There and Back Again
Book 2: Brothers
Chapter 4: Send Off
The Unbounded. Citizens of Hyrule and Termina who disagreed with the current state of Hyrule's leadership, as well as how the nation is currently treating Termina. A vocal minority had been speaking out against the monarchy for years, according to Bo, but nothing ever came of it. Those who passed by ignored their objections and continued to serve under the king.
However, something had changed three and a half months ago. The small faction had begun to grow into something far more threatening. More citizens of Termina began to speak out until it had become accepted in their nation to vocally detest Hyrule and its people. Terminian sympathizers became more active in Hyrule, and the Unbounded began to take form.
Today, they are a conscious force who protest each and every one of the King's public appearances. Soldiers apparently tried to physically remove them once their numbers had grown, but the King ordered them to stand down and allow them to stay. It makes sense. He doesn't want to appear weak to his supporters by removing his largest competitor.
Right now, they are harmless. Well… maybe that wasn't the best way of putting it.
They have BEEN harmless. The potential to cause harm lies within all of us.
Bo has been afraid of violence breaking out ever since he, Shad, and I attended a public address the King made a few days ago. It covered a new tax on imported goods, as well as farmed goods, so we Ordonians were clearly interested. Much to Shad's disapproval, Bo and I ensured that we stood by members of the Unbounded.
Throughout the King's address, several small outcries were made. Many of them disagreed with the King's plan to increase the tax rate by 0.5% and made offhand remarks about overthrowing him or taking him out right then and there. While we understand that people are frustrated, such comments cannot be taken lightly by members of a rebellious political party. Since then, Bo and I have been devising a plan for my journey.
First and most importantly, I am to discern the whereabouts of the man who came here before me. My mission from Rauru must come before all us. Secondly, I am to stay as close as possible to Unbounded members without attracting attention. Understanding their intentions and motivations is key, and I might be able to gain their trust if I present myself in the right way.
To be honest, I understand their point of view. In my time, the monarchy is dead and we live in a capitalistic democracy. It has its issues, but it is far more reasonable than living under the rule of a King. I haven't told Bo anything about the time period I came from in order to keep from altering the future. The amount of undiscovered information I know is far too dangerous, so I was ordered to keep my mouth shut.
Understanding these people was within reason, but I could never tell Bo that. It would cause suspicion as to where I was from and he would likely become suspicious of my loyalty.
However, my duty is not to change history.
It's to keep it the same.
My journey is to stop the man who came here from altering the future, and it is time for that journey to truly begin.
Today, I leave Ordon Village in hopes of succeeding.
"Oy, Link! You can't just leave without saying goodbye!"
I turned around to see Bo running from to catch up to me. I had just reached the bridge that connected Ordon and Faron.
"Heh, sorry. I figured there wasn't a reason to." The large man caught up and nearly fell over in exhaustion.
"No need to say goodbye? And why might that be?"
Looking him in the eyes, I smiled confidently.
"Because… I'll be home soon."
With that, I turned and crossed the gap between the small village I called home for a short time and the world which lay ahead of me.
There was no reason for a large send off like the one from my previous time.
Unlike with that home, I would be returning to this one.
A/N: Calm your pitch forks, I know this chapter was short. I have my reasons for it though. There simply was not enough content for this to be any longer since it's more or less a bridge to the true beginning of Link's journey. I didn't want to combine it with the next Link chapter since what I have planned will not work with this whatsoever. I'll try to get the next Sheik/Zelda chapter out sooner to make up for both the length of this chapter and the long wait since the previous one. As always, thank you for reading!