Nintendo created all the characters and places and stuff. I just made the story up. The cover was done by Zeliga of DeviantART
Chapter Eleven - Mother's Last Wish
Zelda wandered around the Temple of Time. The night had past and the morning sunshine was just peeking over the Goron Mountains. The Sages and Training Sages were awake and already sharing a chatty breakfast, races from all over Hyrule were here including a few races that she just thought were enemies; that explained the constant dodging of Deku Nuts. Yet kneeling down by the floating Spiritual Stones in the main room was a very tall man, he was over six foot in height and towered over many of the other people in the room. He kept himself to himself, hiding behind a mask.
"Would you like some breakfast, Your Highness?" a Training Sage asked, bowing down to her, Zelda looked at the child that stood before her, a little Deku Scrub with bright yellow eyes. Most of her was hidden by the robe she wore, half of it cleaning the floor when she skipped around.
"No, thank you." Zelda whispered leaning on the windowsill. The Deku Scrub clapped her hands and bounced over to the man by the stones, he turned to look at her and put a strong hand on her shoulder, he met the eyes of Zelda, deep blue ones that she was sure that she knew from somewhere.
She awoke with a start, dressed in a lavender nightgown; the clean, silky bed clothes covering her legs and feet; she groaned as her door opened
"Come on, Zelda. The sun will be up any minute and if you want to get to the ranch then we have to eat with Link." Cole hissed, pulling the bed clothes off her, he was already fully dressed. She nodded and looked into a little hand mirror that lay face down on the bed side table, her refection stared at her sleepily; there was so much in her that was in her mother too. How could she not have told her that she was friends with a commoner? "Get up, Zel." Cole grunted throwing a bag of reading material on the bed, she glanced inside, the books she had told him to get were in there. She would show them to Link later.
"Hang on; I thought he lived in Kakariko Village." Zelda mumbled rubbing sleep out of her eyes
"I evacuated his mother and sister. They are hidden at the ranch. His mother has the illness." Cole whispered watching the door as his sister undressed
"I know. He told me." Zelda said "How was she?"
"I told her that he was safe. They were thankful for everything that I did, even offered me rupees."
"What of Linebeck?"
"He hunts for him. The townspeople still want his head but I've seen why he stole and Impa said it wasn't for greed."
"So you'll help us?"
"Help you do what?"
"I want to find someone who knows about the ice arrows. The Hero of Time had them didn't he?"
"The Hero of Time went missing when you were toddling. Many think he's dead."
"Think he is. But there's no proof of his demise."
"So you plan to get Link to help you find him? Where do you start? The man knew the land better than the grass that grew in it."
"Well, we ask people who knew him and go from there." Zelda sighed coming out from a side room holding her bed clothes.
Link stirred, giggling to himself as he felt Pippa's tongue lick his cheek. He opened an eye to see her happy face, she had three fairies sitting on her back brushing her fur with their fingers no matter how much she tried to shake them off. Arbori fluttered down as he sat up and landed on his raised knees
"Nice nap?" she asked as he yawned, he nodded in reply. "You are completely healed, so now you can leave on your own. Just climb up the vines on the cliff face and there you go."
Link chewed his lip and looked at her with a concerned expression.
"I'm afraid we can't give you a voice if that's what you are asking." Arbori muttered
Link shook his head and pointed to his arms, pointing back and forth between the fairies and his forgotten wounds
Arbori cocked her head to the side in an effort to understand him "Fairies can heal wounds?"
He shook his head again and pulled at the skin of his cheeks, pulling it down as far as it would go, coughing hard and standing up, but keeping his back arched.
Arbori shrugged "Um…Old people?"
Link nodded and stood up firmly, thumping a fist against his chest, softly so not to hurt himself
"Sick?" Arbori asked
Link nodded again and clapped his hands, swatting the air with them
"Old people get sick?" Arbori cringed, some of the pink fairies were steady, also trying to work out the game of charades they were playing
Link wafted the air with his hands, running around in little circles while arching his back
"Old people get sick fast?"
Link rubbed his temples with a groan and violently turned on his heel, repeating the
action over and over again
"Old people turn sick fast?"
He let out a frustrated moan and twisted his wrist around, smiling as he did so
"Fast old people turn sick?"
Link shook his head but kept moving his wrist. A pink fairy leaned over to Arbori
"Oh! Sickness that turns people old fast! Why didn't you say so?" Arbori clapped her hands,
Link frowned
"I'm afraid that our power can't heal them. Though we have tried, it is useless."
Link looked at his feet
"I'm sorry." Arbori mumbled landing on his shoulder and rubbed his cheek with a hand "We should be heading back now."
Link rode on a black horse with a silvery mane towards Lon Lon Ranch; though he had many years of practice with riding a horse, he felt out of place on this one. It was a nobleman's horse, he could tell by how good natured and clean it was; not that it was a bad thing, but it certainly was not a good thing either; a horse needed to know terrain of all types to be at one with its rider, if the horse was unsure, then the rider would be too. He could tell this horse was very unsure of the grass under its feet as it kept its head down. Zelda's white one was the same; Cole's was back a few paces back chewing on the plant leaves of a dead Deku Baba, Cole himself was on the floor as his horse had reared upon sight of the carnivorous plant, but had stomped it dead as it dropped. Link pulled the reins of his to halt the creature and jumped down to greet Pippa, who was in a grumpy mood because there was nowhere for her to sit on the horse. She whined at him as he crouched down, the pads of her feet ached with walking so much as Link now refused to carry her. She nuzzled into his neck and licked his cheek with a whine. Link smiled at her and put his thumb and first finger into his mouth and whistled a tune. Pippa spun around excitedly and wagged her tail so hard it became a blur.
The pounding of hooves filled the silence of the air and Link's mare came around the corner coming to a complete halt at her master. She was still saddled up but her saddlebags were almost empty; Rosie must have been through them. He lifted Pippa up into the little pouch at the side of the saddle and walked both his horse and the nobleman's horse over to Zelda and Cole.
Zelda slid of hers and sighed "They aren't going to carry us much further."
"Agreed." Cole muttered dusting down his trousers. Link scoffed and vaulted onto the back of his own holding the nobleman's horse reins in one hand, he clicked his tongue and let his mare walk, the nobleman's horse stood firm. Link's mare huffed and started to almost drag the nobleman's horse forward, he could feel it fighting them, but like a foal, it began to walk forward; bringing itself forward slowly to his side, in turn it got the sweet, sugary taste of apple from the side saddlebag that Pippa was in.
After a few short laps near the river, the nobleman's horse was released from his grip as Link broke into a gallop, followed closely by it. He turned his mare and raced back to Zelda and Cole, who were back on their horses now; they were spellbound; completely speechless at the fact that a poor boy like Link had trained a nobleman's horse to run on grass in under an hour without using a single word. Link rushed past, grabbing the reins of the other two horses and pulled them along; with the known nobleman's horse trust running past them, the other two with the treat of apples sped up till all four horses were charging ahead in a line.
Link let go and let them run on their own before catching up with the nobleman's horse that had been undirected for a while and started to lead it again up to the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch with Zelda and Cole following behind.
"Good afternoon, Your Highnesses." a young man spoke as they climbed the hill up to the front gate. "Two visits in two days, I'm flattered."
"Hello, Richard." Cole replied clambering off his horse as the young man took the reins. The young man in question had hair that was as blue as the sky and was as curly as that of a sheep; he had small squinting eyes to match the hair too. He wore a dark blue tunic to go with it that was covered by a set of grey overalls and tall leather boots. In a small pocket on his left hip was a pair of gloves that were caked in dirt. Link came into sight and gave a shallow wave.
"Well, look who it is." Richard laughed putting his hands on his hips
"Do you two know each other?" Zelda asked glancing at the pair
"Do we know each other?!" Richard howled pulling Link off his horse "My mother taught him how to read and write!"
Link rolled his eyes as Richard wrapped his arms around his neck and rubbed his fist across Link's head. Zelda and Cole glanced at each other with a hint of uncertainty.
"Then why didn't you become a farm hand instead of a shop keeper?" Zelda asked when Richard had finished torturing him
Link shrugged and slapped the air with his hands while sticking his bottom lip out.
"Your mother sold the ranch when she got pregnant with you, didn't she? You became poor when your father died." Richard smirked, Link looked at his feet.
Zelda put a hand on Link shoulder as he looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"Where are they then?" she asked rubbing his shoulder
"They're in the house there, but Rosie went to Kakariko Village for something. It's just your Mother here right now." Richard chortled "Well, I have to go work on the barn before sundown, do excuse me."
"Thanks, Richard." Cole said to find that Link had disappeared inside.
"I'm so pleased you're safe." Link's mother whispered giving her son a much needed hug. Zelda and Cole walked in through the door to find that Link's demeanour had changed into something they had not seen before; he was no longer the silent background boy that was hated by most of the population, he was the head of much loved family who needed him more than he did them. "I'm sorry."
Link backed away into a crouch for a moment, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
"I'm so sorry for getting you in trouble like this. I have to make amends for my actions." she said beckoning him closer
"What is she talking about?" Zelda mumbled, leaning over to Cole
"I'm not sure." Cole answered shaking his head slightly
"Listen, Link, when I became pregnant with you and Rosie, I was very ill and your father helped me travel to a little fountain by the castle. In truth we were only expecting Rosie to be the one born; when you came we were really surprised and of course, overjoyed. I knew by this time that your father was one of the Shadow Folk and understood that we had to keep you both hidden. The Sheikah knew our location and were coming after us when we got home to the ranch, your father knew this and we were forced to sell and move to where we are now. To stay, he dressed up in peasant clothing, coloured his eyes blue and tore up his Sheikah clothing. He turned his back on his people and it hurt him but he wanted to watch you grow up." Link's mother whispered shutting her eyes as she told the story "He managed to stay till just after your second birthday. On the night that he left, your father woke you and Rosie up to say goodbye; that was night that we saw your eyes had turned from blue to purple. Rosie's didn't change at all, even so, he left you each something of his, he gave you his bow and arrows to grow into and Rosie a book."
"Wait! So you knew he was Half-Shadow?! And never told him?!" Zelda shouted, Link stood up and stuck his arm out to prevent the fight "And what do you mean your ranch?! This ranch has been owned by the same family for generations!"
"Your Highness, I didn't want to risk my children's lives." Link's mother replied lying back slightly "I wanted us to be a family."
"Who are you?! Why would you do this to your children?!" Zelda roared
"Who am I? My name is Malon." she spoke, her voice so calm "I loved my family. That's why I ran."
Link scrunched his face up; Zelda was given an expression somewhere between a glare and sadness.
"Zelda, enough." Cole mumbled rubbing her shoulder
"Link, though I have told you both in the past that your father is dead, it is not true. He is still alive, hiding away somewhere to keep you safe. He is a member of the Shadow Folk of Fire; that's why his arrows all had red feathers. That's how we were caught." Malon sighed shutting her eyes "I want you to find your father. Find Ezekiel and be a family again."
Link nodded, making fists to the point of his knuckles going white, but everyone could see he was extremely shocked with the events.
"I know you will find him." Malon sighed taking a fist and holding it tight. "And Link? Take care of your sister for me; you will do that won't you?"
Link nodded
"You are a tree, Link. You can take so much and still remain standing. Please don't hate me for this." she sighed breathing a shallow breath out. She went cold. Link shook her shoulder with his free hand. Cole shooed Zelda out and took his leave as Link sat there shaking her shoulder in almost desperation; tears running down his face.
It took some dragging from Cole to get him to leave her side; Rosie had joined them at that point, he was still sitting there, wailing, his face deep red and painful.
"Link, come on!" Cole groaned pulling on Link's arms, but the boy was pulling against him with awesome strength, but he knew that Link only did it out of pain and misery. He turned so sharply that Cole fell over and bashed his fists on the wooden walls so hard that he left an imprint before covering his face with his hands and slid down the wall into a ball.
Cole ran a hand down his back as Link went quiet, though anger had driven him to this position, the death had sunk in. Zelda opened the door slightly but Cole shook his head to make her leave. He was one of the lucky few to not have experienced death in the family so had no idea what to say to Link to make him feel a bit better.
"We have to work to your mother's last wish, Link." Cole whispered when Link had stared blankly at the door for a while "But only when you and your sister are ready, okay?"
Link nodded again and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Cole sat down with him with his arm over his shoulders for comfort, Link leaned on Cole's shoulder for a moment before sitting up sharply, he had to remember his place
"Don't worry about it, Link. I'm only a prince for the pictographs and portraits." Cole reassured offering him a handkerchief.
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Sorry guys, I've had such a busy and stressful day that I almost forgot to upload today! But I did, so you don't have to kill me!
Anyway, what a chapter guys?! Huh?! Link and Rosie's father is ALIVE! Not only that, but their mother is MALON! OOH! Bet you didn't see THAT one coming! Ha! Anyway, question time, where is their father hiding? Is he close or nearby? But poor Link and Rosie, what if they can't accept their father? Also, the Hero of Time where is he? I haven't seen much of him; is he involved in this? Also, fairies can't heal the illness? Does that mean...its a curse? Or worse? OOH! Till next chapter folks!
