"Link… Link… Wake up, Link…"

"..."

"...Link?"

"..."

"Oi! Brother! Wake the fuck up!"

Link awoke as he crashed to the floor. His sister had tried to yank his sheets off of him, but he was so entangled that he got pulled off the edge of the bed along with them. "Oi, the hell's wrong with you, Elle?"

"Right now? Your lazy ass, that's what's wrong." Linkle stood over him with her hands disapprovingly on her hips, looking down at him with her bright blue eyes that were identical to his own, a pair of braided blonde pigtails framing her youthful face. While Link was still in his night clothes, Linkle was fully dressed in the traveling outfit she always wore whenever she wanted to imitate the Hero. She wore a traditional green tunic along with a pair of brown leather boots and a matching pair of gloves. The allegedly legendary golden compass their grandmother had given her hung from a loop around her neck, although what about it was legendary was anyone's guess. As if ready for a monster hunt, her crossbow was strapped to her back, her quiver of bolts hung from the side of her waist, and her shortsword was sheathed in the scabbard going across the small of her back. "Now, you gettin' up, or what?"

"I choose what," Link answered, rolling over on the floor and wrapping himself in his blankets again.

"Oh, come on," Linkle complained in a whiny tone, stamping her foot impatiently. "We got Bokoblins to kill. I need you to back me up, Brother!"

"But I don't want to," Link whined back. "Why do I gotta go get killed now when I could sleep in and get killed later?" He was still half-asleep, so it took him a moment to realize something. "Hey, didn't I tell ya to quit takin' contracts?" he said, rolling back over to face his sister.

"They're called quests," Linkle corrected him irritably.

"Ah, of course. My mistake, Elle. Wouldn't want to hurt your pride as a mercenary," Link said sarcastically, deciding to stand up so he could properly scold her.

"Adventurer."

Link flicked his sister's forehead, drawing a tiny yelp out of her. "You're neither, actually. Doesn't Farmer Nack want you gettin' to work right about now?" He glanced out the window, trying to guess the time of day by how high the sun had risen.

"To hell with Nack," she replied, sounding completely unconcerned with the matter. "There's a band of Bokoblins nearby. A few travelers got jumped by them on the road. The guards say they'll pay me good if I go take care of 'em."

"Quite the adventure," Link said dryly. "Your name will be right up there with the greats one day. Hero of the Sky, Hero of Twilight, Hero of Killing a Couple Bokoblins That One Time!" He held out his arms in a display of mock grandeur. Linkle flicked his forehead in return. "Ow."

"I'm going," she declared. "So come with me or I'm going alone."

Link stared down his sister for a moment. She was always stubborn when it came to matters like this. His apprenticeship granted him a single day off every month, and he really didn't want to spend it fighting monsters. But, if he didn't, that would mean Linkle would go off and do it by herself.

Dammit.

"Ugh, fine," Link relented.

"Yay!" Linkle cheered, a bright smile suddenly appearing on her face as she clapped her gloved hands together. "This is gonna be awesome, Brother! Grab your gear and meet me outside!"

"Yeah, yeah," Link said as his sister practically skipped out of the house.

You'd think I just agreed to take her to the faire.

Having accepted his fate, Link sighed and got changed into the traveling clothes he wore whenever his sister dragged him along on one of her little 'adventures.' Unlike her, he didn't feel the need to dress up in Hero's green. Instead, he wore a simple red tunic, tanned trousers, and a dark grey hood that he threw over his mussed up blonde hair. All he had for armor was a few pieces of hardened leather, including boots, bracers, a belt, a small chestguard that covered his heart, and a single shoulder pad on his right shoulder. For weaponry, he favored a simple longsword of his own creation. His sister's shortsword was some of his work, too. Just one of the benefits of being a blacksmith's apprentice. Additionally, he carried with him a round wooden shield and a bow, along with a quiver of arrows strapped to his lower back. Not everyone who lived as close to the city as they did felt the need to have such weapons prepared, but they'd needed them ever since Linkle had started venturing off into the wilds to fight monsters.

Once he was prepared, he stepped outside the house to rejoin his sister. He found Linkle practicing with her crossbow on the set of targets she'd set up beside the house. She'd gotten pretty good at hitting them, but Link never saw it as particularly useful practice. Hitting moving targets was infinitely more difficult.

"Boom! Gotcha!" Linkle cheered triumphantly as one of her bolts hit near the center of her target, sending bits of splintered wood flying from it. She quickly nocked another bolt, then did an unnecessary jump over the fence before shooting at another target.

"I see your skills with killing inanimate objects haven't dulled since your last contract," Link said in mock praise.

His sister turned and smirked at him. "Keep talkin' and I'll show you how well I kill animate ones." She pointed her crossbow in his direction, but it was unloaded.

"Oof." Link clapped a hand over his heart. "Ya got me. Guess I'm dead now."

"Not yet you're not." Linkle placed her crossbow into the straps on her back, then turned to the small stable on the other side of the house. She put two fingers to her mouth and whistled. A moment later, their horse came trotting out. "Here, Arion," Linkle said, holding her hand out for the horse. When it came to her, she placed her hand on its head, patting it softly. "Good boy."

"If you get our horse killed on this little adventure, we're buying the next one with your money." Nack's Farm, where Linkle worked as a farmhand, was located just outside the nearby city of Hateno, and Link worked at a smithy within the city. If they lost their horse, it would be a major pain to have to walk all the way to the city every day.

"I would never!" Linkle protested. "I'd sooner get you killed."

"Okay, but I doubt you can afford another me." Link walked over to the horse. His scabbard, shield, bow, and quiver rattled annoyingly on his back as he walked, but he'd grown used to it over time. Just another little annoyance that came from helping his sister with her 'side job.' He climbed onto the horse, then offered a hand to Linkle, who climbed on behind him. Linkle had complained to him in the past about wanting her own horse so they didn't have to share, but she'd shut up about it after hearing how much a horse actually cost.

"Yah!" Linkle shouted, spurring the horse with a kick of her boots. It whinnied and set off down the road to the east.

"So, you know where these Bokoblins are?" Link asked.

"Yep," Linkle spoke from behind him. "They're dangerously close by. We probably woulda needed to take care of 'em eventually anyway. Just keep going like we're heading into the city for now."

Link nodded, holding the horse's reins. They followed the road alongside Lake Jarrah and Camphor Pond, passing by the other peasant houses that filled the valley, then turned right at the crossroads. The road sloped upwards after that, but the horse had ridden that way hundreds of times, so he could handle it.

"This is where the travelers got attacked," Linkle informed him, pointing towards some large stones by the side of the road. "The little bastards hid behind those rocks and jumped out with clubs."

Link looked over his shoulder. "Why are you smiling?" he asked with unamusement.

"What? Nobody got hurt! Not seriously, anyway. Besides, this is exciting!" Linkle declared. "Let's go bring those monsters to justice."

"Yeah, yeah, justice and all that." Link waved a hand dismissively. "But how much are we getting paid for this?"

"Oho? I'm sorry, which one of us is the mercenary now?" Linkle said smugly.

"Hey, if you're gonna drag me out here so we can risk getting killed by monsters, we might as well be getting paid for it."

"If you wanted to stay home while I got all the glory, you could have."

Link sighed, but decided not to say anything further. They kept riding until they came to another fork in the road. Continuing forward would take them into the city. Going right would take them through Midla Woods. "This way?" Link guessed, pointing towards the woods.

"Yep," Linkle confirmed, unnecessarily checking her compass. "Guards said they were camped somewhere in Marblod Plain, on the other side of the woods."

"Keep your crossbow ready, then." Link pulled the reins, directing the horse towards the forest. The path through it was paved, but it was not guarded, so all manner of animal and monster could be lurking in the trees.

"Gladly," his sister said, readying her weapon.

They kept the horse at a mid-paced trot. Anything too slow would leave them vulnerable to an attack, and anything too fast could end with them colliding head-on with a deer or some other large creature that happened to be crossing the road at the wrong time.

"You know, in the south, down in Ordona and Faron, the Bokoblins are smarter," Linkle said, as if she were reciting some interesting trivia.

"Is that right?" Link asked, pretending to be interested while he kept an eye out for anything dangerous.

"Yeah. 'Devilblins,' they call 'em. They look more human-like, with heads of hair and smaller ears. Not like the Bugblins we get here in Necluda. I bet they're more fun to fight, too.'' Linkle was always looking for bigger and more exotic monsters to hunt. It made Link glad that they lived so close to a big city. If they lived somewhere more out in the country, his sister would be more likely to find what she was looking for.

Further into the woods, Link spotted some rustling in the bushes by the side of the road up ahead. He pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt.

"What? What's goin' on?" Linkle glanced about, pointing her crossbow wherever she looked.

"Shh!" Link shushed her. He pointed at the rustling bushes and tried to calm the horse who was starting to get spooked. They watched and waited. Linkle aimed her crossbow at the bushes, and Link drew his own bow, nocking an arrow. Suddenly, a wild boar emerged, running across the road. For a moment, Link breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his bow. But then, something else sprang forth from the woods. A Bokoblin was chasing after the boar.

The creature was of the variety of Bokoblin common to Necluda, which Linkle and the other adventures called a 'Bugblin.' It was apparently named for its buggy eyes, although Link always wanted to call it a 'Battyblin' instead since its big ears and upturned nose reminded him of a bat. It was an ugly little monster. Although a bit larger than a Hylian, a Bugblin tended to hunch over a lot, which made it stand just a bit shorter than a Hylian much of the time. It had only three large digits on each hand and two on each foot, its mouth had pronounced fangs, and a single tiny horn protruded from the crown of its head. The one chasing after the boar had red skin and wore only an animal hide loincloth and a necklace made of string looped through some animal teeth. It carried with it a long wooden stick with the end sharpened into a makeshift speartip.

Before Link and Linkle had time to react, a second Bokoblin sprang from the bushes on the other side of the road, ambushing the boar from the front. This one had blue skin, but was dressed and armed identically to the first one. The boar tried to swerve to avoid the blue Bokoblin, but it wasn't quick enough. The monster stabbed it with its wooden spear, skewering it into the ground. The red one stabbed its spear into the boar as well, finishing it off. The pair of monsters let out a comical little roar, apparently celebrating their kill.

"Awesome!" Linkle cheered. "Let's go get 'em!" Driving her heels into the horse, she urged Arion forward.

"Wait, no!" Link cried, yanking on the reins.

We have the advantage of ranged weapons. Charging at them would be dumb.

The confused horse whinnied and turned, causing Linkle's first shot to miss by a mile. The Bokoblins made a noise of alarm, turning to face them. They unleashed their pathetic little roars again, then pulled their spears out of the dead boar and pointed them towards the Hylian siblings.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Linkle complained.

"Shut up and shoot," Link ordered. He drew back his bowstring and aimed at the blue Bokoblin. The arrow didn't find its target, and Linkle's next shot missed as well. The Bokoblins were charging at them now, quickly closing the distance. "Fuck it." Link grabbed the reins again and turned the horse back the way they'd come from, giving it a kick to get it moving. "Linkle!"

"I got this." He felt his sister shifting around behind him, turning to sit backwards on the horse. Link looked over his shoulder. The Bokoblins were still chasing them, and Linkle missed them again. However, the Bokoblins seemed to realize the danger. They split up, one running into the woods on the right and the other into the woods on the left. "Hey! Get back here, you fucking cowards!"

They're smarter than they look. Although I guess that's not very hard.

Link wasn't sure what to do now. If they turned back around and continued through the woods, the Bokoblins would jump out and pincer them. If they stopped, the Bokoblins would catch up eventually and pincer them all the same. So, he kept the horse running.

"Stop!" Linkle shouted. "We're gonna lose them!"

"That's kinda the point, dumbass!"

Linkle groaned. "Fine! I'll do it myself."

"What? Elle, no!" Link looked over his shoulder just in time to see his sister hop off the back of the horse. She rolled when she landed, then stumbled a bit. "Dammit…" Link muttered, yanking the reins to bring the horse to a halt. He put his bow on his back and hopped off, then ran to join his sister. Linkle was crouching on the ground, pointing her crossbow at the trees as she scanned for the enemy. Link drew his sword and shield and stood with his back to hers. "You're an idiot," he told her.

"Some would say I have a hero's courage."

"Some idiots." Link's heart was beating fast, but he tried to remain calm as he watched for movement. Before long, he saw the telltale rustling of an approaching monster. "You see yours?"

"Yep." Linkle aimed her crossbow at the rustling bushes on the other side of the road.

"Take one shot. Then use the sword," Link instructed.

"I know what I'm doing!"

All of a sudden, both Bokoblins sprang from the bushes, bellowing their strangled war cries and charging with their spears. Linkle fired a bolt, piercing the red Bokoblin's ear. The monster shrieked in pain, stumbling over itself and reaching for the side of its head.

"Got it!" Linkle shouted triumphantly.

Link didn't have time to react to her success. The blue Bokoblin was upon him. It thrust its spear at him, and he blocked it with his shield. The little monster was surprisingly strong, and Link found it no easy task to keep his balance.

The red Bokoblin glared fiercely at Linkle, then charged at her. She swung her crossbow, hooking the end of the spear and pulling it to the side. Then she let go of her crossbow, reaching behind her to pull out her shortsword. She moved quickly, going in for a counterattack, but the red Bokoblin leaped back and dodged her strike.

Link managed to maintain a good defense. Every thrust of the blue Bokoblin's spear was deftly blocked with his shield, but with his sword having so much less reach, he couldn't find an opening to go on the offensive. The lack of success seemed to enrage the Bokoblin. After a flurry of pointless stabs, it pulled back and lifted its spear. With a roar, the monster held the end of the spear and began swinging it in a wide circle above its head, slowly advancing on Link.

The red Bokoblin was likewise taking advantage of its spear's longer reach, holding it out straight to keep Linkle at bay. Linkle held up her blade defensively, locking eyes with the monster, sidestepping back and forth to try to find an opening. The Bokoblin screamed, and Linkle did a feint to the right. When it thrust its spear, Linkle threw herself to the left as quickly as she could. With her free hand, she grabbed the spear, gripping it hard enough to wrestle control of it away from its owner. She now had her opening. Swinging her blade with her left hand, she slashed at the monster's wrist. It screamed in pain and loosened its grip. Linkle tore the spear from its hand. "Brother!" she called out.

Link was backing away from his opponent, shield raised to block the spinning spear whenever it came too close to him. When he turned his head to heed his sister's call, he immediately recognized what she was after. Dropping his sword from his left hand, he reached up and caught the spear when she tossed it to him.

My turn.

Holding his new spear above his head, Link mimicked the blue Bokoblin's actions, spinning the spear in the opposite direction while advancing towards the monster. After a few twirls, the spears collided. "Augh!" Link felt a surge of pain travel up his arm from the force of the collision. However, it seemed to hit the Bokoblin even harder. The monster reeled back, dropping its spear, momentarily stunned. Link saw his opportunity, pointed his spear forward, and charged. The pointed stick pierced the monster's chest, knocking it over and pinning it to the ground. It let out a horrifying shriek, then started desperately trying to kick Link away. Leaving the spear impaled in the Bokoblin's chest, Link threw his body onto the monster and bashed its head in with the edge of his shield. It screamed, so he did it again, and again until he was sure it was dead.

Covered in blood, Link turned around in time to see his sister stabbing her opponent several times through the neck. When she was finished, she was panting heavily. She was splattered with even more blood than he was, and while he knew it wasn't hers, the appearance of it still made Link worry. He dropped his shield and walked over to her. "You okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," his sister said. She let out a long exhale, and smiled faintly with relief.

"Good." Link took her hand and helped her to her feet. "Now, let's head back and claim the bounty."

"No," Linkle said, shaking her head. "There's more of them, remember? The guards said they'd made camp out in the plains."

"Elle, we barely handled two of them," Link argued. "If we try to take on a whole band of them, we'll be killed."

"And what if the ones we leave alone go off and attack somebody else? Not everyone can defend themselves like we can."

"Not our problem."

"Then go back home if you don't wanna help," Linkle demanded. "I'm gonna take out the rest of 'em, with or without you."

Link sighed, pressing his face to his palm. "Din have mercy… Fine. But I'm taking sixty percent of the reward."

A bright smile spread across his sister's face. "I knew I could count on you, Brother," Linkle said, giving him an affectionate punch to the shoulder.

"And I knew I could count on your underappreciation of rupees, Sister." After making his annoyance known, Link went to retrieve his sword and shield.

Linkle likewise pulled her shortsword out of the dead Bokoblin. "Speaking of rupees, I guess we should collect our spoils before we go." Putting a hand to her mouth, she whistled to summon their horse closer to them.

"Sure. Might as well add 'corpse desecration' to our list of heroic crimes." In addition to the rewards given for completed contracts, one of the ways adventurers made money was by selling the body parts of the monsters they killed to alchemists who made potions from them. Link appreciated the extra profit, but collecting the spoils was rather… unpleasant. Taking his sword, he stuck the tip of it into the blue Bokoblin's head just beside its tiny horn, then pried the horn loose. Next, he did the same to the monster's fangs, which was not quite as disgusting, but still wasn't pleasant. However, the most valuable spoils were the worst. For whatever reason, alchemists were able to use the guts of Blins in their concoctions. To collect them, he had to slice the dead monster's stomach open.

"Eugh, gross," Link complained as he stuffed his spoils into one of the carrying bags slung over the back of his horse.

"Whiner," his sister taunted, smirking at him as she casually added her own spoils to a bag on the other side.

After wiping their hands clean with a rag, the siblings got back on their horse and continued down the road the way they'd been going before. When they came upon the boar that had been slain by the Bokoblins, they stopped and slung it over the back of the horse as well, figuring they could have it for dinner or sell it to a butcher. After that, they continued onward, heading for the edge of the forest.


After leaving Midla Woods, their ride was uneventful for a while. The siblings spotted some birds and some squirrels along the way, but no monsters. To their right, there was a steep cliff which gave them a beautiful view of Lake Jarrah and the lands below. Their house was somewhere down there, but it wasn't in sight.

"Are you sure there's a Blin camp out here?" Link asked skeptically. At this point, they'd been following the road through Marblod Plain for quite some time, and still they'd found nothing. "Maybe those two we killed in the woods were the only ones in the area."

"There's more," Linkle asserted. "Someone already reported it to the city guard. It's out here, trust me."

"Sure. Trust you."

Not long later, Link felt his sister pressing her hands onto his shoulders, using him as leverage to sit up on the horse's back and look further into the distance. "Uhh, what are you doing?" he asked.

"There!" Linkle pointed at something on the right side of the road a little further on. Link yanked the horse's reins, bringing it to a stop. His sister was correct. Upon two great trees, he could make out the distinctive, simple architecture of a Blin encampment. Wooden platforms had been constructed around the trunks of the trees, with spiraling wooden staircases leading from one level to the next. Various bones and animal hides hung from the platforms, giving the camp a tribalistic and savage appearance.

Link glanced around, trying to think of a good way to approach the situation. "Let's head up to the top of that hill. See if we can scout the place out before we go rushing in." Linkle nodded, but the look of impatience on her face seemed to say, "I would much rather just go rushing in, but have it your way."

They were only able to get the horse to climb up the gentlest part of the slope before they had to dismount and go on foot, so they left Arion tied to a tree and hoped he would remain concealed by the large rocks around it. Together, the siblings climbed a little higher, then continued across the hill until they could look down on the encampment from a safe distance. They took shelter inside a gigantic, hollowed out, overturned tree and began their surveillance.

There was a red Bokoblin atop the highest platform on the tree to the right, and another over on the left tree. Each held a simple wooden bow and had a quiver of arrows strapped to its backs. The one on the right was scanning the surrounding area quite intently, so Link tried to stay low to avoid detection. The one on the left didn't appear to be taking its guard duty very seriously. Its attention appeared to be held by the leg of meat it was chewing on.

Other than the two Bokoblins, there was only one other monster visible in the camp at the moment. However, it was much more menacing than the others. On the lower platform of the right tree, a massive Moblin was slinking around. Like the local Bugblins, this Moblin was of the local variety commonly seen leading them, referred to by adventurers as a 'Tallblin.' As the name implied, the creature was monstrously tall. Its proportions were thinner and lankier than other Moblin breeds, and it towered over its lesser Bokoblin counterparts, being nearly three times their height. Its elongated head jutted out into a pig-like snout, and its tongue lobbed out of its mouth like a hungry dog. Its ears were quite small compared to the Bugblins, but the horn on its head was long and pointy, like a bent unicorn horn. This Tallblin had blue skin and was dressed in simple animal hides. However, instead of the primitive wooden weapons the Bokoblins held, the Moblin was walking around with a sword and shield of Hylian design, most likely taken off of a soldier it had killed at some point. In the monster's massive hands, the sword and shield looked more like a dagger and a metal pot lid, but Link knew that wouldn't make it any less dangerous.

"Awesome. There's only three of them!" Linkle whispered excitedly, lying on the ground within the hollow tree trunk.

"Excuse me?" Link whispered back, lying beside her. "You make it sound like it'll be easy."

"We took on two, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Barely. And those were just Bokoblins. That Moblin's gotta be worth, like, five Bokoblins in one."

"Far as I'm concerned, that just saves bolts," Linkle asserted, taking out her crossbow.

"Don't you dare." Link put his hand on top of the crossbow and pushed it to the ground. "We're not attacking 'til we have a plan."

"The plan is we shoot them."

"And when they shoot back?"

"We have the high ground."

"Not all of life's problems can be solved with the high ground."

The siblings' bickering was interrupted by a surprised grunt from behind them. Quickly turning over to look behind him, Link saw that another blue Bokoblin had appeared, staring at them with confusion in its buggy eyes. In its hands, it carried a wooden club and a shield, both of which had spiky animal bones haphazardly tied to them. For a moment, nothing happened, and the siblings had a brief staring contest with the monster. But then, the Bokoblin dropped its club and grabbed the warhorn hanging from a loop on its belt.

Oh fuck.

"Stop him!" Link shouted, desperately clamoring to his feet. Linkle aimed her crossbow at the Bokoblin and fired, but it was too late. The monster raised the warhorn to its mouth and blew into it, emitting a loud booming sound that was no doubt intended to alert its comrades to their presence.

Linkle's crossbow bolt hit the Bokoblin in the stomach. The monster dropped its warhorn and squealed in pain just before Link tackled it to the ground. Before the monster had much chance to fight back, Link picked up its discarded spiked club and began bashing its head in. When it was dead, he climbed off of it, panting as he tossed the club away. After wiping some of the blood off of him, he returned to his sister's side. "Have they spotted us?" As he finished the question, an arrow whizzed over their heads.

"I'll let you solve that riddle, Brother," Linkle said, ducking further into the hollow tree for safety.

"Dammit!" Link cursed. "There goes the element of surprise." Holding up his shield, he peeked outside. The Bokoblin archers had their bows trained on their position. The Moblin stood where it was, roaring and gesturing to its minions as if giving them orders. "We might be able to use this to our advantage," Link said. "The Moblin doesn't have a bow. As long as we're up here, we can deal with the Bokoblins without having to worry about the big guy."

"Heh," Linkle chuckled, smirking. "Looks like we're going with my just shoot 'em plan after all, huh?"

"I curse your simplistic genius, little sister," Link responded. Trying to think of any other ideas, he glanced around the log for a moment. His eyes landed on the spiked shield attached to the Bokoblin's corpse. "I got an idea." Standing beside the body, he pried the shield off of the monster's limp arm. Then he returned to the log cave's entrance and planted the shield firmly into the ground. Afterwards, he lay down on his belly to the left of it, holding his own shield next to the Bokoblin's. With a simple hand signal to his sister, she got the idea. Linkle lay down on her belly next to him and aimed her crossbow between the gap in the shields, allowing her to shoot while remaining mostly protected.

The Bokoblins down in the encampment continued to bombard them with arrows, and Linkle began returning fire. In between shots, while she loaded a new bolt into her crossbow, Link would move his shield to close the gap, then open it again when she was ready. Whenever an enemy arrow flew too close for comfort, he would move his shield to intercept it just in case.

"You want me to take over?" Link asked after his sister missed for the fifth time.

"Shut it," she responded, closing one eye in concentration. She fired another bolt. It sailed through the air and pierced the right Bokoblin through the leg. "Boom! Gotcha!" she cheered.

"Nice shot. Finish that one before it recovers."

The injured Bokoblin squealed in pain, dropping its bow so it could clutch at its leg. The Moblin roared at its injured minion, pointing its sword threateningly. The other Bokoblin appeared to laugh at its comrade's misfortune, but then the Moblin roared again, causing the little guy to shut up. Struggling to stand with all its weight on one leg, the injured Bokoblin bent to pick its bow back up while another bolt flew past it. Nocking an arrow, it took aim, but Linkle's next bolt hit it right in the head. Its arrow fired off in a random direction as the monster slumped over dead, falling over the edge of the platform.

"Haha!" Linkle cheered triumphantly. "One down, two to go."

The Moblin pressed its shield hand to its face, as if lamenting being surrounded by idiots. Then it roared something to the remaining Bokoblin. The lesser monster flinched, then dropped its bow.

Link narrowed his eyes. "What are they doing?"

The Bokoblin retrieved a wooden club, then began walking with the Moblin down the wooden steps leading to the ground.

"Fuck. They're coming this way," Link said, standing up.

Linkle stood with him. "Let's finish 'em before they get here, then." She took another shot with her crossbow, which the Moblin shielded with surprising ease.

Link drew his bow and joined in, also aiming for the Moblin.

He can't block both of us.

He and his sister took a few steps outside of the hollow log for a better view down the sloping hill. As the Moblin and its lackey advanced up towards them, it continued to shield their shots. Eventually, it left its chest exposed while deflecting one of Linkle's bolts, allowing one of Link's arrows to find its mark.

"Ha! Nice shot, Brother!"

The Moblin roared in anger, dropping its sword and yanking the arrow out, tossing it aside like it was nothing.

Okay. Was kinda hoping that would do more.

The Moblin looked down beside it, then reached out and grabbed the Bokoblin. Its freakishly gigantic hand wrapped around the smaller monster's torso with ease, picking it up as simply as lifting a small rock. The Bokoblin shrieked, and before the siblings knew what was happening, the Moblin hurled the lesser Blin right at them.

"Holy-"

"What that-?"

It collided with Link and Linkle, knocking them to the ground in a heap. Link had the wind knocked out of him and lay there stunned for a moment. The Bokoblin recovered first, climbing to its feet and retrieving its club. Link realized what was happening just as the club swung down onto his face. "Ahh!" he shouted in pain as it collided against his head, causing his ears to ring deafeningly. He held his hands up over his face defensively. The next few blows hit his arms as the Bokoblin unleashed a war cry that seemed a lot scarier this time.

The Bokoblin's relentless assault was cut short by Linkle's sword slashing at its ankle. The monster screamed and stumbled, losing its balance. Linkle pushed herself up to her knees, then pounced onto the Bokoblin, knocking it back down to the ground. "Get. The fuck. Off of him!" she shouted, hacking at its face, gripping her weapon with both hands.

Link's head began to clear a little, and he managed to push himself up so he was sitting upright. When he did, he saw the massive Tallblin waltzing up to his sister while she was busy killing the other monster. "Elle!" he shouted in distress, ponting behind her. She glanced at him, looked where he was pointing, and saw the Moblin lifting its sword, winding up for a big swing.

"Fuck!" she shouted, ducking and rolling out of the way. The monster roared, taking another step forward and slashing downward this time. Linkle dodged once more, rolling behind her brother. Link reached behind him for his shield, but in his haste, he instead grabbed his bow and raised it upwards. The Moblin's sword chopped the bow in half, but it absorbed enough of the blow to stop the sword from hitting Link. While the Moblin roared in frustration, Link took the opportunity to toss his broken bow to the side and grab the shield he'd tried to pick up before. When his opponent next drew back its weapon and thrust it forward, he was able to hold up his shield just in time, but with the force of the stab, the sword pierced right through it. The blade stopped half an inch from Link's face, caught in the shield.

This is going really well.

The Moblin gave the sword a few experimental tugs, wiggling it side to side, seemingly confused. After a moment, the creature grunted and pulled the sword back, tearing the shield away from Link along with it. The monster then slammed its weapon down onto the ground, shattering the wooden shield to pieces in order to free the sword. Link and Linkle managed to use the brief moment their opponent was distracted to get back on their feet, swords drawn.

"What now?" Linkle asked.

Link looked the Moblin up and down. Now that he was standing up close to the monster, it dawned on him just how massive the creature really was. Even while it was slouching, Link only came up to its waist. He was trying to fathom how they could beat something so big, but then he realized something.

We're still fighting on a hill.

"Go for its legs," Link said. If they could get it off balance, they could easily knock it over, and then its size would count for nothing.

"Right." His sister nodded, and together they approached the monster. It had its freakish size, but they still had the advantage of fighting two-on-one. Whichever one of them it focused on, the other would be free to slip behind it and attack while it was undefended.

When they got too close, the Moblin swung its sword in a wide arc, trying to hit them both at once. They both ducked, with Link rolling to the left and Linkle going to the right. Link hoped the Moblin would focus on one of them, but instead, it stepped back and raised its shield, trying to keep them both in front of it.

Why do they always have to be smarter than they look?

Nevertheless, with both siblings moving around it, they were able to force it to try to attack one of them. Looking to its right, the Moblin swung its sword at Link. He managed to block the blow with his own sword, although the force of the blow was enough to knock him back. In that instant, an opening was created, and Linkle went for it. She slashed her sword at the Moblin's left leg. It grunted in pain and reflexively swiped behind itself with its shield arm. Linkle didn't see it coming. The shield bashed her in the side of the head. She fell, tumbling down the hill like a rolling rock.

"Elle!" Link shouted in distress. He abandoned the fight with the Moblin, running downhill as fast as he could manage without tripping and falling himself. When he got to the bottom, Linkle was lying in a heap. He knelt down beside her, shaking her with his hand. "Elle. Are you okay?"

"Mmmyehmn," she muttered incoherently as she slowly rolled over. "Ow." Her hand went to her head as she sat up. "That hurt."

Link gently placed a hand on her head. She was bleeding, but no more than he was after the Bokoblin had hit him with the club. "I think you're good," he said, turning his attention back up the hill. The Tallblin was bounding towards them with slow, deliberate steps. The creature's oddly proportioned legs probably made it difficult to walk downhill. "Come on, Sister. Get up. We still got a monster to slay, remember?"

Linkle glanced around, regaining her senses. "There's my sword," she said, reaching over and picking her weapon up off the ground.

Link helped his sister stand up, and they turned to face the Moblin once again. They no longer had the hill to work with. They were going to have to find some other way to increase their odds. Link quickly scanned his surroundings. Behind him, he saw they were now quite close to the Blins' tree fort.

That could work.

"Elle. Come with me," he said, running for the steps. His sister followed him up to the first platform, and then they continued up the next floor, stopping at the highest point.

"What are we gonna do up here?" Linkle asked, peering over the edge down at the approaching monster. In a matter of seconds, it would be climbing the wooden steps.

"Throw stuff at it," Link suggested. The platform was littered with crates, barrels, chests, and other various supplies. He grabbed the nearest barrel and hauled it over to the edge. When the Moblin was just beneath him, he chucked it downwards. The barrel landed on the monster's head and shoulder, shattering on impact and scattering its contents. The Moblin grunted and lost its balance, falling off the steps.

Linkle laughed. "Awesome! It's like we're defending our castle from a siege!" Pressing her body against a heavy crate, she pushed it to the edge and waited for the perfect opportunity. Once the Moblin had gotten back on its feet, it resumed climbing the steps. Linkle gave the crate a strong shove. However, the Moblin was prepared this time. It looked up, spotted what the girl was doing, and took a step back just in time to avoid walking underneath the falling object. It crashed to the ground in front of the monster, breaking open and spilling its contents. "Aw, dammit!" Linkle complained, looking down over the edge. "Hey! Hold still and let me crush you, you dick!"

The Moblin changed its course, heading over to the other set of steps that spiraled around the other tree. The siblings weren't able to drop things down onto it from their position anymore, but they kept tossing whatever they could find. Spare Boko clubs, cooking pots, apples, whatever was light enough to throw but heavy enough to hurt. This seemed to slow the monster down a little bit, but eventually, it crossed the rope bridge between the two platforms and began climbing the last set of steps up to their position.

Link and Linkle stood at the ready, swords drawn. "Don't let it up here," Linkle said.

"Wait until I have its attention. Then jump down and come up behind it," Link said. Unlike on the hill, if they attacked it from both sides while it was on the stairs, it would have no way to back up and defend itself from both of them at once.

The Moblin approached them with its relatively tiny shield raised. The siblings attacked at the same time. It blocked Link's sword with its shield, then swung its own sword to parry Linkle's blade. Linkle was the first to attack again, going low and trying to stab up through the Moblin's arm, but it took a step back, raising its shield defensively again.

Link glanced to his right and spotted an empty bucket a few feet away from him. He grabbed it and quickly tossed it at the Moblin's face. The monster blocked it, but Link used that short moment of distraction to charge. With the monster's shield raised to cover its face, its midsection was exposed, and Link managed to drive his sword into its chest. With a roar of pain and fury, the monster swung its own sword. Link had just enough time to leap back. "Now!" he shouted, knowing the Moblin would be too angry at him to focus on his sister.

"Right." Linkle nodded and leaped down to the lower platform, landing with a roll. She quickly climbed the steps leading back up to where she was, coming up behind the Moblin this time. It was slashing at her brother in a blind fury, fresh blood dripping from its latest wound. Letting out a battle cry as she charged, Linkle jumped into the air and drove her shortsword into the monster's back. It grunted and stumbled forward, dropping its sword as it lost its balance and fell over. Linkle was still on its back when it started to slide down the stairs. It reached forward and grabbed Link by the leg, pulling him down with them. The siblings screamed as all three of them fell over the edge down to the lower platform.

When they landed, the Moblin was on its back, crushing Linkle beneath it. However, Linkle was still grasping her sword, and she quickly drove it into the Moblin's shoulder, stabbing it repeatedly. Bellowing with rage, the monster rolled over and slammed the palm of its hand into Linkle's face, covering her whole head and much of her upper body as it pinned her to the floor. The Moblin lowered its head and opened its mouth, globs of drool falling onto her face from the monster's hanging tongue. But before it had a chance to bite her head off, Link drove his sword through the side of its neck. It made a horrible gurgling sound, then slumped forward on top of Linkle again, finally dead.

Link grabbed his sister with both hands and dragged her out from underneath the monster. The act took up the rest of his strength, and he collapsed to the floor beside her, breathing heavily. "You good?"

"Yeah." Linkle was short of breath as well. There had been real fear in her eyes when the Moblin had pinned her down, looking like it was going to eat her. Link wasn't used to seeing her like that.

They lay there on the wooden platform for a while, staring up at the clouds and the birds that flew overhead. They were both tired and injured from the fight, but they would both live. Link would've let himself and his sister rest for a while longer, but there was no way of knowing whether or not there were more Blins out there that would be returning to the encampment soon. So, with great effort, he made himself stand up, and his sister followed suit.

"Go get the horse," Link said. "I'll collect our things and grab the bodies on the hill."

As with the Bokoblins they'd killed in the woods earlier, they harvested the spoils of the other three Bokoblins they'd just killed. They also gutted the Moblin, and Linkle insisted on taking its head. Ostensibly, it would serve as proof of their deed so they could collect the bounty, but Link was pretty sure she just wanted it as a trophy. Link's shield was in pieces, so he took the stolen soldier's shield the Moblin had been carrying as a replacement. It was much nicer than his had been anyway, banded in iron and painted with a blue pattern. His own sword was of better quality than the soldier's sword, however, but he took it as well with the intention of selling it. His bow had also been broken to pieces, but none of the Bokoblins' bows looked to be worth taking.

The siblings did a thorough sweep of the camp before leaving, scavenging for anything useful or valuable. Link wasn't entirely certain whether or not monsters understood the concept of currency, but they found stashes of rupees and jewels which the Blins had collected for one reason or another. They also found some meat and some fruit, which they had for a quick meal and saved the rest for later. With all the stuff they were bringing back, they were lucky to have such a strong workhorse to carry it all. Having collected everything they planned to take back with them, the siblings took everything else that might be useful and dragged it over to the side of the road, leaving it where other travelers might find it. Finally, they piled the remains of the monsters on top of the wooden platforms of their tree fort and set fire to the whole encampment. If any other Blins came back there later, they would hopefully get the message that it was time for them to move on to someplace else.

With their quest complete, Link and Linkle climbed atop their horse and set off down the road back towards the city.


It was well past midday when the siblings finally arrived at the Hateno city gates. As they approached, the guards and several passersby stepped out of their path, gawking at the severed Moblin head tied to the side of the horse. Linkle was constantly beaming with pride at the looks people gave them. Link was half expecting her to proclaim, "Have no fear, citizens! The beast is slain!"

"Tough hunt?" the gatekeeper asked when they rode up to his booth.

"This old thing?" Linkle reached down and tapped the Moblin head. "Eh, it wasn't so tough." Link sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mhmm. Well, take it to the guard barracks. You'll get your reward there," the gatekeeper said, noting something down in a ledger. He waved them along, and the gate opened to let them into the city.

Hateno was the capital of the Necluda Province. It sat at the foot of the Lanayru Mountains overlooking the Necluda Sea. Being a port city, it was one of Hyrule's major trading hubs, receiving ships from up and down the coast of Hyrule, as well as ships from the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna. Even well past midday, the streets were crowded with inhabitants of the city and the surrounding lands, as well as travelers and traders from elsewhere. As Link and Linkle made their way through the crowded streets, many people took notice of them. Merchants cheered praises at them and offered them discounts on their wares. Travelers thanked them for making the kingdom a little safer. Children ran up to them to touch the severed head and ask to hold their weapons. A band of adventurers with heavy claymores strapped to their backs congratulated them on their successful quest. Other teenagers about their age even seemed a little interested in them.

With all the praise they received, it was difficult not to get swept up in all of it. Linkle was certainly happy to show off her trophy and accept all the compliments with as little modesty as possible. Even Link couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride.

Maybe this is why adventurers are willing to stupidly risk their lives all the time.

Of course, the throbbing pain in his head as well as the general aching all throughout his body was enough to bring Link back down to Earth. It made the soreness he felt in his arm after clanging a hammer against an anvil all day at the forge feel like a light bruise.

I ain't doing this every day, that's for damn sure.

On top of that, not everyone was pleased by their presence. While many approached them to give kind words of praise, plenty of others shied away from them with looks of either fear or disgust. Maybe they saw Link and his sister as arrogant attention seekers, or perhaps even as brutal killers parading around the head of their victim.

Can't really blame them.

When they reached the city guards' barracks, they hitched their horse to a post outside and dismounted. The guards made them leave their weapons outside, so they went in with just the severed Moblin head to show proof of their deed.

Inside, they were directed to the captain of the city guard's office. He was a middle-aged man wearing fancy-looking armor. A feathered helmet sat on his desk. He regarded them with little interest when they walked in, but he took notice of the head. "Here to collect the bounty?" he asked.

"That's right!" Linkle declared. "We took care of that band of Blins that was harassing folk along the road." Stepping forward, she held up the Moblin head by its horn and dramatically dropped it down onto the captain's desk.

The man glared at her. "Don't put that there. I don't want blood all over my desk."

"Oh. Um. Sorry." Linkle picked the head back up. She seemed surprised and disappointed that the captain wasn't showering her with praise like everyone else. However, Link knew that the captain's attitude was not uncommon among guards, soldiers, knights, and nobles, particularly older ones. Even if they killed monsters, adventurers were still basically just mercenaries who killed for money and had no official loyalty to the kingdom. This man probably viewed them as honorless sellswords at best - and potential criminals at worst.

Let's just get this over with...

"We're not looking to waste your time," Link said, not interested in being judged by some noble who had likely never been in as much danger as the two of them had been in that morning. "Just give us the reward and we'll be on our way."

"Fair enough," the captain said. He handed Link a small pouch. "Here. You can go out the way you came."

Linkle turned her nose up in indignation as they left. On the way back to the horse, she complained about the guard captain. "Can you believe that guy?" she asked. "It's like he barely even cared. We're heroes! When I hunt Octoroks and clear out Keese nests for farmers and woodsmen, they're way more grateful."

"Let it go, Elle," Link told her. "He gave us the rupees. That's all that matters." Opening up the pouch to count the money, he was surprised to see how much was in there. Linkle hadn't told him how much the reward would be, and this was much more than he made in a day working at the smithy. Adding up the reward, the rupees they found at the Blin camp, and what they'd make from selling the monster spoils, the sword, the jewels, and the boar...

Okay, maybe this is why adventurers are willing to stupidly risk their lives all the time.

As planned, they sold the boar to a butcher and the jewels to a pawn shop. On the way to the alchemist where they planned to sell the monster parts, Link looked down at the Moblin head. "We gonna sell that thing's fangs and horn, or what?"

"Hell no," his sister responded. "This shit's goin' up on my wall."

"Alright, but that's coming out of your share." The spoils from the Moblin were probably worth almost as much as the spoils from all the Bokoblins put together. Link didn't like the idea of throwing that money away.

"Fine, but I'm still gettin' half of everything else," Linkle said.

"Excuse me? I believe the deal was sixty-forty," Link corrected her.

"Oh, come on. We both did equal work."

"And what does that mean?"

"We each killed three monsters."

"Yeah, but you only killed Bokoblins. I killed a Moblin."

"That's still only one monster."

Link could practically hear the teasing smirk on his sister's face. He looked over his shoulder to give her his best 'unamused' face.

"Alright, fine," Linkle relented with little resistance. "A deal's a deal. But next time we'll stick to fifty-fifty. Okay?"

Link sighed. He felt like he should address her apparent belief that there would be an obvious next time, but he didn't have the energy to argue with her about this now. "Fine."

At the alchemist's, they sold the Bokoblin parts and the Moblin guts. Link made a point of asking how much they'd get for the Moblin's fangs and horn just so he knew how many rupees he could deduct from Linkle's share.

The last place they needed to stop at to sell their spoils was the smithy where Link apprenticed. He ordinarily entered through one of the side entrances to the forges, but this time, he went in through the front where the shop was located, bringing with him the sword he got from the Moblin. Inside, he found one of his fellow apprentices standing behind the counter.

"Oh. Hey, Link," the shopkeeper said. "What are you doing here? Thought you said you'd be sleeping all day."

"I wish. No, my idiot sister dragged me along on a monster hunt earlier," Link said, pointing his thumb at Linkle. She off-handedly gave him the finger. "Anyway, is Master Nebb here?"

"He's busy in the back," the shopkeeper said. "Want me to go grab him?"

"No, don't bother him. I've just got something to sell." Link pulled away the cloth he'd wrapped around the soldier's sword in lieu of a scabbard, then held it out to his coworker.

"Hmm," the shopkeeper said, taking it delicately into his hands. "This ain't bad. You get it from a soldier?"

"A Moblin," Link corrected. "But I imagine that's where the Moblin got it from."

"Well, I guess it don't technically count as stolen then, eh?" The shopkeeper laughed. "Yeah, sure, we can buy it off you."

"Thanks," Link said, taking the handful of rupees his coworker handed him. "I'll be back tomorrow." He and his sister left the shop and got back on their horse. Compared to when they'd arrived in the city, they were traveling considerably lighter - and a good deal wealthier.

"Alright!" Linkle exclaimed excitedly. "The quest's done and we've got all our rupees. Whaddya say we hit the tavern to celebrate?"

"Shouldn't you at least stop by the farm and let Nack know why you weren't there today?" Link asked, remembering his sister had skipped a day's work to go monster hunting instead.

"Nah, fuck him," Linkle said simply. "I wanna get wasted."

"Well too bad. Only small ale for you, and not much of it," Link declared in his best 'big brother' voice, pulling the horse's reins and setting off toward the nearest tavern.

"I'm only ten months younger than you," his sister argued.

"I didn't say I'd be getting hammered, did I?"

"Bah. You're no fun."

Link rolled his eyes. "Fine. One mug of strong ale. And I ain't buying."

"Who cares? I'll just let a guy buy me a drink."

"Don't overestimate yourself," Link quipped. His sister lightly smacked him on the shoulder, but he just laughed.

However, it proved to be rather easy for the both of them to get someone to buy them drinks. When they stepped into the tavern, they were immediately recognized by the band of adventurers they'd seen early while riding through the city.

"Hey! The heroes of the day return!" one of them shouted in mock reverence. The rest of them raised their mugs and cheered, laughing goodnaturedly.

Linkle pulled out her sword and raised it into the air, joining in on the cheer. She turned to give her brother a smug look, as if to say "See? Told ya we're heroes."

Another adventurer stood up from their table to greet them. "Come join us, newbies. First round's on us," he said, clapping Link on the back.

"Uh, sure," Link reluctantly agreed, allowing himself to be led over to the table.

"We're not newbies," Linkle objected. "I've been killin' monsters since I was four."

"Oho? Is that so?" one of the men asked.

"She dropped a pumpkin and accidentally killed a rat," Link elaborated as he and Linkle sat down beside one another. They all laughed at that. There were four men at the table with them, all looking to be in their late twenties, and all of them tall and muscular, which Linkle seemed to take notice of. A few of them had scars. They were only wearing a few pieces of leather armor over their clothing, same as the siblings, but they also had those huge claymores on their backs.

Let's hope we don't piss these guys off.

He stared hard at his sister for a second, hoping he could will those thoughts into her head. If anyone was going to start a bar fight over something stupid today, Link would wager a few rupees it would be her.

One of the adventurers waved a serving girl over. She brought a round of mugs for them all, including Link and Linkle. She didn't seem to care too much about how young they were. At sixteen, Link was considered a man, but at fifteen, Linkle technically would not be allowed to partake in anything but small ale.

"So, tell us about today's hunt," one of the adventurers urged them.

"We saw you ridin' around with that Tallblin's head. Which one of you chopped it off?" another asked.

"I did!" Linkle said eagerly.

Link scoffed, swallowing a swig of his drink. "Yeah, after I killed it."

"Well I weakened it for you."

"Was that before or after it almost bit your head off?" Linkle punched him in the shoulder, a little too hard this time. "Ow!"

The rest of the table laughed. "Watch you don't go taking credit for another adventurer's kill, lass," one of the men said. "Might be your head mounted on your horse next."

"I'd like to see him try," Linkle said smugly, taking a huge gulp out of her mug.

Link smiled and shook his head. "So, where're you guys from?" he asked. "Around here, or…?"

"Faron," one of them answered.

Linkle gasped. "Have you ever fought a Lynel?" She looked extremely excited and hopeful to hear about it.

The men laughed. "Yes, yes we have. And trust me, you do not want to face down one of those beasts."

"More dangerous than a Hinox, they are."

"Isn't there a horde of them gathered outside of Fural right now?" Linkle asked. "Why aren't you there right now?"

"You just answered your own question, lass!"

"We were actually in Ordona when all that started," one of them explained. "But we came up north this way when we heard about the ice dragon on Mount Lanayru."

"I bet even a dragon is safer than a Lynel, I tell ya."

Linkle got even more excited. "You're gonna fight the dragon? That's so cool! Can I come?"

"No, she can't," Link answered for them. "We talked about this, Elle." Linkle pouted and took another sip of her drink.

The adventurers laughed. "Actually, we're not going for the dragon anymore anyway."

"You're not?" Linkle seemed puzzled, as if she couldn't believe anyone would pass up the opportunity to fight a dragon.

"Nah. We're heading for the capital."

"That's where all the adventurers are going now."

"What for?" Link asked.

"Sounds like there's gonna be war."

"War means death. Death means monsters. Monsters mean quests."

"And quests mean rupees," Link finished for them, having recently learned how profitable real quests could be. The logic made sense, too. Most monsters would eat any kind of meat, including humans. A corpse-littered battlefield would attract monsters as easily as it would attract scavenger birds.

"Wait, what war?" Linkle asked. "Who are we fighting?"

"Don't know. Doesn't really matter, though."

"Something serious is going down. The king summoned his governors. His sister-in-law left Hateno a few days ago."

"Governor Kochi left the city?" Link asked. Celessa Kochi was the Governor of Necluda, and the sister of the late Queen Elincia. She ordinarily resided in the Eastern Palace atop the hill overlooking the sea. Link had only seen her a handful of times, but sometimes her knights would purchase weapons and armor from his master's shop. They always paid handsomely.

"Yep. We'll be heading out tomorrow," one of the adventurers said. "You two should think about going, too. There's a lot more to see out there than Bugblins and Tallblins."

Link did not like the smile on his sister's face. These adventurers were giving her ideas.

Time to go.

"Well, thanks for the drinks," Link said, standing up just as Linkle was downing the last of her beer. "But we gotta get going."

"Whaa…?" Linkle asked, already seeming a bit tipsy. Her brother grabbed her by the arm and stood her up.

"Happy hunting." Link waved to the adventurers as he dragged his sister to the exit along with him.

"Same to you, newbies!"

Outside, Link untied the reins and climbed atop the horse. "Get on," he told his sister.

"But I wanna hang out with those other adventurers some more!" she whined.

"That's enough for tonight," Link insisted. "We're still beaten and battered from the fight. We need to rest if you ever wanna do that again."

Linkle's face lit up. "Again?"

Shit.

"Not any time soon!" Link insisted. "Look, just get on the horse, will ya?"

"Ugh, fine." She took his hand and climbed on behind him. Together, they rode back down to the gate and exited the city.

"We should head west," Linkle said as they followed the road back home, holding up her compass as if she needed to know what direction they were going.

"We are heading west," Link pointed out, confused.

"Yeah, but I mean we should keep going," his sister continued. "And then go north. To the capital."

Link groaned. "Elle, please. I don't wanna talk about this anymore."

"But you heard those guys!" Linkle said insistently. "War is coming. All the adventurers are going to the capital."

"We're not adventurers," Link said forcefully. "We're not monster hunters. We're not heroes. You're a farmhand, and I'm a blacksmith."

"The Hero of Twilight was a farmhand," Linkle pointed out. "And the Hero of the Minish was a blacksmith! Think about it, Brother. We'd be great heroes. You saw how well we did today." She reached down and patted her trophy hanging from the side of the horse for emphasis. "We can't just be a farmhand and a blacksmith our whole lives. We're meant for so much more."

"No one's meant for anything," Link countered. "And maybe those heroes would've lived longer if they hadn't gone galavanting around in search of monsters and demons all the time. We're better off here where we can stay at least relatively safe."

Link felt his sister shifting her position in the saddle, turning around to face away from him. She didn't say anything, though. For the rest of the ride back home, she stayed silent. Link figured she was mad at him, or tired, or both.

When they arrived at their house, they dismounted and put the horse back in the stable. "Let's get some sleep," Link suggested to his sister as they carried their things into the house. "Tomorrow you should go and explain to Farmer Nack why you didn't show up today."

"Mhmm," Linkle agreed half-heartedly. "Night." She went to her room and shut the door.

Link sighed.

She'll get over it.


Link awoke the next day with a bad feeling. It was still quite early in the day and he could have gotten away with sleeping in a bit longer, but something compelled him to get up. Climbing down the steps from his room, he found his sister's door open. She was not there, and neither was her adventuring equipment.

She didn't get over it.

In a panic, he rushed out the door and went around the side of the house. His panic was partially relieved a moment later when he came face to face with Linkle. She was leading the horse out of the stable, all of her things packed onto its back.

"Elle, no."

"Link, yes." She turned, trying to lead the horse past her brother, but he stepped into her path.

"Linkle, stop!" He stepped forward, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Look, please, just think for a minute, okay? I know this whole 'adventuring' thing is fun to you, but-"

"It was never about fun," Linkle insisted. "Well, yes, I like it. Hell, I love it. I admit that. But what's wrong with enjoying doing the right thing? In case you've forgotten, for every monster I've slain, I've saved its next victim. I know I can do that now, and not just with Keese and Octoroks. Real monsters."

There she goes again…

"That's great and all, but that's not your responsibility." Link had told her this so many times before, he felt like he could do it in his sleep. "It's not worth the risk. You don't owe anyone anything. You don't have to do any of this."

"You're right. I don't." Linkle tried to squirm out of Link's grip and step past him, but he moved to keep up with her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Elle! You can't just up and leave like this! If you really, really want to be an adventurer, why not just stick around and do it here, like you've already been doing?" He was feeling desperate now. He hated the idea of his sister doing more monster hunting, but anything was better than her leaving.

"And what is there for me here?" Linkle asked. "The farm? This house? Some Bugblins now and then?"

"What about me?" Link asked.

"Come with me!" Linkle insisted. "We're a great team. Together, not even a dragon could stop us."

"I have a life here."

"Do you really want to be a blacksmith all your life? Like, is that what you really want?"

"I want to live."

"That's not guaranteed here anymore than it is anywhere else. You should know that by now."

Link opened his mouth, but after their monster encounter the other day, he could not think of anything to say to that.

Linkle stared at him for a moment. "I'm going," she stated clearly. "Come with me or I'm going alone."

I've heard that line before.

Link stared back at her. He knew she was serious. She was leaving, whether he went with her or not. And on top of that, he could see something else in her eyes - something that he wasn't used to seeing. She was afraid he really wouldn't come with her this time.

Gods, damn you all…

Link sighed the deepest of sighs. "Fine," he answered. "Give me a minute to pack my things."

A look of deep relief spread across his sister's face, and it quickly turned into one of joy. "Yes!" she shouted excitedly, leaping forward to hug him. "Thank you, Brother! This is gonna be the best adventure ever!"


Author's note:

For reference, I am primarily going off of the world map from Breath of the Wild, although locations from other games have been included as well.