A/N: It's been too damn long. Writing and life are funny beasts. At the end of the chapter, I'll give you a peek of things to come...
There must be an ember beneath his muscles, Link gritted his teeth and clamped his jaw, stitched breaths coming short and heavy. The wound-site radiated with his exhaustion, and he had lost Gerrard in some twisted alley. Navi flew ahead to tail the rat, relaying the correct directions to her charge, and he followed, stumbling occasionally. Finally, sweating and dragging his feet, Link had to stop at a noble stoop, collapsing onto a stair and desperately gulping air. Almost instantly, the doors opened and a finely-clad servant looked down his beak of a nose at the Emissary.
"Street urchin, vacate at once-"
"I'm Link of Kokiri. I am the Emissary of the East, and I've been stabbed earlier. I thought to rest on your steps for a moment. I will move on very soon."
The servant had his hands halfway to his face as though he couldn't decide to grip his cheeks or shoo the boy away again. "Haven't you...Were you healed? Must I call the house chirurgeon?"
Focusing again on the cutting pain, he renewed his heart-flame against the buffering waves of anguish. He would get up, and follow Navi. "I appreciate your offer, uhm…"
"Oh, call me Gavin! Here, hold on!" He turned and came bounding back with a bottle of blue. "I already called for our Healer..."
"Like I was saying, I don't have the time to wait for a healer. There was one who healed me right after it happened...Now I'm following a thief and my fairy to the castle."
"Cor, like the legends...Take this, it's dangerous to go alone, you know."
His headache redoubled, and with a tremoring grip, Link took the proffered bottle and downed the entire brew. "Tell me about it. I was stabbed earlier." If glares could kill, Link may have been a murderer.
"You said that already. Are you sure that you don't want to stick around for a moment? You look like proper dog's dinner."
"No, the potion is helping already, and I need to go. I'm so far behind him…" Link tossed the empty bottle back to the cheeky servant, thanked him again for the assistance.
"Well, then what about your tunic? Can't hardly meet the princess looking like that!"
Link agreed, nodding slowly as he assessed his current look. The brown stain that spread from his hip to his armpit was a shameful badge. "If you have anything in green, or at least, yellow…"
"Back in a tick!" Gavin spun lightly and seemed to have a tunic waiting inside the doorway. "Might be a bit large, the master of the house is a little bigger than you are."
Something in his phrasing batted at Link like a cat with silken paws. He shed his bloody shirt and doffed the clean, verdant tunic made of a rougher canvas. "And who is your master? If I ever meet-"
"Well, when the Councils meet, like they are now, the Major Amsterron stays here. Otherwise, I doubt you'll see him. He is a wanderer at heart, but we always keep the bed sheets warm and a bottle of Lon Milk at the ready for our dear Major. Never know when to expect him."
"The Major? I...I just rode with Sergeant Jesselia from Farmington to the Flats. And Ingo of the Cattle Clan of the Lons," Link's heart did this little clenching thing. Heh.
"Both right soldiers! You're nearly family, then! Even if you never meet the Major, I'm sure he would approve of you, your companions and the quest by which your feet are guided," Gavin crowed in a cadence.
Link finally smiled as the blue potion refueled some of that heart flame. "I never said I was meeting a princess."
Gavin covered his mouth immediately. "Damn! Didn't you? Well, you see-"
Link straightened his belt and tugged the shoulders of the tunic into place. "Just tell me: Am I the only one who doesn't really know what I'm doing?"
Rocking back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back like a Kokiri would when hiding a prime harvest of sugar leaf, Gavin began, "The thing about that is-"
"Don't worry," Link shrugged. He looked for the sun, judging it to be nearly dusk by the color of the sky and the lack of the orb overhead. He inhaled deeply, and took the scents of rock dust, people and the artificially lush gardens around him. He felt the uneven cobbles under his boots, felt the souring sweat cling to his skin, his fresh paint was smeared in a dozen places, and his hair pulled at the scalp unpleasantly. "I think I will know soon enough. And then, maybe I'll wish I didn't. For now, I thank you, Gavin, for your and the Major's generosity. I hope to be able to return the deed one day."
The beaked soldier with flyaway hair saluted the Eastern Emissary with a sharp gesture to his brow. "Until then, mate!"
On my way again, Navi. Link was hardly swaying at all now, purpose and strength in his steps. She guided him with an image of a stack of crates at the entrance of an alley, a row of boxwood shrubs, a house with a large flat balcony made of wood dripping with wisteria. What was beginning to feel like hours later, Link was finally approaching an open thoroughfare butted up against the castle's Outer Walls.
A heavy iron gate in the arched entrance was the last obstacle in the relay that would be sneaking into the castle perimeter. There were also two guarded checkpoints, the sentry post watching all activity in the square from an elevated tower in the corner, and a funnel-like set of fences that truly separated civilian space from the Royal Property. Hedges and grass were the only decoration on the other side of the fences leading up to the checkpoints.
"See the blind spot in the guard yet?"
"No, I'm busy trying to recover from a stab wound," Link growled, though he felt almost normal. "Give me the stone."
Gerrard ignored the request. "It's pretty easy to see. All we have to do is wind around that guard at the south corner, and as he turns to patrol the western street, we'll jump between those two hedges, hopefully the handful of soldiers at the north point won't look our way for a minute-" He was espousing a plan like a master weaver on a loom. A decade of streetcraft was the resulting tapestry and Gerrard swelled with the pride of a solid vision.
Link's heart, however, was jumping out of his ribcage with opportunity. Navi had seen something wonderful. Several streets back, rounding a corner was a very familiar wagon bearing the emblem of horse hooves and a bone. Semer, the head of the Horse Clan of the Lons, was arriving late with his share of the Royal Shipment.
"Gerrard, I can't do any of that right now," Link dismissed the suggestion and crushed the boy. "I'm going to get us aboard that wagon, though."
Mid-stream, the dusky-skinned thief stopped short, and glanced down the road. "A Lon wagon! Brilliant. Work your magic, then!"
Link nodded wearily, and allowed Gerrard to guide them unseen between houses to the driver of the wagon, walking alongside Semer, who noticed immediately, and almost stopped in the middle of the road.
"Don't! Keep moving," Link urged the patron of horses. "We need a lift! And we're sneaking into the Castle."
The stoic man's eyelid twitched. "If Talon weren't my blood relative, I wouldn't even consider that a real request. Technically, we're only related by marriage…" Semer sighed. "If you have the rupees to bribe the guards ahead when they check my load, you're free to hop in."
"I've got it covered," Gerrard said smoothly.
"Not with Link's money, right?" Navi jibed.
His smile faltered, and he smirked. "It'd take more than 45 rupees anyhow."
"Wait! You kids can't be serious. Smuggling is one thing, but this." Semer stopped the wagon. "Get the hell up here. It will be easier to explain a two indentured servants than a fairied passenger and some urchin hiding in my wagon." They followed his stern words and climbed onto the driver's bench.
"Well, this is style!" Gerrard gushed. "I never thought about legitimately entering the castle…"
"And that's exactly what we'll do!" Navi said aloud. "Link is the Emissary, we can just tell the guards that the Royal Family called him!"
"They'll want proof," Semer butted unapologetically.
"Tell them the thief who stabbed you took the message, and lost it," Gerrard smoothed.
"How did I get Navi back, but not the summons?" Link countered.
"And who the hell is this?" Semer demanded of Gerrard under his breath.
"This is the boy who stabbed Link," Navi whispered in Semer's long ear.
"What? Just what is going on here?" The Head of the Horse Clan wiped his face downward and sighed explosively. "On second thought, I really don't want to know. Especially if it's going to get me killed. Or stabbed." His tone was breathless. "Boy, you're a Lon cousin who's never seen the castle before. You two keep your mouths shut, and let me and the damn fairy do the explaining!"
This time, when the wagon stopped, it was at the iron cry of the guards. "Hold it, and we'll check you over!"
The authority at the post was a burly man, and it was with hawk's eyes that he inspected the bed and peeked into boxes beneath tarps in the dusk.
"Nothing but saddles, rawhide, eggs and two battered boys. Papers?" The jaw worked on each gruff syllable, teeth clicking.
"I have mine. This darker one is a cousin of mine, ain't seen the castle before, and in this sunset, I thought it would do his heart good to bask in her beauty," Semer related with all the compassionate certainty available to the stoic man, and that wasn't much.
"A noble uncle you are...Semer of Horse Clan," Hawkeye turned to Link. "And this one? Another cousin?"
Navi emerged from behind Link's ear. "We are here at the behest of the Royal Family, and under the protection of the Lon Clan. This is Link of Kokiri, and I am Navi the Fairy." She accompanied her statement with a midair dip of introduction.
"Ah! The Emissary of the Forest! We have been expecting you, my lad!"
It took every bit of concentration in him to keep the shock from his face. He channeled Mido and Hido and Ingo and even the younger Goriyo at their most indifferent, underlying it with Saria's mysterious air of other-worldliness. He couldn't speak, if he did, he would blurt the nonsense waiting like a spring beneath his tongue.
"Since it was reported that you were stabbed, we sent a messenger to the Temple of Time at the command of the King himself. The scuffle in the Guild's Quarters and those rogues that stole your fairy are outliers in our peaceful town, Link of Kokiri. Since war's end, there are still those that pit themselves in unworthy battles, and I hope with sincerity that you do not judge Castle Town by those ruffians." Hawkeye actually winked. "Use a little more caution next time, son. Hyrule's Army is always there for you!"
"I will withhold my trust next time, believe me, sir."
Gerrard was projecting innocence like a lamp.
"Then we're clear? We have permission to pass?" Semer raised his reins in readiness.
"Go ahead then, and take heart in these trying times, Lonman."
With those words, they were accepted through the gates of the Royal Grounds. The well-oiled iron grating rose silently, and the wagon trundled onto stones that were no different than the cobbles of the Market. Yet, Link reflected on his fortune. Good luck like this didn't last for him. He was reminded of when he learned to hunt, and how often the animals threw themselves into death before he could even draw spear or stones. He could appreciate the current that floated him along, but at some point, he wanted to steer the craft, dammit!
Gerick's words came back to him, along with the warmth of firelight and soughing wind on billowing canvas. "Some of us are meant to be steersmen…"
"And he wasn't talking about cows," Navi chuckled to him alone. He grinned to one side, and gave the surprised fairy a mental hug.
"Well, this is out of character," she said silently. Link shrugged.
It feels like this is really leading up to something bigger than us. I thank you, Navi.
She tweaked his ear. "Don't get sentimental now, Dragonbreath…"
There was a manicured lawn all around the avenue beyond the wall, but no castle was visible. The straight path turned as the landscape before them elevated. Another wall hugged the plateau, and the street approached another iron gate. With a performance that did not go off script, they progressed into the next checkpoint.
This time, the Castle which Link had seen from afar on the plains was revealed when they rounded the gentle switchback. Late afternoon sun painted the white marble a brilliant shade of cream, windows reflected the contrasting purple and magenta of the sky and the glossy shingles were like dragon scales of an ancient, venerable beast. The drawbridge that led across a 50 foot moat was ebony black with weathered wood and steel, a gaping maw in the imperial barrier. How many men built that? Link wondered in a non-sequitur.
"What happened in the Guild's Quarter?" Gerrard asked. "You mentioned a scuffle."
Semer sighed. "A few rogue Gerudo thieves ambushed one of our deliveries to the Hall of Carpenters. No Lons died, but there were servants of the guildhall...Seven of them fell to scimitars. All Castle Town natives…"
There was nothing more to say about that, then.
Link turned back to study the garden surrounding them, and almost approved. These damn Hylians had ideas about symmetry in planting, and it was all so planned and there was nothing exciting about hedges sculpted into walls or balls. There was nothing interesting about singular plants chosen for their color and texture alone, and none of them grew closely enough to extend any of their benefits to their neighbors...Everything was arranged in order of size and so that all one had to do was stand there and look at it.
That's what it was! Link flashed his thoughts to Navi. None of the gardens are interactive. I'm not supposed to part grass to find hidden treasures or pull silky foliage through my fingers just to smell it. It's all for show.
"Different culture, different morals, I guess," she returned.
Here, another set of guards awaited them. The drawbridge was down, and the outpost was the most ornate yet. Four men came to the wagon and sentried themselves at a corner apiece.
"An escort? That's new," Semer remarked comfortably to the fifth man.
"Well, with that mess in the Guild's Quarter, we want to be sure there's no further incident."
"Of course," the Lon man flicked his reins and the wagon trundled across the moat.
The boy from Kokiri was agog at the size and effort the Castle portrayed. There were so many layers of security, and all for one family! The scale of the dwelling, too, was forefront in his head. It was like approaching the Deku Tree, and he imposed the massive tree trunks over the spires and crenelations of Hyrule's Castle. His gut was tying itself in slipknots, and he was beginning to sweat again. His wound felt warm beneath borrowed shirt. The sun disappeared behind the mountains surrounding the Castle, and torches were lit to defend their eyes against darkness.
As one, the party made a turn for the east along a straight avenue inside the Guard's Wall. It lead them across the front of the Castle and through the last sparsely guarded gate to the Eastern Grounds. Here, the foundry and laundry and kitchens were never bereft of activity. Servants and merchants and guildsmen and soldiers and nobles alike were bustling to and fro, keeping the patterns of Castle life in careful motion. Shipments were always coming in during Tribute times in the summer, there were extra souls in the Castle grounds, so someone of importance was always hungry at two in the morning, and that influx of souls meant more laundry.
Semer was guided to a stall constructed against the easternmost wall of the Castle's grey stone, and servants began unpacking his crates immediately.
One of the crates bore live cuccos. The maid handling it had a deadly fear of the birds. She screamed when one of the feistier fowls squawked and dropped the cage, scattering the white and brown birds into the crowd.
The hunter from Kokiri seized the moment.
Without realizing he had done it, he tugged at Gerrard's hand, and while the congregation was scrambling after the cuccos or trying to calm the hysterical woman, the pair slipped unseen from the seat of the wagon, with Navi hidden in Link's hastily opened pouch. Quite calmly, Gerrard took the lead, and melted them into the shadows of the stalls.
Patiently, silently they creeped towards the future. They bypassed several likely doors, to Link's knowledge, but the servant's entrance to which Gerrard was privy was not any of those. All the way at the back of the Eastern Grounds, and far from the receiving stalls, there was a lonely door in the middle of the stone wall surmounted by a simple lintel and a single torch.
It was going to be the most dangerous stretch of ten paces they had faced yet. Totally exposed to the torchlight, completely unaware of people on the other side, the single doorway hearkened like the vertigo that made one want to jump from great heights.
They slunk behind the last tower of crates, assessing the moment.
"Wait," Link cautioned when he felt Gerrard tense. "Instead of just going for it, I want to try something…" The townie shrugged, still coiled and ready.
Link sought the heart flame within, and began shaping his first conscious spell. The hiding magic and camouflage he'd taken for granted in the forest was more powerful than he knew, remembering when Zephane hadn't been able to see him in plain sight on a log. He felt shreds of that camo floating around him, like scraps of silk in the breeze, and with a sightless twitch of his hands, instinctively tried to widen the sheet of magic until it shrouded Gerrard, Navi and himself.
"Nice one," Navi congratulated, impressed upon his mind's eye her reeling shock that by stress and creativity alone, he'd whipped up an Illusion spell. "Still think you're nothing special? That'd take a Hylian like Alphonse years to understand what you did by guesswork."
Later, Link pleaded. It was an effort and a half to maintain a purpose, and his wound felt even more prickly. "Let's go!"
They dashed to the portal, wrenched the doorknob and slid through the crack of an opening. Gerrard did not slam the door, however. That would have been a stupid giveaway with such a loud, panicked noise. Instead, he gently allowed the latch to engage without so much as a click. He was glancing around with the instinct of one who is followed, and whispered, "We should be fine, now."
Link let out his breath and loosed the drape of magic. His head was pounding now, and a tearing tremor of pain wracked his wound. "Unghhh…"
"Man, is that really everything you have?" the urchin goaded in an undertone.
"Stop with the antagonism, Gerrard," Navi intervened between the panting pale one and the darker one. "We need to find Zelda. All of us."
Link's head snapped towards his fairy friend. "But he-"
"Listen! We are on borrowed time, boys! How long until they notice we're not in the wagon anymore? Are they already searching for us? Did either of you think about how they'll question Semer for what you've done? At any rate, even if we're caught, the only one in danger is you, Gerrard. I won't hesitate to sell you out if you don't get us to the Princess, or if you delay us any more. Hell, at this point, if you get us to Zelda without getting caught or hiding the Stone, I'll...I'll let you come with us!" She snorted, then looked about abashedly. "We really do need to move, though. I hear voices on the other side of the door!"
"Thing is, too…" Gerrard began.
"Don't tell me," Link snarled. "Lead us, already!"
"But things are all different! I don't remember this corridor, the carpeting is different…"
Link closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Must. Not. Kill. "Okay. So. The universe goes out of it's way. I'm lucky. I'm going to be the warrior of legend. So." He opened his eyes, and like the pack leader of wolves, he raised his hackles and bared teeth. "Lead us to Zelda."
Head hanging, Gerrard reached into his pocket and held out the Stone on his hand. "Right." Link replaced the rock in his inventory. "Sure. I…" He was nodding, scenting and trying hard to reminisce younger memories. "I know the general direction. I think if…"
The door behind them opened.
A/N: My ultimate goal for my writing is for personal enjoyment only. I struggled this past year to consider the newest additions (Breath of the Wild/2) to my series, but that is encompassing far too much as it is. The Plan is Ocarina, Majora, Wind Waker, and Twilit Epilogue, with ALBW afterword. This series is all about balancing the Three Forces, their Agents, their Counterparts and Chaos. For, "before all else existed, there was only Chaos..."
I've been watching speedruns like mad, fan-girling over Achievement Hunter and painting as well. Writing took a back seat to depression and entertainment.
I've had an issue with time travel in OoT since I put the Master Sword back in the pedestal of Time for the first time, and short of writing it out of my stories, I despaired at the disparity. I came to the realization that I needed the future hero of time to time travel, both thematically and legitimately. And Castle Town was still such a quagmire of plot points and building destinies and narrow escapes and certain capture that I lost the will to continue my game.
Not long ago, during the series finale of Red VS Blue, I had the inklings of an idea. The barest glimmer of hope after a year of inactivity...I won't spoil the ending for anyone who still hasn't seen it, but Season 17 revolves around the idea that the Reds and Blues must correct the timeline. The manner in which they try to accomplish this was jumping from memory to memory, changing certain aspects or keeping them exactly the same as the first time around. As convoluted as this sounds, it answered my needs for Link. Time travel from the point of seven years of the future is through memory alone.
With this new tenet, I began drafting for Castle Town again. This chapter I've posted is the fourth iteration, and the one I felt had the best rhythm and clues. The dynamic between Link and Navi and Gerrard is one of my favorite creations, so be prepared to see a lot of the thief. But don't worry. Just because Link can get insanely lucky, it always comes with a price.
