The Black Tower

I kept listening to Grimla's speech, trying not to get too distracted, still in my position behind Link. Grimla wasn't really a great speaker, he explained everything about the tunnels, about Ikana. He did it without making any accusations, which surprised me. I wish Link wasn't turning his back on me, the ridiculous way the guests were participating left them out of the circle, and because of that I couldn't read anything in his eyes or expression.

How the hell could the narration of a siege and the enemy attack become such a boring thing? I don't know, but I soon got distracted.

I watched the leaders of other clans, all of them dressed in something distinctive. Many had Or's helmet on their heads, such as Link, but at the same time they wore something from their clan. Kruu carried his rhino horn, with which I saw him drinking mouthfuls of liquor, during the Games. There was an old man with a hooked nose who wore a ferret's tail on his belt, the one from the Crow Clan wore black, Ugal's repulsive father wore a bearskin cloak. Why didn't Link wear anything of his family? Why didn't he wear his tunic with the Nest emblem?

"Schh. Don't be distracted, Adlez. Focus," Link whispered.

I have no idea how he knew I wasn't paying attention to Grimla, he was turning his back on me. Goddess, perhaps he had spent too much time with Impa and had developed that annoying ability to "see" everything without having to look.

"... that's why Captain Link of the Eagle's Nest is here."

Those words brought me back to reality. Grimla had begun his speech by thanking Link for hosting the kandar, but he soon became entangled in the narrative, forgot Link and I dispersed. Kruu roared like a bull in heat and Grimla gave him the cane of parliament.

"Link's not kandary at all," Kruu roared, even before his fist was clenched in the cane, "he's just a half-foreigner married to a foreigner. He is not a kandary!"

There was a murmur, the old man had to call for order. The cane went to the Crow Clan.

"According to kandar rules, if a chief cannot be present, he names a peykandary. Grenmak's son is peykandary by birth right. The Crow Clan accepts him as a double representative of the Eagle and the Hawk."

Murmurs, protests again. The cane went to Ufal of the Bear.

"The foreigner may be kandary of the Eagle. But he's not of the Hawk. The heirs of the Hawk are not here. Eagle Link will have only one vote in the kandar."

The murmurs were minor. It was clear that there were doubts about Link's authority. That made me suffer. He was so kind and so noble. Much more than any of the kandary in the circle. Link would never use double voting to benefit from anything, I was sure. He just wanted to defend everyone and avoid war! Damned stubborn barbarians... The cane of parliament ended up in Link's hand, he was entitled to a retort after so many accusations. I got as nervous as if I were going to speak.

"It's true. I'm not the Hawk's heir. But my siblings are children, they're small. They're not fit to talk about monsters or war. We have to protect them. If I'm not worthy to speak for them, I appoint Grimla of the Wolf's Fang as peykandary of the Hawk. My siblings are his grandchildren. Their grandfather will speak for them."

No… no! I was totally outraged. Link loved those kids with all his heart, how could he not be worthy to speak for them? If Father were here... he'd have put order, he would have shut the mouths of those dirty, lying barbarians. Unfortunately, Link's proposal convinced the kandar, and the double vote went to Grimla.

"Cleared this up, kandary brothers, I hope this will not become a succession issue, not with a war at the gates of our homes.", the old man said.

The cane was requested by Kruu again. Well, he rather ripped it out of the old man's hand.

"Yes, it's a succession issue! Since the foreigner married the Princess of the East, tragedies have continued to happen. Coincidence? I don't think so. His father has deceived us. First they stole little Bri from us, then he brought the enemy into our land. They thought they could shut us up with a speck of gold, Kruu won't sell for a speck!

"A huge speck!" One barbarian laughed, skipping protocol. The joke was reciprocated by other barbarians and that lowered Kruu's speech. The cane went to the White Fox clan, a thin, tall barbarian who waited for the jokes and laughs to stop to speak.

"Your only love is Rhoam's gold, Kruu of the Rhino Clan. That's nothing new," there was more laughter, though he kept a serious look, "neither is it that Link of the Eagle and his father Grenmak of the Hawk have protected our weakest and smallest villages. Eagle Link's family has fed the Fox Clan for centuries of friendship, in times of hardship and scarcity. And Eagle Link has spent countless days killing monsters on the Steppe, protecting our families. I've never seen a more fearless hunter. Meanwhile, Kruu of the rhino counted the gold specks in his lair, and drank from his horn without sharing. Without helping others."

Both Kruu and Ufal protested, but the others didn't support them this time. They didn't laugh at their jokes. They were being left alone. The cane went to the Ox, a man I'd seen at the winter banquet, I thought he was a quiet, friendly guy.

"The village of Nightfall of the Ox Clan is under the command of the Hawk and the Eagle, our protectors and benefactors. But command laws or not, Eagle Link has our support. And he'll never be called a foreigner, he's a son of the East and West. It has to mean something, he represents the balance, the peace between peoples."

Goddess, I was glad to see that Link was not alone, that there were others who knew how good he really was, and that my marriage to him had failed to tarnish that image. The cane was passed around until only Kruu and Ufal were the only ones to question Link. Then the old man gave the cane to him.

"We've already wasted a lot of time, Or's flames are lower," Link protested, without hiding his outrage at the debate over his legitimacy, "and as we spend words, the wraith enter our land like a herd. They set crops on fire, steal, loot. They'll soon kill."

There were murmurs, but none of them wanted the cane, so Link kept talking.

"My father has already been wounded, I hope not mortally. And I hope that no one here, blinded by gold, has opened the door to our enemies."

I knew Link had nailed his ice look in Kruu, because he became distracted and couldn't stand Link's gaze. His body language was so revealing...

"I'm not going to judge that tonight," Link continued, "because I'm going to trust this kandar, and I'm going to take advantage of Or's flames. I'm not going to let them be consummated in false accusations or suspicion. You're my brothers, everyone, I've fought with everyone. And I will continue to do so, but we must organise ourselves. We cannot continue to placate this evil separately. I myself will go to the heart of Ikana to understand the source of the evil. But I will not leave unless I know in advance that my brothers will support me at the border, that they will protect our children and our wives."

There was silence, I suppose acceptance. The cane passed to Grimla.

"My two votes are for Eagle Link. We will protect the border and send men if you need them for your trip to Ikana. And I take this opportunity to thank the shadow people of Hyrule," then he looked at me. Everyone looked at me and I wanted to become invisible, "Adlez of the sheikah is here in their name, he and his people have fought side by side with barbarians on the border, slaying hordes of wraith and monsters. We're indebted to you."

"Thank you, Adlez of the Sheikah," the old man said, regaining his cane, "the proposal has become clear. Now we will vote if the kandar goes to war with Ikana and supports Link of the Eagle traveling to the Black Tower."

The vote was quick. Even Kruu and Ufal, seeing themselves cornered reluctantly accepted but… I had little confidence in them, very little. I expected them to defect or to stay in the background, contributing their men only when the tide of the confrontation had already turned to one side or the other. Cowards.

We left when the flames of the circle became extinct. It was an endless night, because apart from the war more things were discussed, it seems that the barbarians barely gathered so the clans took advantage of the kandar to agree on other minor issues, such as trade routes, exchange of goods and old debts.

After the kandar, I followed Link to "my quarters" in the stable shed. Once inside, he lit a fireplace that was there to make charcoal for the forge, and the place became very pleasant. Almost habitable. There was a mattress of hay and feathers that must have been carried there for the sheikah, and a barrel of cool, clear water. Link helped me drag the mattress to the fireplace so I could sleep near the warmth, and together we finished tidying it up a bit.

"Why you? Aren't there hundreds of barbarians in the West? Aren't there at least ten kandary? Why do you have to go?" I reproached him.

"Zelda... I'm tired..."

"I just don't understand why you."

"Because no one else is going to do it," he clenched his jaw, "have you seen anyone intending to go there? Tell the truth..."

"No. I haven't. But there has to be another way."

He snorted. So, I don't know why, I saw that the buckle on his belt had the eagle engraved on the metal. Its symbol was always there, humble but elegant, different from the others also in that sense. I felt even more angry, but I didn't feel like arguing with him.

"I need to see how my dad is doing. I'll leave you alone, I don't think you'll miss anything here."

"I'm fine like this."

"Don't open anyone, don't talk to anyone."

"Link…"

"I can't stay here, it would arouse suspicion. It wouldn't be normal for me to stay with a sheikah."

"I know. What are you going to do? When do you leave to Ikana?"

"We have to get ready for that," he said, avoiding my gaze, "we'll see."

"Wait, Link. I want to send a message to Impa."

"Now? It's too late, leave it for tomorrow."

"No. She must be worried, I won't be long, I promise. I'll go, send the message and go back to this sheikah lair. But I have to do it tonight. She cares about me, I had a hard time convincing her to let me come here, you know how she is. I can't wait to send news."

"Alright," he reluctantly gave in.

It was very cold outside the shed, An icy blast swept across the parade ground and we both walked quickly to the fortress.

"Adlez, the hawk tower is over there," Link said. I nodded, in my silent pose. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

I nodded again, though he looked at me strangely. That's when we parted ways.

There was an old man missing most of his teeth in the messaging room. When he saw me appear, he twisted his face, gave me a few ridiculous warnings about messaging hours, that he wasn't everyone's servant, blah, blah, blah, blah, but he soon realised that I wasn't answering. He rolled his eyes and went about his business, I guess more sheikah had been around, because he took it as a matter of course.

I scribbled a quick summary of the events in the kandar. Of course, between Impa and I there was a sort of code language that we had both agreed on, so that if anyone intercepted the message they would have a hard time understanding it.

The horse has to move towards sunset. The line is protected. The little bird must return as soon as possible. Wait for her return.

Link was the horse and I was the little bird, and I hoped she would understand not to move from the Nest and not to rush after me, I was scared that she would leave the kids and everyone else unprotected, even though Impa had never broken any of her promises.

I left the hawk tower to my shed, there was no one outside, but I was very surprised to hear Link's voice, not far from where I was. I decided to act like the sheikah I pretended to be, and crouching I walked down a street next to the fortress, where there were smaller cottages and a couple of taverns where, in the middle of the day, the stable boys and soldiers of Fort Hawk were milling about. It was all closed at the time, so Link's voice rang out clearly in the darkness of the night.

"... please," whispered a woman's voice.

It was Eve, and those words got trapped in Link's chest when she sank her face against him. Link seemed a little bewildered by that reaction but ended up surrounding her.

"Come on, we shouldn't be here," he said, and pulled her away. They disappeared behind the door of one of the little houses.

I... I had nothing to do there anymore and I didn't know how to feel. Surely it wasn't what it seemed, but I felt horribly distressed. Eve still had feelings for Link, I could see it, I saw it clear when we ran into them that same day, before the kandar.

Once in my warm sheikah hideout I tried to eat something, but I didn't have much appetite. Everything was going wrong and it really sucked. I had to go back to the Nest alone, and it was something I didn't feel like doing and it was against my will. On the other hand, I couldn't do anything to help, I couldn't heal Link's father, nor was I a great warrior to intervene in the defence of Fort Hawk and the villages on the border with Ikana. I couldn't go with Link to that place they had said, the Black Tower, I didn't know where it was, what it meant. It was completely useless, maybe the best thing I could do was to go to Hyrule, to warn father in person, without intermediaries, I didn't want him to confuse my words again or the words of some emissary. But I didn't want to have to go through the Rito village again, alone, I didn't want to see Kahen, let alone Ganondorf. Link was going to leave soon, and I felt him far away from me, as if he was already gone, and I couldn't tear myself away from the image of him hugging Eve and getting lost with her in the middle of the night.

In the end I managed to cheer myself up for dinner, got rid of the sheikah cape and mask and became a little myself again. I had stolen a piece of paper, pen and ink from the tower, I wanted to write a letter to Gae, I hadn't heard from him for a long time and writing to him was my way of letting off steam when he wasn't around. Then I lay for a while warming my hands on the fire, silent, but unable to sleep.

I was in the midst of an anguished process of self-pity when I heard three taps on the door and Link's voice on the other side asking me to open it, that there was nothing to be afraid of. I hadn't expected anything like this at all, least of all after what I'd seen, and I got up to open the door with my heart leaping in my chest. When I opened the door I found him with a strange expression, as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing there either, so I just opened the door, and he came in without saying anything.

He took off his boots, the cape. He no longer wore his barbarian attire, at some point he had to change with warmer trousers and a shirt. He sat on the mattress, of course he threw in an extra log to stoke the fire, all as normally as if we were in one of the Nest's chambers. I sat cautiously beside him and just waited for him to say something. He wasn't supposed to be there. It would be very strange for anyone to discover Captain Link in the shed where these sheikah strangers were housed, as he himself said when he first led me to my shelter.

"Mopai's with Dad. If anyone can cure him, it's her," he said, frowning a little.

"He'll be alright, you'll see."

"I don't want him to die."

I saw his energy falter, and his eyes glowing in front of the flames of the fire.

"He's not going to die, he's going to be cured, Mopai will cure him just like she cured me. There's no one better to trust. In a couple of days you'll see how he recovers."

"Do you think so?"

"I'm sure."

I wasn't, but I thought that's what he needed to hear. He stretched out to my side and hugged me, more tightly than I expected. As best I could, I wrapped my arms around him too, until his tension eased a little, slowly melting away with the contact.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said, and then tried to kiss me. He tried, because I pulled back a little bit to avoid it. "Is something wrong?"

There was a lot of confusion in his eyes and his frown was back. He still had bright eyes, a mixture of tiredness and discomfort.

"Link, I'm glad to be here too, but..."

"But...," he arched an eyebrow.

"I've seen you before, when I left the hawk tower. I heard your voice and..."

"You saw me," he blinked, still not understanding.

"With that girl," I looked at my hands because his eyes had become unbearable.

"Yes, I've met Eve again. I hadn't talked to her in a while, she wanted to ask me about Dad without interruption and she wasn't feeling well, so I accompanied her to a shelter away from Ugal. She'll be safe and sound there."

"Okay."

"That… that has nothing to do with you. She was just wrong and I accompanied her. Then I went to see Dad, but Mopai had already slept him with a sleep potion. And then..."

"Then you're here."

"I didn't want to be alone. I know I'm not the best company right now."

"Don't say that, I... I'm glad you think of me so you don't feel lonely."

"I told you I don't feel the same way about Eve, it's the truth, you have to believe me. She was just wrong and she missed me, we haven't talked in a long time, but she understood, she's been left alone and she understood," he insisted.

"I think she still has feelings for you, or so I thought when we saw her on the way to the kandar."

"It may be true, but she knows I'm with my wife, she won't do anything, she'll walk away. And she'll try to get away from Ugal, too. It's a real unwanted marriage, not like ours."

"Not like ours," I repeated, with a chuckle.

He was still sad and a bit forlorn, and he didn't feel like joking like other times. I reached out my hand to his face and he reacted by clinging to my palm, like a puppy looking for a cuddle. I kissed him. It was I who did it, he stood still until I touched his lips with mine. Then he corresponded me and I melted right there, because this kiss had nothing to do with others.

He pulled me to bed. I lay on my side and he did the same, facing me. With his fingers he gently brushed the strands of hair away from my face. I saw his eyes move from my forehead to my nose, my lips, tracing my features, and then he kissed me again. That kiss warmed me completely, this time he used his tongue. I wanted him. I shortened any distance between us and tried to melt into him, pushed my mouth on his, held him tight.

"Hey" he said. His grin broke our kiss.

"Too much?" I grinned too. It was too late to feel embarrassed but my cheeks burned anyway.

"Maybe." He brushed my hair again, with the tip of his fingers. He drove me crazy with that alone.

I sighed and put a little distance between us, still facing him, but now at least he could breathe.

"I'm sorry. Today's been a difficult day for you, Link."

"It's improved a lot at the end." He made me laugh.

"I know. But it's okay for us to go slow. I guess we started too fast."

I couldn't even think of going slow as I was surrounded by his warmth. I wanted him to touch me and kiss me and everything would happen like something new. But at the same time when we had tried it forcefully crossed my mind like lightning, as a warning that we should know each other well, without all those fears and doubts. I was still clumsy and inexperienced for all purposes and wanted to learn more. I don't know if anything like this would happen to him, men are very different, after all.

"Sex won't be a problem anymore, so forget what you're thinking right now." He said, guessing my thoughts. I blushed awkwardly. Just hearing him using that word made me blush like a child. "I just need to be with you like this."

He lay on his back and pulled me down to rest on his chest. I moved a little on top of him until I felt comfortable. Would he feel comfortable too? He didn't move but to stroke my hair with his hand. Maybe I was crushing his arm although he didn't complain.

"Things will be all right," I whispered, "Those barbarians will realise what a sacrifice you make, how much you care about saving others. And when they do, they will forever regret questioning you like this in the kandar. I'll ask Impa and Father for help, we'll get reinforcements. We have to protect the Nest well, it's safe for now, but you never know."

I tried to sound convincing, but I knew he was lost in his own thoughts.

"For a long time, I haven't had anyone, Zelda. Not like this. The last person I ever had like this was Mom. Not even with Eve I... and Dad soon had Aldry and the twins. Sometimes I feel like I'm far from them."

You have me now. That. That's what I was unable to say. It was too overwhelming.

"Zelda, I don't want you to do anything silly while I'm away."

"Don't worry, you'll do enough nonsense for both of us going to that horrible place."

He kissed my head and I noticed that his breathing gradually calmed down. I felt an enormous pity for my barbarian. He was not like the others, in any sense. He had been too long away from affection, giving everything to others with almost nothing in return. And he needed to feel like he was part of something, maybe it wasn't important to other barbarians, but it was important to Link. I didn't know if I was going to be able to meet such a need.