Author's Note: This chapter introduces a new major character. You'll find out how he's connected to everyone else by the end of the chapter, and after a few chapters the story will be written from Chusai and Link's perspective once more.

Seventeen Years Later…

As the sun rose on Refugee Village, its inhabitants shouldered their farming tools for a long day of work in the fields. The dusty main road wound through the small but neat houses and shops made of stone and thatch, where a blacksmith lit his furnace and the innkeeper hung out laundry to dry.

So named for its founders and inhabitants for the three hundred years since then, Refugee Village lay between a series of unsettled countries. Most of the inhabitants were Kando, some of whom had been living in the village for generations. As the Kando people had endured a civil war for many years, and could easily pick out their enemies by their clan tattoos, Refugee Village housed many that were the last of their clan.

The rest of the town came from the bordering countries of Mereditha, Lotai, and Elessi, as well as such far-flung places as Tamury, Hyrule, and Rikami. Over the years, many had intermarried, though a few traits tended to dominate over the others. The Kando had their brilliantly colored hair, in shades of ebony, red, and gold; the Lotai their tall stature; the Hylians their pointed ears.

Maline Rumo, a young Lotai woman with the thin bones and flyaway hair of one never able to find enough food early in life, finished helping the innkeeper pin up the day's laundry. She headed toward the town pump, bucket in hand. Brushing her mousy brown hair out of her face, she leaned on the pump handle with all her weight, then jumped back as it hit the bottom. Several times she jumped on the creaky, rusty pump, until her bucket filled with water. Resting for a moment, she heaved the bucket upward, following the young man she had played with as a child and now admired as a possible husband. Watching him leave the inn, her eyes lingered on his red Kando hair tied back in a long ponytail, his skin tanned deep and his shoulders broad from hard work in the hot sun, and the warm smile he gave her upon turning around and seeing her there. "You should say something, or I'd keep walking," he told her.

She blushed. For years they had run through the town side by side, but recently she had begun to see him as more than a close friend. "Ogadai Soduso…this bucket is so heavy I can hardly talk." Puffing, she set it down.

He gave her a knowing smile. "You should just ask. You know it's no trouble for me to give you a hand." He reached out and picked up the bucket. She looked at the tattoo on the back of his hand, three small chrysanthemums enclosed in a circle. "I heard a new Kando person moved in yesterday. Did you meet her?"

Ogadai nodded, frowning. "She didn't have my family's crest."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right." He turned to her and smiled. "I just wish I could meet someone else from the Soduso family. Mother says my father was the last one, but new clans that spent years hiding in the mountains come up all the time…"

Maline laughed as she touched his pointed ears. "If you inherited something more on her side of the family, maybe you wouldn't be so obsessed with it."

Growing sober once more, Ogadai asked, "Do you ever wonder what your mother was like?"

"Sometimes. It's hard to miss someone you don't remember. I guess you must think about your father a lot. Busan from school managed to trace his father's family in Meraditha, though, so I guess you just have to keep trying."

Ogadai nodded. "I wish I had more to go on than just him being a Kando farmer, but I guess farmers don't have lengthy genealogies like nobles do." They reached the edge of the fields, and after nodding to Ogadai, Maline brought her water around to the people already working hard in the fields.

About an hour later, she finished her rounds and came back to Ogadai, He sat down for a bit of rest, adjusting the rope belt on his peasant's tunic. Offering him the last of the water, she asked eagerly, "Can you show me any new moves that Junsun taught you?" As Ogadai put his finger to his lips, she laughed. "Asana can't see or hear us from here. Your mother hardly ever leaves her inn, for goodness' sake."

Ogadai grumbled a little, but picked up his hoe and began swinging it. "I wish I didn't have to practice quarterstaff in secret. I keep telling her that we have to be able to defend ourselves, being surrounded by hostile countries, but she won't listen to me." He twirled the hoe over his head and flicked it to the side.

Maline shrugged. "I expect losing her husband in the Fourth Kando Rebellion killed her taste for combat. Lots of people here are like that…some of the biggest pacifists were soldiers in the armies."

Ogadai opened his mouth to reply, when a terrified shriek rent through the air. He whirled round to see Ota, a friend from school, flying through the field screaming, "Monster! It's a monster!"

The ground trembled slightly and an angry roar shattered the still morning. Out of the woods bordering the fields came a gigantic wild boar, at least as tall as a full-grown man and twice as wide. It tore up the ground with its sharp feet, swinging its huge tusks at the people who fled in its path.

Ogadai grabbed Maline's arm and pulled her away from the creature, taking shelter behind the huge bell that served as the town's emergency alarm. He picked up the padded stick by its side and pounded upon it, the deep rings echoing throughout the village. Soon men armed with blacksmiths' tools and old swords swarmed the fields, but the monster boar brushed them aside with a few swings of its head. It resumed tearing up the fields, as if intent on starving out the village.

Suddenly Maline grabbed Ogadai's arm and pointed. "Look!"

He followed her hand and saw his mother, Asana, riding her old horse toward the creature, her hunting bow in her hand. Drawing back an arrow, Asana flicked her hand open and the arrow buried itself in the creature's left eye. The villagers cheered, but they were drowned out by the angry howls of the monster.

"Hiiii! Get back! Get outta here, pigpigpigpigpig!" Asana whooped as if it were a loose sow, brandishing a bullwhip and cracking it over the creature's head. The monster roared in anger and charged her; she twitched her horse aside and brought the whip down on its back. Riding up next to it, she cut into its thick hide with the sharp point of the bullwhip, trying to force it back into the woods.

For a few moments she seemed to be making progress. The boar backed up slowly, head bowed, and villagers cheered louder still. But in the blink of an eye, the boar charged her and threw her off her horse with a flick of its head.

"Mother!" Ogadai snatched up his hoe. He could dimly hear Maline and the others shouting at him to come back, but he raced in front of his mother's still form as the monster charged once again, planting his feet in the ground and holding up the hoe like a staff. The monster rammed him, shoving him backward, but Ogadai dug his feet into the ground.

Then an extraordinary thing happened. Ogadai felt the back of his hand burn, and out of the corner of his eye he could see what looked like sunlight reflected on it. His feet held in the ground, and despite digging into the ground and shoving forward, the boar had stopped. Miraculously, Ogadai could lean forward and push the boar back, and he slowly moved toward the woods, one foot in front of the other. Once they reached the edge of the woods, the boar pulled back, gave a snort, then turned tail and ran.

Ogadai stood panting, staring after it as the villagers surrounded him, clapping him on the back and shaking his hand. Abruptly, someone let out a squeak of surprise. The entire village looked at the person, an elderly Hylian man. Trembling, the old man raised Ogadai's hand for him to see.

Stunned, Ogadai stared at the strange symbol that had somehow replaced his chrysanthemum crest: A set of three triangles, arranged to make a larger one, the one at the top glowing slightly brighter than the others.

"A curse? How is that possible?" Ogadai demanded of the shaman.

The old woman shook her head. "I can't say for sure…all I know is that your mother as well as the rest struck by the creature are very sick, and their illness is related to that creature that burst into our village."

Ogadai stared at Asana, who had not opened her eyes or moved since the incident. Her brown hair still sat in its untidy braid, beads of sweat gathering at the edges of her forehead. "But what am I supposed to do?"

The shaman pointed to the back of Ogadai's hand. "I don't know the meaning of that symbol, but I am told it has something to do with the Royal Family of Hyrule. Since it appeared when you fought that creature, the two things may be related. The best thing to do would be to go there and see if you can find out anything about the boar and the curse."

"But my mother told me never to go to her homeland," Ogadai protested. "A lot of the Hylians here wouldn't go back. They say the ghost of the Usurper King still wanders the country. Besides, it's so far away, a fortnight by horse! How do I know she'll be all right while I'm gone?"

Pounding a mixture of herbs in a mortar and pestle, the shaman replied, "I'll do what I can to prevent her from getting worse. All that the curse has done is put her to sleep and given her a slight fever. That in itself is not dangerous. But if you want to help her, you must journey to Hyrule and seek an audience with the Royal Family."

"To Hyrule?" Maline demanded, incredulous. "That's impossible! Ogadai, you can't go. It's so far away, and you would have to pass through Kando…Lei says that the fighting's the worst it's been in ten years…"

"I don't have a choice." Ogadai tightened the saddlebag on his mother's old horse. "There's no other way to break the curse."

"But you've never been more than a day's journey from the village!"

"It can't be helped." Secretly, Ogadai had been chomping at the bit to leave the village for years, but Asana had always insisted that he stay nearby. He could see in Maline's eyes that she had envisioned him settling down with her, having children, and living the rest of their lives in the ragtag village of leftovers and loose ends. Rather than frightening him like they did the other villagers, the newcomers' stories of the outside world had made him curious and all the more eager to leave his humble beginnings behind.

As he rode toward the village gates, Junsun the blacksmith emerged from his shop and waved for Ogadai to stop. As Ogadai dismounted to bid him goodbye, Junsun held out an oaken staff. "Here, boy. You can't leave here unarmed, and even though you're still green, you deserve a decent weapon."

Ogadai took it with reverence. He could feel the quality of the wood and the painstaking effort in its making. "Thank you, Junsun," he said, his voice cracking.

Junsun clapped him on the shoulder. "Take care, boy. If anyone in this village can break that curse, it's you. From the moment we first met I knew you were destined for greater things." They clasped hands and Ogadai mounted his horse once more.

As he reached the gates, he could see a small collection of his friends waiting to say goodbye. Maline stood in front of all of them, holding out a small pendant she always wore. "Here, Ogadai, I want you to take this with you. I had the shaman put a charm on it, to protect you."

He took it, trying not to look at the tears in her eyes. Smiling at the little group, he said, "There's no need to be so sad. All of you got here safely from wherever you came." Trying not to betray his true emotions, he said, "I'll see you in a month!" and spurred his horse forward through the gates, into the forest.

Had he more time, Ogadai would have spent months rather than days traveling over the countryside, staring at things he had never known existed. He contented himself with keeping a diary on a few leaves of parchment.

Day 2: The forest gave way to a field of brilliant wildflowers. I have never seen anything like it, as if the entire world had suddenly shifted into a colorful tapestry more beautiful than anything made by the most skillful weavers. An eagle circled overhead, and followed me as I crossed the fields. A good omen.

Day 5: Entered the mouth of a great canyon today. The man at the little village nearby said it is called the 'Painted Canyon', and for good reason. I expect it is the different layers of stone that give it such unusual hues of orange, yellow, and red.

Day 8: Came across some pasture, the ground scarred by fire. The locals state that the Kando wars have even stretched this far. I am glad that they do not seem to want to cross the canyon lands, as my mother and friends will be safe, though now I'm beginning to wonder about myself…

On the eleventh day, Ogadai reached the first Kando checkpoint. For years he had dreamed of journeying to Kando, to find his roots; but as he saw the dark, angry faces of the guards, he thanked the gods that his tattoo had been replaced by a Hylian mark.

They could easily identify his Kando heritage, though. The largest and gruffest of the men walked straight up to him, the lightning-streak of the dominant Udon tribe on his cheek. "Show your mark," he demanded, his piggy little eyes raking him.

Ogadai held out the hand with the three-triangle symbol. "That's no Kando mark," his companion, a jaundiced skinny man said.

"It's Hylian. My mother is Hylian. My father was Kando," Ogadai explained.

The gruff man snorted in disgust. "Half-breed, eh? Fine, then. Go on to your pansy Hylian family." Ogadai was only too eager to leave.

At checkpoint after checkpoint, guards demanded to see his mark, then waved him on with a few cutting insults. Ogadai could hear the roar of battle carried on the wind, from several miles off but still too close for comfort. Ashes from burnt settlements hung permanently in the air. At the final checkpoint, he felt relieved to be out of there, but heartbroken at the thought that he would likely never be able to trace his heritage. The smell of burning wood and flesh sickened him, and for the next several days he took little interest in his surroundings.

On the thirteenth day, his spirits soared as he stood at the top of a plateau overlooking the countryside. For far-off in the distance he could see the tall spires of Hyrule Castle. He felt adrenaline surge through him at both the prospect and the risks of asking to speak with the royal family in such a powerful country. But he knew there was no other path, and he was not about to turn back now.

Regardless, he was too tired and it was too late for him to attempt to cross the low mountains separating him from his mother's homeland. Following the path down the plateau into the valley, he came across a small but tiny inn standing in the middle of nowhere. He smiled, knowing that the innkeeper must have set it up here just for travelers on the road.

Ogadai entered the sparsely furnished inn and found nobody there. A little card propped up next to a bell said "Ring for Service", so he did. A few minutes later, a portly Hylian man stepped in through a back door. His eyes widened and his mouth nearly dropped to the floor upon catching sight of Ogadai. "Please tell me you're Kando."

Mystified, Ogadai replied, "Half Kando, half Hylian. I'm journeying to visit my mother's relatives." He felt it best not to reveal his true purpose, and kept his hands hidden in his pockets.

The innkeeper wiped the sweat off his brow with a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness…the minute I saw you I thought you were a Gerudo prince! But that's impossible," he laughed nervously, "Because the last male died some years ago. I'll be dead before the next one comes along."

Tired and not in the mood for conversation, Ogadai said, "I'd like a room please."

"Of course, of course. Just sign the register…thank you…and here's your key. Upstairs, third door on the left. Breakfast is at sunrise."

Once inside the room, Ogadai collapsed onto the bed, and immediately fell asleep.

At breakfast the next morning, Ogadai spoke briefly with two Hylian merchants, who were passing through on business. "I hate to break this to you, kid," the taller, older one said, "but you can't pass through the mountains. There's been a bad snowstorm, a bit early for this time of year, but not uncommon. We barely made it out of there."

Ogadai frowned, chewing his toast. "But I need to get to Hyrule as soon as possible. My mother's ill, and I'm told I can only get the cure for it there."

The younger, shorter man scratched his chin. "Well, you look rather strong and able to defend yourself…you could try the path through the Gerudo desert."

The first man elbowed him. "Don't go telling him that."

"Why not?" the second demanded. "They've been pretty subdued since the Usurper King got himself skewered. I bet the worst they'd do is ask you to stay the night." He laughed coarsely.

"Is there a real risk to this, or are you two just picking on greenhorn travelers?" Ogadai demanded.

"It's hard to tell," the first man said. "It's true that they aren't as dangerous as they were, but that's not saying much. You only look part Hylian; maybe they'd treat you all right. They're suspicious of most strangers, but they've never gotten along with the Hylians, and we've a long history of bloody wars with them."

"Yeah, but one of the nobles brokered a deal with them some years back," the younger man offered. "The Princess' bodyguard was forced to work under the Usurper King, so she got to know a lot of them. She resigned soon after the treaty, though. Health reasons, I think. The Gerudo are a lot less likely to attack travelers nowadays."

"In any case," the older man said with a shrug, "You don't look like you have any money or valuables that those thieves would want." He chuckled a little at Ogadai's clothing, the cotton rough even for a peasant.

"Thanks for the advice," Ogadai told them with a roll of his eyes.

Weighed down with plenty of water, Ogadai took the path pointed out to him through the scrubland, toward the Gerudo-controlled areas. At first he patted himself on the back for finding an alternative to the snowy mountains, as he passed through an area not unlike the Painted Canyon.

Then the sandstorm came.

Ogadai could not see his hand in front of his face. The sand got in everywhere, his mouth, nose, and eyes. It blasted him with white-hot force, threatening to scour off his very skin. He tried to stick to the path, but found that the road itself had been covered by waves of sand.

Standing at an unsteady angle against the wind, he pulled his horse toward a large boulder to at least get out of the worst of the wind, and settled down to wait out the storm.

Half asleep, Ogadai could hear faint voices around him. Something bumped up against his hand, and he made a half-hearted attempt to swat it away. He jolted awake as a boot rammed into his ribs.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the ten figures surrounding him. They wore sand-colored robes that wrapped around their faces, showing only their eyes, sandals, and the lower part of their arms. Each held either a bow or a scimitar, all of them pointed toward him. One of them shouted something he didn't understand.

He raised his hands in a show of non-aggression. He doubted he could take on ten armed people with a staff alone. "I'm sorry, I don't understand you."

The questioner replied in perfect Hylian, much like his mother's, without his western village accent. "What are you doing here?"

He could tell it was a female voice, and remembered what the innkeeper had said. "I'm trying to reach my relatives in Hyrule. The mountain pass was snowed out. I'm sorry if I'm trespassing…I'm from the Refugee Village west of Kando, and a stranger here. I've never been to Hyrule before."

The woman waved her hand impatiently, not caring about the details. "What is your name?"

"Ogadai Soduso."

"Soduso?" The woman paused, then said in a strangely teasing voice, "Yes, I suppose you would be wise not to use your true name."

Shocked, Ogadai said nothing. How did this woman know that he had another name, that his mother had told him to use Soduso even among his closest friends?

Stepping forward, she said, "Let me see your hand."

Now thoroughly confused and a little scared, Ogadai obeyed. He heard a noticeable gasp circulate among the raiders. Terrified, he remembered the merchants' words about the bloody battles between the Gerudo and the Royal Family.

"Now, Ogadai Soduso, I think you'd better tell us your real purpose here," the leader told him with a hint of warning in her voice.

Out of ideas, he said, "My mother in the Refugee Village fell under a curse when a wild boar attacked her. This mark appeared on my hand, and our village shaman said it had something to do with the Hylian Royal Family. So I set out to ask them if they could lift my mother's curse."

The flinty look in the leader's eyes softened, and she motioned the other raiders back. "Your mother was cursed by a wild boar? I see…" She gestured to the others, who put away their weapons and mounted their horses. "My name is Namu. We will escort you to the Hylian border, but there are some things we must discuss first." She handed him his horse's bridle. "Do as we ask and no harm will come to you."

Nervous, Ogadai got back on his horse and looked around at the people who surrounded him. All of them were women, and they seemed to be of two generations; mothers and daughters, perhaps. The younger ones stared at him intently, not with hostility but with curiosity. He could see they all had hair as red as the Kando, and their build and way of moving seemed strangely familiar. But he could see the signs of malnutrition all too familiar to a resident of the Refugee Village; sunken eyes and thinning hair.

After most of the night had gone by in silence (save for the hooves and nickering of the horses), they reached a large stone gate, guarded by two more women. Inside the gates stood a massive adobe complex, much larger than a house but smaller than a castle. Ogadai had never seen anything like it. They rode their horses to a stable and Namu ordered them off, motioning to Ogadai to follow her. "There are some people I want you to meet."

They entered a long, twisting hallway, the end of which housed several hide-and-bone chairs as well as a set of sand paintings on the walls and totems made out of brightly colored feathers. In the middle of the half-moon of chairs stood a smaller table and chair. Namu told him to sit down and said, "I'll be right back, so don't go anywhere."

Ill at ease, Ogadai studied his surroundings. He was certainly deep inside the complex, and he doubted that he would be able to escape the building, much less the gate. Still, they had been nothing but polite to him since he had mentioned his quest, and he took heart in that. As he sat there, another young woman set down a tray with a pot and teacup in front of him. She, too, looked strangely familiar, and had the same signs of chronic ill health despite her muscled arms and legs.

Ogadai poured some of the liquid into the cup, sniffed it suspiciously, and ventured a taste. It was a very sweet, milky tea. After the first sip he looked up to see Namu returning with four other women, two her age and two of an even older generation, streaks of white in their red hair.

Nervously, he set down his cup and sat at attention as the women took their seats, staring at him with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Namu sat casually in the middle chair, crossing her legs.

"Now, tell the Council why you have come to Hyrule, Ogadai…half-brother to our daughters and son of Chusai Ordana."