Chapter 9
It was near bedtime when the telephone rang in Russel's farmhouse outside of Ordonville that Tuesday night in Hyrule's late spring. He and his wife Tara had kept the television turned to the satellite news channel for the last two days straight, and they had just about given up hope for anything new for the day.
There had been something on earlier about some kind of a small R.H.M.G. escort which had traveled from Lake Hylia's resort town to Castleton in a hurry. The procession had gone straight to the palace, their only stop along the way being a rest area where other travelers caught snippets of video on camera of heavily armed military guardsmen protecting someone of some importance, though no one could get close enough to find out who. The old veteran and his wife paid careful attention to it just in case it had anything to do with their foster son who had ridden off two days before.
Their son Colin had been withdrawn and moody ever since his older brother's departure. Russel couldn't blame him. The eleven year old boy had stayed home from school the day before and that day, and spent most of those two days upstairs in his bedroom. And his father couldn't really explain the reasons why Link had to go, and why he had to let him, not to Colin, and only barely to his wife, Tara who had been frantic ever since Sunday night. She knew the sacred stories just as well as Russel did, maybe even better because she grew up devout. But the way she responded... He guessed it hadn't really been as real to her as it had become to him. It was with a mother's worried heart that she kept the television on the news channel, hoping and fearing for something about her lost boy.
Russel caught the telephone on the third ring, "Hello?" He said.
"Uncle Russel?" A very familiar voice asked, filling Russel with relief and exasperation. "Link!" He exclaimed so loudly that Tara came running into the kitchen. "Link where are you? Are you okay?" He asked frantically.
"I'm okay uncle Russel. I'm just fine. I wanted to call and tell you that. I'm in Castleton now." His foster son told him.
Waves of relief flowed over him as he relayed the message to his wife, who put her hand over her mouth and started crying, the pent up emotions and stress breaking through. "Does he need us to come and get him?" She asked through her sobs. Russel relayed the question, "Do you need us to come and get you son? Exactly where in Castleton are you?"
"No, I don't need you to come and get me. I'm fine. I have to go soon. Listen, there's probably going to be something on the news about me tomorrow. Don't freak out, okay?" Link said.
"Are you in some kind of trouble son? Did you do something illegal? Do you need bail money?" Russel asked, worried.
"No, no." Link laughed. It was good to hear his laugh again, Russel thought. "It's nothing like that. It's good news, I think."
"One more question before you go, son." Russel asked. "Did you find her? Is she safe?"
"Yeah uncle Russel. I found her. She's safe and sound. I'm here with her now. I've got to go. I'll try and call again really soon, okay? Tell Aunt Tara and Colin I love them, and I love you to." Link told him. They were glorious words for him to hear as Russel's heart swelled with pride. "I love you too, son, and I'm proud of you."
The conversation ended, and the line went dead. Russel hung up the phone. "He's okay. He found her and they're both back in Castleton. Everything's going to be okay." He told his wife.
"When is he coming home?" Tara asked.
"He didn't say, but he said there'll be something on the news tomorrow about him that we need to watch." Russel told her.
"He's not in trouble with the guard is he?" Tara asked.
"He said no. He said he thought it was good news." Russel told her. "We should go tell Colin."
The next day at noon, Russel, Tara and Colin were all sitting on the couch in the living room in front of the television waiting for the news Link had promised them. "When is it supposed to come on?" Colin kept asking. "I don't know, he didn't say." Russel told his son. "He just said there would be something today."
The telephone rang and Tara went into the kitchen to answer it. Colin and his father couldn't hear what the conversation was about, but it sounded serious. When she came back in, she said, "I don't know what to tell them. That was the High School wanting to know why Link hasn't been to his classes or shown up at school for the last three days. I can't tell them he's missing, and I can't tell them he's sick, so what do I tell them?"
"What did you tell them?" Russel asked.
"I told the school secretary 'thank you for calling,' and that I would get back to her as soon as I could." She said, frustrated. "What was he thinking? That he could just run off and no one would notice that he was gone without explanation?"
"I don't think anyone would have believed his explanation." Russel said.
"You did." Tara replied. "And I still can't believe you let him go, a seventeen year old boy, Russel!"
They had been through that argument so many times over the last three days that Russel was absolutely grateful when the regular news was interrupted. "Look, something's happening on the news!" He said excitedly. "I hope this is what we were waiting for."
"Do you think Link's going to get a medal or something?" Colin asked. "Is that what they're announcing?"
"I don't know, son." Russel said. "Let's listen and find out."
The picture on the television changed from the "BREAKING NEWS" logo to a group of reporters with still picture and video cameras, microphones, and note pads all standing or sitting about ten or fifteen feet from a podium which had been set up in front of the steps which formed the entry to the royal palace of Hyrule Castle. There were the sounds of many people talking at once, scrambling to connect pieces of broadcasting equipment, or speculating on what the announcement might be. The picture of an attractive female Hylian reporter came into view, and she began to describe the scene. "We're here live in Castleton at the Royal Palace where King Daphnes the fifteenth has called a press conference concerning the recent abduction of the crown princess, Zelda. We've been hearing through unconfirmed reports that the princess was returned to the palace last night at about nine o'clock by way of R.H.M.G. motorcade. The King has taken the unusual, though not unprecedented step of pre-empting all the networks for the announcement he's about the make."
"Wow. It must be really important, don't you think, Dad?" Colin asked. "And it has to do with Link!"
Russel's heart started beating faster. "I guess so." He said in reply. "I know Link helped bring the princess back, at least that's what he said on the phone. He did say he didn't want us to freak out at the news."
"There is also some speculation that the announcement may have something to do with yesterday's declaration of war by the Republic of Hyrule upon our United Kingdom." The reporter continued. In the background at the podium, a well dressed government official came up and looked as though he intended to speak, and the camera zoomed away from the reporter and onto the official. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "His Majesty, King Daphnes the fifteenth. King of Red Lions, Defender of the Faith, Holder of the Wind Waker, and Beloved of the goddesses!" He announced, and the conversations in the background ceased, and everything became very, very quiet.
Up to the podium came a handsome middle-aged man of powerful, once very muscular build, with salt and pepper mustache and beard wearing stylish gray trousers, a deep red coat, white dress shirt and red tie. On his head, above his pointed Hylian ears, he wore a broad band of gold set with red, blue, and green jewels around the band and the royal winged Triforce emblazoned over his forehead. Everything about his demeanor and presence suggested the word "majesty."
"Thank you for coming out on such short notice. I know this is an inconvenience to many people, but the things I have to say I believe must be heard by all of our kingdom now more than ever." His majesty began. Russel and his family stared at the television screen intently, barely daring to breathe.
The king continued, reading from a set of notes on the podium in front of him, "The Sacred Texts tell us of Hyrule's ancient past, where our world was in constant threat by a Demon King, an evil god who wanted to enslave all mortals and force us to worship him. In response to this evil god, the great goddess Hylia went to war with him and sealed him away, choosing to be reborn as a mortal time after time to ensure that he never broke free. As part of her plan, a Hero was born to us as well to fight the Demon King should he ever escape his bonds. In every generation for thousands of years, the Lady Hylia and her Hero watched over us as the Princess named Zelda, and the Hero named Link. That is, they did so until two hundred and thirty years ago, when the Demon King was finally destroyed by the Hero with help from great heroes from outside of our world. Then the Lady Hylia and the Hero returned to their rightful places among the gods."
The audience of reporters seemed uncertain of the beginning of the king's speech. The looks on their faces begged the question, "Where is he going with this?" Most people of Hyrule, whether they were religious or not, knew the old tales and myths of the "Legend of Zelda," and they wondered what connection it might have with anything in the present day.
The king continued, "As many of you know, three days ago my daughter, the crown princess Zelda, was kidnapped by forces unknown to us at the time. She was rescued and returned to us last night by a very special young man. He is a young man Hyrule has not seen in two hundred and thirty years." The king then motioned to someone behind him to come up and join him at the podium, and a young man in archaic green clothes, cap, and chain mail complete with a sword and shield strapped to his back stepped up to the podium with the crown princess stepping up right beside him. The King, who stood almost a head taller than either of them stepped behind the couple and placed his left hand on Link's shoulder in a gesture of obvious approval and acceptance, and his right hand covered Zelda's with affection. The young man was holding the princess's hand tightly, and looked very nervous. Although there was something in his eyes, a maturity born of conflict that went deeper than his apparent teenage years.
The audience of reporters gasped as they saw him and Zelda, who wore a traditional pink and silver dress decorated with the royal winged Triforce, side by side. Flashbulbs of still picture cameras could be heard and seen going off in rapid-fire succession in the back ground. Several of the reporters were seen to be tracing a series of three triangles around their heads and shoulders. Within seconds, the television screen split into two views as the news broadcast brought up traditional portraits of the Hero and Princess for comparison.
"Oh my." Tara said. "Russel, it's Link. The portrait of the Hero, it's our Link!"
"Yeah, I know, Tara. I've known for a long time now." Russel told her. "That's why I had to let him go." He said, hoping that she now finally understood his decision, and how hard it was for him.
"The Hero of Courage and the Princess of Wisdom have been reborn and have returned to guide us through a darkness which threatens to engulf us all. Yesterday, the Eastern Republic of Hyrule chose to declare war upon our kingdom. They do not agree with our ideas of equality, and the freedom to choose what path a person might take for himself. Their newly elected president wants to enforce his own ideas of perfection upon us through military might. The goddesses have responded to this man's evil rhetoric. They have shown which is the side of right by sending their champions back to us in our hour of need." The king went on.
"Is that true? Did the goddesses really send Link to us, Dad?" Colin asked in awe.
"I don't know son. The royal family and the Sages speak for the goddesses, so if the king believes it, maybe." Russel said, struggling with the idea himself.
"To this end, I am no one to stand in the way of the divine plans," King Daphnes said humbly, "And so I have, effective immediately, restored the Hero Link to his traditional and ancient position as Supreme Commander of the Royal Hyrule Military Guard, answerable only to myself and the crown princess."
"What!" Colin shouted. His mother and father weren't far off, their jaws dropping open.
"This decision is final, and his term as such will extend for the rest of his natural life, and into the reign of my daughter when she takes the crown as queen. In our hour of darkness, the goddesses have sent us two arrows of light to pierce and shatter the darkness. Let us pray to them for the courage, wisdom, and power to do what needs to be done in the coming days. That is all. Thank you, and good day."
Immediately the stunned crowd of reporters, those who had been sitting, jumped to their feet and began asking questions, and snapping more photos. Russel, Tara, and Colin just stared at the television, stunned. Then after a few minutes, Tara spoke up, "Well, I guess I don't have to call the school back now, do I?"
"No," Russel agreed, "I think they know where Link is now."
"Hey Dad, it's the Triforce." Colin said, pointing at each of the three persons the cameras were focusing on. "Look, Zelda is Wisdom to the right, Link is courage to the left, and the king is power at the top. Did the king do that on purpose?"
"I don't know, son." Russel said, but it wouldn't have surprised him.
The news continued as questions were asked by reporters, and the king calmly answered some of them, "Yes, the seal on the Hero's chambers has been successfully opened. Link got a good night's sleep last night in his own room." The king responded to one question.
Another reporter asked something that the family couldn't quite hear through the television's speakers, but Link responded by drawing the long, very sharp, sapphire hilted sword with the winged cross guard and gold Triforce emblem on it. Again the television screen was split into two views, one being the live broadcast, and the other being a very old photograph of the Master Sword, taken centuries ago. The reporters were comparing the two and unable to come to any other conclusion in that moment other than they were one and the same Sacred Blade. "Is that really the Master Sword? For all we know it could be a clever forgery!" One reporter called out, to which question Link responded with a voice like steel, "Would you like to see for yourself?" And he offered the hilt to the man. The reporter sheepishly declined, sitting back down. The king could barely hide his smirk at the man being put in his place.
"I noticed the Hero and the Princess holding hands. Is there some special relationship between the two that the kingdom should be aware of." Another female reporter called out. Link and Zelda both blushed crimson, though neither could hide the smile that came to them. The king then responded for them, "That is a private matter for the royal family to discuss at the appropriate moment. But I will tell you that if such a thing were to happen, I would not stand in its way."
"His majesty's really throwing himself out there to support Link in front of the media, isn't he?" Tara observed in wonder.
"He has to." Russel said in reply. "If they sense any disapproval from him, they'll tear Link apart and convince the people to refuse to accept him. His majesty can't allow that, not if he really believes Link to be who he says he is. He's a good man, King Daphnes, but he's got to play the game with the media to get the public on Link's side in order for him to win the game with the members of parliament. They won't be too happy that he made this decision without their being able to discuss it to death first." Russel observed.
"Can he make that decision on his own?" Colin asked.
"Our constitution says he can, whether some parties in parliament like it or not." Russel responded. "The royal family has full and sole administration of the military apart from the civilian government, especially in times of war. He can do anything he likes with the R.H.M.G. and they can't do or say anything about it, much as they'd like to. It's the same with the Sage's temples and religious structures. Parliament has no say in how they're run or administered."
The king then finished taking questions and he, his daughter, and Link retreated back into the palace. The live coverage on the television cut away to the studio where pundits and commentators already began their discussion and criticism of the king's announcement that day.
Just then the phone rang again and Tara got up to go get it again while Russel and Colin continued to watch to see if there would be any more information. The pundits argued and argued tearing apart each part of the recent report and trying analyze it for any hidden meanings or social commentary. "Wow, they're really dumb, aren't they?" Colin said in amazement. Russel just smiled and chuckled at his son's astuteness.
Within ten minutes, while Tara was still on the telephone another round of new information on the new Hero came on the screen, and the anchor at the news desk was cranking it out as fast as he could. "This just in, we've now learned that the new Hero is actually Link Faroson, a seventeen year old junior at Ordonville High School in Ordonville. He's the captain of the high school fencing team, and is something of a local hero in the rural town." The screen then went to the local news footage of the past weekend where Link had saved the Finniel family from a bad house fire in town. "He lives with his foster parents, Russel and Tara Swordsmith, a local Ordonian goat rancher family. It says here, from out research that Russel Swordsmith is a retired Lieutenant Captain of the R.H.M.G. 3rd Cavalry Division and..." He checked his notes twice, "a hero himself it seems. Link's foster father is the recipient of at least a dozen decorations for valor in combat including the Royal Medal of Courage, our kingdom's highest military honor for... wow." He exclaimed. "He fought off three bands of Bulblin raiders for days with nothing but a sword, shield, bow and arrows by himself while protecting the rest of his cavalry unit, about a dozen men and their mounts who had been seriously injured in a explosive device ambush. And all of that with a broken leg from the explosion. And this is our new Hero's foster father? Talk about the right man for the job." The anchor said with a deep respect and wonder. "I'm not making this up folks, this gentleman's service records are a part of the public record, we just got them from the Ministry of Defense."
Colin stared at his father in amazement. "You never told me any of that, Dad."
Russel looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. "I wish they hadn't said all that to the whole world. It was a long time ago, and I couldn't save everybody. I kept the raiders away, but the heat and dehydration took good friends of mine, and there was nothing I could do to fight that." He said sadly. "I wasn't any hero those days. I was just the only one left standing. I wasn't going to let the green bastards have any of my buddies. If our roles were reversed, any one of the other men would have done the same."
Tara came back into the living room after the report. "That was Mala Finniel," she said. "Everyone in town's seen the news. They're all wondering what's going on, and if that's really our Link."
Just then there was a knock at the front door. Russel got up from the couch and walked over to open the door. At the front porch in his gray dress uniform, everything cleaned, pressed, polished and shining was an old friend of his, the guard captain from the R.H.M.G. barracks in Ordonville, Dali Garrows.
"Dali, good to see you!" Russel said extending his hand, which the other man took. "C'mon in, the family and I were just watching the news."
The guardsman came in, smiling politely, "It's good to see you too Russel. We missed you the other night for the game of cards. Now," he motioned to the T.V., "The whole world knows why."
"Yeah, we've been a bit worried for him the last few days, but at least we now know he's okay. So what brings you by?" Russel asked.
"My men and I are here in advance of the Royal Family Protection Service, we're supposed to keep your property under guard until they arrive." Dali told him.
"Royal Family Protection, what? Is his majesty coming here?" Tara asked, coming over to join the conversation. "But I haven't cleaned house in two days!"
"No, no, Tara. At least I don't think he or the princess is coming out here just yet. No, the R.F.P. is for you folks." Dali said.
"What?!" Russel replied in shock. "But we're not part of the royal family!" He protested.
"According to Hyrule Castle, you are now." Dali said, pulling out the sheet of paper which carried his orders and the king's personal seal which adorned them.
"When did you get these orders?" Russel asked.
"Earlier this morning. We were told to wait until the announcement before we carried them out. The R.F.P. should be here within the hour. I'm sorry we dropped the ball and didn't get out here sooner, but I and everyone else at the barracks were stunned to see your boy on the news. I mean, I knew he was the best duelist in Hyrule, but the Hero? Really?"
"We were just as shocked as everyone else." Tara said. "I couldn't believe it when Russel let him run off on some fool chase to save her highness, and then when they came out together holding hands? I couldn't believe he actually did it. But that's our Link, he's never backed down from a fight. Never."
"Don't I know it, Tara." Dali said, having some experience with the young man himself.
Russel just stood there looking at the paper with Dali's orders on them. He hadn't expected this. He knew letting Link go was the right decision, the only decision he could have made and still been at peace with himself. But he hadn't foreseen the consequences of it, or the disruption in their lives it would bring. He went to the open door to see what his friend meant to find red and blue flashing lights forming a ring around his property with uniformed guardsmen carrying heavy weapons patrolling across his goat ranch. He could hear the panicked bleating of his animals out in the field as they ran from one side of the fenced pasture to the other trying to avoid the strangers.
"I didn't expect this." He said. "I didn't know..."
"None of us did, Russel. But the goddesses don't always give us what we want or expect, only what we need, and it's not always what we think we need either." Dali responded.
"So what happens once the R.F.P. gets here?" Russel asked.
"I don't know yet. I think it depends on how the world takes the news." Dali said.
Russel heard some commotion from outside and went back to the door to see what was going on. Down the driveway where their property met the road, he could see three or four large vehicles with news channel logos on their sides trying to get past the guardsmen who had posted their units there. There were annoyed reporters who got out of their vehicles and tried to push past the armed guardsmen in question. The gray uniformed men weren't having any of it and had their rifles pointed at them, shouting warnings. Russel knew a couple of the guards involved. They played cards with him and Dali on Monday nights. "I'd hate for them to have to use those on anyone, not just because of us." He said.
"King's orders." Dali said. "Full protection. No one but friends and family are allowed onto your property, on penalty of arrest or," He said drawing a breath and letting it out, "if they get within ten feet of you without permission, death. Same boundaries as for the royal family. Speaking of which, I need to get a list from you of people permitted onto your property for the R.F.P."
"Well, I guess we won't have any annoying salesmen coming around any more." Russel observed.
On the television, local news affiliates were interviewing members of Link's fencing team, his teachers from the high school, and anyone else they thought they could glean information about the teenager from. Almost everyone gave positive, even glowing comments about their varsity fencing team captain. Some of the girls were even saying how jealous they were of the princess now.
"This is going to get out of hand." Tara said, watching it.
"It already has, dear." Russel said. "It already has."