A.N: Same as usual, thanks 2 my friends, yada, yada, yada...on with the show
Chapter 4: Yunsung
If you believe in me, I'll believe in you – Lewis Carroll, through the looking glass
The three travellers: Link, Siegfried and Maxi, were discussing the current situation of Hyrule, after Link had explained it to Maxi and were just entering the next town, further down road, which happened to be the first that Link and Siegfried had arrived in. The horses were strolling at a leisurely pace now; their riders not too bothered about pushing them, as Yunsung couldn't have got too far on foot. As they entered the village Maxi dismounted and walked up to a man standing outside a weapons shop of all things.
"Chotto, chotto (Excuse me)." He said to the man, getting his attention, he continued to speak to the man after a couple of minutes he walked back to Link and Siegfried. He was about to tell Link where Yunsung was when he shook his head. Maxi raised an eyebrow.
"I can speak Japanese," Link clarified
"Oh, joy," Maxi stated sarcastically. Making their way down the street they found Yunsung moping in a chair outside a small café.
"Yunsung?" Maxi said. Yunsung turned around to see Maxi
"What do you want?"
"This gentleman has a question for you," he said motioning to Link
"I don't care."
"Why did you walk off?"
"Because you humiliated me and treated me like some stupid child."
"I was just putting you in your place...and if you want to be treated like an adult then act like one."
"I do!"
"No you don't, if you want to be treated like an adult, ask what this young man wants."
"NO!"
"Stop being childish and ask Link what he wants and he will answer you as an adult. If you listen to him and make a decision out of mature reasoning, I will treat you like an adult."
"Fine."
Maxi walked past Link and muttered to him in Japanese "Use long words, he can't understand them."
"What would you like?" Yunsung asked impatiently
"I would like to know, whether you would consider returning with us to Hyrule, my land, in order to assist with a battle that is currently taking place between myself and my nemesis. If the war taking place is prolonged it could end in the destruction of my land and ultimately my world."
"I think I understood that, what do I get from it?"
"Ah, once again that familiar question arises," Link answered, with an air of posh ness in his voice, standing by Epona's left side so that Yunsung couldn't see him, Maxi was trying not to laugh, unfortunately he was fighting an uphill struggle and wasn't pulling it off very well.
"If you do collaborate with my cause, you will witness the splendour of Hyrule in all of its righteous beauty and have the fortuity to reconnoitre at will and length. Also, you may be recompensed in worldly goods of brilliant value."
"What?"
"Do I have to converse with you in elementary terminology?"
"Again, what?"
"Do I have to speak in simple words to you?"
"Absolutely."
"I said, if you do help me with fighting my enemy and saving Hyrule, you will get to see Hyrule in all its beauty and have the chance to explore it as much as you like. You may also be paid, quite highly."
"...I'm in!"
"Good, so that makes five of us," Link commented, looking down at Maxi, who was now biting his finger in trying to stop himself from laughing.
"Maxi, my dearest young man, would you care to accompany me on my noble steed and traverse with me unto the magnificent glory of my land that is Hyrule," Link asked, his chest thrust forwards and his nose so high in the air, that if he had been walking he would have tripped over.
"My good sir, nothing could make me additionally joyous as to accompany you on your most magnificent of jades, on this island of the land of the rising sun and unto your wondrous land of Hyrule," replied Maxi, jumping up behind Link onto Epona.
Yunsung grudgingly got behind Siegfried, who grunted in agitation at Link and Maxi's pompous display and words.
The horses moved into a slow trot towards the portal that led into Hyrule. Link began filling Yunsung in on the details that he had already explained to Maxi and Siegfried.
Link looked up at the sky trying to determine what time it was. Judging by the shadows it was about six in the morning. That meant that they would reach the portal around half past six, making it about seven o'clock in the evening in Hyrule by the time they got back. He was in no rush, so he stopped and slid off Epona.
"What are you doing?" Siegfried asked
"We've got plenty of time, so there is no point in rushing. Plus Epona looks like she could use a rest and a bit of a chance to run without riders on her," He stated, motioning to the horse, who had her head down and ears flat.
The other men shrugged and slid of their own horses, while Link made his way into a little pasture with a river beside it to sit down in. Epona trotted up to him after letting Maxi off, so that Link could take the tack off her. The others followed and Siegfried took the equipment off Nightmare, stacking in neatly against a tree trunk next to Epona's. The two horses galloped off running along the edge of the road, whilst Link, Maxi, Siegfried and Yunsung sat in the grass and watched them.
Link woke up with a start at the movement against his arm. Looking over to his left he saw Epona nudging him with her nose, trying to get him to wake up for some reason. He rubbed her nose lazily and looked at the sun's position to try and gauge what time it was, he noticed, with a jolt of panicked realization, that it was 9 o'clock in the morning in Japan, meaning it was 9 o'clock at night at home in Hyrule. He quickly got to his feet and saddled up the two horses quickly and then turned to wake the three other sleeping individuals to find that only one was sleeping. He chuckled lightly at the sight. Siegfried was standing up and beside him as soon as he saw that Link was awake. Maxi, was sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him, his arms planted behind him, holding his torso up, he had a very drowsy yet annoyed look on his face. His clothes were creased and his chest had grass stains and lines on it. His white sailor's coat, having not much of a front to it had left his chest unprotected, but that wasn't what had annoyed him. The still sleeping Yunsung was curled up on his side, his arms wrapped around Maxi's waist as he slept, his face buried in Maxi's coat.
Maxi looked down at the young man, and removing his arms slung him over his shoulder and then dumping him on the front of Siegfried's horse. Link and Maxi mounted Epona, while Siegfried mounted Nightmare and tried to position Yunsung so he wouldn't fall off (like, I'm sure he really cares). In the end he just tied Yunsung to the saddle and had done with him, before kicking the horse into a trot.
They started off fairly slowly, but the horses soon broke into a gallop, Epona pushing herself as far as she could, seeming to understand her owner's anxiousness to get back to Hyrule.
About fifteen minutes later the horses reached the portal, Maxi looked at it apprehensively from his place behind Link.
"Uh...do we have to go through there?" He asked, sounding somewhat worried
Link nodded in answer and motioned to Siegfried to wake Yunsung up. The German looked down at the sleeping Korean teenager, and untied him and then proceeded to hit him until he woke up.
"What? What? I'm awake already, what do you want?" He muttered
"We're about to enter Hyrule, Link thought you might want to be awake to see it for the first time."
Yunsung straightened himself out and somehow managed to slide behind Siegfried without falling off the horse.
They moved slowly forward, the horses passing through the portal unfazed, Maxi and Yunsung apprehensive.
The sky was glowing red when they entered Hyrule, the sun setting, bleaching the sky with magnificent colours of reds and oranges, pinks and purples. The riders turned left, as if to head for the Gerudo valley as Link pointed it out to them, before moving Epona to the top of the hill and stopping her to watch the sunset. The three foreigners gazed at the amazing sight of the sun setting in another world; the colours oddly vibrant and vivid compared to their own. Over Death Mountain the sky was a deep purple, turning into velvet blue and the stars beginning to dot into the sky as the last of the sun's rays faded away from Hyrule for the night. Once the display was over the horses began to move again, cantering down to the castle town drawbridge.
Link called out to the guards in Hylian, asking them to lower the drawbridge so that they could pass through. Soon enough the guards lowered the drawbridge, allowing the four travellers through, before hurriedly raising the bridge again to protect the town's citizens.
Link looked up as the castle came in to sight, the Asians following his gaze and staring at the castle.
Before long they were entering the castle, Link handing the reins of the horses to a stable boy and showing the two new additions to their rooms and then retreating to his own, thinking about the events of the day.
It was late when Link woke up, the noise from the moat and servants and guards walking around and talking whilst the birds chirped loudly. He looked over to the clock on his nightstand, groaning when he had noticed that it was midday and that he should have been up two hours ago at the latest. He let his head drop back onto the pillow and closing his eyes, he opened them again when he heard Leon's familiar voice outside his door. He lifted his head just as Leon walked through the door.
"Yup, he's back and still lying in bed as usual," Leon called to whomever was outside. Whoever was actually, Liam and Zelda.
At that point about four doors slightly down the hall, opened and closed simultaneously as Maxi, Yunsung, Siegfried and Raphael stepped out of their rooms.
"Ahah! So your journey yesterday was not in vain I see," Leon stated and then stepped up to Link "Who's the blonde guy in blue with the face like a smacked ass?" He whispered
"Raphael," Link answered. He heard the newcomers talking with the princess and Liam.
"Give me a minute and I'll be out," Link called to them
He slid out of bed, dressed only in a pair of black shorts and grabbing some clothes he disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. Leon walked back over to the door, where Zelda was talking in a language he didn't recognize, to Liam.
Link walked out a minute after Leon started talking to the out-of-towners.
"Good mor...afternoon everybody," he greeted, closing the door behind him
"Afternoon, Link, Did you sleep well?" Zelda questioned
Link merely arched an eyebrow, as if to say 'would I be getting up this late if I hadn't'. Zelda laughed at him for a second, before turning her attention to the rest of the group.
"Has everyone been introduced or were we waiting for a formal introduction from me?" Link asked
"We are waiting for a formal introduction from you Link," Liam answered "but I think we best take it downstairs...as you and I in the least haven't had breakfast yet, so let's go and grab lunch instead." A few of the others nodded in agreement and followed the home-team downstairs into the conservatory, which was where Zelda usually ate her lunch.
"So...are you going to introduce us, Link?" She asked after taking the count for a light meal and telling a servant
"I suppose so." he looked around for a moment before saying "Yunsung, Maxi and Raphael, this," he motioned to the home team "is Leon Kennedy, Liam, and Princess Zelda and vice versa," he said crossing his arms to point at the two groups "Siegfried has already met everyone else so..."
"You never were much good at introductions, were you Link?" Liam stated
"Like you can talk," Link snorted
The groups talked for a while, swapping stories about their own pasts and generally getting to know each other. Link left soon after all the details had been gone over about people, to tell the king that the team was complete.
"So what's going on between you and Link, huh princess?" Maxi asked as soon as Link was out the room. In the past half an hour or so, everybody, excluding Raphael, had become fairly friendly with each other, asking about love lives and dates and personal information such as that. So naturally, Zelda took it with good humour when Maxi asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she faked, sticking her nose into the air and folding her arms.
"Don't give me that, there's obviously something going on between you two, you're so close with each other. Besides, Leon has been making little signals about you two to me when you weren't looking."
"Kennedy," she said quietly, fake glaring at Leon
Leon whistled innocently, putting his arms behind his back. Maxi chuckled.
"For your information, Maxi, Link and I are dating and have been for about a year now and are very happy with each other, so I'll have no jokes about us splitting up, thank you very much," she said mock haughtily. At that point Link walked back into the room, announcing dinner with one word.
"FOOD!"
The group looked up at the sudden outburst and Raphael looked at Zelda as if to say 'you're happy with that thing?'
Link by now was on the floor, dragging himself towards his favourite chair, when he noticed Leon sitting in it.
"Kennedy, get out of the chair."
"Hey, I stole this chair fair and square."
"It's not for you; it's for Impa. You know she's hurt her leg and she wants to talk to Zelda," Link stated
Leon got out of the chair and walked over to the door to open it at the sound of knocking. Link made a beeline for the chair as Impa walked in to talk to Zelda, with nothing to suggest her leg was hurting her.
"I thought that chair was for Impa and that she had hurt her leg."
"Well, you thought wrong didn't you; you should never trust a Hylian, whose chair you've just stolen."
Impa had turned to look at Leon, with 'you fell for that?' written across her face
"Oh Leon," Link called again "Did you know the word gullible isn't in the dictionary?"
"Very funny Link. I'm not that stupid you know," Maxi and Yunsung were talking quietly to each other, apparently about Impa.
"Listen Hylian; if you don't move out of that chair, I will come over there and sit on you," Leon growled
"Empty threats," Link replied
Leon walked over to Link, and glared at him for a moment, before sitting on him.
"Good Goddesses! How much do you weigh?" Link shouted
Leon merely ignored him, looking to the door as the servants walked in with a few trays and plates, setting them on a table near the chairs and then leaving.
"Get off me you fat pig! Get off!" Link continued to shout, to no prevail. Leon continued to sit on Link until everyone had got their own food and sat down again.
"Why did you wait so long to get off me?" Link asked watching Leon, who was selecting his own food and setting it on his plate
"Because, it means that everyone else is sitting down and eating. I get my food before you, you get up to get your food and I get the chair. No one else will be bothered to get up again and get you yours." The American smirked
Link grumbled and got up to walk over to the table to get his lunch, while the others watched the little display and Leon sat down in Link's chair. Zelda was watching what Link was choosing and noticed he was setting very wet or greasy foods that he didn't like, on to his plate.
"Link what are you up to?" She asked, suspecting something
"Nothing," he answered, trying to sound innocent
"I bet," Liam commented, sitting besides Zelda. Link briefly wondered why he was sitting so close to her, he found out when Maxi started to talk to her and Liam stole a piece of meat off her plate, hiding it under a piece of lettuce. As it was a hot day, the chef had decided to serve salad as no one would eat a large, hot meal in the midday sun; it was usual for people to like some meat with their salads so he cooked the meat and then let it go cold.
Link walked over to Leon and looked as if he was going to hit him for a moment, but sat on the arm of the chair instead.
"Glad you see sense in letting me sit here, Link."
"Mmm hmm," Link replied, eating the food on his plate that he did like. When Leon saw that he wasn't going to do anything, or rather it seemed he wasn't going to do anything, he relaxed and turned away. Which was a big mistake. Moments later Link stood up and very casually tipped his plate, so that the wet and greasy foods, slid straight into Leon's lap with a wet 'squelch'.
Leon stared down at his lap, his mouth hanging open shock and then turning his head to look at Link, who had walked back over the table, to select a few cakes as a dessert. The American walked over to Link, grabbed him back the neck, dragged him over to conservatory doors and pushing them open, then dragging Link to a nearby fountain... and pushing him into it.
Link immediately jumped out of the fountain and onto Leon's back, the two then fell onto the floor and fought for a while.
"Hey look at that, dinner and a show," Liam commented.
"Are they actually angry with each other, or just playing?" Yunsung asked
"They're just playing," Liam answered, before completely taking Zelda's plate and eating her lunch.
"How d'you know?" Maxi asked
"They're not punching each other, if they start, that's a sign to separate them."
"OK! OK!" Leon shouted "You can have the damned chair!"
"Ahah! Victory is mine," Link shouted triumphantly "but you can have it for now, while I go and change my clothes." He stated, pulling off his boots, tunic and undershirt and walking towards his room. Zelda's eyes seemed to be stuck to the sight of Link without his shirt on.
"Zelda, you know I love you and everything, but can you please stop staring, you're making me uncomfortable."
Zelda blushed pure crimson, tearing her eyes away from Link and focusing on her plate, until she realized she didn't have it because Liam was holding it and had cleaned it off for her.
"Thank you for eating my lunch Liam."
"You're welcome your royal pervertedness," he sniggered
She pushed him off the chair and he landed with a thud on the floor "At least I'm in control of my saliva when I ogle at a guy, Mr. 'oh my goddesses, look at the chest on her and I can't stop drooling over her'."
"Hey, that's not true..." Leon stated, Zelda turned to look at him "Everyone knows Liam is an 'ass' man."
Liam merely stuck his nose up in the air, closing his eyes. Leon slid into the nearby chair and started to try and dry out his t-shirt which had got splashed by the water when he pushed Link into the fountain, of course his back was soaked too and his ministrations to the front only made the patches bigger. With a sigh he pulled the t-shirt off, using it to wipe his lap clean, before it looked like he had really got excited and lost control of himself.
"Look Zelda! Leon hasn't got his shirt on. Drool, princess, drool," Liam stated, pointing to Leon. Zelda briefly looked at him before turning to Liam and saying "I know that you have homosexual tendencies Liam and that you want to drool over him, but I don't."
"Yeah right," he muttered
Leon was watching the display with mild amusement, a smirk written across his face. The two Hylians childish banter could get a bit farfetched, but it was always meant in fun. Link walked in a couple of seconds later in a dark blue tunic and dry under shirt and leggings.
"Right, Leo. Shift your backside out of that chair," Link commanded
Leon merely looked at him "Don't call me Leo, you know I hate it."
"Which is exactly why I did it, now move, or do you want a second lap full of crap?"
Leon ignored him. Link walked over to the American, slipped an arm round his back, the other under his legs, and amazingly picked him up off the chair and then walked to the door, dropping the 26 year old man outside and shutting the door on him.
"That wasn't very nice Link," Zelda chided. Link shrugged and sat in the chair.
"So this is life in Hyrule, huh?" Raphael spoke up; it was the first thing he had said to anyone since he finished telling his story.
"I take it that by that, you mean 'I'm not impressed' or 'why are you people so childish'," Zelda asked
"In a word, yes."
"Well monsieur Sorel, you haven't seen the usual activities of castle life in Hyrule and you seem to fail to realize that Leon, Link, Liam and I are just trying to relax with all the tension that's in Hyrule at the moment."
"No they're not, they're like this all the time, but they just want to enjoy their lives, that's all," Impa commented
No one had noticed that Impa was in the room, the other worlders just figured that she was a slightly higher servant than the others were and that she had left a while ago. She had in fact been half-hiding near the food and eating whilst sizing the newcomers up.
"When did you come back in?" Yunsung asked.
"I never left," the Sheikah woman replied "but I will do now." she walked out the door to attend to some business.
Maxi, Yunsung, Siegfried and Raphael had been surprised to hear her voice an opinion like that, surely a servant shouldn't make those sorts of comments. They were also slightly confused about her appearance.
The woman looked to be in her 40's. She had shortish grey hair, tied back in a pony tail. She was tall and quite well built and wore somewhat revealing clothing. A pair of blue shorts with a breastplate, gloves and boots. The strangest thing about her though, was that she had red eyes.
"Who is she?" Maxi asked
"That would be Impa, she's my nursemaid and she's looked after me since I was a baby," Zelda replied
"Ok, fine. But what's with the red eyes?"
"Impa is one of a few survivors of a race called the Sheikah. There is only a total of about 500 Sheikah left in the world. They are a race of what is known as 'shadow warriors' for the reasons that when they are around they are silent like shadows and hide like them. They use stealth above all else and have been a great asset to Hyrule in times of war. The Sheikah are destined to serve the royal family of Hyrule. However, most Sheikah were wiped out in the war that started 25 years ago and ended 17 years ago.As for their eyes, all the Sheikah have red eyes" Zelda explained
The others listened intently to her words, learning about part of Hyrule's races.
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A.N: Thank you to the 1 person, who reviewed chapter 3, during the week that I put it up. And of course, a thank you to those who bothered to review at all. Chapters updates may slow down later on due to the fact that my computer deleted everything, so it all has to be written again after chapter 7.
