Chapter 2: Chance…

The sunlight slowly shifted through the window, heralding a new morning. The small room was gradually illuminated, the various items strewn about the floor clearly visible. A bed was placed at the far side of the room, directly in the path of the sunlight. It slowly fell on the face of a young man. He had light blonde hair, long-pointed ears, and a long string of drool dripping from his lips.

A door on the side of the room opened to reveal a tall woman with red hair and brown eyes. She looked at the person sleeping in the bed and smiled. They grow up so fast…

She slowly walked over to the bed and placed her hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Link…Link…wake up."

"Mrrrrrrrrrrrph…"

"Link, sweetie, wake up. It's your 19th Birthday today."

"Mmmmmmmm, I don't care…"

"Alright, I'll let you sleep a bit longer."

The woman rose from the bed and exited the room. Link slowly smiled. His mother was being nice again. It was his 19th Birthday, and she was letting him sleep in.

Best. Present. Ever.

She didn't usually let him sleep in. She usually just…

SPLUSH!

Link screamed and jumped out of bed, wide awake, as a large amount of water was thrown on top of him.

"Hey! What the heck?!"

His mother stood at the door, bucket in hand.

"I said I'd give you a bit longer, you should have taken that time to better prepare yourself!"

Link laughed and smiled grimly. "You know, I will get you back one of these days, and you won't even expect it!"

Her smile instantly disappeared and was replaced with a frown. "Try it, and you are grounded mister, and I don't mean regular grounding; I will get your old Deku nanny to come over here and shove you into the ground!"

Link immediately straightened up. Her mother loved to joke around, but nobody pulled a prank on her and escaped her wrath.

"Get dressed, quickly! I need you to take the fishing pole to your father and brother at the lake. They forgot it…again."

She left the room and Link eased up. He walked over to his closet and opened the door. Inside laid a new set of green clothes complete with a cap. It was a traditional garb for young men to wear once they reached 19. He remembered the night before when his parents had presented it to him and his brother. They only had enough material for one outfit, and his brother insisted that Link have it. It was, as he said, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too dorky for my taste!"

Link slowly put on the outfit, making sure everything fit perfectly. He placed the cap on his head and looked in the mirror on the door of his closet.

"Wow. I do look dorky in this thing." But he really didn't care! He was 19, carefree, and going to have the time of his life!

"Link, honey! Are you ready?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm ready!"

Link started to walk towards the door then quickly stopped and jumped to the side, just as a bucket of water came sailing through the air and landed on the floor.

His mother slowly peered in and looked at him. "Damn, the boy's getting smarter…"

Link checked his pack before he left the house.

"Okay. The fishing pole for dad, a little health potion for me, burn ointment for the inevitable, the village entrance amulet…Yep, that's it!"

He started towards the door when he heard his mother's voice.

"Link? Be back soon okay?"

"Alright, mom!"

"And tell your father not to spend too much time in the sun! You know how easily he burns!"

"Sure thing mom!"

"And, Link?"

"Yeah?!" Link turned around to see his mother standing behind him.

She slowly looked him up and down, seeing that her boy no longer existed, and in his place was a fine young man. Tears slowly came to her eyes. She reached out and hugged her son. "I love you."

Link smiled and hugged her back. "I love you too mom."

He then smiled and stepped out of the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small string slip free and slip upwards. He looked up just in time to see a bucket of water crashing down on top of him, drenching his new clothes.

"Ahahaha! Oh my gods, you actually fell for it! Ahahahahahaha! Oh the others at my book club are definitely going to hear about this!"

Link lunged for her just as the door closed making him hit his head on the wood. He could hear his mother's laughter from within.

"Heehee! Love you honey!"

"Grrrr…Lies! Lies, the lot of it!"

He slowly made his way down the street.

"I swear I will get her back! Deku or no Deku!"

Markus looked through his pack with all the grace of a wolverine.

"Okay, I have Link's gift here, but where is my fishing pole?"

He slapped himself on the forehead as he remembered laying it near his bedside the previous night so he would remember it, then waking up the next morning, stepping on the pole, and wondering who the heck put it there. He leaned back onto the small hut behind him, disgusted at his terrible memory.

"You shouldn't do that dad."

Markus looked up to see Link standing in front of him, carrying his forgotten pole.

"Every time you facepalm, you lose vital brain cells, making you more like the one to whom you facepalm."

"Yeah, yeah! I have enough brain cells as it is. What's one or two lost now and again?"

"Did you remember your burn ointment?"

Markus slapped his hand on his forehead again, leaving a red mark.

"Ooh, I think you got three with that one!" Link handed over the ointment to his now annoyed father.

"Hmph! Maybe I shouldn't give you your present today. You're much too rude to deserve it!"

"Oh come on dad!" Link got on his knees and looked into his father's eyes, his bottom lip trembling. "You wouldn't do that to me on my Birthday!"

Markus took one look into his eyes and gave up. "Fine, you can have it, but only if you can answer this question. Ergherm! Why are you all wet?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Good point. I've been married to her for 14 years, and I should know what to expect."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny purple box. He handed it to his son, who just stared downward at it.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well…open it!"

Link pulled apart a small clasp at the bottom and opened the box. Inside was a tiny brass key.

"Uhhhhh, a key?"

"Yes, a key! Happy Birthday son!"

The two stared at each other for a second, Link with a face of confusion and Markus with a face of elation.

Markus dropped the smile in a quick sigh. "Well fine! I guess you'll be wanting what the key goes to as well."

He reached back into his pack and pulled out a longer purple box with a small keyhole.

"Here is your real present."

Link took the box and fitted the key into the hole. He slowly opened the box and a large smile broke out on his face. He reached inside and pulled out a newly crafted blade, perfectly balanced and easy to wield.

Markus quietly hummed a rising four-note tune. "Dee, dee, dee, DEE!"

"Uhh…what was that?"

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing! So, how does it feel?"

Link began to slash the air with the blade. "It feels amazing! It's much better than the academy swords!"

"Yes. This is why we couldn't make two sets of clothes for you and your brother. I hope you like it."

"Like it? I love…"

Just then a guttural scream was heard and the two looked upward to see a figure drop from the top of the hut, burying his sword tip in the ground.

Link threw the fishing pole aside and brought his sword up in a defensive position. The figure started to laugh deeply. He slowly raised himself and turned around until he faced Link.

He was tall with shocking red hair and bright yellow eyes. However his most distinctive feature was his skin… It was a dark green in color, as if something rotten had stained it. He smiled, showing his rows of neatly curved teeth, and then spoke.

"That's a nice sword you have there." His voice was deep and had a slight knowledgeable curve to it. "Care to test it out?"

He quickly lunged at Link who had only seconds to parry the attack and steady himself again. The green-skinned figure turned back and attacked again. This time Link was able to move out of the way. He raised up his sword and brought it down, only to hit the other sword in a clash of metal.

"My, my. Somebody knows a bit about dueling, but let's see how well you face up against a bit of magic."

The figure then jumped back and raised the palm of his hand. A small yellow ball of energy shot out of it towards Link. He slashed his sword and directed it back at his assailant, just to have him hit it back towards Link.

The ball caught the edge of his sword and sent it flying out of his hand. As Link turned back to see it, he knew he had made a mistake. He quickly whipped around in time to see the ball of energy zip right into his face, rudely shocking him.

The green figure laughed. "Hehehehe! I'm guessing not so well after all, eh?"

Link quickly reached into his pack and brought out his health potion. He downed the contents then raised the bottle in a sword position.

"Really?" the figure asked. "Well okay then, fight with a glass bottle. I don't mind."

The figure launched another ball of energy towards Link, who parried it back with a swing of his bottle. It hit the surprised green figure right where the other orb had hit Link. He dropped his sword on the ground in shock.

"Grrrrr…alright! Now you get hurt!" He opened his eyes to see that Link had reclaimed his…fishing pole?

"Okay, you're going to catch me a fish for dinner before I kill you? How thoughtful!"

Link pulled back his arms and cast the pole, letting the hook stick into the hut right above the figure's head. "Okay," he said as he stared at it, "was that supposed to do anything useful?"

He looked back to see a rearmed Link charging at him full force. He was knocked over onto his back while Link stood over him.

Link raised his sword over the flattened man and plunged downward in triumph.

The sword was stuck firmly in place. Link was breathing heavily, and the green figure's mouth was open in an expression of disbelief. He looked over to his left, where the sword was stuck into the ground inches from his head.

The figure slowly got up and walked over to the exhausted Link.

Link looked up into the figure's eyes and smiled. "Beat 'cha!"

The figure slowly smiled himself and began to laugh. "Ahahaha, yeah you did! I thought you were done for in the beginning, but you really turned it around! What was that thing with the bottle? I never knew you could do that!"

"Hehehe, and the way I distracted you with the fishing pole! Hook, line, and…

"Finish that joke and I cut your head off!"

Markus stepped out from where he had been calmly waiting for the fight to conclude. "Alright you two, you've had your fun, now help me put this burn ointment on!" His skin was already a deep shade of red, even though the whole encounter took less than five minutes.

Link and the green man groaned in unison. "Yes, dad!"

"Now no complaining out of you two, even if it is your birthday!"

The green man took a look at what his brother was wearing and said, "But father, this man could not possibly be my brother! His clothes are much too dorky!"

"Oh shut up! Besides, who're you calling dorky? I'm not the one who looks like a Holiday Tree gave birth to me. I mean really! Aren't twins supposed to look alike?"

"You're just jealous that I look cooler and have a deeper voice."

"I am no-OIGH-t!" Link's voice cracked as he said this.

"Ha! You wanna say something else, runt?"

"Both of you shut up!" Markus yelled from the small hut. "Get in here and help me with this goop! You can get my arms and legs, I'll get my chest and…uhh…other regions." He quickly walked inside, his face become slightly redder despite the burn.

Link looked at his brother. "How did he get burnt…?"

His bother put a hand on his shoulder. "Some questions are best left unanswered, my friend."

"Boys?!"

"Coming, dad!"