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Chapter One - The Call of a Wizard
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"Link!" yelled Alera, "Wake up, you bum!"
Link rolled over, his eyes firmly squeezed shut. Damn his sister! She was so different from him sometimes, and this strange ability to go without sleep frustrated the constantly sleepy Link to no end.
Alera let out a frustrated grunt, then smacked Link's head with a spare pillow.
"Ow!" he complained, "that hurt!"
"Don't be such a baby," she said, annoyed, "you're missing all the good stuff."
Link rolled his eyes, "it's a parade. A parade we've had, every year, twice a year, for my entire life and yours."
"I know, Link," said Alera, "we're twins, remember? But you're missing your chance to hop onto the hero float."
She grinned and held out a green tunic, "it'll look great on you."
He considered, "Green is my favorite color," he said, "and this is the first time I've been asked to ride the float."
She giggled, "that's because you finally grew enough to fit into them." She sighed, "they wouldn't let me be in that float though, either. They had this thing where I was supposed to go into the 'princesses' one. It's not fair, the princess is so uncool in comparison to the hero."
"It's all folklore, though, Al," Link muttered, "remember that."
She nodded, "I KNOW that. Of course it is. But still..." she held the tunic meant for him to her body, "it would look really great on me. Maybe I'd lose the hat though."
He laughed, "well, now. Aside from riding in this float, what else will you give me for getting up?"
It was an ongoing ritual for the two. Alera constantly wanted Link to get up in the mornings, even on days that he was allowed to sleep in, so he and she bargained and when the price was right, he rose out of bed.
"There's a magician this year," Alera said, seriously, "He came in from New Kakariko Village yesterday."
"A magician? Like a stage magician?"
"No. A real live state magician. He's supposed to be able to perform real magic. I heard Senna talking the other day, and she said that he was trained by some of the great faeries."
"Now that's interesting."
"He wants to interview all the guys on the hero float, too. Something about historical notes, or some such nonsense."
"So I'd be able to get an autograph," Link said, putting two and two together.
"Yeah. But only if you get up now and head down to the parade area."
"So you're doing the princess thing?"
She sighed, "yeah, I guess. It seems a waste to me, I could kick your butt and yet your supposed to be MY protector."
Link shook his head, "but the hero is a MAN," he reminded her.
She smiled quirkily, "or in your case, a boy..."
"Heyyyy," he protested.
She whapped him once more with the pillow, tossed his tunic to him and bounded up the stairs to her room.
Link shrugged. Couldn't hurt to try the tunic on, after all, it was sort of a rite of passage for the teenage guys to wear the hero tunic in the parade. He pulled it on over his head, and stared. Not bad, he thought, not bad at all. With his blonde hair and green eyes, it looked as if this suit were made for him. But that was silly, since it was just an old costume that went into storage.
After he had placed the tunic on, brushed his teeth, and made his hair look good in the funky hero's hat, Alera bounded down the stairs, dressed like a member of the Hylian royal family.
"Let's go, we can take the horses," she said.
"Why don't we walk?" Link asked, rather stupidly.
"Because, idiot, I'm dressed in a beautiful dress and I don't want to muck it up going through the edge of the swamp."
"Why did Uncle John move us here, again?"
"Because the forest is beautiful on the left, and the swamp is great for growing stuff in, if you can keep the Gatorins off your back."
"I suppose we could use the horses, besides, those stupid Moblins may be ambushing people again."
Alera nodded, "why do you even bother arguing with me?"
"I really don't know," Link answered seriously.
The two hopped on a couple of their uncle's horses and rode to the parade grounds with no difficulty. No Moblins ambushed, and the Gatorin's didn't try to nip at the horses' hooves as they rode.
When they arrived at the grounds, they tethered their horses up. Link stared at Alera, wondering if she knew how great the dress looked on her. Still, it was best not to comment, because Alera was truly a tom-boy at heart, and flattering her on dresses and jewelry made her more angry than happy.
"So, then, I suppose I'll see you later in the day," Link said to his sister.
She nodded, "Yeah... I think... well," she shrugged, "I have a bad feeling about this all of a sudden."
"What? You were so totally into this this morning," Link protested. His sister too often had "bad feelings." The only real problem was that more often than not, something bad DID happen. Though it was always nothing major.
She grinned weakly, "yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, I'm sure we'll be fine..." she sighed, "really." It seemed to Link as though the last words were tacked on more for her benefit than his. Still, he couldn't find himself too worried.
"We'll be fine. I mean, what could happen that the wizard couldn't correct?"
Alera brightened, then nodded, "yeah. I'm sure that's right."
After briefly hugging, the two parted ways. Link found himself pondering the comment his sister made. A bad feeling. That usually spelled out trouble. But maybe it was something really minor, like having a burnt cake after the parade instead of a good one. No use worrying, however, so he strode up to the other boys.
"Hey, Link," the guys greeted him. He nodded in reply. He never did feel comfortable talking to people other than his sister, and Alera felt the same, he knew. Best to not say a word and absorb what is happening, he thought, than to allow something important to happen and let it slip by. Everyone else thought he was just shy, but that wasn't truly it... he was mostly.... alert. Alert was the word, while all the others were comfortable standing around, Link always felt like he needed to watch over them.
A man wearing a tall, peaked hat, and with shrewd eyes walked towards them. He smiled warmly at the boys, and offered a hand down the line, each boy shook it and he said, "I'm looking forward to speaking with you. My name is Agnim, and I am, as you know, I'm sure, the state wizard sent down to do some research."
The boys whispered excitedly to themselves, except for Link who nodded once and stared at Agnim instead. The wizard's eyes fell on Link at once and he smiled, though this time perhaps it wasn't as warm, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "There now! A young hero here. What's your name?"
"Link." it was silent after that for perhaps ten seconds, as if Agnim felt that he should have said more.
Finally, the wizard nodded, "ah, yes, Link. That is a good strong name, and I believe you have the makings of a true hero inside you."
Link shrugged at that remark, thinking the wizard just being polite. It was like when his Grandpa Mear came over and pulled a rupee "from behind his ear".
"As you've probably heard, I've been at each of these festivals around Hyrule, doing research on the Hero. The fact is, that everyone has either jumbled the story up, or else has mixed one incarnation of the hero with another. The hero of time, the hero of sands, the hero of seasons, of ages? What does this mean to our people, our heritage? It is my goal to get good, factual accounts of the hero, and attempt to split the stories up. I'll have a book available when this is all over, hopefully, with the hero's entire body of work- so to speak- accounted for. Each story will be separate, unique, yet also in it's own way supremely like a hero story. What I have discovered so far," he said slowly, "is that it is a current trend for young men to dress as the hero, yet they don't have a clue of his story, at least no more than thinking of him as simply..." he shrugged, "well, the hero."
The other boys seemed mildly impressed at this long statement, but Link felt he was more bored with this Agnim than anything else.
The wizard, perhaps noting his boredom, sidled up to Link and hissed in his ear, "I am looking, in reality, for the current incarnation of the hero."
And Link's heart did a single jump. Why tell him that? The wizard didn't seem as though he'd be telling that sort of brash lie to the boys, but he singled him out particularly.
Agnim seemed to understand his astonishment and nodded to him, leaning over, he whispered, "We will talk after the parade."
Link felt his face growing pale and nodded. After the parade, he was supposed to have a heart to heart with this wizard? And why bother? Maybe he thought that Link could lead him to the hero... or maybe, just maybe, Link WAS the hero.
Meanwhile, Alera felt herself bored to tears. She never had fit in with the girls before, and standing here in this dress was her idea of making a spectacle of herself. It didn't help when Madame arrived, either.
The Madame walked up, a thin and rigid woman with short bangs and her hair pulled tightly up in a bun, grabbed a clipboard and slowly walked the line of girls with an appraising eye. "I am sure you have heard of Agnim's project," she said curtly, though the girls simply stared blankly, "he is the wizard, searching for information on the hero."
This was, of course, a sensation to the girls, and they errupted in a chatter. Alera was staring straight ahead, however, so perhaps when Madame yelled, "Silence!" it was not meant for her.
The girls quieted down and the woman continued, "I am doing the flip side of the research, I am searching out information on the princess."
One of the girls laughed, "the princess disappeared with the rest of the royal family. There's your book."
The woman smiled and in a reedy voice said, "I am sure she did. It is my goal to find out what happened to that family."
Another roar of noise as the girls talked of this incredible announcement. Alera was finding herself bored.
"Now, line up," Madame said stiffly, "And I shall take notes."
Heading down the line, the woman stopped and asked questions every moment or so, then scribbled something on her clipboard and moved on to the next girl. Alera was bored with this whole thing, and when Madame reached her, she said, "Tell me... what is your family lineage?"
Alera gritted her teeth. Like hell she was going to humor this woman.
Madame glared fiercely at her, and Alera imagined her as a large bird trying to swoop down on her. "Well?" she demanded.
Alera bit her cheek, but failed to hold back her true intentions. At once, she swiftly kicked the Madame in the knee and ran off. But where could she head? All the girls, and Madame, were going to be angry if she went back. She couldn't stand in the crowd with the parade, that was certain. Then the idea struck her in sudden inspiration. The heros... the hero float would be a great place to hide, if she could find a costume.
She grinned and ran down to the place where the boys had gathered. "Link!" she yelled breathlessly, "Link!"
Her brother turned around, a surprised look on his face, "You messed up your dress," he said stupidly.
Alera shook her head, "no... I... I kicked an elder, Link!" she blurted out.
Link's eyes widened. That was a major offense in Hyrule, and Alera could be sent to jail for something like that, depending on the elder. If it was a nice enough person, they'd just let it slide with a warning. Unfortunately, kids didn't tend to lash out at the nice adults. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know!" she wailed, "I think I can hide in here, though... maybe..."
"What happened?"
She sighed, and proceeded to tell Link the entire story.
After hearing the full tale, Link sighed, "Alera... just because she was being... difficult... doesn't mean you had the right to kick her."
She shrugged, "maybe... but I was angry. Something about her, the whole of her, just felt... wrong."
He leaned over and tousled her hair a bit, "well, there's your 'bad feeling', Al. Just that you were going to kick some annoying woman." Despite the fact that Alera was in some serious trouble, Link found himself relieved that her feeling manifested in something that would have not much affect on HIM.
Link was struck with sudden inspiration, "maybe Agnim can help us?"
Alera's brow scrunched up, and she was visibly shaken by the thought, "The wizard?"
"It's not what you think, Al. I think... I think that he liked me... he said he wanted to talk with me."
"I.. guess so..." she seemed unsure, still, and Link worried about her, even though she acted as though it was sort of okay.
"Al, it's going to be fine."
"Yeah..."
Chalk it up to her being nervous that she may go to jail, Link thought. Of course, HE would be nervous if he had that chance, too. Still, he'd do his best to hide his sister until things blew over. "If you want," he offered, "you can hide inside the float itself. There's a door to the inside through the tree there. It's supposed to be for general matainence, but I think this is an emergency," he said.
Alera nodded and swallowed thickly. "Okay. I can do that." she took a deep breath and crept into the float. The other boys were distracted at this time, because Agnim was making fireworks from his fingertips. There was no chance of her being discovered by one of THEM.
The parade started quickly, but not before Link noticed the thin woman with the clipboard talking excitedly to Agnim. 'Uh oh...' he thought. Agnim seemed cheerful, though, and he nodded almost excitedly and then, and he swore he didn't imagine this, Agnim pointed directly at him.
He felt the color sort of drain from his cheeks. They either were not talking about his sister's transgression, or else they were, and they were happy about it. Agnim seemed to notice Link looking at him from the float, so he forced a smile and a little wave. The wizard followed suit, and then, thankfully, the parade started and the float began it's journey with a lurch.
Although Link was slightly aware of the audience staring at him and the other boys, he was too worried to be as charismatic as perhaps the other boys were. The others were posing with bows and arrows, using slingshots to toss candy into the audience, doing sword tricks... Link just sat on a fake stump with an Ocarina tightly in his hands, not even bothering to put it to his lips.
It seemed like an eternity, but the parade was over, finally, and Link could steal his sister away. He rapped softly on the trunk door. "Alera?" he whispered.
A tap produced from behind the tree, which Link took as an answer. "It's safe," he said, "the parade's over."
The door slowly creaked open and finally Alera took a step out. It was, perhaps, simply bad luck that Agnim sauntered over at that exact moment. Who knows?
"Ah, young Link," the wizard said, mustering up all his charm, it seemed. "And is this the lovely Alera I've heard so much of?"
Alera turned a pale white color and said nothing. No matter, Agnim placed his arm around Link, "I would like to talk to you... AND perhaps your sister."
Link nodded, but grasped at Alera's hand, part in fright and part in desperation. The wizard either didn't notice Link's reluctance, or else didn't care.
When they had reached a reasonably secluded part of the village, Aganim said in a clear voice, "I don't know if you have told your sister or not, but it doesn't matter. The fact is, I am part of a small group of bandits who is searching for two specific people."
Link raised an eyebrow. It was the closest he would get to asking the question to Agnim.
"I'm glad you are interested. But first, let me give you a background. Our group of people is formed of all sorts, started by one single man, who is this man, I'm sure you're wondering. Well, it isn't my place to say, though it is certain you will meet someday, yes, that I am positive. One thing we do know, by way of this man, is that the Dark Lord Gannon is rising again. You look surprised? Yes, well, it isn't often that you hear what you most want to NOT hear. It is then, as you can see, in the best interest of our group- no, the world- to find two people who are a constant. Our group is looking for the legendary hero, young Link, and we are also looking," his eyes flashed to Alera, "for the princess. The princess Zelda."
Link nearly choked at what he heard. The way Agnim said it was entirely directed at him, "You can't think..." he started, forgetting for a moment about how he is silent to all but Alera.
Agnim clapped his hand on his back and laughed, "don't be so frightened, my boy! It is a certainty in my eyes that you are the hero. Your background seems to agree with my research. I can see that you wonder if I did mean that I think the young Alera is indeed princess Zelda. I am not entirely certain, though Madame seems to believe she is. Zelda is, of course, known for her spirit."
Link nodded, and Alera seemed to be petrified. She squeezed his hand, though, and Link felt reassured, even though he wasn't certain what the squeeze meant.
With great effort, Alera spoke to the wizard, "may I have a moment to speak with my brother?" she asked.
The wizard seemed annoyed, but sighed, "go ahead," then added, "but stay in sight. I don't want anyone getting to you. Both sides are going to be looking for the hero and princess."
Alera bit her lip, her face ashen. Still, she turned her back to the wizard and spoke in a very soft whisper, "Link... this isn't right. Even if the wizard is telling the truth, that we are the two in the legend, then this isn't right."
"What's not right besides the fact that he's telling us we're the reincarnations of the people in legends?" he asked, almost sarcastic, "I played like I was the hero when I was little, but that I really AM? That terrifies me."
Alera nodded, "and something doesn't seem right about me being Zelda, spirit or no. I could be, but..." she sighed, "it doesn't feel right. This whole thing doesn't feel right."
Aganim whistled loudly and shouted, "that's enough, you two. Now get over here for a while and let me finish explaining."
The two shared a glance of fear, perhaps dismay, but walked to Aganim again.
Even though her policy was silence, like her brother's, Alera spoke up suddenly, "what if we say no?"
The wizard laughed like an oversized elf, "say no? Say NO? To your destiny? To the fate of the world?" his arm gestured all around, "if you don't protect it, this world will belong to few."
Alera shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I MUST say no. I don't want to be a princess. And though I can't speak for my brother, I'm sure this hero business is out of the question. Find someone else, we aren't your incarnations."
The wizard's jolly eyes disappeared, and was replaced by cold steel ones, "You, PRINCESS," he sneared, "will indeed come with us. Or else we will charge you with insubordination to an elder, as well as assault! You, my dear, would be locked away!"
Alera looked to her brother for some salvation. He offered nothing but a blank stare.
Chapter One - The Call of a Wizard
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"Link!" yelled Alera, "Wake up, you bum!"
Link rolled over, his eyes firmly squeezed shut. Damn his sister! She was so different from him sometimes, and this strange ability to go without sleep frustrated the constantly sleepy Link to no end.
Alera let out a frustrated grunt, then smacked Link's head with a spare pillow.
"Ow!" he complained, "that hurt!"
"Don't be such a baby," she said, annoyed, "you're missing all the good stuff."
Link rolled his eyes, "it's a parade. A parade we've had, every year, twice a year, for my entire life and yours."
"I know, Link," said Alera, "we're twins, remember? But you're missing your chance to hop onto the hero float."
She grinned and held out a green tunic, "it'll look great on you."
He considered, "Green is my favorite color," he said, "and this is the first time I've been asked to ride the float."
She giggled, "that's because you finally grew enough to fit into them." She sighed, "they wouldn't let me be in that float though, either. They had this thing where I was supposed to go into the 'princesses' one. It's not fair, the princess is so uncool in comparison to the hero."
"It's all folklore, though, Al," Link muttered, "remember that."
She nodded, "I KNOW that. Of course it is. But still..." she held the tunic meant for him to her body, "it would look really great on me. Maybe I'd lose the hat though."
He laughed, "well, now. Aside from riding in this float, what else will you give me for getting up?"
It was an ongoing ritual for the two. Alera constantly wanted Link to get up in the mornings, even on days that he was allowed to sleep in, so he and she bargained and when the price was right, he rose out of bed.
"There's a magician this year," Alera said, seriously, "He came in from New Kakariko Village yesterday."
"A magician? Like a stage magician?"
"No. A real live state magician. He's supposed to be able to perform real magic. I heard Senna talking the other day, and she said that he was trained by some of the great faeries."
"Now that's interesting."
"He wants to interview all the guys on the hero float, too. Something about historical notes, or some such nonsense."
"So I'd be able to get an autograph," Link said, putting two and two together.
"Yeah. But only if you get up now and head down to the parade area."
"So you're doing the princess thing?"
She sighed, "yeah, I guess. It seems a waste to me, I could kick your butt and yet your supposed to be MY protector."
Link shook his head, "but the hero is a MAN," he reminded her.
She smiled quirkily, "or in your case, a boy..."
"Heyyyy," he protested.
She whapped him once more with the pillow, tossed his tunic to him and bounded up the stairs to her room.
Link shrugged. Couldn't hurt to try the tunic on, after all, it was sort of a rite of passage for the teenage guys to wear the hero tunic in the parade. He pulled it on over his head, and stared. Not bad, he thought, not bad at all. With his blonde hair and green eyes, it looked as if this suit were made for him. But that was silly, since it was just an old costume that went into storage.
After he had placed the tunic on, brushed his teeth, and made his hair look good in the funky hero's hat, Alera bounded down the stairs, dressed like a member of the Hylian royal family.
"Let's go, we can take the horses," she said.
"Why don't we walk?" Link asked, rather stupidly.
"Because, idiot, I'm dressed in a beautiful dress and I don't want to muck it up going through the edge of the swamp."
"Why did Uncle John move us here, again?"
"Because the forest is beautiful on the left, and the swamp is great for growing stuff in, if you can keep the Gatorins off your back."
"I suppose we could use the horses, besides, those stupid Moblins may be ambushing people again."
Alera nodded, "why do you even bother arguing with me?"
"I really don't know," Link answered seriously.
The two hopped on a couple of their uncle's horses and rode to the parade grounds with no difficulty. No Moblins ambushed, and the Gatorin's didn't try to nip at the horses' hooves as they rode.
When they arrived at the grounds, they tethered their horses up. Link stared at Alera, wondering if she knew how great the dress looked on her. Still, it was best not to comment, because Alera was truly a tom-boy at heart, and flattering her on dresses and jewelry made her more angry than happy.
"So, then, I suppose I'll see you later in the day," Link said to his sister.
She nodded, "Yeah... I think... well," she shrugged, "I have a bad feeling about this all of a sudden."
"What? You were so totally into this this morning," Link protested. His sister too often had "bad feelings." The only real problem was that more often than not, something bad DID happen. Though it was always nothing major.
She grinned weakly, "yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, I'm sure we'll be fine..." she sighed, "really." It seemed to Link as though the last words were tacked on more for her benefit than his. Still, he couldn't find himself too worried.
"We'll be fine. I mean, what could happen that the wizard couldn't correct?"
Alera brightened, then nodded, "yeah. I'm sure that's right."
After briefly hugging, the two parted ways. Link found himself pondering the comment his sister made. A bad feeling. That usually spelled out trouble. But maybe it was something really minor, like having a burnt cake after the parade instead of a good one. No use worrying, however, so he strode up to the other boys.
"Hey, Link," the guys greeted him. He nodded in reply. He never did feel comfortable talking to people other than his sister, and Alera felt the same, he knew. Best to not say a word and absorb what is happening, he thought, than to allow something important to happen and let it slip by. Everyone else thought he was just shy, but that wasn't truly it... he was mostly.... alert. Alert was the word, while all the others were comfortable standing around, Link always felt like he needed to watch over them.
A man wearing a tall, peaked hat, and with shrewd eyes walked towards them. He smiled warmly at the boys, and offered a hand down the line, each boy shook it and he said, "I'm looking forward to speaking with you. My name is Agnim, and I am, as you know, I'm sure, the state wizard sent down to do some research."
The boys whispered excitedly to themselves, except for Link who nodded once and stared at Agnim instead. The wizard's eyes fell on Link at once and he smiled, though this time perhaps it wasn't as warm, and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "There now! A young hero here. What's your name?"
"Link." it was silent after that for perhaps ten seconds, as if Agnim felt that he should have said more.
Finally, the wizard nodded, "ah, yes, Link. That is a good strong name, and I believe you have the makings of a true hero inside you."
Link shrugged at that remark, thinking the wizard just being polite. It was like when his Grandpa Mear came over and pulled a rupee "from behind his ear".
"As you've probably heard, I've been at each of these festivals around Hyrule, doing research on the Hero. The fact is, that everyone has either jumbled the story up, or else has mixed one incarnation of the hero with another. The hero of time, the hero of sands, the hero of seasons, of ages? What does this mean to our people, our heritage? It is my goal to get good, factual accounts of the hero, and attempt to split the stories up. I'll have a book available when this is all over, hopefully, with the hero's entire body of work- so to speak- accounted for. Each story will be separate, unique, yet also in it's own way supremely like a hero story. What I have discovered so far," he said slowly, "is that it is a current trend for young men to dress as the hero, yet they don't have a clue of his story, at least no more than thinking of him as simply..." he shrugged, "well, the hero."
The other boys seemed mildly impressed at this long statement, but Link felt he was more bored with this Agnim than anything else.
The wizard, perhaps noting his boredom, sidled up to Link and hissed in his ear, "I am looking, in reality, for the current incarnation of the hero."
And Link's heart did a single jump. Why tell him that? The wizard didn't seem as though he'd be telling that sort of brash lie to the boys, but he singled him out particularly.
Agnim seemed to understand his astonishment and nodded to him, leaning over, he whispered, "We will talk after the parade."
Link felt his face growing pale and nodded. After the parade, he was supposed to have a heart to heart with this wizard? And why bother? Maybe he thought that Link could lead him to the hero... or maybe, just maybe, Link WAS the hero.
Meanwhile, Alera felt herself bored to tears. She never had fit in with the girls before, and standing here in this dress was her idea of making a spectacle of herself. It didn't help when Madame arrived, either.
The Madame walked up, a thin and rigid woman with short bangs and her hair pulled tightly up in a bun, grabbed a clipboard and slowly walked the line of girls with an appraising eye. "I am sure you have heard of Agnim's project," she said curtly, though the girls simply stared blankly, "he is the wizard, searching for information on the hero."
This was, of course, a sensation to the girls, and they errupted in a chatter. Alera was staring straight ahead, however, so perhaps when Madame yelled, "Silence!" it was not meant for her.
The girls quieted down and the woman continued, "I am doing the flip side of the research, I am searching out information on the princess."
One of the girls laughed, "the princess disappeared with the rest of the royal family. There's your book."
The woman smiled and in a reedy voice said, "I am sure she did. It is my goal to find out what happened to that family."
Another roar of noise as the girls talked of this incredible announcement. Alera was finding herself bored.
"Now, line up," Madame said stiffly, "And I shall take notes."
Heading down the line, the woman stopped and asked questions every moment or so, then scribbled something on her clipboard and moved on to the next girl. Alera was bored with this whole thing, and when Madame reached her, she said, "Tell me... what is your family lineage?"
Alera gritted her teeth. Like hell she was going to humor this woman.
Madame glared fiercely at her, and Alera imagined her as a large bird trying to swoop down on her. "Well?" she demanded.
Alera bit her cheek, but failed to hold back her true intentions. At once, she swiftly kicked the Madame in the knee and ran off. But where could she head? All the girls, and Madame, were going to be angry if she went back. She couldn't stand in the crowd with the parade, that was certain. Then the idea struck her in sudden inspiration. The heros... the hero float would be a great place to hide, if she could find a costume.
She grinned and ran down to the place where the boys had gathered. "Link!" she yelled breathlessly, "Link!"
Her brother turned around, a surprised look on his face, "You messed up your dress," he said stupidly.
Alera shook her head, "no... I... I kicked an elder, Link!" she blurted out.
Link's eyes widened. That was a major offense in Hyrule, and Alera could be sent to jail for something like that, depending on the elder. If it was a nice enough person, they'd just let it slide with a warning. Unfortunately, kids didn't tend to lash out at the nice adults. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know!" she wailed, "I think I can hide in here, though... maybe..."
"What happened?"
She sighed, and proceeded to tell Link the entire story.
After hearing the full tale, Link sighed, "Alera... just because she was being... difficult... doesn't mean you had the right to kick her."
She shrugged, "maybe... but I was angry. Something about her, the whole of her, just felt... wrong."
He leaned over and tousled her hair a bit, "well, there's your 'bad feeling', Al. Just that you were going to kick some annoying woman." Despite the fact that Alera was in some serious trouble, Link found himself relieved that her feeling manifested in something that would have not much affect on HIM.
Link was struck with sudden inspiration, "maybe Agnim can help us?"
Alera's brow scrunched up, and she was visibly shaken by the thought, "The wizard?"
"It's not what you think, Al. I think... I think that he liked me... he said he wanted to talk with me."
"I.. guess so..." she seemed unsure, still, and Link worried about her, even though she acted as though it was sort of okay.
"Al, it's going to be fine."
"Yeah..."
Chalk it up to her being nervous that she may go to jail, Link thought. Of course, HE would be nervous if he had that chance, too. Still, he'd do his best to hide his sister until things blew over. "If you want," he offered, "you can hide inside the float itself. There's a door to the inside through the tree there. It's supposed to be for general matainence, but I think this is an emergency," he said.
Alera nodded and swallowed thickly. "Okay. I can do that." she took a deep breath and crept into the float. The other boys were distracted at this time, because Agnim was making fireworks from his fingertips. There was no chance of her being discovered by one of THEM.
The parade started quickly, but not before Link noticed the thin woman with the clipboard talking excitedly to Agnim. 'Uh oh...' he thought. Agnim seemed cheerful, though, and he nodded almost excitedly and then, and he swore he didn't imagine this, Agnim pointed directly at him.
He felt the color sort of drain from his cheeks. They either were not talking about his sister's transgression, or else they were, and they were happy about it. Agnim seemed to notice Link looking at him from the float, so he forced a smile and a little wave. The wizard followed suit, and then, thankfully, the parade started and the float began it's journey with a lurch.
Although Link was slightly aware of the audience staring at him and the other boys, he was too worried to be as charismatic as perhaps the other boys were. The others were posing with bows and arrows, using slingshots to toss candy into the audience, doing sword tricks... Link just sat on a fake stump with an Ocarina tightly in his hands, not even bothering to put it to his lips.
It seemed like an eternity, but the parade was over, finally, and Link could steal his sister away. He rapped softly on the trunk door. "Alera?" he whispered.
A tap produced from behind the tree, which Link took as an answer. "It's safe," he said, "the parade's over."
The door slowly creaked open and finally Alera took a step out. It was, perhaps, simply bad luck that Agnim sauntered over at that exact moment. Who knows?
"Ah, young Link," the wizard said, mustering up all his charm, it seemed. "And is this the lovely Alera I've heard so much of?"
Alera turned a pale white color and said nothing. No matter, Agnim placed his arm around Link, "I would like to talk to you... AND perhaps your sister."
Link nodded, but grasped at Alera's hand, part in fright and part in desperation. The wizard either didn't notice Link's reluctance, or else didn't care.
When they had reached a reasonably secluded part of the village, Aganim said in a clear voice, "I don't know if you have told your sister or not, but it doesn't matter. The fact is, I am part of a small group of bandits who is searching for two specific people."
Link raised an eyebrow. It was the closest he would get to asking the question to Agnim.
"I'm glad you are interested. But first, let me give you a background. Our group of people is formed of all sorts, started by one single man, who is this man, I'm sure you're wondering. Well, it isn't my place to say, though it is certain you will meet someday, yes, that I am positive. One thing we do know, by way of this man, is that the Dark Lord Gannon is rising again. You look surprised? Yes, well, it isn't often that you hear what you most want to NOT hear. It is then, as you can see, in the best interest of our group- no, the world- to find two people who are a constant. Our group is looking for the legendary hero, young Link, and we are also looking," his eyes flashed to Alera, "for the princess. The princess Zelda."
Link nearly choked at what he heard. The way Agnim said it was entirely directed at him, "You can't think..." he started, forgetting for a moment about how he is silent to all but Alera.
Agnim clapped his hand on his back and laughed, "don't be so frightened, my boy! It is a certainty in my eyes that you are the hero. Your background seems to agree with my research. I can see that you wonder if I did mean that I think the young Alera is indeed princess Zelda. I am not entirely certain, though Madame seems to believe she is. Zelda is, of course, known for her spirit."
Link nodded, and Alera seemed to be petrified. She squeezed his hand, though, and Link felt reassured, even though he wasn't certain what the squeeze meant.
With great effort, Alera spoke to the wizard, "may I have a moment to speak with my brother?" she asked.
The wizard seemed annoyed, but sighed, "go ahead," then added, "but stay in sight. I don't want anyone getting to you. Both sides are going to be looking for the hero and princess."
Alera bit her lip, her face ashen. Still, she turned her back to the wizard and spoke in a very soft whisper, "Link... this isn't right. Even if the wizard is telling the truth, that we are the two in the legend, then this isn't right."
"What's not right besides the fact that he's telling us we're the reincarnations of the people in legends?" he asked, almost sarcastic, "I played like I was the hero when I was little, but that I really AM? That terrifies me."
Alera nodded, "and something doesn't seem right about me being Zelda, spirit or no. I could be, but..." she sighed, "it doesn't feel right. This whole thing doesn't feel right."
Aganim whistled loudly and shouted, "that's enough, you two. Now get over here for a while and let me finish explaining."
The two shared a glance of fear, perhaps dismay, but walked to Aganim again.
Even though her policy was silence, like her brother's, Alera spoke up suddenly, "what if we say no?"
The wizard laughed like an oversized elf, "say no? Say NO? To your destiny? To the fate of the world?" his arm gestured all around, "if you don't protect it, this world will belong to few."
Alera shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I MUST say no. I don't want to be a princess. And though I can't speak for my brother, I'm sure this hero business is out of the question. Find someone else, we aren't your incarnations."
The wizard's jolly eyes disappeared, and was replaced by cold steel ones, "You, PRINCESS," he sneared, "will indeed come with us. Or else we will charge you with insubordination to an elder, as well as assault! You, my dear, would be locked away!"
Alera looked to her brother for some salvation. He offered nothing but a blank stare.