Seeing Truth
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Chapter 24: Ramblings and Crazy People
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"Stop staring at me, Jade." Kado mumbled for about the hundredth time after ignoring me wasn't helping any while we made our way up to the house on the hill.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as I changed my view to Link to see him glance at us, roll his eyes, and turn back around.
"You keep staring at me; it's getting annoying." He replied as he craned his neck to look at me.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." I said yet again in the most innocent voice I could possibly invoke.
Link sighed, "Just give it up, Jade. He knows you're on to him."
"Well," I whined, "If he just told me what was wrong with him I would let it up."
"Fine." Kado said, "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes." I replied quickly.
"One of the head soldiers told me that if I was fatally injured or dead during any part of the trip or due to anything that had to do with the trip it would be on your heads." He finally said.
"Oh..." My eyes widened when I realized what he meant, "Ohhhh... Why the hell didn't you tell us?" I practically yelled that out. Heh, guess that wasn't too calm, now, was it?
"If I did, you would get worried." He answered simply.
"No, you think?" I retorted angrily with a sarcastic expression.
"I told Link, and he wasn't this upset."
"What? WHAT?" I snapped, "You told Link? Link, what the hell?" Link shrugged and I so badly wanted to choke him.
"Calm down, Jade. It's not like he's a terrible fighter. He's actually the best swordsman in his country, and he fights better than I do, but his archery...heh, well..."
"Link!" Kado cut in before he could say anymore.
"What, Link?" I drawled just to irritate the brunette.
"He could use some practice, but he is way better than he used to be."
"Sure, cover him up..." I said to Link before turning to Kado, "Haha, you can't aim."
"Neither can you." Kado retorted.
"Better than you can." Link chuckled, and I turned my attention to him, "What?"
"Well, I think he is a bit better than you."
I gasped, "What?"
"You have gotten better in the last month, but...you get my point."
"So, are you saying that you're better than both of us...?"
"I did not...well..." Link thought for a moment, and I gasped.
"...put together?" I asked, and he didn't reply, "Link!" He started laughing while Kado and I just stared at him with serious expressions.
"Oh, come on. I was just kidding." He tried to say between his laughter.
"Liar!" I called before saying, "Well, at least I can fight with a sword... a little."
"You fight, now?" Kado asked, bewildered.
"No," I said sarcastically, "I have this kitana strapped around my waist for decoration." Kado shrugged with a shy smirk on his face while I simply rolled my eyes.
"Anyway, how much farther?" Kado asked Link as he shuffled on his horse.
Link bit his lip as he looked up at the sky in thought, "Hm… About another hour."
"Are you serious?" I said.
"Yes. Why do you ask that so much?" Link said as he took his hat off, and ran a hand through his hair.
I went defensive, "Why do you wear that hat all the time?" Link glanced back at me, and I shrugged. He rolled his eyes while Kado chuckled, and I socked him on the arm.
"You are very defensive, Jade." Kado said as he rubbed his arm.
"I had a very disturbing childhood." I mumbled.
"Oh, you got picked on a lot." He said and I turned to him with an annoyed expression, "Link knows how you feel, right Link?"
"Shut up you two." Link said as he stopped his horse to inspect our surroundings.
"Well, I'm offended." I said sarcastically.
"You? Offended? I'm shocked." Kado replied, and I craned my neck to face him with an expression that could only mean, "You are so dead." Which is also known as the death glare.
"I think we are going to have to walk from here." I heard Link say, and we turned around to face him.
"Why?" I asked while I shuffled on the saddle, secretly trying to get rid of a current wedgie…heh…
"Because that sign over there says so…" I turned to the direction Link was gesturing, and just like he said, there was sign that read, NO ANIMALS ALLOWED BEYOND THIS POINT. And beyond that point was the road that led to the house on the hill.
"Ohhhh…" I said as I cracked my knuckles absentmindedly.
"Ugh, Jade. Do you have to do that?" Kado asked.
"Well, of course; my fingers are cramped." Kado shrugged, and cracked his own knuckled. My eyes opened wide before shivering at the sound.
"It sounds like you just broke like- all of your bones or something." I said as he chuckled.
"Hey, where is Link?" he asked, and searched around for the blonde; he was heading up to the hill.
"Over there." I pointed then dismounted off of Kane, and tied him up to a post where Epona had been tied while Kado followed. I stared at the other five horses tied up to the post, and couldn't really remember if I had seen them around before or not. I shook my head, and decided to forget about it. We caught up with Link, and from what I could tell he was pretty much lost in his thoughts.
"Link…?" I said, staring at him, "Yo, Link!" He blinked a couple of times then turned to me.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes… Why do you ask?" he inquired.
"You seemed out of it." He raised an eyebrow at my term, and I finally realized I had to clarify my language a little bit, "You seemed a little dazed."
"Oh. I was just thinking."
"You're always thinking." I replied.
"He is trying to elucidate everything you say." Kado said to me.
"Elucidate?" I repeated the word.
"Clarify; make clear." He answered.
"What are you, a dictionary?" I retorted.
"What the hell is a dictionary?" Link asked confusedly.
"Uhm… It's…It's a book that has all the words written in alphabetical order with their definitions…" Yeah, that makes sense…
"Right…" Link began, "That must be one hell of a large book." I shrugged.
"Well, there it is…" Kado said, and I turned to see a large stone cottage with vines running up the walls. Tall, deciduous trees, weeping willows, and…squirrels surrounded the entire property… I mean everywhere you looked there was a squirrels prancing around or climbing up a tree with a little acorn in its mouth. It was cute, but frankly, it was getting a little disturbing. A chicken was also heard clucking in the distance, but nowadays, what house didn't have a chicken or to around?
We walked up the stone steps, and onto the front porch where the only things that decorated it were a large, wooden swing, and a fern in the corner. Link knocked on the door, and I realized that he hadn't barged in. We waited a few minutes before a girl in a red, peasant top dress answered the door. Her hair was a light blonde color with large curls that reached her lower back. She smiled sweetly at Kado and Link, but once she saw me her smile faded. I folded my arms across my chest as she gestured us in.
"Welcome." She spoke in a deep French-like accent, "We have been expecting you." I raised my eyebrow curiously as she led us into the living room where we sat on the beige, flowered sofa.
"Really?" Kado asked.
"Yes, and my brother should be down, soon. Would you like something to drink? I am sure your journey has made you quite thirsty." She said, her light blue eyes twinkling with…well, how the hell should I know. It's her thoughts! I leaned back on the sofa and crossed my legs while the Blondie brought us glasses of water- well, more like mugs made out of tin or something rather used in the Middle Ages.
"She seems nice." Kado said, nodding at the same time.
"I don't like her." I mumbled.
"Why not, Jade?" Link asked curiously as he took his hat off.
"I don't know; it's just something about her that doesn't add up. Besides, where's the grandfather that's supposed to live here?" Kado shrugged just before Blondie walked back in carrying an oval tray holding the mugs of water. We thanked her politely, and took the mugs. I took small sips while at the same time studying the house's interior. It was basic; nothing to die for with its white interior and oak wood moldings. A fireplace with a kettle stood to one side while to my right was a window with a view of the open backyard with its deciduous trees and small stream. Ahead of me lead into the kitchen, and behind me was a set of stairs.
"Do you like our home?" I heard the Blondie ask.
"Oh, yes." I said, and then nodded so she could just leave me alone.
"Oh, and there is my brother. I guess he wasn't upstairs all along." The Blondie stood up from the armchair she had been sitting on as a door from the kitchen creaked open. Shuffled footsteps were heard before the door slammed shut. Link stood up, and Kado and I followed.
"Ah, Sophie," I recognized the deep French-like accent as four men appeared with weapons strapped to their backs. From the corner of my eye I noticed Kado and Link tense. I panicked, but where to hide? "Have our guests already arrived?" There he was with his damn blonde hair and blue eyes. How could I have not known? He walked in casually, but his form didn't seem to help his smoothness; he made the entire house look smaller. He smiled when his eyes landed on me, but all I could think of was, Run! He's going to take you back to that damn farm! Run! But, you know me- I just stood there with eyes narrowed and my defenses taking over my whole being.
"Jade, glad to see you again." Pierre said, a smirk on his face. I scowled in disgust as he walked over to Sophie. "I hope that my sister has treated you well." He continued to Link who nodded with a smile.
"They have just been wonderful company, though, I don't quite know their names." Sophie said as she particularly began gazing at Kado.
"Well, we have just completely forgotten. I am Link."
"I am Kado…" Kado's smile faded when he realized I wasn't introducing myself. He nudged me- well, more like elbowed me in the ribs. I yelped, and glanced at him before obliging.
"I'm Jade." I gave a short, "sweet" smile before letting it melt away.
"I am Sophie. I am sorry for not introducing myself earlier; I just completely lost my manners." The blonde said before continuing, "So, why don't I introduce you to my grandfather. He is up in his room."
"Yeah, why don't you…?" Kado elbowed me again as we followed Sophie up the steps. I glanced back down at Pierre and the four mysterious men as they watched us go up, but I don't think they were watching them- it was more like they were watching me. Creepy…
The grandfather was an old man with bifocals that sat at his roughly made wooden desk reading and writing. All was left to add was a little red tie and scraggly hair, and he would look like those crazy mathematicians- or even Einstein! Although, he did have a mustache, but it was thinner, and he had a small, pointy beard. When we entered his room he was furiously scribbling something down on a parchment of paper, and when the ink was gone from the tip of the feather, he would just dip it into the little inkpot and keep going. And, for some reason, I instantly had complete reverence for him; this man who seemed to be accomplishing so much at such an age when in my time they usually needed help doing daily routines. This old man was called Matius.
"Grandpa?" Sophie inched toward him.
"Huh? Oh, yes. What is it, Sophie? Haven't I told you not to come in here when I am working on-…" Matius spoke, but was quickly cut off by his granddaughter.
"Grandpa, these are our guests." She spoke so loudly I just couldn't help to think, poor guy, when I realized he was wincing every time she said something.
"Oh, hello." He said plainly, but once he saw Link I thought he was going to have a heart attack, "You must be Link. I am Matius."
"Nice to meet you, Sir." Link said as he slightly bowed his head.
"I have heard much about you, Link. You have helped many, and for that we are very thankful." I raised an eyebrow curiously, and thought, I had no idea people remembered Link.
Sophie began laughing nervously, "My grandfather; he talks of silly things." I glanced back at Matius to see he had an irritated expression on his face. "Anyway," she continued, "This, grandpa, is Kado."
"An honor to meet you, Sir." Kado said as he also slightly bowed his head.
"It is an even greater honor to meet you, Prince Kado. I didn't know your parents would ever let you go on such a dangerous journey." Matius said with a small smirk.
"Well…" Kado chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Prince?" Sophie beamed, and damn, she looked happy.
"Oh, boy." I mumbled. Matius' attention turned to me while I silently watched Sophie practically jump herself at the boy next to me.
"And who is this?" Matius asked Sophie who was currently doing something with her eyes.
"Oh, that is Jane." She waved her hand annoyingly.
"Jade." I muttered as I folded my arms across my chest. I then turned to Matius, "It's nice to meet you, Sir."
"A pleasure, dear. Now, why, may I ask, would a girl like you be with two boys all by herself?" He asked me curiously.
I shrugged, "I'm doing this for a friend." He nodded his head understandingly.
"Well, I think we should be leaving grandfather so he could finish his work." Sophie began pushing us out.
"Oh, I don't mind a little-…" his voice was cut off, and by the time I turned around to look, the door had already been shut. I sighed as we went back downstairs where Pierre and his posse had made themselves comfortable.
"Ah, my sister, and the trio are back. How is grandfather?" Pierre asked.
"Great." Sophie answered. He wasn't great; he shouldn't be working so hard…why the hell do I want to get out of here so much?
"Link; Kado, come and sit with us. Tell us how you are." This from a man who was going to beat up Kado the last time they saw each other…something is definitely wrong.
"Come with me, Jane. You can help me make dinner." I heard Sophie say, and I grumbled something about dumb blondes as I followed her into the kitchen.
"Today, we are eating cuccoo and rice." Chicken! Why won't they say chicken? I whined in my head as she set up a few pots, a bag of rice, and spices. She walked out the back door that was in the kitchen, and came back seconds later with a live chicken in a large wired cage. My eyes opened wide when she motioned to me to come over. The chicken with its white feathers watched me, made some noise, then turned to Sophie, and did the same thing. Gah! Those deep, black eyes! Why do you have to taste so good?
"Hand me that knife in that drawer over there." She whispered to me as she motioned to the drawer behind me. I did as I said, but carrying a butcher's knife even freaked me out. Poor, poor chicken…
"I think you better do this outside." I told her, and she nodded. She went outside, and I rushed out of the kitchen just after I heard the poor, helpless cries of the chicken, through the living room with curious eyes, and to the front porch where I leaned against the wall next to the door.
"Sophie's cooking." I heard Pierre say before laughing. I scowled, but was too scared to go inside and confront him. "You know, Link. I don't know why you brought that girl here with you. If she can't handle cooking, how is she going to fight? All she ever seems to do is run."
"Jade is a very good fighter, but she is not from here; she comes from a different…country, and I guess they don't have the same beliefs and values as us." I heard Link's voice.
"Really? And what country is that?" Pierre asked amusedly.
It was quiet for a moment before Link spoke, "I forget; it is something with an 'A'…" I rolled my eyes, but not because I was annoyed, but because I guess I was just relieved Link stood up for me. I heard Pierre and his posse chuckle before continuing about something else.
I stood there a little longer before finally realizing I needed a place to sit. I sat on the front porch swing, watching squirrels come and go. It seemed like only a few minutes went past before I heard the shutters from the second story shudder. I stood up and walked far enough to see Matius looking beyond his property, and to the valleys.
"Good afternoon, Sir." I said with a little wave.
"Oh, good afternoon, Jade. What are you doing?" Matius said as he took his bifocals off.
I shrugged and answered, "Nothing really, Sir."
"Oh, good. Would you like to come up, and help me around the study room?"
"Oh…" before I could say I would be happy to, Sophie rushed out and pushed me inside while she talked to the old man upstairs.
"Sorry, grandpa. She is a little busy with me, right now. Dinner will be ready soon." God, why? Why do you have to punish me with the crazy chicken lady? She led me inside, past Link and Kado, Pierre, and his posse.
"Now, since I have already taken care of the cuccoo, I need you to help me make the rice and salad." She said as she took some utensils out, and more pans.
"Great…just great…" I mumbled before grabbing an odd shaped bowl, and turning it upside down, and shaking it confusedly.
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Well, after nauseating moments, confusing answers and questions, and a dead chicken, dinner was made and done. Pierre's posse ate like they hadn't eaten in days, Sophie ate like a little mouse, Pierre ate like the complete opposite, and "the trio" ate like normal people should eat. Matius was up in his room eating since Sophie declared that he would rather eat alone, which was very hard to believe. But I had to say, that blonde knew how to cook.
After cleaning up the dishes, I was sitting on the front porch swing when Kado walked through the front door.
"Hey." He said as he sat next to me.
"Hey." I replied back half-heartedly before finally remembering that I needed to talk to him, "Do you know who the four men are with Pierre?"
"Haven't a clue." He answered back.
"It just seems so odd what's going on here."
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Well…I don't know. I don't trust Pierre, and they won't let me say one word to Matius…" I finished the rest in a whisper, "and I really think they are hiding something."
"Oh, Jade. You are just being overly suspicious." He said as he closed his eyes.
"May I remind you that we came here to get…" before I could even finish the sentence, Kado's hand was covering my mouth. I muffled the last part, and when Kado didn't remove his hand from my mouth, I licked him.
"Ugh, Jade!" he said irritatingly as he wiped his hand on my sleeve.
"It serves you right." I replied as I pushed his hand away from my sleeve.
"Hey, you two." Link said as he walked up the porch steps.
"Hey." We responded half-heartedly since Kado was still trying to get the now nonexistent saliva off his hand, and onto my shirt.
"What are you doing, Kado?" Link asked with a bemused expression on his face.
"Trying to ruin my shirt." I replied for him.
"You licked me." He tried to explain.
"Blah, blah. Stop whining, Kado." I retorted, and folded my arms across my chest while at the same time trying to hide the smile on my lips. Kado leaned back, folded his arms across his chest, and pouted. Surprisingly, it was so cute. Though, I hadn't planned to share it with another girl way prettier than I.
"Oh, Kado." Sophie came up to him then pushed herself between us. I fell to the floor on my hands and knees, still staring at that damn blonde girl. I got up, dusted myself off, and walked past Link without looking back. Fine, enjoy her, Kado. Maybe, now, he'll leave me alone…wait, first I wanted him to come, then when he did, I wanted him to leave. What is the matter with me?
"Hey! Wait up, Jade!" Link called after me, and I waited.
"Do you need anything, Link?" I asked him as I resumed walking.
"No. I just wanted to walk with you." He said simply.
"That's cool…" I said before realizing he probably didn't know what I meant.
"What did you say?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, nothing. I just said that's nice."
"Oh. I just thought you said something else."
"Nope."
"What?"
"No."
"Oh."
"Right… Do you know what month it is, right now?"
"October."
"Really? When's your birthday?"
"This month."
"When this month?"
"Today."
I gasped then pushed his shoulder with the back of my hand, "Why didn't you tell me? I would've gotten you something?"
"It is alright. It doesn't really matter." He replied back.
"So, how old are you turning?"
"Fifteen."
I gasped, again, "Haha, you're younger than me."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was born in August."
"Oh."
"Well…I don't know, actually. It was March in my world when I came here, and it was September here…so…unless I was in a coma- I'd say…you're older than me."
"That is odd… Maybe you were sleeping."
"Maybe…" I pondered a bit then added, "Well, month-wise I'm older than you since I turned fifteen in August. So, do you know Kado's birthday?"
"It is supposed to be…I am pretty positive…in…December."
"Really? I always imagined he would be like a May or June."
"You know? I said the same exact thing when I met him."
"Really? Yeah, I think it's his eyes."
"Yeah…" Link nodded in agreement just as we reached our horses.
"Um, Link? Can I ask you something?" I said as he petted Epona's neck while she fed on the bucket in front of her.
"What is it?" he asked.
I began in a whisper, "Do you think something weird is going on around here?"
He quickly glanced around before replying, "Yes, and I am not too surprised. They are hiding something, and we need to find out. I still want to know how Matius knew I saved Termina.."
"That's what I was thinking, and another thing- every time I try to talk to Matius, Sophie cuts in, and won't even give me a chance. By the way, I never figured out if those books in that secret room helped at all? Were they the books Zelda needed?"
"Who could ever guess?" he answered back with a small grin.
"Right. I'm still a little worried about the whole Ryuichi ordeal. Do you think he'll come back?"
"He is still around, but as long as he is not bothering us…"
"Yeah…that's true… Well, do you want to see how Kado is doing?" I said after a few moments of silence.
"Sure."
"Okay, but let's not disturb them; we'll just watch from a distance…" I said wryly.
"Oh…" Link smiled deviously as we set back to see Kado trying to hold back Sophie. "Do you think we should help him?"
I leaned against a tree trunk, folded my arms across my chest, and answered, "Just a li-ttle longer…"
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So, how was this chapter? I know the last part was mainly ramblings, but meh. Anyway, please review. I really appreciate all your input, an thank you for all the people who reviewed last time. :P