Ok, first I just want to start off by apologizing for not updating last week. Some personal stuff came up and I didn't have any time at all for this site, but I really am sorry! I feel really bad about it :-(
Second, thank you so much to the people who are still reading and to the people who left reviews! You guys are so awesome!
Guest: Not to worry, I have never left a story unfinished on this site and I don't plan to start! There shouldn't be any more breaks between updates without warning like that. I hope... :-)
Frank Hunter: Thanks for the awesome feedback, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Also, I'm pretty sure that this fic is independent enough of the other games that you should be able to enjoy the entire thing (but if there is anything you find too confusing feel free to let me know! I am trying to make sure that anyone can enjoy this fic, whether they've played every single Zelda game or not, so any feedback on whether something I write is too dependent on knowledge of a particular game would be greatly appreciated! That goes for everyone reading, if you're confused about something let me know, please!). Later on I do bring in more stuff from Spirit Tracks, but I think most of it is explained enough that you should be ok. Just keep in mind that there are going to be spoilers, so if you were planning on playing those games you might want to take a break from this fic!
Finally, this chapter is, sadly, a bit short. I promise the next chapter on Thursday will more than make up for that though! I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Three
The Freshmen
It was midday when the gong was rung. Link knew the sound, as did all the other students. It had been rung when Link had arrived, it had been rung when the students a year younger than him had arrived, and every year since. It didn't happen everyday.
"Freshmen!" Orca cheered as they all filed towards the Main Hall.
Link felt just as elated as Orca sounded. A day when freshmen arrived meant less work for them, as the teachers liked to introduce the new students of the boy's worker's school to their work right away.
As soon as the large double doors opened, Link instantly recognized all the faces that filed into the building. It wasn't that Link actually knew all fifteen or so of them, but he recognized their expressions. He had worn something similar on his own face, and he remembered seeing Orca with one just like it. Fear and misery. Misery, because they had just been separated from their families and would not see or hear from them again until they graduated some twelve years later. Fear, because they knew once they stepped through those doors they wouldn't step back out of them again until they graduated. Twelve years of only seeing the sky through what few windows were in the building.
One, Link noticed, was already in tears as he followed the headmistress to the work room. Link felt bad for that one; the teachers preyed on tears like snakes on rats.
The day passed too quickly for Link. On the rare occurrence that he had almost his whole day off, he liked to spend his time writing. Very few of the students could even read, never mind write, but Link's mother had made sure to teach him everything she could before he had to take his aptitude test. So during his free time, he made sure to not forget what his mother had shown him how to do so long ago. His writing wasn't the neatest, but it was legible, and as Link wrote about anything that crossed through his mind he couldn't help but smile at the comfortable feeling that the scratching of pen on paper created in him.
But then the day passed, and the other students started to file into the dormitory. Link had to hide his pen and paper, which was always supplied by Grandpa, before the others saw it. There were always those looking to get on the headmistress' good side, and there was no better way to do that than to tattle-tail on one's fellow students. Another thought suddenly hit Link so harshly that he almost felt compelled to jot it down hurriedly before hiding his writing.
"Tattle-tail would be a fun name for some sort of mythical creature. Like a little flying thing or something, that can talk."
He felt ridiculous after writing that down, but it was written nonetheless and so he stowed the stuff behind a loose panel on the wall near his bed before returning to his slouched over sitting position.
"Ed, did you just sit here all day?" one of the students asked. Link couldn't for the life of him remember his name, but he was in the same year as Link. "You should've joined us, we spent all day messing with the freshmen."
Another student laughed happily. "It was great! Today was harvest day, so we kept turning over their baskets and stuff."
Link glanced over at the freshmen that were now filing into the room. They looked exhausted, and most of them were shuffling as if trying to avoid moving their backs too much. Link recognized that type of movement; he had tried that trick of shuffling around himself, but it never really worked. Whenever students did something the teachers didn't like, they ended up usually being hit across the back a few times with a sharp whip. After having spent over ten years at school, Link already had several scars of his own to remind him of his childhood escapades.
"Do you ever wonder where the stuff goes?" Link finally asked the two boys that had been talking to him.
They glanced at each other. "Where what goes?"
"The plants. Maybe they deliver them somewhere or something... like on a route!"
"What are you even talking about?" one of them scoffed.
"Never mind." Link flopped down onto his bed, but his mind was rushing with ideas. Could that be it? Did they deliver the plants somewhere, along the route that the headmistress was trying to plan? But then that meant the rebels were trying to stop this delivery. A cold feeling settled in his stomach. What were the plants used for?
As the dormitory began to settle down and most of the students fell asleep, Link could just make out the silent sounds of someone trying to muffle their sobs. He felt a pang of sympathy and quietly climbed out of bed before heading towards the sounds. He found one of the new students, the one he had noticed before, huddled under his blankets and shaking with tears.
"Hey," Link whispered.
The little boy looked up at him. He had a long face, and eyes that looked almost yellow along with a touch of grey mixed in with them. His dark hair clung to his face in damp clumps.
"My name is Eddo." Link knew that the only way to feel a little better about this place was to know you actually knew someone there. A name could be a very powerful thing.
The little boy wiped at his eyes and glared at Link.
"Hey, don't worry about me, kid. I'm not into pranks. Just wanted to introduce myself." Link gave him a smile and then started to head back to his bed. Before he could make it he noticed Orca sneaking into the room.
"Hey, Ed," Orca whispered, gesturing at him.
"Were you gone this whole time?" Link asked.
"You have such great observational skills, Eddo," Orca replied dryly. "Check out what Grandpa gave me."
Orca pulled out from under his shirt a treasure so rare that Link felt his jaw drop when he saw it. In Orca's hands was a book. It was small, and probably just a children's book, but Link eagerly reached out to touch it anyway.
"Come on!" Orca quickly hid the book again and began to pull Link out of the room.
They met Grandpa in one of the smaller passageways; it was, Link noticed, the same one that he and Grandpa had used the other day to sneak around.
Grandpa greeted Link with a large, toothy grin.
"Hey, Grandpa."
Orca quickly shoved the book into Link's hands. "You do it, I'm not that good yet."
Link didn't argue as he held the book up under what little light there was from Grandpa's candle. He looked at the title, and took a brief second to admire how the letters spiraled around and seemed to entangle themselves into one another to form words. Finally he cleared his throat and began to read the title aloud. "The-"
Suddenly Grandpa gripped Link's shoulder. Looking at where he was pointing, Link and Orca spotted one of the freshmen lurking near the corner, trying to stay out of sight. Link recognized him as the little boy he had just tried to talk to.
"Wait here," Link whispered to the others, handing the book back to Orca. The little boy shrunk towards the wall as Link drew closer, as if he was trying to go through the thick stone and disappear from sight.
"Hey, it's me, Eddo, remember?"
The little boy glared up at Link suspiciously.
Link knelt down and grinned at the boy. "Can you keep a secret?"
The little boy looked around nervously, back towards the dormitory. Another glare grew on his face the longer he stared at the room they were supposed to be sleeping in. Finally he looked back at Link and nodded quickly.
"Good. Come on."
Orca shifted uncomfortably as Link and the little boy returned together. "You sure about this, Ed?"
"Yeah, he's fine," Link replied as Grandpa waved at the youngest boy. The child waved back uncertainly. "That's Grandpa," Link explained as he sat back down on the floor. The little boy cast a curious look at the eldest Hylian but then shrugged and joined Link and the others on the floor.
"Ok then," Link started. "Let's try this again." He picked up the book. "The-" Grandpa once again put a hand on Link's shoulder. "What?"
Grandpa pointed at the little boy, who stared back at him nervously.
"Oh." Link turned to the boy. "He wants to know your name."
The little boy sighed. "Byrne."
Grandpa smiled and waved again.
"Can we get going now? The night hours are wasting away here."
No one protested, and so Link started to read the title again. "The Carnival of Time." Link turned to the first page, relishing at the sound and feel of the paper in his hands. "Each year, the season of harmony begins..."
Daylight was just beginning to sneak its way up on them when Link finally finished. Byrne was curled up at Link's side, fast asleep, but Orca and Grandpa were still wide awake, listening to the final last words with sparkling eyes and smiles on their faces.
"I wonder how old that story is," Orca commented as they started to stand. Grandpa quickly lifted Byrne up and started to carry him back towards the dormitory.
"It sounds old," Link replied as they followed Grandpa. "It's amazing it managed to survive this long."
"But the book looks new. Maybe someone is reprinting them?"
Link shrugged, but the idea excited him. Was that a real job? Finding old stories and putting them in new, undamaged books? He suddenly started to picture himself doing that, and the longer he thought about it the more he liked it. He could be Eddo, the savior of old stories. Or... maybe Eddo, the hero of legends! Link nodded to himself; that was a much catchier title. Maybe he could even put that on a sign in front of his shop.
Thanks for reading!