaurant.
"Come on, I'm hungry; let's eat," she said. "You do like noodles, don't you? The lasagna here is astounding."
When they entered, a waiter was standing ready to escort them to a central table, ornamented by a vase with a single white rose in it.
"And you're Anju, right?" Zelda said once they were all seated. "Kafei talks about you all the time."
Link whipped his gaze past his blushing mother to stare at Kafei. He thought he was an investigative accountant. How in the world-
"This is Nabooru," Zelda said, seeming not to notice Link's surprise. "Father is rather busy, so she takes care of me. She's basically an adoptive mother."
Her mouth snapped shut as the last word left it. She stared down at the menu, her cheeks flushed. Beside her, Nabooru scowled and muttered to herself.
"I'm sorry. I didn't-"
"It's fine," Link said, raising a hand to cut her off. "My parents are dead. Have been as long as I remember. I just don't get upset about it any more. Besides, Anju and Kafei are good people. Thinking about adoption makes me happy now."
Zelda smiled. "You are courteous to say so. But really, I do usually think things through better."
"Have you heard about the time she darted out into the middle of traffic?" Nabooru cut in.
"Nabooru!"
Link attempted to hide his grin with a sip of water, but he had no doubt he was failing miserably.
"It made sense at the time," Zelda protested, crossing her arms.
"I am sure that it did," Nabooru said. Beside her, Kafei raised his eyebrows.
The princess was remarkably easy to talk to. She always seemed to know just what to say to prompt an easy answer from him, and he soon found himself telling her all about life in the orphanage, and the games he'd play with Fado. He even forgot he was talking to a princess, at one point.
Link ended up ordering the lasagna that Zelda recommended, as did the princess herself. Nabooru had just a small bowl of pasta, garnished with neither sauce, nor cheese, nor anything else that he could see. An odd choice, but he decided not to ask about it. She wore a scowl, even as she ate, and Link winced at the thought of upsetting her.
"So, what does a princess's normal day look like?" Link asked when there was a lull in the conversation.
"Nabooru makes sure I stay busy," she said. "When I'm not in school, we just learn more about what's going on in the government. She's been teaching me to fight, too, in case something happens."
"Do you happen to have anything to do with the Gerudo delegate?" Kafei asked.
Zelda shook her head.
"I met her when she arrived, but Father thinks I'm still too young to really do anything yet. I think she just wants us to let more Gerudo immigrate each year."
"It must be nice to see another of your people in the castle," Link said to Nabooru.
"My people?" Her hand lowered her glass to the table as she stared at Link. He gulped despite himself. What had he said wrong? He was just trying to be polite.
"Nabooru," Zelda cautioned, resting a hand on her arm.
"I have been Hyrulean since I was five." This she said slowly, as if each word were a struggle to get out.
"The city Gerudo seldom get along with those of the desert," Zelda explained. "You've never met a Gerudo before, have you?"
Link shook his head.
"It's okay. There's plenty in our class. You'll learn soon enough."
"So, if the desert Gerudo don't like the immigrants, why do they want to come?" Link asked.
Nabooru rose abruptly. "Excuse me. I must relieve myself," she said.
"I'm sorry!" Link called as she strode off. "I didn't mean-"
Zelda reached across the table and placed a hand on his arm.
"It's not your fault. It was an honest question. Here, give me your e-mail. We'll get you up to speed before class starts."
When Nabooru returned two minutes later, she was just as talkative as she was before she left, which is to say, hardly at all. Link tried to ask about the high school, but the conversation had died, and nothing Link or Zelda did revived it.
"See you in class, then," Zelda said at the end of the meal.
"I look forward to it," Link said, glad that he could say so truthfully. It would be very good to have a friendly face among the sea of people so much smarter than he was.
That night, for the first time in months, he slept without dreams.
