"This is gonna be so great!" Linkle declared, lightly pounding her fists against her brother's back as if she were playing a bongo drum. "All the best Heroes have been here. And I mean all of them. The Hero of the Sky was here when the city was first built. The Hero of the Minish lived just outside the city, and he defeated the Demon King Vaati after he took over the castle. And then the Hero of Twilight defeated the Demon King Ganon after he took over the castle."
"Wow. Hyrule Castle could use some better security, huh? Sounds like it gets taken over a lot," Link replied, unphased by his sister hitting his back. He continued to direct their horse along the road, approaching the city's eastern gate. They weren't even inside the walls yet, and already he could tell the city was huge. It had to be at least three times the size of Hateno.
With walls like these, how the hell does this place get conquered so much anyway?
"Can we visit Hyrule Castle?" Linkle asked, clearly enthusiastic about the idea.
"Sure. Just go on a crime spree. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to give you a free tour all the way down to the dungeons," Link replied dryly.
"The Hero of Twilight was imprisoned in the dungeons," Linkle went on without missing a beat. "Right after he got turned into a wolf."
"Ah, so that's all we gotta do? Well, I suppose you could head into the forest up north and get bitten by a Wolfos."
"Pfft, that's just a myth."
Link raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder. "Really?"
"Ya-huh," Linkle smiled. "Wolfos bites don't turn you into a Wolfos. They were never human to begin with. They're just wolf-like monsters."
"I'm just surprised you don't believe that. You usually believe every piece of bullshit you hear."
"I do not," Linkle insisted, punctuating her sentence by slapping him on the shoulder. "Ooh! Did you know, in the Outer Continent, there's another kind of wolf monster called a Wosu? They wield these wicked knives and can steal your memories if they stab you."
"What? That one doesn't even make sense." Link was going to point out that this kind of thing was exactly what he'd been talking about, but they were getting close to the city gate, and they were going to have to talk to the guards before being let inside. "You got our travel papers?"
"I thought you had them."
"What?! Elle, did you-?"
"Relax, Brother! I'm only joking." Laughing, Linkle reached into one of the leather bags attached to the horse's saddle. After rooting around for a moment, her face became more serious. "Um…"
"Elle, don't tell me-"
"Still joking!" Linkle's face lit up. She smiled smugly as she pulled their papers out of the bag. "You're so gullible."
"Whatever. Just don't fuck around with the guards, will ya?"
As they approached the gate, a guard holding a spear directed them off to the side. Small wooden shacks with square windows cut out of them lined the wall leading up to the door. Link dismounted and pulled the horse with him up to an open window. A guard stood on the other side, leaning against the counter with a look of boredom on his face.
"Entry, please," Link requested, handing over their papers.
The guard glanced at the papers briefly, then looked the siblings up and down. "Adventurers? Here for the Blood Moon?"
"Yep!" Linkle called down from the horse.
"We won't be long," Link said. "Just passing through on our way to Faron."
"Well, either way, there'll be official bounties on undead starting tonight," the guard explained as he scribbled something in a ledger and stamped their papers. "Check the bulletin boards. The info's posted everywhere."
"Thanks, we will," Link said as the guard handed back their papers.
When they were let into the city, the giant gate wasn't actually opened. Instead, they were let in through a smaller door within the gate. It was still heavily guarded, but they seemed to be letting most people in.
Link continued to walk while Linkle stayed atop the horse. Glancing around at the swarms of people flowing through the streets, Link immediately noticed how crowded the place was. He saw a great number of people who looked to be fellow travelers. Some of them carried weapons, which probably meant they were adventurers, too. However, most of them did not. "Looks like a ton of people are looking to hide in the capital tonight," Link speculated.
"Makes sense," Linkle agreed. "In terms of keeping monsters out, there's no place in the world safer than the City of Hyrule. Those walls we just passed through have got all kinds of wards built into them. Not to mention Laemora herself watches over the city. Ooh, that reminds me! We should stop by the Light Temple to pray before we head out tonight."
Link looked over his shoulder, tugging on the horse's reins. "Head out tonight?"
"Yeah," Linkle confirmed. "We should leave a few hours before sundown. There'll be a lot of monsters outside of Mabe."
"Elle, we're not going anywhere tonight. It's the Blood Moon."
"That's why we're going out tonight, Brother!" Linkle argued. "This only happens once every two or three years. If adventurers like us don't help to lay the undead to rest again, Hyrule won't be safe to travel."
"Hyrule is never safe to travel," Link countered. "Look at all the shit we had to go through just to get here."
"Yeah, and this is what Hyrule is like at its safest. The next few months are gonna be hell for the kingdom if we don't do our part to keep it safe."
Link sighed. On the night of every previous Blood Moon they'd been around for, he and his sister had simply taken shelter in Hateno. He'd been hoping to do the same in the capital this time. Also, he greatly preferred sleeping in a bed over sleeping in the wilds, so the idea of leaving the biggest city in the world right after they got there only to go back out into the wilderness did not appeal to him in the slightest. However, this was clearly yet another thing that Linkle was adamant about. She'd go off into the night on her own if she had to, and he couldn't risk that, especially on a night like this.
"Fine," Link relented. "But we're going to be properly prepared this time. We'll need fire, we'll need our weapons blessed, everything that'll make undead easier to deal with. I don't want a repeat of the graveyard or that damn well."
"Hurray!" Linkle cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "Then let's hurry up and see as much of the city as we can before we go. This place is just so cool! We're definitely coming back here after I get the Master Sword, okay? Maybe the king will knight me himself. Ooh, or better yet, maybe Princess Zelda will!"
Link didn't comment on Linkle's fantasies of obtaining the Master Sword and becoming a knight. He could only hope her heart wouldn't break when she finally did try to pull the sword from the stone. "Alright. Where to first, then, Sister?"
"Hyrule Castle!" Linkle declared, pointing to the northwest.
They continued down the road for the next few minutes, eventually coming to the largest town square Link had ever seen. The ground was beautifully paved, a large fountain adorned with statues sat in the center, and various shops and buildings surrounded them on all sides. Pathways cutting through the buildings in all directions fed into the square, and crowds of people were bustling about. The majority of them were Hylians, but among them, there were also Sheikah, round-eared humans, Gorons, Zora, Rito, and Deku Scrubs. It felt like the whole kingdom was converging on one spot.
Link heard the sound of Linkle dropping to the ground. "Where are you going?" he asked as she moved past him. Her eyes were glazed over in wonder, taking in the sights. She wandered over to the great fountain in the center of the square and began turning in place, looking everywhere she could.
"This place is amazing!" Linkle shouted loudly enough to turn some nearby heads. Then, she looked to the north. There, across the moat in the distance and beyond the wall on the other side of it, was Hyrule Castle. The fortress itself looked as big as some of the other cities they'd been to so far. "There!" Linkle said, pointing. "We're going there!" With that, she took off.
"Elle! Elle, Wait up!" Yanking on the horse's reins, Link fought his way through the crowded city square to follow her. He considered himself lucky that she stopped to look at everything she saw along the way, as he was barely able to keep her in his sight. He wasn't too worried about losing her, though. He knew she was headed for the castle, which she would not be able to enter anyway.
Linkle didn't even make it to the bridge. A line of guards stood in the way, not letting anyone cross the moat. "Hi, good morning. Can I go through here?" Linkle asked one of the guards.
"Elle, stop!" Link cried, letting go of the horse and running forward.
"What business have you in the castle, little girl?" the guard asked.
"I want to see Princess Zelda."
"Princess Zelda is not here."
"Which one?"
"None of them."
"None of them are not here?"
"No, none of them are here. And I doubt they'd have time for some random peasant if they were."
"Elle." Link grabbed his sister by the shoulder and pulled her back. "Sorry, sir. We'll just be on our way," he hastily said to the guard she was talking to.
"But I wanna know where the princesses are," Linkle complained as he dragged her back to the horse.
"We'll ask around while we're resupplying," he suggested. "You can't just go up to the castle guards carrying all those weapons and ask where the damn princess is, Elle. That's how you get arrested."
Linkle looked over her shoulder, as if just realizing she was still carrying a sword and crossbow on her back. "Hm. Alright, you may have a point or two there," she agreed. "Then come on, let's go shopping." Linkle grabbed hold of Arion's reins and pulled him along.
It only took a few minutes to find their first stop. Once the siblings came across a building with a sign indicating it was a general store, they tied their horse to the post out front and went inside.
"Welcome!" They were greeted simultaneously by a Hylian man stocking shelves and a Hylian woman standing behind the counter.
"Hi!" Linkle returned their greeting with a bright smile and a wave to each of them. "We're looking to buy some stuff for killing undead."
"Oh. Well, uh, we don't sell weaponry here," the woman replied.
"Can I interest you in some cured meats?" the man said, taking a piece of salted pork from a barrel and holding it up. "You look like a couple of travelers. This stuff keeps well on long journeys."
"No," Linkle replied before taking a moment to process the question. "I mean, yes! We'll take that, too." She hurried over to the barrel and began filling up a bag.
"We actually weren't looking for weapons." Link walked up to the counter to speak with the woman. "We were thinking more like torches, tinderboxes, oil, cloth, that sort of thing."
"Oh, I see." The shopkeeper glanced to her sides, checking her inventory. "We should have all of those things. Let me gather them for you. But please, do not start any fires in my store."
"I won't," Link assured her. Then he looked over his shoulder at Linkle.
She might.
"Don't touch the pots," Link said to his sister, catching her reaching for one atop a shelf.
Linkle flinched and took a step back. "Why not?"
"You always break pots."
"I do not!"
"Whatever. Just don't touch it. Come and help me with this stuff."
While the shopkeeper gathered the requested items, Link and Linkle picked out travel food to restock for their trip, along with a few other necessities. Link tried to think of anything else they might need. He realized that fire would be helpful for dealing with ReDeads, but there were always tons of Stalfos during the Blood Moon as well. "Excuse me, do you sell hammers?" he asked the man by the shelf.
"Sure. What kind do you need? Something for carpentry?"
"Something for cracking skulls," Link replied. The man looked at him strangely. "Stalfos skulls," he clarified.
"But if it can crack other skulls, too, that'd be a bonus," Linkle added with a giggle.
Once they had everything they needed loaded into their bags, Link dropped a few handfuls of rupees onto the counter. "Thank you, travelers!" the woman said as she counted it. "Is there anything else we can help you with?"
"Yeah, where's the princess?" Linkle asked.
"The princess?" the man asked. "Why, all the king's children left the castle weeks ago."
"What?" When the bridge guard had said the princesses were not in the castle, Link had figured that meant they were at the temple or the courthouse or something. He hadn't expected them to be out of the city entirely, especially on the day of the Blood Moon. "Where are they?"
"The eldest and youngest princesses went to Gerudo," the woman explained. "Although I hear war has broken out down there."
"The same goes for Hebra," the man chimed in. "The Rito are causing all sorts of trouble. The other princess and Prince Lancel left to go deal with that."
"And Prince Percival went to Akkala to deal with some dangerous cult," the shopkeeper went on. "He should be back soon, though. From what I hear, the cult is done with."
"Gods bless that man," the other shopkeeper said. "I hope he'll be the next king. We could use a king who gets things done, I say."
"Oh. I see," Linkle said, sounding a little disheartened at the news that she wouldn't be able to meet any of the royal children. "Well, thanks for the info. And the other stuff," she said, shaking one of the bags she was holding.
"Safe travels!"
The siblings stepped outside and began loading everything onto Arion's back. "Bloody hell, how long were we in those mountains for?" Link said in shock. "There's two wars going on in the kingdom right now? And what's this about a cult? Didn't that Kokiri girl say something about that?"
"These are surely times of great strife for our fair kingdom," Linkle said, putting on some sort of poetic voice as she climbed onto the horse. "All the more reason that the kingdom needs its Hero!" she declared, raising her sword to the sky.
"All the more reason not to go to Gerudo or Hebra," Link added. He was glad they had already charted a course for Faron. They might end up uncomfortably close to Gerudo along the way, but once they cross Lake Hylia, they should be in the clear. "What do you say we stop by the Light Temple and see if we can get our swords blessed? It'll be like having a discount Master Sword."
"Sold!" Linkle agreed. "Onward to the Light Temple!" she declared, pointing with her sword.
The Light Temple was in the northeast section of the city. It was just north of the east gate where they'd entered the city, but they'd passed by it earlier in favor of heading straight for the castle. As they backtracked through the city, Link couldn't help but notice how at home he felt. Old and New Kakariko both had a distinctly Sheikah feel to them, but the City of Hyrule just felt like a grander version of Hateno.
If only we could stay here.
It wouldn't be hard to find blacksmithing work in the capital city, and there was ample farmland stretching down south through the rest of Central Hyrule. If Linkle ever agreed to retire from adventuring, this would probably be the ideal place for them to settle down again.
The Light Temple was one of the most impressive buildings Link had ever seen. It was a massive cathedral, with a much older and more unique architecture than the temple in Hateno. Having just visited the Shadow Temple in New Kakariko, this was not the first sage temple the siblings had ever been to. However, much of the Shadow Temple had been obscured underground. The Light Temple wasn't nearly as creepy either.
"Did you know that the Light Temple used to be the Temple of Time?" Linkle asked as they approached the building, sounding excited like she always was when she talked about something related to the Heroes. "Back then, the Master Sword was housed here."
"Why'd they move it?" Link asked, slightly curious.
"I dunno," Linkle admitted. "But its current resting place is another old time temple, too. Right by the Forest Temple. I don't know if it was ever a sage temple, though. Ooh! Can we visit the Temple of Time on the way to Faron?"
"You mean the actual one? On the Great Plateau? Why?"
"Because I want to meet all the sages someday," Linkle explained. "Their fates are tied to the gods, same as the Hero. We're supposed to work together to protect the kingdom."
"Hmm. Well, we've met the Sage of Shadow. We'll probably see the Sage of Light here. We're supposed to talk to the Sages of Water and Forest for our quest. If we meet the Sage of Time as well, that makes five out of nine." Link was kind of amazed now that he'd stopped to think about it. Most people would probably only meet one sage in their lifetime, and only if they'd decided to make a pilgrimage to the closest sage temple in their region. Somehow, they'd been sent on a path to meet more than half of them in a relatively short timespan.
Maybe the gods really are fucking with us somehow…
"Although," Link went on. "If we wanted to meet the Sages of Fire and Earth, we probably should've done that before leaving Eldin."
"Oh, dammit!" Linkle cried, slapping her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that before? Ah, well. There's always next time. We can meet them last, since we're probably gonna meet the Sages of Spirit and Wind after I obtain the Master Sword."
"What makes you so certain of that?" Link asked, not liking where this was going.
"Well, obviously, once I'm officially recognized as the Hero, it'll be my duty to end the wars our kingdom is fighting. Just like the Hero of Twilight did."
"Yes. Obviously," Link said sarcastically.
Fighting a monster or two is one thing, but a freaking war?
After hitching up their horse again, the siblings climbed the steps up to the temple's entrance and stepped inside. The first thing Link noticed was how high the ceiling was. Several of the city's smaller buildings stacked on top of each other could probably fit inside the temple. After that, it was the tall, thin, stained glass windows lining the walls. They depicted gods such as Hylia, the Golden Goddesses, Laemora, and her predecessors, the four Light Spirits. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows, making marvelous patterns across the floor.
At the far end of the room, there was a raised platform behind a dark marble altar and in front of a large, square, stone door. Above the door, there was a gigantic golden triforce embedded in the wall. Not the real one, obviously, but its significance was great enough that even an imitation felt powerful.
There must not have been a service being held since the place was not crowded, but there were still a few dozen people scattered about in the pews. Some of them appeared to be praying, while others stared up at the images of the gods in quiet reverence. Not wanting to disturb anyone, the siblings quietly made their way down the central aisle to the other end of the room.
Off to the right side, there was a large statue of Hylia, depicted in her usual form as a Hylian woman with angelic wings. Linkle knelt in front of it and clasped her hands together, moving her lips as she silently muttered her prayer. Link knelt beside her and offered one of his own.
Please keep my sister safe.
When Link stood back up, Linkle was still praying, so he stepped back and waited for her to finish. Given the important role the gods played in so many of the Hero stories Linkle loved so much, she had always felt a strong connection to them. Link didn't know what she was asking of them now, but it was probably something like 'Please grant me the strength to save the world.'
As long as we have the strength to save ourselves, I'll be satisfied.
Knowing they would need a priest to bless their weapons, Link looked over the room. He saw several men and women in white robes embroidered with golden triforces and other symbols. Most of them were talking to other visitors, but Link would be able to find one to ask for help once Linkle finished praying.
"We should've asked Gaile to bless our weapons before we split up," Link said aloud as his sister stood back up. Seeing the temple priests dressed similarly to their former adventuring companion had caused him to think of her.
"Hm. Maybe we could've, but I doubt her enchantments would've lasted this long," Linkle replied.
"What, a couple days? She seemed pretty talented. I think she could've handled it."
Linkle giggled. "You're only saying that 'cause you were hot for her."
Link furrowed his brow. "I was not."
"Oh really? 'Cause when we were in the hot springs with her and Breen, it sure looked like you-"
Link clamped his hand over his sister's mouth. "Hey, hey, shhh! We're in church, you idiot," he whispered.
"Ahem."
The siblings turned their heads. A priest was standing a few feet away from them, looking confused.
"Sorry," Link said, quickly removing his hand from his sister's mouth and taking a step away from her. "We'll try to keep our voices down."
The priest observed them for a moment, then he smiled slightly. "Adventurers, I take it?"
"Indeed!" Linkle proclaimed, stepping forward majestically. "We've come to help fight the oncoming undead hordes."
"Splendid," the priest said, sounding pleased. "Your kind are always welcome here. You do our kingdom a great service, protecting her people by ridding the land of those horrid monsters."
"We do what we can," Link said, trying to sound more humble than his sister.
Linkle gasped. "Are you the Sage of Light?" she asked excitedly.
"What? Me?" the priest asked, putting his hand to his chest. "No, my child. His Holiness is still yet to return from his visit to Gerudo."
"Oh…" Linkle hung her head in disappointment.
"I hope he returns safely," Link added in an attempt to be polite. The sage was in a province that was currently a warzone, but Linkle seemed more concerned with the fact that she wasn't going to get to meet all the sages as quickly as she'd wanted.
"I'm sure he will," the priest assured them. "Now then, adventurers, we've had many of your fellow monster slayers come through here these past few days. Many of them requested to have their weapons blessed to help them fight against the dead that will rise with the Blood Moon tonight. Will you be requiring this service as well?"
"Yes, please," Linkle answered cheerfully. "We would be honored to receive Laemora's blessings."
The priest chuckled slightly. "Well, I'm certain you have it. But I hope my blessing will be useful as well." He turned around and walked over to the marble altar. "Come. Place your weapons here, young heroes," he said, gesturing with his arm.
Linkle hurriedly joined him by the altar, placing both her shortsword and her new longsword upon it. Link followed her, placing his own longsword down as well. "Uh, by the way, what do you charge for these services…?" he asked uncomfortably, wondering if that was rude to ask a priest.
The man furrowed his brow. "No payment is required. I can only hope this small gesture will aid you in your noble quest to defend our kingdom." Turning to the altar, the priest raised his hands and began slowly waving them over their weapons, muttering a quiet prayer. The siblings watched in awe as brilliant white lights spread across the blades, forming glowing runes and holy symbols.
"The Master Sword was forged like this," Linkle whispered to her brother. "Zelda the First blessed the Goddess Sword before the Hero of the Sky fought Demise, giving it the power to defeat all evils."
"Uh-huh." Link had heard many stories about the Master Sword. To him, it sounded as though the legends regarding its power were greatly exaggerated.
If the sword could truly defeat any evil, why would the gods keep it stuck in a stone to limit its use instead of allowing it to be used to wipe out all evil?
When the priest's ritual was completed, the lights emanating from the blades died down. "You may reclaim your weapons," the man said. Link and Linkle did so, sheathing their swords and reattaching them to their belts. "May the Goddess bless your path."
"Thank you," Linkle said.
"Thanks for your help." Link tapped his sister on the arm, and together they headed back down the aisle towards the exit.
"This is amazing!" As soon as they set foot outside the temple, Linkle drew her longsword again. The action of unsheathing it seemed to have an effect, as the blade lit up briefly. It did so again when she swung it through the air.
"Be careful with that thing, will ya?" Link reminded her. "I'm not looking to get smited today."
Linkle giggled and put her sword back in its sheath. "Alright, let's head back to the market district. I wanna see what else they have here."
"Oooooh," Linkle mused, staring up at the sign.
Link stood beside her. The shop that had caught her attention was a bit strange looking. The upper floor showed that it was an ordinary stone building with a wooden roof, but the ground floor was decorated to give it the appearance of a circus tent. Above the entrance, there was a large sign that resembled a stretched out, grinning face. Within the open mouth of the face were the words 'Happy Mask Shop.'
Link flinched as he heard a bell tolling in the distance, but Linkle smiled and took his hand. "Let's go inside and check it out," she suggested.
"You sure we should be wasting our time with this?" Link asked. "I mean, what are we gonna do with masks?"
"Who cares? It looks like fun!" Linkle insisted, pulling him through the door along with her.
Inside, the shop wasn't very big. It was just one rectangular room with a service counter at one end, although there was no one standing behind it at the moment. There was no furniture or anything in the customer area. However, the walls were covered with rows upon rows of masks made from wood or other similar materials, each one mounted like a trophy on a wooden holder.
Some of the masks were fairly normal-looking, depicting humans, Gorons, Zora, or some other Child of Nayru. Some had odd decorations, like tribal paint, cultural symbols, or what could have been House crests. On the other hand, some of the masks were downright bizarre, depicting monsters, grossly exaggerated features, or creatures Link did not recognize.
"Okay… this is creepy as hell," Link stated.
"I think it's neat," Linkle replied, reaching out her hand to take a mask off of the wall. The one she took was white and gray, resembling linen bandages wrapped over a person's face, with some extra fabric hanging off of it. "Ooooh, look at me!" Linkle said in a mock-spooky voice after putting the mask on over her face. She walked towards her brother with her arms held outwards, moving her legs stiffly. "I'm a Gibdo!"
Link laughed and smacked her arms down. "That seems a little macabre for the day of the Blood Moon, don't you think?"
"Hmm, maybe." Linkle took the mask off and placed it back on the wall. "Ooh! Look at this one." A little further down the wall, she found a mask resembling a woman's face with heavy makeup on. It came complete with a wig of long, red hair with leaves and vines entwined in it. Linkle pulled the mask on and turned to Link, fluffing her new hair and posing. "Check it out, I'm a Great Fairy! Oooh, aren't I so tall and mystical and sexy?"
Link rolled his eyes. "Have you ever even seen a Great Fairy?"
"I met one bathing in Nirvata Lake once, remember?"
"I thought you made that up."
"I did not!" Linkle took the mask off, revealing an annoyed pout.
Link grinned. "Alright, whatever. Anyway, put that thing back and let's get out of here. We should really try to find some more information about this quest the Sage of Shadows sent us on before we leave the city. We shouldn't be wasting our time here."
The sound of someone chuckling caused both Link and Linkle to jump in surprise. A man had appeared behind the counter. Linkle hastily put the fairy mask back on the wall, as if she was worried she might get in trouble for touching it without buying it.
"Time is a terrible thing to waste," the man behind the counter said. "We only have so much of it, you know. Well, most of us do, anyway." He chuckled again.
Link furrowed his brow. The Hylian man behind the counter looked well-groomed for a commoner. He had short, light-brown hair that appeared combed and well-maintained. His clothing also appeared finely-made and was a royal purple in color, and he wore golden jewelry around his collar and shoulders. However, there was something uncanny about his expression. The salesman stood there patiently with his hands clasped atop the counter, staring at them with a wide, unflinching grin on his face. There was something off about his eyes, too. His irises must have been about the same color as his sclera, because his eyes appeared as two tiny black dots.
"Um," Link said, clearing his throat after realizing he'd been staring for too long. "Sorry, but, uh, we were just looking."
"Oh, but that would be a waste of such a grand opportunity," the salesman told him. "If it's a quest you're on, I assure you, my masks can be most helpful."
Link winced at his own stupidity. He would've preferred to keep their quest private as much as possible, but apparently he had spoken of it within earshot of this odd stranger.
"Really? How?" Linkle asked curiously.
Link sighed. His sister was easily suckered in by salespeople.
There's one born every minute, I guess.
The salesman lifted his hands and clapped them together once. "A good question! You see, each of my masks will grant you an ability of the subject whose face is depicted upon it. Magical, isn't it?" he said, chuckling once more.
"Wow!" Linkle said. "What about…?" She scanned the wall for a moment, eventually settling on a mask that looked like the face of a pig with tusks. "This one? What's it do?" Linkle asked, taking the mask off of the wall and putting it on.
"Ah, a fine choice."
Link and Linkle both jumped back. While their eyes had been on the wall, the salesman had apparently come around to the other side of the counter and moved closer to them without making a sound.
Gods, this guy's creepy.
"That, young hero, is the face of a hog who was used to sniff out truffles buried in the ground," the salesman explained. "It shall grant you the truffle hog's incredible sense of smell."
"Really?" Linkle said excitedly, sniffing the air and oinking like a pig.
"Elle," Link scolded her for her childish behavior.
Linkle laughed and kept sniffing. "Whoa! I think it works," she said, turning towards the door. "I can smell the food we're carrying on the horse."
Link rolled his eyes, knowing the smell had probably been on the two of them this whole time, but she just hadn't noticed until she was intentionally sniffing like that. Having done some saleswork during his time as a blacksmith's apprentice, Link was well aware of this sort of trick. Some of the other apprentices would claim something like the sword they were selling improved one's balance. A customer would hold the sword and stand on one foot, and if they didn't fall, they'd believe it was because of the sword.
Please don't fall for this, Elle.
"That's nice, but we really must be going," Link insisted. He gestured at his sister, telling her to put the mask back where she found it.
Linkle sighed. "Okay…."
"Very well," the salesman said, not letting even a hint of disappointment show in his voice. "Might I suggest the library?" he went on as the siblings turned to leave.
"Excuse me?" Link asked, confused.
"You were hoping to find information regarding the sage's quest, yes?" the salesman explained. "You will find no greater repository of knowledge than the Library of Hyrule, young heroes."
Link still did not appreciate this stranger knowing anything about their quest, but he supposed it was a good suggestion nonetheless. "Thank you. We'll give it a look." He took Linkle's hand and moved towards the door.
"I hope we meet again someday," the salesman said as his parting words, still staring at them with that ceaseless grin on his face until the door shut behind them.
After some searching, the siblings found the Library of Hyrule closer to the city center. A small stone staircase led up to the entrance, flanked by statues of Nayru, the Goddess of Knowledge. Link was surprised by the size of the building. The library in Hateno was much smaller. Linkle had actually spent much more time there than Link. Ever since she learned how to read, she'd been obsessed with reading old stories about heroes and monsters.
When they entered the building, there was a receptionist behind a table and an armed guard by the door, but he didn't seem particularly intimidating with the bored expression on his face. Looking past the receptionist, Link could see row after row of bookshelves. A lightwell going up to the ceiling revealed that the building had several more floors, all of them appearing to house even more bookshelves. There were areas with tables and chairs set up throughout the library, but few people were present.
"Welcome," the elderly Hylian woman behind the table greeted them. She wore simple brown robes, and various books were piled on the counter and sitting in stacks behind her. "What knowledge do you seek today, travelers?"
"Good day, Miss," Link said, returning her greeting. "I am looking for something about the history of the Zora royal family, as well as something about the Sage of Forest."
"I see. The history section is down that way, starting at the eleventh row," the archivist said, pointing across the room.
"Do you have anything about the Heroes?" Linkle asked, smiling eagerly.
"Same section, child," the archivist replied. "Please keep your voices down and do not draw your weapons. Enjoy your stay."
"Thank you." Link turned and began walking down the aisles, while Linkle ran ahead of him. He was a little annoyed that she seemed to be getting off track already. It would've been easier if she'd help him look for what they needed.
Well, maybe she'll find a safer way to reach the Master Sword or something.
When Link found the shelf he was looking for, Linkle had already plopped herself down at an open table with a couple of books. The history section had books for many eras and many regions, but Link managed to find a recent one which looked to be about the de Bon dynasty. There was very little about the Kokiri, but he grabbed a book on them as well and joined his sister at the table.
For the next few minutes, Link read in silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Linkle bouncing in her seat, swinging her legs in joy as she read. Link didn't know if there was any Hero story she hadn't read a thousand times already, but she seemed to be engrossed by whatever she had found anyway.
"So, what'd you find?" Linkle asked after a while.
"Not much," Link admitted, putting his book down. "I found out a bit more about Princess Ruto. Apparently she was the daughter of the previous Zora King and his first wife, so she would've been King Ralis's half-sister. She died before her father did, so she never became queen."
"Oh. That's… sad."
"Yeah. But there's no mention of her being married or engaged, so I'm not seeing any clues as to what this 'token of their love' is supposed to be."
"Huh. Well, maybe the Sage of Water will know," Linkle said. "What about the other one? The sword?"
"I got nothing on that, either. Just a bit about the Sage of Forest," Link replied, shuffling the books around. "Her name is Saria. And she's old. Really old. When the Ancient Sages finally relinquished their power after the Twilight War, she was already a few hundred years old. She's the last living member of the second generation of Sages."
"What about her brother?"
"The book didn't mention him, but apparently Kokiri are considered 'siblings' when they're grown from the same branch of the Great Deku Tree. So, for all we know, she could have hundreds of brothers."
"Hm. Sounds like hell," Linkle said casually, a mocking smile on her face. "And sounds like you've wasted a whole bunch of time."
"Tell me about it." Link slammed the book closed and stacked it on top of the other one. "So, what about you? Find any new Hero stories? Because that's a more productive use of our time."
His sister smiled smugly and raised her book towards him. "I found the Dodongo Buster," she said triumphantly.
"Really? Wait, was he the Hero?" Link was confused for a moment. The Gorons had told them the Dodongo Buster was a Kokiri, and Link was pretty sure the Hero was always a Hylian.
"Nah. This is just a book of regional folk heroes," Linkle explained, showing him the cover.
"Oh, okay. Does it mention his bow?"
"Nope, no bow. He took out those Dodongos with a sword and some bombs."
"What? He didn't even use a bow to do it?" Link was growing more confused. It seemed as though the more they found out, the less he understood. "Then why'd they put the bow on his statue? Why'd they even have his bow in the first place? And why is it one of those 'keys' everyone is searching for?"
"Dunno. But!" Linkle raised one finger into the air, looking as if she was about to deliver some amazing news. "After the Dodongo Buster busted the Dodongo King, he traveled to Lanayru. There, he discovered that the Zora princess had been swallowed up by Jabu-Jabu, the Patron of Water, because he was irritated by an infestation of parasites. So he went inside Jabu-Jabu's belly to save the princess and defeat the monsters. And, guess who that Zora princess was - Princess freakin' Ruto!"
Link raised his eyebrows. "Wait, what?" He grabbed the book and quickly skimmed the pages.
"That's right! While offering food to Jabu-Jabu, the god inhaled her. Swallowed her whole! Isn't that gross? Wow, I wish I could fight a monster so big I could go inside its stomach and come out in one piece," Linkle mused, apparently forgetting that Jabu-Jabu wasn't the monster that had been fought.
"Hm," Link grunted as he read. "I guess the timelines match up. The Gorons said the Dodongo Buster was around about two hundred years ago, so Princess Ruto would've been a child at the time. But jeez, he slew a King Dodongo and saved the life of a god? For a race of children, the Kokiri are pretty powerful."
"Yeah. But I don't think this is a coincidence," Linkle said. "What if the Dodongo Buster is Princess Ruto's fiancé?"
"What? How does that make sense?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes skeptically.
"Princesses always fall in love with the heroes who rescue them. Haven't you heard any story ever?" Linkle insisted, speaking as if it was the most self-explanatory thing in the world.
"Uh. Yeah. That's some bullshit." Link slid the book across the table back to his sister. "You know how many knights and bodyguards princesses have? They probably have a new person saving their life every week. They can't fall in love with all of 'em."
"It worked for the Hero of the Sky and the Hero of the Minish," Linkle countered. "They both married the princess they rescued."
"The Hero of Twilight didn't. And he saved two princesses," Link pointed out. "Besides, the Dodongo Buster was a Kokiri, right? Kokiri stay kids forever. They probably don't even know what marriage is."
Linkle tilted her head. "Well, yeah, you might have a point…."
"Exactly. Princess Ruto's fiancé was probably just some Zora noble."
"Hm. Darn." Linkle seemed disappointed. She'd probably been hoping for something more exciting and romantic. "Well, maybe when we talk to the Sage of Forest, we can ask her about the Dodongo Buster. She was alive back then, too, so she must've known him."
"Oh, that's right. Good thinking," Link agreed. "Alright," he said, standing up and grabbing his books off the table. "No sense wasting any more time here, right?"
"Yeah, let's go." Linkle stood up as well. "It's probably past noon already. We gotta get going if we wanna get to Mabe before sundown."
"Come on, come on. Hurry up!" Linkle urged, waving her brother along from higher up on the ramp.
"Alright, alright. I'm coming, relax," Link said with mild annoyance, dragging Arion along with him.
Even though reading about heroes had been the last thing she'd done before they left the city, the first thing Linkle wanted to do when they arrived in Mabe Village was visit a shrine dedicated to one of the Heroes. Up on a tiny acropolis, a small building stood with a statue in front of it. The statue was a stone figure depicting a teenage Hylian boy holding a sword and shield. The most notable feature of the boy was his cap. Rather than fall behind his head, the boy's cap curled upwards, and a bird-like beak extended from the end of it.
"So this is the Hero of the Minish, eh?" Link said, stopping in front of the statue. "I thought he'd be taller."
"Yep! That's him!" Linkle proclaimed, gesturing to the statue as if she were its curator. "Him and Ezlo."
"That's his cap, yeah?" Link didn't know the story as well as his sister did, but the bird-beaked hat on the Hero's head was referred to as the Minish Cap in the version of the story he was familiar with. However, while it looked like a hat, it was actually a living being named Ezlo. The Hero had gone on his adventure wearing Ezlo as a hat, and Ezlo had allowed the Hero to magically shrink down to a size smaller than a mouse.
"It sure is," Linkle replied with a smile. "Ezlo was originally a Minish, and he was a sage to one of the wind gods, although that was way before the wind gods were part of the Pantheon of Patrons. He was transformed into the Minish Cap by his apprentice, Vaati, who went on to become the second Demon King."
"And the Hero of the Minish slew Vaati with the Four Sword," Link said, finishing the story for her. Like the Master Sword, the Four Sword was legendary. It supposedly had the power to split those who wielded it into four separate versions of themselves. "Is that it? In his hand?" Link asked, pointing to the fancy looking sword held by the statue.
"Well, it's gotta be just a replica. No one knows where the real one is. Except maybe the Royal Family. And the Sages." Eager to see the rest, Linkle turned to the building by the statue. There were several armed guards patrolling the premises, including four standing by the entrance. It seemed rather excessive, and they looked very out of place since the building didn't look like much - just a house at the top of a hill. Link could tell by the chimney that the building had once been used as a forge. The Hero of the Minish's grandfather had been a famed blacksmith, and his home and workshop had been where the Hero was raised.
"Let's go inside," Linkle suggested cheerily, practically skipping past the guards. They did not stop her, luckily, so Link assumed it was open to the public and followed her inside.
Despite appearing to be an ordinary craftsman's house on the outside, the building was more of a museum on the inside. Many objects sat inside glass cases atop tables, shelves, and pedestals. Other objects were not behind glass, which probably meant they were replicas. Stone slabs accompanied many of the objects, giving a short description of what the items were and what the Hero had used them for. There were more guards inside, but they didn't spare the siblings more than a passing glance and continued to lounge around.
Linkle gasped and ran over to a display case, pressing her hands up against it. "Look! It's the Roc's Cape!" she said excitedly. Behind the glass was a simple white cape with a blue trim. "The Hero found it in the City in the Sky. It let him jump high and glide through the air. And look!" She stepped over to the next case which sat atop a small table, showing a pair of brown leather boots with feathers attached to the sides. "The Pegasus Boots! Wearing these allowed the Hero to run really fast. Oh, I used to dream about having these!"
Link couldn't help but smile. His sister was excitable by nature, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her this happy about anything. Even if this museum appeared to be nothing more than a random assortment of items, to Linkle, it was one of her favorite stories come to life.
"What's this one?" Link asked, pointing to a simple wooden cane that curved at the top.
"Ooh!" Linkle leaped next to him before he could read the inscription. "It's the Cane of Pacci!"
"Sounds magical." Between the shrinking and the making copies of himself, the Hero of the Minish sounded like he'd been a powerful sorcerer. "What's it do?"
"It flips things over," Linkle replied.
"...Excuse me?" Link raised an eyebrow, wondering if he misunderstood.
"You wave it at something, and the cane raises it into the air and flips it over," Linkle explained.
Link blinked. "Well. I'm sure that's… useful."
"The Hero used it to flip the Gleerok onto its back and attack its soft underside."
Link said nothing.
"It's a cool item!" Linkle insisted.
"I'm sure it is." Link turned around to look at something else. Walking around the corner, he found a table showing several other tools the Hero had owned. There was a boomerang, a lantern, a pair of digging mitts, some weird looking jar, and an assortment of other odd items. He recognized some of them from the stories, but he drew a blank for some of them.
After a few minutes, Link noticed his sister walking up and down the aisles with an intense look of confusion on her face. She appeared to be searching for something. "What are you doing?" Link asked her after watching her scan through the items on the same table for the third time.
"A few things are missing," she said. "I found pretty much everything the Hero used in the stories, but I can't find his bow, his mirror shield, or the Ocarina of Wind."
"Mirror shield?" Link repeated. His old smithing master back in Hateno had occasionally received orders for such an item. It could be used as a defense against magical opponents due to its ability to reflect magic projectiles. It could also be used to blind an opponent by reflecting light from the sun into their eyes, but it was really more of a novelty item, for the most part. "I don't remember that part of the story," Link said. The items that made it into the Hero stories were usually the ones that the Hero used to defeat some giant monster, but he couldn't recall any stories about the Hero of the Minish defeating anything with a mirror shield.
"Uh, let's see…" Linkle muttered, tapping her hand against her head. "Hmm. Oh! That's right. I remember the story behind it now," she said. "In his travels, the Hero of the Minish met the Biggoron." Link knew from the legends that the Biggoron was a Goron blacksmith who had lived for hundreds of years and grown to be the size of a mountain. "The Biggoron asked for a bite of the Hero's shield, since he could tell it was high quality steel. The Hero agreed, but the Biggoron couldn't help himself and ate the whole thing. So, as compensation, he made a new shield and gave it to the Hero. I don't know why he chose to make a mirror shield, though."
"Gorons are so weird," Link remarked, still finding it odd that they ate rock and metal. "Hey, where's the Biggoron supposed to be nowadays? Is he in Eldin? Why didn't he get rid of the dragon?"
Linkle shrugged. "He was probably asleep. He sleeps for years at a time, I think."
"Lazy bastard," Link said with a chuckle. "So what was that last thing? The something of whatever?"
"The Ocarina of Wind," Linkle replied testily.
"The hell's an ocarina?"
"It's a musical instrument. You blow into it and press your fingers over the holes."
"You mean like a flute?"
"Yes, but no." Linkle glanced around the immediate area one last time, as if she were still expecting to find it. "The Hero got it from the Palace of Winds, which is now the Wind Sage's temple. He would use it to call a bird that would fly him across Hyrule."
"I wish we had one of those," Link said. "Sounds better than a horse."
His sister ignored him and walked over to the corner where one of the guards sat. "Hey, some of the Hero's items are missing," she abruptly informed the man.
"Hm? Wait, what?" the guard said, sounding alarmed for a moment as he leapt out of his chair.
"The Hero's bow, his mirror shield, and the Ocarina of Wind aren't here," Linkle explained.
"Oh." A look of relief came over the man's face. "Yeah, those have been missing for a month or so at this point."
"What? Where'd they go?" Linkle asked, speaking as if the situation was urgent.
"How should I know? They're missing."
"Well, were they stolen, or what?"
"Yes," the guard replied. "During a monster raid on the village. Someone must have taken advantage of the confusion to steal them. That's why Lord Lontha assigned more guards to this place."
"How do you know the monsters didn't take them?" Link asked, walking up beside his sister.
The guard turned to him in confusion. "Well, nothing else was stolen. And nothing was smashed or anything. A monster would've taken everything it could get its grubby little hands on."
"Okay, but why would someone steal only those three things?" Link went on. "There's plenty to steal here."
The guard shrugged. "What am I, a fortune teller? I get paid to sit here and make sure nothing else gets stolen. I'm not the one investigating the theft."
"Alright, alright. Sorry to bother you." Link turned to leave, tapping his sister's arm to tell her to follow him.
"That's so unfortunate," Linkle said aloud as they left the building. "Who would steal a Hero's relics? That's sacrilege!"
"Well, at least they didn't steal the Cane of Pacci. Thank the gods," Link said sarcastically.
Linkle punched his shoulder. "It's a cool item!"
"Yeah, yeah." Link stepped up to Arion and began untying the horse from the post. "Hmm. You know, it's weird that the bows of two different Heroes have been stolen recently, huh?" He felt his sister punch his other shoulder. "Ow! What was that one for?"
"I still can't believe you let the dragon steal the Hero of Twilight's bow," Linkle said.
"What? I didn't let him steal it. What was I supposed to do?"
"You could've slain the dragon."
"Why didn't you slay it?"
"I would've if I could've!" Before her brother had a chance to reply, Linkle suddenly gasped. "Wait a minute, that can't be a coincidence."
Link opened his mouth to tell her otherwise, but when he thought about it, he couldn't deny it. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He glanced over his shoulders, noting all the guards around them. "Let's talk about it on the way," he suggested, thinking it wise to discuss their quest somewhere more private.
After riding down the hill away from the Hero's shrine, they headed towards the village proper. "You think those items were stolen by monsters?" Link asked his sister. "They could've mistaken the Hero of the Minish's bow for the Hero of Twilight's bow."
"Hey, yeah!" Linkle exclaimed. "Maybe the mirror shield and the ocarina are keys, too."
"The dragon did say they already had three of them," Link agreed, realizing how much more sense it made with that piece of the puzzle added. "They got two keys and a fake key here, and the Hero of Twilight's bow might have been the real third key."
"And Sage Impa wants us to find the fourth and fifth," Linkle stated, reiterating their quest. "Did the dragon say how many keys there are?"
"No." Link shook his head. "He just said they know where the fourth one is. That could be one of the keys we're looking for, but if it's a different one, there could be at least six." While they were on the subject of uncertainty in the numbers, he had another thought. "Hey, if the Hero of the Minish's bow wasn't really one of the keys, what if the mirror shield and the ocarina were fake keys, too?"
"That could be," Linkle agreed. "I can't think of any other Heroes who had a mirror shield, though."
"The keys aren't all items that belonged to Heroes," Link reminded her. "We're looking for a Zora's engagement present and a Kokiri's sword, remember?"
"Oh yeah." Linkle groaned. "This is so confusing!"
"You said it," Link agreed. "Well, you don't know of any other famous mirror shield, yeah? What about ocarinas?"
Linkle didn't answer for a moment while she thought about the question. "There is one more I can think of," she said. "The Royal Family used to have one - the Ocarina of Time."
"Used to?" Link repeated. "What happened? Did it go missing, too?"
"No," Linkle replied. "I think they gave it to the Sage of Time back when Chronodormi joined the Pantheon of Patrons."
"It would probably be in the Temple of Time, then, yeah? Hmm…"
Linkle, who had been sitting with her back against her brother's, excitedly scrambled to turn around. "Does this mean we're gonna visit the Temple of Time on the way to Faron like I wanted?" she asked enthusiastically, clapping her hands against her brother's shoulders.
Link thought about it. They hadn't been hired to investigate the keys this thoroughly, but the Impa Family would probably be willing to pay for any information they could obtain either way. It wouldn't be too far out of their way, either. On top of that, the mystery of it all was making Link insanely curious, even if he knew it might be a colossal waste of time. "I guess so," he agreed.
"Yay!" Linkle shouted, throwing her hands into the air.
"But let's deal with that later. We still have to survive the Blood Moon, remember?" Link reminded his sister. "Let's stop by the village now, and then we can scout out a good place to prepare for battle."
After all the preparation they'd done in the city, there hadn't actually been much left for the siblings to do in the village. They already had all the supplies they needed, as well as information on the bounties being rewarded for the undead monsters they'd be hunting that night. Aside from the Hero of the Minish's shrine, the only major point of interest in Mabe Village was Lon Lon Ranch, which was said to produce the highest quality horses in all of Hyrule. Link was considering buying a second horse with some of the reward money they'd receive once the Blood Moon was over, but there was no need to purchase one yet.
"We shouldn't just stay on the road," Linkle said, sitting behind Link as they rode down the path. "Most of the Stalcreatures are gonna be popping up out in the fields."
"Alright, but we shouldn't go too far from town," Link replied, wishing to be cautious. "We need to have some place to fall back to if things get too dangerous."
At the moment, the siblings were riding along the road that stretched between Mabe Village and the Hyrulean military garrison located near Mount Daphnes. The wooded foothills of Passeri Greenbelt lay to the northwest and the sweeping plains of Windvane Meadow stretched to the southeast. While the curse of the Blood Moon affected most of the kingdom, Hyrule Field was especially notorious for having a great deal of Stalcreatures. Even months and years after a Blood Moon, one could still count on spotting at least one or two of them while traveling through the field at night. So, if a pair of adventurers were looking to slay as many of them as possible, this would be a good place to do it.
"That hill over there might be a good spot," Link said, pointing to a small, elevated part of the field to the southeast. "We'll see them coming for miles. You'll be able to use your crossbow easily. Maybe we can set up a bonfire in a circle around it…"
"Ooh, smart idea, Brother," Linkle said, tapping her knuckles against his back. "If we smash a Stalfos on a hill, its bones will roll down to the bottom, and maybe that'll give us more time before it reassembles itself."
Wanting to get a closer look, Link pulled the reins and walked the horse off the road.
"Ahh…" Linkle said as a cool breeze blew over the field, causing all the grass around them and the trees in the distance to tip in the same direction. "You don't get that in Necluda," she remarked, climbing down off the horse when they stopped at the top of the hill.
"What? Wind? You think we don't get wind back home?" Link asked skeptically.
"Not like this we don't," Linkle insisted. "Besides, Necluda's not nearly as beautiful as Hyrule Field. I mean, look at this!" Linkle spread her arms and spun around, gesturing dramatically to their surroundings. "The flowers, the butterflies, the sunlight."
"The piles of skeletons from ancient wars buried in mass graves just meters beneath our feet."
"Exactly!" Linkle said, either not hearing him or not caring what he'd said. "Tonight is going to be so exciting. First a necromancer, then a dragon, then some secret keys, and now a Blood Moon. The gods have certainly blessed us with a true adventure."
"Praise Farore," Link said sarcastically, invoking the Golden Goddess most associated with the Hero.
"Hey, what was that idea you had about a bonfire?" his sister asked, glancing around. "There aren't a lot of trees near here. We might be able to go over…"
"Hmm?" Link turned his head to face her when she trailed off. "What is it, Elle?"
"Look!" she shouted, pointing. In the distance, there was someone on a horse coming from the southwest. They were moving fast, pursued by three Bullbos. Each of the large, tusked, boar-like monsters was being ridden by a pair of Blins. "We need to help them!"
"Dammit," Link said under his breath, already climbing back onto the horse. Given how dangerous their night was going to be, he had hoped to at least spend the rest of the day in relative safety.
"Come on, let's go!" Linkle shouted, kicking her heels against the horse to get it running.
As they got closer, Link could see the riders more clearly. "Looks like Bulbins," his sister said, readying her crossbow. The Bulblins sat atop their mounts in pairs, with the one in front holding the reins and the one in back wielding a bow.
"Hm."
Like monster versions of us.
Link got a clearer look at the horse rider as well. It was a Hylian woman wearing white armor. Despite being a Hylian, she had red hair like a Gerudo. It took Link a bit longer to notice, but there was a second rider sitting in front of her as well, appearing to be a child. As the red-haired woman held the horse's reins, she also protectively hugged the child close to her. Their Bulblin pursuers were firing arrows at them, and the woman was constantly glancing over her shoulder. Whenever it looked like she'd be hit, she waved her hand, and a protective magical barrier shot up around them.
Perhaps she is some kind of priestess.
Gaile had used a similar defensive spell regularly during their journey in Eldin, so Link figured it must be a pretty common one. He found it strange that a priestess would be wearing a knight's armor, and as they got closer, he saw she also had a long polearm strapped to her back.
"Get me close," Linkle shouted.
"Got it." Link's plan was to sweep in from the side and circle around behind the monsters, then come up on their right and ride beside them. Linkle could shoot them from a distance, and if they got too close, one or both of them could use their swords.
As they made their first pass, Linkle loosed a bolt on the closest pair of Bullbo riders. She managed to hit the one holding the reins. The monster didn't die immediately, but it fell from its mount and took a rather hard tumble. Its archer partner appeared to panic, dropping its bow and scooting forward to grab hold of the reins.
"Got 'em!" Linkle cheered.
Link took the horse around the back of them. While he turned to come up on their side, he could hear the Bulblins shouting at each other. They were pointing between him and the woman they were chasing, as if arguing about who had to deal with who.
Clever or not, they're still monsters, after all.
"Shoot 'em while they're arguing," Link told his sister, hoping to kill them before they figured themselves out.
"Right." Linkle loosed another bolt. This one pierced the second archer right through the head. Its body went limp and fell backwards onto the road. In response, its partner roared in anger and yanked the reins to the side. The Bullbo gave out a pig-like squeal in response before veering off the road.
"Oh, shit!" Link shouted as the Bullbo grew closer. His sister was still reloading, and the boar monster was about to ram them from the side. Thinking quickly, he turned the horse to the right. He did not know much about Bullbos, but he figured the hulking beasts must be less maneuverable than a horse. So, he planned to loop back around again, allowing Linkle to shoot its second rider before it had a chance to catch them.
When they righted themselves, they were back to riding down the road behind the others, although they were further behind them now. The armored woman was still being pursued by two of the Bullbos, but now, the third was heading the other way, coming towards the siblings once again.
"Elle, don't miss!" Link shouted.
"Gee, great advice, Brother," she replied. "Now, duck." At her request, Link put his head down. A moment later, he heard the sound of the crossbow releasing. However, rather than hitting the rider, this time it was the mount that took a bolt to the head. It squealed as its legs gave out, tumbling to the ground, crushing its rider beneath it as it rolled.
"Nice shot," Link praised his sister.
"Uhh, thanks," she said after a moment's hesitation.
"...You were aiming for the rider, weren't you?"
"Well it got the job done!" Linkle slapped him on the shoulder. "Now hurry it up. We need to catch up with them." For some reason, Arion seemed to heed Linkle's words, whinnying loudly before speeding up.
As they closed the gap between themselves and the others, the armored woman's horse slowed down a bit, and the Bullbo with only one rider came up along her side, raising a club. Just as Linkle gasped, afraid it was going to hit her, the woman raised her poleaxe and swiftly swung it downwards. It chopped at the boar monster's legs, causing it to trip and tumble along the ground.
"Woo-hoo!" Linkle cheered. "You get 'em, lady!"
There was only one Bullbo left now, but it had both of its riders. The two of them seemed to be arguing. As Link wondered what they were up to, the archer suddenly turned around. With an angry roar, the archer loosed an arrow towards him.
"Agh!" Link cried, feeling the sudden pain of the arrow lodged in his upper chest, very near his heart.
"Brother!" Linkle shouted. She caught him as he slumped back in the saddle, placing her hand by the arrow and putting pressure on the wound.
The Bulblins still seemed to be arguing, but apparently they'd decided it was time to withdraw. Their Bullbo suddenly turned to the side and ran off into the field. Linkle did not pursue them. Instead, while still holding Link against her body, she grabbed the reins with one hand and pressed the horse onwards.
"Brother, they're gone. Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," he said quietly, wincing in pain. "Agh! This hurts like hell, though. Am I bleeding? Yep, I'm bleeding."
"Okay. Okay, don't panic. We're almost to safety."
They followed the armored woman and the child all the way back to Mabe Village. It was not a long trip, as the village had been in sight for quite some time. The armored woman stopped her horse just past the town gates, so Linkle pulled Arion to a stop right behind them.
"Guards!" The red-haired woman climbed down to the ground, calling for the guards right away. "Guards! On me, now!"
"Let me down, too," her child insisted.
"Yes, Princess," the red-haired woman answered, lifting the little girl out of the saddle and setting her down.
Princess?
"Princess?" Linkle said aloud as her feet hit the ground. However, she quickly turned her attention back to her wounded brother. "Come, Brother. Let me help you down."
Link groaned, but obliged.
Moments later, several town guards had gathered around them. "Fetch the sheriff and Lord Lontha at once," the armored woman commanded.
"Yes, Dame." A few of the guards ran off.
"Jeanne! He's hurt." The little girl tugged at the knight's side, pointing to Link.
"Yes, that is accurate," Link replied, feeling woozy. His sister knelt down on the ground, lowering him down to let him sit with his back against her.
The knight did a double take. "Hylia's grace," she said, a look of concern in her eyes.
"I can help!" The apparent princess came forward, crouching down in front of Link. Then she held out one hand, hovering it over his wound. The young girl had deep blue eyes and bright blonde hair. If he hadn't just heard she was a princess, Link still would've guessed she was highborn from the fine clothes she wore and the angelic look about her.
"Hello there," Link said, feeling a little lightheaded.
"Can you help him? Please," Linkle said imploringly.
"Don't worry, heroes," the princess said. "Hylia will save you." She closed her eyes and began mouthing a prayer. Her hand lit up so brightly that Link and Linkle had to shut their eyes for a moment. However, despite the temporary blindness, Link began to feel better. The pain quickly faded, and he no longer felt like he was about to pass out.
"Jeanne," the princess said, looking over her shoulder.
"Yes, Princess." The red-haired knight seemed to know what her charge wanted. She knelt down beside the princess and grabbed the arrow, yanking it out of Link's chest.
"Ow!" Link said, a jolt of pain reappearing, but it quickly subsided once again as the princess continued to heal him for another minute.
When the princess lowered her hand, Link touched his chest where the arrow had been. There was still blood on his clothing, but the wound was completely gone. "Wow," he said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," the princess said with a smile. "And thank you for saving us from the scary pig monsters."
"You're okay now, right, Brother?" Linkle asked, still cradling Link from behind.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good." Linkle stood up excitedly, allowing Link to fall backwards.
"Ow!" Link complained, having to climb back to his feet on his own.
"You're Princess Zelda Seraphina!" Linkle said to the little girl. Then she turned to the red-haired knight. "And you're the Crimson Angel!"
"Mhmm," the princess nodded, smiling brightly. "You can call me Sera."
"Aw, you're just the cutest thing ever!" Linkle proclaimed, kneeling down to give the princess a hug. Seraphina giggled, returning the hug.
Before the knight could respond, she was approached by an armored man holding a feathered helmet under his arm. "Dame," the man said to get her attention. "You called for the sheriff? What seems to be the problem?"
"Sir, I am Dame Jeanne of House Felltom. I speak on behalf of my charge, Princess Zelda Seraphina Hyrule," she said quickly yet formally, gesturing to the princess as she mentioned her. "We were traveling from the Coliseum and our party was attacked by Bulblins on the road just outside of the garrison. My comrades may still be in danger, and the Sage of Light is with them. You must send a detachment of your guards to aid them immediately."
"Do as she says." Another man had appeared behind the sheriff. This one was a middle-aged Hylian man dressed in fine robes rather than armor.
"Yes, Lord Lontha," the sheriff agreed.
"If you can spare any additional guards beyond that, I would like to request an escort the rest of the way back to the capital," Dame Jeanne continued. "The sun will be setting very soon, and we cannot afford to risk having the princess outside the city's walls when the Blood Moon rises."
Lord Lontha nodded, then gestured to the sheriff. "Do it." The sheriff nodded and stepped away, shouting orders to the surrounding guards.
With that taken care of, Dame Jeanne returned her attention to the siblings. "Young man, young woman," she said to them. "What are your names?"
"I'm-"
"I'm Linkle!"
"-Link."
Linkle jumped back to her feet as she interrupted her brother, standing beside him to address the red-haired knight.
Princess Seraphina giggled. "Are you two brother and sister?"
"Yes, we are," Link replied.
"Aww," the princess swooned, as if it were cute. "I've just returned form being on holiday with my sister, too."
Dame Jeanne put her hand on the young girl's shoulder, as if silently telling her to hush for a moment. "What you did just now was very brave," she said to the siblings. "We may not be standing here right now if it hadn't been for your timely intervention. It must have been the will of the gods that our paths crossed when they did."
Almost in sync, Linkle and Seraphina both smiled and made the sign of the Triforce with their hands.
Link was still having a hard time processing this. Somehow, the young girl they had saved from monsters after happening upon them in the middle of Hyrule Field turned out to be one of the princesses, and she had personally healed his wound.
How many others will be able to tell a story like that?
"We are glad to have helped," Link said.
"If I may, I would see to it that you are rewarded for your efforts," Dame Jeanne went on. "How can we repay you?"
Linkle gasped. "Can I have one of the Hero of the Minish's treasures?" she requested before Link had even realized what they'd been offered. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if such a bizarre request would actually be accomodated.
Dame Jeanne looked surprised as well, probably having been expecting them to request rupees or a commendation from the king or something. However, Princess Seraphina did not seem to take issue with it. "Sure!" she said. "It is yours, my friends."
Her bodyguard turned to Lord Lontha with a look of concern on her face. "My lord, I know the Hero's belongings are sacred relics housed in this town, but-"
"She can take whatever she wants," Lord Lontha said, waving his hand dismissively. "Recently, I've begun to realize those old things are more trouble than they're worth. Better they go to a couple of adventurers than sit around collecting dust."
"Yay!" Linkle cheered, leaping into the air and spinning. Seraphina clapped, Linkle's excitement apparently rubbing off on her.
Dame Jeanne nodded. "Very well. You may each select one." Reaching to her side, she took the princess by the hand. "We must be off now. Thank you again for your assistance. May Hylia watch over you."
"Bye!" Princess Seraphina waved as her bodyguard led her back to their white horse.
"Goodbye!" Linkle waved back.
Lord Lontha approached them next, waving them along. "Follow me," he said, walking back towards the acropolis where the Hero's house was located.
"This is the greatest day of my life!" Linkle proclaimed, following the lord. "I call the Pegasus Boots."
"We could've asked for rupees," Link said. "Hell, we could've asked for land to retire in. This is a princess we're talking about, Elle."
"I know!" his sister replied, apparently only registering the part about the princess. "Isn't it amazing? I saved a princess! I must be the Hero. There could be no other explanation." Then she groaned. "Oh, if only it had been one of the other Zeldas," she lamented. "Princess Seraphina is too young, but the others would have fallen head over heels for me, I'm certain of it!"
"You got some real messed up notions about love in that head of yours, Sister," Link said, flicking her in the side of the head.
"Ow. Like you know any better, Brother."
When they arrived back at the Hero's house, the guards on duty all stood at attention. "Lord Lontha," one of them said, saluting. "What brings you here?"
"Allow each of these adventurers to take an item of their choosing from the shrine," Lord Lontha commanded. "By order of Princess Zelda." After giving his orders, he turned and left.
"Wow," the guard said, turning his attention to his guests. "What did you two do to earn that?"
"We killed, like, four Bulblins," Link deadpanned, realizing how ridiculous it was now that he'd been asked to explain it.
"...Well, fuck, I coulda done that!" the guard replied.
"They were attacking Princess Zelda," Linkle explained. "We saved her."
"Still, though." The guard turned and opened the door. "Well, come on, then. In you go."
Link was unsure what item he would choose as his reward, but Linkle's mind had been made up before they even arrived. She ran straight over to the display case that housed the Pegasus Boots. "Those! I want those!" she said, like a child in a sweets shop.
The guard who had let them in turned to one of his comrades. "Fetch the keys," he said.
"What?"
"Lord Lontha's orders."
The other guard shrugged. "Long as I'm still getting paid." He grabbed a keyring from a drawer and used one of the keys to unlock the case. Linkle immediately grabbed at its contents.
"Da-da-da-daaa!" she declared, thrusting the boots into the air. Without any regard to manners, she then proceeded to kick off the boots she'd been wearing in order to slip on her new winged ones. "These are gonna make me so fast-"
"Don't run inside, Elle," Link told her. "You're gonna break something."
"Ugh, fine." She took a few steps towards the exit, but stopped. "Oh! Which of the Hero's treasures do you want, Brother?"
"Did he happen to have a bottomless rupee bag or a magic ring that makes him invulnerable?" Link asked facetiously.
"Hmm… No, I feel like I'd remember something like that," Linkle replied. "How about his Gust Jar? It shoots gusts of wind!"
Link ignored her, scanning the items in the room. He decided to pick something practical. Linkle's new boots sounded extremely useful, assuming they actually worked as advertised. He wanted something just as useful. "What about that boomerang?" Link asked, pointing to a wooden boomerang that was painted yellow and white with a red gem affixed to the middle of it.
"The Hero's magical boomerang!" Linkle proclaimed, lifting it up. "If you throw it, it always comes back to you."
"Isn't that what all boomerangs do?"
"Yeah, but this one does it magically."
Link took it from her, considering it. Despite being a small wooden weapon, it had a heft to it, and felt like it could really do some damage if thrown with enough force. He had a sword and now a hammer, but unlike Linkle with her crossbow, he didn't have a ranged weapon anymore. "Mind if I try it outside?" he asked the head guard.
"Be my guest."
Link nodded. He and Linkle stepped outside. As soon as her feet hit the grass, Linkle took off in a sprint. She glided effortlessly across the ground, charging forward at a speed that could have been as fast as a horse. "Yeahhhh!" she shouted, skidding to a stop at the edge of the acropolis. "Did you see that? Did you see how fast I was? Did you, Brother?" she called from across the grass.
Despite his skepticism, Link was impressed. Those boots appeared to be the real ones from the legend.
I wonder if this magical boomerang is real as well.
He didn't have much experience with boomerangs, but he knew one had to throw it a certain way for it to properly return. So, in order to test the magical boomerang, he threw it haphazardly out in front of him as if he'd meant to throw it straight. The boomerang spun through the air, then somehow changed direction, transitioning into a smooth curve off to the side. It eventually looped around and headed back towards him. Holding up his hand, the boomerang flew right into it, as if on purpose. "Huh."
It works.
"Wow!" Linkle called. "That was cool!" She started running again. However, when she tried to turn to head towards Link, she suddenly tripped and fell, tumbling across the grass. Several of the guards watching her laughed.
"Ooh…" Link winced. "You alright?" he asked, stepping over to her and offering his hand.
"Yeah, I'm good," she replied as he helped her up. "Guess it's kinda hard to change direction once I really start moving."
"Will you be taking those, then?" the head guard asked.
"Yes, we will," Link answered, holding up the boomerang as confirmation.
"Okay, then. Use them wisely, young adventurers."
"We will. We are truly blessed to have been granted such gifts," Linkle proclaimed, posing to show off her new boots.
Link untied the horse and climbed onto it, but Linkle chose to walk, although she did more running than walking. "So, what now?" Link asked at the bottom of the hill.
"Let's go back into the field," Linkle replied, running back past Link before turning around and running past him the other way. "With these Hero's relics, we're gonna be unstoppable tonight!"
