HM: Hello my pointy-eared people! Welcome to the redone chapter two of RTS! I'm not going to be rambling on and on but I will say this, let me know what you guys think of the chapter. Without further ado, on with the story!

(Edited 03.19.2016)

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Chapter II: Ruined Routine

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Link

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It was a peaceful morning in Ordon. I had started my day by tending to Fado's goats, finishing by noon. After I was done, Ilia had taken my horse, Epona, to Ordon Spring for some much needed (in her opinion) pampering. I was lazing by the creek, eyes closed and enjoying the sun on my skin and the breeze in my hair. The scent of the various flowers and plants that grew along the banks of the creek tickled my nostrils while the sounds of the babbling creek and buzzing of various insects soothed my ears.

I was just about to fall asleep, when I heard it.

My eyes snapped open when I heard Ilia scream and Epona whinny. I jumped to my feet quicker than a Zora in water and ran towards the spring. It was a good thing I had my wooden sword on my back, since I didn't know if they were in danger or not.

I saw Uli peek out of her house and look towards the spring in concern. Her husband, Rusl, was coming back from Hyrule Castle Town, but wouldn't be back until much later.

"LINK!" Ilia yelled in panic, driving me to pump my legs harder and run faster towards the spring.

I entered the spring and saw a pale-faced Ilia with her hand over her mouth and Epona going crazy.

Looking in the direction she was looking in, I saw what it was that had her so worked up, and I went pale myself.

Lying not too far away was a boy about eighteen, wearing a silver jacket, silvery trousers with an odd design, and black boots with strings on them. He had his back turned to us, so I couldn't see his face. He was lying in a puddle of his own blood, staining the white sand into an angry red color. His ears were long and pointed, showing that he was Hylian, though his hair was a silver color.

Motioning for Ilia to stay where she was, I slowly walked over to him. When I came around to his front, I saw that he was wearing what used to be a thin white tunic. I say used to, because he had a large gash on his abdomen that was steadily leaking blood. His eyes were half-lidded, and I saw a flash of crimson.

I put my sword away and turned him onto his back, seeing that his eyes were closed and his face was deathly pale. I tried to apply some pressure on the wound, but it was too big.

"Ilia! Get Fado! And the cart!" I ordered.

She stood there, trembling and eyes watering.

"Go!" I yelled again, a little more forcefully this time.

She nodded shakily and ran out on Epona, getting back to the village faster than if she had run by foot.

She came back a few moments later with Fado and Jaggle, the latter of whom was pushing a square-shaped wheelbarrow.

"Din, Nayru and Farore, what happened to 'im?" Jaggle asked, eyes going wide when he saw the boy.

I shook my head and gestured to the cart with my head. He nodded and set it down. Between the three of us, we were able to lift him slowly onto the wheelbarrow and used some hay to soften it for him.

"Ilia, go let Uli know that we're comin'." Fado commanded.

The girl nodded and ran as fast as she could to the healer.

Meanwhile, Jaggle lifted the wheelbarrow and we went as fast as we could, Fado and I keeping the boy steady and covering him up with one of the blankets I keep on Epona. We entered the village and rushed straight to Uli's where Colin was holding the door open for us.

We stopped in front of the door and lifted the silver-haired stranger out of the wheelbarrow. We went inside the house, where Uli had already gotten everything ready.

"Just set 'im down there fellas. Ilia, sweetie, fill up the kettle with some water and get me some rags please. Fado, get me the wheatgrass scotch, it's in the last cupboard on the left. And no drinkin' from it now, ya hear? Colin, get me the bandages from the cabinet dear." The pregnant woman ordered.

The three sped off and got her the things she needed. "Much appreciated. Ilia, put the kettle over the fire, sweetie, please. Link, can you be a dear and get a pair of Rusl's old trousers?" She asked.

I nodded and went in the direction of the room husband and wife shared. While I was looking for a good pair for the boy, I could hear Uli bark more orders to the men.

"Gently, Jaggle! Goddesses above, you're gonna make it worse!"

"Ilia sweetie, you look pale, why don't you go to the kitchen and drink a nice glass of pumpkin juice. In fact, you look pale too Fado. Go sit in the kitchen with her, wouldja?"

"Jaggle, if I have to tell you one more goddesses-darn time to be gentle, I'm gonna tell your wife!"

"Link dear, were you able to find a good pair? I'm runnin' outta helpful hands 'ere."

I finally got an older pair and ran back into the room, where the two were trying to get the boy out of his clothes. So far, they had only gotten one of his boots and jacket off, though the jacket was only half-off. Uli looked in my direction and smiled brightly. "There ya are Link! Be a dear and help me out with this. Jaggle, pour the hot water into a bowl and take the kettle to Ilia so she can put on some tea."

I laid the trousers down on a chair and went over to Uli, where she knelt down to work on his other boot. I placed my hand on her shoulder and shook my head. She smiled up and me and grunted as I helped her up.

She went to take his jacket off and I worked on the knot the strings made on his boot. I was finally able to get it off and revealed a white stocking, though it was thicker and shorter than a stocking I had seen some Castle Town residents wear. I laid the boot next to the other one.

I helped Uli slip his jacket off and we gently laid him back down on the ground, where we had put him.

"Get me my sewing shears from my knitting basket over there dearie please." She said.

I nodded and retrieved the shears, handing them over to her.

"Lift up his shirt slightly, so I can cut it."

I nodded and did so, lifting it upwards a small amount. She snipped the shirt until it was cut in half, then she cut it down towards the sleeves, so that it revealed his torso.

"Link, grab a rag, soak it in the water, and dab the wound on his stomach." She muttered.

I nodded in understanding and did what she said, cleaning up the wound so she could take a look at it.

"Sweet Nayru, what happened to 'im?" She questioned, voice quivering slightly. "Link, go to the medicine chest and get me a bottle of red potion. It's gonna take a lot more than a bit of scotch to patch this up. I'll take care of that nasty cut on his head."

I nodded and went into their room again. I opened a chest and pulled out a glass bottle filled with a red liquid. I rushed back to Uli and saw that she was finishing up with his head and inspecting his torso.

"Thank the goddesses he's stopped bleeding, but I don't like how pale he is. He's lost a lot of blood. Poor dear. Link, rub some of that red potion in, wouldja?"

I uncorked the bottle, poured a bit of the potion on another rag, and gently dabbed some of it on the wound. The effects were instantaneous. The gash stopped bleeding and the skin knit itself together a bit. A small amount of color came back to his cheeks and his breathing steadied a bit.

"Thank Din. It's gonna take a bit more, but I think the worst is over. What did this, do ya reckon?"

I looked over the wound. "Sword." I said. "Somethin' was tryin' to kill 'im."

"Goddesses above, the poor boy. Link, help me wrap up that nasty sword gash with some bandages." She said, her natural motherly instincts kicking in.

I nodded and went behind him. I gently lifted him up and his head rolled to the side on my shoulder, where we both saw something odd.

"What in Din's name..." Uli trailed off.

A mark in the shape of an eye with two lashes curling upwards, three triangular lashes on top, and shedding a tear was etched onto the right side of his neck.

We both looked at each other, a silent question passing between us: Who was this boy?

Uli shook her head and went back to the task at hand. She gently wrapped the bandage around him and firmly tied it into a knot.

"There! Now that that's done, let's take a look at this gash on his leg. Could you help me take his trousers off dear?"

I nodded and held him up while she undid his trousers and slipped them off. We were able to get a better look at the slash on his leg. Just like the one on his abdomen, a sword had stabbed him in the thigh, just above the knee. Thankfully, it wasn't that deep and Uli was able to clean and dress the wound.

Once she was done, we slipped Rusl's old trousers onto him. When we had finished, Uli sighed and wiped her brow. "Goddesses! If y'all hadn't 've gotten there in time... sweet Nayru I don't wanna even think about what could've happened!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, he was in pretty bad shape. Hope Ilia's alright, she got quite a shock." I agreed.

Uli nodded. "She'll be right as rain in no time. Nothing can keep that girl down, she's just 'bout as wild as Fado's goats!" She said with a chuckle.

I smiled and chuckled a bit. "How long he'll be out, ya reckon?" I asked.

Uli placed her hand on her chin and hummed. "Well, I reckon it'll be awhile, if not a couple'a days. I'm gonna get dinner ready for tonight. You stayin', right Link?"

I smiled widely and nodded.

She laughed and rubbed her swollen belly. "That's what I thought. Link, could you keep an eye on 'im? I'm gonna take a nap after I get dinner ready, all the stress ain't right for the baby."

I nodded and she patted my shoulder, then disappearing into the kitchen.

I made myself comfortable in a chair and passed the time by humming a tune I heard a long time ago. Eventually, I found myself looking at the boy. The color had returned to his skin and I could see a faint silver glow around him, which was odd, but I assumed it was a trick of the light, so I didn't dwell on it.

The sun was setting and I knew that Rusl would be back by the time Uli woke up from her nap. Jaggle, Fado, and Ilia had left some time ago, so it was just the three of us in the house, as Uli had sent Colin with the other village kids before she started on dinner.

When it was still twilight, I saw the stranger stirring. He attempted to sit up from his lying position on the ground and I rushed to slow him down.

"Hey, take it easy." I said softly. "You got hurt pretty badly. Are you dizzy?"

He nodded, eyes still closed, and I grasped his shoulder to steady him.

"Alright. I'm gonna move you a bit, ok? On three. One. Two... three." I grabbed him from under his arms and bore his weight as I lifted him from the ground onto the couch.

He groaned a bit, but other than that, he made no other noise.

"There we go." I said once I deposited him on the couch. "That better?"

He nodded minutely and weakly rose his head. His eyes blearily opened and he looked around himself in confusion. "Ο οποίος? Που*?" His eyes then locked onto me and his demeanor changed completely.

Next thing I knew, he was on top of me, his left arm pressing against my chest and the feeling of cold steel on my neck, eyes of crimson glaring at me. "Who are you and where have you taken me, αρσενικός**?"

Gin

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I was in agony. It felt like a cyclops had been using me as a stress ball and a tennis ball... at the same time. Did cyclopses play tennis?

I felt myself lying on my back and groaned. The pain diminished partially, but it was still there. I felt someone hold me in a sitting position and I could smell hay, the forest, and horse.

"Hey, take it easy." I heard a soft voice tell me. "You got hurt pretty badly. Are you dizzy?"

No. I'm perfectly fine, the room isn't spinning even while my eyes are closed. Nope. Not at all. OF COURSE I'M DIZZY! I only had the strength to nod and I felt the person grab my shoulder.

"Alright. I'm gonna move you a bit, ok? On three. One. Two... three." I felt them lift me from under my arms and place me on something comfortable. "There we go." The person said. "Is that better?"

I weakly nodded and slowly rose my head which was pounding like a Laistrygonian Giant was using it for a drum. My eyes slowly opened and I was met with the sight of a cozy room. "What? Where?"

My vision then met the person sitting next to me. Now, being raised by men-hating women since I was a baby, you CANNOT fault me for my first reaction... though I will admit it was a little... excessive?

As soon as I saw the male sitting next to me, I summoned a hunting knife, held it against his neck, and pressed against his chest with my left arm across it. I was straddling him, my knees pinning his thighs together and pressing against his arms, restricting his movement.

"Who are you, and where have you taken me, male?" I hissed. Unbeknownst to me, I had slipped into the language Ghirahim had been speaking, and the one the boy spoke.

His eyes went wide and I was able to get a better look at my captive. He was a bit older than me, about his early twenties. He had dirty blonde hair that swept across his forehead, clear blue eyes wide with fright, long pointed ears, an indigo hoop in his right ear, and sun-kissed skin.

When he failed to respond, I growled. "Tell me NOW, male!" I demanded.

"What in Din's name is goin' on out there?" I heard a woman's voice ask.

A pregnant woman walked in, hands on her hips and a scowl on her lips. When she saw us, she gasped. "Oh my! Link, are you alright hun?" She asked in concern. She then turned towards me, a frown on her face. "Now, I don't know who in Hylia's name you think you are, young man, but we don't go 'round wavin' knives at respectful folk in these parts, especially those who saved you from dyin'!" She exclaimed sternly.

Caught off-guard, my hold on the boy loosened, and he immediately turned me over so that I was on the couch and he held my wrists securely. The thing was, he was surprisingly gentle throughout, only using enough strength to restrain and not wound. I tried to move my arms, but he held a tight grip on them, and the woman was too close for me to kick out.

Sighing deeply, I went lax in his hold and let go of my knife, where it promptly disappeared.

"There now, that's better. Let's just take a deep breath an' calm ourselves down. Are you ok hun? Did your wounds reopen?" She asked.

I shook my head and the boy let me go, eyeing me warily.

She sighed in relief and sagged into a chair. "That's good to hear. Now that that nasty business is outta the way, we can talk a bit. My name's Uli. That young man right there is Link. He and a couple of the other villagers brought you here from the spring."

I nodded respectfully to her and eyed the boy critically, his blue eyes doing the same to me. Our gazes met and I grudgingly nodded. "Thank you. For saving me."

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't hate men. I mean, I am one Hades-dammit! However, my mother and sisters DO hate men, and most of them for good reason too. Being around that environment, I don't necessarily hate men, as that would be kinda stupid, but I was wary around the ones I didn't know well. I guess, you could say that I was indifferent and cold to other guys.

I realized that it was kind of unfair for me to react the way that I did towards him, and I sighed softly. "I'm... sorry, for earlier. It wasn't right what I did." I said somewhat grudgingly, the words tasting bitter in my mouth, or that could've been my parched throat, who knows?

The boy gazed at me for awhile longer, then smiled softly and shook his head. "It's alright. You wake up after somethin' bad happenin' to ya, and find yerself in a strange place. I don't fault you for that." His voice was low and soft, as if he didn't use it often. It was a voice that would make a girl blush.

I closed my eyes and inclined my head a bit in acknowledgement. "Speaking of, where am I?"

"Yer in Ordon Village, the capital of Ordon Province in the Southern area of Hyrule." Uli said. "What's yer name sweetie?"

"Ginkage Higure. But everyone mostly calls me Gin." I replied.

"And where you from?" She questioned curiously.

"The Northwest." I lied smoothly.

Uli gasped and Link raised an eyebrow. "Snowpeak?! But... no one lives up there!" Uli exclaimed.

I filed the name away for later and shrugged. "That's where I was raised. My mother and sisters are hunters, so we travel a lot. I ended up near here and was attacked by a man named Ghirahim." I said. It wasn't a total lie, but it wasn't the entirety of the truth either.

"Now, when you say ya ended up near here…" Uli trailed off, a signal for me to clarify.

"My mother, sisters, and I wander throughout the land. They had gone on ahead of me and I tried to catch up with them. I was attacked by Ghirahim and he chased me to the forest." I saw Link's eyes narrow slightly, but he said nothing. I knew that it was going to take a lot of Mist-manipulating to make him believe me.

"How long did ya travel fer?" He asked finally.

I shrugged noncommittally. "Not sure. I wasn't really paying attention."

His eyes narrowed a bit more, but he said nothing.

"If ya don't mind me askin', where'd ya get that mark on yer neck from?" Uli's voice questioned.

Almost unconsciously, I raised my hand to the eye-shaped mark and rubbed it. "I've had it for as long as I can remember. My Mother told me that I had it when her and my Father found me as a baby."

Uli's and Link's curiosity was peaked. "Found ya?" Uli inquired.

"Yeah. Her and my Father found me wrapped in a blanket, abandoned. They took me in and taught me their magic." I responded.

Upon hearing that, Uli's eyes conveyed sympathy and pity. Link's blue eyes softened and I sensed that his guard was almost completely down.

"You poor boy! Link 'ere is our adopted son too. Goddesses bless the ones who took you in." Uli looked to be on the verge of crying while she gazed upon Link with a loving smile. He turned and smiled in return.

It was a bit ironic that she said that, since my adoptive parents were, in fact, gods.

Link focused back onto me, smile still in place, and gave me a respectful incline of his head.

It was then that something occurred to me. "Did you guys by any chance see a golden bow and a quiver?"

They pondered for a moment, but shook their heads no. Closing my eyes, I attempted to summon them. I heard a gasp from Uli as a familiar weight was felt on my back. However, I couldn't feel my bow. At all. My heart sank a bit when I kept trying but felt nothing.

I opened my eyes and saw both Link and Uli gazing at my quiver in awe and curiosity.

"I know ya said ya knew magic, but we ain't seen a good magician in Ordon fer so long, we thought there weren't none left. Granted, my husband's the only one who goes to Castle Town, and they have magical objects, but this! Wow!" Uli gushed.

Link rose an eyebrow and tilted his head, his ears twitching slightly. "I thought ya said ya had a bow."

I sighed in slight sadness at that. "I did, but I have no idea what happened to that."

He gazed at me in sympathy.

The door opened abruptly and a man with dirty blonde hair walked in. He turned light green eyes towards me and blinked in surprise. Another man walked in behind him, a slightly portly one.

"Rusl, sweetie! Welcome back! How was yer trip?" Uli asked.

The tall man gazed at Uli lovingly. I felt no malice from him, but I still kept my guard up. He looked at me and I could tell that he was thinking along similar lines.

"Rusl, this is Gin. Ilia found him banged up purty badly in Ordon Spring. We got 'im 'ere in time, though. Gin, this is my husband, Rusl." Uli explained.

Rusl nodded and looked me up and down, sizing me up. Uli, noticing this, discreetly swat his leg.

The short, fat man beamed at me. "Howdy there! I'm Bo, mayor of Ordon. When my girl Ilia came to the house, pale as a Poe, I HAD ta find out what happened, ya see. So, when she told me, I waited 'til Rusl 'ere got back from Castle Town so's we could formally welcome ya ta our little slice of the Sacred Realm!" He introduced.

All of us blinked more than a few times. "Umm… thanks?" I honestly didn't know what else to say.

Mayor Bo beamed brightly and came over to clap me on the back, making me wince a bit.

"Bo! He's still a-hurtin! Ya can't just up and slap 'im on the back!" Uli's face turned red as she glowered at the mayor, who put his hands up in surrender.

"Where ya from lad?" Rusl asked finally.

"The Northeast."

And… there was the guarded expression. However, it only lasted for a moment. Once he made eye-contact with Link, a silent conversation passed between them. Rusl ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and smiled softly at me. "Well, ya here now. And ya can't leave anytime soon, 'countin fer yer injuries. Link, can he stay with ya, 'till he's back on 'is feet?"

Link nodded and sent me a small smile, which I returned.

Bo clapped his hands loudly, and my left eye started to twitch. The mortal was getting on my nerves. "Welp, now we got that settled, I smell something good. Yer cookin' Uli?"

Said healer groaned while Link hid a small chuckle.

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After a hearty meal of some kind of stew, I slowly followed Link out of the Healer's home and we both walked side-by-side towards the treeline. The night air was cool and caressed my skin, my hair fluttering and being swept back. The sounds of the nocturnal wildlife filled my ears with their music, and the scent of the forest filled me with no small amount of bliss.

"Enjoyin' yerself?" Link asked in amusement.

My eyes snapped open, though I didn't remember closing them, and turned towards the boy. He was smirking a bit and had his arms crossed, clearly finding my actions amusing.

I huffed and crossed my own arms. "What's it to ya?" I grumbled.

He laughed at that and shook his head. "Ain't nothin'. Ya just looked so peaceful there fer a moment." He said. "Not that I blame ya. It gets mighty purty out 'ere come nighttime, especially durin' the summer." He sounded wistful.

I hummed in agreement and we continued to walk in silence.

"Hey, Link?" I asked some minutes later.

He made a grunt of acknowledgement.

"I… just wanted to thank you, for letting me stay with you. Especially after… well, you know…" My cheeks and the tips of my ears burned a bit when I remembered how I had threatened him when I woke up.

He turned to me and smiled widely. "Think nothin' of it. Water under the bridge. I did wanna ask ya somethin', though, if ya don't mind."

At this point, I would've told him that my adoptive parents are gods. That's how guilty I felt, though I didn't know why.

I nodded and motioned for him to go ahead.

"I couldn't help but notice that the only one ya didn't seem uncomfortable with was Uli. Even now, I can still feel that yer a bit… distant?"

I was silent for a moment, wondering how I should answer him. After a few minutes of thinking, I decided to just tell him the truth… on that anyways.

"My Mother and sisters have had bad experiences with men. Most of them have been abused by fathers, grandfathers, lovers, just… vile men. My mother and sisters generally hate most men. Mother says that there are some men who are good and pure, but that they are too easily corrupted and too few." I finally answered.

He hummed, but said nothing for a moment. "Well, in a way, I can understand."

I was slightly startled from the abruptness of the comment.

"I mean, if I'd been mistreated by someone I trusted, I would be angry. Heck, more than angry I reckon." He elaborated. He sent me another smile. This guy really liked to smile a lot, I noticed. "We're almost at the house."

It took me a moment to realize that we had been walking down a small forest path. When I regained my bearings, we were at the base of a large tree surrounded by several other trees. A ladder led up to a wooden balcony and a doorway was covered by a red cloth.

"Well, home sweet home." Link sighed, stretching.

A thought then occurred to him and he turned to me. "Ya reckon you'll be able to climb up?" His voice conveyed concern, and I was honestly touched.

I approached the ladder and attempted to climb up, only to wince as my wounds were aggravated. Link was immediately by my side and he gently pulled me off the ladder. "Goddesses-dammit. How in the Dark World is ya gonna git up there?" He muttered to himself.

His eyes widened and his right arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me up with surprising strength and carrying me wounded-soldier-style up the ladder. I was worried that he wouldn't have enough strength to carry both of us up and that he would drop me, but, surprisingly, he was able to easily carry us both up the ladder into the treehouse.

He deposited me gently on the ground and I glared at him slightly. I mean, the gesture was appreciated, but did he really have to carry me like I was helpless?

"Dependin' on how long yer gonna be stayin', you can take the bed fer now."

"You don't have to do that, I can sleep on the floor." I argued.

He snorted and waved his hand in dismissal. "Ain't nothin'. 'Sides, Uli'll have my hide if she finds out I let ya sleep on the floor. I swear, she can be scarier than a pack of rabid Wolfos!" He chuckled.

I glanced around the house. It was small, but homey. It was obviously built only for one and was split into two levels. The lower level had a small kitchen, consisting of a sink, icebox, and table. There was a small living area off to the right, and there was a small bookcase next to a ladder leading to the second "floor".

"Now, it's been a heck of a day, and you need to rest. Ya need help getting up the ladder?" There was a hint of amusement in his eyes as I huffed and climbed up the ladder without wincing to spite him.

I heard him chuckling down below and the rustling of fabric. "Night Gin, may the Goddesses watch over ya." I heard him say before he yawned.

I hummed in acknowledgement, not really registering what he said as I took in the sight on top of the bed.

Sitting there innocently, glinting in the moonlight, was the golden harp.

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HM: Here's the revamped chapter 2 you guys! Hope y'all liked it, and I hope I did justice to the country accent. I figured since Ordon was technically a rural area, they would have country accents, so let me know how I did and stay tuned for the revamped chapter 3!

*What? Where?

**male.