Chapter Two: The Silent Swords
If Zelda had thought the Champion hostile before, she discovered she had grossly underestimated the depths of his dislike. Even Sheik commented on it. The man stared after Link's retreating back with a thoughtful frown.
"Prickly as a Gerudo toad?" Zelda suggested.
"Nor like," Sheik drawled. He caught himself and answered more formally. "What did you say to him?"
She hadn't spoken with the Champion since the demon attack. In fact, she had not had an actual conversation with him at all. A few exchanges, some civilities, if they could be called that.
Sheik jogged to keep up.
"Captain? Captain Gotkasi!"
He turned, face perfectly blank. She recognized the expression from her life in court and knew he must be seething.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
He had to have some personality behind his stiff manners. Careful questions to the staff and guards showed he was well-liked, genuinely respected by the Ordonians.
What should she say? How to draw him out?
"I did not thank you, sir, for saving my life yet again."
"My pleasure."
Hardly. He was half-turned to go. She planted herself firmly by his side. "If I may be so bold, where are you heading?"
"The temple."
The stone building rose across the valley, a warm red-brown against the fields.
"May I accompany you?"
He wanted to brush her off. But his eyes flicked to the King's House and he gave a half bow. "As you will."
They attracted curious looks as they crossed the main plaza. Link greeted his soldiers as he passed. Townsfolk waved. A baker proffered him a steaming roll, another a meat pie. Offers for a drink or meal followed them through the city.
They seemed unconcerned when he politely declined.
"Next time, my lad!"
"Always have a warm plate for you!"
"Are you sure? They're your favorite!"
"Link!"
This hail did cause the Champion to slow and turn.
"Link, wait up!"
It was a boy. He ran up the narrow street, dodging sellers, dogs, and crates. He arrived flushed and grinning.
The most cold-hearted person would have relented under a gaze half as adoring as this boy's. The Champion ruffled the child's hair.
"Why aren't you in school, Enon?"
Enon shrugged. "I put a lizard in the water pail."
Link's laugh was boyish. "Did you get caned?"
"Only a little. Not as much as when I..." Enon absorbed Zelda's presence. His eyes went round and he dropped a bow. "Your Majesty, my apologies. I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't know you were on duty."
"I'm not, but run along," the Champion commanded.
Enon clearly wanted to rebel but could only acquiesce meekly given the circumstances. Link patted his shoulder and sent him off.
Zelda watched him go, bemused. "Is that the direction of the schoolhouse?"
Laughter still danced in his voice. "Of course not." He met her eyes and his amusement faded. "Shall we?"
"Who was that?" She was determined to make him talk.
"Enon is Ordon's nephew."
"The Heir is allowed to scamper about the streets?"
Link seemed confused. "Why wouldn't he?"
There was no way to explain the old longing, the endless hours spent looking out glazed windows at the servants' children playing in a back courtyard.
"And he is not Ordon's heir. There isn't one."
But they had spoken of it this morning. 'My heir,' the man had said. "How else then will he ensure his dynasty?"
Link glanced at her. "He would need to marry first."
"Does Ordon have plans to?"
Another searching look. "Not that he has told me. But then, I am not privy to all his decisions."
Zelda doubted that. The Champion clearly held significant political power, as well as his king's ear. Did he realize how much? If Link decided to end this treaty, Zelda suspected she would be dumped over the border without a second thought. Without her soldiers, too.
The looming temple arch hushed her questions. Link stopped at the lowest step and knelt a moment. As he stood, a young woman approached.
"Champion," she greeted.
Link unslung his shield. She cradled it like a large dish. In it he placed weapons he retrieved from various hiding places about his person. He tossed the last, a slim knife from his boot, onto the pile.
The Master Sword stayed strapped in its place.
Sheik copied him without complaint. The woman thanked them both and turned to Zelda. She hated to but obeyed the restriction. Just two daggers, a matching set carefully concealed in her skirts.
"Welcome, Hyrule."
Unlike the cathedral to Hylia in her castle grounds, Ordona's temple was almost cozy.
Built of warm redstone and moderate in size, the braziers warmed the room easily. Acolytes sat on benches or walked slowly about in pairs.
A priestess stood as they crossed the threshold.
"Gotkasi, Wielder of the Sword, I welcome you." She stood on tiptoes to kiss his forehead. She followed the salute with a kiss on each cheek.
She then spoke in the same dialect Link had used this morning in the council room. The rise and fall of it was faintly musical.
"Ai, ta," he said, smiling down at the tiny woman.
She sniffed and turned to Zelda.
"Hyrule. Ordona is pleased by your presence. Too long have the Sisters been divided."
Staccato clicks announced a newcomer.
"Harro!" An old man shuffled across the floor, cane tapping as he moved with surprising speed. "Harro, child, is that Link?"
"Yes, papa."
Eyes filmed with age, the old man peered at them. "And the young queen! Excellent. Come, Ordona awaits you, my children. She is pleased with this union."
For all his control, Zelda was learning to read his face. A flash of alarm and a swift look to Harro. She was smiling benignly, unaware of whatever had startled the Champion.
A smaller room off the main chamber. The old priest drew the curtain across the opening. Zelda took the seat Harro proffered. The Champion refused with a curt head shake. His mouth was still tight. Worried? About what?
The old man blinked myopically at her. "Unexpected, this visit."
"Unprecedented, as well," Zelda agreed. The man grinned.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Cantor. I serve Ordona as First Priest. Or as well as I can in my infirmity. My granddaughter Harro serves as First Priestess."
Zelda dipped her head respectfully. "An honor, sir." He must be ancient, as his granddaughter had gray streaking her auburn hair.
Cantor settled in the wide, low chair customary to Ordon. Zelda always felt her knees were jabbing her chest, as she refused to sit cross-legged as Cantor was. She managed to tuck her limbs up demurely most times. She hoped.
Link folded his arms across his chest. "Did you find anything?"
Cantor sighed. "No. Not a trace. No clue as to where it came from or why it was sent."
"That…crytch?" Zelda asked. It was an ugly word, catching in her throat.
"Ta," Link said absently, frowning at the Priest.
"Bokoblin, in the old tongue," Cantor explained. "We haven't had a sighting on Ordonian soil in several years. The Champion saw to that."
Said Champion was still roiling, angry and ashamed. "It shouldn't have been able to get in. I placed…" He broke off, remembering her presence. "There are wards. Someone gave it entry."
Did he suspect her? If Ordon had come to Hyrule and such a thing happened, she might have had them summarily executed. Luckily, Ordon was not as ruthless.
Harro showed him examples of similar glyphs out of a yellowed book. Zelda watched him as he turned the pages, tracing symbols with a tanned finger. He tapped one and asked for a second book to compare. A warrior and a scholar, then?
My heir, Ordon had said, but no children of his own. He must intend for this shepherd boy to follow after him. Why else educate him, take him into his confidence? Why give him such power and command over the military?
Ordon may not choose the Champion, but this Cantor likely had a say. Hoping Link was distracted by his research, Zelda reached out for the old man's presence. Did he have the Touch of a Goddess, too?
Cantor's faded gaze met hers and he smiled. Old, yes, but still deep power. Strengthened by time and experience, much stronger than hers.
Well met, Hyrule.
Zelda acknowledged his greeting meekly and retreated. After she blinked away the Sight, she found Link watching her. For once, he didn't look away. His mistrust was clear to read, even without reaching out to him.
He looked suddenly to Cantor. Zelda caught the faintest echo of their exchange, amusement on one side and incredulity on the other.
He had brought her here on purpose, so this Cantor could examine her!
Cheeks flaming, she stood. They broke off their discussion.
"I admit I am no scholar," she lied through a tight smile. "I will return to the House and leave you to it. A pleasure, Lord Cantor."
"And you, lady."
Sheik was confused. "What happened?" he asked as she stormed down the steps.
"Blasted shepherd!"
"What did he say to you?"
"Him? Nothing!"
The trek back to the residence abated little of her fury. He had manipulated her, played on her determination to be friendly.
Her conscience murmured reproachfully. Well, if not friendly, then at least civil. And she had a right a -civic duty! - to know more about the most dangerous man south of the Hebran Mountains.
That Ordonian woman, Firn, was waiting in the guest house.
"My lady, if you please, I have prepared a milk bath for you."
"A what?" Zelda snapped.
Firn gestured to the corner where a screen had been erected. "A milk bath, my lady. Surely you will not leave Ordon without enjoying such a luxury!"
Zelda made a rude noise through her nose. A backwater, half-savage place like Ordon had 'luxuries?' Their heir-apparent ate on the floor and needed a haircut!
Firn was perplexed. "Your Majesty?"
Sheik was laughing at her, the corners of his eyes crinkled up. Heat flamed her face and only increased her fury.
She spoke as gently as she could. "Thank you, Firn. But may I ask: what in Hylia's name is a milk bath?"
It was the most wonderful thing. After soaking in a copper tub of scented water made silky smooth with goats' milk, the angel, nay, the very goddess named Firn scrubbed her down with soft toweling and massaged her until her bones melted.
The old woman's light chatter was as soothing as her hands working the tense points along Zelda's spine.
"Been many years since I served a lady of the house. Ordon, bless him, will never marry, of course. Even for duty's sake, which I am not surprised. After Gregin was killed so many winters ago, fighting the crytch, there was no replacing him. And Ordon is such a caring, generous man. It tortures him to send Link out to the same task. He loves the boy so dearly, as his own child. Link, of course, never gives it a second thought. Impulsive to a fault he was -and is! - always jumping before looking. Praise the Goddess; She always brings him home safe.
"Maybe I'll have the chance to serve a mistress again, when our Link settles down." She sighed. "Not likely, though. The boy has an eye for nothing but the fight. As is right for our Champion, of course, but an old woman does hope. And such a husband he would be! So handsome, so kind, any woman would be lucky to catch him. Always has been such a dear. He was just the sweetest thing when he came to us, so quiet and willing to please. It still hurts to know why, poor lamb. He never talks about it. Cantor, bless him, says the memories are muddled. A mercy, I suppose, given what happened, but I know he feels the loss. Never knowing your roots, wondering why you were left to suffer.
"Now, a special oil, my lady. Perfumed with the azual flower. Very rare, cultivating the blooms takes decades. Usually reserved for a lady on her bridal night. Seeing as no noble lady will use this batch, might as well put it to good use! Tradition, you know, the milk bath, after the ceremony, before the wedding night to wash off the blessing dye. Have you seen an Ordonian wedding, lady? Well, believe me it is a necessary custom, or we'd ruin every linen in the kingdom.
"Now, a true bridal bath is to take place outside. Of course, there is some nonsense about being bare before the Goddess, as if She did not already know our hearts.
"In truth, it is because besum dye is impossible to scrub out of wood floors. Why is this an issue? Well, let's just say, that Ordonian men are not known for their patience when eager to greet their new bride."
Zelda giggled, relaxed to the point of stupor. The scent of the azual was heavenly, clean and sweet. She listened to Firn move about the room, wondering what else was mixed into the magical bath water. Her thoughts seemed to float hazily above where her body lay warm and sated on the bed.
"It takes a thousand blooms to make batch. Each flower opens only once for a short time in spring. Azual was traded for diamonds, but now we keep it in our borders. So much of its habitat has been ruined, we can hardly supply ourselves. Once Link destroys the Shadow, we will be able to venture further out to find the bulbs again."
She spoke with absolute certainty that the Champion would end the threat to Ordon. And why should she doubt? He had the Sword, the favor of a Goddess. All he needed was a piece of the Triforce and he would be unstoppable.
"Rest now, my dear."
Zelda murmured sleepily. Firn tucked her under the blankets and went out quietly.
Link glared at Firn. His old nanny beamed back.
"You drugged Hyrule," he grated out.
"Morsopha is a traditional ingredient in the milk bath," she said calmly. "Relaxes the muscles, promotes healthy humors."
Only his love of the woman kept retort behind his teeth. And the memory of her switch to his rear end. No doubt she would take him to task even now, no matter he towered over her.
"Did you tell Ordon you were doing this?" he demanded when he could speak rationally.
Firn blinked innocently at him. "As if I would tell a strange man such a thing about a lady's toilet!"
"You're telling me."
Firn's shrug was the sum of decades of managing her royal employers. "Yes?"
Luckily, Ordon walked in.
"Ah, Link! Did Cantor find anything?"
Grateful for an excuse to not talk about Hyrule's personal hygiene, Link laid out the papers he held.
"It was close to a summoning glyph. More a passageway, perhaps, a connection."
"Connection to where?"
"I couldn't tell," Link said. He'd tried to recreate the moment, the details confused by the dream state. "But there was something on the other side."
Ordon removed his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. "I cannot think one of my own people would betray us so."
Link was not so generous. "I will find out who."
"You will bring them to me alive." Ordon's voice held no option for otherwise.
"I will try."
The evening dragged on. Endless reports, questioning his soldiers, searching for some clue in Cantor's texts.
Link leaned against the railing of the terrace and watched the sun set behind the hills cradling the city. The clouds had thinned, leaving streaks that tinted pink and purple against the darker blue of the sky.
What was he missing? There had to be some trace, some taint of evil magic.
The bells sounded for nightfall. He straightened and made to return to the King's House.
On the planks before him, a line appeared. He drew back, watching as the line grew longer, twisting. It scrawled across the wood, cutting a mark into the floor.
He wanted to call out, but the air had grown stiff. It was an effort to raise his arm and grip the Sword. A flash of light and the mark gleamed in the twilight.
A man stepped through. He saw Link and grinned.
"The boy Champion."
The blade glowed faintly. "Who are you?"
"But where is the girl?" The man peered around. "Ah, I see."
Link moved to intercept. The man was suddenly behind him, walking down the steps. "I have a message for her."
The air still resisted him as he ran, the man always flickering ahead. The guards were paralyzed, straining against the magic. Link's calls for help went unheeded.
The door was stuck. The heavy panels shuddered under his assault. The same demon light shone in the lock, sealing him out.
He drove the Sword into the latch with a grunt. The flash of the magic breaking burned his face. The frame splintered as he kicked the lock free.
The man, the sorcerer, stood over Hyrule as she slept. The delicate azual soured with the stink of demons.
"So lovely, the young queen," he crooned. He brushed her hair back from her flushed cheek.
The air shrieked as the Sword ripped through it. The sorcerer's smile was cold, possessive.
"You cannot deny your birthright, Link."
He was gone.
Time released. Link stumbled forward. The Sword quivered, biting deep into the wall. He shook Hyrule's shoulder, calling her name urgently.
"Zelda! Zelda, wake up!"
She blinked groggily at him. "Link?"
"Your Majesty!" Sheik ran in, blades drawn.
The queen sat up, clutching the bed clothes to her chin. "What is the meaning of this?"
Link drew back, snatching his hand from her arm. A black mark marred her forehead.
"What's happened?" She looked between them, alarm replacing her anger.
Sheik was pale. "Zelda, your face…"
There was a hand mirror next to her bed. She took it and peered into it. Her gasp was half a sob.
Frantically, she rubbed it. It smeared black on her fingers. Link wetted some toweling and washed the streaks from her face.
"What was it?"
Her voice shook. "A warning."
"From?"
"The Shadow."
"Four moons past, a man appeared in my study."
The queen sat with her knees drawn up under her skirts. Another search of the city was underway, but Link knew now it was pointless.
"A sorcerer, the sorcerer you have heard tell of from your refugees. He offered an alliance, a marriage."
She grimaced. "Of course, I refused. He laughed. Said I would join with him in the end, that I would see there was no other way. Warned that my people would suffer if I did not. I called my guards, but he simply vanished as he came."
Link then described what he had seen. He did not tell of the cryptic message about his birth.
"And the mark?" Ordon asked.
The soft candlelight only highlighted the shadows under her eyes.
"In the Easyren Province, woman mark their foreheads like that on their wedding day." She scrubbed at the spot, as if she could still feel the sooty ink on her skin.
"Arrogant pig, isn't he?" Ordon said. "Clearly he has not met a woman of your mettle, Your Majesty."
Her pitiful attempt at a smile enraged Link more than seeing the beast loom over her as she slept. Her hands shook as she smoothed her skirt.
"I should return to Hyrule," she said. "My presence seems to have brought you nothing but trouble."
Ordon took her hands in his. "My dear, you have been a delight. I am sorry that we needed such dire portents to come to an understanding. I have been thinking about how to strengthen our friendship. I have a proposal for you, one I hope will protect you as well as give you courage."
Link braced himself for the news. It was necessary, for the best for all of Ordon. He could serve his lord in Hyrule as he could here. His oath to Ordona would be fulfilled, her people protected.
"I want Link to go with you."
"What?"
"The…the Champion?"
"Is there another man named Link I don't know about?"
"No!" Link snapped. A hollow feeling stabbed into him, as if the earth had given way beneath his feet. "My lord, I – no!"
"My magistrates would not allow it." Zelda said flatly.
"They need not know who he is."
"My place is here; my oath is to Ordona."
"Does Hylia not need a Champion in this time of peril?"
"Did She speak to you?" Link demanded.
"No, but the situation-"
"The situation demands I do all I can to protect my home and my people. We stand at the brink of invasion, of outright war."
"From which the soldiers you have trained will protect us."
Link knew well the set of his lord's mouth. There would be no argument, no persuasion.
"Are you ordering me to go?"
"Link," Ordon said reproachfully.
He walked out.
The controlled closing of the door was as expressive as him slamming it. Ordon winced. Zelda cleared her throat in the awkward silence.
"Truly, I would not steal him from you. He is needed here."
Ordon had stood, perhaps to follow the Captain. He sat heavily.
"I had hoped to break it to him differently. But he needs to go." He sighed. "Link…Link is destined for greater things, Your Majesty. Greater than either of us."
Zelda felt suddenly small and afraid. Ordon's voice carried the weight of prophecy.
"When he came to us, I thought there was no salvaging his spirit. Half feral, he was more animal than not. There was no other way to survive, I suppose.
"The shepherds who found him took him in and did their best. He stayed with them through the winter and spring.
"But his injuries, both physical and mental, needed more than food and shelter to heal. He had been blinded in one eye. So thin, scarred from beatings. Half-healed bones. He limped terribly.
"I suppose I knew then he would be something more. The flocks had been driven down for market. The Gotkasi clan brought him to ask for help from a healer. I had gone to meet with them when Cantor arrived, asking for the boy.
"'Where is he?' he asked. 'Where is Link?' I don't remember now what the Gotkasi had named him, and obviously we had no idea who Cantor meant until Link came across the pasture and stood by Cantor as if he had been destined to do so since the dawn of time.
"He stayed with the priests for a year before Cantor brought him to me and insisted he join the household. How could I refuse a request from the Goddess?
"I admit I was trepidatious. The Gotkasi warned he had been difficult to control, unpredictable and violent at times. The child had nearly killed an adult man who taunted him.
"The change in him was nothing short of a miracle. His spirit was alive again, he was healthy and strong. Many of his scars had been healed, his eye, his legs."
Ordon came back from the memories of past years. "But I warn you, Your Majesty, that there is still something of that feral child in him. He can stubborn and reckless."
Zelda pressed his hand. "And here was Firn just singing his praises. She assured me he was the most tender, tractable boy."
Ordon smiled in memory. "He was. One couldn't help but love him. I…" His voice thickened. "I will miss him, but he must go. I wanted him to follow me. I hoped…but I always knew. When Cantor spoke the prophecy to us, I knew he would leave eventually. I dreaded it, but I am glad he will go with you."
Zelda was also trepidatious. "He is dangerous."
"Very," Ordon agreed. "But only to his enemies."
"Of which I number."
"No. You can trust him with your life."
She would be, riding back to Hyrule with him. "He may refuse."
"He won't." Link's loyalty seemed to bring Ordon no pleasure. "He won't."
The tightly woven thatch poked through his tunic, itching his skin. Link lay on the roof of the King's House, looking at the half-hidden stars and listening.
The queen bid Ordon goodnight and left. Her steps faded into the normal night sounds of the residence. Ordon sat for a long while, then made his way to his private chambers.
It was a short leap from the peak of the roof to the cliff behind. The darkness shrouded the stone, but Link knew the path well, had scaled this edifice hundreds of times.
He also knew the pattern of the sentries posted above the King's House. There was no gap in their sweep; he had designed it carefully. Would She shield him tonight? Fury, fear, heartache all seethed in his chest. Cantor's voice scolded him, lessons from long ago.
The Champion of Ordona cannot be ruled by fear. The Sacred Power to which you are destined needs a calm mind and soul.
Link drew a deep breath of the cool night air. His thoughts stilled. He stepped out boldly.
It felt like a betrayal of his vigilant and dedicated soldiers. He waited in a shadow as one of them passed on their round. Their eyes slid over him. What did they see? A shimmer of the air? A darker shade?
Dew clung to his boots, the warmth of the day not lasting long past sundown. It never grew truly warm here until high summer. The only enjoyable thing about the barren plains below was the heat.
A fox startled as Link slipped by. The trees grew thicker and the terrain rough. He had to slow his pace, scrambling over rocks. The exertion felt good, something to fight, to focus his restless energy on.
It looked like any other cave hidden under a rockfall. Link glanced to the moon, hovering in the eastern sky. Tucking his legs up, he sat on fallen tree and watched the moonlight drift across the clearing.
It was similar to the dream place, now that he thought about it. The same sense of separation, of waiting. The moonlight fell over the mouth of the cave.
The Master stepped out of the shadows. Link stood and was not surprised by the reprimand.
"You present yourself in such a state? Will you never learn control?"
Link stayed silent. Excuses were useless. The form sighed and beckoned him.
Through the cave and out into an echoing room. Pillars reached toward the unseen roof. There might not even be one, the columns holding up the night sky itself.
"Longsword tonight? Though Hylians favor the spear."
Link made no move to ready for the arena. The Master examined him.
"I told you this day would come."
Link's throat tightened.
"If you want guidance, pray to your Goddess. I serve a different purpose."
"Was it like this, when you left your home?"
There was no face in the helm, no emotion inflecting the voice. "Yes."
"Did you ever return?"
The Master turned away, testing the weight of his sword. "I did. But I did not stay."
"Why?"
"It was my home no longer."
Link clenched his fists, eyes closed, trying to deny it.
The hand was heavy on his shoulder. Then, "Ready yourself, Champion."
He woke in his bed with the morning bells. He groaned as the aches and bruises he earned during the moonlight session seized his muscles. A moment and they faded to memory.
Both Ordon and Hyrule cast him searching looks which they tried to hide. Firn brought him a heaping bowl and fussed over him. He could hardly swallow for homesickness.
At last the meal was over and Link could put a stop to the inane small talk. He unrolled a map on the table in the center of the room.
"Where is your summer estate?"
Hyrule pointed a few miles east of one of her outlying villages. Not much there besides farms and a minor trade town. They would have to skirt the plains. Too risky to be in the open with such limited numbers. Link did a quick measurement with his hand.
"Two hundred miles, five days riding. We cannot take your other soldiers, too slow. No sign of you for eight days. Will this raise alarm?"
"My soldiers will have ensured I have been 'seen' traveling to Highcalere. I will simply emerge and return home."
"And with an Ordonian soldier?"
She tried to be friendly, joking with him. "We'll say you're Sheik's nephew, come to join the Royal Guard."
He did not smile and had the bitter satisfaction of watching her mirth wilt. "When do you want to leave?"
"At once, if Ordon allows it."
His lord watched them over steepled fingers. "All will be made ready, my dear. Link, Cantor asked to see you as soon as you were available."
"Yes, sir."
Zelda turned to Ordon with raised brows. The man winced. "He'll come around," he promised.
"When the sky falls into the sea?"
Cantor unknowingly echoed the Master. Or perhaps he knew what Link did when the moon was in the heavens, knew how that silent grove called to him.
"You knew this day would come. It has been foretold."
Link unclenched his teeth to reply. "I know."
"It is your destiny to travel beyond Ordon. This was a cradle, a training ground. You are made for much more."
But what? "I swore an oath Ordona."
It burned across his vision, the need to protect this land and its people. Yet another force impelling him forward, demanding his obedience. Did he regret it?
"You will serve your purpose as She directs."
At least Her reprimands were gentle, cajoling. They didn't leave bruises that prompted difficult questions from his liege lord.
"Why does She require that I serve this Hylian queen?"
"The conflict between us is petty and dangerous. It leaves both countries vulnerable to attack from worse than raiders and pirates. Hyrule did well to come here. Now, you must return the gesture in kind."
"Hyrule is a queen. I am a soldier. Hardly impressive in diplomatic circles."
"You are a wool-headed buffoon, Link. Are you not Master of the Sword of Light? Are you not a prince in the House of Ordon?"
Neither of these titles sat easily on his head. "According to Hyrule, I am to be the nephew of her guard."
Cantor snorted rudely. "Fools, the pair of you."
Link hesitated. "Cantor, the sorcerer spoke to me."
Even cloudy, the priest's eyes could be piercing. "What did he say?"
"He knew me by name. He spoke of my birthright. That I cannot deny my birthright."
Cantor tapped his crooked fingers on the table. "Your destiny to wield the Master Sword, perhaps."
"But I do not deny it." Even if some days he wanted to, warring with the terror that the Goddess will find him lacking and strip him of Her blessing. What would happen to him, to his mind? He could just remember the pain and hopelessness. The memories were muted because She shielded them.
Yet another shackle he both resented and relied upon.
"You cannot trust anything that beast tells you. He will say what he needs to undermine your resolve, to cause contention between you and the queen."
Link had begun to ask something and stuttered to a halt. Prince of the House, contention with the queen, Ordon reaching out to Hyrule at this time and not before. "Wait, you want me to marry Hyrule?"
"Why, you thought Ordon would?"
"But-"
"If there is a woman here, of course other measures can be arranged."
"But-"
"I am certain Hyrule has considered it. Perhaps even intends for such an outcome to this treaty."
Link stood speechless. Cantor's chuckle was kind.
"Come now, Link! Ordona demands no oath of celibacy."
Link flushed hotly. "Obviously!" he snapped.
Cantor laughed. "Would it be so terrible? She is considered quite lovely."
"That's not the point! Why didn't you tell me, that you and Ordon planned this?"
"We didn't. At least, not explicitly. However, it is an option to be considered."
Link knew with vibrating fury that Ordon already had baby names picked out.
Cantor chided him. "A calm mind, my child. Essential to controlling your power."
His 'power' wanted to break something. He tamped it down and prayed desperately for control. She was laughing at him, too, but kindly. She soothed him and the anger and embarrassment ran from him like snowmelt.
"If we are finished, I need to ready for the journey."
Cantor nodded approvingly. "Well done. You have much to learn still, but I can only teach you so much here. Go, be courageous, and you will find your way."
Now that he could See Cantor, he realized the sorrow behind the quiet words. Link went to him and knelt before the man's chair. His mentor, a guide, almost a father.
"Thank you, Cantor. I can never repay you."
"You already have, my boy. I am proud of you, of what you have accomplished. Remember this: destiny may be written, but you make the choice. You control the Master Sword. You carry the blessing of the Goddess. No one can take these from you."
Cantor stood painfully. Link embraced him, tears itching his eyes.
"Come home to us, lad."
Link nodded, unable to speak. The Master's words stuck in his throat.
This is my home no longer.
Zelda hoped her worry did not show as she waited for the Champion. Sheik stood at her stirrup, ready to boost her into the saddle. The young man and Ordon stood some ways away, speaking in low voices.
Ordon gripped Link's shoulders, eyes searching his face anxiously. Link smiled and Ordon embraced him.
Zelda fussed with the set of her cuffs. A few minutes later, the Champion's boots crunched over the gravel.
"Are you ready, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, Champion."
But his people would not let him go so easily. His lieutenants came to say good-bye, with much handshaking and back thumping. Firn brought him a cloth wrapped bundle. He peered between the folds.
"To remember who you are," she said, reaching up to stroke his cheek. He kissed her forehead and tucked the package away in a saddle bag.
Enon was indignant. "You promised to teach me to shoot from horseback," he accused. His lip trembled.
Link squatted down to be eye-to-eye with the boy. "I have to do this, Enon. But I will come home when my task is complete. Do you understand?"
Enon nodded, mouth twisted to stop his tears.
"I need you to look after Ordon while I'm gone. Go to your lessons, attend your teachers." Link smiled at the rebellious scowl on Enon's brow. "Davin is to start your training."
Enon opened his eyes wide. "But I am not ten until next harvest!"
"Ordon and I feel you're ready. If you mind your lessons."
"I will, I swear it, Link!"
Link hugged him, laughing as Enon skipped with joy. The servants, the guards; there seemed to be no end to it. Firn even brought Zelda a small parting gift.
"The rest of the azual," she said, handing over the small box of sandalwood. "For your true wedding bath." She dropped a wink. Zelda accepted it gracefully and discretely kicked Sheik when he chuckled.
The people of Ordon paused in their labors and watched them pass. Some waved, a few called well-wishes. Many looked at Link with uncertainty.
Zelda understood their fear. Their prince was leaving them. Not to their border, but far beyond. No soldiers to protect him. Unsure of when or if he would return.
Link drew up at the gate to the valley. Looking back, the fields spread lush. The city stood proud and strong. The King's House rose at the far end, its windows glinting in the sun.
Zelda knew well the longing that crossed the young man's face. She wanted to say something, but before she could find the words, he clicked his tongue and his horse started forward.
They followed the narrow, twisting road. Link turned them up a track that wound up into the hills which protected Ordon from the winds off the plains. Her soldiers continued on, to the bridge and the desert.
It was slow going as the horses labored up the steep slopes. Link and Sheik crafted a crude hitch from rope for their horses to pull a fallen tree from the trail. A rockfall proved difficult, leading the mounts around and through the dense thickets.
Zelda was more than ready to camp by the time Link dismounted in a clearing. Previous travelers had built a fire ring. The main trail continued into the hills, but a smaller path dipped down into a narrow ravine.
The Champion of Ordon seemed intent on speaking as little as possible. He handed her a bowl of food with terse 'Here' and settled on the ground to eat. As Sheik generally was a silent as Link, dinner conversation lagged.
She wondered if he expected her to complain about the rustic conditions. It wasn't cold this time of year, but it certainly wasn't warm. She wrapped herself in her blankets and laid down between Sheik and the embers.
Link sat up for a long time, looking at the stars.
A short night sleep in the wilderness apparently did the Champion good. He made small talk at breakfast as the sun was rising.
"Should make better time today; we've nearly reached the ridge."
Sheik rolled his blankets expertly. "Reminds me of home, across the Great Field in the Faron Woods."
"Trees and rocks?"
"And more trees and more rocks." The men shared a smile and a knot of tension released in her stomach.
Camp was cleared in minutes. Link glanced down the path, the little one leading into the ravine.
"I need to do something, before we leave."
Sheik waved a hand, busy adjusting his saddlebags. Whatever rapport the two had forged over rocky terrain was not enough to allay her suspicions.
"Where does that lead?" she asked.
He had taken something from his pack. "A temple to Ordona."
She followed as he started down the trail. "All the way out here?"
He grunted. Glad he hadn't objected to her presence, she bit down on her questions.
After a short walk, they passed under an arch that wasn't quite natural. It rose out of the boulders, mossy and weatherworn. Another, and another; the remnants of a small temple. Faint sunbeams lit the open space. Any roof had long since fallen.
The statue to Ordona was equally damaged. The hand stretched out in blessing had lichen drooping off the palm. Link went up to the dais itself and stood looking up at his weatherworn Goddess.
In the shadows, weapons lay abandoned. Propped against tree trunks, driven into clefts between rocks, they stood silent and rusting. Only a few still gleamed in the morning light.
"It is customary for an Ordonian soldier to leave a weapon in the goddess' keeping before he goes to battle."
Link unwrapped a small wooden sword. Too short by far for him. It looked to be a child's weapon, maybe a practice sword.
Zelda looked swiftly to his face. It had been his, she was sure. Given to him by Ordon when he was deemed old enough to begin his training. Old enough to start on the path to the Master Sword.
"One prays She will bring him safely home to retrieve it."
Zelda's eyes pricked with tears. "Not all do." She knew this too well.
"No. Some never come home again." He looked at the blades standing silent vigil with the Goddess. How many of them were familiar to him? How many friends had he lost?
He laid the little sword at the statue's feet.
In her own grief, she looked at this young man and saw him more clearly than she had before. Had she really tried, scared of his power and what she feared he would do?
For he was just a boy, a frightened little boy behind the stern warrior's face. A boy with no home, driven by fate, by the need to belong. He had grown strong and risen above his fears. But they were not forgotten.
"Come," he said. She bit her lip, not wanting to cry in front of him. Stupid, getting emotional about some rusty swords.
She blamed her sorrow on this, while fearing that little sword would wait for its master until it rotted away and returned to the earth.