I do not own Legend of Zelda.
Chapter Three: Broken Stirrups and Crooked Smiles
With help from the oldest guard and the castle's grapevine, Zelda had identified the soldiers that had covered the Bulbin kidnapping. Many of them were dead, and the last few had moved far away.
The oldest guard turned to look at her. "I'm terribly sorry your majesty. If you'd like me to send a convoy out to fetch the guards, I'm sure it can be arranged."
"No, that will be all. Thank you."
"The blood of the Hero of Hyrule is of good concern to the Royal Family. It is of our interest to assist you in discerning his heritage."
"Thank you, Ranur."
"We have many scrolls that trace the blood of the last Hero. Your father always sought his relatives in an attempt to express his gratitude."
"Yes, thank you Ranur. I remember quite well. But," Zelda strode over to a window, where the rain was still falling. It was slowly easing up. "That only caused trouble. The boy was kidnapped and lost to the Lost Woods. Eaten by Stalfos, or turned into one." She let an ominous silence settle between them, thick and foreboding.
"There's still his parents."
Zelda's attention caught. "His parents?"
"Yes, your Majesty, they were not kidnapped. Unless I am mistaken, they still live in Kakariko."
"What were their names?"
"Your highness, I'm afraid I do not know. But I would be glad to find them."
"Yes, if you do not mind, Ranur. It would be of my greatest interest to contact them." Maybe they wouldn't be Link's parents, but all the same by her father's standards she owed them a visit.
It was dawn. Link rose earlier than Ilia to fetch Epona from the castle stable. He planned to take her to the blacksmith to get some stirrups fixed. He also would have liked to het her shoes looked at, but he knew Ilia would kill him for taking her to a strange blacksmith.
He usually did all his own black smithing in Ordon, but recently…recently things were different. He messed things up instead of repairing them. And that was why the stirrups were broken in the first place.
Epona nuzzled into him as he walked through the market. He let her lip his hand searching for treats, stroking her face with his free hand. She huffed at his face, blew his hair away. Link smiled and tousled her mane. She whinnied gleefully. Even when he felt most alone, Epona always managed to be there.
They were at the front of the blacksmith. Link led Epona around to the back where he could hear another horse, a soldier's mount come in for shoeing.
"There you go," said a lad with dark hair just few years older than Link, patting the back of the horse he'd just finished shoeing. He turned and spotted Link. "Oh! How very nice to meet you! I'm Mark," he said, offering his hand.
"Link," the Hero returned.
"Did you come in to get her shoed?" Mark asked, gesturing to Epona.
"No," Link said, "but I have some stirrups that need mending," he added as he pulled them off the saddle.
Mark inspected them, warily asking, "What did you do to these?"
"Uh, I tried to fix them." An embarrassed Link put his hands in his pockets.
Mark's face spilt wide. "You tried to fix them?" He fought back a laugh. Obviously he found it very amusing.
"Yeah I…I seem to have lost my touch."
"No kidding," Mark laughed, weighing the stirrups in his hand. "They're warped and unbalanced like…like you tried do get them this way, almost."
Link was silent, biting his lip.
"I'll have them ready in a few hours." Mark finished, turning towards the shop door. "Hey Link," he stopped, "could you do me a favor?"
"Sure," Link offered, "What is it?"
"The soldier who owns this horse is off at the inn waiting. His name is Samuel Bury. Do you think you could let him know I'm finished?"
"Definetly. I'll get right on it. How much for the stirrups?"
Mark flashed another cocky smile. "If you go tell that soldier, they'll be free."
"You really don't need to do that."
"And you really don't need to tell that soldier. And you really didn't need to save the kingdom. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't, or that I shouldn't fix these for free," Mark reasoned.
"Alright," Link gave up. "I'll tell the soldier."
With a short wave Mark disappeared into the shop and Link set off down the alley.
Ilia woke up. How late had she slept? She rubbed her eyes, climbed out of bed and got dressed, the mystery of Link staring her straight in the face as she swung her legs out from under the sheets. She figured she'd go see Zelda. The two had become friends since Link had saved the kingdom, and Zelda had vowed to help her discover Link's past.
She woke up and headed up to the castle after handing in her key to the bartender. On the way there, she met with Zelda, who was coming down on horseback, cloaked and hooded. But Ilia had a way of recognizing hidden things, and the princess was no exception.
"Zelda!" she called, and the brunette pulled her horse up short.
"Shh! Don't blow my cover," she hissed, glancing around. There was nobody who would have heard.
"I beg your pardon," Ilia said sarcastically. "Sneaking off, are you?"
"I found a lead."
"A lead?" any of Ilia's previous judgments evaporated.
"Yes. In Kakariko." Her horse shifted, and after a moment she said, "Well if you want to come then get on!"
Ilia climbed aboard the grey and white appaloosa mare, and Zelda kicked it forward and they took a trail around castle town, which was thin and unused.
"Why all the mystery?" Ilia asked distractedly.
"I can't exactly ask Link to go with me," she said, and then after a long break continued, "I found out about a couple in Kakariko who had a son who was thought to be related to the last Hero. My father was interested in contacting them to thank them for what the Hero had done for Hyrule."
"Did he?"
"No," Zelda sighed, "On the way there, the boy was kidnapped. The band of thieves was attacked by monsters and none survived."
"Wow."
Zelda's horse, who Ilia remembered was named Merriac, stepped neatly across some stones over a creek. They were out of the castle boundaries now, and Zelda checked Merriac into a canter across Hyrule field. To avoid suspicion, she let her hood drop. Ilia noticed she was wearing normal clothes and her hair was plain and unwreathed.
"Where'd you get those?" Ilia asked.
"My maids are sworn to secrecy," Zelda answered simply.
Ilia laughed. "How very handy. And they know you're sneaking off?"
"Of course. If I'm not back in three days they are free to tell, but until then, I've been taken ill."
Ilia laughed again. "And that's why I like you. Maybe you're a princess, but you're not all haughty and thinking your above doing things like running off dressed as a peasant girl."
"Peasant is the most honorable position in Hyrule. Without you, I would not be princess. Without you, I would have no food, no guards, no title," Zelda answered simply.
"And no Link," Ilia hinted surreptitiously.
Zelda turned to look at Ilia, and gave a pleased grin. "I thought you had your sights on him."
"Me? Zelda, he's the hero of Hyrule!"
"And you're his childhood sweetheart," Zelda's words took up a mocking melody.
"Don't be ridiculous. If it came between the two of us, you'd win hands down."
"I wouldn't be so sure Ilia. You're not the one that needs all the rescuing."
"He had to rescue me too! And you're a princess! I'm just a mayor's daughter who bugs him about his horse."
"Exactly. If he married me, he'd have to take on all sorts of duties and responsibilities, and help rule a kingdom. If he married you—" Ilia blushed furiously, "he'd get to stay in Ordon, happy and in peace and attending to the problems of the village that raised him, a complete outsider, as if he were family. And you'd take care of Epona."
Ilia's face was still red. "I never said anything about marrying anybody!"
"Ilia, he's not the kind of guy to court a girl and then leave her hanging. He'll get to know her and then, if she's right, marry her. Haven't you met him?"
Ilia sighed. As usual, Zelda was right. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Link, it was…oh, nevermind, she thought bitterly to herself. She didn't know.
They were approaching Kakariko, and Ilia wished to bury her face somewhere where nobody could see how pink it was.
Fine. If she had too, she had enough freckles to fake being sunburned.
Maybe.
I'm not pairing Link with Ilia or Zelda, in case you're thinking that I might. He's just the kind of guy that a lot of girls have a crush on.
