Several days had passed since Midna, Leili and Nulia had left. Link stood at the stove helping Meria cook breakfast. The boys were busy carving toy horses from blocks of wood.
It was raining today. The village had been having a small drought for several weeks and had been in desperate need of a storm to come.
"I hate rain..." Shilen moaned. "We can't go outside and play when it's wet outside."
"It's better than the air being so thick with dust though," Rolen pointed out.
There was a knock at the door. Link turned to look at the door, puzzled by it. There hadn't been any plans for visitors and it was his day off from herding the flocks.
"Feron, will you get that?" Link asked.
"Sure," Feron replied. He put down the small knife and block of wood on the table, scooted out of his chair and walked to the door.
Link went back to watching Meria, pointing out to her that the eggs were starting to brown. He heard the door open, Feron ask the person who they were. The other person's voice stopped Link for a second. It was a sweet, soft voice, yet it had a tone of authority.
"I am here to speak with Link," the voice said. "It's urgent."
"Dad, it's-" Feron began.
"I know, Feron," Link cut him off. He turned around to find himself facing a tall pale skinned woman. She was dressed in a dark cloak and hood that kept her dry. "Rolen, help Meria with cooking, please."
"Yes sir," Rolen said.
As Rolen come up to the stove to help his sister, Link stepped forward to greet the woman. Feron was still standing there, holding the door open.
"Feron, go back to your carving."
"Yes sir," Feron replied. He left the door open, and went back to the table.
"Let's go outside to the barn," Link said to the woman. He stepped outside, closing the door behind them.
"Forgive me, Queen Zelda," Link sighed. He was kneeling before the woman with head bent low to show his loyalty to her. "I try not to get my family involved in matters of royalty."
"It is fine, don't worry about that," Zelda replied. She had pulled down her hood, letting her golden hair fall down her back. Around her head she wore a circlet of gold with a ruby in the center. Her bright blue eyes were, as always, heavy with authority. But there was something else, a look of worry and desperation.
"What have you come to ask me?" Link asked.
"How long ago did Midna leave the village?"
"Just a few days ago." Link looked up in confused. Why would the queen ask him that? Didn't she see Midna and the girls when they arrived at the castle?
"I know what you're thinking. And in answer to your question; they never arrived at the castle."
"What?" Link stood straight up, too shocked to stay near the ground. "What do you mean they never arrived?"
"I had guards posted at each entrance of the city. None of them saw your Midna or the children. At sunset two nights ago, I sent a few patrols out to search for them. One came back with this." Zelda pulled something from under her robes and handed it to Link.
He took it lightly in his hands and looked down at it. The object was a white cat doll, with an out of proportion tail. One of it's legs had been ripped off and the fabric looked to have been soaked in mud.
"Do you know who did this?" Link asked. He clutched the doll tightly, breathing Leili's scent.
"We're not completely sure at this point. But our trackers found evidence of Moblin in Hyrule field. They followed all of the tracks and it seems they go past the Snow Peak mountain range."
"Moblins... I will find them. I'll ask Ilia to watch the kids."
"No Dad!" Feron's voice exclaimed.
Link turned to see the four children at the door. They must have been standing there for a short time, but they knew what was going on.
"We're going with you!" Meria said.
"No, absolutely not!" Link said with a strong voice. "It's too dangerous for-"
"It's too dangerous for a bunch of kids, but it's okay for one adult to go alone?" Rolen asked. "You've trained the three of us in swordplay, Dad!"
"And Meria knows magic from what Mom taught her!" Shilen pointed out.
"Link," Zelda began. "I doubt your children will stay here once you leave. They will probably follow you and not show themselves until it is too late to turn back."
"You're right... They have too much of my determination in them," Link sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment and thought through his mind of the scenarios that might take place. The worst ones he came up with were if he left the children at home and they followed after him. He opened his eyes and looked at the four eager faces. "Alright. But you have to do everything I tell you, got it?"
"Yes sir!" the four exclaimed.
"I shall leave now with my guards back to the castle," Zelda told Link. "Once we arrive, I will find the best cloaks, weapons and food for you and your children."
"Thank you, Queen Zelda," Link said. He placed his right hand over his chest and bowed to the tall woman. "We shall leave first thing in the morning."
"Very well. Good-bye, my friend."
The queen turned, and gracefully walked out of the small barn. Link looked after her and finally noticed the small, enclosed carriage and group of horses that stood at the edge of the wood. Two of the horses were tied up to the carriage, to pull it. Sitting on each of the remaining ten horses was a man in full armor. One man sat on the seat at the head of the carriage to steer the horses. this was the queen's escort.
Queen Zelda stepped into the carriage and closed the door behind her. She stuck her head out the window and gave orders to her men. They each nodded and slowly moved in formation into the forest, heading back to the castle.