Chapter 11: Journeyman Of The Archives

Many apprentices cowered in fear as the man strode up to the front desk. His name was Raikkus, and whenever he stepped into the Archives it meant trouble for all of them. He was the son of Ganondorf, and had inherited his father's tall and muscular traits, but had been spared the rugged looks of the man's face. His facial features were soft, reflecting that of his mother, and made him appear to be a kind and handsome person. However this was not true of the man, for many had been relieved of their positions in the Archives, among other places, because they had not performed to his expectations.

However, this day was one that the apprentices knew they would never forget, for a certain young Journeyman was working at the front desk on this day. If there was anything these two shared in common, it was their brutal and irrational dislike for each other. The Journeyman had his head bent down, his glasses pressed down so they would remain on his nose while he read a tome he had pulled out earlier that day. His bangs, being parted in the middle, fell around his face like a frame, while the rest of his hair was pulled back in a ponytail that fell to his shoulder blades.

Everyone watching the scene held their breath as Raikkus approached the front desk. He scowled when the Journeyman failed to notice him. Clearing his throat, he said, "Excuse me, Journeyman. If you are done reading, I would advise that you do your job."

The Journeyman held up a finger and said, "Just a second." He slowly closed the tome, still trying to read the page he was on, and finally acknowledged the man standing before him. He faked a grimace and, even though he knew who it was from the beginning, said, "Oh, it's you."

Raikkus ignored the comment and brandished a piece of paper. "I have a list of articles I would like to peruse. If you would be so…kind as to fetch them for me I would most appreciate it." The strain in his voice was clear to everyone within earshot. While he harbored bitter feelings for the Journeyman, his father had taught him to be respectful and, as an ambassador of the Gerudo people, was expected to be a good example in public. He handed the youth his list and waited patiently, though anyone on his side of the desk could see that he was tapping his foot rather impatiently.

The Journeyman read through the list and frowned. On the list, though at a glance was completely harmless, there were a few documents that depicted, in detail, past attempts to take over Hyrule, starting with Ardor's first attempt hundreds of years in the past and ending with the most recent one that left the land of Hyrule flooded. Unlike Raikkus, the Journeyman had no reservations being rude in public. "My apologies, Lord Raikkus, but it would appear that I cannot bring to you the requested scrolls."

Raikkus was unable to prevent his eye from twitching, giving the Journeyman slight satisfaction at getting under his skin. "I see, and for what reason is this?"

The Journeyman smiled, revealing his teeth. "Because I don't like you."

Raikkus's hand started to reach for his belt knife, but someone was shouting from behind the desk and he knew there would be no need for violence on this day.

"Kenji!"

The Journeyman took a deep breath and turned around to face the Master Archivist that was in charge for the day. "Yes, Master Kell?" The man was limping over to them at a brisk pace, the sound of his cane making contact with the stone floor reverberating like a cold heartbeat.

When Master Kell stopped next to Kenji, he held out his hand for the list, and Kenji, reluctantly, handed it to him. He looked it over and gave it back to his Journeyman. "Go get them." He glared at him coldly as he stood up from his chair and disappeared into the rows of shelves. "My apologies, Lord Raikkus. Had I known you were coming to visit, I would have personally welcomed you here upon your arrival."

"There's no need to apologize, Master Kell," Raikkus said, smiling because he was getting his way. "We can't expect everyone in the world to be respectful like yourself."

Kenji grabbed a ladder and set it against a high shelf where all the "Attempts-to-rule-Hyrule" scrolls were and quietly cursed the Master Archivist for showing up. "I was just about to get him to draw his weapon which would have given me every right to have him arrested and he just comes along and butts in like he always does." He slid down the ladder and turned to go to another shelf, but someone appeared out of nowhere and startled him, causing him to drop the scrolls. Clutching his chest, he took a few steadying breaths before patting the girl on the head. "Ami, you know I hate it when you do that."

The short girl laughed and bent down to help him pick up the scrolls. "But it's fun. Besides, I wouldn't be able to find you if you would learn to keep your thoughts in your head instead of flowing from your mouth." She felt around to see if any of the scrolls had fallen near her, but she found none.

Kenji pushed her over and picked up the three scrolls he had taken from the shelf. "For a blind girl, you sure are a pain, you know that?"

She got to her feet and kicked her foot out, but missed Kenji entirely. He forced the scrolls into her arms, and she wrinkled her nose out of distaste. "Why do you always make me carry the smelly scrolls? There are plenty of other apprentices walking around here, like Frïdric and Eve who are kissing just on the other side of this shelf. Hey you two! Either be discreet or go out in the street and annoy someone else with your disgusting noises!" There was a yelp from the other side of the shelf and Kenji caught sight of a boy and girl walking towards the very back of the Archives at a brisk pace.

"I make you carry the smelly scrolls because no one else pops out of nowhere to scare me. You bring it upon yourself." He kept talking so she could follow him around the many shelves as he got the other scrolls that were on the list. "Tell me again how a blind girl managed to become a Journeywoman in the Archives."

Ami rolled her head, since she never knew if rolling her eyes was as effective as she wanted it to be. "You know better than anyone that Brekke needs me here."

"That doesn't answer my question," Kenji said, mocking her. "I mean, you're blind, so you obviously can't read or write, which are the two biggest jobs an archivist has."

"I wouldn't expect an unintelligent individual like you to understand the complexities of our hall," Ami said, taunting him. "Maybe if you had spent as much time here as I have you would know why I got promoted to Journeywoman."

Kenji laughed and ruffled her hair. "Still have your sly tongue, I see. We'll have to cut that out someday."

"And while we're at it, we can gouge out my eyes," she said with an exaggerated tone. "It's perfectly okay, it's not like I use them or anything."

They both laughed as Kenji returned to the front desk with her behind him, the stack of scrolls now higher than her head. As they approached the desk, Kenji saw Raikkus jump and point at the pile of scrolls.

"How are you doing that?" he asked, afraid that the Journeyman could use magic.

Kenji frowned and looked at the pile. "Simple, I enlist a short blind girl to carry the scrolls so that I don't get my sleeves dusty."

Raikkus regained his composure and thanked him for the scrolls. "Have a pleasant afternoon, gentlemen." He slipped the scrolls into a bag that he slung over his shoulder and left the Archives. As soon as he was out the door, Kenji started to laugh.

"What do you find so amusing?" Master Kell said, his face serious.

"He thought the scrolls were just floating there, that's what." Kenji quit laughing, knowing that the sound irritated the Master Archivist.

Master Kell stared at him and said, "Master Idarolan will be hearing of today's encounter." With that, he turned around and left Kenji at the front desk.

Zeke yawned, opening his mouth wide to get enough air in his lungs. The days were becoming increasingly longer as they traveled along the outer edge of the forest, slowly making their way to the castle. "How much farther do we have to go?"

Maiya was slouching in her saddle, just as tired as the prince. She whipped out the map and frowned. "According to the map, we have too far to go."

"Wonderful." Zeke started to stretch, but ceased after he almost fell off of his horse. "Well, you've got to admit this is better than sitting around doing nothing."

Maiya scoffed. "Yeah, this is much better than sitting at the front desk of the Archives day in and day out." Glancing at the map again she sighed and groaned. "I think I would trade this in to be a Harper again."

"What is a Harper?" Sakura asked, floating around Maiya's head.

The girl folded the map and placed it in her saddlebags. "Harper is the title we give someone who works with cataloguing our history. The goal of a Harper is to preserve our history so that no one will forget significant events." She yawned, and then glared at Zeke. "Thanks a lot, I really needed to catch your stupid yawns."

"Wow, that seems very interesting," Sakura exclaimed.

"Not really," Maiya said, continuing. "There are two types of Harpers, and only one of them gets to call themselves an actual Harper. The first is the musician type who travels to places to teach people. It's rather effective really, since a song is easier to memorize than plain reading. The other type is an Archivist, who writes down history as it happens. I would rather have been a musician than a writer."

"Why were you an archivist?"

"Because she can't carry a tune to save her life," Zeke said with a grin.

Maiya nodded, unashamed of the fact. "It's the truth. I've tried singing, I've tried playing an instrument, and I failed at both. The Master Harper, Petiron, told me that I was the least musically gifted person he had ever met, but he helped me get into the Archives so I didn't hold it against him."

"I see," Sakura murmured, taking a seat on Maiya's head. "I take it you found the work unsatisfying."

"It wasn't that. It was just very dull work. None of the Master Archivists have a sense of humor, so that really deadened everything. The only entertainment I had came in the form of Journeyman Kenji who taught me how to defend myself."

"You can stop there, Maiya," Zeke said stiffly.

"Why?" Sakura asked.

Maiya smirked and continued just to spite Zeke. "He's just being a baby. I got out of the Archives thanks to good luck. Zeke had come into the Archives about two years ago and he said he was on an errand for his mother. She told him to get a scroll on their family tree so she could teach it to his sister, but he was being really rude about it."

"All I did was asked if I could get the scroll on my family tree," he mumbled.

"I was busy filling out a form, and Zeke here slammed his hand down on top of it to get my attention, spilling ink all over the document. I'll admit that I might have overreacted, but I was almost done with the document and he ruined it, so I got a little angry and I may have made Zeke cry."

"I didn't cry!"

"Yes you did," Maiya said, glaring at him for interrupting the story. "Anyway, Sir Terence was in the Archives that day and when he saw the way I took down Zeke he asked me if I wanted to join the military academy. Feeling that it would give me a fresh new start on my life, I took the offer and left the archives."

Sakura made a thoughtful sound before asking, "You really made Zeke cry?"

"No!"

"Yes, I did."

"Can you do it again?"

Zeke glowered at the fairy, but Maiya's answer comforted him. "I don't know, Sakura. Zeke has become a really good swordsman, and I don't know if I could now."

Sakura was disappointed to hear this. "I would have liked to see that." She told them that she needed to stretch her wings and flew off ahead of them, performing aerial acrobatics as she did.

"Thanks for the compliment," Zeke said, giving Maiya a smile.

Maiya laughed. "I only said that so Sakura would drop the subject. If I wanted to, I could make you cry like a little girl."

Kenji was asleep when his friend Brekke entered his room to relay a message. She had knocked on the door, but no sound came from the other side so she opened the door to see if he was even in his room. There, lying on his bed with his mouth open was Kenji, drooling onto his pillow quite profusely. "Wake up, man, before you flood Hyrule again," she laughed, covering her mouth to mute her laughter.

Kenji woke up with a start, wiping the drool off the side of his face and looking at Brekke. The blanket he had been using slid to the floor and revealed that he had good muscle build that made Brekke's eyes sparkle in awe. "How does an archivist come to have such a desirable body? Flex for me."

Kenji grabbed a shirt and yawned, pulling it over his head. "Maybe later, Brekke." Wiping the crust from his eyes, he looked out the window and saw that it was still dark outside. "What brings you here at this hour?"

Brekke walked over and sat on his bed, crossing her legs. "Idarolan wants to see you. I think Master Kell might have told him about what happened today with Lord Raikkus."

"This is the last thing I need," he groaned. Getting out of bed, Kenji stood by his window and looked out at the surrounding area. "Do you know why he wants to talk to me?"

"No I don't, which is why I'm worried." She stood up and went over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "You're my best friend, Kenji. I don't know how I'll survive if you're kicked out of the Archives."

He returned the embrace, saying, "I'm sure you'll be alright if I am. We both know it's coming anyway, and it would be better for it to happen sooner than later so that I can at least start a new career while I'm still young." Looking back out the window, he noticed some dark clouds on the horizon. "It's going to rain," he said, breaking from the embrace so he could tie his hair in the usual ponytail. "It looks like it could be one bad storm."

Brekke fixed his ponytail so that it was no longer at a weird angle and pushed him towards the door. "You better get going or Idarolan will be mad that you took so long."

Kenji jerked to the side and popped his back, wincing as he did. "I'll let you know the verdict when I get back." He closed the door behind him, knowing that no one would dare enter his room without his permission to find a girl there when she should be in her own room.

The halls were relatively empty at this time of day, save for the occasional apprentice running his master's errands. Idarolan's office was in another building, and the dormitories were the furthest away from it. Kenji had no idea why the layout was this way, but he found it most inconvenient. The other Archive buildings were behind the one where people could come to request scrolls, giving the archivists there own area to inhabit that was close to where they worked.

As Kenji made his way through the dormitories, he scared a few of the newer apprentices that were running around outside of their rooms. While he had the authority to punish them for being outside of their rooms for no good reason, he ignored them and continued on his way. His business was more important than they were.

Outside, the only people walking around were the adults who had a later curfew that none abided by. Kenji held up his Journeyman's knot in front of him as he walked towards Idarolan's quarters so that none of the adults would think to stop him and ask him why he was out of bed.

He passed a handful of the Master Archivists that were of lower rank than Idarolan, a few of which just looked at him and nodded there acceptance that he was out of bed. One archivist he passed looked at him with distaste, but said nothing to him. It was clear that the man disapproved of his choice of clothes, but Kenji cared no more about his clothes than he did about the kids in the dormitories. The only thing wrong with his appearance was that his shirt was wrinkled and he was padding through the courtyard bare foot.

He stopped before the master's door and knocked. A middle-aged woman opened the door and smiled. "Hello, Kenji. How are you this evening?"

He tried to return the smile, but failed as apprehension took a hold of his insides. "I wish I could say that I am well, however being summoned to the Master Archivist's quarters at this time of night is rather disconcerting, madam."

She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Have you been causing trouble in the Archives?"

"Who is it, Menolly dear?"

"It's Journeyman Kenji, Idarolan."

There was a bang as a door was thrown open and a man with graying hair came running to the front door. "Ah, Kenji, thank you for coming so promptly," he said, wincing as his wife hit him for his disrespectful entrance. "Menolly, I'm the Master Archivist. People excuse my rude behavior all the time." He turned his gaze to Kenji and he became forlorn. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same about young Kenji here." He motioned for Kenji to follow him and they went to his office, a large room filled with the funny gadgets Idarolan found such interest in. "Such troubling news I've received, Kenji." He took a seat behind his desk and placed his hands upon the polished wood.

"Sir, I can explain," Kenji started, but Idarolan cut him off.

"There's no need, Kenji. I know that you dislike Raikkus, and I know that he dislikes you. It's a mutual hatred that we can't get passed, and I don't fault you for it. Raikkus is far from the easiest person to get along with, however while others fear him, you are the only one that will stand up to him. Noble, very noble, but the other masters think it is a bad example to the apprentices and they have asked me to take action, to right this situation."

Kenji felt his heart sink, and his face portrayed his fear. "Please sir, don't kick me out of the Archives. This place is my home, and my only friends are here. I'll behave if you'll just give me one more chance."

Idarolan chuckled. "Ah, so dramatic, yes very dramatic, Kenji, but there's no need to beg and plead." He reached into a drawer in his desk and retrieved a piece of parchment that he placed in front of Kenji. "Now, the other masters want me to throw you out, but I can't in good conscience do that. In that case, the only option is to put you on a strict schedule with a plethora of restrictions, ration cuts, and other such nonsense that would kill a man without a good constitution. However, I have found a solution that I think we both will approve of."

Kenji looked at the parchment and read through it. It was a letter from Master Harper Petiron that requested help from the Archives. He looked up at Idarolan who was smiling. "The Harper Hall?"

"Yes, Kenji, the Harper Hall," he said with a nod. "You see, with so many of the masters wanting your resignation, I am forced into a position where going against them is out of the question. It is damaging to my status to disagree with them, and it creates ill feelings among the hall. While I don't want to remove you from the premises, I have no choice. However, I like you, Kenji. I will not kick you out of my hall until I'm sure you have a place to go. I offer to you the Harper Hall. I will talk to Petiron to have everything arranged, a room, a station of work, and your status as Journeyman."

Kenji was shocked to hear this turn of events. While he was being evicted from the hall, he was being given the chance to be a part of the most respected hall in Hyrule. "How will I maintain my Journeyman status?"

Idarolan waved this aside like it was no big problem. "All it takes is to show you know certain ballads and such. I've heard you sing before and I have to admit that I've often wondered how you ended up in my hall opposed to Petiron's."

The Journeyman stared at the piece of parchment for a long moment before saying, "Considering the circumstances, I think it would be in my best interests to take this offer. But I would like to make one suggestion, Master Idarolan."

Normally Kenji was rather informal during meetings such as this, so the use of the title made Idarolan smile. "Anything you need, Kenji."

"Well? What did he say?" Brekke asked as soon as Kenji returned.

He took a deep breath and shook his head, saying, "I've been evicted, Brekke." The girl burst into tears and embraced Kenji tightly, telling him everything would be all right and that she would come visit him no matter where he ended up. He started to laugh, catching her by surprise. "Master Idarolan is pulling some strings to get me in the Harper Hall."

Brekke stared at him with her mouth hanging open, her tears ending abruptly. "What?"

"Master Harper Petiron needs someone to go with the prince so that his quest can be put in a ballad. No one from his hall volunteered, so he looked to ours for help. Idarolan said that he had no choice but to send me away, but he got me a new job," he explained, laughing happily.

Brekke asked him for all the details, positive that he was making everything up and that he was being sent away from her. It surprised her that Idarolan had taken such a liking to Kenji that he was willing to use his power as Master Archivist to place him in a better job. "That's great, Kenji, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to miss you while you're away. You know how I am when you go off to do things. I get clumsy and the masters yell at me."

"Ready for the best part?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"What best part?"

Kenji took a piece of parchment out of his shirt and handed it to her. "This is a note from Idarolan saying that you're coming to the Harper Hall with me. I asked him to write it in a note so you would not doubt my words." The look of shock on her face was there for only moment for tears began to run down her face again. It had been her dream since she was a little girl to be in the Harper Hall, and he had just delivered it for her. "This is my gift to you for being such a good friend to me. I don't know when I'll return from my trip, and I knew you'd be furious with me for leaving you, so I did this for you so you would find it in your heart to forgive me."

Brekke sobbed, choking on her own bliss. "Kenji, I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything yet, Brekke," he said, standing and walking over to his dresser where he pulled out the top drawer and took something out of it. "I've been trying to think of the perfect moment to do this," he said as he took a knee.

"Kenji, no. Don't do that to me," she pleaded, overwhelmed by everything that was happening already. "Quit kidding around, I'm already crying hard enough."

He took her hand and gently squeezed it, smiling blissfully. "I'm not kidding, Brekke. When I get back from this upcoming trip," he started, holding up a small box that he opened to reveal a gleaming diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

As Kenji approached Master Idarolan the next morning, the older man gave him a quizzical stare. "Did you hear someone scream last night?"

"You heard that, huh?" Kenji smiled happily, his bliss overflowing.

Idarolan scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I should have known you would be behind it. And just so you know, everyone heard it. I had three masters come to me and ask me if someone was being attacked. I thought that it might have been you informing Brekke that you had got her into the Harper Hall so I refrained from calling for a soldier."

Kenji laughed, startling the same group of apprentices he had seen the night before on his way to the master's quarters. "That wasn't enough to get that scream, sir," he said, quite sure of himself. "The only reaction that got was tears of joy."

At that moment, Brekke came running around a corner and took her place next to Kenji. She bowed to Idarolan, saying, "Good morning, Master Idarolan."

The archivist noticed a glint of light on her finger and understanding donned on him, but Kenji was too excited to just allow the man his thoughts. Wrapping an arm around Brekke's waist he said, "Meet my fiancé."

Idarolan gave a deep bow. "I am happy for you both. Now, if you'll accompany me, we have a meeting with King Roland and Master Harper Petiron."

"The king will be there?" Brekke asked, astonished.

"Yes, yes. He wants to speak to Kenji about something, but I can assure you that it's nothing bad. Petiron is the second happiest man alive next to Kenji. He was hugging me and thanking me for giving him two new Harpers, one of which has a talent for coming up with memorable verses."

Brekke looked from Idarolan to Kenji, who said, "I gave him a sample of the tunes you had written to show Petiron."

Idarolan had to give the two a push to get them walking for he was growing impatient with waiting around. "Come now, quickly, quickly. We must make haste or we'll be late." He led them down the cobblestone walkway that led down from the Archives to the square at a quick pace, continuing to say how late they were going to be and that displeasing the king could never be forgiven.

Rushing them into a milk bar, he hailed two men sitting in a corner with a young girl and boy around the same ages as Kenji and Brekke. "Ah, Master Petiron, your majesty." He forced the couple into seats at the table before taking his own next to the Master Harper.

Roland looked exhausted, and he turned to Master Idarolan with a mournful look on his face. "Why did you want to have this meeting so early? I don't normally wake up until the midday meal."

"My apologies, your highness," Idarolan said with a bow.

"No matter," Roland said after stifling a yawn with his hand. "It's been awhile, Kenji."

"Yes, it has indeed sir."

"Because I'm tired and I want to be rid of all of you soon, I'm going to get right to the point. Before you go off to catch up with Zeke, I want you to help Talon move his cattle to the ranch down in Hyrule Field."

Kenji bowed. "It would be my pleasure, sir."

"And you'll be escorting this girl and her brother, Ciel and Chris. They will be helping Malon run the ranch until she can get more help. Talon is becoming quite old and he's been needing more rest than he has before, so it is important that these two get to the ranch in one piece."

"That doesn't sound too difficult."

"No, it doesn't and it's not. You leave immediately, so pack whatever you'll need and be off. Now I'm tired and cranky, so I'm going to return home and I'm going to go get some more sleep. Good day to you all."