Chapter Four: Partners
Link had gone back to his room quickly so that he may grab a coat from his closet. A cold wind had picked up in the early afternoon and storm clouds were blowing in from the sea.
"So much for our balmy autumn weather," Link grumbled as he rummaged around the closet. There were always clothes for him there even though he so rarely wore them, but as of now he was glad they were because his old tunic was worn and didn't protect him from the cold. Once he had found one he was satisfied with he readjusted his sword and shield and was about to go when he noticed something tacked to the back of the door. He had not noticed when he came in for he was to fixed on the idea of finding a coat to notice it. Link ripped it off the door and read the short inscription on it. It read:
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING
This disturbing letter startled link. It was typed, not written so, as he surmised, that the writing could not be traced. What did it mean by 'I know what you're doing'? For some reason Link turned around quickly to make sure someone wasn't still in the room; there wasn't. He looked at the letter again, when did someone get in here? He thought. Link glanced at the floor and saw a piece of straw and a few tiny smudges of mud smeared into the ground.
"What the…?" Link commented as he bent down to pick up the straw and a sample of the dirt. He smelt it a few times. "It smells like the stables," he said quietly under his breath. "That's odd…"
***
Link heard Rook's voice over the sudden clamor as he turned down the path toward the stable. The wind had picked up again, blowing the dropping leaves off the trees in a flurry and scattering them across the yard.
"Bloody Hell! Now look what ya's done! Gone an' knocked over the wood for me to pick up! Aye ye daft horse! What's gotten into you?!" Rook tried to calm the horse by stoking its neck and eventually it quieted down. Link came into the open door of the stable to see Rook just fastening the metal latch on the animal's stall.
"Having trouble Rook?" Link said standing in the doorway. Rook glanced up and smiled.
"I don't know what got inta' him, calm one minute and then just got startled by somethin' and kicked ova' the pile of logs I stacked yesterday. Queerest thing…" He trailed off while recoiling a thick piece of rope around the wooden post. Link walked over to Epona and patted her on her broad neck.
"I hope Epona has been behaving herself," Link said reaching into his pocket and feeding her a few slices of apple he had stolen from the kitchen on his way by.
"Aye, ya spoil that horse as if she war' a charming lass ye had yer eye on or something!" Rook burst out laughing. "Don't ye have a girlfriend you can spoil? You treat her as if she war' a princess! I daresay she knows it to! Snubbed Craig ova' there right off when he was showin' off for her," Rook laughed again. Link smiled and stroked Epona's nose.
"Hey, she's my girl, for her, nothing but the best."
Rook shot him a sarcastic grin, "I can see tha'." He walked over to where the horse had knocked over the pile of wood and started to stack them up again. "I bet you have any girl you wanted, and you spoil yer horse, why if I was you…"
"I can guess what you would do and that's enough for me," Link helped him lift a particularly large log on top of the pile, "and I'm sure there are lots of young ladies out there that would like you."
"Aye, I just have ta' get out of this stable to find em'," Rook laughed wiping the dust off his forehead. He stopped suddenly in realization, "Did ya want somethin' Link?"
For a minute Link had completely forgotten why he had come down to the stable in the first place.
"Uh…um, no, not really. I just wanted to uh…say I was sorry for blowing you off earlier today, I didn't mean to be so rude." Rook stood up from his stooping position. When he stood up to his full height, Rook had Link by a good couple of inches. He was very broad in his shoulders and almost everywhere for that matter.
"Ah, it's OK. I know you and yer 'castle protocol'," Rook grinned. "Was that all ya came here for?"
"Just abou---," Link trailed off as he heard someone else coming down the path. He turned and watched the doorway for a moment until a figure moved past its wooden frame.
"Ah Link! Good, I've found you," said the man who had just entered. He was dressed in a very fine blue robe that seemed to accentuate his silver hair and beard, obviously one of the King's advisors. Link looked at him curiously and handed the log he was holding to Rook.
"Yes, is something the matter?" Link asked. The man looked the stable over with a less than satisfied attitude and crinkled his nose a bit.
"Oh no, at least not anything more," he said taking out a handkerchief, "the King would just like to know if you've found anything." He raised the tissue to his nose and blew into it violently. "I'm sorry, but I fear that I'm allergic to the…smells in here," the man apologized.
"Aye, ye get used to it," Rook commented, still mounding the logs against the wall. The Advisor looked around Link's shoulder to see who had just spoken.
"Ah, Stable Buck, I didn't see you," he said still sniffling and then turned to Link. "Did you tell him?"
"No I didn't tell him!" Link whispered annoyed.
"Tell me what?" Rook questioned.
"Nothing, it's not important," Link tried to cover up for the Advisor's slip of the tongue. Rook folded his arms crossly and the Advisor looked from face to face.
"What's going on here? If ye insist on discussing it in my presence I would like to know what ye are talking about," stated Rook hotly, "now what's going on?"
Link was uneasy about this and he didn't know how to get out of it. He wasn't sure if it was wise to let Rook in on the trouble that had been brewing around Hyrule Castle, for Rook's safety as well as other reasons. Link desperately tried to find an excuse, but as luck would have it, the loose-mouthed councilman did...or at least in some form.
"Ah Link, this young man looks like he can be trusted---" he started to say.
"Trusted? What is he talking about Link?" Rook demanded.
"He's headstrong to! He'll make a perfect addition to your detective team Link!" Said the Advisor with what seemed like genuine enthusiasm. Link couldn't tell of he was acting or had gone completely daft. It was not like one of the King's Advisors to let such important information slip like that.
"Sir?" Link stuttered, "are you sure? I mean Rook is trustworthy, but are you sure it's wise for him to be told?"
The elderly man looked at both of them and said quite seriously, "yes, we are going to need help with this and with everyone in the castle a potential suspect, one more on your side never hurt."
"Who?" Rook questioned.
Link had gone back to his room quickly so that he may grab a coat from his closet. A cold wind had picked up in the early afternoon and storm clouds were blowing in from the sea.
"So much for our balmy autumn weather," Link grumbled as he rummaged around the closet. There were always clothes for him there even though he so rarely wore them, but as of now he was glad they were because his old tunic was worn and didn't protect him from the cold. Once he had found one he was satisfied with he readjusted his sword and shield and was about to go when he noticed something tacked to the back of the door. He had not noticed when he came in for he was to fixed on the idea of finding a coat to notice it. Link ripped it off the door and read the short inscription on it. It read:
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING
This disturbing letter startled link. It was typed, not written so, as he surmised, that the writing could not be traced. What did it mean by 'I know what you're doing'? For some reason Link turned around quickly to make sure someone wasn't still in the room; there wasn't. He looked at the letter again, when did someone get in here? He thought. Link glanced at the floor and saw a piece of straw and a few tiny smudges of mud smeared into the ground.
"What the…?" Link commented as he bent down to pick up the straw and a sample of the dirt. He smelt it a few times. "It smells like the stables," he said quietly under his breath. "That's odd…"
***
Link heard Rook's voice over the sudden clamor as he turned down the path toward the stable. The wind had picked up again, blowing the dropping leaves off the trees in a flurry and scattering them across the yard.
"Bloody Hell! Now look what ya's done! Gone an' knocked over the wood for me to pick up! Aye ye daft horse! What's gotten into you?!" Rook tried to calm the horse by stoking its neck and eventually it quieted down. Link came into the open door of the stable to see Rook just fastening the metal latch on the animal's stall.
"Having trouble Rook?" Link said standing in the doorway. Rook glanced up and smiled.
"I don't know what got inta' him, calm one minute and then just got startled by somethin' and kicked ova' the pile of logs I stacked yesterday. Queerest thing…" He trailed off while recoiling a thick piece of rope around the wooden post. Link walked over to Epona and patted her on her broad neck.
"I hope Epona has been behaving herself," Link said reaching into his pocket and feeding her a few slices of apple he had stolen from the kitchen on his way by.
"Aye, ya spoil that horse as if she war' a charming lass ye had yer eye on or something!" Rook burst out laughing. "Don't ye have a girlfriend you can spoil? You treat her as if she war' a princess! I daresay she knows it to! Snubbed Craig ova' there right off when he was showin' off for her," Rook laughed again. Link smiled and stroked Epona's nose.
"Hey, she's my girl, for her, nothing but the best."
Rook shot him a sarcastic grin, "I can see tha'." He walked over to where the horse had knocked over the pile of wood and started to stack them up again. "I bet you have any girl you wanted, and you spoil yer horse, why if I was you…"
"I can guess what you would do and that's enough for me," Link helped him lift a particularly large log on top of the pile, "and I'm sure there are lots of young ladies out there that would like you."
"Aye, I just have ta' get out of this stable to find em'," Rook laughed wiping the dust off his forehead. He stopped suddenly in realization, "Did ya want somethin' Link?"
For a minute Link had completely forgotten why he had come down to the stable in the first place.
"Uh…um, no, not really. I just wanted to uh…say I was sorry for blowing you off earlier today, I didn't mean to be so rude." Rook stood up from his stooping position. When he stood up to his full height, Rook had Link by a good couple of inches. He was very broad in his shoulders and almost everywhere for that matter.
"Ah, it's OK. I know you and yer 'castle protocol'," Rook grinned. "Was that all ya came here for?"
"Just abou---," Link trailed off as he heard someone else coming down the path. He turned and watched the doorway for a moment until a figure moved past its wooden frame.
"Ah Link! Good, I've found you," said the man who had just entered. He was dressed in a very fine blue robe that seemed to accentuate his silver hair and beard, obviously one of the King's advisors. Link looked at him curiously and handed the log he was holding to Rook.
"Yes, is something the matter?" Link asked. The man looked the stable over with a less than satisfied attitude and crinkled his nose a bit.
"Oh no, at least not anything more," he said taking out a handkerchief, "the King would just like to know if you've found anything." He raised the tissue to his nose and blew into it violently. "I'm sorry, but I fear that I'm allergic to the…smells in here," the man apologized.
"Aye, ye get used to it," Rook commented, still mounding the logs against the wall. The Advisor looked around Link's shoulder to see who had just spoken.
"Ah, Stable Buck, I didn't see you," he said still sniffling and then turned to Link. "Did you tell him?"
"No I didn't tell him!" Link whispered annoyed.
"Tell me what?" Rook questioned.
"Nothing, it's not important," Link tried to cover up for the Advisor's slip of the tongue. Rook folded his arms crossly and the Advisor looked from face to face.
"What's going on here? If ye insist on discussing it in my presence I would like to know what ye are talking about," stated Rook hotly, "now what's going on?"
Link was uneasy about this and he didn't know how to get out of it. He wasn't sure if it was wise to let Rook in on the trouble that had been brewing around Hyrule Castle, for Rook's safety as well as other reasons. Link desperately tried to find an excuse, but as luck would have it, the loose-mouthed councilman did...or at least in some form.
"Ah Link, this young man looks like he can be trusted---" he started to say.
"Trusted? What is he talking about Link?" Rook demanded.
"He's headstrong to! He'll make a perfect addition to your detective team Link!" Said the Advisor with what seemed like genuine enthusiasm. Link couldn't tell of he was acting or had gone completely daft. It was not like one of the King's Advisors to let such important information slip like that.
"Sir?" Link stuttered, "are you sure? I mean Rook is trustworthy, but are you sure it's wise for him to be told?"
The elderly man looked at both of them and said quite seriously, "yes, we are going to need help with this and with everyone in the castle a potential suspect, one more on your side never hurt."
"Who?" Rook questioned.