The Downfall Timeline
Book 1
Chapter 16: Love & The Goddess
January 25-27, 610 GK, The War of Imprisonment, Days 193-195
East Central Hyrule
Lord Alfon woke his squire very early the next day – well before dawn.
"Come on, we need to make up that time." He ordered.
Link shivered in the bitter cold. Despite his cloak and blanket, his legs had gone numb and his hands were burning from the winter air. His mood had not improved at all from the previous evening, but he continued to remain quiet and not draw attention to himself.
Once their gear was packed and all remains of the campfire discreetly buried, he returned to his place, hiding beneath his master's cloak.
The second day of their journey was a dull blur for the boy. He had slept so poorly the night before that he spent much of the journey leaning against his master and dozing. At one point, near midday, Alfon nudged the boy awake and pointed to the east.
Several miles away, but clearly seen against the white landscape, stood the blackened and menacing remains of the Forbidden Forest. Link stared at the ruins of his home for several minutes – the bitter anguish of that day returning to gnaw at him – before he pulled Alfon's cloak over him again, and quietly wept.
They rode until nightfall, then sheltered in another small grove of trees beside the road. Link did not remember much from that night – he simply rolled out his bed and dropped down to sleep – but he did catch the sound of Russel pulling the cork from the second bottle of wine and taking a long, gulping drink.
The third day was unchanged from the second – save only that the land began to grow more rolling and hillier. Now and again, Alfon would order a halt at the top of a hill and the three men would carefully scan their surroundings for any sign of the enemy.
Link, though he had said very little since their first night, was directed to remain silent and to keep his ears alert for any sound.
The weather too had begun to change. A deep cold wind now blew down from the mountains in the east and the overcast sky above seemed to grow denser. That night, the men could not find any trees to shelter under, so they were forced to make their camp in a large depression between two hills.
Viscern warned against making a fire, "The light of the snow will reflect much more of the light upward, my lord. It would be best if our camp were dark tonight."
Alfon and Russel quickly agreed and did their best to wrap themselves in every spare cloak and blanket they had brought. But the little squire only had his small cloak and thin blanket from his tent. Without a fire nearby, the boy quickly fell into a terrible state of shivering and groaning.
He did everything he could and used every ounce of his strength to resist the cold. But the bitter wind from the mountains was overwhelming and he could not help himself.
After several minutes of listening to the boy shiver, Russel growled out, "Shut up boy… you're making me cold!"
But Alfon quickly followed with, "Link. Come here."
The boy immediately feared some sort of punishment for keeping the men awake and tried to assure his master that he would be silent, "M-m-m-my L-lord… I am-m s-s-sorry." He stuttered.
"Bring your blanket and come here." The marshal repeated softly.
The squire struggled to rise on his shivering legs, but he did as he was commanded. He wrapped his blanket and cloak as tightly around his body as he could, and trudged the few steps over to his master.
"S-s-sir?" he asked, when he arrived.
The great knight had set his back against the rotted stump of an old tree and looked up at the boy from a rather reclined, seated position. He was wrapped from neck to ankles in a magnificent bear-fur blanket and seemed to be untouched by the cold air.
He raised his arm – lifting open the blanket – and muttered, "come here lad."
Link did not hesitate. He felt uncomfortable about being so close to his mentor, but the power of his survival instinct could not be denied. He quickly sat beside the knight and leaned his left shoulder against the man's side. The marshal carefully pulled the great fur blanket over them, and wrapped his arm around his squire's shoulders – trying to warm him more quickly.
After a few moments, Viscern – who was standing watch nearby – muttered, "Now that is the most beautiful thing, I have ever seen my lord." With a bright grin.
Alfon threw him a warning eye, but said nothing.
"Russel?" the captain continued.
"hrm?!" grunted the veteran.
"If I begin to shiver… will you hold me in your arms?" the scout asked in a slightly feminine voice.
"Hmmm," growled the old soldier in response, "Are you Selina? The busty tavern maid from Tabantha with no scruples?" he asked, not opening his eyes.
"Alas no, old dog. I am only Viscern the scout." He friend replied.
"Then freeze to death in silence, pup, and let me sleep. I'll burn you in the morning to cook my breakfast." Grumbled the elder.
Despite his bitterness toward the rough captain, Link could not resist a small chuckle at their exchange. Alfon tapped him on his back to warn him not to laugh at them, but he was smiling himself at their play.
After he had warmed enough to stop shivering, the boy quietly whispered, "Thank you, sir." To his master.
The great knight just patted him on the back, "Sleep. Rough day tomorrow." He murmured back.
The next morning, the squire woke first, still leaning against the great knight. His master was snoring loudly, with bits of frost forming at the edges of his beard.
For several hours the three horses plodded along the road, traveling first Northeast, then North as they made their way across Central Hyrule. As the dark image of the ruined forest disappeared in the south, Link's thoughts wandered to his time in the Kokiri Forest; of Saria and Navi, the Deku Tree, and even Mido.
It all seemed so trivial now - the fights that he and the Kokiri Chief had between them. He felt a sharp pang of shame in his stomach over how he allowed himself to be so foolish when times were peaceful.
Now Mido, Saria, and all of the rest were likely dead - burned in the forest. Despite the compassion that his mentor was showing him, the boy still felt completely alone in the world.
His apprehension about the coming mission also started to build. The safety of the lake was far behind them now, and the image of his destroyed home had reminded him of Ganon's evil.
In an effort to distract himself, Link asked his master, "What was that? With Telma."
"What do you mean?" replied Alfon quietly.
"Well, you two just stared at each other." Link answered, confused that his lord had not done more to comfort the woman's anxiety.
"That's his Lordship's way of courting lad!" piped up Viscern, "He just stares into her heart and bewitches her mind."
"Not that he could win her any other way!" added Russell with a grin.
Alfon frowned at both of them, which brought a chorus of laughter in return. He turned to look over his shoulder at Link.
"If you can hold her eye. If you can hold her helpless in your gaze... she will be yours forever. If she looks away, or laughs, then you have not proven yourself to be enough. But if she stands there lost... helpless... looking into your eyes silently, then you know you have her." he explained.
But it did not make much sense to the boy.
"What if she's just waiting for you to say something?" He asked after a moment.
The explosion of laughter from the two captains startled Alfon's horse as they nearly fell from their own.
"Even the boy sees through it My Lord!" they cried.
"I will have the both of you in irons if we make it back to the garrison, Goddess help me! Now BE QUIET!" growled the knight.
The two soldiers quieted themselves, with great effort, as he turned back to Link again.
"You cannot just walk up to a girl and stare at her, you'll frighten her. First, you have to gain her attention. Next, gain her heart. Then, when she wants to look into your eyes, you hold her. Gently, but firmly, you hold her gaze and the goddess will decide whether the two of you should be bound. If you have proven yourself worthy of her, the goddess will smile, and the lady will fall helpless to her love for you. If you are not worthy, the goddess will not smile, and the lady will turn away from you."
Again, none of this made sense to the young teen, but he prodded once more, "What do you mean 'bound'?"
"Soul-bound son. Drawn together even in spirit to one another. A love beyond gold, wine, or flesh. Pure love. Endless love."
Alfon looked over his shoulder again and smiled, "But you are much too young to be thinking about any of that now!"
~That Evening~
The sun had set long ago and the moon -or its faintest glow- rose up in the east sky as the riders neared the Ranch. Alfon signaled for silence as they cautiously moved down the road.
"There is supposed to be a front here!" whispered the knight to his squire, "Where are they?!"
Viscern and Russell too had fallen silent and alert. Something was very wrong; the Hylian Army seemed to have disappeared. Steadily, the land began to slope upwards ahead of them. The low flat-lands of the south gave way to the rolling hills of the north.
Soon, the team came to the crest of a small hill that let them look out over the landscape. Through the gloom, Link strained his eyes to see the tall plateau of Lon Lon Ranch, standing Northwest of where they had stopped. Beyond, lay the ruined outer wall of the capitol and Hyrule Castle, but it was little more than a black shadow in the distance. Still, the boy shivered at the thought of what lay inside that castle.
"Don't worry lad," whispered Alfon, "We're not headed there yet."
The Marshal discreetly spoke with his captains to plan their next move. Viscern would move as stealthily as he could toward the ranch on foot. Alfon, Link, and Russell would wait several minutes, then quietly follow. He was to scout for guards and check the entryway to the ranch; instructed to only do what it took to allow the others to get inside.
Once in, the marshal and his squire would locate and free all of the horses in the ranch, while the two captains searched for the girl, Malon. Link objected here saying that he wanted to rescue Malon, but was sharply corrected by his master.
"This isn't about glory son!" hissed Alfon, "The girl is likely chained and will take some time to free!"
The boy's heart dropped until Viscern spoke up, "The princess believes the girl has been tortured my Lord. Seeing Link's face may help keep her from crying out in fear when we set her free. Strange faces will likely terrify her. I can pick the locks, if the lad can keep the girl calm."
The young hero's heart rose again as Alfon considered his captain's words. He did not like the idea of being separated from his squire, but Viscern was right - a terrified girl was very likely to scream when strangers came for her. The knight's strength was in shattering chains, not quietly picking their locks, so Viscern had to be the one to free her.
"Very well, take Link with you. Look after my ward Viscern!" Alfon whispered.
"Without fail my lord." The scout grinned as he tapped Link on the shoulder, winked goodbye, and disappeared toward the ranch.
Several tense minutes passed as the trio waited. Dismounting, Alfon rested his forehead against his horse's muzzle and whispered something to it. After gently patting the beast's neck, the great knight turned and motioned his two men to follow him.
"Leave the horses." he whispered.
Stooped, almost to a crawling position, the three crept their way forward, sometimes stopping behind a snowdrift or bush to listen for any sound. The sides of the plateau were steep and very slick with the snow, but they managed to climb it and rested their backs against the palisade that surrounded the ranch.
"Quiet now lad." Alfon barely breathed to Link as they silently made their way around the wall to the ranch gate.
Surprisingly, they found it open and unguarded. The ranch was dark, but for one small light coming from the second-floor window of the farmhouse. The squire moved to enter, but his master grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait for Viscern lad." he whispered.
Seconds dragged by in silence as Link gripped the handle of his sword. His body was tense and his heart was pounding - expecting an attack - but he could not find any sign of an ambush. Finally, a small flicker of light came from just inside the gate, between the farmhouse and the barn.
"That's the sign, go to him." Whispered Alfon, and the three quietly moved in.