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Whom She Found

Chapter Two:

Painful Memories

Link awoke early the next morning to a clear sky meaning that it was going to be a fine day. He yawned as he stood up and stretched. One glance of his surroundings reminded him of where he was and that what happened yesterday was not just a dream. He was in a place known as the Plains of Sacae with a girl who had saved him when she found him unconscious. Link walked over to the ger and carefully lifted a flap of the cloth covering the entrance to see if Lyn was inside. The ger, however was empty. Link turned around, wondering where she had gone, and started to look for his new friend. He stepped outside of the grove of trees, after looking around the immediate area, and found her standing on a nearby hill practising with her sword.

Lyn wove the sword gracefully through the air, her feet and body moving perfectly in balance with its movements. Link walked towards her slowly as he watched. As he neared, he could see that Lyn was moving with her eyes closed and her breathing was rhythmic and unlaboured. Anybody who saw her would have watched a beautiful, graceful dance augmented by the gentle morning breeze that almost seemed to commune with Lyn's routine. As she moved and spun, Link couldn't help but marvel at the dedication that this young woman had put into developing such skill and precision. He watched Lyn continue in her morning exercise and was sad when Lyn finally stopped and slowly slid her sword back in its sheath. She stood there for several moments before opening her eyes and turning with a smile to Link.

"Good morning, Link!" She said cheerfully.

"Good morning." He replied. "That was beautiful, Lyn. I can tell you are very dedicated to your swordmanship."

"Thank-you," Lyn replied. "I wake early every morning to practise."

"It shows, you are very skilled." Link grinned.

Lyn smiled and shrugged, then her face turned solemn.

"So I guess you will be leaving today, won't you? After all it is a long ways to Etruria."

Link's grin faded. He scratched his head as he thought. "Yeah, I guess so."

A moment of silence fell before Lyn spoke.

"Say, Link… I want to talk to you about something."

"Hmm?" Link raised his head.

"You have experience in the ways of combat, I can see. Would you…" she paused for a moment. "Would you allow me to travel with you?"

Link blinked in surprise. "Come with me? Are you sure? What about your tribe, the Lorca?"

Lyn's face fell at his words. Seeing her expression, Link guessed what was wrong.

"Oh…I'm sorry, Lyn."

Lyn turned to the side and held her arms.

"My mother and my father… died six months ago. My people…the Lorca…they don't…I'm the last of my tribe."

She closed her eyes to suppress a tear before continuing.

"Bandits attacked, and… they killed so many people. My tribe had many strong fighters, but the attack was… it was well planned. The tribe was scattered. One by one the defenders fell…overwhelmed by numbers. My father was our chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people. But I am so young and our people were old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman…No one would follow me. I couldn't do anything…nothing…not even fight. My father told my mother and I to flee on a horseback. I did not want too…I refused at first, but my father ordered me to go, so I did. My mother and I, we rode away but my mother's horse was felled by an arrow. I jumped off of mine to help her…but she told me to run away. She had been hurt from the fall and couldn't run…I did not want to leave her… I drew my sword to fight…but my mother…she told me to run…she said that I must survive…so I ran…I ran and did not look back…I ran till night fall and I fell to the ground, too exhausted to continue…sleep did not come that night nor the next…when I finally did sleep, all I saw were nightmares of that day… at first I wanted to end my life so that my suffering would end…but I couldn't otherwise my parents…they would have died in vain. I realised that I had to live, I had to be strong…after awhile, the nightmares subsided, then stopped…"

Lyn turned back to Link, tears streaming freely down her face. She sniffed and tried to wipe away some of the water from her face.

"I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long…" She then turned back and closed her eyes. "No. No more. I will shed no more tears."

She stood there in silence for a few minutes till Link spoke.

"I'm sorry, Lyn." He said softly. "I can't say that it's ok, that wouldn't be right, but I'm glad you could tell me. Crying is a natural reaction to such a tragedy, but as long as you remember your parents and your tribe, they will live on."

Lyn nodded, opened her eyes, and turned back to Link.

"Thank you. I'm better now." She sighed heavily before turning serious. "Link, I want…I…I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death!"

She paused for a moment and calmed herself before continuing.

"Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Link, tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"

Link smiled at her. "After all of that…how can I refuse?"

Lyn's face lit up with hope. "You will?"

"Of course!" he grinned.

"That's wonderful!" Lyn proclaimed with joy as she ran up and embraced him tightly. "Thank you! Oh, Thank you! We'll be better off working together, I know it!"

And so it begins…

Link, the warrior from another world, and Lyn, the sole survivor of her tribe…

Together, they take their first steps on a journey far greater than either of them could have known.