Chapter 4

Link sat lazily in the grass, pretending to play with Cuccos. He was surprised no one noticed his horrible work ethic. It was a slow day. Everyone seemed tired already. It was early in the morning, and Link had barely gotten any sleep. His thoughts were on the mysterious stranger in the village. When he'd left, she still hadn't woken.

Talon walked by Link, glancing at him curiously but saying nothing. If anyone was likely to believe that Link was actually playing with the Cuccos, it was Talon.

"Link, what're you doin'? Is that my special Cucco?"

Standing, he didn't want to take any more chances. "No. Yours is in the house. I'd never take them out without your permission."

"Right," Talon muttered, heading back into the house with a yawn.

Link grabbed the brush off the ground next to him and went to the enclosure in the center of the ranch. All of the horses were in the corral, except for one horse who'd decided to take itself for a run. Link double checked that the gate to the ranch was closed before making his way over to Malon.

She was humming her favorite tune as she brushed out the horse in front of her.

"Have I told you about my night yet?" Malon asked anxiously. "I rushed in so fast this morning I can't even remember!"

"No. Anything interesting?"

Malon's eyes bugged out. "'Anything interesting?' Link, I saw the most incredible show! It was a trio of magicians. They called themselves The Sorcerers. So, one of them started the show by appearing on the stage from the back of the room. we were impressed, but we knew there was some trick to it. Then the next guy popped out of a painting! We still were thinking there was a trick door or something. It was me and Cremia. Then the woman called up a volunteer and said she was going to possess him!"

Link scoffed. "That sounds really invasive."

Malon rolled her eyes. "Well, he agreed to it so she took over his body. I mean, she literally disappeared and took over his body for a few seconds. I swear! She vanished and became him before returning to herself. It was so incredible. We were in shock!"

"Where was this?" Link interrupted.

"The Milk Bar Latte in Clock Town. We were there to see the Indigo Go's, but the Sorcerers really stole the show. I'll just tell you one more. You could tell this wasn't planned at all! The waitress was called up to be a volunteer. Now, I hate this waitress. I've seen her with Cremia a few times, but I've never introduced myself. She's the worst, so believe me when I say that she got up on stage, stand there, and then the head Sorcerer made her disappear and reappear behind the bar."

"I'm sure that's exactly where she wanted to end up again," Link said with unmasked sarcasm.

Malon glared at him and he stayed silent. "She reappeared, Link. Like, serious magic stuff."

Link raised his eyebrows. Though he was interested, he didn't believe in magic. "You'll have to tell me next time there's a show."

Malon's lips turned completely and she nodded. "They said they'd be back around soon. We can go together, if you want."

Link thought for a minute, knowing exactly what she was suggesting. He liked Malon, sure, but he didn't want to complicate his already difficult work situation. "Yeah," he said finally, hoping he sounded more friendly than anything else. "Sure. Just let me know when."

From the look on her face, it didn't. "Great! I'll see if I can figure that out!" Her face had begun to brighten, and she nodded to the shed inside the corral. "There's a little hole over there. Do you mind giving it a temporary patch until I can run into town?"

"Of course," he said, spinning the brush in his hand as he walked to the shed. He was thankful that everything he'd need was already inside: a piece of cut wood, and tools. The hole was small, but large enough for an unwanted wild animal to slide through if it were hungry. His fix didn't have to last, it just had to be good enough. They never used the old planks to repair permanently, preferring to go into town for special quality materials which he would replace this patch job with.

As he began to hammer the wood into place, he could feel his back burning with the feeling of being watched. Resisting the urge to turn around, he continued working. His thoughts drifted to Malon quickly. Could he see himself working at these two ranches forever? Could he be here with her? And the more he thought about it, the more he wasn't sure he could.

Link finished the patch job before finally looking behind him.

Malon turned away quickly, her attention back on the horse, but Link sat back against the shed and crossed his arms until she glanced back at him.

She laughed, knowing she'd been caught. "Fine! I've been found out!" she called across the field. Link smiled with her before standing up, brushing himself off, and returning to his tasks for the rest of the day.

Zelda stared up at the massive bridge that led into Castle Town. She'd woken early to begin the trek she took each year. Before she crossed, she made sure that the coin purse she'd secured over her shoulder was still safely hidden under her shall as she pulled it close and made her way into the bustling city.

Even in the early hours, when only business owners, ranch hands, and parents had to be awake, it seemed Castle Town was the exception to the rule. People mulled around, banging their bodies against her, trying to get their morning chores done quickly. She fought back, ramming her shoulder roughly against those who wouldn't give her space.

As she walked through the streets, she could see the divide in quality. At the entrances to Castle Town, it was beautiful, clean, marble and full of shops, but the further in to the town, the more impoverished the people became, and the entire city's underbelly became exposed. In truth, the poor outnumbered the rich in Castle Town. It was the most affordable place in the kingdom of Hyrule, and also the most expensive, depending on where you wanted to live.

Zelda knew this all too well as she narrowly avoided a mouse running across her foot as she ducked into a sketchy alley. But she was at her destination and opened the door cautiously. The man at the desk stared at her with disdain.

She tried to force a polite wave, but he wouldn't have it. Zelda wasn't in the mood to dive into small talk anyway. "I'm here to see my father."

The man turned to someone with a broom. "Tell Meeko that Princess is here to see Daltus again."

It took all her self-control to remain calm at his use of the cruel nickname he'd come up with. "And," she added, "I have all the money we owe."

A few moments later, a tall woman with dark circles under her eyes came out. "You again."

Zelda held up her hand apologetically before reaching for her purse. "I have it this time. Don't worry."

The woman, Meeko, took the rupees and nodded her approval. "Alright then. Come on. It's not a good day for him."

Zelda followed down a long hallway that she knew well and turned the knob of a door, grimacing as she stepped inside. Her eyes landed on the sink. "Will his days get better now that you've been paid?"

Meeko didn't need to see what she meant. "Yeah, now that we're getting paid to do a job we didn't volunteer for, they will."

Meeko left, closing the door behind her and leaving Zelda alone. She crept through the quiet house until she could see a body sitting limply in a chair. A shattered bottle was on the ground beside him.

Before waking him, Zelda quickly found the broom and swept the glass into the barrel before kneeling in front of the man. He had a decent length white hair with a full accompanying white beard.

"Daddy, it's me. Wake up."

She shook him with a deal of strength before he finally stirred. "Mmm…Cassia? Is that you?"

"It's Zelda."

He opened his eyes, staring into Zelda's for a moment. With a visibly disappointed sigh, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "Oh, leave me alone about it, girl. They're not from today," he muttered.

Zelda glanced around again. All the empty bottles…

"It's Cassia's birthday. Did you want to go visit with me?"

"Mhhmmm," he muttered, standing up with a wobble. "Where is she again?"

"Ikana. It's not far."

He stumbled into the other room, returning a few minutes later in a fresh outfit, though Zelda doubted the true freshness of it.

"Dad," she whispered, putting a large purple rupee on his table. "This is for your medicine. I mean it… not for anything else. Okay?"

"Medicine. I hear you, Cass."

With a sad smile, Zelda wrapped her arm around his and led him outside. He blinked away the sun, clutching Zelda for support.

"Excuse me," she said, each time they passed a cart. "Are you going to Termina?"

They gave her funny looks and moved on with their day, for the most part. But one woman stopped and waved her over.

"I couldn't help but hear you're headed to Termina? I'm going to a pickup at Gerudo Valley, right on the boarder. Is that good, hon? I can give both of you a ride that far."

Zelda held out her hand. "Thank you, that's actually perfect."

Ikana and Gerudo Valley were apart of the same hill formation, though one led into the desert while the other was… more hills.

The woman winked, tossing her red hair over her shoulder and tying it up high as she loaded the last of her things into her wagon. "Name's Telma. What's yours?"

Link couldn't have felt more relieved when his time at the ranch was up. He'd been itching to ride out to Castle Town to start his inquiry. He'd told Malon about his plan, hoping she'd have any information, or at least let him leave early. Neither were to be true.

The road to Castle town wasn't as busy as he'd have liked. It meant that people weren't travelling in or out of the town, and his search might take longer. He hoped, not so secretly, that he could figure out where the strange woman was meant to be headed before his uncle or Rusl.

But his head jerked up when he noticed a familiar carriage heading into town from the distance. He raced to meet it, trotting Epona alongside the carriage. "Telma. How are you?"

Telma's eyes widened in joyful shock. "Hey, hon! What are you doing out so early? I'd think you would be racing to one ranch or the other at this hour!"

"I took a half day. Did you?"

With a shrug and a wink, she tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Well, I had some business to attend to near Gerudo Valley. Now I've got myself some nice new stock. I gave this poor girl a lift to Termina. Ghastly family problems, that one. I hope she'll be alright. I almost wanted to wait for her just to be safe."

"Did she have white hair?" he asked, throwing it out there.

Telma laughed. "Looking for an older woman now, are you? Sorry there, hon. I may have a few grey strands, but I'm waiting on your uncle to come around."

"He's in town you know. It's possible he might just stop by."

Her eyes widened. "He is not!" With a playfully dramatic adjustment to her hair and clothes she made herself more comfortable. "I'll have to keep the door open then."

"Goddesses," Link muttered with a grin.

For all Telma's flirtations, she'd never dreamed of following up on anything serious with Link's uncle, Tarin. They'd once been old friends when he was a stationed knight in Castle Town. And despite their equal fondness for flirting with one another, they were never anything more.

"Telma," Link said with a smirk, trying not to laugh at the thought of Tarin coming in later, "I have a few questions for you, actually. Mind if I ask them now?"

Telma, who hadn't stopped her horse and cart, nodded, gesturing to town as they neared the bridge. "Walk and talk, my friend. I'll answer what I can."

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask. What if I was going to ask about illegal goings on in your bar?"

She turned to him with an amusingly baffled look. "First, I'd be happy to tell you all about that. You want to join them, hon? You're not a knight, thank goodness, so I can spill my heart out to you and you can't shut me down. Your uncle might loosen my lips too much, though."

"Great," Link muttered, trying to erase any traces of the visual image she'd left him. "Actually, we have an injured woman in our village. She came stumbling in, half dressed. Her hair was white, violet eyes. Does that sound like someone you've seen?"

They'd gone into town by now and headed down the alley to Telma's Bar. Hopping of the horse, she grabbed a crate from the cart and handed it to Link before grabbing another, placing it down the steps, and repeating until she'd unloaded her cart, all while talking to Link.

"Was she… undressed purposely? I mean to say, was she running from something, or was her outfit just too city for you villagers?"

"She- I mean… it looked… purposeful," he stuttered.

Telma's expression eased and she watched Link with admiration. "Gosh, hon, you're almost as cute as your uncle when you stutter and get all nervous."

"Wonderful…" he said, opening the door for her as they carried her things inside.

Telma spotted one of her employees wiping the ground. "Hey, Pen, min bringing my horse and carriage to the stables?" She nodded and headed out the door. Setting down a box, she went back for another. "Was she older? White hair?"

"No, she's young. She said her name was Cia."

Shaking her head, Telma sighed. "Never heard that name. Sorry, hon. What color did you say her eyes were again?"

"Violet."

Telma rested against the bar. "That's awfully unusual of an eye color. I only know maybe two people I've ever met with purple eyes. One's a girl in town. Her name is Agitha. You may want to check on her. I truly have complete faith it isn't her that's in you village, but perhaps it's a relative? The only other person I've seen was a man. He dressed very unusually, even for an outsider. We Hylians aren't fussy with clothes, but this man was dressed in a long cape that covered the whole length of him and to the floor, and his pants were ballooned down and striped. Told me he was apart of some touring magic act and he was scouting out my bar as a place to perform. You know I don't take performers like that, so I turned him down. Stunning purple eyes. A few weeks later, they were back and performed at Malo Mart. Unforgettable man, he was. Ask Chudley about him."

Link nodded, taking it all in. "Alright. I'll start with Agitha and then head to Malo Mart if she doesn't know anything."

"If you're still here later, swing by. Others may know more."

"I can't," Link said, visibly upset. He needed a night off soon, one that wouldn't require him to wake up early the next morning. "With my uncle here, Aryll will be upset if no one's home with her."

"Poor thing."

Link nodded, thinking about his sister's fear. He'd have to get home sooner than later for her sake. "We were thinking of bringing my grandmother down for a while."

"It might help her."

Muttering his agreement, Link bowed to Telma, a reflex he still hadn't trained himself out of from his time with the Knights of Hyrule. "I'll let you know if I figure anything out."

"Thanks, hon. I'll tell your uncle your progress when he comes in here later," she said with a quick wink as Link rushed out the door.

Though she made the trip to Ikana whenever she could, Zelda never grew used to it. The looming walls of hunkering stone was unnerving enough, but the racing river that could sweep a person away under the shoddy rope bridge was always concerning. She was thankful that she wouldn't be crossing it.

Instead, she led her father just to the left of it.

"Where are we going?" he asked, suddenly enraged that Zelda was leading him anywhere.

"To see Cassia. It's her birthday."

"I don't want to go!" he burst out, wrenching his arm from hers. "I won't!"

Zelda patiently nodded. "That's fine. You don't have to."

Taking a few steps, she stopped when she heard his steps following her.

"Are you going to leave me here?"

She turned. "I'm going. To see Cassia."

"Well," he said, hurrying alongside her, "Take me with you then! What are you thinking leaving me back there?"

They'd barely walked a few steps when he began looking around. "This isn't where Zelda lives."

"Come on," Zelda gently urged. He was always worse after he'd been drinking, and the empty bottles around his home had suggested as much.

They walked slowly into the clearing and Daltus snatched his arm from his daughter again.

"What are you bringing me to this place for? You said we were visiting Cassia! You tricked me! You want me dead! Get away from me you ungrateful curse!"

Zelda crossed her arms and kept walking, knowing he'd follow her eventually, which he did.

As Zelda neared her destination, she saw an older woman curled up in prickly grass.

"Aunt Aerla?"

The woman's head shot up, her eyes narrowing, despite the puffy redness that almost forced them to widen just to see clearly. "You came."

"I do every year, yes."

Daltus pushed his daughter to the side as he moved to rush at Arela, throwing himself into her arms. "My dear! You're here! You're alive! Sweet Lyddie, where have you been?"

"Dad…" Zelda muttered, looking down at the dirt, but Aerla held up her hand.

"Daltus, it's Aerla. Lyddie is still dead. We've come to honor the dead today."

Daltus followed her gaze and fell to his knees. Zelda cupped her mouth in her hands, choking back a sob. Seeing Cassia's name on the headstone was never easy, no matter how often she came to visit her sister's grave. For the past five years, she hadn't managed a single visit without breaking down.

She could still remember her sister as if she'd been standing in front of her moments ago. She was effortlessly beautiful. Her smile could have ended wars. She would tie her long blonde hair up on top of her head, letting strands fall into perfect positions that framed her delicate face.

More than that, she could still feel Cassia's hand in hers, urging her to be strong when their mother had died. Her false smile was enough to put a real one on Zelda's face, even in their darkest moments. She'd been like a mother, she'd been her sister, and she'd been her best friend.

"To see such promise gone at her young age… it's the greatest shame," Aerla said, rubbing Daltus' shoulder. She'd been Lydia's sister, not Daltus'.

Zelda could remember something about books. There were always books in her room, though what exactly she'd been studying wouldn't come to Zelda at that moment.

"She may have been married with a family of her own now," Aerla said, louder this time. She wanted to make sure Zelda could hear.

As if Zelda didn't want to crumble at the memory as it was. Her guilt was crushing, overwhelming at times.

But Aerla didn't care. "What she could have done for this world… the people she may have still helped. She was unlike any other. Her death was uncalled for. It was preventable. She didn't have to die!"

Zelda's eyes had welled up and over, clamping her nose to prevent herself from sobbing aloud. She could barely feel her legs.

"I know," Daltus muttered. "I remember."

Zelda could still remember it perfectly. She could hear Cassia warning her not to go into the construction area, which most people had been carefully navigating around, taking the longer ways. Being a fifteen-year-old know-it-all, Zelda had flaunted Cassia's concern, wandering close to the building being built. There was not tape, no way to block off citizens. It was a matter of smarts, and Zelda had been going through a phase, determined to be right at any cost.

She could hear the commotion, the materials clattering to the ground. It was as if everyone around her could see what was about to happen, shouts from the onlookers ringing through her ears. But the only voice she could truly hear was Cassia's. She'd felt her sister's arms wrap around her, lifting her around before shoving her body out of the way just before the impact.

Zelda had seen it all as it happened. And she could see it again as she stared at the stone. She couldn't stop her body from shaking, but it was her aunt and her father who brought her to her knees, both still spiteful over Zelda's callous role in Cassia's death.

"She shouldn't have died!" Aerla wailed. "It shouldn't have been her! It shouldn't have been her!"

Daltus nodded along with her, causing Zelda's heart to break all over again. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried, she'd never be enough to fill their hearts. To them, she was little more than a murderer.

And Zelda felt no different about herself.

Link blinked in the light that all but blinded him as he walked into Malo Mart. Vibrant blues and golds brightened up the place from the stiff interior that it used to be when it was Celeeb. It was a far cry from what Link had been used to when he'd patrolled the streets of Castle Town in his knighthood. Whenever Link visited Malo Mart in Old Kakariko, he was always sure to get something with the name, that way, he could show his own Malo back in Ordon. Malo's dream was to take over the market franchise one day. But today was not the day for buying trinkets.

He'd tried Agitha's house on the west side of town twice, but the girl didn't answer his call. He'd heard talk of Agitha and her eccentric hobbies, but it seemed he wasn't going to meet the infamous bug collector today.

A man in a long, pink vest with a horn for a hat danced up to Link. "Welcome to MAAAAA-LOOOO MART!"

Link flinched away from the dancing man. "Are you Chudley?"

"Yes, I am! How may I help you today?"

"Actually," Link started, getting slightly dizzy as he watched the man sway back and forth, "I was wondering if you knew a woman named Cia?"

Chudley didn't even hesitate. "Never!"

"That was worth a shot. What about an act you hired a little while ago? Travelling magicians, or something?"

"Ahh yes! They were called The Sorcerers! They brought quite a few customers in!"

Link's head was hurting from the energized near-scream that Chudley always seemed to speak in. "Can you tell me anything about them? Specifically, where they went next or would be now?"

"That was some real magic, it was! I've never seen anything quite as spectacular. In fact, I got the entire schedule from them! I'd planned to go to their show in Clocktown yesterday, but alas! I was called to fill in."

"So, they're in Clocktown now? And one of the members has violet eyes?"

"Oh he did!" Chudley said. "He was very striking! All three of them were. They looked Labrynnian, or something."

"Do you know where they're going after Clocktown?"

Chudley's demeanor changed and he looked posher and more stuck up, indignant. He could have been working at Celeeb. "If I knew off the top of my head, I would have told you. I have their schedule at home, but I'm not running out of work to get it for you. So either buy something, or accept that they were in Clocktown yesterday and you missed the show as well!"

Link took a step back as the man's smile turned back on. "I think that's all I needed to know. Thank you."

Link went to leave and hurried out the door, hearing Chudley muttering something about window shoppers.

Checking the sun's position, Link knew he wanted to head back to Ordon, back to Aryll. He got on Epona and set off.

It felt like hours had passed. He was tired and the ride took too long for his liking. He'd wished he'd gotten to see his uncle in town, but he was not upset with the information he did get. He'd asked a few others about Cia while he wandered the streets, but few people take kindly to a stranger questioning them without a uniform on. He decided to do what he could with the information he'd gotten. He'd head to Clocktown in the morning.

Beyond relief at the sight of Faron Woods, Link finally perked up. He'd quickly run in to Mayor Bo's to tell him what had happened, and then he'd stop back at his house to see if Aryll had anything she wanted to do.

But when Link cleared the boarder into Ordon, he could see the townsfolk panicking. He rode faster and jumped off near Beth.

"What's happening?"

"I didn't do it, I swear! I didn't see anything!"

"What?" he asked, bending down next to her. He looked around for Ilia, she'd be close for sure and let him know. "What happened? Where's Ilia?"

Beth burst into tears. "She went… I can't!" Running back into her house, Link felt compelled to follow her, but chose not to. Instead, he ran for Bo's.

Standing over a map, Bo was mumbling to himself when Link walked in.

"Bo, what's going on around here? Where's Ilia?"

Bo turned around, his face sunken in with sorrow and lined with worry. "Link, I'm sorry. We're doing everything we can to find her."

"Where did Ilia go?" he asked again, worry rising in his throat.

Bo shook his head. "It's not Ilia, she's safe. But Cia's gone missing… and so has Aryll."

A/N: Well! That chapter was super positive and upbeat!

Zelda's sections were a bit emotionally dark but necessary for her character and you can hopefully start to see where many of her motivations come from. Link, on the other hand, has got some plot really rolling! Also, I'm not a detective so yeah… their investigation into Cia rests on her connection to people with violet eyes. I'm not quitting my day job.

Updates for now are probably going to be once a week for a little while instead of two a week like the last few were.