2nd Draft

Author's note/disclaimer: The end of this chapter gets a bit graphic.

The Know-It-All brothers all lived together in what was the largest house in Kokiri Village. On the outside it looked almost like a tiny wooden castle, with several tower like structures sprouting out of it. Link had been inside many times when he was younger as this is where Kokiri learned to read and write. Link always thought it was strange that the forest children be forced to read and write. The village's entire book collection resided inside the home of the four brothers and most of it went untouched by anyone except them. Obviously Link had found the skill infinitely useful while traveling across Hyrule, but as for the rest of the children, he could not see a need for it.

Link noticed that the area around the brothers' home had been turned into a sort of training ground. There were piles of deku sticks for sparring, and a row of targets for slingshot training. Link counted eight villagers, all of whom he knew by name, practicing their aim. Every one of them stopped as Link approached. Gossip would no doubt follow as soon as he was out of earshot. Link offered them a friendly wave. Most of them returned the gesture however two gave him a suspicious look. They still think I killed the Great Deku Tree, Link thought. He tried not to let it bother him.

Inside the brothers' home Link found Josa and Joe waiting for him.

"Good afternoon Josa, Joe," Link said addressing each.

"Afternoon, how is your training with Aunt going?" Joe asked. Link tried not to smirk at the boy's confusion.

"It is going well. Sheik told me you two have more training for me?"

"Aunt wants us to teach you about the history of Hyrule and some of the surrounding kingdoms," Josa said. "But first, I think it's about time you caught us up on some of your journey, and why Aunt is here asking favors of us." Josa spoke very much like any adult Link had met in his travels.

"Sure," Link said taking a seat in one of the nearby chairs. He unclipped Din's Wrath and set it by the door. The two brothers followed him over and took seats as well. "What would you like to know?"

Of course the brothers wanted to know everything, so Link did his best to give them just that. He started with the day before Navi arrived, since that was truly the last day he had spoken to them. He told them about the nightmares he had of a man in black setting the forest on fire. Then told them about The Great Deku Tree and facing Ghoma. He was very particular about this part making sure they understood that it was in no way his fault their protector died. The brothers said nothing and continued to listen intently.

Link went on to tell them about meeting Kaepora Gaebora, his travel to Lon Lon Ranch, all the way to meeting the princess. Joe asked a seemingly unimportant question about the size of Castletown, the citadel where almost the entirety of the Hylian population resided, but otherwise the two said nothing. Link recounted his journey to Death Mountain and Kakorika Village, as well as the Zora Domain. He did not start excluding information until he got to the part where he confronted Ganondorf the first time. In the past Impa had been there to control what information was shared and what wasn't so Link wasn't sure what she would allow the brothers to hear. In her absence Link kept it vague from that point on. Truth be told he did not really feel like expanding on his failures anyway.

When he finished they both looked at each other and nodded. Link had long suspected the four were telepathic but had yet to prove it.

"It is good to hear that Kaepora Gaebora is involved," Josa finally said.

Link cocked his head to the side. "You know the owl?" he asked surprised. Both brothers nodded at the same time.

"Our long winded friend used to perch in the branches of The Great Deku Tree for hours on end, discussing affairs of the realm," Joe explained. "He is the one who brought us all of our books, and taught us how to read."

Link was amazed. He wondered why he had never asked before. Link looked around the room they were in at all the books. At least one hundred different books were sitting neatly in perfect fitting shelves around the walls. When they weren't teaching Link, it had been normal to see any, or all of the brothers, sitting cross legged on the ground with multiple books opened around him. Link knew this is where their "superior" knowledge came from.

"Does he still come to the village? How come I never saw him?"

Josa answered this time. "Some of the villagers were frightened by him so he stopped landing in our clearing," he explained. "We used to see him flying far overhead, but nobody has seen him since. . ." he paused for a moment and looked at his brother. "Since you arrived the first time."

Link furrowed his brow confused. "Why did he stop visiting just because I arrived?" Arriving, Link knew, meant he appeared as a baby at the Great Deku Tree. He had been the newest baby, and the most recent one. Saria had told him that Pete had been the one just before him and that there was a huge gap between the two. She could not give him an exact difference though because the Kokiri were terrible at keeping track of time. Years would go by without being measured or recorded by anyone except maybe the Know-It-All's.

"He had pressing matters elsewhere in Hyrule," Joe said. One thing about the brothers was that it was against their nature to ever say "I don't know". If they did not know the answer to a question they either lied about it or said something similar to "There sure is a lot for you to learn." Either response was frustrating to Link. He would have to go to Saria to get a straight answer, even if the answer was as simple as "Nobody knows."

"But enough chit chat," Josa said standing and walking over to the bookshelf. He grabbed a rather fat tome from a middle shelf. He gave out a short "oof" as he pulled it down and carried it in both arms over to the table. He set it down hard. "This is what Aunt wants you to read," he said giving the cover a pat. "She was very selective."

Link got up and examined it. A History of Hyrule and Its People it read. The book was no less than a thousand pages wide.

"She wants me to read this?!" Link asked flabbergasted. "There are more pages here than every book I've read in my life!"

Joe shrugged. "My brothers and I have all read it."

Link pointed at his chest. "Can't you just tell me what all it says?" He was almost begging.

Josa shook his head. "Aunt insisted that you read the whole thing yourself. Don't worry though, you don't have to read it all today. A minimum of five chapters a day would be a good start though."

Link threw his head back and moaned. He had never had the focus to do much reading, especially from what would no doubt be a dry read like this.

"Come now Link, you are always complaining you don't know enough about the world," this from Navi.

With a sigh of defeat Link sat down and flipped open the cover. To his surprise the cover felt like it was metal wrapped in some kind of skin. He started to read the first page:

Before time began, before the spirits and life existed, three Golden Goddesses descended from a distant Nebula upon the chaos that was Hyrule. These three Golden Goddesses were Din, Goddess of Power, Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, Goddess of Courage. The Golden Goddesses each infused the land of Hyrule with their own powers.

Link took a deep breath, exhaled, then began his studies, striving to absorb as much information as possible.

Much of the first few chapters Link knew. He had learned it as a child or heard it from the Great Deku Tree. What he didn't know was that for a short time the Goddesses walked with their creations. Hylians, Kokiri, Goron, Gerudo, Zora, Sheikah and Humans alike. What Link didn't care to know was the exact lineage and genealogy of the families that walked with the Goddesses. Link tried to flip through these pages but Navi scolded him insisting that he at least read each name once.

The chapters ended up being massive, filled with mostly dry information as Link suspected. Pages and pages were dedicated to the discovery of masonry, advances in architecture, inventions, husbandry, and the sort. Link could not help but wonder why Impa would possibly ask him to learn all of this. How would knowing that Eli Whitney invented something called a "Cotton Gin" help him defeat Ganondorf?

By the time Link finished the fifth chapter the sun had set behind the tall trees surrounding the village. Josa let him know that he could come in and pick up where he left off any time "Aunt" instructed him to. Link thanked the brothers, re-equipped Din's Wrath, and stepped out into the fresh air. His body had become stiff sitting in that chair reading for so long.

"I think I'd rather take a beating from Impa than read another chapter," Link complained to Navi.

"It can't hurt you to learn more about Hyrule. I was reading too you know."

"Yea yea yea," he said waving her off. He was just about to head home when he saw Job running frantically for the house.

"What is wrong?" Link asked concerned. Frantic running through the village was NOT a normal sight.

"A girl and a red horse brought big people into the woods! They have weapons!" he cried clearly out of breath.

Panic welled up inside of Link. The children would be no match for soldiers.

"Run and tell Saria!" he cried to Job. He was already sprinting for the woods. "I'll try to steer them away!"

Anyone else would have been stumbling over roots and smashing into trees in the dim light but not Link. Like all of the Kokiri children he knew the forest well and could navigate as nimbly as a glade deer. He was holding nothing back in his sprint. If I can catch them far enough away maybe I can lead them around the village, he thought. Even if I can't fight them, surely I can evade them here in the woods.

He heard them before he could see them. The whiny of a horse pierced through the night. Good! Link thought. They won't be able to maneuver at all with horses in here. Then Link heard a voice he was not expecting.

"Help!" Malon cried desperately. "Help me!"

"Navi it's Malon!" Link cried, shocked by the voice.

"I'll find her!" Navi said zooming ahead of Link. Soldiers must be chasing her!

Link was right. Navi had found Malon, who was standing between Epona and two soldiers. The two men had dismounted and were standing twenty feet away from the girl. Neither bothered to draw their swords, which hung in their scabbards on their belts.

"Come on little girl," one cooed. "You don't want Daddy to get in any more trouble do you?" He was reaching out with an innocent hand, but Link could tell even in the dim light that his smile was sinister. At the moment Link was still hidden in the shadows, halfway between Malon and the men.

"What is that?" the other soldier asked pointing to Navi, who was fluttering above Malon's head. Malon looked up and gasped.

"Either a damn big bug or we're about to be rich," the first soldier said. "Quick get that empty tin out of your saddle bag. I'll get the brat."

The other soldier nodded and turned his back to rummage through his pack. Link took advantage of the distraction. He leapt forward out of the shadow drawing Din's Wrath as he advanced. The first guard jumped, clearly startled and reached for his sword. Link closed the distance too fast and delivered an overhead, vertical slash to the man face. Din's Wrath cut through helmet, bone and flesh hungrily.

"What the hell?" cried the second soldier. Link tried to advance on him too but the man leapt behind his horse cutting off Link's assault. Link slapped the steed's quarters with the flat of his blade moving it out of his way. When the horse took off with a snort, the soldier was ready. He swung overhead with his long sword, planning to strike Link down in one blow. Impa had taught Link better. A basic overhead block stopped the blade and surprised the soldier. The man was by no means weak, yet the green clad boy's defense did not waiver. He had no way of knowing that the strange looking sword was absorbing half of his force.

Undeterred by his tiny opponent the soldier swung again and again. Link just managed to parry each strike but was now backpedaling. The soldier was not as fast or strong as Impa but it was obvious he wanted Link dead. He attacked with a ferocity that differed from anything Link experienced while sparring.

"You little bastard!" The soldier directed a powerful swing at Link's head. Link parried the blow far from his body and tried a diagonal swipe at the man. Taller and more experienced the soldier avoided the attack completely.

"You are going to swing at me?!" the man roared. "You are dead kid!"

He pressed his attack, taking advantage of his superior size. He was frustrated that this mysterious kid was managing to withstand each blow but based on how awkwardly the boy handled the comically large weapon the soldier knew it was only a matter of time until his defenses failed him. A sudden stabbing pain in his back stopped him.

Angrily he turned and saw that the little girl had a tiny bow drawn.

"You bitch!" he managed before having to turn his attention back to the boy and his purple sword. Link had failed to capitalize on Malon's attack but pressed his assault now knowing he had support.

The soldier proved to be too smart for the duo though. In three steps he had maneuvered around Link so that the boy in green was between him and the rancher's daughter. He also lowered his stance, minimizing the chance that she would shoot over the boy.

"Navi! Help!" Link cried realizing the soldier had just stolen his advantage.

Courageous Navi made herself as bright as possible and slammed into the soldier's face as hard as she could. The force equaled that of a grasshopper jumping into your face but the sudden light had an instant effect on the soldier. Suddenly blinded the man back pedaled waving his sword in front of him frantically. He managed to ward off Link's first two strikes, but finally a well-placed thrust caught him in the hip.

"Gah!" he cried out, falling backwards. Link was on him in a moment. The boy swung at the soldier's outstretched arm, sending the long sword flying. He dropped Din's Wrath's tip to the base of the soldier's neck and held it there threateningly. The soldier sat up, howled in pain and grabbed his hand. No, not his hand, Link realized. Link had accidentally lopped off the man's entire hand halfway up the forearm. The soldier was holding his stump, trying desperately to stem the bleeding.

"You'll pay for this you little shit!" he howled. "You'll pay for this!" Tears and rage filled his eyes. Link was frozen. He didn't know what to do.

"Leave!" he finally managed to say in his most demanding voice. "Get up and leave the forest!" Link backed up in disgust as the soldier spat at him.

"With a fucking hole in my leg?" the agonized soldier asked. In an awkward manner he was trying to stick his elbow in the hip wound while clamping his fingers around the gushing limb. The bright, geyser of blood was making Link uneasy.

"Get on your horse," Link said his voice losing a bit of its command. "And take your friend with..." Link stopped mid-sentence. He looked over at the first soldier and saw that his skull was split open in the front. Blood was gushing from the wound in the middle of his face, mercifully hiding the frozen, horrified expression.

"You killed Enos," the soldier growled. "What am I thposed to bring to hith wife?" His speech was beginning to slur and his eyelids were starting to waver. Tears rolled down his face. "I don't wanna die," he whimpered.

There was a lump in Link's throat. He couldn't peel his eyes away from the pathetic soldier sobbing in a pool of his own blood. His grip on his sword weakened and Din's Wrath thumped onto the ground. The soldier lay flat, snapping the arrow in his back, and continued to sob for a moment. Slowly, painfully slowly, the sobs died out, and his chest ceased to rise. There was a buzzing noise in Link's ears.

"Link? Link?" Link forced his eyes away from the two corpses to the girl calling his name. Malon was looking at him, terribly worried. "Link I'm scared," she said. "You've been standing there for a long time."

"Have I?" Link asked. His voice sounded like a croaking frog. He felt cold. Colder than he'd ever felt in his life.

Malon nodded and wrapped both her arms around Epona's neck. The filly's nostrils flared and she stamped the ground, clearly uncomfortable around the corpses. Tears were running down Malon's pale face, somehow catching every ounce of moonlight on their trek down.

"Link," Navi said quietly. "We should go back to the village."

Staring ahead, but looking at nothing, Link nodded. Deftly he reached down and grabbed Din's Wrath by the handle. The sword felt heavier somehow.

"You must always clean the blood off your sword before sheathing it." Impa had said after one of their days in the meadow. At that time she had been referring to Link's blood on her own dulled longsword.

Link knelt low and wiped both sides of Din's Wrath's blade in the grass. Knowing that probably wasn't sufficient, but not caring, Link sheathed his murder weapon.

"This way," he said to Malon, and headed for home. He could not help but look back once more as they stepped off. The horse that belonged to the soldier called Enos, was nuzzling its fallen master. Link slammed his eyes shut trying to stop the tears that cascaded down. The two children and the filly walked back to the village with tears in their eyes and chasms in their souls.

Author's note: First time Link kills a man. This should not be an easy thing to cope with for anyone, not even the Hero of Time. Next chapters should be interesting. Major plot development on the way. Also I want to give a shout-out to Wyvern King for being the first person to "Favorite" this story and also to Jindo5 for writing the first review. I really appreciate you guys! Everyone else feel free to PM me or leave a review with ideas/opinions/critiques. Specifically on how you think the combat was written. Thank you!