2 Nightfall
I know I can fall asleep almost anywhere.
The boys make fun of me for that, "I've seen Link sleeping on the branch of a tree." "It wasn't on a branch, it was on a trunk that had bent quite a bit," I correct them.
I know I'm made to live outdoors. I sleep better on a bed of forest leaves, on the moss of rocks or on a blanket of grass than in a comfortable, gentrified bed of Fort Hawk. In the fortress it seems that the air is heavy, and the village stinks. Jannie laughs at me when I say it stinks, but hell, it's true! People pile up in the village and throw away waste and dirt that heats up in the sun... all that stinks like hell. In the mountains there are no walls, no barriers, and it smells like green leaves and rain.
This morning I went out hunting with the boys and the first thing I noticed when I crossed the walls of Fort Hawk was an icy wind, sharp as a thousand blades, which smelled of snow and freedom.
"What are you running from now, Link?" Fridd hinted at my side.
"There's a lynel in the east. It's scaring the villagers in Nightfall." I justified. For once I was not fleeing the fortress... although my friends know how I am and know of my mountain getaways.
"If these villagers deigned to live on the other side of the wall...," Ardren interjected.
"They don't have to. There is a peace treaty, Nightfall belongs to Fort Hawk and since the peace was signed there are no looting.
"How do you know it's a lynel and not a looting what is disturbing the peace? That potbellied of King Rhoam has had his eye on Fort Hawk, Nightfall and all the villages of the Steppe for years. Perhaps he has released a lynel for the inhabitants of Nightfall to ask for Hyrule's help.
Fridd always blamed Hyrule for everything so I just sighed, it was better to ignore him or change the subject because he had a hard head like stones. He even once blamed King Rhoam for the cold Fridd's mother caught that winter. Rhoam was guilty of the snow blizzards that lasted a week, guilty of the bad harvests and when his horse was injured in a leg. Fridd's younger brother lost a finger on a ridiculous brawl with some Hyrule patrolmen, so all that accumulated hatred was understandable. Kind of. And he wasn't the only one to feel that way about Hyrule and their king.
I knew this time Hyrule had nothing to do with the news that arrived at Fort Hawk. The messages spoke of shattered orchards, broken fences and lost cattle. The damage was typical of a monster, not a coordinated looting, and I was almost certain that a monster from the mountains or the steppe had ventured beyond its domains in search of food.
We've been looking for the lynel all the morning, but the weather got worse, and we got a snowstorm at noon. It's weird, we're still late in the summer, but in the mountains you never know, a shred of cloud can become a downpour in a matter of hours. We took shelter in a cave, at least until the wind died down. Then we would go to Nightfall to warm our throat with some good stew from the Inn of the Winds and resume the search once the day would clear up.
"Someone has taken refuge here before us, there's waste," Ardren observed.
"Hyrule looters?" Fridd hinted, even before he could see what kind of waste there was.
"Fridd... it's just a bunch of moblin shit," I said, making them laugh.
"What are we going to do when the storm stops, Captain?" Ardren asked, sitting in a clean corner, away from the dirt of the cave.
"Well... Inn of the Winds doesn't sound bad. A beer, a hot broth and fresh bread from the oven." I replied. And my mouth became water in the face of my own answer.
"Of course, the Inn of the Winds sounds great. After all, Eve, daughter of Thakmak son of Dakmak serves there." Fridd said.
"Thank you for reminding me she has a Father, bokoblin's head," I threw a snowball from the cave entrance to Fridd, who dodged it with a laugh, waving his shoulder.
"Are you going to woo her at once or not? She won't wait for you forever, no matter how interesting you always look to the ladies..."
"He's already wooing her," Ardren interjected —why do you think our captain is traveling miles in the snow to try a stew? Aren't there just as good stews in Fort Hawk? Of course, there are. But Link melts if the stew has been prepared by the beautiful Eve of the Winds.
"If you dare to open your mouth to say something stupid when we are there, you'll meet my fists," I threatened, "we'll go there because we need a rest and eat something good. And... yes, I think she's pretty and I'm trying to woo her, so don't you dare spoil it.
"Hooray for the brave Link! He's not afraid of Thakmak son of Dakmak. That barbarian could open his skull like a walnut if he finds out the captain hanging over his daughter," Fridd joked, earning another snowball.
I kept Mom's ring in the bag, hanging from my belt. I always had it with me just in case there was a chance or in case I suddenly realized my doubts were stupid or... I don't know. I'd been circling it and yes, it was about time I took the plunge with Eve. I liked the idea of starting a family, of finally finding my own way. We could live in the Eagle's Nest, near the Rito village. It was a few miles south of Nightfall, almost on the border with Hyrule, at the foot of the Eagle's Forest. Eve would be closer to her family, and Dad would accept that I stayed as the Forest Guardian to help to protect the southern border. Our children could grow up between the lake and the forest, outdoors, without the burdens of being the sons of The Chief of Fort Hawk. After all, it was my younger siblings, the twins, who were going to keep control of Fort Hawk once they came of age. Dad had insisted many times that it must be me and not them because I was the firstborn, but he also knew that Aldry would never accept it, not if we wanted to keep the peoples of the West content. I was still a bastard in their eyes. Dad married second nuptials to Aldry, a real daughter of the mountains, while Mom... she was from Hyrule. Mom was born at the end of the world: the eastern border of Hyrule, in the village of Hateno in the Necluda region. A foreigner. I look like her in an absurd way, same eyes, same hair... we were so alike that my Father was always joking about it: "You were your mother's, I had nothing to do with it." That's why, and because the mountain clans pressured my Father when he married Aldry, my brother Leri and my sister Jannie would be the rulers of Fort Hawk in equal parts, and I would be the captain of the guard.
I never cared about the succession, as I said: I prefer to live outdoors, being attached to the fortress wasn't in my mind. And I know Aldry doesn't accept me entirely as her son or stepson. I don't blame her; I understand she's jealous of Mom, she still has to carry with Mom's memory even if she died almost seven years ago. Dad didn't take long to find a new wife after Mom left us, Fort Hawk's laws force the chief to marry to secure the stability. A widowed chief with "a son of Hyrule" as heir unsettled some of the mountain clans, so he chose Aldry, the daughter of the head of the Wolf Fang clan, from the Hebra mountain range. The twins were born soon and that kept the border people together, as it must be. And I always wanted to have siblings, they are almost the only reason I still feel attached to Fort Hawk. They're the reason I keep coming back home.
Despite her origins and foreign status, Mom was much loved in Fort Hawk, and that has always made things difficult for Aldry as a matriarch.
Mom loved the mountains; she didn't care to live so far from her home and her origins. She often told me that as a child she once saw a giant bird, with a smaller wingspan than a rito, but much bigger than any other flying being. "It had the plumage and the wings red like the fire, Link, I was lost in the woods near the village, but the bird found me. It came up to me bowing the beak, then spread its wings and let me climb on it. We flew over the trees and rivers. We flew around the Dueling Peaks and it landed to drop me on a green hillside from where I could see the way home. Then it flew to the west, and I knew that one day my destiny would be in that direction."
I loved it when she told me that story before bed, and although many people think it's my Mom's fantasy, and that it was typical from her (always telling stories) deep down my heart I knew she was telling the truth. Father told me that the first time he saw Mom, she had the bird's wings fire in her eyes, and that's why he fell in love with her. He asked her to marry, and she left behind all her life in Hyrule to move with him to Fort Hawk.
Dad says there are different kinds of love. "Not everyone has fire in the eyes like your mother, Link." He usually repeats it to me when I tell him about Eve and my clumsy, indecisive courtship. He says that love is something that must grow, step by step, like a plant that germinates and receives its constant water and that's why he has become happy with Aldry, as much as he was in the past with Mom. I don't see the fire in Eve's eyes, although I've always dreamed that something like that would happen to me, something like what happened to Dad when he saw Mom. That would be the signal I needed to take the ring out of the bag. Dad says I'm too young and those are fantasies, and that there are other virtues that root in a man's heart, and those are the ones that require more attention. When I told him about Eve, about her kindness and her steady, honest work at the Inn of the Winds, he put Mom's ring in my hand. "Give it to her and stop looking for that red bird."
At last, the storm ceased, and Fridd, Ardren and I departed to the inn. We went on foot, with the reins of the horses in our hand, it had snowed so much that the snow covered the animals' legs and reached our knees. We weren't the only ones with the idea of taking refuge there, the inn was crowded. There were cars of merchants and overcrowded horses in the stables.
"It's time for you to use your influence with Eve to get a table," Fridd said, pushing my shoulder.
"The inn is not hers, it's her Father's. We'll wait for our turn like the rest of the people.
"Put the damn manners aside, Link, I've got my ass full of frost, go get your girlfriend and ask for a table, please.
I looked for Ardren's support, but he was also frozen and hungry so, for once, he sided with Fridd. I sighed and put the reins of my horse in the hand of my friends.
I found Eve in the bustle, with a huge tray full of empty jugs. The place was crowded, there was music, noise, laughter, and people kept screaming for more food or beer. I managed to make my way to her, who rebuked a fat peasant for not yet serving his food.
"Hey, Eve.
"Link! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. She stared at me for barely a second and continued cleaning a table and loading her already overloaded tray.
"I was hunting," I said, showing off my outfit. She hadn't notice, the boys and I wore our skin vests, the hunting paintings and the helmet of Or, god of the mountain.
"I thought you wouldn't come till tomorrow; look how much work we have! They've all come to shelter from the snow," she sighed, drying out a tiny drop of sweat that scurried down her forehead.
"Can I help you with this?
"No, it's ok, I don't want any trouble," she smiled. I felt a knot in my stomach when I saw her beautiful smile and remembered Mom's ring, hidden in my belt.
"Did you get my letter?
"Yes, I received it," she stood for a moment to look me in the eyes and I wanted to kiss her, but she instantly went back to work, "you wanted to tell me something important."
"Yes, what I wanted to tell you, what I want-
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm not deaf!" She exclaimed, or nearly shouted at the fat man at the closest table "that impatient greasy bastard. Link, look how busy the inn is, could we talk later? Maybe at night. Are you staying in Nightfall?"
"I hadn't thought about it, but I could convince the boys to stay and keep looking for the lynel tomorrow.
"Great, we'll talk later then.
I saw her throw the tray almost in the fat man's noses, who let out a laugh at her nerve. I liked that too, her character, her energy made me smile. I was going to find the boys to tell them there was no table when I felt something pulling my arm. It was she, who had returned from the crowd without burdens this time. She grabbed my face with her hands and kissed me. We heard hiss, some obscenity and laughter around us, but she didn't care at all and parted her lips slowly, with no hurry.
"Tell the boys to wait a little, I'll get you a good table." She grinned and winked at me before she disappeared again.
We ate a little tight, but we were able to dry our feet and get as satisfied as we wanted. Eve reserved the juiciest portions of the roast and we didn't lack drink or bread. After we left, I couldn't say goodbye to her, or kiss her again calmly and without an audience. Much less could I tell her about the ring, but I managed to convince Fridd and Ardren to stay at one of the Nightfall inns instead of returning to Fort Hawk in the middle of the night. Eve would come and pick me up once the work at the inn was finished, and then we could talk. That was the only thing I was saying to her in my letter, that I needed some time alone with her to tell her something important.
Everything has its good and bad side, my friends agreed to stay in Nightfall, but all the way to the village I had to put up with their heavy jokes.
"Praise the goddesses! And Or!" Fridd exclaimed. He was a little drunk, too many black beers—Link has finally decided to get intimate with his lady.
"Go to hell, Fridd...
"Our beloved Or will punish you, Fridd!" Ardren interjected, also with red cheeks, "no prayer to the goddesses of Hyrule!
"Well said, Ardren! To hell with the goddesses of Hyrule! Link, we'll leave you the biggest, secluded room for you to intimate with the lady.
"I just want to talk to her...," I snored, "and... maybe get intimate too.
The boys let out laughter that I too accompanied and finally we arrived at the inn that Eve had recommended to us, where we got shelter for us and for the horses without any problem.
Ardren wasn't joking when he and Fridd were in cahoots to let me stay in a big, secluded cabin with its own fireplace. My heart was jumping on my chest when I saw the ring glow inside my belt bag. What if I was rushing it? I imagined an idyllic life, away from Nightfall and Fort Hawk, with blond children rolling down the grass, downhill. There were no wars, no problems with Hyrule or its enemies across the West border. There were no grudges, no obligations, and I was no one, I wasn't Hyrule's bastard son. Eve wouldn't have to sweat carrying trays, or put up with those fat tavern slugs, we could be together, breathing the clean mountain air. I was very close to making all that happen, I just had to find the courage to make my proposal, and if she accepted... what if she didn't accept? What if she expected me to become the lord of Fort Hawk? What if she didn't want to leave Nightfall to live in the Eagle's Nest?
I took off my vest and leather bracelets to wash up a little. My chest was full of dirt, and the dirt had been interspersed with my hunting paintings. I lay down to take a nap as the night approached.
That night I had another one of those strange dreams. I thought it will never happen again, I thought the last one was going to be the last one.
All the dreams were similar. In all of them Hyrule's castle appeared, I've never been there, but in my mind it's a white fortress with many towers, with flags and banners that shine with the sun and wave to the wind. The fortress is surrounded by an immense city at the foot of the hill, and it's guarded by several wall rings. In the dream, I cross all those circular levels running through empty streets, I run so hard my lungs and my heart squeeze against my ribs. I don't know what kind of terror makes me run like this, but I feel like something terrible is going on and I must hurry or it's going to be late. The sky gets black, with no moon or stars. In some dreams it rains like hell, in others there is fire, the air is hot and heavy. The sword appears in my hand. I never know how it gets there. It's long, with a bluish sheen, and despite its size it feels light, and I can brandish it with one hand. Huge doors open in front of me, and a rotten smell comes out of the inside, like a poisonous vapor. I shake the sword and light comes out of it. Then the darkness envelops me and drowns me. Sometimes I wake up right at that point, sometimes the red bird appears, it's identical to the bird that saved my mother. It moves the wings and the darkness gives way a little, colliding with the wind of the wings, as if it were a shield. Someone rides on the bird, but it's hidden behind a blinding light, a powerful sunlight that never lets me see who it is. Is it Mom?
This time I also woke up wrapped in sweat, with my fist clenched, hurting me with my fingers in my palm, as if the sword was still in my hand. I drank some water to cool off. I have never spoken of these dreams to anyone, not to my friends, to my Father, nor to the seer of Fort Hawk. I'm afraid I'll be judged even more for having Hyrule's blood. I was still a little dazed when someone knocked on the door and shouted my name. It was Eve.
"Hey, what's going on? It's all right?" I was alarmed to see her nervousness. Her face was unhinged, and she was tearing tears down her nose. That's not how I expected to meet her that night.
"Link... Link... – she collapsed in my arms, I felt she was shaking.
"Tell me what happened," I tried to cradle her head in my chest to calm her down, but she kept sobbing, soaking with tears, "are you all okay?
Fridd and Ardren came running, armed and with the Or's helmet over their heads.
"Something terrible happened," Fridd said, "those bastards have attacked us, I warned you!
I frowned and looked at Ardren, I needed a more accurate description and less skewed by hate.
"Eve and her father have come looking for us, your cabin was further apart," Ardren justified, explaining why I was the last to know everything. "There's been an accident, Link."
"Damn it, it wasn't an accident!" Fridd interjected, "every second counts, Link, we have to go after them.
I looked at Eve and made her promise she wouldn't move from my cabin. There she would be protected, no one dares to enter Nightfall and the guard should already be more than alert.
"I'll be back soon, I promise," I kissed her, but it was like kissing something empty, she wasn't there with me, a huge heartbreak had taken hold of her.
My heart was beating as hard as in my dreams when I picked up my weapons and put the helmet on. My men, now they were my men and not just my friends, would explain everything to me as we rode relentlessly towards the Rito Forest.
"Eve's little sister has been wounded," Ardren told me. I clenched my teeth and rode faster.
"Will she be ok?
"I don't think so. She wasn't breathing when she was found at the Inn of the Winds. An arrow pierced her lung.
"Who was it?
"Your peaceful looters, Captain," Fridd interjected, his face uncapped.
It couldn't be, there was a peace treaty. Hyrule was entirely up to us to keep its Western border safe from the king of Ikana, their greatest enemy. We let Rhoam's armies cross to war through our lands, we give them shelter, and sometimes we even fight by their side. Why would they loot anything? And even worse... why would they kill a child? What message did Hyrule want to send with such an atrocious act?
Suddenly I could only see Eve's tears in my head, I felt her tremors as I tried to calm her against my body. I've been a stupid, confident captain. Maybe Fridd was right, maybe King Rhoam was looking for an excuse to declare war on us and take control of Nightfall and Fort Hawk. That way he would never need the favors of my father or our people again. He would take the lands with his fist, as he had done with Gerudo and other peoples.
I rode with the anger blinding me. Men or beast, whatever crossed my path, it wouldn't make it to Hyrule alive.