Chapter One: The Shoe Maker's Daughter
If someone were to stand outside the gates of Castle Town on a normal day this is what they would see: people. Tons and tons of people, bodies pushing against bodies hurrying from one place to the next. The smells of market food— salted trouts, roasted pumpkins, and freshly baked pastries all shipped in from towns and villages across Hyrule. Many people lived within the walls, inside brick and stone buildings stacked on top of one another, but without the imports of lavish food that made the smallest Hylian's mouth water people simply could not live in Castle Town.
At the entrance of Castle Town, a simple peddler or traveler would stare up and see the immediate glory that was Hyrule Castle. The majestic building towered over its city, its shadow like a clock's hand traveled around the city to grace smaller buildings with its mere presence. No matter which entrance someone entered Castle Town, east, west, noth, or south they were always greeted by the tall towers of Hyrule Castle that seemed to touch the clouds themselves. Somewhere inside that building lived the royal family, and somewhere in that building history wrapped itself within ancient shelves dusted every day to preserve the importance that is Hyrule.
Yet this story does not start with an excited traveler, a curious princess, or even within the vast library hidden from the rest of the world. Instead, this story starts on a tiny side street in Castle Town. Like all the buildings on its street, it is a small slightly-crooked building block attached to anything relevant adjacent to it. Above on the second floor is a tiny wooden balcony, which a sign dangles below it to read "Luriken's Shoes".
Inside the store, a man is hunched over at his desk. Next to him are dozens of papers with notes scribbled half-hazardly from a feathered pen which sits off-kilter on the desk. The man wipes his brow before going back to slowly stitching together a new sole on a worn leather boot. A loud thud shakes the room and he pokes himself with the needle. He curses silently under his breath, gets up from his desk, and walks upstairs.
"Mystique!" A woman yells, her back turned to the stairs, her hair hangs in a long loose braid while her hands are balled into fists. On the other side of the room, a girl stares at a broken vase in the center of the room. There are no tears in her eyes or worry on her face, there is only anger.
"I told you that I didn't want to clean. You always make me clean!" She snaps back, her hair tousles wildly as she moves her whole body just to prove a point. She looks away past the woman towards the man on the stairs. Mystique's face softens. "Oh, hello father."
The man sheepishly smiles at his daughter and wife as they both stare at him. "I heard a noise, so I came to investigate."
"Mystique threw the broom at a vase," his wife replied. "All because she got upset that I asked her to clean before dinner."
"I didn't want to clean though!" Mystique pouted.
"You've neglected your cleaning duties for days dear, you need to take some responsibility around here." Her mother said.
"I'm only ten!" Mystique stomped her foot on the ground. Tiny bits of clay bounced against the floor.
"Well when I was ten I was cleaning the house which is more than what you are doing! Your father started his apprenticeship when he was ten, so you need to do at least something." Her mother walked over to the broom, which lay lonely on the ground. She picked it up and handed it to Mystique.
"But mother, I've already told you what I want to do with myself. I want to deliver mail all across Hyrule!"
"I know dear, but that's dangerous considering all of the monsters." Her mother paused and looked down at Mystique's face. There was a fire that burned against her eyes, and she hated to have to put it out. "You could choose something to do inside Castle Town maybe?"
Mystique pouted. She crossed her arms against her chest and dropped the broom back onto the floor. "That's why I have Nivan. He can protect me while I deliver mail!"
Her mother sighed and walked over to her husband still standing in front of the stairs. She leaned her body against his and rested her head on his shoulder. Underneath her breath she whispered her exhaustion in a way that only he could understand. He looked over at his daughter and furrowed his brow.
"Mystique, you know Nivan has dreams of his own too." He said calmly.
Mystique bowed her head down, "yeah I know." She paused, "but until he can be a knight he can still help me follow my dream."
"How about this, why don't you go find Nivan and bring him home for dinner. Afterwards you can clean up this mess for your mother… okay?"
Without another word, Mystique's eyes lit up and she dashed out of the room and down the stairs. Her mother lifted her head from her husband's shoulder. Several light blonde strands of hair wisped in front of her face, unable to hide the bags under her eyes or the worry lines on her face.
"Saffron, she can't even read." She whispered.
"She'll have to learn eventually." He sighed, "we can't keep her away from her dreams forever."
"But I don-"
"Cerise…" Saffron placed a hand on her shoulder, "why don't we get food from the market tonight."
"That would be nice."
"Are you working tonight?"
Cerise laughed dryly, "of course I am."
Mystique ran into the busy crowded streets of Castle Town, her feet just barely not tripping against the edges of her dress. She was still small enough to weave through the crowds with ease, but clumsy enough to occasionally crash into a random passerby. Within Castle Town, she could hear the faintest whispers of gossip between merchants and traders, see the glowing amber light reflect against the second story windows, and smell the musky sweat on everyone from working a long hard day. Mystique ran through the center of Castle Town, past the large ornate fountain decorated with statues of Hyrule's legendary figures, and into another alley way.
She knew where Nivan would be. He went to the same spot every day to practice. Roughly in the Northeast sector, where a little river dug from the moat and into the city was a small square. In the early morning people came here to wash clothes, and hum out little tunes. In the afternoon the place stayed empty save for one lone boy and his sword. When Mystique turned the corner into the washroom square Nivan was exactly where he always was.
Underneath the tree in the square, Nivan swung his sword against the air, he parried against nothing, and dodged only the wind. His hair was tightly pinned up into a bun as he practiced. There was no expression on his face as he swung.
"Nivan!" Mystique ran full force at him mid swing. He panicked and attempted to stop his attack, but she dodged him perfectly fine like she did every day. Before Nivan knew it, he was on the ground under the tree. Mystique rolled onto her side and laughed, kicking up dust with her boots. "The look on your face every time that I do that is priceless!"
Nivan gently rolled Mystique away from under the tree. He smirked at her, " You're a little jerk, you know that right?"
"At least I make a better sparring partner than nothing!" Mystique stuck her tongue out at Nivan and sat up, "by the way, father told me to get you for dinner."
"Did he say what it was?"
"Nope!" She grabbed his hand and yanked him up off the ground. He lurched forward before he gained his balance. "Let's go find out."
When returning back home, Mystique knew better than to run ahead. Her heart yelled at her to dart through the streets, but when she looked over at Nivan she knew that she couldn't. Nivan walked slowly, sword sheathed on his back and eyes that observed every passerby carefully. He stopped in front of the fountain in the square and looked up at the figures.
"Do you remember who these guys are, Misty?"
Mystique pondered as she stared at the numerous figures sprinkled onto the fountain to tell a story. She focused on the one in the center, "well that one right there" she pointed, "is Princess Zelda. Not our current Zelda but a Zelda."
Nivan smiled, "I think she's the only statue you recognize. You always point out Zelda."
Mystique pouted, "well, I know one of them is also Link!"
"And then there's the sages."
"Yeah there's…" Mystique thought for a second, "I actually forgot their names."
Nivan walked away from the statue and back into the crowd, "maybe one day you'll remember."
"Hey! Wait up Nivan don't leave me here," Mystique darted into the crowd.
By the time Nivan and Mystique arrived home, the table was set with a delicious market meal of pumpkin stew and baked bread along with a few pieces of roasted cucco. Mystique's parents sat next to each other with empty plates.
"You made it home," Mystique's father said. "Sit down and grab a plate of food."
"And remember Mystique, you still have to clean up the mess you made earlier."
Mystique slumped into her chair and grabbed a piece of bread. She crammed it into her mouth before she could reply.
"What'd Mystique do?" Nivan asked.
"She broke a vase." Both parents replied.
Nivan nudged Mystique as he grabbed a bowl of pumpkin soup, "you know for someone so fast you sure are klutzy."
"Shut it," Mystique replied, her mouth still full of bread.
Saffron took a sip of his drink, "while you two were out, we had an idea."
Mystique looked up curiously, a spoonful of soup hung just below her chin, "what sort of idea father?"
"I have some shoes that need to be delivered to the town of Jetier tomorrow. I could send them off to the mailmen's quarters or…"
Mystique dropped her spoon on the table, bits of pumpkin flew onto the floor. "You want me to deliver the shoes?!"
"Both you and Nivan can go," Saffron answered, a small smile on his face.
"But you can only go if you finish your cleaning duties upstairs," Cerise added.
Within moments, Mystique inhaled all of the food on her plate and rushed upstairs. Cerise got up from the table, and bent over to kiss Saffron on the forehead.
"Thank you for the treat dear, but I should be heading to work soon."
"Be careful, okay?" Saffron held Cerise's hand and squeezed it. Silently she strode out of the room and into the dark streets of Castle Town.
Nivan glanced over at the door. "Mr. Luriken…?"
"Yes?"
Nivan looked back down at his soup. In the bowl he saw his own reflection, and for a moment he thought he saw something else. He blinked only to see nothing but pumpkin stew before him, "... never mind."
Upstairs Mystique raced around the room frantically with the broom and duster. She had no intention to leave a single speck of dirt or vase on the floor. As she furiously cleaned, she did not hear Nivan as he walked up the stairs, down the hallway, and onto his bed. She also did not hear as her father, tired from a long day of working, came upstairs to go to his own bed to rest. When Mystique finally stopped sweeping she looked down the hallway and out towards the little balcony.
Hesitantly, she put down the broom and walked towards the end of the hallway. She opened the door and was greeted with the cool crisp air of the night. She stepped outside and felt the breeze as it played with strands of her dark brown hair. Her hands held onto the balcony railing as she looked out onto the darkness of Castle Town. At night the town seemed to sleep, with only a few embers of light here and there glowing in the darkness. The Inn quarters always shone the brightest besides the lights that came from the fountain at Castle Town Square.
Mystique smiled as she looked off towards the distant lights. After a few moments of enjoying the lights, a chill crept down her spine. Confused, Mystique looked down onto the streets to see a pitch black figure, it's gaze staring up at the balcony. A scream got stuck in her throat as she scrambled away from the balcony and back into the house. She ran from the hallway, not looking back to see if the figure had somehow followed her, and into her and Nivan's bedroom. As she jumped into her bed, she squeezed her eyes tight and hoped that what she saw was just a nightmare.
There was a hazy fog around everything as Mystique suddenly appeared at the fountain. She waved her hands in front of her face to see a soft blue light wrapped itself around her fingers. Distracted, Mystique did not notice the tall dark figure as it emerged from the fountain waters.
"They forgot about me," The figure, its voice dry and shaky, said into the night.
Mystique put down her hands and gazed up at the figure as it grew taller and taller. Around it, the figures of the fountain crumbled one by one until only the figure of Zelda remained. Fear briefly sketched itself across the statue's face before the figure crushed it within its hands. Behind the figure, Hyrule Castle crumbled, a red flame scattered across Castle Town, the buildings quickly fell. Mystique felt a scream in the back of her throat, but she only watched as everything around her was destroyed by the figure.
The figure bent down and craned its face towards Mystique, as it drew closer she noticed two small red eyes hidden in the shadows of its face. "You're not the one I was looking for," the figure said. "You're not the hero."
Mystique stared back, horrified. "The… what?" Around her the blue light took over the world. Around her she could see flashes of places. Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, the Great Deku Forest. All bathed in blue light. Behind the figure, a small child bathed in blue stood. Without another word, the figure turned around and loomed over the blue child. The child attempted to run, but there was no point. Mystique watched as the figure crushed the blue child and the world yet again bathed itself in a fiery red. The figure barred sharp fangs at Mystique, and that was the last thing she saw before she woke up.
The morning sun drifted bright warm rays through the window and into the bedroom. Mystique sat up straight in bed, her eyes wide open as her eyes darted frantically throughout the room. No one else was in the room except for her, Nivan's bed was even already made. Slowly, she crawled out of bed and left her room. She glanced towards the balcony door, but with a quick shake of her head, she went downstairs instead.
"Good morning, glad you're awake and ready for your first delivery." Saffron said, as he handed her a plate of eggs and toast. "You better eat fast, Nivan already finished his breakfast."
Over by the door, Nivan leaned against a wall holding onto a package. He smirked at her as she quickly tore apart her food and crammed it into her mouth.
At the entrance to the Castle Town, the gate towered higher than any person imagined. To Mystique, she couldn't imagine what possible monster caused the ancient family of Hyrule to build such a large gate. Two men stood at each end of the gate in a large tower, slowly cranking on the lever to open the gate. With a loud creak the giant wooden door fell against the moat and opened Castle Town to the rest of Hyrule. Outside the waking town, a large expanse of green went as far as the eye could see. Little stone and dirt paths etched away from the gate like veins, and a little wooden sign sprung up from the grass.
Mystique, holding onto the parcel, walked over to the sign and squinted at it. The sign was worn and faded but had several markers that pointed in different directions. She placed her hand on one of the markers and pointed where the marker pointed. Already lost, she looked back at Nivan.
"What does this sign say?" She asked.
Nivan walked over and looked at all the signs. Without answering, he started to follow a path.
"Hey, wait! Nivan," Mystique quickly caught up to him. "You didn't say what the sign said!"
"I just looked for the one that pointed towards Jetier. That's where we're going right?"
"That's not fair, you know I can't read." Mystique walked ahead of Nivan and turned around to face him. "Can you at least tell me what Jetier looks like so that I know."
"Okay, next sign we see that says Jetier I'll show it to you okay?"
Mystique nodded and ran off ahead of Nivan. He chuckled as he watched Mystique trip and stumble as she raced off into the distance.
The path that led to Jetier dipped in and out of the shallow hills that scattered across Hyrule Field. As it was a field, there was little geography besides the endless amount of grass and the occasional tree. To their left they could see the peak of Death Mountain as it loomed over the field. A ring of clouds circled the peak along with the occasional silhouette of a bird. Among the rocky terrain lived the Goron and further down the mountain the bustling town of Kakariko resided.
To their right the town of New Ordon rested against the edge of the forest, both the town and the forest looked lush and green as if alive. One tree reached higher into the sky than the others, its branches spread apart like dozens of hands that reached for the clouds. Mystique knew that somewhere on the field existed Lonlon settlement, where the best milk came from, and Tilton— the town where vegetables grew along the sides of the streets. She had seen pictures of all these places in a book on her father's shelf. Each picture felt vibrant and real when she had turned those pages, and someday hoped to see all of Hyrule.
Through her daydreams, Mystique didn't catch herself as she tripped over a rock and smacked into a sign.
As the two arrived into the town of Jetier, the first thing Mystique noticed was how little of the town resided on land. Most of the houses and the streets sat on stilts that sunk into Lake Hylia. The smell of fish brought to the town of small boats filled the air. Mystique pinched her nose as she stared at the parcel in her hands. "Do you think we'll see some Zoras here Nivan?"
Nivan cautiously took a step off of the shore and onto a dock. "This would be the place to see one wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, there aren't usually a lot of them visiting Castle Town. Do you think they have to be constantly wet to stay alive?" Mystique jumped up onto the dock with a loud thud. Several people working on the docks stared at her with various expressions, none of them pleasant.
"I don't think that's how they work. Gorons don't always have to be submerged in lava to live, do they?"
"Hmmmm, no they don't. I've seen plenty of Gorons at Castle Town. What they're selling is always super pretty, but super expensive."
"Maybe the Zoras just don't have anything to sell Misty."
"Hey Nivan, where are we going?"
Nivan stopped in front of a man with a boat and a sign. He pulled out a few rupees and boarded the boat. Mystique without hesitating followed him. "We're going to that little island on Lake Hylia. That's who the package is for."
"Why does that person live away from the rest of Jetier?"
"Misty, I'm not full of answers." Nivan tapped the shoulder of the ferryman, "excuse me, do you know why that island isn't attached to Jetier?"
The ferryman didn't turn his head. Instead he kept his gaze forward towards the direction the boat sailed. "I dunno kid, all I know is that he's some sort of scientist."
"Ooooooh a scientist!" Mystique exclaimed. She leaned over the edge of the boat to get a better look at the island.
The lone building on the island was a simple house with a blue shingled roof. A small tower with a ladder led up to a deck that overlooked the lake. At the dock to the island was a small red mailbox with a name scribbled in white. A chimney puffed tiny clouds of smoke into the air. Carefully, Mystique and Nivan got off the boat and walked up the dirt path from the dock to the cracked wooden door.
"Should we leave the package at the door Misty?" Nivan asked. He squinted as he gazed up at the tower above the house. Seagulls flew in circles around the building.
"That would be rude. As a mail person I must make sure that the package is handed off properly." Mystique banged her fist against the door. The seagulls aboved screeched and landed on the ground behind Nivan and Mystique. Concerned, Nivan moved himself closer to the door.
One eye could be seen as the door cracked open. "What do you want?" A voice asked, old and shaky.
"We're here to deliver the shoes you ordered!" Mystique held out the package towards the door. The man's head peeked closer. He had a long face, exaggerated even more by his goatee. A few of his teeth stuck out crooked from his mouth.
"Ah, right, my new shoes. Hurry-hurry come in before the gulls follow you inside." Quickly the man opened the door. He grabbed Mystique by the arm and dragged her inside, Nivan followed without a second thought. As the seagulls flapped their wings, ready to enter the lake house, the old man slammed the door on them.
Inside the lake house smelled worse than on the docks of Jetier. Fish, rotted and dissected were strewn across tables and hung on walls by their tail fins. Mystique placed the package on a tiny dining table made for one, and pinched her nose. She noticed in the far corner of the room there was a pool of water.
The old man leaned against a counter, unconcerned with getting fish guts on his long blue robe. "Welcome to my lab. It's nice to have visitors, even if you're only here to deliver shoes."
"Thank you for letting us come in," Mystique said, still eyeing the pool.
"I have to apologize for dragging you in so suddenly like that," the old man replied. "Those damn seagulls are always after my research.
"What do you research?" Mystique took a small step towards the pool.
"I think he studies fish Misty," Nivan said.
"Duh," Mystique turned around and rolled her eyes at Nivan. "I mean what does Mr…. uh. What's your name sir?"
"Professor Delirio, but just call me Delirio." Delirio adjusted the cap on his head, letting strands of white frizzy hair escape and jut outwards. He hobbled over to the pool and knelt down beside it. "You seem interested in what's over here, come take a look."
Mystique and Nivan stared down into the pool. Inside the pool was empty save for one shark which darted from side to side at the bottom of the pool. Deliro dropped a piece of fish gut into the pool and they all watched as the shark swam up to greet the flesh which it quickly tore into with its jaws.
"It's a saltwater shark," said Delirio. "My cousin brought it over from his lab so that I could have at least some company during my research. Sure, I see the occasional delivery person and the random Zora, but everyone needs a friend at least."
"What'd you name it?" Mystique asked.
"Ruto, after the great Zora sage of olden days." Ruto snapped her jaws at Deliro as he dropped another piece of fish into the tank. "As for my research, I keep an eye on the levels in the lake. Make sure that everything within this ecosystem is healthy and thriving. Without this lake Hyrule would struggle to thrive."
"What are the Zoras like?" Mystique watched as another piece of fish guts floated down towards Ruto.
"They're very cautious people," Delirio answered. "They don't like to interact with Hylians more than they need to. I think the only reason I see them is because they know my research. Sometimes they tend to leave fish for me, which speeds up my research."
Nivan got up, and instinctively brushed dust off of his pants. "Thank you for letting us come in for a bit Mr. Delirio, but we better start on our way back to Castle Town before the gates close."
"You won't make it in time," Delirio answered. Mystique and Nivan glanced at each other worried. "Here, let me give you some rupees along with my shoe payment to spend a night at the Jetier Inn. I'd offer for you to stay here, but I don't have any accommodations for guests." Delirio handed Mystique a small pouch of rupees as they exited the lake house.
Back in Jetier, the docks continued to be filled with Hylians carrying baskets of fish out of tiny boats. Each person dumped their basket of fish into a slightly larger barrel and repeated their tasks. As Mystique and Nivan wandered, looking for any indication of an inn, Mystique noticed a woman, her hair pulled behind a handkerchief. Without telling Nivan, Mystique turned down a random direction. The woman followed.
"Excuse me ma'am?" Mystique turned around to stare at the woman. Her dress was covered in stains and her gloves had rips and tears along the fingers. "Why are you following us?"
Taken aback, the woman paused before she crouched down to be at eye level with Mystique. "Where are your parents?"
"In Castle Town." Mystique pointed in a direction she was confident led to Castle Town.
The woman could not hide the fear and worry as it took over her entire face. Her hand shook as she clasped them around Mystique's hands. "You two are alone?! It's so dangerous to travel here especially at such a young age."
Mystique nodded her head towards Nivan. "That's why Nivan's with me. He's got a sword."
The woman made a strange sound, like a snort and a gurgle combined. "But he's just a boy."
"I'm training to one day be a knight of Hyrule, I'm sure I could handle any danger." Nivan piped in, he held his hand on the hilt of his sword ready to pull it.
"No offense, but one boy against dozens of bokoblins and moblins isn't going to end well." The woman glared over at Nivan.
"Since when are there bokoblins about?" Mystique asked.
"Did,... did neither of you see the monster camp on your way here?" The woman looked at Mystique flabbergasted. "They've been traveling around Hyrule Field near Jetier for weeks."
"Sorry, but we didn't see them." Mystique noticed a pretty blue and silver pin that held the handkerchief on the woman's head.
"Can you tell us where the inn is though?" Nivan asked.
"Sure, it's the first building on the shore next to the docks. One night's stay is twenty-rupees per person. If you don't have the money I can lend you some." The woman rummaged her pockets.
"That's okay, we have the rupees." Nivan interrupted. The woman frowned as she got up and left.
At the inn only one room was available, but Nivan and Mystique didn't mind. They followed the innkeeper up to a small room with a window that overlooked Jetier and Lake Hylia. The sun slowly drifted towards the mountains to the west, and something shined in the distance. Two plates of salted fish were left by the bedside table.
"This definitely isn't as tasty as pumpkin stew," Mystique took a bite of the salted fish. She wanted to gag, but didn't.
Nivan ate his fish with relative ease, "As you get older you have to be less picky of an eater."
"Is that what happens when you turn twelve? You suddenly become an adult?"
"I'm more of an adult than I was at ten." Nivan took a large chunk of salted fish and swallowed it. He smiled at Mystique with bits of fish flakes stuck in his teeth.
Mystique pinched her nose as she swallowed tiny pieces of her salted fish. She pondered over the possibility of having to eat salted fish every day of her life and she frowned. "Do you think we can go looking for Zoras?" She asked.
"It's sunset, so I doubt any Zoras are around Jetier." Nivan answered, his plate already empty. "We should get an early night so we can get home as soon as possible." He placed his plate on the table and laid down in the bed.
After a few more bites Mystique finished her meal. She glanced at the wall as it basked itself in a warm amber glow from the sunset. Her shadow stretched across the room and onto the wall. Inside her, something sent a shock into her mind as she stared at her own shadow. A scream stayed stifled in her throat.
"What's wrong," Nivan glanced up at her. He propped himself up on his elbows. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I had a bad dream last night," she answered.
"What about?"
"There was this dark shadowy figure in the alleyway and then again by the fountain. It… it destroyed everything Nivan, and it kept talking about some sort of hero. That I wasn't the person it was looking for."
Nivan looked away from Mystique and towards their shadows against the wall. "Ah, you had one of those dreams."
"Have you had a dream like that before?"
"Yeah, every kid in Castle Town has dreams like that once they turn ten." Nivan laid back down on the bed and turned on his side. "Come on, let's get some rest." He turned his head and stared at Mystique. "But if you ever have that dream again please tell me okay?"
"Okay," Mystique said as she laid down in bed. She stared out at the window as the sun dipped below the horizon and she was greeted with darkness.
In the early glow of the morning, Mystique and Nivan set out from the inn. Even in the earliest time of day, people still stood outside the docks. Many Hylian men stood inside their boats, untying them from the docks, their oars placed within arms reach. At the edge of one of the docks, Mystique noticed a large blue person with a fishtail on its head. The person paced frantically back and forth on the dock.
"Hey Nivan, I think that there's a Zora over there!" Mystique tapped on his shoulder and pointed in the direction of the blue person. "Can we go say hi?"
Nivan shook his head, "He looks rather busy, and we need to get back home. Come on."
Mystique glanced back one more time at the Zora as it paced back and forth on the docks. It stopped a few Hylians and gesticulated wildly with its arms. After a moment, it shook its head and dove back into Lake Hylia. Mystique followed Nivan back onto Hyrule Field with more questions than answers in her head.
About a little ways away from Jetier, near a little sign which pointed in many different directions Nivan stopped. As Mystique attempted to stride past him, he placed his arm across her path.
"Do you see that?" He asked.
"See what?" Mystique glanced across the horizon and noticed something that certainly wasn't there yesterday. There, placed near several trees was a campsite. "Do you think that's what the woman was talking about?"
"Probably." Nivan paused, "we should give the camp as much space as possible since they haven't noticed us."
"Hey," Mystique pouted. "I thought you said you could take on a bunch of bokoblins and be fine!"
"Yeah I only said that to calm the lady down… and only if we had to fight them."
"Well I don't see any bokoblins around, so I'm going to go take a quick look." Mystique ducked under Nivan's arm and ran towards the camp.
"You're going to do what?!" He shouted as he chased after Mystique.
It wasn't long before Mystique, well ahead of Nivan, reached the edge of the camp. Within the circle of tents the remains of a fire sat burnt and blackened against the dirt. Mystique placed her hand against the tent closest to her, and felt the cold smooth texture of leather. She shut her eyes as the stench of bokoblin hit her like a wall. Tears formed as she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes as if that would have removed the stench from all around her. Nivan placed his hand on her shoulder, his sword drawn.
"We shouldn't be this close, we need to leave." He said.
"It smells so bad," Mystique coughed into her sleeve. "But there are no bokoblins around?"
"They're probably asleep, come on." Nivan grabbed a hold of Mystique's arm and slowly guided her away from the tents.
"Hey!" A mysterious voice echoed out into the open. Nivan dropped Mystique's hand and raised his sword. He looked all around them, only to see nothing. "Look towards the big tent." The voice said.
Mystique stared back at the circle of tents. One of them, slightly bigger than the rest with a skull half-hazardly stitched on top, a green glow emitted from inside. "I think the voice is coming from in there Nivan."
"It sounds like a trap Misty, we better go." Nivan took a few steps away from the tents. When he turned around to see if Mystique had followed, he instead saw her next to the entrance of the big tent. His heart jumped into his throat, but he only let out a sigh as he slowly made his way towards the big tent.
Mystique peered inside the tent, her hands wrapped tightly around one of its poles. Inside the tent a rather large, smelly pile of leather lumped itself in the center of the room. Several clubs and bats leaned against the side of the tent, and on the opposite side away from the weapons was a cage with a glowing green light.
"Oh hey, you actually listened." The voice said. "Why don't you come over here and help me out okay?"
Carefully, Mystique tip-toed over to the cage as Nivan slowly followed behind her. He let out a tiny curse as he watched the pile of leather take a large breath of air followed by a snore.
"We are in a room with a living breathing bokoblin Mystique." Nivan whispered. "We need to leave now!"
"We have to help what's in the cage first," Mystique stated quietly. When she reached the cage, she leaned in to see what was inside. All she saw was a glowing green light. "What are you?" She asked.
"Wow kid, you seriously have no idea what I am?" The glowing green light said. "Have you heard of a fairy by chance?"
"I've heard of them in a few storybooks my mother used to read to me."
"Guess what, I'm actually real. Save your awe and childlike wonderment for later. First let's get me out of this cage." The fairy said.
"Okay, what do we have to do?" Mystique asked.
"There's a door to my cage. It's locked." The fairy stated. "The key to my cage is around the neck of big, smelly, and dumb over there. Can you get the key for me?"
"Uh" Mystique paused and looked back between the fairy, the bokoblin, and Nivan who shook his head wildly. "Sure."
"Mystique don't do it!" Nivan whisper-screamed as Mystique crept closer to the bokoblin.
As she hovered over the bokoblin, she noticed two long ears that drooped down and curled at their tips. Two big pointy fangs stuck out upward from the bokoblins jaw, and a tiny horn pointed out from its head. A pig nose covered a large portion of the face, so when the creature snored in its sleep, a puff of hot air hit against Mystique's face. She held in a gag as she focused on where the key was, a tiny piece of metal attached to a piece of leather underneath the bokoblin's hefty chin. Recklessly, she yanked the key and snapped it off of the leather around the creature's neck. The bokoblin let out a startled choking noise as it sputtered and gagged in its sleep. Mystique stood over the creature, frozen in fear. Nivan stood nearby with his sword raised, but after a few moments, the bokoblin went back to snoring peacefully.
"That was really stupid," Nivan whispered. Mystique ignored him as she opened the cage with the little metal cage.
The cage door swung open, and the glowing green light darted faster than either of them expected out of the tent. Without another moment spent, they followed the light as it darted further and further away from the tents. After they ran after the light for quite some time, the fairy finally stopped at an intersection, far away from the bokoblin camp.
"Couldn't you have at least said thank you!" Nivan shouted at the fairy.
"I couldn't do that until I knew for sure that I wasn't going to be that dumb oafs personal torch anymore." The fairy floated in front of Mystique and Nivan, it slowly fluttered over to Nivan and rested on his head. "So, yeah thanks for saving me, but now all that flying has me tired. I'm just going to rest on your head."
"I thought fairies were meant to fly," Mystique asked as she and Nivan continued to travel.
"When you get stuck in a cage for years, your wings aren't as strong as they used to be." The fairy shuffled herself on top of Nivan's head. "Hey, where are you two kids heading anyway?"
"Castle Town." Mystique pointed in the direction she thought Castle Town was in. Nivan adjusted her hand so that she pointed in the actual direction Castle Town was in.
"I can't say I've ever really been to Castle Town. This will be a fun trip."
"You're staying with us?" Mystique smiled.
"I've got nowhere else to go, so sure why not."
"What's your name?"
"Lumina."
Lumina yawned as Nivan and Mystique walked closer and closer towards Castle Town. Soon the tall towers of Hyrule Castle could be seen followed by the southern gate to the town. As the three drew even closer the loud sounds of bustle and conversation from Castle Town drifted over the moat and into the field. It wasn't long before they were immersed in the crowds coming and going from Castle Town, and they were swept up into the streets of the city. The smells of roasted cucco and baked bread mingled with the flowery perfumes of pedestrians who walked about in nice outfits.
In front of Lurkien's Shoes, customers entered and exited the building holding pairs of new and repaired shoes. Some of the people that exited her father's store wore fancy dresses and wigs, while others dressed as any Castle Town shopkeeper would. Mystique, Nivan, and Lumina entered the store like any customer would: through the front door.
Mr. Luriken sat at his workstation in the little storefront carved inside his house. Several shelves filled with shoes lined up against the walls, and a couple seats filled the center of the room. A woman with reddish hair sat in one of them, trying on a pair of knee-high boots. Mystique's father looked up from his bench and his face erupted in tears of joy as Mystique and Nivan entered the room.
"You're back!" He ran over and hugged Mystique and Nivan in his arms. The woman trying on the boots watched awkwardly as she struggled to get the other boot on. Mr. Luriken ran over and up the stairs.
After a moment, Mrs Luriken followed her husband down the stairs and into the shop. Her smile quickly turned into a frown when she noticed the glowing green orb which sat on top of Nivan's head.
"What is that?" Mystique's mother said as she pointed at Lumina.
"We found a fairy!" Mystique exclaimed.
"Mystique you can't just be bringing in strange creatures from the wild," her mother tapped her foot on the ground.
"Thanks lady, I can understand Hylian you know," Lumina replied coldly.
"If you can understand me, then why are you outside of the Great Deku Forest? Aren't you supposed to never leave there." Mystique's mother reciprocated the tone.
"I got a little distracted and ended up farther away from the forest than I realized." Lumina replied. "Your children were nice enough to find me and help me. All I ask is that you let me rest for a bit, and I'll be on my way."
The reddish haired woman awkwardly handed Mr. Luriken a pouch of rupees before leaving the store. "Would you mind if we have the rest of this conversation in the dining room away from customers?" Mr. Luriken said. Everyone soon shuffled into the next room over from the shop.
"Mother can Lumina please stay just for a little bit." Mystique begged.
Mrs. Luriken looked between her daughter and the glowing green orb on Nivan's head. She leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and glanced up at him. Without saying a word to each other they communicated what to do in this situation. Both Mr. and Mrs. Luriken stared at Lumina before an answer was spoken out loud.
"Okay, she can stay, but only for a bit." Mystique's mother said.
