A/N: just a quick note - first thanks to everyone for the reviews. i'll try to keep the updates coming. the story is really flowing nicely for me, although it might be taking longer to get from place to place than i expected. its my first story, i am sure there is alot that could be edited. (i have made a bunch of grammatical errors, for starters. who needs grammar?) this is my longest chapter, but i wanted to get this whole idea together under one banner, so stick with it!
Chapter 9: Wolves Have No Names
Zelda walked along with Malon through private gardens in the castle grounds. Colorful flowers and carefully manicured bushes met them at every turn of the brick path. Small fountains murmured in the background mixing with the singing of the spring birds to create an organic orchestra. Cherry blossom's floated on the air, swirling like funnels on a current, then showering Zelda's white dress in dramatic fashion. Malon's beautiful red locks twisted and squirmed out the knot she had made, but she made no move to arrange them again.
They had walked in silence for most of their time together, Zelda occasionally pointing out interesting facts or uses for different rooms they passed. Malon dutifully responded with questions and interest, but beneath her words the utter sadness in her heart was undeniable. Zelda had managed not to invade the privacy of her mind, but simple intuition told her the problem. Me.
Even if Zelda had never been inside Link's mind, never seen the love that Malon had promised him, it still would have been obvious. Malon was jealous, and hurt, in a way that she didn't think she ever was going to be. Her home had been destroyed, her family's livelihood endangered, but the most pressing concern was that Link had returned, but still did not love her.
And here was Zelda, parading her around her palace, pointing out trivial facts. I can't believe I am such an idiot. How could I be so insensitive, so cavalier with her emotions? She wanted to apologize, to show that she wasn't a terrible person, a self important noble who expected the love and adoration of everyone and everything, who took whatever she wanted, when she wanted it. But she didn't know how, not when it she almost believed it herself at the moment.
So they walked on, silent now for over an hour, occasionally stopping to smell some of the spring lilies and tulips, or admire the fancy coats of orioles. They crossed through the maze of her garden until they reached the Crystal Lake, the holiest of grounds in all Hyrule. This is where Mudora of the Sheikah had kneeled in the shadow of the Night Mountains, and pledged loyalty to the Goddesses and to a man he never met. This was where the Triforce of Wisdom had first graced the land of Hyrule. Few people in Hyrule had ever walked here, around this lake untouched by time or man, hidden deep in the castle grounds. The ground was flat around the lake, and the interior castle walls rose up all around them. The tall city walls towered beyond that, the limit of their vision to the east and west, encircling them until it met the mountain that jutted south like a raven's beak. Behind them to the south, the rear of Hyrule castle, with its great North Tower, rose to the sky, like a mountain of white snow. The blue shingled roof sparkled in the sunlight, and the lake rippled in the breeze, the rainbow reflection which gave its name shattering and then coalesced again.
Zelda tried conversation again, hoping that she might find a way to make Malon see her as someone other than an enemy. "This is where Hyrule was first envisioned. Where the Goddesses walked upon the earth and the Sheikah pledged their loyalty to Rian Irule."
To Zelda's surprise, Malon nodded, and a wry smile touch her cheeks. Her voice was cracked and quiet as she slowly responded, gaining strength with each word. "Link used to tell me that story all the time, he stayed with us, did you know that Highness? About seven years ago, he came to the ranch, in the dead of winter, bleeding from head to toe. There was snow in the air, and I found him lying in a drift. He had used his blood to draw in the snow, a great eye beneath a tree with a face on it. His finger was still buried in the snow, nearly lost it to frostbite. I praise the Goddesses that I forgot to lock the gate that day, or I never would have found him. He had a fever for a week. Kept mumbling in his sleep, 'It's in the clearing…under the shade of the Forest Spirit…where only the innocent are welcome.' He begged me to go there, to bring it to him. Every night I cried and asked him what it was, where I should go. I loved him from the moment I saw him, and if he had told me to go to sea, then I would have gone that very moment. 'Bring it to the Princess…bring it to the Princess…or all will be drowned in a voice of blood.' Those were the only words we heard for a week.
"We stripped him that first night, and burned the cuts we could not sew. Father didn't think he would last the night, and prayed to the Goddesses as we kept vigil. In two weeks he was back on his feet, helping with the ranch, in a month he was practicing with his sword and bow. He stayed over year to repay his 'debt'. I questioned him everyday about what those first nights meant, but he gave me that smile, you know the one, said he must have been feverish, and I didn't press it. I was too afraid that he would leave if I did. He read us stories from books he carried with him, taught my father and I how to read and write. When bandits attacked us that spring, he drove them away, and when my father took sick, he bargained with customers and delivered the milk. That was the beginning of the famous Lon Lon Ranch, the secret to our success was the year that a fairy boy from the Lost Woods stayed with us. Yes, Highness, I know where he comes from." Malon didn't let Zelda's shock stop her, the words pouring out of her passionately, as though she was possessed by some external force. Malon's thoughts and feelings, a speech that had been practiced subconsciously for years, sprang from her soft pink lips with the grace of an experienced stage-actor.
"That summer during the festival father was still sick. Link and I went to the markets alone, giving samples of our milk, making deliveries and deals. We watched the parade, watched as our beautiful Princess graced the earth. An older boy made a rude comment about you, and Link beat him for it. The boy was a bully, and deserved it, but it terrified me, because Link never said anything, or showed any emotion. He beat the boy until he apologized for everything he had ever done, and then beat him some more. I had to pull Link off the boy to stop it. Link picked up our things and walked away as though nothing had happened. His playful smile and warm eyes returned as soon as we had left the city…I knew then that Link could never love me. I didn't want to believe it, I couldn't believe, I denied it for another two years, but I knew it deep in my soul.
"When I asked him that night why he did it, he said that no one should ever talk about you that way, that you were destined to be Hyrule's savior, and we owed you more than allegiance and love, we owed you our lives. He told me the story of Mudora and the Sheikah, the founding of the Hyrule. He told me everything he had learned, about everywhere that he had been, said that he knew that he could trust me, because when he had been close to the death the Goddesses had led him to me. Link told me things that I couldn't believe, that no one his age should ever know. I learned the reason behind his calm eyes, and wondered if he was mad.
"I never spoke about it again, and neither did he. He treated me the same as he always had. I believe he loved me as much as he could ever love someone, except for you that is. It was the happiest time of my life, we danced and sang all summer, I taught him to ride a horse, and he took me adventuring, told me stories of ancient kings and queens, and showed me how to use a bow and sword. Link made me laugh, took me into the city and protected me. He bought me gifts and surprised me each day. He made me feel safe. Then the next spring he told us that he would have to move on, that his place was not with us, as though the last year had never happened. I cried every night until he left. Dad gave him our finest horse, Epona, as repayment for helping us. In one day I lost my two best friends in the world. He visited every so often, but he could see how much it hurt me, and eventually he just stopped coming.
"I wanted to tell him that it was ok. That I didn't care if he always loved you more, that I didn't care if he left me everyday to watch over you, as long as I could call him mine for one night. I wanted to tell him that so badly, but I never knew where he was. I think that was the worst part. I never knew what happened to him.
"And then yesterday…yesterday the dragon shows up, and I knew, I just knew, that he would save us. I saw him for a moment after it was over, and he left, left to be with you, watch over you, to protect you. And I still couldn't be mad at him. I was happy. Happy that he had found you at last, that he could protect you. Happy that what he had believed and worked for all his life had finally come true.
"I know that what I have just said could cost me my life in some countries. I know too that I don't know. I don't know what it is you are called to do in this life. I don't know the pressure and the problems that you have faced in your life. But I do know Link, I know him better than any man or woman in Hyrule. I know him to be honest and true, and brave where Knights would tremble. If he believes in you, if he loves you…then so do I. I swear that if by my service or by my life I can help you to achieve your goals, I shall do so with joy. Forgive me this day for I have wanted to hate you all my life. Forgive me because I will never stop loving him, never stop wishing that in some other world he could be mine, but know that his heart, his soul will always belong to you. He will die for you, and bless you with his last breath. Know all this my Princess, and you shall be the greatest Queen that Hyrule has ever known. No army on this earth can prevail against him while you live, because he will not stop fighting as long as you breathe. Know all of this, and we shall be as sisters, taking joy in the other's happiness."
Malon words struck Zelda like a hammer. She was stunned and embarrassed as Malon knelt on the holy ground before her, kissing her hands in fealty, while warm tears flowed unchecked down her face and onto Zelda's fingers. Zelda pulled her hands away, and knelt in front of Malon. She stared deep into Malon's beautiful eyes, green like the forest of Link's home. Red lines spider webbed the white and ringed her long lashed lids, and Zelda knew tears were tainting her own eyes. She kissed Malon on each cheek, and each palm, and hugged her more compassionately then she had ever known possible. "Malon, if I lived for a thousand years, never would I find another who I would be so honored to call my sister. You shall call me Zelda and sister, and I will call you sister and Malon. I will love you and trust you until the Goddesses take me from this world. Please forgive me, for this morning I woke with envy and jealousy within my breast. Today you have humbled me and shown me the true heart needed to be a Queen. I promise you by the light of Nayru's wisdom, I will work tirelessly everyday to earn your admiration. " Zelda felt the rough wool dress against the softness of her skin as she held Malon, and knew that she was not yet ready, not yet worthy of Link or the Triforce. With Nayru as my witness, I will be. They hugged for a long time, neither wishing nor willing to leave that moment.
The King's sitting room was adjacent to the antechamber Link had visited last night. It well appointed with comfortable sofas and high backed chairs. Richly detailed Gerudo rugs softened the spotted marble floors, and a huge fireplace the size of three men was left unused against the far wall. Open doors to a balcony that overlooked the gardens and small lake behind Hyrule castle kept the room comfortable, though at this altitude there was almost a chill in the air. Link was holding a crystal goblet filled with water in his hands, aimlessly revolving it in his palms as he listened to Captain Morann give his report.
King Iolan reclined on the corner of a sofa facing the fireplace, listening to Captain Morann who insisted on standing while giving his report. Alastara Donah sat with his elbows on his knees, occasionally kneading his forehead and sighing during the Captain's exhaustive and detailed report. After a considerable amount of patience, he had asked the Captain to skip many of the protocols, which Link amassed was not of interest to the King, who continually stared out the window at the mountains that seemed to be falling into Castletown, barely held back by the great walls surrounding the city. Link himself was having considerable difficulty keeping pace with the Captain. Much of what he had to say didn't involve or concern Link at all.
"…At which point we were attacked by a large brood of Gohma, including larvae, adults, and even the queen herself. I deployed the Guard in a standard ring defense, and Impa Sheikah positioned herself atop the carriage and assisted in giving commands. At this point sire, it became immediately apparent that there was little hope of defeating the beasts at our present capabilities. I was preparing to order the retreat and escape with the Princess when young Master Link came to our assistance. He scoped her Highness up, took her to safety and joined us in battle. Though I loathe admitting it, without Link's assistance we would not have emerged victorious. His knowledge of the Gohma and skill in battle turned the tide. After he defeated the Queen, much of the host retreated, and we burned the forest to ensure we killed the rest of the brood. Sire, we lost thirteen guardsmen in the attack, and injured five more. A full account of damages and casualties has been left on your desk. During our journey northward I received confirmation that no Gohma had been sighted since in the attack, and the forest has burned to the ground. The Derrie and Moiro garrisons will be performing joint sweeps of the area at my order for the next month to be cautious.
"After the battle, I placed Master Link under arrest, and searched his belongs. At the time I believed he was a threat, and was suspicious of his story, but it was confirmed by the Derrie mayor, and the Princess insisted that he was to be trusted. As I your Majesty is aware, the Princess' intuition and judge of character is second to none, and I did not question the matter any further, though I did ask my soldiers to keep an eye on Link throughout our journey. I am sorry Link, but I would not be doing my duty otherwise, the Princess had taken far too much interest in you for me not to be careful."
Link nodded his acceptance. He had noticed and appreciated the Captain's situation completely. The King was snapped out of his reverie by the Captain's story. "Captain Morann, I notice you have glossed over the most interesting part of the story, young Master Link's gift to my dear daughter." The King hustled over to the chest beside the fireplace that Link had overlooked until now, and taking a key that hung around his neck on a chain unlocked it. He withdrew the plain pine box that Link had first given the book to Zelda in. Clearing a space for it on the low table in front of his sofa, he placed the box down and slide off the top. The Book of Mudora was again wrapped in the ancient blanket with the Ancient Hylian markings and fading illustrations on it. The King carefully removed the wrapping, and placed the Book on the table. Link watched as all eyes in the room stared at it as though made of gold. He was not as interested, having seen the Book for far too long. Warden Donah's eyes widened in shock, and he leaned over so far Link thought he would fall out of his chair.
Captain Morann paled at mention of the Book, his eyes darting back and forth between Warden Donah and the King. "…Ye-yes…Yes sire, I know the secrecy with which the Book's disappearance is guarded, and I did…I am sorry sire. I admit that I did not know if I should include it in my oral report. My written report includes a full description, as well as a list of guardsmen who witnessed the event." If Donah was perturbed that Morann had not told him, he did not say so, his attention completely held by the ancient treasure that lay just a foot away.
The King laughed his deep boom at Morann's unease. "Peace Captain, peace, this is a most unusual situation, there are no protocols and procedures for this situation. I understand completely. I trust that you have ordered all men who are familiar with this situation that they are never to speak of it?" A very relieved captain nodded his ascent, and the King continued. "Very good, I believe that a commendation is in order, don't you agree Alastara? Captain Morann has persevered under difficult situations, and the tour can only be called a success."
The Warden was obviously reluctant to tear his gaze away from the Book, and almost missed the question directed at him by the King. "Yes sire, I agree. I will see to it immediately. Captain, prepare a list of other Guardsman who are worth of commendation as well."
Morann saluted his response, before gathering himself to continue his report. The King never let him get another word in however. "Yes, excellent suggestion Alastara. Captain, you can deliver the rest of your report to the Warden, I believe I know much of the story after that, and I rest assured that your report will detail anything I don't. Leave me and Link now, I have matters to discuss with him."
Warden Donah stood and saluted, as did Morann, and with a last look at the Book of Mudora, they both left the room in silence. Link kept his eyes on the water glass in his hands, as the King held the Book in his hands, deep concentration etched over his face. They sat in silence for minutes, Link sure that it was not his place to speak, and the King studying the inlay with obvious interest. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say. Zelda's reaction was better than I could have hoped. However long it took, Link was committed to waiting patiently, for in just a brief amount of time the King had earned great respect from the young warrior.
Placing the Book back on the table, the King rose and walked silently to the open balcony doors, staring at the gardens below, leaning slightly against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest. Link examined the athletic frame of the King, who was equal in height to Link, with broad angular shoulders, the frame that wiry soldiers and swordsman took on with age. His jewel encrusted crown lay forgotten on the sofa, a gray ring of hair imprinting his auburn like its shadow. With a sigh, the King turned toward Link and stared deep into him. The good-humored, light hearted man that had greeted Link last night and this morning was gone. As though a mask had been removed while he turned his back, the harden appearance of a battle general exposed. When he spoke, the mirth that Link had found fatherly and comforting was gone, replaced by cold determination.
"Link, Zelda has told me that you have spent your life studying and researching the Book of Mudora, which I know means you have researched Hylian and Sheikah history and mythology. In your studies, what have you learned about the Knights of Hyrule?"
The question took Link by surprise. It was not what he had expected. "I suppose much the same as everyone your majesty. The Knights of Hyrule were formed by the son of the daughter of Mudora and the General Setana, as Farore commanded when Mudora kneeled here by the lake, and pledged loyalty. They protected the Royal Family and the Triforce of Wisdom with their lives and swords for over a millennium. They were the most feared force in the all the lands. Approximately fifteen years ago, they began the Reclamation campaign. The entire force of Hyrule's Knights road forth from Caisel Irule, in search of men who they believed could pass the trials of Knighthood, to bolster their dwindling force. From the western wall of the Gerudo nation to the eastern shore, Knights in parties of two or three passed through every city, town, village, and farm community, in search of those men. Hundreds of candidates were selected, and without time or capacity to test them all individually, the Knights and the new cadets made camp on the eastern shore, just north of the Lost Woods. There they were assaulted by an unknown force, and massacred, the entire line lost without a single survivor."
The King was slowly pacing the room with crossed arms, listening to Link's recitation with rapt attention. When he finished a rueful smile creased his bread, irritation and success mixed in painful combination. "Link, what you have just told me is the succinct, accurate assessment that I would expect to hear from our University's scholars and historians. It is the story that I myself have told Zelda…that Warden Donah has drilled into his cadets, and that fathers and mothers have told their children. It is the accepted history of Hyrule as it always has been, and what I suspected you would say. It is true in many ways, but unfortunately also a deliberate lie."
The King paused to let Link's shock settle before continuing. "Let me ask you another question, and I will explain what I have said. I assume that you have learned, or discovered for yourself that Zelda is destined to wield the Triforce of Wisdom, and that she will first attempt to do so at the conclusion of the Festival, on the summer solstice?"
Link agreed quickly, "Yes, but I have never actually told Zelda this."
The King was impassive at Link's answer, a slight shrug of the shoulders as he continued. "And why should you have? She has kept much to herself as she should, you need not bare yourself completely. As for my real question, if you believe that Zelda is to wield the Triforce of Wisdom, who do you suppose will yield the Triforce of Courage?"
It was a question that Link had pondered time and again, but one which he had no answer to. "I… I have often wondered at that your Majesty, but I never found an answer in all my study or experience. I suppose I believed that the Princess would be able to tell us after she had command of the Triforce of Wisdom, as the prophecy says, she will lead us."
Iolan Irule had stopped pacing, and took his seat on the couch again, this time sitting closer to the chair that Link occupied. He took another deep sigh, rocking his head back to the ceiling as though in silent prayer. "Link, if you did not know what I know that would seem like the most logical solution. But, as it is, the situation is much more complicated than that. You believe that Zelda is the rightful heir to the Triforce of Wisdom because of the Mudora Prophecy, do you not?" The King barely waited for the perfunctory nod from Link. Each word came as though he was laying a heavy doom on Link.
"It is Hyrule's oldest story, every citizen who enters the Temple can see it retold in picture and hear it in the priest's word. The Princess whose mother is sacrificed to bring her into the world shall inherit Nayru's gift. Zelda is this Princess, I have no doubt. Mudora's Prophecy, though, contains much more information, going into greater detail. You see Link, long ago, when Rian first ascended to the throne, it was decided that the story told to Hylians, and the story that the Sheikah had always known must be different, to protect this line, as well as prevent a mass hysteria. If everyone in Hyrule had access to this knowledge, it could lead to chaos, the daily lives and functions needed to run this country would be disrupted whenever some omen or sign even remotely occurred. Therefore, much of the distinguishing characteristics of the Princess foretold in words the Goddesses handed down to Mudora that night were buried. Scholars and time eventually rooted many of them out, too many inconsistencies in Sheikah and Hylian early writings, and it is well known in some scholastic circles and families that Zelda will bear the Triforce. Her birth on the summer solstice, her mother's untimely death, her beauty, the healing of Impa. All were foretold, although some more cryptically than others.
"While the Royal Family was not completely successful in suppressing prophecy about the Triforce of Wisdom, we were much more successful with the Triforce of Courage. You have spent your entire life in study of the Triforce and the Book of Mudora, but you have barely scratched the surface. Link, the Triforce of Courage can only be wielded by a Knight of Hyrule, and not simply a Knight of Hyrule, but a true heir of Mudora, a member of the line of General Setana and Aipha, Mudora's daughter. A line that I believed had died fifteen years ago." While the King had been speaking the very room had seemed to darken with his story, the darkness of despair that was now evident on his face.
Link couldn't believe the King's words, it didn't seem possible. "But…but that would mean that there is no one…no one left."
"That is what I have believed for the last fifteen years. I believed it still last night when you came here, and even when Zelda told me that you had recovered the book. I believed it while she spoke so passionately about the handsome young man that saved her life, as well as countless others through selfless, fearless heroism. I was happy that she was home safe, happy that the love she harbored all these years could finally be given to another. But as I had everyday for the last fifteen years, I counted one day closer until she would be taken from me, because there was no one to wield the Triforce of Courage, and protect the destined Princess.
"And then I opened this box, and saw something I never expected to see again in my life." The King carefully lifted the old blanket that Link wrapped the Book of Mudora in all those years ago. It was one of the items that the Deku Tree had given him all those years ago. Link had never thought much of it. Just an old memento of a life he never knew. He had barely thought of it since using it to wrap up the Book of Mudora when he first secreted it away from the Sheikah Mountain.
The King laid it carefully on the table, and walked toward the chest beside the fireplace again. He took some books and jewels out of the chest, digging to the bottom until he found what he was looking for. He placed the items back in the chest and brought the item he had retrieved over to the table. It was simple dark purple cloth, folded into a square. Unfolding it, the King revealed a white blanket, with similar markings and images to Link's. Casting aside the purple cloth, the King laid the two small blankets beside each other, and Link saw they created one solid imagine, only marginally interrupted by the golden thread embroidered on the edges of each blanket. Link's was faded and dirty compared to the other, but the connection was clear. A golden triforce was completed when the blankets were brought together, and within each section an Ancient Hylian symbol was sewn. The ancient text continued on everywhere about the blanket, in no discernable pattern to Link, with rudimentary images of castles, towers, and what Link believed were children and men.
"These blankets were first made twenty years ago, crafted here in this room by a Sheikah artisan at my request. They reflect a specific passage of the Book of Mudora, which I will show you now. I am not sure if you ever attempted, but the Book of Mudora cannot be opened by any but the rightful King or Queen of Hyrule." Iolan lifted the book to his lips and kissed the Triforce upon it, then carefully opened its ancient pages. The binding creaked with age, and the pages which had been stuck together for years were hesitant to part. The King thumbed through the book carefully until he found the page he was looking for, and placed the open book on the table above the blankets. He shifted on the sofa, and motioned for Link to join him.
Link could see that the blanket was an exact representation of the ancient pages, though lacking the carefully illuminated borders and flourishes. The musky smell of knowledge filled Link's nostrils, a scent he recognized well from his time in the archives and libraries that found home in Hyrule. The King waited while Link examined the mirror images, the first true smile Link had seen upon him splitting his bearded face. "She did excellent work, did she not? I commissioned these blankets after this child was born." The King tapped Link's dirtied blanket, the small likeness of a babe with a Triforce symbol upon his heart.
Link suddenly felt light-headed as he struggled to keep up with what he was being shown. "Who…who was…"
The King saved him from trying to find the words to complete the question. With a sigh he pushed himself off the sofa, and walked out to the balcony again. "It is understandably difficult for you to understand Link…but you were that baby. That is why you have this blanket, I gave it to your father soon after you were born, and you were swaddled in that very blanket when you were just a babe. I did not recognize you when you came yesterday, though I should, you do look so much like your mother. I have attempted to forget those days, I regret that I have not held there memories as they deserved." The King said no more, turning his back to stare again at the mountains.
Who am I? What am I? Link could not hold himself back from the King, the urgency and confusion clear in his voice. "Sire, who was my Father? Why did you give this to him, what connection did my family have to this Book?" Link did not remember standing, or understand why he rushed over to the King, just barely stopping himself from grabbing the man by his shoulders and shaking the answers from him.
Iolan was slow to turn, unfazed by anxiety of his young guest. "Your father was my oldest and dearest friend. He was my protector and mentor, Faolan, First Knight of Hyrule, Commander General of the Seven Legions, descendant of Setana and Aipha. A giant of a man, he stood four palms taller than either of us, and his power was unmatched in all the land. He guarded me and trained me from when I was a young prince and I have missed him dearly. Shortly after I married Mirne and ascended to the throne, Faolan also took a wife, Briena. She was a maid here in the castle, but that mattered little to your father, who did not hold with the foolishness of titles and bloodlines. She was young and beautiful, and you father cared for her very deeply. They married in early spring twenty years ago and conceived quickly. You were born during the deep cold of winter, here in the castle. I will remember that night until I die, a fierce storm had battered the city for a week, and the snow was as tall as a man and thick throughout the city and surrounding towns. A dispute had taken hold in the northwestern town of Dovlock a month before, the local lord's son had killed a farmer's daughter, and I stepped in to mediate the case. Faolan was hesitant to leave your mother, but I believed we would return in time, and he would not abandon his duty. We were caught in the storm, the trip which took us a less than a week before took two in return.
"When we arrived at the castle, the servants informed us immediately that your mother was giving birth. We rushed to her, in time to discover that the birth was proving difficult, and that midwives were about to cut her open. Your father cut you from the womb himself...your mother died shortly after she held you. I am sorry Link, I…your father was the best man I knew, fearless and righteous, a true Knight in every respect. Your mother was his true equal, compassionate and brave until the end, it is shame that you knew never her." The King lapsed into silence again, and Link stood beside him on the balcony, gripping tight the smooth marble banister, struggling with the truth of his heritage. His mind was cluttered and sluggish, and he sought the comfort of Zelda's presence, but she was completely shut off from him, he reached for her and she kept slipped away. Downcast eyes found her walking in the gardens though, Malon was with her. Their dramatic red and gold hair like flowers themselves among the hedges and he watched as they disappeared behind a hedge, heading toward the Crystal Lake.
"Your father was understandably distraught, Mirne attempted to comfort him, and it was left to me to hold you in my own arms. I noticed a strange marking on your chest, one that I had seen before, but never on a person. The golden outline of a triforce was emblazoned on your chest, rising and falling rhythmically with your little heart. It's still amazing to me that I did not drop you in astonishment. The prophecies of Mudora flooded my mind with recognition, 'Born under a white blanket on a starless night, the son of a sword and servant, he will be the defender of Nayru's daughter.' I knew immediately that you were that child, even worse, and selfishly, I knew what it meant for Mirne. If you were to bear the Triforce of Courage, then I would soon have a daughter, and that Mirne would die to bring her into the world." The depression that loomed in his words had returned, and Link understood the burden of knowledge once again. Iolan had known that his wife would die, perhaps even believed he would cause her death. It was a terrible burden to bear, one that Link wished never to have. Link reached subconsciously for his chest, and the King laughed but a little.
"The symbol faded within days. I did not tell Mirne, waiting instead for her to retire. Your father held you in his massive hands, you seemed but a doll in them, and I advised him of everything I had learned and knew of the prophecy. He believed and understood. Together we planned how to hide this fact from the rest of the world, especially you. We believed that if you knew what fate lay before you, you would not be the man needed. Every soldier and servant would bow to you, defer to you, you would be untested and unprepared for the task that only you could complete. From what I have heard, we might have succeeded all too well, but I am getting ahead of myself."
"I asked your father what your name would be, what name was worthy of Hyrule's greatest hero. His response was thus, 'Wolves have no names Iolan King.' For five years you lived in the castle nameless, and I have no idea where you got your name. You were trained to be a weapon of war from your birth, a training that appears to have been quite fruitful." The King continued to stare at the mountains, as though the answers to all life's answers could be found among their snow covered peaks. To the northeast the Mountain of Everlasting Night, home of the Sheikah loomed above all others, its shadow casting the valley below in perpetual darkness.
"Mirne and I had a difficult time those next couple years…I was not as brave as I should have been, not the King that I should have been. I was afraid of what would happen, Mirne believe I had taken mistresses, that I no longer loved her. When I could no longer stand for her to hate me I told her the truth about you and the truth about the daughter we would have. Mirne was braver than I, she forgave me, and within a year Zelda was born. Mirne died holding our beloved daughter, asking for Nayru's blessing to be upon Zelda with her last breath.
"Where you had the triforce upon your heart, Zelda had the same marking upon her face, surrounding her left eye. It too faded in days, and no one was the wiser except for the select few who had been there, I, your father, and Impa. It was a secret we guarded with our lives.
"The castle returned to normal, your father and I played the part of grieving husbands, and much of Zelda's daily upbringing was left to Impa, who had been selected for the myriad talents she alone among all the Sheikah possessed. You followed your father everywhere once you were capable of walking. I took to studying passages of the Book at great lengths of time, retreating to the Night Mountain for weeks. After Zelda's birth, the full extent of Ganondorf's evil first became apparent in Hyrule. A large force of his twisted soldiers began terrorizing Hyrule and beyond, until at last we learned of vast armies along the coast, hidden behind the Lost Woods, encamped surrounding the Clouded Tower, or the Tower of the Gods. Have you ever seen it Link? It is the most magnificent of all the Sheikah wonders, an endless tower of seamless white stone. The clouds themselves bow before it. Few are brave enough to visit it now, the forest has expanded and the road has disappeared. You can still see if from a distance though, rising into the night above the forest.
"Your father believed that it would be best to strike them first, to attack unexpectedly, and to regain this strategic location. His zeal was understandable, despite his cold exterior he had taken greatly to you. Your success was the paramount concern in his life. We conceived of the Reclamation campaign, which we disguised as an attempt to bolster the forces of the Knights, although our real intention was to simply get as many troops as possible. The enemy numbers were estimated at anywhere between fifty and one hundred thousand, your father's Knights were comprised of seven legions, roughly fourteen thousand strong. The Sheikah committed two thousand of their own soldiers, and the largest force ever to march under the Golden Hawk waged a secret war along the coast. In one night the entire enemy force and all of the Knights were obliterated. One Sheikah soldier survived, Seana, who became Shepard shortly thereafter.
"Your father foolishly took you with him, against all of our agreements and plans. I think he believed that your time had already come, that the enemy's encampment beside the Tower was not a coincidence. When word of the battle reached us, I sent the entire eastern division to scour the field for you, but there was no trace of you, or your father. I assumed the worst. The story of the Massacre at the Eastern Shore, that an unknown force from the woods was responsible was widely distributed, thought it sickened me to do so. It cheapened the courage and sacrifice those men had made. I see now though, that your father must have carried you into the Lost Woods. He saw what I did not, the power of the watcher, the Forest Spirit. How Faolan found him, we shall never know.
"That is who your father is, and that is who you were, before you became the Link of the Lost Woods. You were Faolan's son, Little Wolf, as your were called you. There is one more thing, which I would be remiss not to tell you. It is perhaps our greatest sin, your father's and I, but we insisted that chance not be left to change fate. Shortly after Zelda was born, your father swore your fealty and protection to Zelda in the manner more binding then simple words. Ancient magics and oaths were invoked, you father cut your palm and lip with his sword, swearing that you would never betray or fail her in word and deed. The blood he gathered and dropped on her palms and your chest, vowing that heart and life belonged forever to her. If you reflect upon your past, I am certain that you shall see the pull that my daughter has forever had on you. Unnatural and unforgivable was our crime, but understand this is our most desperate hour, and your father would not allow any risk or doubt …." The King said no more, and together he and Link stood silently, Iolan examining the mountains, and Link the small scar on his left palm.
When he looked back, Link believed he was in a state of shock. The story the King had told him was too overwhelming for him to handle. Faolan…Briena…father, mother, I can almost see you now. He had never thought much on who his parents might have been. Instead he had been eager to forget that he had none, to move on. Growing up in the forest, he believed the Great Deku Tree had created him, like all the Kokiri. When he learned that he was Hylian, and then what it meant to have a mother and a father, it had been easy for him to accept that he was different, that he had no father or mother. He had always felt different, a Hylian among the Kokiri, and a Kokiri among the Hylians. Then he was a drifter, a wordless, sometimes nameless wanderer, without home or root. It struck him as odd that he felt more at home, more part of a family then ever before here in the castle, one of the few places in Hyrule he could not remembering being. The King beside him felt more like family than anyone, even Malon, than he had ever known. It is certainly a strange journey which I have taken.
Link knew though, even at that moment, that he would not wish his life on anyone else, if this was the burden the Goddesses had given him then he would gladly bear it. His duty would be carried out, he would see it through if it cost him his life.
Their silent reflections were interrupted by a young Guardsman, about Link's age, with close cropped brown hair and bright eyes. He knocked heavily at the sitting room door before bursting in, his announcement already leaving his lips. "…, begging your pardon your Majesty, but you must come immediately. It's singing, like they say in the Temple. It's actually singing! The most beautiful song you have ever heard in all your life. Please sire, you must come, follow me!"
King Iolan's irritation at being interrupted had faded before the young boy had finished speaking. His lips moved silently, words never leaving his throat, and Link saw his sharp mind working furiously behind those wise eyes. Finally he spoke, more for Link's benefit than his own. "What do you mean?"
The eager young soldier almost didn't wait for his King to finish. "The Triforce sire, the Triforce of Wisdom, its singing."