Chapter 2: Famous Scholar of Derter
Link entered what appeared to be the city plaza. A giant marble statue of the Goddess Nayru stood in the center, surrounded by a beautiful fountain. Both birds and children could be seen playing in the fountain. Link glanced around the area, seeking out a shop of some sort. His eyes landed on a building called The Master's Emporium.
Upon entering the shop the cashier greeted Link with a not-so-friendly greeting. "Oh great. A customer. Now I gotta work. Hurry it up, eh buddy?"
Link glared at the rude man, and then began browsing the store's selection. For a simple emporium, the shop had an excellent selection of goods. Masterfully crafted swords, axes, and various other weapons hand on the walls and sat on display tables. Suits of polished armor, traveling gear, food supplies...This store had everything.
Link was in the middle of paying for his supplies (and growing annoyed at the cashiers constant complaining) when a voice from behind spoke to him. "Excuse me, young lad, but may I have a quick word with you?" It was a deep and noble voice, the kind that reminded Link of wise scholars and experienced military generals. Link turned to face the man, and wasn't surprised in the least bit when he saw that the stranger looked like an old scholar. Short brown hair with a little gray; round thick-framed glasses; large gray cloak; a thick book under his arm: if he wasn't a scholar, Link didn't know what he was.
The man smiled when he had Link's attention. "I couldn't help but notice that you have two very exquisite pieces of equipment on your person. Tell me, would you be interested in selling me your sword and shield? My hobby is collecting extravagant items such as those. I can pay any price."
"Sorry, sir, but these aren't for sale. They're the only close-ranged weapons I have."
"Then perhaps you would like to trade? I could give you something from my collection." The old man apparently wasn't going to give up.
"Again, sorry, but no. These are just too valuable for me to give away"
The old man chuckled. "Ah, I see. Can't blame me for trying, I suppose. But where are my manners, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Zelious Cidolphus Zolbag. I used to be a teacher before I retired and became a scholar. And you are?"
"Link Bewolve. I'm on a journey to Mt. Evray." Link picked up his bagged goods and walked out of the shop with Zelious following close behind.
"You seem like a person who knows his mystical items. Perhaps you'd like to come over to my house and view my collection of rarities? It's located across the street from the Golden Palace Hotel."
The thought of getting to see a large collection of rare, and possibly, magical items, made Link's choice clear. "Sure, alright. I'll try to come by later tonight." Link bid farewell, and began making his way back to the inn he had been staying at.
Link entered the room and began putting his supplies into his travel bag. He still had almost a whole week to stay before he had to leave. "Maybe I'll just hang out with Romani for the next couple of days." He remembered the written directions she had given him earlier that day.
Link stared up at the enormous manor where the two sisters lived. "Whoa...It's huge. Just how much money did they win from that lottery?" Link knocked on the oaken door three times. A few moments later, and a very pregnant Cremia answered the door.
"Can I help you, sir?" By the tone of her voice she had apparently been annoyed by Link's interruption.
"I'm, uh, hear to see Roman-"
"Listen hear, you! I'm getting sick and tired of you lonely drunks coming here and bothering my little sister! Just because she works at that bar doesn't mean she's interested in creeps like you!"
Link was struck speechless. Cremia had always had a temper problem, but... "Does she not remember who I am? If Romani recognized me, why can't she?" Link's voice finally returned to him and he asked, "You don't recognize me? It's me, Link." Cremia looked as if she was trying desperately to recognize the name. Link gave an annoyed sigh. "Four years ago in Termina I helped defend your shipment of milk from a group of bandits, became your sister's best friend, helped her fend off the aliens-"
Cremia's eyes lit up, having finally recognized Link. "Oh, that Link! Only one person was crazy enough to believe Romani about those aliens! Gosh, you've really grown in four years! You've grown so much I didn't even recognize you. Still a little on the short side, though."
Link felt crushed after that comment. He hated it when people joked about his height; so it was no surprise to him when everybody back in Clock Town had done it. "It's not my fault I'm short..." "That was a cheap shot. Besides, Romani is shorter than me! Speaking of Romani, is she hear? She invited me over when we met earlier today at the bar."
"No, she hasn't come home yet. Her work shift just ended though; she'll be back in about half an hour, probably." She motioned Link inside of the enormous mansion. "Come on in and make yourself at home. I'll fix you up something to eat."
Link nodded his thanks, and walked through the door. He assumed the room he had entered was the living room. Large, plush couches and chairs were laid against the walls; chandeliers made from solid gold hung from the ceilings; expensive water paintings and family photographs (Link noticed that one in particular was from the time when Epona had kicked him in the groin after a failed fence jump) decorated the walls and sat on small oaken tables; a beautiful velvet rug covered the rooms solid wood floor.
Setting in one of the chairs by the fireplace was Viscen, reading some sort of novel. He looked up when he noticed Link and Cremia. "Who's this? Romani's new boyfriend? He looks kind of familiar..." His gaze returned to the novel he had been reading.
"Wow...I hardly recognized him out of a suit of armor." Instead of wearing armor and holding a spear, Viscen now wore black silk clothes fit for a noble. His short auburn hair was combed back and he had a neatly trimmed goatee of the same color.
"This is Link, Viscen. You know, the short kid-" Link's frown deepened. "-that was always running around with masks and those misfit Bomber Gang kids back in Termina." She pointed to a chair across from Viscen. "Have a seat, Link. Romani should be back in a little bit." She then turned on her heel and walked in the direction of what Link assumed was the kitchen.
"So," Viscen said causally as Link sat down and removed his hat, "What brings you this far away from Termina? If I remember correctly, you once said you came from the Hyrule Kingdom. Quite a distance you've travelled." Viscen still hadn't looked up from his book.
"I'm searching for a friend of mine. Last I heard, she was heading towards Mt. Evray."
"Hmmm..." Either his book was really interesting, or he felt no need to question Link further.
"So, how do you like living in the big city? Romani told me what had happened when we met at the inn."
Viscen gave a lazy yawn. "To tell you the truth, I love it here. I now work as a bank manager. Much better job than when I was spending countless hours arguing with the mayor and that damned carpenter back in Termina." Link remembered that argument well. One could hear the arguing two men cussing up a storm on the other side of town. "Cremia likes it here as well. She always said she liked city life better than living on a ranch. Romani, on the other hand..." Viscen's voice trailed off as the front door slammed shut. "Well, speak of the devil."
Standing in the doorway was a very angry Romani. "I swear, if that Kent guy tries to grope me one more time I'm gonna kick him in the nuts so hard he'll fly to the moon!"
"Attagirl," Viscen mumbled without looking up from his novel.
"Hey Romani."
"Oh, Link." Romani began to blush, embarrassed about the little outburst she had just had. "Didn't see you there."
"Eat more healthy foods, boy. It'll make you grow taller." Viscen smirked slightly as Link scowled at him.
"Shut up, Viscen." He merely chuckled at Romani's statement and went back to reading. "Link?" She looked him square in the eye. "Take me to see Epona." She turned around and then stomped out through the door.
"Geez," Link thought. "She's in a really bad mood." Nevertheless, he took her to the stables where Epona was being held at; while going there he told Romani of his adventures after leaving Termina. Romani's favorite part of the story was when Link talked about a lost fairy he had helped return home; according to Link the fairy, whose name was Epheremelda, had had a huge crush on Link. She had annoyed Link more than Tatl had. He had also apparently helped out a few other kingdoms during the past four years. He talked about how he had helped save the kingdoms of Labrynna and Holodrum. He even mentioned an island called Koholint, though he couldn't remember anything else about it for some reason.
"So," Romani replied casually as they neared the stables, "you ever plan on going back there?"
"Hyrule? One of these days...maybe. There isn't much left for me there. Although, if Navi wants to go back after I find her I probably won't have much of a choice." They approached the stables and Epona neighed happily at the sight of Link.
"Gosh, she's really grown over the last few years." Epona apparently was able to recognize Romani immediately for she bowed her head and allowed the young girl to begin brushing her fur. They spent the rest of the afternoon together with Epona. Noticing the moon rising into the sky, Link remembered his appointment with Zelious.
"It's getting pretty late, Romani. We should probably head back." After escorting Romani back to her large house Link began making his way towards Zelious's domain.
Zelious's house was bizarre looking, to say the least. It was a rusty-colored dome building. Sticking out from the top of the house was an enormous telescope used for star gazing. The doors were shaped like half-circles, and the windows resembled crescent moons. Link knocked on the door three times before he heard an annoyed female voice, followed by a deep laugh from whom he assumed was Zelious. Zelious opened the door and greeted Link warmly. Setting on his shoulder was a fairy with a green glow and an angry scowl on her face.
"Hello there, Link. Well, don't just stand there, come on in." Link followed him inside of the strange house. It was very warm inside, reminding Link of a summer day. The inside was just as bizarre as the outside. Maps detailing different star constellations and sketches of mythical creatures covered the living room table and hung from the walls. "Glad that you stopped by, Link. Ah, but before I let you browse through my collection allow me to introduce you to my fairy companion. Schala, come and greet our welcomed guest."
Schala flew lazily towards Link. Unlike Navi, whose wings had given off a gentle blue light, Schala's wings gave off a dim green glow. Like all other female fairies, she wore a simple white one-piece dress made of silk. Her skin was a light tan color, and her hair was a dark leaf green, as were here eyes. "Nice to meet you, shorty." Her tone was heavy with sarcasm.
"Why is it that every fairy I've met since Navi left ends up being a complete jerk, annoying, or both?" Link made a rude gesture at her with his middle finger.
Zelious gave a light chuckle. "You'll have to forgive Schala. Though she possesses a genius intelligence, she has a rather rude and sarcastic attitude. Please, take no offense. She didn't mean to offend you." He gave Schala a death glare. "Right, Schala?"
"R-right," she muttered, feeling ashamed at having made her master annoyed with her. "Sorry." She had spoken that word so low that both Link and Zelious hadn't even heard her.
"Now, Link, if you'll be so kind as to follow me, I will lead you to the room where I house my rarities."
Link followed Zelious down a long and spiraling staircase; Schala's green glow was the only light they had while walking down the dizzying staircase. After about five more minutes of walking they finally reached the bottom. "It's gonna be a real killer to walk back up that thing."
Zelious opened a large metal door that let out a loud and nerve grating groan. The three stepped into the dark room, and Link watched as Zelious raised his hand in the air, as if grabbing for something. Zelious found what he was looking for, grabbed it, and pulled. The room was immediately flooded with a dull light. Link suppressed a gasp as he laid his eyes on the glorious contents stored within the room. Seven feet tall bookshelves covered the walls, full of ancient books and scrolls. Locked away in display cases were enchanted pieces of equipment of all types. Small yew tables were peppered with glimmering jewelry that Link assumed were also enchanted with magical properties of some sort.
"Quite a splendid collection, eh Link?" Zelious's eyes glimmered with amusement when he saw the stunned look on Link's face. "Been knocked speechless, have you? Go on, feel free to take a look around. I'd be more than happy to explain the history of these unique artifacts. But don't touch anything. With all these magical enchantments in one room you could blow the entire city off its foundation if you did something wrong."
Link spent the next few hours learning about some of Zelious's artifacts. A few items in particular had really grabbed hold of Link's attention. The first was an elegant looking gold mask Zelious had identified as the Hero's Charm, a mask that allowed the wearer to gaze at an enemy's very soul and judge their level of power. It had been forged by a long dead blacksmith that was famous for making masks. While making his final mask he had journeyed to find the Fairy Queen so he could give the mask to her as a gift. Grateful for his generosity, she blessed the mask with the magical power it now held.
Other items that had really grabbed his interest were a set of medallions that housed great magical power, and a large book that listed and taught a number of useful spells. Zelious, however, knew nothing of their origins. Their origins dated too far back in time for even Zelious to discover them.
After hours of browsing through Zelious's collection the three finally went back upstairs to the living room. Link had been invited to stay for dinner; he was starving so he greedily accepted the invitation, and all throughout supper Schala had scolded him for his "piggy table manners".
"So," Zelious asked Link as they finished their supper, "What do you know about the country your in?"
Link hadn't been expecting that question. "Uh, well, to be honest...Not much at all."
"Hmmm..." Zelious seemed to be thinking something. "Well, if you don't mind staying an extra hour I could inform you of this country's history, as well as the current problems it has been going through lately."
Now this was something that really grabbed Link's attention. "Sounds like a good deal to me."
"Good. I'm sure that this information will come in useful in the near future. T'would be a shame is you ventured deeper into the country without knowing of the civil war that will most likely start in the next few months."
Link's eyes widened. "Civil war!?"
"Aye. Many don't think it will happen, but when one takes a good look at the current relationship between the three princes it becomes obvious that civil war is inevitable. After their father died the triplets began fighting over who would rule the kingdom. It's not long before their petty skirmishes get out of hand and get the whole country involved."
"This," Link said to himself, "is going to be one interesting history lesson."