Chapter Two
Perlius rubbed his shoulder where a thick bandage had been pressed. "There is always something that one wants. Let us just pray that I am able to give it to you." He twisted around to look at the cut. Neat stitches clearly marked the wound. Grunting his approval he once again faced Link to watch the man's face.
Link nodded his assent. "The village doctor," he explained absently. Rubbing his hands together he sighed then finally said, "You asked me before I fought you whether I sold my skills."
Blinking, Pelius nodded, "Aye."
"You also said you were searching for someone."
Again, a similar response was issued from Pelius.
"If you told me whom you were looking for, I would sell you my sword arm. I've never fought for anyone other than myself and for various reasons pertaining to subjects I'd rather not speak of, but I'm willing to aid you. It's time for me to move on."
The offer surprised Pelius immensely, after fighting the young man, what he had to offer him would seem very little indeed. He must be expecting some large sum. "I have little to pay you with and after seeing you fight I'm surprised at your proposal. I, myself, am considered fair with the sword, but two fighters are always better than one. I must add, that I've never seen such skill in one of your age."
Link scoffed, "My age? You can't be much older than myself."
Pelius's grin grew, "You'd be surprised."
Link stood and walked over to the window and stared out it. Pelius noted that his muscles were tense and he was restless despite how calm he appeared on the outside. His muscular frame was lithe and athletic. "Will you aid me?"
Steel blue eyes turned onto him, they reminded Pelius greatly of his Rhea's, his wife's. "Will you tell me who you're searching for?"
Unsettling those eyes were and Pelius had to look away. "My child."
A brow lifted in question, and Link reinforced his unsaid inquiry by seating himself before Pelius once again.
"I know not the gender, the name nor whether the child lives or not. I haven't the slightest clue about it." Tears sprang to Pelius's eyes and he had to dash them away quickly. His young male's instincts surfacing again, that was the problem with having a body so young. His mind was old, but he was young in body.
"A child."
Pelius dipped his head.
Disgust tinted Link's voice, "Was this an unexpected surprised from a village whore?" He stood and backed away towards the door, "Because if it is, I will have you know now that I have no respect for such of your kind. I've seen too many girls walk that road – too poor to feed themselves."
Pelius's ire rose, who was this brash young man to take and understand him to be such a rover? He bit out angrily, "My wife took our child to Hyrule for safety reasons. The people of Trinacria, the Fregans, destroyed our house, our home, our city. It was the least I could do to send her here."
Link was pacing the room; obviously was trying to digest this information. Pelius was about to say more, but Link held his hand up silencing him. Pushing his hair out his eyes, Link finally returned to slump down into his seat on the chair. "This works out almost too well. I am, in turn, in search for family."
"We find my child, we find your family. On my word, I'll stay with you to the end." Pelius leaned forward holding out his hand.
Eyeing the outstretched hand warily, Link slowly reached for it and gripped it in a solid shake. "To strangers finding friendship. And I apologize for my reaction to your child – I only assumed the worst."
"Accepted."
Leaning back, Link grinned mischievously, "Well, guess we can get better acquainted before we head off considering you're going to be in bed for the day."
Pelius growled, but returned the grin – tolerating the taunt, knowing he'd even it out later, "We'll be going once I've gained my feet, and I intend to make that now."
Pelius hefted a sizeable bag onto his shoulders. Taking the pain of his wound in stride, he took the initiative and stepped out of the small quarters that had served Link. Hyrule, it was unquestionably a land of great wealth. Pelius had heard years ago that the land had been badly troubled with matters of rulers, but obviously that had been a rumor. The town was thriving, merchants fat and happy. A definite sign of wealth.
Link came beside him to watch over the town's square. "I won't be coming back here, I've left a note with the keeper."
"Never?" Pelius's eyes roamed over the heads below, "It's a happy land, the way I see it."
"Happy for reasons many do not even realize." There was bitterness in his voice. "They are free from what they will never even know. There are so few that know of the truth of this land, know the secrets...the truth. It most likely will never be found, for a lot of it technically never happened." He slammed a fist on the railing, then dropped his hand to his side. His face was covered the thinly veiled anger with remorse, "I'm sorry, I should not have said that."
Pelius didn't say a word. He wouldn't have known what to say. They were, after all, still strangers. Shrugging his bag into a more comfortable position on his back, Pelius walked down towards the stairs that would lead them into the mayhem below. A few seconds later, he could hear Link's footsteps fall in behind.
Meandering through the crowds of the market, Pelius felt a sense of longing come over him. In all his lives, this one had been his most disastrous. Since the day he'd been brought into the world, his mind had been on what his child looked like. It had been a very long time since he'd really looked at anything than a face that may trigger something in his mind. Hyrule was a beautiful land, the town growing by large increments, the ruler fair, the people living in harmony with the different races of the land.
He sighed and looked beyond the city walls. Would he ever find his child? There was only one way to find out. He marched towards the large draw bridge that now separated the richer part of town from the poorer sections (not to say they were that poor). A hand fell on his shoulder and he winced at the flaring pain. Whirling around, he had his tormentor by the throat in a second.
A cocky grin spread across Link's face, "You're high-strung, aren't you?"
Blushing furiously, Pelius released Link's neck.
Link rubbed his neck and nodded towards a side street. "You'll need a horse if we're to trek these lands – it will cut down on time considerably. Although as a child I ran them freely."
Still red in the face, Pelius followed Link's trail through the crowded streets. The ringing of a blacksmith directed them to a small thatch-roofed building. A beefy man, covered in sweat and grime, hammered a piece of red hot metal into the form of a horse shoe. It was Latro. Glancing up, the man set his tools aside and put the shoe back into the furnace. "Already for another fight?"
Pelius shook his head.
Latro laughed, "Ah, here for the horse flesh then. I'll get my brother."
Link had gone over to inspect the horses present. None of them were outstanding, but all were of sturdy leg and muscle, and of good health of keeping. Looking to where Latro had just left. "Latro and Redus. Brothers and a smart set too. One works the horse ranch, while the other is blacksmith and weapons maker." He grinned and tapped his head.
"Are you ready to sell that fine horse of yours Link?"
Laughing heartily, Link shook his head and turned back to eyeing the horses stabled. Motioning towards Pelius, he said, "My friend is in need of a horse."
A frown dove into the man's face, "If you're looking for anything as fine as Epona, you know I don't have anything that fine kept here. You'll have to go to the ranch. Malon is there." His frown deepened and he waved a thick finger under Link's nose, "But they go to no one that won't take care of them."
Link rolled his eyes for Pelius's benefit, "Yes, I know." He patted a bay horse on the back and explained to Pelius, a large grin splitting his face. "Redus's horses are probably more precious than his own newborn girl."
Redus blushed and muttered, "That's not true." When he heard his brother laughing in the back room, he added, "Don't let my wife hear you say that Link, she'll whip you're hide for good."
That had Link snapping his jaw shut, "Of course. Malon and Cora are the dearest things to you."
"They are."
Latro came forward and slapped his brother on the back, "Redus, you old fool. You fall for that every time, giving Link the biggest laugh of all at the end of it all. We all know you're heart is true..." he snickered and then added, "We just don't know whether it sits with your horses or your family."
Throwing up his hands, Redus huffed and stormed to the back room again, only to come back moments later with a gurgling baby in his arms. His glowing face was sign enough of where his heart lay. "Better get ready you two. Malon is here."
Link's face turned bland as he turned to the woman who'd stepped forward. "Malon. Good to see you again."
She dipped her head in acknowledgement, "Link."
Pelius, who'd been blithely ignored pushed past Link and held out his hand, "Pelius, ma'am."
Ignoring the hand, she turned away and took her daughter into her arms. "I'm assuming you're here for a horse. How much money do you have?"
Shocked at the direct question, Pelius, stuttered, "I should think that that was none of your business, but I would think that it is enough to suffice."
Her eyes sharp, they kept darting to where Link stood stiffly, "How good a quality of horse are you looking for?"
Opening his mouth to answer, Link answered from behind, "The best you've got."
Malon's mouth twisted into a small grimace of distaste, but she snapped back, "Was I talking to you?!"
Shrinking back slightly, Pelius tensed – the animosity these two shared for one another was so thick one could feel the waves emanating from them. "Yes. The best. We've a lot of distance to cover."
Gaze settling back on Pelius, Malon did little to hide her disgust, "I have a few horses that may be sufficient for your needs. I'll have Redus go back to the ranch with you." Then with a look of contempt at Link, she flounced back inside the building where the brothers were talking quietly.
Redus appeared moments later, "Malon intends to see what's for sale in the markets today. Come on."
Leading them on a wild course through the teeming streets, Redus steadily pushed his way towards the wooden drawbridge. The constant shouts and callings were beginning to take their toll on Pelius – his head was pounding to an unheard rhythm. "Where is your ranch situated?" he shouted over the din.
Redus pointed beyond the drawbridge to a massive structure set upon a hill. Smoke was rising from one of the rooftops and Pelius commented on it.
"Magirus, our cook, is probably burning some confection of sorts."
The construction was impressive. It was surrounded by small houses and buildings selling unnamable wares. High walls surrounded what obviously lay within the holding – fields. It was a fortress.
Wending their way through the streets and ally's, the crowds eventually thinned till there were hardly more than a dozen people to be seen at a time. A few men recognizing Redus would wave now and then, but other than that, the walk was uneventful.
Coming to a set of thick wooden doors, Redus pulled out a large key and unlocked the smaller door inset of the larger ones. He explained to Pelius, "In the past few years, horse thieves took advantage of our open gates and walked in – taking with them when they left some of the best horse flesh to grace Lon Lon Ranch." He shook his head sadly and then held the door open for Link and Pelius to enter through.
Link nodded sadly, Epona's sire had been one of the horses taken.
Pelius sniffed the air, "Does Magirus usually burn her meals?"
A frown crossed Redus's craggy face, "Nothing so bad that we can't eat, but..."
Cries of alarm and distress were already drifting to their ears.
"...fire..."
"Fire..."
"FIRE!..."
Perlius rubbed his shoulder where a thick bandage had been pressed. "There is always something that one wants. Let us just pray that I am able to give it to you." He twisted around to look at the cut. Neat stitches clearly marked the wound. Grunting his approval he once again faced Link to watch the man's face.
Link nodded his assent. "The village doctor," he explained absently. Rubbing his hands together he sighed then finally said, "You asked me before I fought you whether I sold my skills."
Blinking, Pelius nodded, "Aye."
"You also said you were searching for someone."
Again, a similar response was issued from Pelius.
"If you told me whom you were looking for, I would sell you my sword arm. I've never fought for anyone other than myself and for various reasons pertaining to subjects I'd rather not speak of, but I'm willing to aid you. It's time for me to move on."
The offer surprised Pelius immensely, after fighting the young man, what he had to offer him would seem very little indeed. He must be expecting some large sum. "I have little to pay you with and after seeing you fight I'm surprised at your proposal. I, myself, am considered fair with the sword, but two fighters are always better than one. I must add, that I've never seen such skill in one of your age."
Link scoffed, "My age? You can't be much older than myself."
Pelius's grin grew, "You'd be surprised."
Link stood and walked over to the window and stared out it. Pelius noted that his muscles were tense and he was restless despite how calm he appeared on the outside. His muscular frame was lithe and athletic. "Will you aid me?"
Steel blue eyes turned onto him, they reminded Pelius greatly of his Rhea's, his wife's. "Will you tell me who you're searching for?"
Unsettling those eyes were and Pelius had to look away. "My child."
A brow lifted in question, and Link reinforced his unsaid inquiry by seating himself before Pelius once again.
"I know not the gender, the name nor whether the child lives or not. I haven't the slightest clue about it." Tears sprang to Pelius's eyes and he had to dash them away quickly. His young male's instincts surfacing again, that was the problem with having a body so young. His mind was old, but he was young in body.
"A child."
Pelius dipped his head.
Disgust tinted Link's voice, "Was this an unexpected surprised from a village whore?" He stood and backed away towards the door, "Because if it is, I will have you know now that I have no respect for such of your kind. I've seen too many girls walk that road – too poor to feed themselves."
Pelius's ire rose, who was this brash young man to take and understand him to be such a rover? He bit out angrily, "My wife took our child to Hyrule for safety reasons. The people of Trinacria, the Fregans, destroyed our house, our home, our city. It was the least I could do to send her here."
Link was pacing the room; obviously was trying to digest this information. Pelius was about to say more, but Link held his hand up silencing him. Pushing his hair out his eyes, Link finally returned to slump down into his seat on the chair. "This works out almost too well. I am, in turn, in search for family."
"We find my child, we find your family. On my word, I'll stay with you to the end." Pelius leaned forward holding out his hand.
Eyeing the outstretched hand warily, Link slowly reached for it and gripped it in a solid shake. "To strangers finding friendship. And I apologize for my reaction to your child – I only assumed the worst."
"Accepted."
Leaning back, Link grinned mischievously, "Well, guess we can get better acquainted before we head off considering you're going to be in bed for the day."
Pelius growled, but returned the grin – tolerating the taunt, knowing he'd even it out later, "We'll be going once I've gained my feet, and I intend to make that now."
Pelius hefted a sizeable bag onto his shoulders. Taking the pain of his wound in stride, he took the initiative and stepped out of the small quarters that had served Link. Hyrule, it was unquestionably a land of great wealth. Pelius had heard years ago that the land had been badly troubled with matters of rulers, but obviously that had been a rumor. The town was thriving, merchants fat and happy. A definite sign of wealth.
Link came beside him to watch over the town's square. "I won't be coming back here, I've left a note with the keeper."
"Never?" Pelius's eyes roamed over the heads below, "It's a happy land, the way I see it."
"Happy for reasons many do not even realize." There was bitterness in his voice. "They are free from what they will never even know. There are so few that know of the truth of this land, know the secrets...the truth. It most likely will never be found, for a lot of it technically never happened." He slammed a fist on the railing, then dropped his hand to his side. His face was covered the thinly veiled anger with remorse, "I'm sorry, I should not have said that."
Pelius didn't say a word. He wouldn't have known what to say. They were, after all, still strangers. Shrugging his bag into a more comfortable position on his back, Pelius walked down towards the stairs that would lead them into the mayhem below. A few seconds later, he could hear Link's footsteps fall in behind.
Meandering through the crowds of the market, Pelius felt a sense of longing come over him. In all his lives, this one had been his most disastrous. Since the day he'd been brought into the world, his mind had been on what his child looked like. It had been a very long time since he'd really looked at anything than a face that may trigger something in his mind. Hyrule was a beautiful land, the town growing by large increments, the ruler fair, the people living in harmony with the different races of the land.
He sighed and looked beyond the city walls. Would he ever find his child? There was only one way to find out. He marched towards the large draw bridge that now separated the richer part of town from the poorer sections (not to say they were that poor). A hand fell on his shoulder and he winced at the flaring pain. Whirling around, he had his tormentor by the throat in a second.
A cocky grin spread across Link's face, "You're high-strung, aren't you?"
Blushing furiously, Pelius released Link's neck.
Link rubbed his neck and nodded towards a side street. "You'll need a horse if we're to trek these lands – it will cut down on time considerably. Although as a child I ran them freely."
Still red in the face, Pelius followed Link's trail through the crowded streets. The ringing of a blacksmith directed them to a small thatch-roofed building. A beefy man, covered in sweat and grime, hammered a piece of red hot metal into the form of a horse shoe. It was Latro. Glancing up, the man set his tools aside and put the shoe back into the furnace. "Already for another fight?"
Pelius shook his head.
Latro laughed, "Ah, here for the horse flesh then. I'll get my brother."
Link had gone over to inspect the horses present. None of them were outstanding, but all were of sturdy leg and muscle, and of good health of keeping. Looking to where Latro had just left. "Latro and Redus. Brothers and a smart set too. One works the horse ranch, while the other is blacksmith and weapons maker." He grinned and tapped his head.
"Are you ready to sell that fine horse of yours Link?"
Laughing heartily, Link shook his head and turned back to eyeing the horses stabled. Motioning towards Pelius, he said, "My friend is in need of a horse."
A frown dove into the man's face, "If you're looking for anything as fine as Epona, you know I don't have anything that fine kept here. You'll have to go to the ranch. Malon is there." His frown deepened and he waved a thick finger under Link's nose, "But they go to no one that won't take care of them."
Link rolled his eyes for Pelius's benefit, "Yes, I know." He patted a bay horse on the back and explained to Pelius, a large grin splitting his face. "Redus's horses are probably more precious than his own newborn girl."
Redus blushed and muttered, "That's not true." When he heard his brother laughing in the back room, he added, "Don't let my wife hear you say that Link, she'll whip you're hide for good."
That had Link snapping his jaw shut, "Of course. Malon and Cora are the dearest things to you."
"They are."
Latro came forward and slapped his brother on the back, "Redus, you old fool. You fall for that every time, giving Link the biggest laugh of all at the end of it all. We all know you're heart is true..." he snickered and then added, "We just don't know whether it sits with your horses or your family."
Throwing up his hands, Redus huffed and stormed to the back room again, only to come back moments later with a gurgling baby in his arms. His glowing face was sign enough of where his heart lay. "Better get ready you two. Malon is here."
Link's face turned bland as he turned to the woman who'd stepped forward. "Malon. Good to see you again."
She dipped her head in acknowledgement, "Link."
Pelius, who'd been blithely ignored pushed past Link and held out his hand, "Pelius, ma'am."
Ignoring the hand, she turned away and took her daughter into her arms. "I'm assuming you're here for a horse. How much money do you have?"
Shocked at the direct question, Pelius, stuttered, "I should think that that was none of your business, but I would think that it is enough to suffice."
Her eyes sharp, they kept darting to where Link stood stiffly, "How good a quality of horse are you looking for?"
Opening his mouth to answer, Link answered from behind, "The best you've got."
Malon's mouth twisted into a small grimace of distaste, but she snapped back, "Was I talking to you?!"
Shrinking back slightly, Pelius tensed – the animosity these two shared for one another was so thick one could feel the waves emanating from them. "Yes. The best. We've a lot of distance to cover."
Gaze settling back on Pelius, Malon did little to hide her disgust, "I have a few horses that may be sufficient for your needs. I'll have Redus go back to the ranch with you." Then with a look of contempt at Link, she flounced back inside the building where the brothers were talking quietly.
Redus appeared moments later, "Malon intends to see what's for sale in the markets today. Come on."
Leading them on a wild course through the teeming streets, Redus steadily pushed his way towards the wooden drawbridge. The constant shouts and callings were beginning to take their toll on Pelius – his head was pounding to an unheard rhythm. "Where is your ranch situated?" he shouted over the din.
Redus pointed beyond the drawbridge to a massive structure set upon a hill. Smoke was rising from one of the rooftops and Pelius commented on it.
"Magirus, our cook, is probably burning some confection of sorts."
The construction was impressive. It was surrounded by small houses and buildings selling unnamable wares. High walls surrounded what obviously lay within the holding – fields. It was a fortress.
Wending their way through the streets and ally's, the crowds eventually thinned till there were hardly more than a dozen people to be seen at a time. A few men recognizing Redus would wave now and then, but other than that, the walk was uneventful.
Coming to a set of thick wooden doors, Redus pulled out a large key and unlocked the smaller door inset of the larger ones. He explained to Pelius, "In the past few years, horse thieves took advantage of our open gates and walked in – taking with them when they left some of the best horse flesh to grace Lon Lon Ranch." He shook his head sadly and then held the door open for Link and Pelius to enter through.
Link nodded sadly, Epona's sire had been one of the horses taken.
Pelius sniffed the air, "Does Magirus usually burn her meals?"
A frown crossed Redus's craggy face, "Nothing so bad that we can't eat, but..."
Cries of alarm and distress were already drifting to their ears.
"...fire..."
"Fire..."
"FIRE!..."