Yay! I updated! Aren't we all happy? No? OK. Anyway. YAY! I got lots and lots of reviews! The most I've had so far methinks! THANK YOU! I SHALL WORSHIP ALL OF YOU! Ehhh... School is horrible! Sniff... So much work... I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! And I went on vacation so... yeah... Plus, I've been only slightly occupied by Fire Emblem recently... Anyway...

I shall have to apologize in advance for this chapter. Some of you might not like the results too much... Sorry! But I really like the fact that Lyson's so universally hated. Let's just say that I'm gonna have fun seeing if the opinions change at the end of the fic. Oops! Said a bit much there! On to the fic!

Chapter 11: Nayru's Search

There was no doubt about it. Hyrule's cooks were the finest in the world, and with so many of them collaborating on a single banquet, the results were well beyond praise. Finding Kira quite the suitable replacement for Zelda on his food-hunting excursions, Link dragged the amazed girl through crowds and crowds of starved people. They weaved through long lines, ducked under banquet tables, with Link heaping piles and piles of food onto his tray and into his mouth as they went along. He took care to shovel quite a few choice selections onto Kira's plate and remembered to grab all kinds of carrots and apples for Epona and Areon.

Kira, meanwhile, busied herself by making sure that none of her food fell off her tray and keeping up with Link and his eccentric wanderings. The Hero of Time was gripping her hand rather tightly so that she wouldn't get lost in the crowd, and she noticed that many of the girls who noticed the detail had their faces convoluted into interesting expressions. Of course, Kira couldn't blame them at all for their little obsession, but their expressions WERE funny. "Link," she ventured. "Do you always have all these girls after you?"

"Yeah. But they're not that bad. They can't really do anything life-threatening. Wait 'til you see Ruto," Link answered nonchalantly, grabbing a piece of cake.

"Ruto?"

"You'll see."

Almost immediately, Kira found herself thrown backwards by some unseen force. Barely managing to keep all of her food from falling, she looked up to see a pair of arms embellished with fins wrapped around Link's neck.

"Um... hi Ruto," said Link with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"Hi Link! It's been so long! A week? Two weeks? Three weeks? I've lost count!"

Kira traced the voice back to its owner, who she recognized to be a Zora girl, about her and Link's age, wearing only a simple cloak. The Zora was currently smothering Link in a hug, and Link did not seem too happy about his current condition.

"Err... Ruto? I was at Zora's Domain two weeks ago for official business, don't you remember?" Link gasped in relief when he was finally released by the overexcited Zora. Sighing, he turned to Kira. "This is Ruto. She's the princess of the Zoras. Ruto, meet Kira. She's a new friend of ours."

"Nice to meetcha." Kira grinned. "I can't believe I'm meeting another princess."

Ruto smiled back. "Being a princess sucks. Trust me, it does. But if Zelda trusts you then I know that I can too." A mischievous glint came into her eyes as she added, "Just be sure you stay away from my fiancée."

Link blushed furiously as he insisted, "Ruto! I didn't know back then! You know I can't!"

"Sure Linky. Whatever you say. I have to go now. Before the guards find out I'm gone. Bye Link! Bye Kira! It was nice meeting you!" The princess turned and disappeared into the crowds within a matter of seconds, leaving only Kira and Link with their trays.

"Fiancée?" Kira asked curiously. "Was she the same Ruto you and Zelda were talking about that night?"

"Um... long story. Why don't we go find somewhere to eat?"

"If you want, I guess. But why won't you tell me?"

Link blushed again at that. "Just 'cause," he answered with a grin.

A few minutes later, Link and Kira were sitting in the shade of a tree just outside the stadium walls, enjoying a quiet lunch. Zelda was nowhere to be found, most likely stuck under strict supervision lest some maniac decided to perform an assassination. Areon and Epona were nearby, grazing quietly.

"Y'know something Link?"

"What?"

"I wanna cook like this someday."

Link laughed. "Why? I'm sure Zelda can arrange something so the castle kitchens will always be open for you. Like a couple of important sounding titles. How 'bout... The Lady of a Little Room in Hyrule Castle?"

"For your information, it's not LITTLE. It's about as big as yours. And I wanna cook so I'll always be able to eat what I wanna eat. Not the disgusting "specialties" that they serve."

"Well... if you put it that way... but I'm gonna stick with the cooks."

"Are you saying you think I won't be good enough?" Kira asked, indignant.

"Nah. I'm saying I KNOW you won't be good enough."

"Link!"

"Kidding."

After a few more moments of quiet eating, Link broke the silence by saying, "Know what? I think you've made a huge improvement."

Kira looked up from her plate. "Improvement?"

"Eh well... you know... No more crying. No more um... self-abuse with words... And you've been a lot more happier, I think." Link finished with a sheepish grin.

"If you say so... Thanks..."

"Heh. Boy do I feel like an idiot now."

Kira snickered. "You are."

"Hey! Have you been taking lessons from Zelda or something?" Link asked, trying to look as serious as possible, and failing miserably.

"Ya think?"

The Hero of Time sighed. "Great. Now you're becoming sarcastic too. Why is everyone becoming sarcastic? The first time I met Zelda I thought she was really nice and sweet."

"And pretty and wonderful and absolutely the best in the world, am I right?"

Link opened his mouth to say something, but the booming sound of a tolling bell silenced his words. All Kira could make out was the word, "No" and Link's face turning very very red. She grabbed her weapons and mounted Areon, who had trotted over when the bell rung. Link followed suit and soon the two were headed toward the stadium, ready for the next challenge.

Again, the arena was full of people, each jabbering excitedly to others. Link and Kira rode through the crowd with some difficulty, but eventually they were able to reach the podium where the other contestants were gathered. A few familiar castle staffers were there, but the King and Zelda were nowhere to be found. Soon, however, blaring trumpets announced the arrival of the ruler of Hyrule, followed by his beloved daughter. Link waved cheerily to Zelda, as did Kira. King Harkinian walked to the edge of the dais, held his hand up for silence, and, when the crowd had quieted down, began, "I sincerely hope that lunch was more than satisfactory."

Murmurs of agreement from everyone prompted the King to raise his hand again. "Now that all of the contestants are here, I would like to congratulate you for the fine race you have given us. I presume that our next competition will be just as exciting. Zelda, would you like to do the honors?"

The Princess of Hyrule stepped forward. "Yes, Father," she announced in a soft tone. Then, turning to the crowd, "Contestants, your next trial, and the last one of the day, is... a treasure hunt!"

Unbelieving whispers rose among the spectators as everyone looked at each other, surprised that there was to be a childish game in such an important event as this contest. Zelda smiled and held up her hand for silence. When the crowd had given her their full attention, she continued, "But it won't be a conventional treasure hunt. We've outfitted one cucco with a blue headdress. Your goal is to find that cucco."

Whispers started up among the crowd again, as Zelda held up her hand for silence once more. "The problem is... there are fifty other cuccos running around our set perimeter. Which, by the way, stretches from Kakariko to Lon Lon Ranch with about five miles on each side. The cuccos are perfectly capable of hiding in trees, under crates, and in various other hiding places. And... you have 'til an hour after sundown, which is in... oh about a couple hours. Does that sound like enough of a challenge?" she smiled and winked at Link.

The Hero of Time grinned back, only to receive a nudge from Kira moments later. "What?" he whispered.

"Told ya."

"Wha-?"

Kira sighed dramatically. "Boy are you clueless."

"Maybe I'm just trying to avoid answering."

"Maybe."

Blaring trumpets disrupted their little conversation as a knight yelled out an order over the cacophony of the crowd. "Are all of the contestants mounted and ready?"

He waited for a moment before continuing, "Then on your mark... Get set... GOOOO!"

Thundering through the wide arch of the stadium opening, all of the remaining teams who hadn't given up after the race directed their horses toward the wide-open plains of Hyrule Field, all hoping for a quick victory. For no one wished to be caught outside after the sun set. After all, the field's many mysterious inhabitants were mostly nocturnal, very deadly, and the likes of which pretty much never seen by normal citizens of Hyrule.

Shortly after leaving the protective gates of the stadium, Link discreetly called Kira over to him. The two waited for the remaining straggling teams to split up and gallop off in different directions, and when the coast was clear, Link revealed his battle plan. "You have that flight spell, right? I was thinking you could do a quick survey of the terrain from the sky. You know, see if you can find anything special where a cucco could hide."

Kira nodded in reply. "Sure. But if my magic runs out..."

"Got that covered. Here. Take this bottle. It's got some Blue Potion in it." Link fished out a bottle filled with a thick blue solution from his pack and handed it to Kira, who took it gratefully.

"Thanks! But isn't this a little... well... expensive?"

"No problem. Living with the royal family has its rewards."

Kira nodded, satisfied with the answer. Gingerly placing the container into her satchel, she gripped her staff tightly with both hands and whispered a few soft words to the wind, closing her eyes at the same time. The large pearl glowed brightly for an instant, as two large wings sprouted from her shoulder blades. With a bound, she shot up toward the sky, waving cheerily at Link. The Hero of Time waved back and reached over to pat Epona's head. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a long wait.

Gazing down at the miles and miles of green from the sky, and making sure that no one with a perverted mind would be able to get a good look up her tunic, Kira squinted her eyes, checking for any sign of motion. Other than the occasional contestant checking under a rock, the fields were still and silent. Glancing back and forth along her range of vision, she noticed a few white dots, which, when observed closer, turned out to be normal cuccos.

Just a bit farther. Almost out of magic.

Flapping her wings silently and catching the breeze, she glided on for a few more minutes, checking all the while for any sign of the special cucco. But her efforts turned out fruitless, for no matter where she looked, she was only greeted by the ocean of green that was Hyrule Field. Turning back somewhat unhappily, Kira was just about to mentally prepare another strategy before a sudden flash of blue diverted her attention. She looked around eagerly, trying to uncover the source. There! There it was again! The blue flash! And it was coming from the top of a... tree?

A quick glance confirmed her suspicions. The special cucco was indeed sitting on top of a tree, looking more than a little distressed. Aware of the potential dangers of an irate cucco but still happy with her unexpected discovery, Kira dove toward her find. "Here cucco. Good cucco. Good um... girl." Relieved at being saved from its uncomfortable perch, the cucco willingly jumped into Kira's arms and cooed cheerfully, rubbing its headdress against Kira's face. The girl grinned at her new charge. "Boy is Link gonna be happy when he sees you," she remarked, landing on the ground for a quick Blue Potion recharge.

"Hold on a minute there. I think that chicken belongs to me."

Kira looked up, surprised by the regrettably familiar voice. "Lyson."

The prince smirked. "Glad you remember my name. Now hand that cucco over or else."

"Why should I? I found it and I'm taking it back to Link. Not like you can do anything about it."

Lyson smirked again, though this time it was somewhat forced. "Oh yeah? Srie! Teach that little whelp a lesson!"

The Calatian knight nodded and brandished his axe. It was still coated with dried blood, flakes of which were constantly floating off. Kira gulped and tried to bound into flight. She managed to get a few feet off the ground, before falling back with a heavy thump. Her wings dissolved into thin air, and to her dismay, the cucco, frightened by the commotion, flew out of her arms, only to be seized by Lyson and stuffed into a sack.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Why should I? I found it and I'm taking it back to Zelda." Lyson mocked, using the exact same words Kira had used only a moment before.

Srie, the Calatian knight, was still advancing, and with his next step, he grabbed Kira roughly by the throat. The bottle of Blue Potion in her satchel fell to the ground, and... shattered. The girl struggled in the knight's firm grasp, but to no avail. She tried to draw her sword and staff, only to find them cruelly grabbed from her hands. Tears came to her eyes as she watched the potion leak out from the shattered pieces of glass, watched her last chance of escape trickle into the earth.

Link... Zelda... Where are you? You... you said you would be my friends... And... and...

"That's enough."

With Lyson's order, Srie released his grip on Kira, who collapsed heavily on the hard earth, gasping for breath. Stars burst in front of her eyes, as the soft green grass before her seemed to grow fuzzier and fuzzier. She could barely make out Lyson's voice, an unwelcome reminder that she had not lost consciousness yet.

"You know, Srie. I think I like you better like this. You used to be all kind and warm to everything and have objections whenever you felt your orders would cause harm to others. But now you'll follow my instructions no matter what they might be. I like it. I like it a lot. A job well done, Srie."

Kira grimaced at Lyson's "speech." What kind of person would delight in hurting others? But if what Lyson said was true, than that Srie person wasn't so bad after all. But what could have caused the complete turn around of personality? She didn't have much time to ponder over the possibilities, as she felt her staff and sword tossed carelessly on her head. Kira looked up to see the Prince of Calatia's smirking face.

"I don't need a pathetic little peasant's weapons. They're probably all dull and broken anyway." Lyson sneered, turning to face Srie. "Tie her up. If all those stories are true, then those monsters will be in for a feast. I'm heading for the castle. Return to me when you're done."

Her heart pounding, Kira tried to get up and run, only to be met by a gauntleted hand, which shoved her back into the ground. She could hear the sound of hoof beats pounding further and further away as Lyson galloped his poor horse back to the castle to claim his prize. Srie wasted no time in getting to his work, despite Kira's screams and thrashings. He was almost done with his job when an arrow lodged itself into the earth next to him, ice spreading from its point.

"Let her go." Another arrow lodged itself next to Srie, this time far to close for comfort. The knight got up from his crouching position, giving Kira a good view of the situation. She was glad to see Link, glaring at the Calatian knight with hardened eyes and stringing another arrow to his bow.

"That's right. Now back away from her. I don't want to hurt you."

Without a word, Srie backed away from Kira, letting his hands hang loose beside him. The girl thought it was strange that Srie seemed to be focusing on Epona instead of Link.

Keeping his arrow trained on the knight, Link circled his quarry, watching for any sudden movements. "Good. Keep it coming. Keep coming. Kee- Whoa! Epona! What's wrong!"

Suddenly finding himself about to fall due to Epona's rearing, Link was forced to drop his arrow to hang onto his mare's snowy mane. Without missing a beat, Srie drew his axe and charged at the still precariously balanced hero, meaning to take his life with one swift stroke.

Luckily, Link was able to draw his shield at the same precise moment, but the force of metal striking metal was so strong that he toppled off Epona's back, the Gilded Sword jolted out of his hand. He watched in horror as the blood stained axe appeared yet again over his head, almost certain that the unprecedented force behind its deadly blade would be able to cleave his shield in two. Then, he'd have to make a mad scramble for his sword AND he'd also have to worry about replacing his lovely shield. Link sighed in relief as the axe lingered in the air for a bit too long as he used the extra time to roll out of the way and onto his misplaced sword. It looked like his shield would be able to survive for still quite some time.

He bounded nimbly to his feet, the Gilded Sword in his left hand and his Hylian Shield in his right. Link grinned at the seemingly irate knight. He had the perfect strategy and it involved quite a bit of experience with the ever-annoying Iron Knuckles. The Hero of Time kept his gaze focused on his opponent, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

And here it comes...

Link was correct in his calculations, for Srie's axe came swinging down upon him soon after. Quickly dodging out of the way, the hero whirled around to be greeted by a welcoming sight. The Calatian knight's axe was stuck in the tree and the poor man was having quite a bit of trouble extracting it. Grinning cockily, Link sauntered up to the knight.

"Don't wanna hurt you. So I'll just do this."

Srie regarded him with an odd look; at least, Link imagined it would have been an odd look, just hidden by the helmet and the darkness engulfing the knight's head. Still grinning, Link held the flat of his blade up to the back of Srie's head, and gave it a good WHACK. The sound of clanging metal accompanied the knight's topple to the ground, as the Hero of Time cheerily struck a silly pose.

"Whoo. That's fun! But why are you always so much trouble?" Link asked, cutting Kira's bonds.

"I- I'm sorry..." Kira looked down at the ground in distress.

"Sorry 'bout what?"

"Well... 'bout your bottle... and... and the cucco..." Kira was nearly in tears.

"The bottle's fine. I have more. But what cucco?"

"I found it... the... the special cucco... and... and they took it!" she sobbed.

A little uncertain about what to do, Link tried his best to calm the girl down. "Hey. Stop crying. It's okay. It's not your fault. Besides, we still have one more competition to go, y'know. It's not over yet." He winked and smiled as brightly as possible.

"I... I guess you're right..."

"I'm always right! Now what about going back to the castle for some food?"

"You're always thinking about food." Kira replied, drying her tears with the back of her glove.

"Eh. Well... Glad to see you back to normal."

"Link?"

"What?"

"Why'd you come here?"

"You were gone too long for comfort, I guess. So I just went off in your direction and you know the rest," he replied, offering her a hand. "Come on up. Epona's strong enough to carry someone else."

"Oh. Thanks." Kira accepted the hero's hand gratefully, but paused before he could help her up. "Link?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Areon?"

Link waved a gauntleted hand over his shoulder. "Areon? He should be over there somewhere. Isn't he?"

"No."

"Uh-oh. I thought he came with me."

"What if... what if he got hurt?"

"Ah. Don't worry. He's probably back where we started. Near the stadium. Wait a sec. Never mind. Is that him?"

Kira looked over to where Link was pointing and indeed, there was Areon, fast approaching with a figure on his back. "It's Areon! And he's carrying someone!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Link grinned. "Told ya." However, his cheery expression quickly turned to a serious one when he noticed whom the rider was.

"Hi there! This yours?" The figure atop Areon waved.

Kira ran to her stallion's side. "Yes, it is. Thank you for bringing him back to me."

"No problem. He's a very pretty horse." The figure smiled, dismounting.

"Thank you. I'm Kira, by the way."

"I'm Sheik. Nice to meetcha. And well, if it isn't Link."

"Hey Sheik. Long time no see."

Kira glanced back and forth between Link and Sheik. "You're... you're friends? Wow! That's so cool! I didn't know you were friends with a Sheikah other than Impa. At least... You ARE a Sheikah... right?"

Sheik nodded. "Yep."

"WOW! But I've never seen you in Kakariko."

"Ah yes. Well... I come from a different Sheikah village."

Kira was about to ask another question before Link interjected, "Hey Kira? Excuse us for a moment. Gotta talk to Sheik about some... er... guy things..."

"Oh. If that's the case, go right on ahead. I'll head back to the stadium with Areon and see if I can find Zelda."

Link smiled, relieved at her answer. "Yeah. See you there." When he was certain that Kira was out of hearing range, he turned to Sheik and asked worriedly, "Zelda, you know that was a huge risk you just took, right? What if she didn't believe you were "from another Sheikah village?" And what are you doing here anyway?"

Sheik grinned. "Relax. If she had suspected something, I probably would have just shown her. I'm pretty sure we can trust her. I don't have the Triforce of Wisdom for nothing, after all. And as to your second question, Areon brought me here. I don't know why, but I'm also pretty sure you can tell me."

"Alright. This may come as a shock, but I think that... well... Lyson just won this contest."

"What? Tell me you're kidding."

Link looked at Sheik seriously. "No. I'm not. Kira told me that she found the cucco, but Lyson took it from her. And to prove it, when I got here, I found that sleeping knight over there tying her up."

"Great. I had my suspicions when I saw Lyson galloping back to the stadium with a bulky sack on my way here. I'll arrange someone to bring Mr. Sleeping Beauty back to the arena. But it looks like we're going to have to rely on the next competition, eh Linky?"

Link's face flushed beet red. "Just count on me! Swordplay IS my specialty. But don't call me that! Where'd you pick up that term anyway?"

Sheik grinned. "Your fiancée."

The Hero of Time sighed. "Figured."

A/N: Gonna end it here. Hope you like it... Well... I'm off to work on the next chapter! Heehee... ah... don't know what else to say... R/R please!