Chapter 13
"Nasty little wound you got there."
Zayna looked up to see the cool, narrowed eyes of the farmer regard her as the cart lurched from side to side. She had hitched a ride as soon as dawn had broken and now sat surrounded by hay, her feet fidgeting impatiently on the dirt encrusted wooden floor.
There were two of them, one riding the horse at the front; the other one sat facing her chewing on something that made his mouth and teeth turn black. His hair was greying and his unfriendly face had not been shaved in a long while. Rolls of fat spilled out over his belt. All in all, a pretty unpleasant person.
"I fell off a horse," she said simply. Her arm was in a makeshift sling now. After she had made her way from Market Town, she had popped her arm back into place. The pain had been excruciating and made her feverish just thinking about it. Perhaps she had passed out, but she could not remember.
"Aye, a horse," the man said, licking his lips. She did not like the way he was looking at her. He stiffened as she drew her sword with her healthy arm. Giving him a meaningful glance, she started cleaning the sword, running her finger along the sharp edge. The man relaxed a little, but she hoped he had gotten the message.
"We travel to Lon Lon Village, you say?" she asked.
"Aye," he said. "Won't be long now. Given the way old Sean is pushing the poor horse we'll be there in, oh, a few hours." He chuckled.
She gave a small nod, then turned her head away slightly indicating that she no longer wanted to talk. After a moment, the man seemed to take the hint and looked over his shoulder to talk to Sean.
Zayna idly flicked off bits of dust from her blade as it lay on her lap. Lon Lon Village. Still way too far from any port, she sighed. She would have to get another ride at the village, or maybe work a few days and buy herself a used horse. And then ...?
She pressed her lips together and looked up. Far ahead of her in the distance she could faintly make out the shapes of huts and other wooden structures. The man had been right. Not too far to the Village. Her options were limited after that. From her time in the Market Town, she had brought herself up to date on the delicate political situation. The four allied nations with Hyrule were obviously unsafe places for her. That left the Morolak Kingdoms and the Freelander Emirate. She could not quite understand what the situation was with the Morolaks.
She cleared her throat to get the man's attention. He looked back towards her, surprised that she had resumed communication.
"Say," she said, trying to keep her voice between mild interest and casualness. Inwardly, she hissed at herself. It just made her voice sound suspicious. "What is the situation with the Morolak Kingdoms? Are they our allies?"
The man chewed slowly. For a moment she thought she had asked the wrong question and she waited, listening to the horses' hooves tap on the stone path below.
"That horse must have kicked you in the head too," he said unkindly. "Skulljack was here not two weeks ago. A fine man he is." The man absentmindedly rubbed his over large belly. "The treaty was signed. They're our allies, but they've not committed to the war yet."
"Why is that?"
The man shrugged. "Dunno, lassie. Could be it's too soon. The ink hasn't yet dried on the treaty scroll yet and they're expected to send an army? They'll probably join later if things get a wee too nasty." He paused. "Which it won't, of course. We'll kick those accursed Freelanders to the Pit thrice over."
For some reason, Zayna's mind drifted to her mother and the day she had told her about her destiny. She remembered her mother's kind eyes telling her sadly about the legend of the Key and the Gate. She had shuddered when she was told about the Joining. Little Zayna had thought that it was a strange and scary fairytale.
"There will be much bloodshed at that time. Husband against wife. Brother against sister."
Her mother's quiet words echoed in her head. They had chilled her then and still chilled her now. It was after those words had been spoken that her mother had told her that Zayna was the Key.
She brought herself back to the present. Clearly, the Freelander Emirate would be in too much turmoil for her to flee to. Briefly, she wondered whether that turmoil would be enough for her to remain inconspicuous. She chewed on the thought then knew that she would not be physically safe there. The Morolak Kingdom it was then.
For a moment, she wished that she did not have to do this alone. She had been counting on Link's help and was hoping he would accompany her. It was a foolish plan. He trains her and then she spends the rest of her life fighting shadows waiting for the King and his Advisor to die?
Zayna shook the thought away. She was the Key. She needed no one else.
*
This was not going well.
Amazingly, five of the mercenaries had fallen, coating the dust-covered ground with crimson. That still left ten though and Link and his friends were tiring. Tyron was the worse off, his clothes torn and hanging in strips. His silver hair was now darkened scarlet and he took cover behind a boulder trying to catch his breath.
Some of the mercenaries held back and waited while their fellows engaged them. Chizan was taking on three at the same time; his whole body now bristling with sharp, silver weaponry. Link wondered how he managed to move so swiftly with all that weighing him down. Judging from the attention he got, the mercenaries obviously considered Chizan the greatest threat, Link realised with a sour feeling.
He saw sunlight glint off of metal as a blade swung down towards him. Link thrust his sword upwards to block the strike. The weapons crossed with a hollow clang. His arm vibrated from the impact. He was tired and the wound on his arm had reopened. The sun was hot on his face and his own sword now shimmered with blood. He caught his blurry reflection in the steel and saw that the scar on his forehead had split again.
Muscles aching, Link felt himself be pushed backwards by the snarling mercenary. The man opened his mouth as he shoved Link on. Saliva fell from the man's mouth and Link saw that he had no teeth.
The sound of metal on metal rang out over Hyrule Field. Link's eyes felt heavy from exhaustion. Every muscle felt like a painful knot. No Teeth's sword edged minutely closer to his face. Link tried to push forward, to drive No Teeth's blade back. He shook from the effort and saw the mercenary's arm and hand muscles tighten and quiver as he stood his ground.
No Teeth gave a sharp shove with his sword. Link felt himself back into something. He glanced over his shoulder quickly. It was Zelda, facing away from him.
She had her sword stretched out in front of her keeping a spearman at bay. He could feel her warmth through his back and could even feel the rapid shudder of her heart beating. Her sweat soaked hair tickled at his ear and for one ridiculous moment he just wanted to rest here, back to back.
"Just like old times, Your Highness," he said through gritted teeth.
"Now I remember why I preferred life in the castle," she said.
No Teeth was gaining on him. Link's sword was being pushed back, back, back until the Hero could see nothing but the edge. Suddenly, he felt Zelda's back tense behind him.
"Say, Link," she said, her voice whimsical. Strange considering the circumstances. "Do you remember the Battle of Horest Den?"
The Hero's mouth split into a grim smile. "Why, yes I do"
"On three, Hero of Time?" she whispered.
"On three, Your Highness."
"One .. Two ..,"
"Three!"
Link dropped to the ground. Zelda twirled around in a blur. In an instant she had one foot planted on Link's crouching form and, using his back as a springboard, she fluidly swung her other leg up to crack into No Teeth's shocked face. The mercenary had initially begun to fall forwards from the momentum and now his head jerked back with a snap.
The Hero of Time swung his sword around in a wide arc as the Queen landed in a cloud of dust. His sword sliced through the spearman's legs making him howl in pain.
As he fell away, another mercenary instantly replaced him growling with rage. The man brought his sword down towards Link. The Hero froze. There was no time to block the blow. Sunlight flashed off the blade as it flew down.
Zelda was there in a heartbeat. Her thrust deflected the blade and pierced the man's gut. He fell to the ground with a gurgle.
Link looked up at the Queen. Momentarily, their eyes locked and he felt the spark of some sort of connection.
Just like old times.
Then she turned away as another attack came.
"Tyron," she called. "We need to get out of here."
He was still behind the boulder, weakly fending off a swordsman. Link leapt over to him, twirling his sword. He plunged the weapon into the mercenary's neck.
"Do you have the strength?" she asked, her voice concerned.
"I will try," Tyron answered.
Link stood in front of him, swinging his sword to keep the other mercenaries from attacking. There were still six of the bandits left and most of them still looked fresh. Zelda was right. If they did not get out of here now, they would be killed here. And Cyle would have won.
Tyron raised his arms and spoke something incomprehensible. Dust swirled around his feet and Link felt the temperature drop rapidly. His vision cracked like a broken mirror, then went black.
He awoke to see the sun hang in the blue sky. Confused, he looked around. Everyone was here. Chizan, Tyron, Chitz, the horses and Zelda. Everyone except the mercenaries.
He was surprised to hear the sound of voices float towards him. Looking around, he saw that they had materialised just outside Lon Lon Village.
Link looked back to his friends. They were coated in blood and their faces were wrinkled with tiredness.
Tyron's eyes had gone completely white. He dropped to his knees, then collapsed in exhaustion.
*
Zayna entered The Queen's Ring tavern and was hit by a wall of voices; singing, shouting, whispering. Smoke drifted across the room and somewhere some music played. Bizarrely, she thought she could make out the sound of a cucco clucking away in one corner. She had found the tavern in a back alley of the less crowded part of Lon Lon Village.
She walked straight to the counter. She had no time to waste.
"What'll it be?" the tavernkeeper said smiling, while he wiped a mug with a cloth.
"Information," she answered simply.
The 'keeper raised an eyebrow, but kept his smile in place. "Ah .. well, that'll cost ye extra."
Zayna scowled. "I don't have much money."
The 'keeper shrugged. "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" He paused to chew at the inside of his cheek. "You have enough money to buy a drink right?"
She hissed in exasperation. "Yes, yes," she said, annoyed. "Just .. just give me some .. oh, I don't know .. milk!"
The 'keeper snorted. "Plenty o' that here." He turned around to reach for the bottle of creamy white liquid. He cocked his head slightly to glance back at her. "What kind o' information were ye looking for?"
Zayna felt the relief flow. He was going to talk after all. "I need to know where the nearest port is," she said. "And I need to know how to get there. Fast."
"Fast, is it?" he said, sliding the drink across to her. "Where you headed?"
"What's it to you?"
The 'keeper did not react. "Well, if you want information, you might try being a little nicer."
Zayna kept her face still. Now was not the time to go exploding in anger. "I am sorry."
He gave a little shrug. "Besides, if I knew where you were going I could point you in the direction of a port that would get you there faster."
She saw the logic of this. "Right, right," she said thoughtfully. "I'm heading for the Morolak Kingdom."
"Not joining the war effort then?" he asked, looking her up and down. "You seem well prepared for a fight."
"Well, we're in dangerous times now, aren't we?" she said. "It's good to be equipped."
"Aye, 'tis true," he replied. He rolled his tongue under his bottom lip, thinking. "You want to be heading to Galvinda port. Won't take a day to get there. You can use one of my horses, if ye like."
Zayna looked up feeling suspicious. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Well, in exchange for that fancy little hookshot you got there," he said, nodding at her belt. "Don't get many o' those around here. And I don't have time to go to Market Town to buy one. Besides, they're very dear."
She considered it for a moment. She had bought the hookshot just so she could get over the wall at the town. She did not need it no longer.
"Done."
"Pleasure doing business with ye."
Zayna gave a small nod and took her drink to find somewhere to sit. She chose a dark corner with an empty table. The table was stained with all sorts of strange liquids. She did not want to think about what some of them may be. Putting on her hood again she rubbed her finger around the rim of the mug. She could be out of here within the hour.
She looked up as a group of four walked into the tavern. They were more heavily cloaked than she was. She could not see their faces, but their posture gave away the tiredness they felt. They were covered in bandages torn from cloth. Zayna wondered what they had been through.
"No, you stay out there," one of them said. She peered at the entrance and saw an unhappy looking Imp kicking up dust as he sulked away.
She turned her attention back to her drink. It did not matter who they were. It was none of her business.
*
They huddled around the table, their voices hushed. The table rocked at the slightest touch. Link guessed that one of the legs must be out of balance.
"You want us to raid the caravan?" he asked, looking at Zelda.
She nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tyron interrupted. "My dear, that's madness. We were well beaten today. We cannot attack an entire caravan ourselves."
The Old Man of Hyrule castle sounded tired and weak. Link knew that using magic was an immense strain on any person. Those skilled in the art only used it as a last resort. Zelda also had limited magical power, but she preferred using her mind and her martial ability. Link smiled to himself. Her old deceased nanny, Impa, had taught her well in that latter regard.
"I think a small force would be more effective than a large army," she said. "Stealth would be more important than lots of muscle."
"Your Highness, you move too fast," Prince Chizan said. "We should wait until we get to the Morolak Kingdom before we make such plans."
"I move swiftly because time is short," she answered, her voice sounding slightly annoyed. "If what Link says is true, then Cyle has the Key already. He could open the Gate at any moment."
"Opening the Gate is one thing," the Prince replied in his usual calm manner. "But he cannot start the Joining until he conquers this world."
"I realise that," Zelda said. "But what's to stop him from opening the Gate early? Perhaps he's mad enough to think he can attack both worlds. If we strike now we can distract him while Link finds the Key."
Link sighed. He really had no clue where Zayna was at all. It was just instinct that told him she was at the castle. From what he had heard of this Chalance Vance, it was clear that the Demon Riders must be in league with him. He still did not know what he would do when he found the Key anyway.
His eyes drifted around the tavern. Men laughing. Women chatting to one another animatedly. Serving girls scowling at unruly customers. Did they realise how close they were to death? Not just from Cyle's scheming. But just from living day to day. He glanced at some lonely soul sitting in a dark corner with a hood covering their features before turning back to his friends. Where could Zayna be in this land? Was she even still in Hyrule?
"We should take things one step at a time," Tyron said. "First - we need to find a passage to the Morolak Kingdoms."
"I can ask around," Link said.
Zelda nodded in response.
Chizan cleared his throat. "I would still like to accompany you, Your Highness."
"And why would you want to do that?" Link asked. He had tried to keep the ice out of his tone, but failed.
There was an awkward silence. The Prince and the Hero looked at each other, the tension palpable in the air.
"She needs to be kept safe," Chizan said.
Link kept his gaze on him. "She seemed to be able to take care herself just fine today."
He heard Zelda sigh and he looked at her, catching her rolling her eyes. "Link," she said with a smile. "Get us some drinks, please. And see if you can find out anything about any safe ports."
Link nodded and stood, clearly not feeling happy. He walked to the counter and sat on a stool there. Two men besides him were talking. He was not paying attention until he caught the word 'Freelander' and so he concentrated on the duo, trying to shut out all other noise.
"Did you hear? Caught in her bedroom with the Freelander!" one of them was saying with a chuckle.
Link found that strange. What Freelanders would be here in Hyrule now, bar the Prince himself?
"Aye," the other man said. "Would never have expected it from someone such as her. All high and mighty an' all."
So some noblewoman had been caught with a Freelander? That was even more curious. Despite his dislike for the Prince, Link grudgingly admitted that the Freelanders lived by a righteous code of honour. What was it about the Prince that bothered him then?
Link shifted in his seat to listen more closely. His cheeks burned slightly as he did so. There was little honour in listening in on someone else's conversations. And yet, a small childish part of him wanted to hear about the oh-so-perfect Freelanders brought down a notch or two.
"The Queen and the Freelander Prince! Sounds like one of those low brow plays they have at the theatre," the first man said.
Link's soul was sickened as he froze at the words. What were they saying? Zelda and Chizan? His heart shivered in an anxiety he did not quite understand. He realised that the mercenary had said something similar too. Is that way they had not told him about the causes of the war? Was the war because of this?
He tried to still the nauseous feeling at the pit of his stomach. What did it matter if they were together? What was it to him? She had rejected him once before, all he had to do was put it behind him. Link felt slightly calmer at this thought. He was a grown man now. He did not have to fret over other people's feelings. And yet another part of him was cracking under the disappointment he felt from hearing the words.
"What'll it be?" the tavernkeeper said, snapping him out of his reverie.
Link shook his head slightly to clear his mind. He had a task to do and he had to stick to it. What was it again?
"Ah .. yes," Link said, as it came back to him. "I was actually looking for some information."
The tavernkeeper's lip twitched. A strange reaction, thought Link.
"Oh really?" he said, waiting.
"Yes. I need to know how to get to a port so my friends can sail to the Morolak Kingdom."
The tavernkeeper cocked an eyebrow and looked at Link coolly. The Hero of Time was getting a little frustrated. What was wrong with this fellow?
"What, is it tourist season over there or something?"
"Nasty little wound you got there."
Zayna looked up to see the cool, narrowed eyes of the farmer regard her as the cart lurched from side to side. She had hitched a ride as soon as dawn had broken and now sat surrounded by hay, her feet fidgeting impatiently on the dirt encrusted wooden floor.
There were two of them, one riding the horse at the front; the other one sat facing her chewing on something that made his mouth and teeth turn black. His hair was greying and his unfriendly face had not been shaved in a long while. Rolls of fat spilled out over his belt. All in all, a pretty unpleasant person.
"I fell off a horse," she said simply. Her arm was in a makeshift sling now. After she had made her way from Market Town, she had popped her arm back into place. The pain had been excruciating and made her feverish just thinking about it. Perhaps she had passed out, but she could not remember.
"Aye, a horse," the man said, licking his lips. She did not like the way he was looking at her. He stiffened as she drew her sword with her healthy arm. Giving him a meaningful glance, she started cleaning the sword, running her finger along the sharp edge. The man relaxed a little, but she hoped he had gotten the message.
"We travel to Lon Lon Village, you say?" she asked.
"Aye," he said. "Won't be long now. Given the way old Sean is pushing the poor horse we'll be there in, oh, a few hours." He chuckled.
She gave a small nod, then turned her head away slightly indicating that she no longer wanted to talk. After a moment, the man seemed to take the hint and looked over his shoulder to talk to Sean.
Zayna idly flicked off bits of dust from her blade as it lay on her lap. Lon Lon Village. Still way too far from any port, she sighed. She would have to get another ride at the village, or maybe work a few days and buy herself a used horse. And then ...?
She pressed her lips together and looked up. Far ahead of her in the distance she could faintly make out the shapes of huts and other wooden structures. The man had been right. Not too far to the Village. Her options were limited after that. From her time in the Market Town, she had brought herself up to date on the delicate political situation. The four allied nations with Hyrule were obviously unsafe places for her. That left the Morolak Kingdoms and the Freelander Emirate. She could not quite understand what the situation was with the Morolaks.
She cleared her throat to get the man's attention. He looked back towards her, surprised that she had resumed communication.
"Say," she said, trying to keep her voice between mild interest and casualness. Inwardly, she hissed at herself. It just made her voice sound suspicious. "What is the situation with the Morolak Kingdoms? Are they our allies?"
The man chewed slowly. For a moment she thought she had asked the wrong question and she waited, listening to the horses' hooves tap on the stone path below.
"That horse must have kicked you in the head too," he said unkindly. "Skulljack was here not two weeks ago. A fine man he is." The man absentmindedly rubbed his over large belly. "The treaty was signed. They're our allies, but they've not committed to the war yet."
"Why is that?"
The man shrugged. "Dunno, lassie. Could be it's too soon. The ink hasn't yet dried on the treaty scroll yet and they're expected to send an army? They'll probably join later if things get a wee too nasty." He paused. "Which it won't, of course. We'll kick those accursed Freelanders to the Pit thrice over."
For some reason, Zayna's mind drifted to her mother and the day she had told her about her destiny. She remembered her mother's kind eyes telling her sadly about the legend of the Key and the Gate. She had shuddered when she was told about the Joining. Little Zayna had thought that it was a strange and scary fairytale.
"There will be much bloodshed at that time. Husband against wife. Brother against sister."
Her mother's quiet words echoed in her head. They had chilled her then and still chilled her now. It was after those words had been spoken that her mother had told her that Zayna was the Key.
She brought herself back to the present. Clearly, the Freelander Emirate would be in too much turmoil for her to flee to. Briefly, she wondered whether that turmoil would be enough for her to remain inconspicuous. She chewed on the thought then knew that she would not be physically safe there. The Morolak Kingdom it was then.
For a moment, she wished that she did not have to do this alone. She had been counting on Link's help and was hoping he would accompany her. It was a foolish plan. He trains her and then she spends the rest of her life fighting shadows waiting for the King and his Advisor to die?
Zayna shook the thought away. She was the Key. She needed no one else.
*
This was not going well.
Amazingly, five of the mercenaries had fallen, coating the dust-covered ground with crimson. That still left ten though and Link and his friends were tiring. Tyron was the worse off, his clothes torn and hanging in strips. His silver hair was now darkened scarlet and he took cover behind a boulder trying to catch his breath.
Some of the mercenaries held back and waited while their fellows engaged them. Chizan was taking on three at the same time; his whole body now bristling with sharp, silver weaponry. Link wondered how he managed to move so swiftly with all that weighing him down. Judging from the attention he got, the mercenaries obviously considered Chizan the greatest threat, Link realised with a sour feeling.
He saw sunlight glint off of metal as a blade swung down towards him. Link thrust his sword upwards to block the strike. The weapons crossed with a hollow clang. His arm vibrated from the impact. He was tired and the wound on his arm had reopened. The sun was hot on his face and his own sword now shimmered with blood. He caught his blurry reflection in the steel and saw that the scar on his forehead had split again.
Muscles aching, Link felt himself be pushed backwards by the snarling mercenary. The man opened his mouth as he shoved Link on. Saliva fell from the man's mouth and Link saw that he had no teeth.
The sound of metal on metal rang out over Hyrule Field. Link's eyes felt heavy from exhaustion. Every muscle felt like a painful knot. No Teeth's sword edged minutely closer to his face. Link tried to push forward, to drive No Teeth's blade back. He shook from the effort and saw the mercenary's arm and hand muscles tighten and quiver as he stood his ground.
No Teeth gave a sharp shove with his sword. Link felt himself back into something. He glanced over his shoulder quickly. It was Zelda, facing away from him.
She had her sword stretched out in front of her keeping a spearman at bay. He could feel her warmth through his back and could even feel the rapid shudder of her heart beating. Her sweat soaked hair tickled at his ear and for one ridiculous moment he just wanted to rest here, back to back.
"Just like old times, Your Highness," he said through gritted teeth.
"Now I remember why I preferred life in the castle," she said.
No Teeth was gaining on him. Link's sword was being pushed back, back, back until the Hero could see nothing but the edge. Suddenly, he felt Zelda's back tense behind him.
"Say, Link," she said, her voice whimsical. Strange considering the circumstances. "Do you remember the Battle of Horest Den?"
The Hero's mouth split into a grim smile. "Why, yes I do"
"On three, Hero of Time?" she whispered.
"On three, Your Highness."
"One .. Two ..,"
"Three!"
Link dropped to the ground. Zelda twirled around in a blur. In an instant she had one foot planted on Link's crouching form and, using his back as a springboard, she fluidly swung her other leg up to crack into No Teeth's shocked face. The mercenary had initially begun to fall forwards from the momentum and now his head jerked back with a snap.
The Hero of Time swung his sword around in a wide arc as the Queen landed in a cloud of dust. His sword sliced through the spearman's legs making him howl in pain.
As he fell away, another mercenary instantly replaced him growling with rage. The man brought his sword down towards Link. The Hero froze. There was no time to block the blow. Sunlight flashed off the blade as it flew down.
Zelda was there in a heartbeat. Her thrust deflected the blade and pierced the man's gut. He fell to the ground with a gurgle.
Link looked up at the Queen. Momentarily, their eyes locked and he felt the spark of some sort of connection.
Just like old times.
Then she turned away as another attack came.
"Tyron," she called. "We need to get out of here."
He was still behind the boulder, weakly fending off a swordsman. Link leapt over to him, twirling his sword. He plunged the weapon into the mercenary's neck.
"Do you have the strength?" she asked, her voice concerned.
"I will try," Tyron answered.
Link stood in front of him, swinging his sword to keep the other mercenaries from attacking. There were still six of the bandits left and most of them still looked fresh. Zelda was right. If they did not get out of here now, they would be killed here. And Cyle would have won.
Tyron raised his arms and spoke something incomprehensible. Dust swirled around his feet and Link felt the temperature drop rapidly. His vision cracked like a broken mirror, then went black.
He awoke to see the sun hang in the blue sky. Confused, he looked around. Everyone was here. Chizan, Tyron, Chitz, the horses and Zelda. Everyone except the mercenaries.
He was surprised to hear the sound of voices float towards him. Looking around, he saw that they had materialised just outside Lon Lon Village.
Link looked back to his friends. They were coated in blood and their faces were wrinkled with tiredness.
Tyron's eyes had gone completely white. He dropped to his knees, then collapsed in exhaustion.
*
Zayna entered The Queen's Ring tavern and was hit by a wall of voices; singing, shouting, whispering. Smoke drifted across the room and somewhere some music played. Bizarrely, she thought she could make out the sound of a cucco clucking away in one corner. She had found the tavern in a back alley of the less crowded part of Lon Lon Village.
She walked straight to the counter. She had no time to waste.
"What'll it be?" the tavernkeeper said smiling, while he wiped a mug with a cloth.
"Information," she answered simply.
The 'keeper raised an eyebrow, but kept his smile in place. "Ah .. well, that'll cost ye extra."
Zayna scowled. "I don't have much money."
The 'keeper shrugged. "Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?" He paused to chew at the inside of his cheek. "You have enough money to buy a drink right?"
She hissed in exasperation. "Yes, yes," she said, annoyed. "Just .. just give me some .. oh, I don't know .. milk!"
The 'keeper snorted. "Plenty o' that here." He turned around to reach for the bottle of creamy white liquid. He cocked his head slightly to glance back at her. "What kind o' information were ye looking for?"
Zayna felt the relief flow. He was going to talk after all. "I need to know where the nearest port is," she said. "And I need to know how to get there. Fast."
"Fast, is it?" he said, sliding the drink across to her. "Where you headed?"
"What's it to you?"
The 'keeper did not react. "Well, if you want information, you might try being a little nicer."
Zayna kept her face still. Now was not the time to go exploding in anger. "I am sorry."
He gave a little shrug. "Besides, if I knew where you were going I could point you in the direction of a port that would get you there faster."
She saw the logic of this. "Right, right," she said thoughtfully. "I'm heading for the Morolak Kingdom."
"Not joining the war effort then?" he asked, looking her up and down. "You seem well prepared for a fight."
"Well, we're in dangerous times now, aren't we?" she said. "It's good to be equipped."
"Aye, 'tis true," he replied. He rolled his tongue under his bottom lip, thinking. "You want to be heading to Galvinda port. Won't take a day to get there. You can use one of my horses, if ye like."
Zayna looked up feeling suspicious. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Well, in exchange for that fancy little hookshot you got there," he said, nodding at her belt. "Don't get many o' those around here. And I don't have time to go to Market Town to buy one. Besides, they're very dear."
She considered it for a moment. She had bought the hookshot just so she could get over the wall at the town. She did not need it no longer.
"Done."
"Pleasure doing business with ye."
Zayna gave a small nod and took her drink to find somewhere to sit. She chose a dark corner with an empty table. The table was stained with all sorts of strange liquids. She did not want to think about what some of them may be. Putting on her hood again she rubbed her finger around the rim of the mug. She could be out of here within the hour.
She looked up as a group of four walked into the tavern. They were more heavily cloaked than she was. She could not see their faces, but their posture gave away the tiredness they felt. They were covered in bandages torn from cloth. Zayna wondered what they had been through.
"No, you stay out there," one of them said. She peered at the entrance and saw an unhappy looking Imp kicking up dust as he sulked away.
She turned her attention back to her drink. It did not matter who they were. It was none of her business.
*
They huddled around the table, their voices hushed. The table rocked at the slightest touch. Link guessed that one of the legs must be out of balance.
"You want us to raid the caravan?" he asked, looking at Zelda.
She nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but Tyron interrupted. "My dear, that's madness. We were well beaten today. We cannot attack an entire caravan ourselves."
The Old Man of Hyrule castle sounded tired and weak. Link knew that using magic was an immense strain on any person. Those skilled in the art only used it as a last resort. Zelda also had limited magical power, but she preferred using her mind and her martial ability. Link smiled to himself. Her old deceased nanny, Impa, had taught her well in that latter regard.
"I think a small force would be more effective than a large army," she said. "Stealth would be more important than lots of muscle."
"Your Highness, you move too fast," Prince Chizan said. "We should wait until we get to the Morolak Kingdom before we make such plans."
"I move swiftly because time is short," she answered, her voice sounding slightly annoyed. "If what Link says is true, then Cyle has the Key already. He could open the Gate at any moment."
"Opening the Gate is one thing," the Prince replied in his usual calm manner. "But he cannot start the Joining until he conquers this world."
"I realise that," Zelda said. "But what's to stop him from opening the Gate early? Perhaps he's mad enough to think he can attack both worlds. If we strike now we can distract him while Link finds the Key."
Link sighed. He really had no clue where Zayna was at all. It was just instinct that told him she was at the castle. From what he had heard of this Chalance Vance, it was clear that the Demon Riders must be in league with him. He still did not know what he would do when he found the Key anyway.
His eyes drifted around the tavern. Men laughing. Women chatting to one another animatedly. Serving girls scowling at unruly customers. Did they realise how close they were to death? Not just from Cyle's scheming. But just from living day to day. He glanced at some lonely soul sitting in a dark corner with a hood covering their features before turning back to his friends. Where could Zayna be in this land? Was she even still in Hyrule?
"We should take things one step at a time," Tyron said. "First - we need to find a passage to the Morolak Kingdoms."
"I can ask around," Link said.
Zelda nodded in response.
Chizan cleared his throat. "I would still like to accompany you, Your Highness."
"And why would you want to do that?" Link asked. He had tried to keep the ice out of his tone, but failed.
There was an awkward silence. The Prince and the Hero looked at each other, the tension palpable in the air.
"She needs to be kept safe," Chizan said.
Link kept his gaze on him. "She seemed to be able to take care herself just fine today."
He heard Zelda sigh and he looked at her, catching her rolling her eyes. "Link," she said with a smile. "Get us some drinks, please. And see if you can find out anything about any safe ports."
Link nodded and stood, clearly not feeling happy. He walked to the counter and sat on a stool there. Two men besides him were talking. He was not paying attention until he caught the word 'Freelander' and so he concentrated on the duo, trying to shut out all other noise.
"Did you hear? Caught in her bedroom with the Freelander!" one of them was saying with a chuckle.
Link found that strange. What Freelanders would be here in Hyrule now, bar the Prince himself?
"Aye," the other man said. "Would never have expected it from someone such as her. All high and mighty an' all."
So some noblewoman had been caught with a Freelander? That was even more curious. Despite his dislike for the Prince, Link grudgingly admitted that the Freelanders lived by a righteous code of honour. What was it about the Prince that bothered him then?
Link shifted in his seat to listen more closely. His cheeks burned slightly as he did so. There was little honour in listening in on someone else's conversations. And yet, a small childish part of him wanted to hear about the oh-so-perfect Freelanders brought down a notch or two.
"The Queen and the Freelander Prince! Sounds like one of those low brow plays they have at the theatre," the first man said.
Link's soul was sickened as he froze at the words. What were they saying? Zelda and Chizan? His heart shivered in an anxiety he did not quite understand. He realised that the mercenary had said something similar too. Is that way they had not told him about the causes of the war? Was the war because of this?
He tried to still the nauseous feeling at the pit of his stomach. What did it matter if they were together? What was it to him? She had rejected him once before, all he had to do was put it behind him. Link felt slightly calmer at this thought. He was a grown man now. He did not have to fret over other people's feelings. And yet another part of him was cracking under the disappointment he felt from hearing the words.
"What'll it be?" the tavernkeeper said, snapping him out of his reverie.
Link shook his head slightly to clear his mind. He had a task to do and he had to stick to it. What was it again?
"Ah .. yes," Link said, as it came back to him. "I was actually looking for some information."
The tavernkeeper's lip twitched. A strange reaction, thought Link.
"Oh really?" he said, waiting.
"Yes. I need to know how to get to a port so my friends can sail to the Morolak Kingdom."
The tavernkeeper cocked an eyebrow and looked at Link coolly. The Hero of Time was getting a little frustrated. What was wrong with this fellow?
"What, is it tourist season over there or something?"