Chapter 24: Judo's Secret
The dust had barely settled as the three heroes departed the ruined faux tower, Moon Sword and Shield in hand and in high spirits. Between their elation at having found the long sought-after artifacts and the rush of Judo's spectacular feats of arms against the large group of monsters sent after them, however, the trio hadn't realized just how much racket they'd made. Link, Kelli, and Judo had barely mounted their horses when the front door of the farm house burst open, revealing Talon, wide-eyed, and with his meaty hands clenched into fists.
"You varmints done intruded on my property for the last—" he bellowed out, but his words trailed off when he saw the three companions rather than whatever "varmints" he'd been expecting. "Oh, it's you lot! Thank the goddesses yer okay! I heard a terrible ruckus out here a bit ago!"
"Ah, yeah, we were attacked back there just as we found what we were looking ofr," Link reported. "All is well now. Well, except for that stone building… It's pretty much completely leveled now. I'm sorry."
"Naw, don't worry about it," Talon assured. "We barely used it. Heck, we couldn't use it proper anyway, what with no stairs up and no windows up top. We can build somethin' else in its place when we can start doin' repairs. I'm just glad you got what you were lookin' for. That it strapped to yer back? 'Cause that's a right beautiful sword, I say!"
"Yeah, that I did! And it is beautiful!" Link drew the sword and shrugged on the shield, allowing Talon to examine them.
"Tarnation! These look like they're worth half the royal treasury! Well, before all this trouble, 'course. Still can't believe it was down there all this time and none of us had a clue! Who'd have thunk it?!"
"Not many," Kelli agreed. "We need to return to Kakariko right now, though."
Talon gave a grave nod in reply, his eye furtively darting to the barn.
The gesture was not lost on Link.
While the return of a few of his tools had been given Talon some badly needed reassurance that his troubles had not been forgotten, that would mean very little if the task was not finished soon.
Above all, Talon needed the ranch's store of feed returned.
If that didn't happen, the humble farmer would either have to lose his herd quickly or turn the cattle, all of whom were crazed with hunger, loose on his grazing land, in which case the herd would strip the land bare and then starve a bit later.
Either would mean he, Malon, and Ingo would lose their livelihoods and their home. Not to mention Malon's inheritance and a staple in Hyrule's economy would be gone.
Even when he'd been cheated out of the ranch in the Dark Future, Talon hadn't looked nearly as miserable as he did now. And this served to reinforce the urgency of the situation in Link's mind. Not just that he had friends who needed his help but that, this time around, he would not get a second chance if he failed.
The rigmarole of fetching and delivering, not to mention all the frantic riding while ferrying perishable items, he'd had to go through to obtain the Biggoron's Sword in the Dark Future, and how the various teleportation songs he could use inexplicably causing those items to spoil, had been mitigated by how he could simply go back and obtain more.
And trying to stop the Moon from crashing into Termina in three days? When he could restart the three days, and scam the Clock Town Lottery, by playing a few notes on his Ocarina? It almost felt like cheating. Almost.
This time around, however, there would be no do-overs. No second chances.
He was jolted from this reverie when he heard Judo clear his throat behind him.
"If we get any leads on your stolen supplies, we'll follow up as fast as we can," Kelli said to Talon. "Be safe!"
"Much obliged," Talon replied. "See you later then!"
The trio then rode off towards Hyrule Field, Link discreetly informing Judo of the ranch's situation. Judo was surprised that monsters would bother stealing tools and supplies from a ranch, or that they'd even be smart enough to realize their importance in the first place, but he understood how severe the situation was right away.
"Damn," he said simply. "That is awful. So, you haven't had any luck finding the feed?"
"Not yet," Link admitted. "And, well, we've had our hands full just trying to save the kingdom. And it's not as if there's any place where I can go and just buy what…Talon…needs… Wait a minute, Judo, wouldn't the knights have livestock feed for their horses?"
"That'd be in our supply train, which the other knights are escorting to Kakariko. Why?"
"Do you think the cows at the ranch could eat the feed for your horses? For a bit, anyway?"
"…you know, you might be on to something! I don't know off the top of my head, but I can pass your idea on to Ruhn, my Master of Horse. Knows every creature on four legs, so he'd be the man to ask. He'll probably complain about getting saddled with a task that's not his problem, but I'll order him to hoof it!"
"You just don't know when to quit, you nin-cow-poop."
"Eh, not bad. Keep practicing. Only way to mooo-ve forward."
"Do you really think that'll work?" Kelli wondered, clearly skeptical. "I mean, horses and cows are very different creatures."
"Even if it does, it'll probably just buy us a bit more time," Link admitted. "And probably not much of it either. From what I saw when I was at the ranch with Malon, a herd of cows spends more time eating than most people spend working."
"Yeah, I herd it," Judo chimed in. "I just couldn't believe it."
"Oh, shut up!"
As the three rode down the short, winding slope that would bring them back to Hyrule Field, Judo spotted two mounted knights waiting at the other end atop their steeds. He quickly approached them.
"Hey, what are you two doing here?" he inquired. "I ordered everyone to maintain patrol routes around the village and field."
"General Judo, Sir!" one of the knights greeted, belatedly realizing that his superior officer was there. "Our apologies, but we saw two dragon monsters flying in this direction, and with what looked like passengers! We realized we'd seen your party heading here earlier, so we wanted to make sure all of you were safe."
"Yeah, those creatures looked like a nasty bunch," the other knight said. "And there were quite a few of them too! But it seems like you're unharmed! That's a relief."
"I see," Judo replied. "Much appreciate the concern, but yes, everything is fine now. Those Stalfos thought we were in grave danger, but we proved them wrong, make no bones about it. Now go back to your patrols. …No, strike that. Get back to Kakariko, find Captain Ruhn, and tell him that I need to speak to him as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir!" both knights said and immediately rode off.
With that, the trio wheeled their mounts about and rode back to Kakariko. During the journey, Judo's gaze strayed in Kelli's direction. He remembered there was…something else he had to do besides help defend his kingdom. It had been on his mind for a long time; as much so as anything he'd done for king and country, if not more. He'd looked forward to reuniting with Kelli practically from the moment she'd walked out of his life in order to find out what she'd, literally, stumbled into the day she'd found the Sun Sword and Shield, and he had so much to say he almost didn't know where to start.
Almost.
He had missed his best friend a great deal, and he hoped she might be willing to hear him out when he tried to tell her what he didn't dare tell another.
With a sigh, and his heart beginning to hammer in his chest, he guided Stormfrost closer to his friend's side and spoke up.
"Hey, Kel," he said, trying, perhaps unsuccessfully, to sound less nervous than he felt. "Can I ask you about something?"
"Sure, what's up?" Kelli replied.
"Well, that letter I meant to send you?" Judo began, forcing himself to sound collected. "In it, I said that I wanted to meet in our old special place in Kakariko. The area above the windmill. That part of the letter was still intact, right?"
"Yeah, it was. If you still want to meet there, then of course we can!" Kelli agreed with a smile. "We still have more catching up to do. I want to hear all about your time with the knights so far!"
"Heh, and I'd like to hear more about your own escapades," Judo said, forcing himself to return the gesture despite his own anxiety. "There's even more we could talk about besides all that too. But yeah, let's meet up there tonight."
"You got it!"
A moment later, Link turned around in his saddle.
"Uh…everything okay there?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow when he noticed they seemed to be conversing and had fallen behind.
"Oh, yeah, we were just talking," Judo replied evasively. "Sorry if we slowed down too much."
"We're fine, don't worry," Kelli added.
"Alright. I know you two want to catch up, but we really shouldn't dillydally. Our mission is still more important right now," Link replied. "We still need to see if Ruhn can help the ranch and I'd like to start training with my new power as soon as possible. So let's keep moving quickly."
"Yeah, we get it," Kelli said. "We plan to talk more later on anyway."
"That works. While I train, you two can do whatever you need."
"Yeah, perfect!"
With that, the trio quickly continued back to Kakariko. Since he now had the Moon Sword and Shield, Link decided he would leave his old equipment back in Impa's home. He still was fond of the Great Fairy Sword, and it had proven invaluable since he'd acquired it in Termina all those years ago, so he didn't want to just get rid of it. His previous shield…that could probably go at some point. He'd had it for the last few years, and unlike the Hylian Shield he'd used in the Dark Future, this new one showed the wear of his adventuring lifestyle all too well.
After dismounting their horses and heading up the stairs to Kakariko, the three heroes hurried to Impa's home. Unsurprisingly, King Daphnes was already waiting for them at the door. He really wasn't going to sit inside doing nothing but wasting away, just as he vowed earlier. And though his years and the strain of recent misfortunes wore heavily upon him, it looked like the aged monarch had managed to recapture some of his old fire. And, that fire burned all the hotter as Link quickly approached him first, eager to relay the good news. Kelli followed closely and Judo arrived last, always lagging slightly behind due to his heavy armor.
"Your Majesty! We're back!" Link announced. "And look what I've got!"
Link then excitedly brandished the Moon Sword and Moon Shield, prompting a smile from the monarch.
"Oh, excellent!" Daphnes replied, nearly breathless with excitement. "We're closer yet to being able to take the enemy head on. The next step is to find a way to the Moon Temple, yes?"
"That's right," Kelli confirmed. "We don't know how exactly we're going to reach it though. We learned from the woman living in Skyview Village that both known routes are completely sealed off."
"Are you kidding me?" Judo opined in annoyance.
"…Oh dear. That is a serious problem indeed," Daphnes replied with a sigh. "I too was afraid of this. While you three were away, I decided to do a little research. With the royal library effectively behind enemy lines, assuming it's even still standing, I had little to work with. Fortunately, Impa kept a collection of books here herself on Hyrulean lore and legends. The Sheikah had passed down many sorts of these tales, after all. I wasn't sure if I would find anything helpful, but I saw little reason not to try."
"Oh? What did you find?" Link wondered.
"Yeah, could there be another route we don't know of?" Kelli added.
"Well, as you may have gleaned from your visit to Skyview Village, there are no existing maps of the Lost Hyrule area that we know of, let alone ones that are current," Daphnes continued. "However, one of the books I looked at did mention something interesting. Do you two know that area to the west of the castle, where a small stream flows? On the other side, there's a plot of forested land."
"Oh yeah!" Link recalled. "I nosed around there once. But all I found was an underground grotto. I swear, it seems Hyrule has one of those for every five rupees. But I never saw any signs of a tunnel or anything down there. I did think that area was weird though. Neither the cavern nor the massive wall of rock outside looked entirely natural, almost as if part of them had been shaped by tools. And it felt like there was…something missing."
"Yes, precisely. I always thought that too. What this book mentioned is that there was once a road there, even a bridge that spanned the stream. I believe now that that was the primary route to the Moon Temple and the western side of Lost Hyrule."
"That does sound right!" Kelli agreed. "If I've got the lay of Lost Hyrule figured out, then the temple is in that direction. And we did learn that there were two routes into Lost Hyrule. We already found the one here in Kakariko, of course."
"I've seen that area once or twice myself," Judo added. "I never really thought much of it back then, but wow. To now think that it once led to an entire lost world and a temple… That's pretty crazy."
"It is impressive," Daphnes agreed. "Unfortunately, that's all I could find on this matter. I've checked the rest of Impa's collection but found nothing about any other possible routes or how to get through the ones we know of."
"Crud…" Link grumbled. "Well… Now what?"
"I'm not sure," Daphnes admitted. "I would send a crew to that grotto or the rock. Perhaps there was once a tunnel there, and it could be excavated? But that carries grave risk. It would take a large number of men to undertake the excavation and, given the state of the land, a large number of guards to protect them while they work. And we can spare neither, let alone the provisions, wagons, and horses it'd take to keep them supplied. And on top of all that, the labor could take days. It would probably take them at least as long to get through the path beyond Skyview Village too."
"And trying to use the Jewels of Forest or Fire would probably not help us much either," Link added. "The Jewel of Forest seems to only be able to help trees and plants grow, not destroy or even clear it. And the Jewel of Fire likely would not be powerful enough to burn through all that debris and overgrowth."
"And even if it were, whoever was using it would probably be incinerated by the heat or cause the whole region to go up in smoke. Or both," Kelli seconded. "Well, Link, I guess we could go check out that grotto you said you found. Maybe there's a way we can create a tunnel using the jewels or bombs or something."
"I doubt that'll make any difference, but I don't have any better ideas, so let's do it," Link agreed. "Oh, but before we start there, I would like to leave my old sword and shield here and train a little with my new ones. I haven't yet gotten the chance to use them yet, or much of the powers that come with them, and it'd be best if I did that before we run into trouble."
"A wise precaution," Daphnes agreed. "You do what you must and let me know when you both are ready to depart again."
"Yes, your Majesty," Kelli agreed.
"I'm going to find Conan and Ramius then," Judo decided. "I'll also see what Ruhn makes of Link's suggestion from earlier. After that, I'll have to join the defenses here."
"Ah, yes," Daphnes said, and then noticed the soiled state of Judo's armor. "Goddesses! Judo, what did you do to yourself? You're an absolute mess! Did something happen at the ranch?"
Judo gave a perplexed blink and then looked down at himself in astonishment, having forgotten that his earlier battle had left him looking more or less like he'd sprayed his body with monster blood and guts.
"Ah…I'm so sorry," he spluttered. "We were ambushed while uncovering the Moon Shrine and I had to hold the enemy off while Link and Kelli went in there. Nothing to fret over, though. The Lizalfoses came at me with cold-blooded grit, but I kicked their tails."
"Well, if I wasn't sure you were unharmed before, I am now. I'm glad. You'd best clean yourself up before you go on patrol, though."
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Anyhow, you'll find Conan by the well where he's directing the patrols. Ruhn might be with him, but I am not certain. Ramius though, he's always patrolling, so he could be anywhere in the village."
"Alright, thanks. I'll head there then."
"I'll go with you, Judo," Kelli decided. "Though there is one more thing I want to show Link real quick too."
"Oh?" Link wondered, intrigued.
"Yes, there's one more ability I know of that we both have. You already know that we can sense the presence of light and dark monsters. Well, we can also do the same thing with each other!"
Both Link and Judo blinked in astonishment at this.
"Wow, really?" Link replied. "That's amazing. Though I guess it does make sense. The Sky Guardians seemed to work best as a team, but there had to have been times when they got separated or needed to split up."
"Exactly," Kelli confirmed. "Should that happen and we need to find one another again, we can do so with ease. I'll show you. Close your eyes while I hide, and then try to pick up my energy to find me."
"Heh, a little game of hide and seek, eh? Alright."
"Wow, this I'd like to see," Judo commented with a smile. "Way back, Kelli hid in this empty beer keg once. I decided to, literally, shake things up when I found her."
"You didn't!"
"He did," Kelli confirmed. "Didn't talk to him for a week after that."
"Oh, don't dwell on what ales you," Judo shot back. "Besides, that was the first time I found you, so I was drunk on the glory of it. Besides, even you had a barrel of laughs by the time we were through."
After several groans about Judo's puns, Link closed his eyes until Judo let him know that Kelli was completely out of sight. When he opened them, he attempted to try to tap into the same power he'd used when he sensed the monsters at Lon Lon Ranch. It took a moment for him to manage it, since he'd only used that ability once, but he was surprised when it came to him so readily. This time, however, he focused on Kelli this time, rather than the enemy. Once again, Link's eyes burst into the same dark color they had when he first touched the Moon Sword, the sclera going black and his irises turning navy blue. The emblem of the moon appeared on his forehead again as well.
"My word…" Daphnes uttered, his eyes widening in amazement.
"Now that is kind of creepy," Judo added, blinking again. "But, I'm guessing your excitement over these powers is waxing and not likely to be waning anytime soon?"
"Judo, I've really had quite enough puns for one day," Link said as he began sensing Kelli's energy, just like she'd said. "This might take some getting used to, though. Heh."
He then made his way around the stairs that led to the upper floor and to the other side. Kelli was sitting crouched in the corner there.
"There you go!" she said with a smile. "You really do learn fast."
"Yeah, I always did seem to," Link replied as the two returned to Judo and Daphnes. "I just hope the same will apply to the rest of my power."
"Me too. Now, this is all I can teach you for the time being," Kelli continued. "There may be more things we're able to do, but I don't know for certain since I haven't had a Guardian of the Moon to work with until now, and I was only able to learn so much from the Mayians. We'll have to discover the rest on our own. I'm sorry."
"That's alright. Honestly, I look forward to it!" Link replied. "Well, I think I'll start off simple. I need to get used to using the Moon Sword and Shield since their sizes and weights are different than what I'm used to. I'll hang around the village entrance for a little while and practice swinging this sword around first. Then I'll go into the field and take out some monsters."
"That sounds good."
"Alright, then we all have our plans drawn up? Let's move out," Judo said.
"Heh, yes Sir!" Link agreed.
"Ah, you don't have to call me that," Judo replied. "I'm not really your commanding officer."
"Well, you technically do still outrank me, so I'm fine with taking orders from you if you have to give me any."
"Me too!" Kelli chimed in. "Judo, you've already shown me that you're incredible."
Once again, Link sensed a hint of swooning in Kelli's tone. Though now he was not at all sure she could see it herself. The words, and the undertone that one would expect when she was speaking to someone who was more than "just a friend" came readily, naturally. Almost as if Kelli was less oblivious to her feelings than Link thought.
"Heh, well, I'll keep that in mind!" Judo agreed with a smile. "Thanks!"
"I'm pleased to see you three are working so well together," Daphnes stepped in, following suit. "It really makes me feel that our kingdom is in good hands now."
"We'll make good on that faith, your Majesty," Judo assured. "As I said before, we won't let you down!"
Link and Kelli both agreed, and after Link shelved the Great Fairy Sword and his old shield upstairs, and Judo wiped his armor down, the trio bid farewell to their king once again.
Once they were outside and down the stairs near Impa's home, they went their separate ways for the time being. Link headed for the village entrance and Kelli and Judo went in the opposite direction to the well. Just as Daphnes had said, Conan was there, though there was no sign of Ramius. The deputy commander of the Hyrulean knights was pacing around the structure, his tall lance in hand.
"Conan, hey!" Judo greeted.
"Oh, Judo, you guys are back," Conan replied. "The mission go smoothly?"
"Well…not entirely," Judo admitted and explained the less than impressive ambush the enemy had attempted at Lon Lon Ranch.
"Oh wow. Sounds like quite the dust up!" Conan commented, his eyes widening a little. "Kinda wish I was there to see it. Still amazes me how strong you are, though!"
"I didn't get to see Judo fight much back there since I had to go with Link into the shrine, but I did see that he clobbered those monsters," Kelli added. "He really is the strongest!"
"Ah, shucks," Judo uttered bashfully. "Thanks!"
"Oh, then you haven't seen anything yet," Conan continued. "This one time in the castle training hall, Judo hit the punching bag so hard that it snapped right off the rope, went flying, and nearly hit Lady Impa as she came in to give us an inspection!"
"Oh, my!" Kelli laughed. "That must've been a sight!"
"My punching the bag off its rope, Impa knocking it away from her with a tornado kick, or the awkward standoff afterwards?" Judo sarcastically wondered.
"Take your pick!" Kelli just about lost it as she pictured Judo's expression when he realized he'd nearly sent seventy pounds of sand into Princess Zelda's bodyguard. "So, how did she grade you after that?"
"We passed, but don't ask me how," Conan answered. "The rope that punching bag hung from was replaced with a sturdy chain after that!"
"Oh wow," Kelli commented with a chuckle. "That's impressive alright!"
"Conan… You could've picked a better anecdote," Judo protested, turning red.
"Heh, sorry, but that one is absolutely golden!" Conan replied with a grin. "Hey, by the way, I noticed Link heading towards the village entrance, where's he off to?"
"Ah, he's just going to do some training," Judo explained. "He found the Moon Sword and Shield, after talking me into doing the real legwork, so he has to learn to use them."
"Yeah, I could only teach him a couple things, unfortunately," Kelli added. "But I know Link can do it, he's talented and picks up new skills quickly."
"Oh, that's good!" Conan replied. "So, I'm guessing you want to know what we've been up to here? Well, I have our archers and crossbowmen patrolling the upper areas of the village as well as parts of the Death Mountain Trail. They can easily fire at long range from atop the buildings and cliffs. I also stationed one man up in the lookout tower with Malon and Princess Ruto so they have some protection if needed. The men on the mountain are working with the Goron warriors, rock slingers, and siege engineers to ensure that there will be no surprises from the enemy up there. Between our ranged combatants and the Gorons, that area should be solidly held against enemy flanking maneuvers and as an escape route in case we need to get the villagers out. As for down here, I, Ramius, what's left of the Royal Guard, and the remaining knights you assigned are covering the village entrance, streets, and the fields beyond. We can meet attacks down here better than any ranged fighter would. All of this should be much easier on the Guardsmen, as they can now have more support when they patrol the entrance, and it'll be more difficult for the enemy to sneak past. Oh yeah, and I also stationed a few guys in the graveyard, in case the enemy tries to flank us by having Dragolfos drop monsters in there. Though I had to promise that they'd be able to take turns with the other knights in order to talk them into it. I can't really blame them there, it's the graveyard… But that's the gist of what we've done here. Not bad for a few hours' work."
"Excellent, you're on top of things already, I see!" Judo commented. "Always good to hear. As for me, I'll patrol the entrance. The enemy wants their Stalfos to get past me, they'll have to put some backbone into it.."
"Sometimes it's spine-tingling how you can't go for more than twenty minutes without cracking a joke," Conan opined with a smile. "I've positioned the axemen and swordsmen up there as well, while us lancers are back here. Those of us that use lances and spears can throw them as well as engage in direct combat. This'll give us a strong second line of defense as well as an advantage if we need to pull back into the village and use the entrance as a bottleneck."
"You pulled all this off in the time we were gone?" Kelli said, stunned. She then turned to Judo. "I can see why you rely on Conan so much, Judo. He's good."
"The best," Judo confirmed. "What about the mounted patrols?"
"Ruhn and I talked it over," Conan continued. "He's got our light cavalry patrolling Hyrule Field, though they're under strict orders to watch for the enemy, tally them up, and then report back. The heavy cavalry then gets sent in to do as much damage as they can before the enemy reaches the knights and Guardsmen holding the entrance. Another thing, the Gorons and I are working on a way to harvest lava from the Death Mountain Crater and turn it into a weapon. If we could find a way to safely dump it onto the monsters from atop the cliffs and buildings without setting the surrounding areas on fire, that would be a huge advantage. Not even the strongest monster would survive being drenched in scalding magma."
"Conan, you are a straight-up genius," Judo complimented. "Kelli, like you just said, there is a reason I made this man my deputy commander!"
"All in a day's work," Conan said with a grin.
"You are very good at this!" Kelli replied. "I'm so glad Judo has a capable knight helping him."
"Of course. I'm glad to do it!"
"By the way, can you send for Ruhn? I need to talk to him," Judo then went on to explain the situation at Lon Long Ranch and Link's plan to buy time to find a more lasting solution.
"Well, I can't picture him liking the idea," Conan admitted. ""Donating" his horses' feed to a ranch?"
"Yeah, he'll have a cow."
"Ugh! Too obvious! Still, I'll have him meet you at the entrance so you can lock horns."
"Well, on that note, I'd better go to my post now, Kel," Judo said. "What are you going to do?"
"I think I'll go back to Impa's house," Kelli replied. "I think I'll take a look at those books His Majesty was going through. Maybe I'll find something he overlooked. I don't think Link and I will have time to get to the Moon Temple before the day is out anyway."
"Alright, sounds good. We'll see you later, Conan."
Conan then waved goodbye to his comrades as they departed. When they were several feet away from the deputy commander, Judo leaned towards his old friend's ear.
"That meeting we talked about earlier?" he began in a low voice which he forced to sound calm. "How about sunset since it's still a little early right now? That always did look amazing from up there anyway."
"Oh, yes!" Kelli agreed quietly. "That's perfect."
With that, the two continued together for a little ways until they reached the stairs to Impa's house. Without hesitation, Kelli and Judo threw their arms around one another one more time before they parted to attend to their respective duties.
"I'll be right on the village stairs," Judo assured. "Just come calling if anyone needs me."
"Heh, understood, Sir," Kelli replied with a wink.
"Good to hear," Judo replied with a grin and a chuckle.
With that, Kelli continued up to Impa's house and Judo clambered his way over the mounds of debris that blocked the way out of Kakariko. Spotting Link on the way there, Judo waved his greeting and repeated what he'd said to Kelli just minutes before. The green-clad hero gave a quick acknowledgement and went right back to swinging away with the Moon Sword, getting a feel for its length, weight, and balance.
After watching Judo disappear behind the improvised barricades, Link took another look at his new blade. Navi was now fluttering next to his head as well, watching her friend practice.
"Well, I must say, this sword is lighter than the Great Fairy Sword," Link commented. "Granted, that thing was always damn heavy and I'm amazed I could use it as well as I did as a kid. But I think I'm starting to get the hang of the weight difference. The Moon Shield is a bit heavier than my old one though. That's going to take a bit longer to get used to. Yet, it isn't quite as heavy as the Hylian Shield."
"Yeah, I thought the sword looked lighter myself," Navi commented. "Both it and the Sun Sword were probably forged that way to make them easy enough to wield. From what I could see, there was no telling who was a potential Sky Guardian."
"That would make sense. It would also explain how Kelli was able to use her equipment as a kid herself. I think I'm about ready to head into the field and look for a few monsters to clobber. That's the only way I'm going to really see this sword and shield's power."
"True, but be careful. Some of the moves you've been using might be trickier to perform with a new sword and I don't want you to leave yourself open if you make a mistake."
"Right, of course."
With that, Link sheathed the Moon Sword and turned to go into Hyrule Field. Before he could take more than a couple of steps, however, a familiar voice called out to him from behind.
"Hey, Link!"
Link turned to see Conan struggling to climb over the debris, waving one hand in the air.
"Oh, hey," Link greeted. "What's up, Conan?"
"Ah," Conan replied, catching his breath for a moment. "Were you about to go into the field?"
"Yeah, I was. I need some real targets to test my new weapon's power on."
"Alright, well, do you have a minute before you go?"
"Uh, sure," Link agreed, a little confusedly. "Something wrong?"
"No, don't worry. I just want to ask you something," Conan replied. "So… Has Judo seemed alright to you so far?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course," Link confirmed. "He might go a little overboard with the puns and jokes sometimes, but otherwise, I haven't had any problem with him at all and he definitely doesn't seem to have any problem with me. Why do you ask?"
"Ah, good to hear. And…well," Conan's words trailed off and it was a long moment before he continued. "I'd like to ask a favor of you. I'll warn you, it's a bit…unusual."
"Okay…"
"I don't know if Judo would even want me doing this, but…if he does start to act…out of hand, I'd like you to exercise patience with him."
"…Say what now? Sorry, I'm confused. Why would he act out of hand?" Link wondered, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah… Judo would kill me if I told you too much, so I can only really say this," Conan replied. "He's…been through a lot. And while I support him as both his comrade and his friend as best I can, he doesn't exactly have a good grip on his emotions at times, nor is he very good at talking about those things. If he lashes out or gets unusually angry at you, please don't take it personally."
"I see… Judo doesn't strike me as someone that gets really angry. I mean, he was quite upset at hearing of Ryo's death, but that didn't seem unusual…"
"Honestly, I'm rather surprised he held it together as well as he did when he got the news. I'm certain he only managed to restrain himself because he was in his Majesty's and Kelli's presence. If it were say, just you, he might've acted…differently."
"I see. I'll keep this in mind. Thanks for telling me."
"Of course. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't believe it's my place. That story is for Judo himself to tell, if you can get it out of him. And given your reputation and connection to Kelli, he just might open up to you too."
"Alright, I'll ask at some point. Whatever he's going through, I wouldn't at all mind helping."
"That's good to know. Thanks," here, Conan paused and shook Link's hand. "Now I better get back to my post before Judo sees me. He's right down the stairs, if you need him, by the way."
"Yeah, I'm aware," Link replied. "But thanks again for the tip."
With that, Conan returned to his post at the well while Link agilely climbed down from the barricade and entered the field. The new Guardian of the Moon's heart began to race, though whether it was more in excitement or nervousness, Link wasn't sure. He was excited to try mastering a power different than any he'd ever conceived before, especially if Kelli's talents were anything to go by. The closest he'd ever come to wielding dark power such as this was when the mysterious children of the moon he'd encountered at the end of his quest in Termina had rewarded him with a powerful mask known as the Fierce Deity's Mask. It was unlike anything he'd ever used before as it transformed him into a demonic-looking version of his adult self and turned his sword into a massive two-handed weapon whose blade was split into curved sections resembling helix shapes. Remarkably, Link was able to control this terrifying form and the dark power that came with it with ease, just like with the Deku, Goron, and Zora masks. And, though Link suspected there might be more to the mask then the obvious, perhaps even something dangerous, all he was certain it did was make him vastly stronger. So much so, in fact, that the final battle against Majora itself had been very nearly anticlimactic.
The Moon Sword and Moon Shield, on the other hand, were clearly very different and surely would confer upon him many new abilities. Some of which even Kelli could not know. And for all Link knew, their power was even more terrifying than that of the Fierce Deity's Mask. He couldn't deny that he was a little frightened. Yet, he didn't once hold the Triforce of Courage for nothing. And his new sword and shield chose him for a reason. Link had to be able to master the power of darkness and he would do whatever it took if it meant saving Hyrule.
"I can only hope I don't get ambushed out here," Link said quietly to himself. "If I got in trouble now, after putting myself in a freaking coma the last time I got in over my head…I don't know who wouldn't chew me out."
A few hours later, the sun began to dip below the horizon. And just as they had planned, Judo and Kelli made for the area behind the windmill for some long awaited catching up. Before this, Judo made sure there were enough men to cover for him at the Kakariko entrance, as he definitely didn't want to leave such a vital defense undermanned when another attack from the enemy could occur at any time. And if the monsters struck in the darkness of the night, throwing them back would be all the more difficult.
When the pair finally reached their destination, they paused for a time to simply gaze at the setting sun. It was amazing how perfect the area was for viewing sunsets, as it faced directly west and rose high enough to see the horizon beyond the village. And thankfully, the sky that evening was fairly clear, with few clouds to obscure the dusk.
"Wow… It's so lovely out tonight," Kelli commented. "I'm so glad we can enjoy it right now. After everything that's happened lately… It's finally a moment of peace."
"Yeah, I hear that," Judo agreed. "Especially since this time, my mom isn't going to nag at us to come home five minutes later because it's getting dark. Heh."
"Heh, heh, yeah!"
"She can't tell me a thousand times that I need to be careful so I don't fall down and hurt myself either. That got so irritating. I never even fell off this cliff anyway! I was careful enough."
"Yeah, you were…until you proceeded to stumble off the wall near that rich family's home and bust your wrist."
"…Yeah, I'd like to forget that happened."
The two shared a chuckle after that. Judo turned to face the sunset again, though only looked at it for a few moments before turning to his old friend, however.
Judo belatedly realized he hadn't really gotten the chance to take in how Kelli had grown up since he had last seen her until now. And she was honestly not much different that he'd imagined she'd look like. Her light blonde hair was longer, and her legs were also long and fairly toned. In fact, the rest of her was somewhat toned too, and despite that her feminine features were not as prominent as those on some other women, they were still there, and readily accentuated the allure of her strength and courage. And blushing as he realized it, Judo couldn't help but see something…stunning.
"Heh, I couldn't really point this out until now, but I see you let your hair grow quite a bit longer," he noted. "That mop of yours always gave mom fits, but it was barely past your shoulders when we were kids."
"Ah, yeah," Kelli said with a smile. "I never really thought much about cutting it. I only ever felt like trimming it a little once in a while."
"That's fair. I rather like it this way anyway."
"Heh, thanks. I noticed you've started grooming your hair more myself. It used to be a little messy. But now it's neatly combed."
"Well, you can thank my mom for that," Judo said with a chuckle. "After I told her the news of my promotion, she insisted that I start looking a little more professional, and, well, I just went along with it. I don't mind combing my hair once in a while."
"I'm not surprised," Kelli replied with a smile.
"By the way, is that the same headband you wore before?"
"Yep. It stretches, so I was still able to wear it even after I'd grown up."
Kelli then removed her headband and showed Judo by placing her hands inside it and stretching it, just as she'd said.
"Oh wow, nice," the knight commented. "I'm surprised it hasn't been damaged after all this time though."
"Me too, actually. It seems to be made of surprisingly sturdy material."
"Huh. Well, speaking of things we're wearing, I'm going to take some of my armor off," Judo decided as Kelli put her headband back on. "I swear, I feel like I haven't taken it off in weeks, and I'd like to relax a little while we're here."
"Why, don't you find that a bit uncouth? Disrobing in front of a lady?" Kelli wondered sarcastically.
At that, Judo turned to face Kelli, his expression one of feigned astonishment.
"You're a lady?" he said. "That's news to me. Heck, I remember you throwing tantrums when you got a lecture about being a proper lady from…well, anybody, really."
"Oh, shut up, tinman," Kelli shot back good naturedly. "Everybody wanted to turn me into an imitation of Princess Zelda – boy would they be surprised at how "ladylike" she could be – and I got a little sick of it, that's all."
""That's all"? Tell that to Mrs. Crabtree. What did you mix into her perfume anyway?"
"You don't want to know. You really don't want to know. But seriously, go ahead and take the armor off. Wearing all that steel must be strenuous, and you deserve a rest."
"Thanks. Don't mind if I do."
With that, Judo shucked off his gauntlets and, with practiced ease, undid the buckles holding his cuirass and shoulder pauldrons into place. Setting these aside, he did likewise for his cuisses on his thighs, but he left on his armored boots.
"You're not going to take those off?" Kelli asked, noting the armored boots and greaves on his feet and lower legs.
"No need," he replied. "They're more comfortable than they look. And it's a bit nippy out here to be in just my socks. How anybody can put up with sabatons, I'll never know."
The notion of wearing shoes literally made of riveted iron plates for most of the day made Kelli's toes curl in dread.
With practiced ease, and surprising care, Judo delicately set his armor next to him. This done, he settled back against the turf and heaved a sigh of relief.
Kelli also sighed, but for a very different reason.
Though Judo still wore padded leather under his armor to prevent chafing, she was able to get a much clearer impression of how well-built Judo must've been under all that steel. And the image caused her throat to go dry and her breathing to go short and hard.
Kelli must've let out a noise then, for Judo's gaze darted in her direction.
"Are you cold?" he asked, concerned. "I can unhook my cape from the shoulder pauldrons and let you use it as a blanket."
"Aw, thanks. I think I'll be okay though," Kelli assured with a smile and then sat down as well. "But we didn't come up here just to talk about hair, accessories, and armor. Judo, tell me what it was like training to be a knight of Hyrule! I'm wondering if it wasn't too different from my own training in Mayia. I did sometimes practice with their knights, even if not all of them took me seriously at first."
"Ah, right…" Judo replied, trailing off. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, most people didn't have lofty expectations of me either. I first left for the castle to become a squire when I was about twelve. Since you said you were in my house recently, you might've seen that I wrote in that lame diary Mom gave me. That little entry was about the day I was leaving home."
"Oh! I did see that! And you said…you wanted to make me proud. I…I won't lie, I actually burst into tears when I read it. I already missed you so much and had no idea where you were…"
"…Oh. Yeah…again, I'm sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it. Like we had said before, what matters is that you're here now."
"That is true. But moving on, there's nothing too spectacular to tell about my days as a squire, except…"
"Except what?"
"Heh, well…"
Judo then explained that squires typically each study and learn under one knight, perhaps two if there weren't enough new recruits to go around or superior officers felt they would be a better fit with someone else. Judo himself, however, had a whopping half dozen different knights mentoring him, with the first five all requesting another squire within a few weeks.
"What?! Judo! Why in Hyrule would you have let that happen?" Kelli wondered, the barest hint of severity creeping into her tone. "Should I be disappointed?"
"Well, the answer to that latter question is probably up for debate," Judo replied as a punchy grin formed on his features. "The reason those knights gave up on me… They simply couldn't handle the awesomeness that is my personality."
"…You mean they didn't like your antics."
"…Heh, you got me. I can't help it if they can't take a joke! And I eventually got someone who didn't just dismiss me for trying to add a little humor. Oh, and a few of those knights also said…my ideal work ethic kind of clashed with theirs."
"Oh. Huh… I wonder why that is. You apparently worked really hard."
"I did. I guess they thought I was overworking. Kinda ironic, considering the old days, eh? And maybe I did work too hard on occasion, but…that was my choice."
"Well, you know, I have to admit that…really does surprise me. You used to hate hard work and things like chores and errands."
"Heh, believe me, I still hate chores. But I know, this was the first time I really worked and put effort into something. And the first time I actually wanted to do so. And I've seen the value in it."
"I see. As I said before, I'm really proud of you."
"Heh, yeah… And, thanks. That means quite a lot."
Before Judo continued, he heaved another sigh, his gaze turning back to the sunset for a moment.
"But…" he then said. "Before I continue…there's a few other things I need to talk to you about."
"Oh?"
Before speaking again, Judo felt something akin to a dozen fast flying Keese in his stomach, and his face scrunched into a grimace.
"Judo…? Are you alright?" Kelli wondered, her eyebrows creasing.
"Kelli… I'm so sorry…! I…I lied to you when we were kids!" Judo replied, bringing his hands to his forehead.
"What? What do you mean? When could you have ever done that?!" Kelli gasped, her mouth falling open in confused astonishment.
"…When I was showing you my necklace," Judo revealed. "It…didn't actually come from my mother."
"…What?"
"It was…my father's," Judo revealed, his eyes growing glassy.
"Your…father?" Kelli replied, almost with a gasp. "Does this…have anything to do with why you never talked about him? I always wondered why he wasn't around, but I was afraid to ask… You were always happy. We were happy. And I didn't want to risk spoiling that."
"I should have told you before you left," Judo continued. "I wanted to, I really did. And I hate that I didn't! But I was too wrapped up in my fears, my sadness that you were leaving… Like you said, we were happy. And I couldn't mess that up either."
"Judo… What…What happened?" Kelli wondered. "Where is your father then?"
"The truth is… I don't know," Judo replied with a sniffle. "Nobody knows."
"What?!"
"Three years before I met you… My dad left for work one day. And never came home."
Kelli could only blink and stare at Judo for the next couple moments, the knight vainly holding back tears.
"…Are you serious?" Kelli finally uttered.
"Yes… My dad was once a Mayian knight," Judo continued. "His name was Radomir."
Though Judo was too caught up in his recollections to notice, Kelli's brow furrowed at the name. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"He met my mother while on a joint training mission in Hyrule. Those were held regularly between the knights of both kingdoms. I've been on several training missions to Mayia myself. My dad used to tell me all kinds of stories of his days as a knight… They were amazing… Anyhow, they met one day in Hyrule Castle Town and…well, everybody tells me he was quite the charmer. Must've been too, folks tell me they were engaged in a few weeks."
Judo's story continued as he explained that due to his father still having plenty of connections in Mayia after resigning from knighthood, he decided to become a merchant working the trade routes between the kingdoms. Multiple times every week, he would make the journey to Mayia and back on his wagon. He left in the morning and would return in early afternoon, give or take a few minutes. And sometimes Radomir would bring back an exotic toy or some other fascinating souvenir for his son.
And then, one day, as Judo had said before, Radomir left on this usual journey again…and this time, he didn't return. At first, Judo and his mother, Lori, only thought he'd been delayed by something that was out of his control. It wasn't unusual for there to be a small delay in his departure from Mayia due to inclement weather or some such.
"But the minutes turned into hours…and then days…and weeks…and months…" Judo sobbed. "And then years."
"Oh… Didn't anyone investigate this?" Kelli wondered.
"Yeah, the Mayian soldiers tried. All they found was…the wreckage of his wagon somewhere near the border, and no sign of him anywhere. It was like he'd vanished into thin air. They continued to look into it for several weeks after that, but…nothing else turned up and they had to abandon the investigation."
Judo then said he and his mother eventually received an official letter from the Mayian authorities, gravely informing them that Radomir had been declared dead. They'd offered their assurances that they had done all they could as well as their condolences. Radomir had been respected among Mayia's knights and merchants, and they really wanted to see this case solved. But after months with no leads, there was nothing to be done. Except to grieve.
Distracted by the stirrings of his grief, Judo missed that this tidbit caused Kelli's eyes to bulge in dawning comprehension.
"For days after that, I just…cried my eyes out," Judo admitted. "And after that, I guess I went into denial. I waited every day, hoping that he would somehow find his way back to us. And then at one point, I didn't even care if he was alive anymore. I just wanted some form of closure. My dad deserves at least that much… And so does my mother."
"Oh my…"
"My dad was amazing, really. And I like to think you two would've gotten along great. Always had a soft spot for spunky kids. I looked up to him so much… He might have left Mayia, but he still did what he could to serve both his homeland and Hyrule…" Judo said. "The necklace he gave me… He had it commissioned by a jeweler, and it's one of a kind. He gave it to me when I was five, only weeks before he disappeared. He asked me to treasure it, as it was the one piece he kept from his days as a knight. To him, it represented the service he gave two kingdoms. And to me, it represented how great he was. It's all I have left of him now…"
"Judo…" Kelli uttered, her heart beginning to ache as she imagined the state her closest friend must've been in when he realized he'd lost such a precious treasure. "But… You said you don't know where your father is, right? Then he could still be alive."
"Yeah, but I doubt it. It's been almost fourteen years," Judo pointed out. "And I'd rather not give my mother any false hope. This has been as hard on her as it has on me, maybe even more so. She loved my dad dearly, and could hardly think about him without wanting to cry. Yet, she still tried to help me move on with my life. She did her best to encourage me to grow up and become a man my dad would be proud of."
"So that's a reason you became a knight?"
"That's part of it, yes. But there's more to it than that."
Judo revealed, much to the Guardian of the Sun's surprise, that the moment he decided to become a knight was not long after Kelli had left to learn about the Sun Sword and Shield. Perhaps Kelli's discovery that she had a destiny to fulfill had made more of an impact on Judo than she had thought. Perhaps it told him that…he could do something significant, something that truly mattered himself. Something that might also help ease the suffering he and his mother went through, if even just a little.
"I decided…I was going to become a knight so I could protect what I had left," Judo continued. "I couldn't have protected my father, even if I was with him when he… But I also knew that I couldn't let anything happen to my mother when I could prevent it. And I wanted to conduct my own investigation into my dad's disappearance. If the Mayian soldiers couldn't do anything more, then I would. They have to follow their regulations and mind how much taxpayer money they burned through. But me? As long as I trained hard and did this on my own time, the sky was the limit, and still is. And like I said before, I would be satisfied if I could just get some closure. Even if I couldn't learn exactly what had happened…just being able to bury my dad properly would be enough. At least I'd be able to say goodbye, knowing his suffering was over. And it isn't exactly my thing, but once or twice, I've even gone to the Temple of Time to pray to the gods to help me find some answers."
"Oh, Judo…"
"I just…I just want to know what the hell happened! Is that so much to ask?!"
"Yeah…" Kelli agreed, placing a hand on Judo's shoulder. She'd meant to give it a comradely squeeze, but went red when she felt its well-muscled breadth beneath the pliable leather. Then she suddenly let out a gasp. "Oh my goddesses!"
"Huh?!" Judo said, suddenly jumping.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Kelli replied. "But I just realized something. I thought that name, Radomir, sounded familiar, but I only just now remembered. I heard about your father's disappearance while I was in Mayia. Some of the soldiers once mentioned a cold case involving a man named Radomir. Oh gods, Judo, if I had known then that that was your father… I…"
"Oh, Kel, don't blame yourself for that," Judo countered, forcing himself to sound calm and reassuring despite being reminded of the long cold trail of his father's killers. "You had no way of knowing. I'm not sure any of those guys there even knew my dad was a family man."
"That is true…"
"Well, when I was granted my knighthood, I worked tirelessly," Judo continued. "I knew I needed to be as strong as possible, and I went at it like a Dodongo in a butcher shop. Whoever took my dad from me, I had to be able to confront them and crush them with my own two hands, if it came to that. And if I was to protect my mother, and even you… Nothing can take me down. Before long, I was challenging other recruits, most of whom were ahead of me in their training, to duels and tournaments. And I clobbered every one of them. I even took some martial arts lessons from Lady Impa on the side. Swordplay is my main forte, but I can still fight back if I get disarmed."
"Wow, that's awesome! Judo, you still don't cease to amaze me."
"Heh, thanks. Also, that sixth knight that drew the short straw and got stuck with me as his squire? It was none other than my predecessor, General Aldin himself. He had actually grown tired of knights passing me around like a baton, and said he liked the talent I was showing, so he personally took me under his wing."
"Oh, incredible!"
"Yeah, he taught me a lot of what I know about knighthood… But…even while I was a squire, and even after that, the pain over my dad…it just lingered. Although, it was getting a bit easier with Aldin being there. He was almost like a second father to me. And then…"
Judo then went on to say that one day, Aldin took some of the knights on a scouting mission near Mayia's border. Suddenly, before anyone realized it, Aldin fell from his horse, with three arrows protruding from his back and another from his lower torso. Despite a frantic search for who could have fired those arrows, but the assassin was never found.
"I leapt off Storm and rushed to General Aldin's aid," Judo said. "While in my arms, with his dying breath, he gave me a battlefield promotion and named me his successor. He also revealed that he'd already spoken with King Daphnes about it. He intended to train me to be the next general when we returned home."
"Oh… Goddesses, Judo, I am so sorry…"
"I was dumbfounded. Shocked. I didn't know a damn thing about leading, and to be honest, I still don't know much. In fact, I've been struggling with it ever since."
"What? Really? But that knight we met before you arrived had nothing but praise for you."
"But I'm betting he only talked about my strength. Not my leadership."
"…Oh. That is true…"
"I know I was thrust into this position suddenly, and much sooner than General Aldin or King Daphnes intended… But already, half of my men hate me. They'd often try to be discreet, but I'd still occasionally overhear what they'd say. They'd call me a clown or clueless, and say I'm entirely unfit to hold any sort of position within the knights. And it didn't help that General Aldin's decision looked like nepotism. All the while, I was wrestling with the pain and of having more or less lost two fathers, not just one… And I still missed you too…desperately, at that time."
"Judo, I…"
"Remember how Conan said I broke that punching bag? It happened when I just started hitting it over and over and over as hard as I could, trying to get some of the tension out of my system. And all those jokes and puns I crack and all the laughs I try to get out of people? It's really more of a façade. I'm not simply having fun, I'm trying to keep a stiff upper lip…putting on a brave face for the people around me. I've been doing it ever since Mom made a pun by mistake one day and I doubled down on it even more after I got promoted to general. I couldn't talk much about what I had been through. Aldin, Conan, and Ryo were the only people I ever told. If half my men hate me now, imagine how they would feel if they saw me break down? I'd look weak and pathetic, and they'd start wondering if they'd make it through this. I'm supposed to be someone they can rely on to guide them, someone who can keep their morale up when they're ready to crack. I can't look weak… There were times where I literally wished I could die, I was feeling so overwhelmed with the expectations I was saddled with, while still trying to fight the pain… But I kept going because I had you, my mother, and others to think about."
"Oh… Why didn't you tell King Daphnes and Princess Zelda? They would understand."
"I intended to when I'd gotten my promotion, since I knew I could trust them then, but the trouble in Mayia started and…now we're in the middle of what might be the worst conflict this country has seen since the Hyrule Unification War. This just isn't the time."
"Ah, I see… But, Judo, think about it. Do you really think General Aldin would've picked you as his successor, or that King Daphnes would've agreed to it, if you weren't the right man for the job? You think you aren't a great leader now? That can change. And those knights who hate you? Seeing someone get a huge promotion like that would make anybody jealous. If they get over it, great. If not, that's their problem!"
"I'm not so sure they're wrong though… The reason we were trapped in the mountains? I stupidly led us right into a snare. We chased after some monsters and then the rockslides happened to seal us in. Conan even warned me it might happen, but I thought we'd be fine! And the two knights that died? I failed to get the areas ahead properly scouted in time. After that, I considered resigning and recommending someone else to take command the minute we were back in friendly territory."
"What?! I mean, sure, you made mistakes then. But you got your men out of there and back home. Anyway you look at it, that was quite an accomplishment. And there's time to learn from your mistakes. I'm sure Conan's told you something similar, right? No one should expect you to be perfect right out the gate. Especially not when you never knew about General Aldin's plans."
"Yeah, Conan did say that. And he's been amazing through all this. He's so smart and gives such good advice. We met as squires, and he's been one of my best friends ever since. But everything was still so hard to deal with… I reconnected with Ryo for the first time in years when he got promoted… Our relationship had soured after you and I met because I didn't want to spend as much time with him anymore. It was ages before I caught onto that, and I hated that I did that to him. …And now he's gone too. I swear, one wound scabs over only for a new one to be torn open…!"
Judo began to sniffle again, the tears refusing to be held in abeyance any longer. A few began to flow down his cheeks.
"When his Majesty told us about Ryo…I nearly snapped. If you want to see what's really been going on inside me all this time… Well, now you know."
For a long moment, Kelli gave no reply. Then, much to her surprise, he turned and let his face fall into her collarbone, a wail escaping his lips. When Kelli shook herself from the mild shock, she placed her arms around her distraught friend.
"Watch where those eyes are going, mister," Kelli chided, but with little bite. "And, it's just us. So let it out."
Whether it was from relief at her understanding or because he simply could not hold back the flood any longer, Judo had no idea. Either way, he sobbed into Kelli's shoulder for long moments.
"Your secret's safe with me…" Kelli said, hugging her friend to offer what comfort she could. "I'm so sorry, Judo… I can't believe that all this time… I never guessed those clownish antics of yours were just to hide…well, this…all this pain. I really wish I could have been there for you sooner…"
"Well…I'm just…so happy that you were there seven years ago and are here with me now," Judo uttered through the tears. "But Kelli… How much… How much more must I lose… How much more must it hurt… before I can finally find peace?"
The two paused for a moment as Kelli drew back from her friend to look him square in the eye.
"Well…" she finally said. "I can tell you this, Judo. I promise that after this is all over, we'll look for your father together. Maybe we'll get lucky, maybe we won't. But we'll try anyway."
"Okay… Thank you…"
"In fact…"
"Huh?"
Here, Kelli's brow furrowed again, and she cupped her chin meditatively.
"Something just occurred to me," Kelli said. "I'm not sure this will help much at the moment, but when Link and I visited Skyview Village, the woman that lives there told us a story about this young girl she's caring for. She found the girl amongst the wreckage of a coach some years back, and there was no trace left of her parents or the driver. The girl doesn't know of this yet, but it sounds a lot like what happened to your father."
"…Oh goddesses, that does. You think there could be a connection?"
"It's very possible. We'll have to find out more later on. Like Link said, we've got our hands full."
"Yes, that's true. I may not know this young girl, or even much about her, but I do know what she must be going through. The pain of not knowing. Next time you see her and this woman, let them know I will do all I can. I won't be able to visit them for a while due to what's going on now, but it'll happen sooner or later."
"Alright, I will. And Judo, again…I'm always here for you now. I thought all this time it was you that had saved me from pain… I was a lonely child in a strange, unfamiliar world after leaving the forest, and you came and gave me a lifelong friend… But now I see that I really helped you back then too. I'm really glad of that."
"Yeah… If I hadn't met you… I'm not sure where I'd be right now, to be honest. I might not even be alive, for all I know, given what I'd said earlier. Thank you so much…"
"Of course… If you ever need me, whether to talk or to let it out…I'm right here."
With another sniffle, this time from both of them, the two embraced once more. Kelli herself felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes and couldn't hold them back, heartbroken to hear of just how great a burden her best friend had been forced to shoulder for so long. And she could do little to help all that time. However, she knew that there was nothing to be done about the past, and that she could give Judo all the support he needed now. She could only hope that it would be enough.
After the many kindnesses Judo had done her over the years, she could do no less in his hour of need.
The next morning, Link , who had very nearly worked himself into another coma practicing with his new sword, rose from his bed in Impa's house. He glanced in the direction of Kelli's bed and saw to his perplexity that it showed no sign of having been slept in. Confused, he quickly got dressed and headed out to go look for her. Surely she knew that they needed to be well rested and ready if they were going to find a way to the Moon Temple, especially since the entrance to the grotto was practically in the enemy's front yard. On top of that, they had no idea what awaited them beyond that grotto, on the way over there, or how difficult it would be to get to the temple afterward. Navi and Vira, the latter of whom hadn't seen Kelli since yesterday afternoon, followed Link outside when he was ready.
Link decided to check the area above the windmill first, as he did recall that Kelli once mentioned something about her and Judo enjoying watching the sunset from there. They probably had gone up there to do the catching up they'd planned, though what happened after that he wasn't sure. He doubted the village could've been attacked without raising the alarm, but something could have happened to his companions nonetheless. After he climbed the ladder, he made his way around to the other side of the windmill where the cliff overlooked the rest of the village. Strangely, the two old friends weren't anywhere in sight. A moment later, however, Vira nudged him.
"Link, look behind you. Up against the windmill's wall," she said, her tone seeming to be rather excited.
"Huh?" Link said confusedly, and did as Vira asked. And what he saw caused him to shake his head in amusement.
Seated against the wall were Judo and Kelli, fast asleep. Kelli leaned up against her friend with her head on his shoulder, and Judo's cape was snugly wrapped around the pair.
Link's amusement threatened to get the better of him, and he cupped his hands over his mouth to suppress any chuckling.
"Oooh…" Navi uttered with a thankfully discreet snicker.
"Oh…my…gosh," Link said, his words muffled by his hands. "Man, I really wish my pictobox hadn't gotten broken now!"
"You had one of those?" Navi asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I got it in Termina," Link explained. "But few years ago, I was trying to get a shot of this really cool view I'd found…and the rock I was standing on shifted beneath me. The pictobox fell right out of my hands and smacked right into another rock. That was the end of that… Too bad, really. I didn't get the appeal as a kid, but I started to really enjoy taking pictures as I got older."
"Daaang," Vira commented. "That is a real shame! A pictograph of this would be absolutely perfect!"
"Until Link is called a hypocrite because he was fine teasing his friends with this, but gets all bent out of shape when they'd tease him about his love for Zelda…" Navi chimed in.
"Shut up! Who said I was going to tease them?!" Link retorted as quietly as he could so he didn't suddenly wake the still sleeping friends. "And for the last time, I'm not in love with Zelda!"
"Oh, suuure."
Link could only give an irritated grumble in reply.
"Whatever," he growled. "We've got more important things to worry about right now anyway. But I'll let the two lovebirds here have a few more minutes. It'd feel wrong to try to wake them now. I can't wait to show Kelli what I learned while training though!"
The fairies agreed, and they all decided to quietly take a seat on the cliff to take in the fresh morning air.
