Chapter Five: Minor Setbacks
Rook was more or less the least sly person Link had ever met. He may have been strong as a horse and clever with his hands to, but the word 'discreet' didn't seem to be in his vocabulary. Rook was so enthusiastic that he got to help uncover a conspiracy that he immediately though it necessary to go bullying random people around, becoming suspicious of everyone. He was Link's follower anywhere he went, trying to copy every move he made and to be of help anyway he could. Most of the time he just got in Link's way however.
"I think that tha' ol' man that runs the Bazaar has somethin' to do with tha' letter to the king," said Rook in a low tone peering over across the market square where the big, burly man was browsing through a cart of fruit.
"Rook, you can't just to around accusing everyone!" Link sighed, "why would you think that he did it?"
"He goes to tha' castle sometimes to see the ol' scullery maid," he replied still watching suspiciously. "He coulda' sneaked in on one of his 'visits' and planted the note."
"Jeez Rook, if it was anything like that then Malon could be the killer!" Link groaned at his friend's logic. "We need a motive not a wild guess!"
"Well I didna' see you coming up with anything," Rook said flatly.
The market had been restored to its past splendor now that Ganondof had been locked in the Sacred Realm for almost a year and a half. The people had returned and helped rebuild their town and it looked better than ever, especially in the fading daylight. Link and Rook had left the castle to see if anything strange were going on here, maybe they would be lucky and pick up an interesting tip at the tavern. Rook was no stranger at Hawthorn's Tavern, many times after he had fed the horses for the evening he would come down to the market to have a drink or two. Twice his younger sister, who worked in the castle kitchen, caught him returning home drunk. He received such a scolding from her!
The two young men entered the tavern and Rook's entrance was met with a chorus of whoops and greetings.
"Hey laddie! Aye, we don't usually see you until later!" One man sitting at the bar hollered across the room. "Yer getting as bad as the rest of us!"
"Hiya Rook," said a slender woman carrying some glasses of ale on a tray. "Where have ya been? We've missed you." She bent forward and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Hey Cynthia, how's it been?" Rook blushed.
The tavern was soaked in the rich smell of liquor. It filled Link's nose, which made him sniff a little. He was not used to such a strong smell of alcohol. The two young men took a seat in one of the tables against the wall of the room. The lighting was dim and sudden uproars of laughter were scattered from time to time. Ale glasses clanging, the low murmur of voices, and the sound of men slurping the last drops of foam from their mugs filled the room. Rook and Link ordered a drink to keep up appearances, though Link didn't really touch his.
About quarter till 9:00, after sitting in the tavern for almost an hour and a half, a pair of men entered the establishment and sat down in a secluded corner of the room. Link watched with interest as the new men talked quietly amongst themselves. Try as he might, Link could not overhear their conversation despite his pointed elfin ears. After the men had finished their drinks, they nodded to each other and left out the door. Link wanted to follow.
"Rook, come on, we're going," he said standing up and heading for his gear near the front door.
"But it's almost Happy Hour!" Rook complained, "just fifteen more minutes?"
"No, we're going now!"
"Aye, fine. Spoil Sport."
"Come on!"
Link saw the two men turn a corner into the alley. He and Rook followed carefully, making sure not to be seen or heard. One of the men, the taller of the two, looked around suspiciously before disappearing behind a door with the other man. The alley was full of shadows and there was only the sliver of moon in the sky. The new moon was coming up fast. Link grabbed Rook and pulled him behind some old crates, away from the view of the door and positioned closely enough to the window that they could hear the men inside.
One voice was gruff and coarse sounding while the other was slightly higher pitched but with an irritating shrill sound to it. Link guessed that the shrill voice belonged to the taller of the two men, both of which he didn't seem to recognize. Rook squirmed beside him but stopped when Link glared at him to keep still.
"Wouldn't kill ya if you tol' me wha' we're doin'," Rook said irritably.
"Pay attention Rook!" Link hissed as quietly as he could. "I think these men might have something to do with the threat on the king! Now keep quiet and help me listen!"
"What should we do now Mailius? That party thing is gonna happen in a few days!"
"We wait, Januas, we wait."
"But what if they find us? There are lots of guards at the castle now! They'll catch us for sure!"
"Don't be stupid, my plan is to good to fail. You just do your part and I'll do mine, they can't catch us."
"But…"
"Shut up! I told you, all we have to do is wait and all of the pieces will fall into place. At the Advisor's Ball you take the guest's horses into the stable to keep up appearances and then what?"
"I meet you in the side courtyard and you give me the dagger to cut the rope to the chandelier."
"Very good, and what next?"
"Then I sneak into the main chamber and wait for your signal."
"Why those bloody…!" Rook seethed. "Just wait till I get me hans' on em'!" He stood up and was about to charge the door.
"What do you think your doing?!" Link hissed, pulling him back down. "You can't just barge in there! What good is that going to do?!"
The light in the window went out and door creaked open slowly. The two men walked out silently into the darkness. Link was trying to keep Rook from getting up from their hiding place and keep him quiet at the same time.
"Remember, wait for my signal before you cut the rope," the tall, shrill man said to his broad, slightly shorter companion. The two lads were no more than five feet away from the men, carefully concealed in the shadows. Link held his hand closely over Rook's mouth to try and keep him quiet, but Rook was determined to get free and apprehend the killers that very minute. Despite Link's efforts, Rook shot out of their hiding place, startling both men.
"Aye, you're caught now!" Rook bellowed, trying to be the daring hero. "You better give up now and maybe we'll take it easy on ya!" He signaled Link to come forth from the shadows that hid him. The men didn't wait to see who was there with the strange, dark hair young man. The two went off sprinting in opposite directions down the alleys. Link, not believing his companion's actions, went to stand beside him.
"Rook! I told you not to move!" Link scolded much like a father would scold his son. "Come on! We better catch them now!"
Rook nodded and took off after the shorter man to the right, and Link chased after the man to the left. The teller man had run out to the Market Square, which was now abandoned of people in the night. Link scanned the open square for a moment and then spotted the cloaked man running up the dirt road toward Hyrule Castle. He sprinted to catch up to him, but surprisingly the man was faster than he was. In the not to far off distance Link could see the dark figure scaling the old vine that he had used as a child. The man reached the top and disappeared over the edge. By this time Link had lost track of Rook, hopefully that big lout was having better luck than he was. The man was slowing down, no doubt tired from his flight. Link was gaining on him quickly as he duct into one of the gardens along the West Side of the castle. Link lost him after that. The garden was dark and it would be easy to lose anyone in it at night, but Link kept searching. He thought he heard some scuffling along the wall that connected the garden to the Kitchen Garden and he quickly went to go and investigate. He crept along the stone wall, running his hand along it and walked as quietly as he could. He paused at the stone archway that lead to the Kitchen Garden and held his breath so that he might hear more easily. He thought he could hear someone faintly breathing on the opposite side of the wall. Quietly, Link drew the Biggoron sword out of its sheath and turned the corner to face whoever was there.
"What the bloody---!" Rook gasped, staggering backwards after Link had jumped out from behind the corner. Link, likewise startled, had jumped back a few feet too.
"Rook? What are you…? I thought you were chasing…" Link gulped for breath. Rook stared at him for a moment while he felt his heart beating in his throat.
"I was, but I lost im' in this daft garden. I can't see a bloody thing!" Rook explained.
"Well, we both lost them now," said Link disappointedly. "Come on, we better go tell the King."
Rook was more or less the least sly person Link had ever met. He may have been strong as a horse and clever with his hands to, but the word 'discreet' didn't seem to be in his vocabulary. Rook was so enthusiastic that he got to help uncover a conspiracy that he immediately though it necessary to go bullying random people around, becoming suspicious of everyone. He was Link's follower anywhere he went, trying to copy every move he made and to be of help anyway he could. Most of the time he just got in Link's way however.
"I think that tha' ol' man that runs the Bazaar has somethin' to do with tha' letter to the king," said Rook in a low tone peering over across the market square where the big, burly man was browsing through a cart of fruit.
"Rook, you can't just to around accusing everyone!" Link sighed, "why would you think that he did it?"
"He goes to tha' castle sometimes to see the ol' scullery maid," he replied still watching suspiciously. "He coulda' sneaked in on one of his 'visits' and planted the note."
"Jeez Rook, if it was anything like that then Malon could be the killer!" Link groaned at his friend's logic. "We need a motive not a wild guess!"
"Well I didna' see you coming up with anything," Rook said flatly.
The market had been restored to its past splendor now that Ganondof had been locked in the Sacred Realm for almost a year and a half. The people had returned and helped rebuild their town and it looked better than ever, especially in the fading daylight. Link and Rook had left the castle to see if anything strange were going on here, maybe they would be lucky and pick up an interesting tip at the tavern. Rook was no stranger at Hawthorn's Tavern, many times after he had fed the horses for the evening he would come down to the market to have a drink or two. Twice his younger sister, who worked in the castle kitchen, caught him returning home drunk. He received such a scolding from her!
The two young men entered the tavern and Rook's entrance was met with a chorus of whoops and greetings.
"Hey laddie! Aye, we don't usually see you until later!" One man sitting at the bar hollered across the room. "Yer getting as bad as the rest of us!"
"Hiya Rook," said a slender woman carrying some glasses of ale on a tray. "Where have ya been? We've missed you." She bent forward and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"Hey Cynthia, how's it been?" Rook blushed.
The tavern was soaked in the rich smell of liquor. It filled Link's nose, which made him sniff a little. He was not used to such a strong smell of alcohol. The two young men took a seat in one of the tables against the wall of the room. The lighting was dim and sudden uproars of laughter were scattered from time to time. Ale glasses clanging, the low murmur of voices, and the sound of men slurping the last drops of foam from their mugs filled the room. Rook and Link ordered a drink to keep up appearances, though Link didn't really touch his.
About quarter till 9:00, after sitting in the tavern for almost an hour and a half, a pair of men entered the establishment and sat down in a secluded corner of the room. Link watched with interest as the new men talked quietly amongst themselves. Try as he might, Link could not overhear their conversation despite his pointed elfin ears. After the men had finished their drinks, they nodded to each other and left out the door. Link wanted to follow.
"Rook, come on, we're going," he said standing up and heading for his gear near the front door.
"But it's almost Happy Hour!" Rook complained, "just fifteen more minutes?"
"No, we're going now!"
"Aye, fine. Spoil Sport."
"Come on!"
Link saw the two men turn a corner into the alley. He and Rook followed carefully, making sure not to be seen or heard. One of the men, the taller of the two, looked around suspiciously before disappearing behind a door with the other man. The alley was full of shadows and there was only the sliver of moon in the sky. The new moon was coming up fast. Link grabbed Rook and pulled him behind some old crates, away from the view of the door and positioned closely enough to the window that they could hear the men inside.
One voice was gruff and coarse sounding while the other was slightly higher pitched but with an irritating shrill sound to it. Link guessed that the shrill voice belonged to the taller of the two men, both of which he didn't seem to recognize. Rook squirmed beside him but stopped when Link glared at him to keep still.
"Wouldn't kill ya if you tol' me wha' we're doin'," Rook said irritably.
"Pay attention Rook!" Link hissed as quietly as he could. "I think these men might have something to do with the threat on the king! Now keep quiet and help me listen!"
"What should we do now Mailius? That party thing is gonna happen in a few days!"
"We wait, Januas, we wait."
"But what if they find us? There are lots of guards at the castle now! They'll catch us for sure!"
"Don't be stupid, my plan is to good to fail. You just do your part and I'll do mine, they can't catch us."
"But…"
"Shut up! I told you, all we have to do is wait and all of the pieces will fall into place. At the Advisor's Ball you take the guest's horses into the stable to keep up appearances and then what?"
"I meet you in the side courtyard and you give me the dagger to cut the rope to the chandelier."
"Very good, and what next?"
"Then I sneak into the main chamber and wait for your signal."
"Why those bloody…!" Rook seethed. "Just wait till I get me hans' on em'!" He stood up and was about to charge the door.
"What do you think your doing?!" Link hissed, pulling him back down. "You can't just barge in there! What good is that going to do?!"
The light in the window went out and door creaked open slowly. The two men walked out silently into the darkness. Link was trying to keep Rook from getting up from their hiding place and keep him quiet at the same time.
"Remember, wait for my signal before you cut the rope," the tall, shrill man said to his broad, slightly shorter companion. The two lads were no more than five feet away from the men, carefully concealed in the shadows. Link held his hand closely over Rook's mouth to try and keep him quiet, but Rook was determined to get free and apprehend the killers that very minute. Despite Link's efforts, Rook shot out of their hiding place, startling both men.
"Aye, you're caught now!" Rook bellowed, trying to be the daring hero. "You better give up now and maybe we'll take it easy on ya!" He signaled Link to come forth from the shadows that hid him. The men didn't wait to see who was there with the strange, dark hair young man. The two went off sprinting in opposite directions down the alleys. Link, not believing his companion's actions, went to stand beside him.
"Rook! I told you not to move!" Link scolded much like a father would scold his son. "Come on! We better catch them now!"
Rook nodded and took off after the shorter man to the right, and Link chased after the man to the left. The teller man had run out to the Market Square, which was now abandoned of people in the night. Link scanned the open square for a moment and then spotted the cloaked man running up the dirt road toward Hyrule Castle. He sprinted to catch up to him, but surprisingly the man was faster than he was. In the not to far off distance Link could see the dark figure scaling the old vine that he had used as a child. The man reached the top and disappeared over the edge. By this time Link had lost track of Rook, hopefully that big lout was having better luck than he was. The man was slowing down, no doubt tired from his flight. Link was gaining on him quickly as he duct into one of the gardens along the West Side of the castle. Link lost him after that. The garden was dark and it would be easy to lose anyone in it at night, but Link kept searching. He thought he heard some scuffling along the wall that connected the garden to the Kitchen Garden and he quickly went to go and investigate. He crept along the stone wall, running his hand along it and walked as quietly as he could. He paused at the stone archway that lead to the Kitchen Garden and held his breath so that he might hear more easily. He thought he could hear someone faintly breathing on the opposite side of the wall. Quietly, Link drew the Biggoron sword out of its sheath and turned the corner to face whoever was there.
"What the bloody---!" Rook gasped, staggering backwards after Link had jumped out from behind the corner. Link, likewise startled, had jumped back a few feet too.
"Rook? What are you…? I thought you were chasing…" Link gulped for breath. Rook stared at him for a moment while he felt his heart beating in his throat.
"I was, but I lost im' in this daft garden. I can't see a bloody thing!" Rook explained.
"Well, we both lost them now," said Link disappointedly. "Come on, we better go tell the King."