Cents and Sensibility

Groose delivers flowers and his day gets a lot worse, then a little better.

"Okay, you got the flowers ready; You can do this," Strich assured Groose as they waited outside Ana's home. Groose preened using the reflection of a nearby window. His smile was a close second to Prince Sidon's toothy grin. Even Groose would admit that smile was a nigh-impossible standard to match, yet Groose was certain he outmatched Prince Sidon in the handsome features department. (He would not dare say that aloud. Tula's disciples were simply everywhere and a raving mob of them would make even Groose quail in fear.) Having been given time to calm down, Groose realized that the ridiculous fortune said nothing about his future not having Ana. He still thought it was silly nonsense, but saving the Hero was promising for his future. Popular opinion held it was the oldest sister, Hazelda, that was Hylia's incarnation.

These plans for meeting with Ana hadn't accounted for a few things. Groose did not notice the approaching boom of Goron footsteps until it was too late.

"There you are! I've been lookin' for you two. I know today is normally your day off but somethin's come up." Strich and Groose both turned to face the captain of Tarrey's town guard. Darbus was imposing and it was likely that the sight of him alone caused criminals to reconsider their career choices. At least one person this week had been on a stroll to case the joint, spotted Darbus, and opted for embroidery as a hobby. One man had intentions to violate the fishing zone ordinances and thought better of it when he heard the telltale rumbling footsteps. The two teens also had an instinctive dread born of long hours being drilled in the training yard. Groose said, "Can it wait? Whatever it is cannot possibly be more important than-"

"This is straight from Castletown. Seal and all. Come with me. Gustaf is waitin." Darbus said without any regard for the boy's protest.

"Can I least leave these for Ana?" Groose asked, raising the saffinas a little.

"Why don't you bring them with you? She's already there." Darbus was surprised how quickly the young guard went from irritated to elated. He made no further complaint but Strich and Groose kept asking questions the entire walk about what exactly they were wanted for. When they got to the guardhouse and went upstairs, Darbus stayed at the foot to keep curious eavesdroppers away from the staircase. Being Darbus, he probably could have done so merely by sitting on the other side of the room while reading quietly, but he was determined to do things properly.

"All right! Groose is here. Did you need me to battle monsters? Act as a bodyguard for a princess? The great Groose is here to solve your problems!" Groose announced as he pushed open the door and made his grand entrance. The reception of this announcement was not what he had hoped for. Ana sat uncomfortably next to her mother and her older sister Hazelda. The four had looks of apprehension despite Groose's reassurance. Her grandfather King Gustaf raised an eyebrow at the ceiling as if to ask the goddesses 'Did I mishear you earlier?' Strich moved his spear from one wing to the other. Groose tried again. "So what do you need me to do? I'm the best man for any job you want done right!"

Gustaf addressed him. "Have a seat, please. I got a vision from the Triforce of Wisdom and I'm not sure of all the details, but it involves you two." The tension in the air made the simple act of pulling seats into place unbearably melodramatic. Jezeldabel and the father, Leon, would probably be off designing windows on commission were it not for the super important prophetic announcements. The mother of Ana was still wearing a toolbelt. All were listening to Ana's grandfather with undivided attention. "We got a report from the Gerudo, the Oracle revealed the return of darkness three days ago. The seal did say a name but the translators always have trouble trying to go from sand seal language to names." Seals were really good and reliable when it came to evil approaching and fruit crop blights.

Gustaf may have been the current holder of the Triforce, but he would occasionally remind his family that he was merely a steward at present. He was a sage in his own right and known to be intelligent, if eccentric at times. Rumors widely attributed this eccentricity to him being Link's son. The reports of Link's odd behavior were almost as legendary as his heroism. Few people knew just how little the gossip needed to be exaggerated to be outlandish. Some of the gossip was understated as storytellers believed he was too incredible to be believed. Many stable hands exchanged horror stories of what saddle and boarding requests Link had made. His brother took much more after Zelda in the behavior department except for being a lot more taciturn. King Gustaf didn't see any point in dressing up as a king when he didn't have more than a fancy title for it. He tended a successful orchard when not messing with assassins. Much of his income and pruning tools were made of repurposed Yiga steel. Finesse and a Windcleaver made pruning the topmost branches a cinch.

"I took it upon myself to pray in the Sanctuary. Last night I had a vision..."

Groose and everyone waited to see where this was going. Groose, in particular, wanted him to get on with it already. The anticipation made him temporarily forget all about the flowers.

"In the grove by the Deku Tree I saw Strich and Groose there with other faces I do not recognize. I wish I got a better look at the one drawing the Master Sword but it should be enough knowledge for now." The audience waited for a long pause when they realized he was already finished speaking.

"What, uh, are we doing?" Strich said, puzzled.

"We're sending you out to look for the reborn hero!" A grin split Gustaf's face. "The Yiga Clan will pay less attention to two fallow youths like yourselves than if we sent knights all over creation. Plus, with the Like-Like blight spreading, this will save a fortune on shields." The enthusiasm for a plan of flawless logic, courtesy of himself, shone in Gustaf's face. "If you leave tomorrow you should have plenty of time to head to the Lost Woods before those overgrown anemones start invading the regions you will need to traverse. Get packing, boys!" Gustaf left the room humming a cheerful tune.

"He wants to have you just go over there and expects the hero to just be there?" Ana said. "It's not like you can just march through and ask the Great Deku Tree everything!"

Groose happily realized that Ana was indignant on his behalf. This may be a sign he would get that date after all.

"Leon and I didn't find instructions on getting through the Lost Woods in Zelda's journals. We're trying Link's notes next." Ambi admitted. "If we find something, I'll send a messenger as fast as we can. The Sheikah have already been asked to accompany my daughters whenever possible already. The invasion of monsters will not get my daughters killed. We also started having the word spread about a vision but left out you and added some other details to hopefully confuse Ganon's men."

"Um, ma'am? We met someone earlier who claimed to know the way through the woods." Strich said. The story flowed from Groose and Strich as erratically as it had happened and the looks of disbelief in the room grew.

"-Yeah, I don't think the girl is the Hero. I've met her before actually. At the Hateno dye shop. She's... unusual." Ambi said.

"That's a mild way of saying 'delusional.' Wait, you met her!?" Groose asked.

"Yes, she was looking at getting her clothing dyed green because it looks more heroic. Fortunately, she didn't notice me."

"Mom, why were you at the dye shop?" Zeldana asked. Ambi unconsciously moved a hand toward her hair before stopping herself.

"Um, I heard about the new line of hair dyes and wanted to ask about the process for maybe disguising you in an emergency. Blonde hair stands out in any crowd."

Ana raised an eyebrow at her mother and thought. Yeah, right.

"So, should we go see if we can find them?" Strich asked. "I bet they haven't left yet or if they have, Cawlin and Aryll wouldn't be too far away yet."

There wasn't much more that was said. Mostly it was asking about the trip, weather reports, and that sort of thing. When Groose and Strich were given leave to go and get ready, Ana followed them to the door of the guard station with a leather folder in her hands.

Groose felt the now-wilted flowers were completely inadequate but he was going to see this bouquet through to its goal. "Ana, I, um, you see... Here?" To his great satisfaction, Ana gave a smile. It wasn't a full smile but it melted his brain from mush to a full liquid.

"Why, oh- Thank you! You got this for me?..." The smile faded quickly. "Are you going to be all right, Groose? I made you a map for the roads. Jess and I wanted to come but they won't let us. They don't even know which of us Grandpa is naming the successor."

Are you okay? I know you hate staying behind but it'll be alright, was what Groose meant to say but words failed him again on account of the liquid gray matter. He made something of a gurgling noise instead.

"It's okay, don't worry about me. I'm pretty sure it's not me. Take lots of notes," she said before leaving with her family.

"I didn't see them come by here. Maybe ask Olin?" said one guard. It should not have taken hours to find Linkle and Cawlin but it did.

"The girl that bought out my stock of bolts? Haven't seen her since. Sorry," was another disappointing dead-end encountered.

After Strich had flown around the area for the third time, questions asked by Groose prompted a soup vendor to point down a side trail.

"Yeah, sooo a coupla people went that way. The girl said she knew a shortcut after asking me if anyone I knew needed rescuing from the forces of evil. Skinny skittish guy was following her. That sound like them?"

"Yes, yes, it does sound like them. If you see Strich, can you tell him where to find me?"

"Sure." The vendor returned to cleaning a cookpot. Groose followed the trail and wondered why this was happening to him. This trail was not frequented by many travelers. That Linkle would be talking about shortcuts through here was strange, but Groose felt it small in comparison to other oddities encountered today. Wasn't there a spring?

"Miss Hero? It has been a long time since I was in Hyrule, but shouldn't we be going the other way? The road is over there..." Cawlin had been told repeatedly by Linkle that the Like-Likes were nowhere near this area yet, but he still had a spear out. With every step, Cawlin prodded the ground ahead as they went. Linkle wanted to move faster and just get going already, but no amount of talking would convince the guy his gear was not in danger of being eaten. Even her relentless optimism had limits and she recognized that battle was a losing one.

"Please, just call me Linkle. We're friends!" Linkle chirped. "I think we should be able to save a lot of time with this shortcut. When were you last in Hyrule?"

"Almost two years ago. I went sailing to look for treasures for a certain business venture I have in mind."

"Oh? What business? Sorry I don't have much of a head for business."

"Weapon rental! I found some interesting enchanted items out there."

"Why would people rent stuff instead of just buying it?"

"Well, say you want to take this ice rod for a spin but you don't know if you really want to buy it..." Linkle regretted asking about the business as Cawlin spun a sales pitch for a hero on a quest. He looked so much less nervous when he was talking economics that Linkle supposed it was worth it. "...heroes being left without proper equipment or wasting money on the wrong gear will be a thing of the past!" Cawlin stopped talking for a moment to check more dirt for monsters. "Miss Linkle, what about you? Have you lived in Hyrule your entire life?"

"Yep. Outskirts of the desert is where my family lives. Dad died when I was little but we stayed there instead of moving into Gerudo Town with our cuccos. Mom keeps telling me to take over the blacksmithy or join the army but my true calling is heroics." They kept following the overgrown path further. "Where did you live before you went sailing? Maybe I know your mom or dad?" Linkle said. The innocent question had a pronounced effect on Cawlin. The dark-haired boy had stiffened and the haunted look had returned.

"I was lucky to be adopted. I lived in the woods for a while..." he said. That was all he had to say on the matter. For a while, the air was filled with the sounds of nature, footsteps, and Linkle's speculation on what monsters she would get to fight. It didn't take long for them to find something.

Linkle noticed that something first and said, "Oooo what is that over there?"

Cawlin saw it too. There was a glittering in the air around a massive plant bud. Cawlin tensed up as Linkle walked towards the unknown plant.

"Hey, should you be going near it? Something might eat you! Or me!" He appealed to her common sense in vain.

A loud feminine voice whispered from the bud, "Children..." Two sets of eyes widened, one in fear, the other in awe. "Sweet children, please listen to my story."

Linkle stepped forward even as Cawlin stepped backward.

Now many years ago, the four Great Fairies learned the hard way about bystander syndrome and what happened when they became Somebody Else's Problem. Travelers did come by Mija's domain a lot thanks to Tarrey, but Tera was having a rough time of it out in the desert. Many mortal lifetimes ago, the fairies learned to make their voices and pleas take on almost the same efficiency as lost puppies for eliciting sympathy. If they didn't, people walked by. Passersby reasoned that someone else would come along to help. The Great Fairies developed a masterful sales pitch to prevent that. Mija would even lace the air with a bit of emotion magic for good measure when she could spare it. Enough rupees had been coming in that Mija was able to help make things prosper for her domain. This even when keeping enough rupees in reserve to survive a drought decade. First, she used calm despair intonation to capture some attention.

"I am the Great Fairy Mija..." The pitch and volume dropped a little bit and added slight nostalgia over the melancholy. "This place was once a beautiful spring." She could see the girl's rapt attention but the skinny boy still looked ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. "But as time passed fewer and fewer travelers came to offer me rupees." The despair came back with reinforced tragedy. "As a result, my power abandoned me." This was not technically a lie. She just didn't mention how long ago that had been when it happened. They had plenty of rupees at the moment. She hoped the fairies under her command had done a good job of making the grass grow enough. It helped to hide the myriad footprints on the trail from recent visitations. "I'm nearly powerless now and I need your help. I need rupees to become whole again. All I need is one thousand rupees..."

The story was a resounding success, or so Mija thought as Linkle dug through her wallet.

Cawlin said, "What are you offering her in return? We're on an important quest to save Hyrule you know." Mija mentally cursed her luck. This would take a little more effort than she originally thought she would need to put in her sales pitch. Traditional offerings of assistance were given to heroes and it shouldn't take a lot of power to offer a weak charm.

"I can confer blessings and power on those who assist me."

"Yeah but, how much cash did you really expect people to have on them coming by here? Her quest is super important. She's the Hero! We're going to get the sword that seals the darkness. Would twenty rupees do?"

"I could maybe survive on nine-hundred at the bare minimum, dear boy." She did not let her sad story voice falter in the slightest but was getting a little irritated that this boy wasn't making this as easy as it should have been.

"Maybe we could scrounge up a hundred to spare."

"Eight hundred if you want me to wither in a week."

"Mmmmm... Grandpa said Great Fairies are a lot harder to do in than that. How about a hundred fifty? If Linkle has that much?" Cawlin said as Mija decided she did not like this boy one bit. They went back and forth a bit more as Linkle reeled uncertainly. Haggling wasn't something she did well in and she was one of those people would dump in a thousand and change without a second thought. True, she was on a quest, but the fairy needed her money.

"...Tell you what girl. Since you do seem like a person of courage and heroism, unlike other people, I'll make a special offer for you. I'll enhance armor when you bring me materials. If you don't have anything, I might be able to enhance your latent magic." The Great Fairy expended a little power to read a bit of aura. The two did not have malicious intent at any rate. Even if the boy was doubtlessly a vile money-grubber. "Five hundred rupees for just that minor blessing and you tell trustworthy people that you meet about my spring."

"Hey! You two! I've been looking all over for you!" Groose called out as he approached. On most days Mija would be happy to find another mark but she was somewhat preoccupied.

"OH! Groose! There's a Great Fairy here! Do you have any money for her? She needs rupees!" Linkle called. "She'll give me a magic blessing for five-hundred rupees! She needs a thousand but Cawlin is being mean to her."

"It's not mean, it's practical!" Cawlin huffed with his arms crossed. He was not reaching for his pouch.

"WHOA! There is a Great Fairy?! Let me see!" Groose looked at the giant plant and the outstretched hand. "Can I get a blessing too if I give her money? What kind of blessing? I've got a few rupees." Groose thought of Ana's unhappy frown. "Hey, can you help keep the town safe while I'm gone?"

"The town's protection is already part of my duty as a Great Fairy. I can give a blessing of magic for noble heroes that are not greedy little stone-hearted fiends in Hylian form," Mija said. The subtleties were lost on Linkle and Groose but not Cawlin. Cawlin rolled his eyes as Groose and Linkle coughed up the cash. Linkle only had four hundred and twelve but Groose had heard rumors of the Great Fairy and made up the difference. Mija's hand withdrew into the bud.

On most days with an audience, she'd do more theatrics, but she wanted Cawlin gone.

Groose, Linkle, and Cawlin watched the bud unfold. Mija emerged. Groose realized he wasn't the only person who truly understood hair was meant to rise above the tyranny of gravity. His opinion of the Great Fairy was now of the highest respect.

"All right, now about that blessing. You two step forward, that girl has some latent magic but you, boy, are not a natural mage. I'll just see if I can improve your armor. Or maybe..." She peered at the pompadour with approval. "I can do a minor spell to keep your hair clean and protected for a while."

A massive joyful smile spread over Groose's face as he accepted.

Notes: Welp, the biggest errors were fixed on this chapter. Names were mixed up and it was not pretty, I even went back to the previous chapter and made minor consistency changes. My respect goes out to other stories people write. Every time I look at this there is a new error. Is anyone else disturbed by the fact the Great Fairy flowers kind of look like corpse flowers? Rafflesia? Also I can write reviews for my own stuff. Can I report my own reviews? For science?