~ Chapter Six: Seeing the Sights

"Well, this is a fancy place," Aunt Lila said, commenting on how sprawled out the city of Koholint, the district of Saria, was. She was wearing a puffy, plush outfit made out of thick wool, a product of her farm on the other side of Larame. Her brown hair was pulled back in a bun, a braided crown wrapping around her head. "For my first time coming to the city, and I get the pleasure of being led by such a strong man." Of course, she was merely guessing that the caretaker leading her was a man, since the person was cloaked heavily. Beyond asking her name, it hadn't spoke much beyond that, and even its voice was too low for her to properly make out the right gender. "Say, will we be getting to the kids soon? I'm starting to get… a might peckish and think I'll need to stop for some lunch before long."

Milos accompanied Kyrie and Kyle outside of the Temple of the Crystal, draped in her caretaker robes to hide her face. The sun was blazing brightly overhead through the Great Deku Tree's canopy, draping the cityscape in its spotty rays that blended and blurred as it descended to the ground. The image of the temple slowly faded from sight for the kids, watching it slowly change into a series of boring, ordinary buildings. They knew it was still there, though, so it was just a matter of wanting to return to it at a later time. There was a mutual display of excitement as the kids and their aunt saw one another. Clamoring into a large group hug, the Cross siblings were happy to see another familiar face.

"Oh dear, it feels as though it's been ages since I saw the two of you," Lila said, emphasizing a grunt when she said "ages". "Look at the two of you," she commented, pulling them away from her to get a better look up close. "Wow, you've both grown so much since I last saw you. Kyrie, you're turning into quite the pretty lady. You definitely look more like your mother as the years go by. And Kyle… wow, the spitting image of a younger Max if I do say." She leaned in and gave both of them a kiss on the cheek. "Speaking of, where are your parents?"

Milos bid the other caretaker farewell, and quickly responded as best as she could to Lila's question. "They're both indisposed of in another matter. I'm sure you were told as much as possible when they reached you?" Lila nodded, but the expression on her face meant she wasn't told as much as she would've liked. Kyrie could relate, and only clutched her aunt even more in a hug, burying her face into the soft, plush cloth her aunt's clothes were always made of. It was a comforting memory, to recall her aunt always wearing the plushest, softest clothing to hug.

"Yes, but that tells me nothing. Why bring their kids here to the city, only to want them taken back? My sister usually isn't one for such poor planning, and…" she slowly lost track of what she was complaining about, seeing the kids look up at her with concern. "What's wrong, young ones? Are you hungry? I believe I am too." She looked to Milos, half expecting her to know what she was hinting at. A few seconds passed with silence being the only response. "Do you know where we can get something to eat at around here?"

"No!" Kyrie halted Milos's response, shocking everyone involved as well as the people passing by. Kyrie took a bit to collect herself, and then turned to view Milos. She could see under the hood, knowing what the caretaker looked like beforehand, and slightly lent a pleading whimper into her voice. "Do you think we could tour the other districts before we leave? This is our first time in the city, and I know I would appreciate the sights." Kyle stepped forward and did his best to quiver his lip. Milos remained silent, as did Lila. Only after a few more seconds of Kyle's attempt did she agree to it.

Milos directed them towards the district borders, ensuring that they would find a place to eat along the way to keep Lila from complaining. The city scenery was quite a breather to the kids compared to being cooped up in the Temple for what seemed like longer than just a night. There were lush trees and patches of grass growing beside the buildings, and the general motif of nature could be seen in designs and drawings throughout the area. Kyrie and Kyle smiled at one another, knowing it would only be a matter of time until they'd reach Darunia. Kyle realized that there was another problem facing them, tugging on Kyrie's clothes to pull her behind Lila. He opened his mouth and pointed in, remembering that he had recently lost his voice. None of the caretakers were able to help him, and Lila wasn't aware of it yet. Kyrie nodded at the hint, but tried to signal that it'd be fine for now.

"If we were to explain it to her, I think Mom and Dad would have a harder time explaining how we became involved. Let's just head to Darunia for now and see what we can find. That guy wasn't the most informative when he asked for our help, so…" she breathed in, thinking to herself carefully. "It's a good enough place to start, at least." Kyle nodded, but he still felt like they should tell their aunt about his inability to speak. Kyrie just patted him on the head and pulled him back between the two adults.

"…and that's when my fourth husband succumbed to Stalfos. He's still rather handy to keep around the farm, though. He scares away the wolves that try to eat the Laafy at night." Lila was entertaining Milos with tales of her ex-husbands. Kyrie found it a bit bitter to be talking of such things around children their age, but she also remembered that it was how their aunt was. Instead, she continued to look around the sights as they walked through Saria.

Eventually, Milos brought them to the border of Saria, a massive wall built between it and the neighboring district of Ruto. Although it wasn't exactly straight, the wall kept up a seamless line of bricks and clay that extended far beyond their sight. The street they were walking on led up to a gate, allowing entry between the districts unhindered. A portcullis decorated like an ivy lattice was raised partially, just high enough to allow pedestrians to walk through. The portcullis on the other side of the gate was carved and painted to look like icicles, hanging dangerously from above.

"This is one of several checkpoints that Koholint runs. In times of need, the gates are lowered, and passes are checked to make sure that only merchants, guards, or special visitors are allowed between the districts. This way, there's a greater check on who is going in and out." Milos led them through the open checkpoint, explaining that there was no warning going on so free passage was allowed.

The scenes of nature and harmony they had become used to in Saria was replaced by the smell of water and fish. A bluish-gray tint was applied to all of the fixtures in Ruto, and a gentle breeze carried with it the smell of fresh water off in the distance. Kyrie took in a deep breath, feeling her body relax and lighten with the air. Before she could, Milos caught her hesitation and said, "Ruto is connected to Lake Zora and the Jabu-Jabu River, both ample bodies of water that provide a myriad of fish and other aquatic bounties that the city comes to rely upon." Kyrie exhaled the breath she had gathered, finding her question answered.

"Jabu-Jabu River? I don't think I've heard of such a thing," Lila commented, regarding her knowledge of Larame as knowing a lot of the valley itself. Milos went into further detail that the river was connected to a waterfall on the western edge of the valley. Kyrie's eyes sparkled at the mention of the waterfall, leaning further into her ideas of something existing beyond the valley walls. Lila just scoffed at the notion of the waterfall. "I doubt that. I'll believe it when you can show me such a thing exists." Milos just remained quiet under her hood, leading them further through the Ruto district.

It didn't take long before Lila began to complain about her feet aching and her stomach growling. Milos looked around cautiously, surveying the scenery. She quickly spotted an outdoor restaurant they could eat at, and Lila rushed over to sit in one of the chairs before the caretaker had finished the suggestion. She was fanning herself with a menu when the rest of the party joined her, sitting down quietly. After their meals had been ordered, Lila seemed to be comfortable enough to continue talking.

"So, young lady," she turned in her chair to stare at Kyrie. "Why have you and your brother been so quiet? What's really going on?" Kyrie raised an eyebrow curiously, hazarding a guess as to what she really meant. Lila just stared at her then motioned her head towards the caretaker, Milos, who was discussing the meal arrangements with the waiter back near the kitchen. "What have you gotten yourselves into?" Kyrie played ignorant to what she meant, but Lila leaned forward, getting closer to the two children. "I'm not stupid, children. Your parents' message was clear on one thing: there was something that happened, and then you had to leave. You bet your bottom that I won't leave this alone until I found out."

As Milos returned, Lila quickly changed back into the complaining conversationalist that she was earlier. Kyrie watched their aunt carefully, having never seen the other side of her before. She was afraid that Lila would catch on, and neither of the Cross children knew how to properly explain it without the casual way adults push things away when they don't believe it.

After their stop at the restaurant, Milos offered to take them back to Saria so they could leave. Kyrie shook her head, wanting to continue on. Lila eyed the girl carefully, sending a chill down her back. Milos continued to show them around, showing them the gate that separated Ruto from Darunia. The mention of the district's name caused the hair on Kyrie's neck to stand, an electric signal sweeping through her body that tingled at her fingertips. Kyle simply held onto her hand tightly as they passed under the icicle portcullis of Ruto and under the jagged rocks lined with yellowish-red magma veins that decorated the gate of Darunia.

"Darunia is famous for the workshops and metallurgists that toil day and night to perform any and all services involving the precious metals mined out of Volvagia, a mine to the far northwest." The temperature and air in the district felt warm and humid, their bodies quickly displaying tiny beads of sweat under the steamy surroundings. "If you look over there," she said, pointing off to the northwest some more. Kyrie and Kyle followed her finger in the direction suggested. Their sight leapt from one line of rooftops to another, all the way to a large spire jutting out from the center of the district.

"That's… quite a tall, sharp building," Kyrie commented, looking at it closely. A plume of gray smoke trailed out from the top, disappearing as it rose higher into the sky. She felt her body tingle as she locked sights on it, and felt a powerful pulse throb through her entire body. She braced herself, raising her free hand up to her chest to steady herself from causing a scene. Kyle's grip on her hand tightened to an uncomfortable strength.

"That's the Monolith. The smoke that rises from the top is a signal of weather to come, so the rest of the city uses it to predict weather patterns for the rest of the valley." Lila looked at the kids carefully, gauging their reaction to the sight. Kyrie had recovered from whatever had hit her, but she still felt Kyle's grip starting to cause her hand to go numb. Without further alarm, Lila nudged on Milos and pulled her aside, wanting to ask the caretaker directly what was going on to require her presence.

Meanwhile, Kyrie and Kyle remained in the street, looking at the spire. Kyrie winced in pain, looking down at her hand, then up at Kyle's face. "Kyle, you're hurting me," she whispered. He loosened his grip a little, but with the feeling returning to her hand, she began to feel an increased warmth coming off of his hand. She looked at him carefully, watching as his pupils narrowed and expanded, adjusting to the scene. He looked back at her and blinked a few times.

"Kyrie?" he asked, speaking in a different voice. She let go, afraid of what was wrong with him. He took some time to look at his body, especially his hands, and then looked at her again. "Kyrie, why am I in this body?" She looked at him hard, trying to understand what he meant. "I wanted your help, but I also wanted my body too." That was all she needed to hear to know that it wasn't Kyle anymore. It was the young man that asked for their help. But that meant…

She stepped forward, grabbing Kyle's shirt tightly and raising him up to eye level. "What've you done with my brother," she snarled, her lips tightly sealed near the edges as she uttered a threat. Kyle just gulped, looking at her with fear in his eyes. As she stared into them, she realized that he had red eyes now. Further proof that her brother was not the one she was holding onto now.