A week had passed since the funeral and the atmosphere of grief had not lessened in the slightest, each one of the mourners dealing with their loss in their own way.
Vezzna hid hers well, she continued her royal duties and responsibilities dutifully. To an outsider she was no different then how she was before the grievous news, but to the people who knew her on a deeper personal level could see her pain and sorrow behind her regal mask. Venrik was one of the few who saw it on nearly a daily basis.
Xanza was seldomly seen and when he was he wore an expression of anger. The Captain shouted at his subordinates more then spoke to them, several workers within the palace had noticed that bottles of alcohol had been going missing from the cellars, they had reported this to the guards who then would pass the complaints onto the Captain. No one was told to look into it, the bottles continued to disappear and the people whom Xanza yelled at tried to ignore the redness of his eyes and the smell on his breath.
Aran spent every moment she had off duty training and exercising. She slept long after the rest of the day guard had turned in for the evening and always awoke before them as well. After a few days she began to ask for extra shifts with the night guard. She paid no mind how the bruises under her eyes grew and the exhaustion she felt.
Sebin had thrown himself into his work. For long hours into the night he would pour over tomes or scrolls of text leading to him mostly sleeping in his study. When he was not working he would go to his sister's home and would comfort his nephew. When Havid slept his sister would tell him about the nights the boy would awaken sobbing from his nightmares the same way he had when he was a child. After the second visit Sebin began to research into medicine and spells that would keep dreams away for Havid and also himself. He too had awoken several times throughout the nights panting and sobbing.
Iliana had been practically bedridden since the funeral. Her friends did what they could to comfort her, but nothing seemed to stop her tears. Every evening Venrik would come to her room and sit at the foot of her bed, he would try to get her to eat, sometimes she did but more often then not she would refuse, he would sit there not speaking only laying a hand on her shoulder or back to comfort her. The sobs of the Mother of the last Hylian could easily be heard in the servants quarters.
The Princess of the Twilight moved throughout the palace like a specter in mourning, her eyes hardly ever met anyone's gaze, during the council meetings she would not speak or reply to any of the conversation unless directly spoken to, when she was seen within the library the young woman would often be staring down at a book in front of her not reading sometimes she wouldn't even bother to open them.
No ones comforting words or gestures seemed to reach her be it from friends or family, she was beginning to grow thin for she ate little and spoke even less.
The ceiling was made of wood and he found this odd. He had always assumed that structures within the domain of the Goddesses would be made of gold, silver and polished stone or maybe even made of ethereal light.
But no the ceiling he stared up at was made of wood, it wasn't an immaculate ceiling with a mural carved into its flesh, it was a simple vaulted cone shaped ceiling made of wood.
Tears welled in his eyes, if this was the domain of the Goddesses then it meant that his memory was correct, he had died. The desert had claimed him like it had claimed countless others. He wondered whom had survived the attack and if he would see any of his comrades here.
He blinked away his tears, no point in denying the reality he now faced he mused. He began to lift himself up from whatever he was lying upon, just now taking note that the soft material on his naked back itched his skin and the blanket that had been pulled up to his color bone had a rather odd pungent scent to it.
He fell back onto the itchy surface with a startling realization that shook him to the core. He was alive.
And he knew this because of the unspeakable pain that tore through his body. It felt like thousands of red hot needles had been forced under his skin and pressed against every muscle of his body ready to prick him the instant he moved. He pressed his eyes closed as the pain slowly subsided, he opened his mouth to call for help but the only noise that escaped him was a barely audible, pained wheeze. The noise drew his attention to how swollen and dry his throat was.
Only once his breathing returned to normal and the pain had vanished did he dare open his eyes again. With agonizing slowness he twisted his head to gaze about the small room he was in.
looking directly to his left he saw a window with its shudder closed and several gardening tools surrounding it, several feet to the left of the window was a door, whereas to the right of the window he could see a table with a cloth over it and a pot of flowers in its center, behind the table were a few shelves that had been built into the wall, on the bottom shelf was an old leather helmet and a rather beaten and old short sword and on the top shelf sat two handmade fishing rods, one small the other large.
He noted that the larger one seemed to have been made by a much more skilled craftsman before he painfully lifted his head to continue his exploration of the home.
To the right of the shelves was a small counter littered with cooking utensils and small jugs, against the far wall across from the front door was a cooking hearth, a small flame already burning within its stone confines, beside the hearth was a wooden rocking chair with a large pillow resting against its back, just a few feet to the right of where he lay was another door, this one opened he could just make out the sight of a dresser and two beds within the small room, he was astonished by the number of potted plants and flowers that littered the small home, there seemed to be one in every corner and on every surface.
He laid his head back down on what he now knew was a couch. His brain a flurry of questions. Where was he, how did he get here, who's home was this, why was he even alive?
The memory of the arrows filled his brain as he asked himself that last question. He raised his head again the burning ache in his muscle and joints making him wince as he did so, hissing in pain as he moved, he used his left arm to move the blanket down his torso. And what he saw made his eyes go wide.
There was nothing on his chest, no wounds, no bandages, no stitching, not even a scar. The only thing marking his torso was the ever present brand over his heart and the scar near his navel.
He was beginning to panic. None of it made sense, he had felt the pain of the arrows, the shrapnel in his back, he had felt himself die. And now here he was very much alive and in a place he did not know with out a single injury from his death marring his body.
He closed his eyes and again tried to steady his breathing. you need to be calm when you want to think rationally. Xanza had told him once.
Slowly his eyes opened again. He could remember the events leading up to his...he was not sure if "death" was accurate any longer. He had died he was fully aware of that, but the fact that he was lying here contradicted that fact. He decided to think on that later, when he was calmer.
The tower, the storm, the riders all that he could remember perfectly, but everything afterwards were hazy. He could remember water, a pair of tusks and a woman...a woman with wings.
The sound of the door near his head drew his attention. Moving his head as little as possible he looked towards the now open doorway. His eyes went wide, a boy possibly around the age of nine holding a wooden bucket filled with water in each hand entered the small home, he waddled awkwardly due to the weight of the buckets and the sandals he wore scuffed across the ground, he wore a sleeveless tan tunic that bore several dirty stains, his legs were covered with a dark green skirt that hung a few inches past his knees, a thick piece of gray sash hung around his waist and was held in place with a gold and yellow ribbon that tied in the back.
But the thing that made his eyes go wide was that the boys hair was a deep blonde similar to his own and was cut to be long on the sides but short in the front and back, his eyes were a deep blue not quite the same as his own sapphire color and his skin despite holding a light tan was the same shade as his own. The boy looked like himself. Hylians resemble humans more then the Twili. He suddenly recalled. Was this boy human? He had no way of telling, the closest thing he had ever seen to a human were the Gerudo.
He watched as if in a trance as the boy set the two buckets down in front of the window across from the couch where he lay with an exasperated grunt. The boy let out a relieved sigh as he stood, wiping off his hands on the front of his tunic. He turned around and froze upon their eyes meeting, the two stared wide eyed and slack jawed at one another.
''Dad?'' The boy called out barely over a mutter his eyes never leaving the man on the couch. ''Dad?!'' The boy called out again slightly louder, his eyes began to dart back and forth between the door and the man several feet from him. After a few moments more the boy bolted for the door. ''Dad! Dad, he's awake!'' The boy cried as he ran outside not bothering to close the door behind him.
Fearing the worst he tried to climb off the couch, he hissed and wheezed as the pain returned and seemed to worsen with every movement. He had managed to raise himself onto his elbows when the door swung open again.
This time a man entered, he was roughly the same height as himself, with short hair and a mustache the same color as the boy from before. He was dressed in similar clothing as well, but instead of a skirt he wore a pair of cloth pants that ended below his knees, a pair of green sleeves not attached to his tunic that ran halfway down his forearm and a sword strapped to his back.
He quickly went to his side and rested a hand on his chest. ''Easy now, Son, easy.'' The man said with a slightly gravely voice, placing his other hand on his back. ''I understand you're scared but I swear on the goddesses you are not in any danger.''
Despite his trepidation the man's words relaxed him enough to allow the man to ease him back down onto the couch. Once the young man was back down and the covers had been pulled back up his naked body the man squatted down to be close to eye level with him.
''It's good to see you with your eyes open, Son.'' The man smiled at him. ''For awhile we weren't sure you were going to pull through.''
Forgetting the state of his throat he tried to speak, only a faint pained wheeze escaped his lips.
The man cocked an eyebrow. ''Cant speak?''
With a painful slowness the young man shook his head.
The man hummed a moment. ''Alright, well lets start slow. My names Rusl,'' He twisted himself around and gestured to the still open door where the boy from before was half hiding behind it watching them. ''That there is my son, Colin. He's actually the one who found you.''
He gave the boy a weak smile and an even smaller nod of his head in greeting. The boy Colin simply continued to stare.
''Right now you're in our home in Ordon village. Do you know where that is?''
The man on the couch racked his brain of what little geography he knew and the name Ordon was not among them. So he gave the man, Rusl a slow shake of his head.
Rusl let out a humorless chuckle. ''That's alright not a lot of people have. It's a small farming community about half a days ride from Hyrule and roughly a full days ride to Lake Hylia where we found you.''
The young man's eyes went wide, he may not have heard of this farming community but he had heard of Lake Hylia and Hyrule countless times throughout his life. And the knowledge only raised more questions. He could not read a map properly or compass if one were to ask him, but he had seen enough maps in his life to know where the kingdoms lie within the world. So he knew that Lake Hylia bordered on the edge of Gerudo, and the journey his comrades had been on had taken them almost the exact opposite direction of that border.
The man seemed to notice the shock in youth's eyes. ''Now don't go getting hysterical on us now, Son.'' He soothed. ''I understand this is a shock to you but we will do what we can to help you get back to wherever home is as soon as you're better.''
Home, the word rattled something in his brain. What had happened to the rest of the group? Had they somehow all survived like him, had they made it home safely, if they did had they told his mother he was dead, what had they said to Midna?
''Colin.'' Rusl's gravely voice called over his shoulder. ''Quite your hiding and fetch some water for our new friend.''
The boy practically jumped out of his skin at being addressed. Wordlessly and keeping his head down the boy fetched a cup from a shelf and filled it with water from one of the buckets he had brought in.
Rusl twisted himself around and took the cup from his son. At the sight of the water the young man was reminded how parched his throat was. The older man gently lifted his head and touched the cup to his lips.
He greedily sipped at the water the moment the liquid touched his mouth. ''Slowly.'' Rusl encouraged as he adjusted the cup so he could only take minimal amounts into his mouth.
Far to soon then was desired the water was taken from him, which he vocalized with a faint grunt of displeasure.
''I know,'' Rusl said while laying the young man's head back down. ''But we cant afford you getting nauseous on us.''
As the man's hand left the back of his head a sudden realization struck him, he tried to twist his own head as best he could to see his hair, but his limited mobility proved the effort futile.
The man Rusl seeming to understand the young man's odd actions and chose to speak. ''I'm sorry, but we made the decision to cut your hair.'' The young man on the couch turned his head back towards his rescuer with a surprised look in his eyes. ''I apologize if that's upsetting for you, but your hair was such a rats nest our best option was to cut it.''
The youth looked at the man for a moment as this information sank in with everything else. His mother certainly wouldn't be happy that his hair was cut, when he was a boy and even when he was an adult she often groomed and doted over his hair, it was one of the reasons he had let it grow out as much as it had. He had no idea how his hair looked at this point but he was aware that it was now fairly short in the back at least, his thoughts came to a halt as his eyes found the boy once again shyly hiding partially behind the door.
''Once you've gotten more of your strength back we can talk more, but for now rest.'' Rusl spoke as he stood, patting down his pants. ''Lets go Colin.''
He watched as the man left through the door but the boy lingered behind and stared at him. The boy was given one more weak smile which the boy returned before shutting the door behind him.
The bedridden man stared up at the ceiling and tried to keep himself focused on one thought at a time, but alas exhaustion was quickly returning to him, as he drifted back into sleep his mind tried to recount what had happened after the storm.
The darkness was suffocating, it was the same as when he had been stabbed as a child, he could not tell where his body began or ended and it was hard to tell if he was warm or cold, all around him was the inky black void and in the distance he could see the ethereal white light beginning to bloom into existence along with the forms of the three sirens beckoning him to them.
But this time he had no strength to turn back, his fate was clear to him and he walked to the sirens without hesitation.
Something fell upon his shoulder so gently he would not have noticed if not for that he could instantly feel his body again. The thing touching his shoulder felt like fingers and the warmth of the five digits bled a soothing sensation into him that traveled all throughout his body. Slowly he turned to face the hands owner.
A woman stood before him and despite the darkness he could see her as clear as if she stood in direct sunlight, her hair was long almost reaching her thighs and was a bright spring green with gold streaks, her eyes were the same green as her hair and almost seemed to glow within the darkness around them, she was thin and pale skinned, her ears were long and pointed at the tips even more so then his own. But her beauty seemed to be secondary to him, because coming from her back were six large wings, they looked like sheets of silk that radiated a rainbow of colors.
It wasn't until she took a small step towards him that he realized she was naked. Strangely her lack of clothing did not insight his normal shy or bashfulness, oddly the thought of her being clothed was an udder absurdity to him, as if that her appearing in any other form would have been insulting to him and herself.
The woman placed one hand against his shoulder and then the other on his cheek. She smiled at him the kind of smile he had seen some men and women smile at their lovers. ''Not yet, my Hero,'' She spoke in a soothing voice that was filled with affection. ''In time you may rest once again, but you are still needed, my Hero.''
The warmth of her skin felt pink.
His eyes snapped open and he drew in a breath so sharp the air left him in a series of hacking coughs. His torso was naked and he could feel the heat of the sun on his back and what felt like wood against his stomach. He tried to move but his limbs felt sluggish and unresponsive. His vision was hazy and could only make out vague shapes.
He twisted his body and found himself falling stomach first a foot or two onto the ground, it wasn't quite sand but it was not quite stone ether.
He lifted himself onto his elbows and continued to gasp and cough for breath. His eyes opened and his vision cleared enough to make out what was before him. A foot away from where he lay was the edge of a cliff, beyond and below the cliff was a lake the size which he had never seen. The water was a crystal blue that seemed to stretch so far his still impaired sight couldn't make out where it ended. He was so enraptured by the sight of more water then he could ever drink in his life that he almost failed to hear the two voices shouting at one another.
''Ye said it was dead!''
''It was dead!''
He twisted his head around towards his right shoulder and saw two Bublins holding fishing gear shouting at one another. He craned his head around further to see a cart where his tunic,chainmail, boots and belt sat. behind him near the cart was a large warthog curiously stepping towards him.
His attention was thrust back to the Bublins when the one wearing an eye patch threw his fishing rod to the ground and drew his bow from his back. As the creature fumbled to seize an arrow from his quiver The barely conscious man hissed with pain and exertion trying to lift himself up, only managing to get one knee underneath himself.
The Bublin drew back an arrow just as he had seized a stone the size of his fist in his hand. Just before the creature let his arrow fly the man hurled the stone as hard as his weakened body would allow.
The stone struck the Bublin in the shoulder, the creature yowled in pain and his arrow flew off course. The arrow missed the young man by several feet and instead struck one of the warthogs tusks, the shaft of the arrow shattered upon contact, the warthog let out a panicked screech and began to buck and kick.
He had little to no time to react when the massive creature bucked it's head slamming the side of it's head into his chest hard enough to not only knock what little air he had out of his lungs but to also send him backwards and over the side of the cliff.
Before he could fully register the wind being knocked out of him or that he was currently plummeting towards the lake below he struck the water.
The cool water washed over him numbing the pain throughout his being. His limbs would not respond to his commands as he sank deeper into the water, though such things would matter little since he had never learned to swim.
His lungs burned, he could not tell if the approaching darkness was from his consciousness fading or if he was sinking too far beneath the water for the light of the sun to reach him.
Before he succumbed to the dark he could have sworn he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder.
It had taken him three days to piece together what had happened to him at the cliff. This was now the fourth time he had awakened on the couch in the small house, he stared at the ceiling as he tried to flex his fingers, the pain was more tolerable but he still only wiggle them slightly, he was able to lift his head now as well. He tried to speak again but the only sound that came put was another faint wheeze.
The front door clicked open and he lifted his head as the door eased open. A woman with bright yellow hair cut similarly to the boy Colin's was. She was roughly the same height as himself, her attire was also similar to Rusl's complete with another thick cloth sash around her stomach that reached just under her breasts and almost past her hips, she held a basket under one arm balanced on her hip, the other hand rested upon her swollen belly. It took the youth very little time to realize that she was pregnant, perhaps eight months along not that he had any skill in telling such things. She noticed his staring the moment she entered and smiled at him gently almost motherly.
''Well hello.'' She greeted as she closed the door behind her with her foot. ''Give me a moment and I'll be with you.''
She moved to the counter and set the basket atop it, she removed several small bottles and a loaf of bread from the basket before setting the basket on the table next to the flowers.
She pushed a stool with her foot next to the couch and slowly sat down upon it with a loud grunt. ''Now lets take a look at you.'' She reached up and pulled the blanket covering his naked body down to the top of his pelvis. He jerked painfully in protest to his sudden exposure.
The woman chuckled. ''No need to be bashful, I'm the village doctor.'' She said as she kneaded the muscle of his shoulder with her left hand causing him to wince slightly at the pain. ''My name is Uli, as I said I'm the villages doctor, I'm also Colin's mother and Rusl's wife.'' The woman Uli explained as she did the same with the other shoulder.
One of her hands lifted his right wrist while the other lightly gripped the bicep of the same arm. ''Can you make a fist?''
He and Uli both watched his right hand as the fingers curled slightly but nowhere close to an actual fist.
The Doctor placed his arm back down and did the same with his left arm. Once he failed to make a fist again the woman placed his hand back down and began to press her fingers into the sides of his rips, which elicited a wheeze from him that almost sounded like a giggle.
''A bit ticklish are we?'' Uli teased with a smile.
As her hands pressed and massaged around his body he took notice that the pain from when he first awoke was there but it had dulled a good deal already.
Once Uli was finished she pulled the blanket up to his chest and pulled the bottom of the blanket up to the bottom of his knees. ''Can you curl your toes?''
He tried, hissing in pain as he did so. His toes did not curl but he managed a small wiggle of the toes on both his feet instead.
Uli hummed. ''Good, seems you will be able to walk once you heal completely.'' Her face became curious. ''You're healing much faster then expected actually.''
The young man rested his head back down on the scratchy pillow as Uli covered his legs. He tilted his head as she slowly stood and walked back to the counter. She took one bottle that had come from her basket and two more from the cupboard and poured a small portion from each bottle into a bowl. She mixed the three liquids with a wooden spoon and returned to his side.
A grimace crossed his face at the familiar smell of red Chu jelly. ''You and my husband are going to get along like a house on fire.'' Uli chuckled seeing his contorted face.
With agonizing slowness he drank the medicine, Uli helping keeping his head propped up. Once the bowl was empty Uli went back to the counter and cleaned the bowl and set it aside to dry. ''Rest now and we will see if you can handle some food later tonight.'' He smiled gratefully at the woman as she left through the front door.
Uli glanced back at the house as she descended the slope where her house rested and approached her son and husband whom were chopping wood. ''Colin,'' She said once she stood with them. ''Go see if Bo and Ilia need any help with the goats.''
Eager to get away from his current chores Colin set down his ax and ran off without asking his father for permission.
Rusl watched his son run off to the fields where they kept the village livestock. ''Something the matter?'' The man asked his wife.
Uli averted her gaze for a moment to gather her thoughts. ''He's healing quickly. Much too quickly for any normal person to be.''
Rusl cocked his brow. ''And that's a reason to be concerned, my love?''
Uli shook her head. ''No, I'm not sure. He's been bedridden for weeks but he has lost little to none of his muscle mass, when you brought him here he was an inch from death yet after being awake for only a few days he's already starting to move again...''
Rusl turned fully to the love of his life and rested his calloused hands on her shoulders. ''What are you getting at, Uli?''
Uli sighed and met her Husband's gaze. ''I think he might be a Hylian.''
The farmer let his hands drop to his waist and he chuckled. ''My love, the Hylians are all gone, you know that.''
''You've seen his ears, the hair and the color of his eyes, and now this. What other explanation is there?''
Rusl frowned and glanced back at their home. ''I don't have one. But whatever he may be we will let him tell us himself if he feels inclined to.''
Uli nodded. ''Yes I know.''
Venrik walked down the long dark hall of the wine cellar lantern in hand, to his right was shelf upon shelf filled with bottles of wine and to his left were barrels of wine still fermenting.
A deep scowl was etched into his face as he approached the light of a different lantern farther down the hall of the cellar. A scowl which only deepened when he came to the owner of said lantern.
The captain of the royal guard sat upon the floor his lantern resting beside him, his hair was disheveled and face unshaven, he held an open bottle of wine in his hand and there were two more empty bottles next to his feet.
''What do you think you are doing?'' He growled.
''Drinking.'' Xanza replied in a horse voice before taking a long drink from the bottle in his hand, his eyes never leaving the ground.
''You are aware that you are in the Queen's wine cellar?''
The Captain shrugged. ''Well there is so much down here I figured she wouldn't notice a few missing bottles.''
The General glared down at the man. ''We have all noticed, and we have all noticed that you haven't been present for the past several days at any briefings, meetings or even the morning drills.''
Xanza took another long drink from the bottle. ''And yet it seems you are getting along just fine without me.''
Venrik's foot shot out and kicked the bottle from Xanza's hand, The Captain watched as the bottle hit the ground and shattered spilling the remaining wine across the cobbled floor. ''All of us in this kingdom have responsibilities, and yours play a vital role for the Royal Guard. You will pull yourself together or you will be replaced.'' Not waiting for a response the General turned and began to storm away.
''Do you care that he's gone?''
Venrik stopped. He looked back to the sitting man who was now glaring at him with tears beginning to build in his eyes.
''He practically idolized you, you know.'' Xanza shouted. ''He always told me how much he admired you, brave, strong, dutiful. He told me that he wanted to be like you. Goddesses above that boy looked at you like you were his bloody father! And you never gave him the time of day.'' He paused to breath. ''The woman you love is wasting away from her grief and you can't even muster one single word about how he was a good soldier or a good son to comfort her?''
Venrik breathed deeply through his nose. ''He knew the risks of the mission, as did you. I have lost many friends and comrades and if I choose to mourn them I shall do it in my own way. Or perhaps you would rather I drink myself to death?''
Venrik turned and walked away again in the growing distance he could hear the Captain beginning to sob.
The young boy yawned as he walked up the slope to his home. It had been almost five days now since his mother had met their unexpected guest. As odd as it was having a stranger in his home the other children in the village whom would normally not give him much attention had been pestering him with questions about the mysterious young man and he must admit getting such attention was rather nice. He yawned again as she climbed the steps of the porch, his morning chores were done allowing him a short time to eat his midday meal before starting on his afternoon chores.
Colin walked inside his home and froze. The stranger was propped up on his right elbow and his left hand was in front of the man's face, the left hand closed into a tight fist then opened stretching the fingers before tightening into a fist once more. The man noticed him standing in the doorway and smiled at him. Colin walked inside and shut the door behind him without taking his eyes off the stranger, he gave his own smile to return the one he had been given. ''Um...Good afternoon.'' He Spoke awkwardly. The man gave a small bow of his head in greeting.
Colin went to the kitchen and fixed himself a plate of dried meat, a slice of bread with cheese and a large pear. He sat at the table and while he ate he watched as the man began to experimentally rotate his wrist and arm, wincing once or twice as he did so.
Countless questions rang inside Colin's head as he watched the man, but he remained quiet, one: because he knew the man still could not speak. And two: because his father had already told him several times that he was to give the man his privacy especially while he was healing.
Once the boy had finished his meal he washed his hands and cleaned his plate. He had planned to bid the man a small farewell but as he moved back towards the door the man beckoned him over. Slowly he approached the coach. ''Yes?'' He spoke quietly. ''Do you feel sick?''
the man shook his head then raised left hand pinching thumb and forefinger together and then slowly moved the two pinched fingers across the air between them in a zigzag motion.
Colin watched perplexedly. Was this some odd form of greeting wherever this man was from? He had heard from his father that a large band of musicians was called an orchestra and that orchestras were lead by someone waving a wand around, did that mean the man wanted music? ''I'm sorry I don't understand.''
the man nodded, then hissed and winced as he used both his arms to fully sit up. He slouched and kept his eyes closed for a moment. Colin himself was in a mild shock, he was already taken aback when he saw he was strong enough to lift himself onto his arms but he had recovered quickly enough to support his entire upper body? What in the world was in the medicine his mom had been feeding him?
The man puffed out a large breath as he opened his eyes, he turned his head and smiled at the boy, now sitting up and combined with how low the couch was to the ground he was now slightly eye level with him. He raised right hand and held it facing himself with his fingers together, he then pinched his left thumb and forefinger together again and dragged the two fingers across his right palm in another zigzag motion.
Colin leaned forward watching the man, it looked like he was- ''Oh!'' Colin exclaimed in understanding. He ran into the bedroom he shared with his parents and retrieved a piece of parchment and one of the charcoal pencils Beth's parents made and sold down in the general store. He returned to the man and presented the writing utensils to him.
The man nodded his head in thanks and took the two items. He sat still for a moment just staring at the parchment in his hand, slowly he raised the charcoal and quickly wrote a short message.
Once he had finished writing he set the charcoal down in his lap and handed the parchment to Colin. The farm boy glanced at the man as he took the parchment before gazing down at the words. His brows furrowed together as he looked down at the strange symbols adorned on the parchment. Colin knew how to read and write thanks to his mother. His father being the kind of person who would rather have a book read to him rather then read it himself. He had no real tutor or schooling, rather the people of Ordon had each taught him and the other children a variety of different things, but the only thing Colin was able to ascertain from this note from his given knowledge was that this man was certainly not from Hyrule.
''I'm sorry.'' The boy said looking back up at the man. ''I can't read this.''
The man frowned and nodded slowly.
Colin set the parchment on the table when he saw the man shift uncomfortably, the boy came forward and helped as best he could to support the mans weight as the stranger laid back down on the coach. The man blew out a small sigh from the effort before smiling at Colin. The farm boy returned the smile and as the man closed his eyes Colin found his own fixate on the brand on his left breast. He had asked both his mother and father about the mark, but they had both claimed to not know its origin.
As Colin left his home to return to the farm work that needed to be done before the upcoming spring festival he snatched the note from the table where he had left it.
''Dad!'' Colin shouted to his father across the field where the numerous goats grazed. Rusl and Bo's conversation halted abruptly. Rusl shook his head slightly as he went to meet his son halfway across the field. He had told his son several times in the past not to shout to get someones attention, he himself not realizing that he did the same thing to get his own son's attention at times. ''Alright, whats all the shouting about?''
Colin handed the parchment up to his father. ''Can you read this?''
Rusl took the offered paper and frowned at the symbols. ''Bo!'' Rusl called looking over his shoulder at the larger man behind him. His much louder voice startling some of the goats. The mayor of the small community approached the two, his own face morphing into a similar frown when he peered over Rusl's shoulder. ''I've never seen this language.''
''Nether have I.'' Bo said taking the parchment in his own hand. ''The man wrote this?''
Colin nodded.
''It's not Goron,'' The Mayor pondered. ''Maybe Zora?''
Rusl shook his head. ''I don't believe so, I doubt it's Gerudo. It might be a form of Sheikah.''
''Can anyone in the village read Sheikah?'' Colin piped in excitedly while the goats went back to their own business as the three humans spoke, some meandered to and fro while others grazed filling their stomachs as much as they were able before being put back in the barn come nightfall.
A small pop echoed throughout the room followed shortly after by a low grunt, Casdin's knees ached from the cold evening, the ache had slowly spread into his hands and wrists over the course of several years, and during the previous year some of his joints had taken on an annoying habit of popping every now and then. His husband had mentioned more then once that perhaps it was a sign that he should consider retiring, his usual counter to said suggestion was asking when he would retire from the Guard and quite smoking.
It was late, the patients had been sent back to their rooms, the numerous doctors and nurses had been relieved for the evening and the Doctor busied himself within the medical wing of the palace by replacing and organizing the numerous bottles of medicinal herbs, roots and liquids within the closet that housed said items. Next would be to make sure the instruments had been properly cleaned and stored before he could head to his own room and join Kul in slumber.
The sound of footsteps so light that if not for the habit of his husband sneaking up on him the Doctor probably wouldn't have heard them at all. Leaning back to peer around the door that obstructed his view his brows furrowed at the sight of his late guest.
''Evening, Doc.'' Aran greeted with a lazy wave, her armor hung off her in a manor that clearly implied it had been applied to her person haphazardly, her sword was sheathed at her hip and her helmet was tucked under her arm.
The lights within the room had been extinguished earlier leaving the lantern beside kul as the only illumination in the room. ''Good evening, Aran.'' Kul said shutting the door and retrieving his lantern from the floor. ''Is everything alright?''
As the Knight drew closer towards the lanterns light he could see that her short hair was unwashed and the bags under her eyes had began to form bruises. ''Yeah...I'm fine.'' She said while trying to fight a yawn mid-sentence. ''I was wondering if you could give me something.''
''To help you sleep?'' He inquired. It was not the first time he had prescribed such a medicine, Sebin had been asking for such medicines since his return. Whether he was taking them himself or using them in his latest experiments he had no idea.
''No, I need something to keep me awake.''
The Doctor's brows rose. ''Aran, when was the last time you slept?''
The girl gave a noncommittal shrug. ''Yesterday?''
''And how long did you sleep for?''
Aran set her helmet down on the bed beside her and crossed her arms. ''You got anything that can help or not, Doc?''
Casdin narrowed his eyes. ''I will answer after you answer the question.''
The Knight let out an annoyed huffed. ''An hour maybe?''
''I think what you need, Child, is a good nights rest.''
Her tone was beginning to grow dismissive. ''I can't sleep.''
''Are you having nightmares as well?''
''No!'' Her mood was rapidly growing towards anger. ''I just need to be awake.''
Casdin kept his tone patient and did his best not to fuel her growing ire. ''But why? You look exhausted, Child.''
''I just do! Alright?''
''Aran, tell me what this is about.''
She calmed herself by taking in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth. ''I need to be ready for when he comes back.''
''Who is coming back?'' The Doctor questioned not bothering to hide his suspicion.
Aran's eyes fell to the floor and her words were barely a whisper, all the anger seeming to leave her the instant the name left her lips. ''Link.''
Casdin stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. ''Aran, he's-''
Her eyes did not move from the ground as she brushed the older man's hand off her. ''Don't, I know what everyone thinks but I don't care. He will come back...he has to.''
Casdin set the lantern down on the ground and hugged the young Knight as her breath hitched. ''He's coming back.'' She began to sob, her arms tight against her sides. It Broke the old man's heart to hear her speak in a voice that sounded so defeated. ''He has to...I need him.''
''I know, child. A lot of us do.'' Casdin whispered.
From her seated position upon the couch where for the past several weeks the strange man had been recovering, Uli and beside her Colin who practically bounced up and down watched as her husband helped the stranger limp around their small home.
Rusl kept the boy's arm around his shoulder, the boy hissed in pain with every shaky step they took, sweat ran down his face and his free hand clung to the blanket wrapped around his waist.
''Just a few more steps, Son.'' Rusl said as he led the younger man towards the table in the center of the room.
The young man collapsed into one of the chairs once the table was reached, his forearms placed atop the wooden furniture to keep himself up, his eyes pressed closed as he drew in deep lung fulls of air into his tired body.
Colin hopped off the couch and went to fetch water for their guest. Uli remained seated, her eyes fixated upon the young man's pointed ears. She knew better then her own husband that prying into another's personal life was not in their villages customs, but her curiosity had been running rampant since her suspicions of the youth's heritage. Ever since she was a girl she had heard stories of the great Hylian race and by extension the mystery of their disappearance from the lands.
Her thoughts halted when the young man tilted his head just enough to look over at her. She stiffened slightly at the piercing blue of his eyes, but when he smiled weakly at her she felt all the tension and bottled curiosity in her body leave her.
No one knew who or what kind of person he was but that smile spoke to her that she was in the company of a gentle soul.
''You're getting stronger.'' Rusl said sitting down in the chair across from the still wheezing youth. ''Pretty soon you'll be able to walk about on your own again.''
Colin placed a cup of water beside the young man and then went back to the couch to stand beside his mother. The stranger sat up and took the wooden cup in both his hands. Upon straightening his posture all three sets of eyes fixated upon the mark on his naked chest for several moments.
''I think it may be time to find you some decent clothing.'' Uli said drawing away her son and husband's gaze from the scarred flesh.
Rusl nodded and scratched his beard thoughtfully. ''probably right, Love. Unless our new friend enjoys wearing being in a constant state of undress.''
The young man let out a small wheeze through his labored breathing that almost sounded like an amused laugh.
''I'll take that as you agree with keeping your modesty.'' Rusl joked on as he stood. ''Come on Colin lets see if the neighbors have some old hand me downs.''
Colin looked to his mother for approval and after being shooed out the door Uli found herself yet again alone with the young man. With a long groan of displeasure Uli lifted herself from the couch. ''How about we try getting a little solid food in you before we lay you back down?''
Her suggestion was met with a pleased smile and a bow of the head as a way giving his thanks. Uli returned the smile and began to awkwardly walk towards the kitchen. As she had begun to pass the still seated young man she felt a small but sharp pain in her belly. The suddenness of it mid step left her off balance.
Much to her surprise someone caught her before she could catch herself, her eyes went wide with shock when only a fracture of a moment had passed after the sudden jolt she felt two hands (albeit weak hands) on her shoulders helping her keep her balance as best they could, the strange young man had leapt upright from his seat with more speed then she could have even begun to imagine he currently possessed in his current state. The blanket around his waist sagged barely below his hip bones, his teeth clenched together in pain from the rapid movement he had just made but the same eyes she had gazed into earlier that still held the exhaustion and pain were also now filled with a clear look of concern.
Uli lightly patted one of the shaking hands on her shoulders. ''I'm alright, Dear. The baby just kicked a little hard that's all.'' She helped ease the man back down into his seat as well as making sure he didn't lose his makeshift clothing.
The village doctor let out a small groan and placed a hand on the table to steady herself as the baby moved again. She pressed her eyes closed and let out several long breaths. Upon opening her eyes she saw the man looking up at her the concern still on his face. Ether he is a worrier or he has not been around many pregnant women. She mused, she silently affirmed to herself that it was most likely a mix of both.
She looked down at her swollen belly and ran a hand across it smiling to herself. ''Do you want to feel? The baby is kicking again.'' The youth flinched in surprise at her words. ''No need to be so shy.'' She laughed, taking one of his hands she placed it upon her stomach and watched as his face went from anticipation, to surprise and finally settling on a smile of wonder.
She held her hand over his own as they both felt the movements of the life she hoped she would be bringing into this world soon. She had discovered very early on that pregnancy was just as difficult the second time as it was the first, she should have known better then to believe the gossip that it would be any different. She wondered what the young man was thinking of. Friends, family, or maybe his own parents?
Sebin sniffed loudly, his eyes ached from his lack of sleep but he had sworn to himself that he would no longer rub at his eyes, he did not want the bruises to become any worse than they had. Tea no longer helped him stay awake so he had moved onto certain medicines he had acquired through Casdin to help rid himself of his and Havid's night terrors. He sniffed loudly again. He could not tell if his stuffed nose was early signs of becoming ill or if perhaps the seasons were close to changing and his allergies were beginning to act up.
He paused his strides down the lengthy hall towards the throne room to retrieve a handkerchief from his pocket and blow his nose. Folding the handkerchief neatly and returning it to said pocket he steeled himself and walked through the large double doors into the throne room.
Her Majesty sat upon her throne with her large table before her quill in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. It did not surprise Sebin that she did not look much worse for wear as did the majority of the palace staff, even when the king had passed she still appeared regal for a lack of better term.
He approached the platform where the throne sat, but he seemed to go unnoticed. After several seconds of waiting he loudly cleared his throat.
Vezzna jumped in her seat at the sound almost dropping her writing utensil in the process.
''Forgive me, your Majesty. I did not mean to startle you.'' Sebin kneeled as he gave his apology.
''No harm done.'' The Queen dismissed with a wave of her hand. Her tone sounded strained, as if she was forcing herself to sound casual. ''What brings you here, Sorcerer?''
The Librarian's lips pressed together into a thin line and stood before he spoke. ''It's about your daughter, my Queen.''
Worry quickly fell upon the older woman's face. ''Has her condition worsened?''
''I do not know. I have hardly seen her these past few weeks, she does not attend her lessons nor her magical studies.''
Vezzna folded her hands on her lap. ''I am aware of her tardiness as of late. I only see her during the council meetings myself and she does not speak during or afterward.''
Sebin ran a shaking hand through his thin hair. ''I saw her last night and I felt I should relate to you what it was that I saw.''
The Twili woman's brow cocked. ''What happened?''
''It was late, most of the library staff had gone home for the evening, but I remained to work on a few more personal projects. When I heard the door being practically kicked open I went to see whom it might be, Midna was standing before the table just staring down at it, dressed only in her night gown.'' He cleared his throat and averted his eyes from his ruler before continuing. ''Before I could approach her she started to choke back sobs and then began to hit the table with her fists. I ran to her and took her wrists in my hands, she jerked away and almost struck me until she recognized whom I was. I asked her what was wrong.''
The Queen sat with her back stiff and her jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. ''And what happened after that?''
''She spoke to me and then she left. I am worried for her, my Queen. She looked as if she had a foot in her grave last night.''
Vezzna took a deep breath. ''Tell me, what did she say to you?''
The Sorcerer sighed. ''She said. 'I dreamed he was here, waiting for me'.''
It was almost two hours past noon when Uli seated on the edge of Mayor Bo's porch had just finished using the mortar and pestle beside her which she had used to finely grind up herbs into a dust to replenish the stocks of her medicine that had been used to help their guest heal.
The other village women sat with her tending to their own businesses, Pergie rested at the bottom of the steps sharpening a sickle with the care and technique Uli herself had never grasped. Sitting on the opposite side of the porch steps Ilia and Sera looked over the village and shops ledgers.
''Such a shame we're going to be missing the festival this year.'' Sera sighed for the umpteenth time.
''Quit your bellyaching.'' Pergie grumbled. ''We went last year.''
Sera upturned her round face in an over dramatic huff. ''We could all go to the festival you know, if we hired some extra help.''
Ilia laughed to herself. ''Not going to happen with these numbers. We should consider ourselves lucky that we've been able to break even these past few years.''
Uli set down the pestle, took one of the small empty bottles beside her and was about to begin filling it with the finely ground dust from the mortar when she heard the woman at the bottom of the porch steps wonder aloud. ''Who in the bleeding demise is that?''
The Doctor along with the other two women followed Pergie's gaze. Coming down the small slope that led up to Uli's home was a young man with golden blonde hair, dressed in one of Rusl's spare sleeveless tunics and trousers. In his left hand was a large stick he used to help him walk, there was no limp in his stride but it was slow as if every step brought with it discomfort. His lips were set in a hard line, he breathed sharply through his nose and there was just the faintest signs of perspiration on his forehead.
''Oh my Goddesses.'' Uli exclaimed as she rose to her feet as quickly as she was able to and made her way across the path towards the young man.
''Is that him then?'' Sera whispered in the same tone she used when she shared what she thought was a rather juicy bit of gossip.
''Who else could it be?'' Pergie said with a roll of her eyes, the comment earning another harrumph from the other woman.
The injured man whom had been recuperating in their village was known to everyone within their community, but only Uli, Rusl, Colin and Mayor Bo had actually seen the mysterious guest. Gossip and speculations had run amok ever since, everything from his appearance to the reasons behind his injuries, his profession even his race. Sera had tried to bribe young Colin with sweets and toys into getting him to tell her what he knew but he had been uncharacteristically tight lipped about the young man living in his home.
''Not exactly what I had expected.'' Ilia said rising to her feet and placing her hands on her hips. She had expected the man to be older, perhaps around her father's age with a thick beard, graying hair and perhaps a few scars decorating his arms and face. What she saw instead was a man close to her own age with a messy haircut, a small amount of stubble on his chin and cheeks, there were no scars that she could see on his face or his arms, she did however see some muscle on them though. ''He's cute.'' She concluded.
The two older women chuckled but did nothing to deny that they disagreed with her thoughts. They watched as Uli nervously spoke to the young man once she had reached him, the man did not speak but gestured in a clear way to reassure her that he was fine. After several moments of this Uli seemed to relent her worries, she placed a hand on the man's shoulder and guided him across the path and to the other women.
''Ladies,'' Uli said once the two stood before Bo's house. ''This is our guest, he still cant speak so don't try hassling him for information.''
Pergie set the sickle down on the porch step, lifted herself up with a grunt, and dusted off her pants. She was a tall broad shouldered woman, with an oval shaped face and thick dark hair she kept tied back in a ponytail. ''I'm pergie, my husband and I run the waterwheel and are the towns blacksmiths.'' She turned halfway around to gesture to the two women still on the porch. ''The shorter one is Sera, she and her husband run the general store at the edge of the village.''
Sera huffed. ''I run the store, and my husband tries to help.'' Sera was a short, heavyset woman with plump cheeks and a mole in the center space between her eyebrows, her hair was short and neatly combed.
Pergie ignored the woman's corrections and gestured to the younger of the two. ''That's Ilia, she acts as the villages accountant when her father doesn't have the time to do it himself.''
''Which seems to be all the time nowadays.'' The youngest of the three chided. She was roughly the same height as Uli, her sandy blonde hair was cut in an odd manner that was short in some places and longer in others but styled in a way that did not make it look unnatural or messy, she was thin and had bright emerald colored eyes. Unlike the other women she did not wear the thick sash and ribbon about her waist, instead she wore a sleeveless tunic that ended at the beginning of her thighs, a pair of trousers that ended halfway past her knees and no shoes.
They watched as the Stranger crossed his right arm over his stomach and gave a small bow in greeting.
''Cute and a gentlemen.'' Sera whispered loudly to the others.
Ilia hopped off the porch. ''Well seeing as your finally up and moving, how about I show you the town? That is as long as the good Doctor approves.''
Uli frowned and looked over at the young man beside her. ''If he shows any signs of strain or exhaustion make sure he rests.'' Ilia waved a reassuring hand at the older woman as she began to lead the Stranger away.
The village was only five houses in total, a small creek ran through the center of it and ended in a small pond that was deep enough to have small fish. The general store was only big enough to house maybe four people inside including the person who would manage the counter, several small produce fields decorated the nearby houses and pond, many of them were used to grow pumpkins. Ilia had explained that the large squash was their most valuable trade item. In reality it was a small farming community more then a full village.
Ilia watched the Stranger catch his breath and massage his knees while sitting on a small rock by the path. She like everyone else had a near endless number of questions, even more now that she had seen him in person. She eyed every part of him with a hungry curiosity, especially his pointed ears. She had also taken notice that the oddest of things would catch his attention, at one point he had struggled to bend down and pick up a leaf from the ground and had spent more then a full minute just staring at the fallen piece of foliage, twisting it in several different ways to observe it in its entirety. The look on the man's face reminded her of when the village children would find some new kind of bug, it was the face of rapt amazement and curiosity.
''I almost didn't believe the others when they told us.'' A voice called jovially from down the path.
The two looked in the direction of the voices, the afternoon sun was quickly descending into twilight partially silhouetting the two approaching men. Only Ilia spoke her greeting. ''Hi, Rusl. Hi, Dad.''
The man who walked beside the village guardian was a full head taller than Rusl, his head lacked any hair, the only facial hair he possessed was at each corner of his mouth, both small tufts of white hair was styled into upward points making them look like tusks, despite his large round belly the muscle in his large arms was unmissable thanks to the sleeveless tunic he sported. The man smiled at his daughter before turning to the seated man. ''I'm Mayor Bo. Good to finally meet you, Son.''
The young man gave a smile and a small bow of his head in greeting.
''Uli told me you met the ladies, hope they didn't tease you too much.'' Rusl chuckled. ''Well if you're up for it how about you help me get Colin home for supper?''
The young man nodded and used his walking stick to slowly get to his feet.
''Suppose we should be heading home ourselves.'' Bo said giving his daughter a firm pat on the back. ''Have a good evening you two and I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the future, Son.''
Ilia waved off her father. ''Night, Rusl. You too, handsome.'' She gave a sly wink to the young man before walking up the path the her father.
Rusl gave a single loud laugh and patted his companion on the shoulder. ''Quite the charmer eh?''
The young man let out a small noise that almost sounded like an embarrassed chuckle as a small bit of blush dusted his cheeks.
Midna stood next to the door not moving. She had only been down in this area of the palace a handful of times throughout her life, it was not because like some of the elitist others she knew of that she felt coming into the servants quarters was beneath her, rather instead she just never had a reason to.
Her breaths came heavy through her nose as she heard the sobbing behind the closed door she stood beside. Some fared with their grief well, but the woman whom had lost her son was not one of them. She had rarely been seen outside of her room and no one was sure if she was eating well or even at all.
She could hear the muffled voice of Venrik within the room but what he said eluded her. She had come to give her support to the grieving woman, but those sobs had frozen her in place and after hearing them for only a few minutes more drove her away back to the upper levels of the palace.
She wanted to help Iliana, to hold her and tell her that in time she will find a way to heal, that someday the tears will stop, but she could not. How could she say that to someone when she did not even believe it herself?
Her eyes were still swollen from her lack of sleep and tears from the night before and hearing the wails of the mortified mother told her that she still had many to be shed.
She wandered through the palace with no real destination in mind. She had heard the whispering around the palace that many had said she looked like a grieving spirit with the way she seemed to float from place to place. It probably did not help that she would also do it at night when she could not find rest.
She eventually found herself standing on the threshold of the palace gardens. She stared for a long time at the willow and by extension the lonely swing rocking back and forth in the lazy breeze.
She stepped down into the grass and let the damp coolness sink into her skin. The Princess made her way over to the swing and traced the tips of her fingers over the old wood. It seemed so brittle that she wondered if it was able to hold her weight at this point.
Her eyes went to the bench nearby, she thought of the comforting feeling having his head rest upon her lap, the texture of his hair as her fingers ran through them. The tears were coming again. She pressed her eyes closed to fight them.
You should have been better to him. Her inner voice spoke harshly.
''I know...''
You should have told him.
''Please...don't.''
You had so many chances! And now he will never know.
''Stop it!''
He did everything in his power not just to make you happy but to also be a good friend to you.
''I-''
And what did he ask of you in return? Practically nothing.
''He was my friend, my closest friend!''
No, he was so much more than that. He thought the world of you and you him. And now he will never know that.
The once subtle and teasing barbs of her inner voice had over the course of weeks faded into this new harsh and cruel nature, whether it had changed due to her regrets or grief she did not know and more often then not the only way to silence the cruelty was wallowing in her own sorrow.
''Your Highness?'' Midna had felt a scream beginning to rise in her throat in an attempt to block out her tormentor when the voice called out to her.
She saw Zant standing in the open corridor, a few books tucked under one of his arms and his other on the banister separating the garden from the hallway.
The Princess did not respond but the tears on her cheeks spoke more then any words could. She averted her eyes and wiped the tears from her face with her hand, the last thing she wanted was to be pitied by yet another elitist noble. At this point she had heard just about every variant of You poor thing, I just cant imagine what you are going through, I'm sure you will find a way to move on, etc.
The sorcerer, moved to the threshold and came down the steps into the garden, but instead of approaching her as she expected he would he walked to the stone bench before the pond and sat down with a small grunt. He set his books down on his lap and looked to the young woman.
Midna watched him suspiciously. It was not like Zant to stay quiet, normally he was the kind of person whom had to get the last word in. with his palm facing up he gestured to the space on the bench beside him. His expression was not expectant, honestly she did not know what he was thinking his face was so neutral it seemed more fitting for a game of cards.
Slowly she stepped across the cold ground and stood before the Councilman, he continued to watch her with that blank expression both hands resting atop his books. After another moment longer she sat down on the opposite side of the bench.
Zant stared straight on while Midna fixated her own gaze on the still water of the pond. After several minutes she felt something rest atop one of the hands she kept in her own lap. She didn't need to look to know that it was Zant's own hand, the skin of his palm was soft, it was the skin of a person who had never done a day of manual labor in their life. It was strikingly similar to her own.
It was a very new feeling for her. The only people she had held hands with was her mother and her best friend, both when she had been a child. Her Mother's hands had been soft as well but not as delicate as her own or those of the man who sat beside her now, her Mother's skin held a slight roughness to it from working within the palace archives for many years before she became queen.
And her friend's...Goddesses she couldn't even bring herself to say or even think his name. His hands even as a child had been rough to the touch, and after he had started his training they had become even more calloused than they already were. Despite that though it had always felt good feeling the roughness and by extension warmth of his skin against her own. It brought her a great deal of comfort.
Surprisingly she felt a similar comfort now, it almost startled her enough to pull her hand away but instead she turned her hand over and gripped Zant's own. There were no words of comfort or understanding from his silver tongued mouth and no further gestures, just this one act of comfort. And though she would not speak it she was grateful for it.
A few irksome tears rolled down her cheeks, but unlike before she did not wipe them away, instead she just held Zant's hand tighter and he gave a comforting squeeze in response as the cold wind stung the drops on her face.
Past the line of trees at the edge of the village was a small clearing where Colin along with the other village children watched Talo try to hit a small piece of firewood set atop a overturned bucket with his slingshot. The twang of the slingshot sounded but the wood remained unmoved as the projectile missed it by a good foot.
''You really stink at this.'' Malo the youngest commented. Malo was practically just out of his infancy but already was on the same level intellectually as the older kids. His clothes were all hand-me-downs from his older brother so his shirt sagged and his skirt reached the ground making it awkward for him to walk let alone run. He still possessed the chubby cheeks of a toddler, his hair was cut so short he was nearly bald, a small purple bow adorned the top of his head courtesy of his mother.
''Shut it!'' Talo growled as he picked up another stone. ''I'll hit them this time.'' Talo was the unofficial leader of the four and the older brother of Malo. His face almost always seemed to be twisted into a cocky grin, his hair was short and unkempt, he wore a red bandanna that sat lopsided atop his head.
''That's what you said the last two times.'' Beth scoffed. Beth was the only girl in their small gang, she was not the oldest but she was the tallest of the bunch, her hair was the same chestnut brown as her mother's but she was thin like her father. Since her parents ran the general store in town her clothes were always a nicer quality then that of her friends.
Talo glared over at the girl but paused when he noticed Colin staring down at the same piece of parchment in his hands that he had been carrying around for several days. ''You're still hauling that gibberish around?''
Colin's head snapped up to the others. ''Um...I guess.'' Words failed him as they always did when he seemed to be the center of attention. He had convinced his father to let him keep the parchment after several days of he, Bo and his mother failing to interpret it. He had only shown it to Talo so far assuming no one else would be able to decipher the words.
Talo tucked his slingshot into his sash and marched over to the shy boy to snatch the parchment out of his hands. He twisted it this way and that as he scowled at the unfamiliar symbols. ''The weird guy staying at your house drew it right?''
''I already told you that he did...and he's not that weird.'' Colin muttered.
''Looks more like writing then drawings to me.'' Malo said trotting over to his older brother. ''Maybe it's some kind of secret code.''
''Ooh.'' Beth cooed excitedly as she looked over the shorter boy's shoulder to get a look herself. ''Maybe he's some kind of adventurer or a bandit!''
Adventurer sounded a bit more appealing to Colin then a bandit, although he had heard that adventurers carried a good deal of supplies with them and when he and his father had found him at the lake he had been practically naked. Also he had never heard of any bandits or adventurers who had that many scars on their backs and a brand on their chest. He had overheard his father talking with his mother one night while they thought he had been asleep and he distinctly remembered his father using the words ''Gerudo caravan'' in their conversation.
The sound of approaching footfalls pulled the children away from their conversation and towards the path leading back into the village.
Three of the children looked on in fascinated surprise at the young man with a walking stick beside the approaching Rusl. Colin himself was rather shocked himself seeing the stranger outside and by extension fully clothed for the first time since he had laid his eyes on him.
''Evening, kids.'' Rusl greeted with one thumb tucked into his sash. ''Not making trouble again are you?''
''Not this time.'' Malo answered. ''Unless you count Talo missing his target every time as trouble.''
''Shut up!'' The older of the two brothers hissed.
Rusl smirked and shook his head at the two. ''This here is our guest.'' The swordsman said to the children with a lazy gesture to the man behind him. ''He's not much of a talker so don't go pestering him with questions.''
Talo strode forward and placed his fists on his hips once he stood before the stranger. ''I'm Talo!'' The boy boasted. He spoke his name the same way a fabled hero would announce himself before he would ride into battle. ''And those two are Malo and Beth.'' The later names were spoken with much less enthusiasm.
The girl pushed the shorter boy. ''I can introduce myself.'' Beth declared with a loud huff. Talo made a face at her in response.
''Just ignore them,'' Malo said. ''This is pretty normal for those two.''
Once all attention was back to on the stranger he gave a small bow in greeting. Talo cocked his brow at the gesture while Beth giggled coquettishly at the gentlemanly behavior. The youngest of the trio showed no outward response to the stranger but many speculations and inquiries ran through his youthful mind.
Colin standing behind the trio gave a small and awkward bow of his own. He did not see the small smile that graced his fathers face at this.
''Well it's best we all start heading home.'' Rusl ordered good naturedly as he ushered the children towards the path.
The usual protests he received were on the lighter side today, just a few grumbles and groans. No arguments or attempted deals or bargains, just a few days ago Talo had tried to challenge him to a sharpshooting contest on the grounds that if he won their curfew would be abolished. Rusl had declined even though he was certain he could have won. Talo had been practicing with that slingshot ever since he had gotten it a month ago and had made very little improvement.
Their walking pace was slower then usual speed, normally it was so that Malo could keep up but this time it was also so that the young stranger wouldn't lag behind as well.
All four of the children watched him in rapt fascination, even Colin whom up to this point had been the only of the quartet to see him in person was entranced by him again.
Rusl wondered if it was the sudden mobility that captivated his son or if there was something else bubbling in that curios mind of his.
Dinners had been a rather quite affair ever since the stranger was well enough to join Uli, Colin and Rusl at their dinner table. Colin would ether stare at the man across from him or bashfully look at his food once he was caught staring. Rusl and Uli themselves would steal glances at the young man when they knew he was not looking, but even when they were caught the young man would simply give a small smile to them and a bow if his head as if giving them thanks for the food.
Uli had stuck with mostly soft foods once she had deemed him healthy enough for something beyond broth and light soup. Tonight it was boiled squash and carrots, and shredded cucco.
What entranced Uli was the young man's reactions to the food. Every new dish that was given to him he would stare curiously at it for a length of time, after his observations of the food he would then sample each part of the dish individually as if he was dinning at a fine restaurant. He never showed signs of disliking any of his meals, rather it seemed he was unfamiliar with them entirely.
''Now you stay right in that seat.'' Uli commanded the stranger when he began to rise from his seat to help her husband and son clear the table. ''You have had quite enough exercise today. You are still healing and you need to rest.''
The young man nodded his head and eased himself back down into his seat with a small groan, hands resting on his thighs.
The two watched from the table as Rusl and Colin cleared the dishes and went to the counter to clean. As Colin went to and fro to help is father with the washing and drying. Uli saw a small piece of parchment fall out of her son's sash, which the boy was quick to snatch up his dropped item.
''What's that?'' Uli asked.
Colin stood between his mother and the young man and set the parchment on the table for both to see. ''It's his note.'' Colin told Uli.
The Doctor leaned her head over to peer down at the writing. She had seen it already several times since it was made but much like her son and husband the unfamiliar symbols were never far from her mind. ''Any luck on deciphering it?''
Colin shook his head. ''No, I was thinking about asking Ilia if she had read any books about different alphabets.''
''Maybe Sera and Hatch have a book at their shop that can tell us what language it is.'' Rusl said over his shoulder.
''I doubt that,'' Said Uli. ''But maybe we can get them to order us one.''
Slowly the young man reached up and placed his hand on the parchment, the tips of his right fingers traveled across the paper just underneath the symbols. ''He...llo...my...na...me...is...Link.''
Uli, Rusl and Colin stared with wide eyed shock at the stranger. His voice was horse and weak, a combination of his still healing injuries and from lack of use. He looked at each one of them, the same small gentle smile on his face that the family had become familiar with.
Colin was the first to speak. He straightened his back and made sure to clear his throat before hand. ''It's nice to meet you...Link.'' He drew out the last word as if sampling it as he spoke it aloud.
Link raised his right hand and playfully and all but weakly tussled the boys hair.
Uli looked over at her husband, the older man blinked twice before giving a small shrug of his shoulders with what she had come to call his iconic cocky grin. She looked back at her son as he tried to get the young man to teach him the symbols on the parchment. Seeing Colin's excitement and by extension the look of mirth on the man's face.
No not man, stranger, or guest. Link.
It is a...fitting name for him. She mused to herself.
I am never really confident in these chapters where I rapidly shift perspectives. But never the less I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you are all staying safe and healthy.