Chapter 37 - Warning

Tap tap tap

The hammer drove the nail into the wood as Cody tapped the tool against it's surface. In silence, he sat there, hammering away, the daylight shining down on him. It was a bit warmer that morning, so he'd decided to get a start on his building project before the weather decided to turn cold again, sitting and thinking as he went along. While he worked, he kept wondering what the light he'd seen the night before was, completely uncertain about anything anymore nowadays.

It was when he'd had these thoughts that a pair of hands covered his eyes.

Cody dropped his hammer in reaction to the sudden blindness and jerked a bit, hearing a voice behind him saying, "Guess who!"

"Alia!" Cody yelled her name, but not completely loudly, hearing the brunette's giggle as he tugged her fingers away from his face and turned a blue eyed glare up at her. "Don't startle me when I'm working! I could've hammered my thumb!"

"You're such a stick in the mud, Cody. You know that, right?" The seventeen year old asked, crossing her arms over her chest self-assuredly with pursed lips. With her hair in a ponytail that hung down to her back, she was warmly dressed in a pair of thick pants - not too common for a girl unless they lived in a waterfront town - and a pretty light blue shirt with long sleeves.

Looking at the green eyed stare she was giving him as she'd suggested he wasn't any fun, Cody rolled his eyes and stood up from the wooden frame of a boat he'd been hammering together, and he said, "Hey, there's a lot that's been happening around here lately. So don't get me started."

"I'll say," she replied, completely changing her tone, and then she grabbed his hands somewhat excitedly, "Did you see that light last night!?"

Cody, trying to ignore the way she'd grabbed his hands, nodded over the sight he'd seen. "Yeah, I saw it. It knocked a wave up onto the shore so far it went beneath the house."

Alia, seeming a bit more excited over the phenomenon than Cody ever had since it had happened, started nodding her head, asking him, "Do you know what it was!?"

"No," he started, shaking his head, "and unless it means I'm going to get my new boat done sometime soon, I don't really want to know."

"Stick in the mud!," she yelled at him, then commenced to tell him what she knew anyway. "I'll tell you what I heard. There's someone new around. His name's Lyonel, and he said it was the power of that old underwater Temple being unleashed. I don't know if I believe that or not," she drew out with a shrug of her shoulders, "but word has it that Lyonel used to be a Royal Guard for the true king and queen of Hyrule."

Cody, listening, shook his head slowly, asking, "Lyonel? Never heard of him, but Grandma might know. She used to live in Hyrule Town you know."

"Oh really? And no," Alia shook her head up at him in a sassy manner, "I didn't know that because you never tell anyone anything, Cody. Like I said, stick in the mud," she enunciated pointedly.

"Yeah, that so?," he asked her, and when she nodded, he went on, "Well, how's this. You see those horses."

Alia looked over toward the back of the house, but she didn't see anything from her vantage point. Running ahead a bit, able to see the full view, there stood Epona and Frost, and Alia couldn't help her gasp. "Cody! Where did they come from!?"

Cody walked up behind her as she seemed to grow happily excited over the animals, and he said, "I stole them. How's that for being a stick in the mud?"

Alia swung around, almost smacking him accidentally with her hand as she did so, her brows narrowed in an unapproving shock, green eyes wide, exclaiming, "You what!? Are you crazy!? Who did you steal them from!?"

In their talks, they didn't notice the two Hylian's who'd just stepped ashore from the docks, having tethered the sailboat they'd borrowed before they climbed off of the vessel, and Link made the reply, "Us."

Alia turned to stare at the two with wide green eyes, and Cody cringed, then rubbed the back of his head as he glanced over at them. They were back!? He couldn't help being surprised, thought they'd been goners for sure with the explosion that had taken place last night, and he shook his head slowly. "How did you get across the lake and back!?"

Zelda, wearing a circlet that Queen Majalyn had given her of gold with blue gems inlaid in it, had headed past them and around to the back of the house to take their horses, walking them over while Link stopped, the satchel they'd taken with them slung over his shoulder. The circlet was a gift from the Zora's, nothing too fancy, really just a golden band etched with pretty symbols, and Link had a new enhancement to his shield, one the Zora's gave it to make it reflect things, such as projectiles and the magic from some spells.

These items were received when Link had opened the message inside of the bottle that he'd found in the Temple of Water, which had been a letter from Majastra to Majalyn, written just before her death.

They'd also given the Zora the Myriad Stone they'd found, and the Zora had commenced to use it. The talks had been fairly long, and very revealing at the same time. But Link's mind went to Cody's question and he responded, "I told you I'd figure a way out, remember?"

"Yeah, but," Cody stopped, and then he looked over at Zelda when she came up with the horses, letting Link take Epona's reigns. As he did, he turned to tie the satchel to Epona's back, and Cody just watched them quietly, then glanced at Alia to see she had a particular stare on her face at Link, suggesting she might've thought the Hylian was good looking.

The sight made Cody somewhat angry, and he stepped in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest determinedly. Finally, he responded, "Yeah, well, you got lucky is all. So there's probably not much to tell."

Zelda had smiled because she too had noticed the look Alia was giving Link, and the fact that Cody had gotten jealous made her try not to laugh. Clearing her throat, she got their attention, ignoring his comment about their not having a lot to tell about where they'd been, and said, "Thank you, Cody, for watching Epona and Frost for us. It was very helpful with where we had to go."

Alia, pushing Cody to the side with an annoyed look on her face, asked Zelda, "Where was that!? Did it have anything to do with that light we saw last night?"

"Yeah," Cody suddenly thought, looking over at them, "What was that light?"

It must have been the released energies from the Temple, both Link and Zelda figured, and Zelda replied to them both, "It's a long story."

The words seemed to make Cody feel as if perhaps his words before about them not doing much of anything were probably as wrong as they could get. While he thought it over, he heard Alia pointing out what he'd already seen. "You're Hylians. Are you from Hyrule Town?"

The two looked at one other, then back to the inquisitive green eyed brunette, and Link shook his head, "Sort of. It's hard to explain. We grew up in Kakariko."

"So," Alia drew out, trying to step toward Link with a little smile on her face before Cody saw her and grabbed her arms, making her stay put. The movement didn't stop her from smiling at him however as she asked, "You're brother and sister then?"

Link had only just noticed Alia's seeming attraction toward him, and he'd already parted his lips to reply but the words stopped with the realization as he breathed out in a partially amused, somewhat embarrassed manner. "Adoptive," he told her, "not blood."

She looked a little disappointed, and Link heard muffled snickering behind him. Narrowing his brows, he looked back at Zelda, who, when she saw him, looked up at a random area innocently and bit her lips to stop from grinning. She wasn't jealous somehow, knew his feelings toward her and was secure in them, especially against the attractions of another girl who barely knew him at all. She wasn't worried one bit, and found it all very humorous. Though, with those considerations, she had to wonder how Link might react if someone, like Cody perhaps, started flirting with her.

It was a fairly amusing notion, one she needed in the light of what they'd recently discovered from their talk with Myriad.

Seeing the look she'd given, Link pursed his lips at her, and then he looked back at Cody and Alia, considering himself that Cody acted as if he might've had an attraction of his own to the human girl he was standing with, considering how he looked fairly jealous, and he decided that he'd just be as polite as possible for now.

Besides, Alia looked a little disappointed, and he listened as she shrugged, "Well, who are you anyway? I'm Alia, from River Town. And this," she grabbed Cody's shoulder with a grin, "is Stick In The Mud, in case you didn't know."

Finally getting to the introductions, Zelda stepped forward and offered a smile, especially over what she'd called Cody, as well as her hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you. This handsome young gentleman is Link," she commented with a hand on his shoulder, drawing a look from Link that said he wasn't happy with being called that in front of a girl who apparently had no qualms about being flirty with someone she'd just met, just as Cody was staring at Alia for the name she'd called him in front of these two people.

Zelda just continued to speak though, adding, "And I'm Zelda."

Alia took her hand to shake with a snicker as Zelda referred to Link in the way she had, seeming to know exactly why Zelda had said that. Alia wasn't blind to the fact that Link was unsure how to reciprocate her little flirtations with him, and Alia also wasn't going to continue to outright act that way with him if it either made him uncomfortable, or there was the chance that he was already spoken for. Besides, Alia did have feelings for Cody, though she'd never admit them to him, especially with as much of a party pooper as he could be.

But her thoughts changed track for a moment and she blinked, her brows narrowing a bit as she looked the lady who'd introduced herself just now as Zelda over.

"Wait," she turned to Cody, "Lyonel said someone was going to see the Zora and then said that light was the power of that Temple being unleashed. I heard him saying that the two who went there were...,"

She trailed off and gasped suddenly, looking at Zelda with wide eyes. It was Zelda's turn to not know exactly how to respond, the mention of Lyonel's name aside for the moment, and even further confusion over the matter rose up when Alia suddenly bowed to her and said the words, "You're the Princess! Cody! Bow, she's the Princess of Hyrule."

Cody didn't bow exactly, just stared at Zelda with a look of confusion and surprise, then at Alia, unsure himself what to make of the situation. Link also had a raised brow that he shared with the young man, and Zelda clenched her fists a few times, a bit hesitant, then she bent down and shook her head at Alia, putting her hands on the girls upper arms.

"No," she told her, "don't do that."

"But why?" Alia asked, looking up at her. "My parents told me everything. The stones awakened, and we learned from the others that the real daughter of Hyrule is currently seeking to take back the throne. And Lyonel said her name is Zelda."

"It doesn't matter," Zelda explained to her patiently, helping her back up. She honestly didn't think anyone would react this way, and while she was unsure if it was just because the young lady was somewhat overexcited, or because everyone would do so, she continued, "I'm not the Princess until the King is dethroned. Please don't feel it necessary to bow to me, Alia."

Alia seemed to think about that for a moment, and though Zelda had said not to bow, when she stood up, she still looked as if she were much more humble than she'd been before. "I'm sorry, but, shouldn't I at least treat you with respect?"

Zelda tilted her head to the side, and then she smiled, "We should all treat others respectfully, Alia. Royalty or not. I wasn't raised as a royal, so you can feel free to treat me as you would want to be treated."

Alia stared at her, and she then smiled and nodded, glancing between Zelda and Link. As she seemed to accept what Zelda told her, Cody stepped in and asked, "But it's true? You are the Princess?"

With a sigh, Zelda looked at him and said, "I am the true daughter of Hadinaru and Nissandra, yes. But it's not something I want everyone to know."

"I think I already know why," Cody replied, "the revolt's already talked about it. They said you'd be riding as a commoner and–oh crap!" He drew out the words suddenly, his eyes going wide. "I stole the Princess's horse!"

He acted as if she might've been about to cast the death sentence to him right then and there. Reaching up, rubbing her forehead for patience, she heard Link intervening, "Calm down, Cody. I think she's already sentenced you to a few days of caring for them. And you've done that already."

"Oh," Cody nodded slowly, "right. Sorry, it's just the whole discovery is a little," he shook his head, "baffling I guess."

"I was baffled as well when I found out the truth," Zelda replied, then she looked at Alia and changed the subject, somewhat uncomfortable with speaking so much about herself. "But Alia, you mentioned the name Lyonel. Does he wear a cloak and hood all of the time?"

"Yes, do you know him? According to my parents, he used to be a Royal Guard of Hyrule."

Link and Zelda exchanged a look. In doing so, they couldn't help a sigh of relief, glad to hear the man hadn't succumbed to Arden the evening they'd had to leave him in Engleton. Looking over at her, Link asked, "Where is he now?"

Alia jerked her thumb back and said, "Down the shore, there's a gorge where the Zora River starts. The Revolt is hiding in the Grotto's dug out of the cliff sides mostly, just before you reach River Town. But you have to go to River Town in order to get in. That's where the entrance is hidden."

Hearing this, Link nodded and looked at Zelda, saying, "You remember what Myriad said before we left Zora's Domain?"

"Yes," she nodded, thinking back to the conversation. Myriad had informed them that a force of evil was gathering in Hyrule, and that lives would be lost if it wasn't intercepted, though it was inevitable that people would die regardless, this having been set into play years in advance. But Myriad had also told them that beforehand, they would probably find a few people who knew where a safe haven would be located, as she'd gotten word that the revolt was growing stronger already.

Hearing now that the revolt was under good authority with Lyonel from Alia, Zelda rested just a bit more easily, knowing that if worse came to worse, the people would have somewhere to go to. Something else Myriad had told them was that they may find themselves torn, as she'd had a vision of a knife splitting the heart from the mind for a little while. But because of this information, Zelda knew exactly what Link was getting at.

Looking at Cody and Alia, Zelda told them both, "You have to get Lana, and head for River Town now. Let them know that more people may come to them soon in need of shelter because towns are being attacked and destroyed, and let them know to be ready for it. Link and I have to go stop Ganondorf's forces from causing anymore problems now."

"Whoa," Cody drew out once Zelda had finished those meaningful words, which set into his head, telling him something bad was going on, "wait a second, are you trying to tell us that Ganondorf is planning to attack his own kingdom?"

"I saw his intentions myself," Zelda replied to him, "and he is."

"But why? That makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense, Cody," Link told him, drawing the carpenter's attention. "He wants to draw the two of us out."

Cody stared at Link blankly. "Are you trying to say he's going to do all of that just for the two of you? You two really are royalty, aren't you?"

Link shook his head, "No, she is, I'm just a commoner," and he smirked a little.

Cody looked, once again, completely baffled, and Alia spoke while he did so, stepping forward with the question, "Then aren't you just walking right into it? I mean, I know someone has to do something to stop him, but shouldn't you go to River Town first and get reinforcements?"

Myriad had told the both of them as much. She'd informed Zelda that the Princess had in fact seen the same message meant for Myriad when she'd touched the stone in the Temple of Water, and that the message was relaying the information of a trap for the both of them. Ganondorf wanted to lure them out, and he had the best way to go about it; by using the citizens against them.

She warned the two that it would be a fairly time difficult for them both, but there was no other way around the problems being created. The most important thing was to keep Zelda safe however, until Ganondorf could be incapacitated, so they had to remember that one simple fact during all of this.

Link shook his head, but before he could speak in response to Alia's question, they heard a voice coming from behind them both. "Alia, Cody, come into the house, help me pack the things."

"Grandma?" Cody asked as he went over to the porch while the old woman worked her way down with her cane in hand, trying to help her.

"You heard me young man, do so right now and don't delay. We'll sail up the river. It will be much faster."

"But Grandma–"

"Don't but me, Cody," she told him somewhat sternly. "Your Princess just gave you instruction to keep us safe. I think, considering they crossed the lake and unleashed the power held within the Temple of Water that this situation lay well within their scope of ability. Now go on before I have to use my cane on you. You too, Alia."

"Yes ma'am," Alia drew out, and the two ran into the house to do as the woman had suggested.

Once they were gone to pack, Lana smiled, then turned around, clothe draped across one of her arms as the Hylians she'd just defended approached her. She could hear them much better than see them, and she held out her arm. "Here, I made these for you while you were away. It's a thank you for paying to borrow the boat instead of just taking it."

Lana waited, and once she felt Link and Zelda taking the garments, which were hooded cloaks made out of a thick, warm, dark material, she went on with her words. "I heard everything, and I'm very, very pleased with what I heard. I used to live in Hyrule Town, with my husband, years ago before we came to the lake to make a living. So much has changed since then, and not for the better. When word spread that the King and Queen had a son, several of us were disappointed over the fact that the queen had been so certain to have a little girl. Years later, we finally know the truth of why. Cody and Alia aren't old enough to remember everything as I am. But since I know that you aren't old enough to remember either, I can tell you that you'll be given a grand reception by those of us who know the full extent of the story."

Zelda had slipped the cloak on, admiring the finely made garment while she listened, and letting the material drop down around her while Link did the same, she glanced back over at Lana and replied, "I hope, if there's to be a reception, that it's because Hyrule has it's foundation back, and not just because we're both trying to build it."

Lana grinned and chuckled softly, nodding her head, "Said like Hadinaru, always well spoken. Thank you, my lady. For both the words and the warning. We'll be safer now because of you."

The compliment made Zelda smile, somehow finding it completely flattering that she might've said something like her father would have. "There's no thanks necessary," she told the woman, adding, "we should be the ones thanking you, especially for these cloaks, they'll definitely keep us warmer with the cold weather ahead of us."

Once she'd finished her words, the door to the front of the house opened. Cody came outside carrying leather bags filled with their things, and when Lana heard it, she just shook her head at the Hylians standing before her with a smile.

"Regardless, thank you. When I reach River Town, I'll let everyone know what you've told us today. We should arrive there by late afternoon."

"Good idea," Link agreed, "we'll be heading back through Engleton ourselves."

Alia, hearing the name, set one of the bags she'd helped to pack down and she said, "Engleton? If you happen to come across Betarro and Kiama, tell them to come to River Town too. They're my Uncle and Cousin."

Hearing the words, Zelda and Link nodded, and Link told her, "We've already met them actually. So if we do, we'll definitely let them know."

With those words, he'd mounted Epona's back, Zelda climbing onto Frost's, and Alia smiled as she watched them, responding with the words, "Good! I'd hate for them to get caught up in anything bad happening. You two ride safely!"

"We will try our best," Zelda told her with a returned warm smile, waving her hand at them. As she did, Link also giving a goodbye, Alia waved, and grabbed Lana's hand to turn it in the right direction, and Cody just gathered their things together. He glanced up as they rode off and sighed out his breath.

"Come on, let's get going before anything else can happen."

Alia gave Cody a look, and then she swatted the back of his head, making him cringe. Flinching from the smack, he asked, "Gah, what!?"

"You act as if you've been through a war or something! Show a little respect for goodness sake!"

Lana just turned to go with a soft chuckle, Alia helping her along. Following in behind them with their bags, Cody just grumbled and wondered why he was the one who was always getting smacked around.