AN: Well, here it is, the fourth chapter of Speak! I'm warning readers now, this is where secrets get revealed, some weirder and stranger than others.

It's been a few days since that Sunday. Kael has gotten used to customers coming and going. He's doing very well, actually. I haven't forgotten about the fact that he knows about the Earth God's Lyric. Only a select few know about this piece, and I happen to be one of them. My knowing stems from the very first Linebeck, long gone obviously. He was taught this tune by the first Hero as a goodbye thing. From what I've been told, on the night the two were to part, before the Hero was to defeat the beast called Bellum, he was a little depressed. He had finally made a friend, besides the currently stone child he knew. Now he was leaving him, and he didn't want to go. Then his friend had a very good idea; give each other something to remember them by. So they did, an exchange of song and watch. The Hero sang out his tune until he was sure his friend had it.

After the final battle, they parted for only a short time, seeing each other on the seas that day. Together with the band of pirates, they formed Neo Hyrule. The Earth God's Lyric, as well as another sacred tune I do not know, has become something held dear by the royal and my families. Every generation of my family knows the small tune, even my sister. How Kael knows, is something I plan to find out. I do remember another thing about the royal-

"I can't get the marmalade jar down! Help?" A voice rings out, breaking my train of thought.

"Coming," I sigh. My thoughts can wait.

I rush over to where he was in the store. He really couldn't get the jar down, the shelf was still too high for him. He tells me that he was looking for a stool to stand on, but he couldn't find one. I think for a moment and grab him around the waist, hoisting him up to the shelf.

"Got it!"

I quickly bring him back down. He gives me his thanks and rushes over to the counter, ringing up a purchase for an older woman. Today has been a little slow, not so many people coming in. It's a good thing, actually. Stressing over watching three things at once isn't very good for someone.

Anyway… another thing I remember about the royal family is that the Princess who saved the country with the late Hero had a child. Obvious, but she had the baby out of wedlock, a bastard child. With whom is obvious enough: the Hero. When she found out she was to have a child, they planned to get married as quickly as possible. She was seventeen, him sixteen. Too young to be parents, and too young to be married. Regardless, they tried and were able to set up a date a few weeks later.

Three days before the wedding however, the Hero was making his rounds, delivering parcels when tragedy struck. Something on the tracks was loose, causing the train to swerve and flip over. The details of the crash, I won't say. As I've said before, he was killed instantly in the crash. When the Princess and the rest of the country were informed of this, they were devastated. The wedding was called off. She married another man, this time the marriage arranged, before she gave birth. This man was cold and full of hatred for the child, ordering it to be taken out of the castle after a little while. To him, the bloodline had to remain pure, no matter whom the father was. He didn't want to raise another man's child. He ordered the child to be "taken away", or to be killed. The Princess tried very hard to save her daughter, but it was in vain. She was smothered in her sleep.

Meanwhile, the Princess had another daughter who bore the twins we have today. Speaking of the twins, they told us that we could visit and talk at any time. I could speak to them about Kael's strange relation with the Earth God's Lyric, and how he knows about it. Perhaps we could figure it out. It's a wild guess, but what if? What if he has any relation… he couldn't, could he? I'm going to give myself a little bit of time to think about this. I don't want myself to be jumping to conclusions though; I could just be perhaps paranoid.

Even if I wanted to visit the twins, I couldn't. Rae is visiting today. I haven't told Kael yet, heck, I've never told him about having a sister at all! I'll just wait until the last few customers leave and go speak to him. I don't want her to surprise him too much.

After a few minutes, the group finally leaves. Seeing my cue, I go on up to the counter where he's currently reading something. I tap on the counter to get his attention.

"Hey Kael, I need to tell you something. It's important."

He quickly looks up at me, interest in his eyes.

"The thing is, I have a sister. Rae. I never told you about her, and I'm sorry about that. She's coming to visit today, so I just wanted to give you a little heads up."

And as if by magic, Rae came in, swinging the door open forcefully.

"Hey big bro, sorry I came so early. The train I was going to take was cancelled so I had to take another one, which was earlier than I wanted it to be."

I whip my head around to look at my sister. Strange enough, she's wearing a dress. I figure it's just because she wanted to dress for the weather.

"And to think I was just talking about you. It's alright. I'd like you to meet someone, Rae."

"Who? I don't see anyone… are you talking about the short kid over there?"

Kael popped out from behind the counter and came around to stand beside me. He gave Rae a look.

"I'm not short," He said, folding his arms.

"You kind of are, kid," She replied, then directed her gaze onto me. "I don't remember you telling me you adopted."

"I didn't adopt him. He just works and lives here for the time being."

"You adopted him."

"There's a difference."

"Nope. What's his name, anyway?"

I sigh, knowing that I won't win this argument. I've never won an argument with her before, and I won't now. "He doesn't really have a name. I just call him Kael."

So many expressions, so little time. Rae's face contorted in seconds.

"How does he not have a name? He isn't some kind of slave, is he? You're better than that!"

"No Rae, he's not a… well… he-." I'm in for it now.

"Where did you find him. Tell me. Now."

"Western Segment."

"Linebeck, you don't know how much I want to pummel your face in. But you're my brother, so I won't," She sighed. "Listen. There's a slave shop in the Western Segment. It's down in one of the alleyways. How you found it, I don't know. Sometimes, people come in to… relieve their frustrations, if you catch my drift. From the looks of this one, he's been through some deep sh- stuff."

I instantly look down, and find that Kael is not next to me. Where did he run off to?

"Living room, if you're wondering."

"How do you know about all that?"

"I get around. I talk to people."

I shake my head and make my way to the living room, where Kael is curled up on the couch. I sit down and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

No response. Rae comes in cautiously and stands in front of us.

"I was right…"

Kael sits up a little, not looking at either of us.

"You think you know everything, don't you. There's more to that place than you know."

Rae and I exchange looks of worry, and I ask, "Can you tell us what they did to you?"

There was a long pause before Kael finally spoke.

"I was given up by my mother when I was younger and placed in an orphanage. The man who ran the place had a wife. She was sick all the time. When she died, he went completely mad and stayed in his office all day. The orphanage was losing money, and the expenses were piling up. He didn't know how to pay for our needs. That's when he changed."

"What happened?"

"He began to sell us as slaves. Just plain working slaves. When the buyers were done with us, we were sent back to the orphanage, and the man got paid a small amount of money. He had to disguise the place as a cart factory to make sure the officials wouldn't get curious. To make us less like people, he gave us numbers. Most of us don't remember our names anymore. However, after a while, he realized that his money was dwindling. Further into madness. Out of sheer greed and desperateness, he sold us for something different. Something that hauled in a lot of money."

"What did he sell you for?"

He breaths in deeply and closes his eyes. "Pleasure."

I feel like I'm going to be sick. I've never heard of someone so vile, so indecent as to put children on the market. Neo Hyrule is supposed to be a country of freedom, not one of force! I cover my mouth; I can feel my stomach churn.

"So… you're not a…"

"I can't say I'm pure anymore."

"We have to tell someone, we have to-"

"Tried that. One of us escaped once, and brought officials with him back. They didn't see anything wrong with it, and put him back inside."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know."

I shake my head. Why would someone force a child to do this? Trafficking? In our Neo Hyrule? This is just pure evil at its finest. Someone has to do something about this. The damage has been done, so there's no way of getting him out of his… state of mind. I just wish he could forget about everything he's seen, but I know that is impossible. I finally know why he acts so differently, but I don't think madness is the reason. He's safe now, and that's the only thing that matters.

"Can I go lie down?" he asks, pushing me off. I clear my throat and glance at Rae, still there watching us. Her expression is unusually stoic. Most of the time, she is full of emotion; she just can't keep a straight face.

"Of course. I'll man the shop for the rest of the day, alright?"

He nods slowly and I watch him trudge towards the bedroom. He doesn't look back as he closes the door.

I feel like I lost something. It's as if with Kael telling me of how he had lost his innocence, I lost mine as well. I can't think clearly, and I'm sure Rae can tell.

"You okay?"

"Somewhat. How could you be so calm in that situation?"

"Thing is Linebeck, I hear this kind of stuff all the time. I'm used to it. That's what I get for living so close to the Western Segment, I suppose," She puts a hand on my shoulder, "But listen, don't worry about it. What's done is done, it can't be changed back. I've had to counsel survivors of tragedy before like him, it's my job. He just needs someone to talk to, a parental figure I suppose. Don't let your life rotate around someone else, 'kay?"

And with that she left the room. Again she has baffled me. Not only was she calm then, but now the way she spoke to me. Usually she's very blunt about everything, so in your face. But the way she spoke now, she was so caring and… nice. But wait, did she say counseling? I'll let her give Kael a shot, but after he gets up. Besides, I still need to know about his relation to the Earth God's Lyric. When I finally know that, maybe I'll better understand everything and have a different thing on my mind for a while. For now, I need to man the shop.

I stand and find my way over to the trading area, where Rae is already behind the counter.

"Thought I could help you for today, since your little worker is snoozing over there."

And back to normal Rae, so quickly.

"Thank-you. If you need anything-"

"I've worked here before, don't worry. I'll be fine."

"Alright, if you insist."

I make my way to my post, and see something on the desk that catches my eye. On it, are papers in handwriting I recognize as only Kael's. One sheet is full of the problems we did so many days ago. I guess he didn't want to scrap it. Then are a few other sheets covered in chicken scratched notes, some like: remember to ask Linebeck for this and that, or remember to place that there. I really shouldn't be sifting through his personal notes, but I can't help myself.

Then something else makes me stop for a moment. From underneath a tiny shelved box sticks out a piece of paper. I take it out and read its contents:

Memory is such an easy thing to manipulate, to form and shape. It sticks to you through life, no matter if you want it there or not. This is my personal record of my memory and thoughts throughout the day. Please, refrain from reading this, Linebeck. I know you will anyway, but if you do read this, don't ask me about it.

Seems he knows me so well after only being together for almost a week. Hm. I continue reading:

Lately, I've been asked about a song I only remember because my mother taught it to me before she left me at the orphanage. It's so simple, a baby could recite it to you. Well, not really. It's just the fact that she told me to always keep it with me is the strange thing. Why should I not forget the only thing that binds me to my mother who threw me into that place without a care? People are strange.

End of entry.

Now I don't think she just threw him in, she had to have a purpose. Was it too hard to support him? I read on:

I like the book he has been reading to me. I really do. I wish he would read more of it to me. But why did the girl have to move away and not come back until years later, only to discover that her friend was long gone as well by the time she moved back? People need to learn to wait for each other.

End of entry.

Sometimes, I really want to die. No, I really wish I was gone. Not dead, but just… gone. I hate my life. Or at least I hate Lyle. I hate him. He killed me already, why am I not dead? He was such a nice man… till he locked me in a room with a stranger, that is.

End of Entry.

I understand how much he wants to leave his life behind. I just don't wish to die. Why would someone wish to do so, I have no idea. So is the beady-eyed man's name Lyle? Hm, at least I can give the man a name. But killed him already? I don't understand.

I've been thinking if I should reveal my name already. I mean, I like the name Kael, but it's weird being called that all the time. Of course, my name is so silly, he would just laugh at it. I'm afraid of being laughed at, sometimes. I was laughed at all the time back then by the "clients", so why am I not used to it now? The way it sounds is silly too. It sounds like I'm saying a vegetable's name, just ex out the double e's.

Is he talking about a leek? Wait, his name can't be that. There's no way.

Spelling it is different though. I like the way it looks when you write it. Link. It's nice looking, like Lucy. Did I just write that?

End of entry.

So, his real name is Link. Not only does he look like the Heroes, but he shares the name. Not surprising, but interesting really. It's better than being the fifth in your family to be called by the same name. I'm just glad that Rae didn't get called something like Becky. That would've been fun.

By now Linebeck, you've found this and read through it, trying to process my thoughts. I understand curiosity and what it can lead to, but please don't ask about any of this. I don't like talking about myself, and I don't think you do either. I like to keep things to myself.

End of entry.

Well then. I turn the paper over and see that there's nothing on the back. I slip it under the box like the way I found it, and take out my own piece of paper. Inking a pen, I write:

Please, don't bottle up your thoughts. I care about you too much for you to do that. Tell me what exactly is going on with you.

-Linebeck

Finished, I lay the paper near the box so he'll see it the next time he has the urge to write. So his mother left him at the orphanage, and before that taught him the Earth God's Lyric, a tune that only those who are close to the royal family know. Something doesn't add up here. How can his mother know the tune, when she must be an ordinary citizen? A visit to the twins will most likely clear this up once and for all. With K-… Link sleeping and Rae at the trading post, there's nothing to do but organize stock and wait on some customers.

A few hours pass by, another slow day thankfully. Tomorrow is Saturday, and that means a closed shop. I lean on the counter, my hand cupping my face as I begin to doze off.

Rae comes in and shakes me awake, telling me she has to leave. She told me that "Kael" is still asleep, she checked. I nod and ask her to come again in the near future. She says she will, and she's off on her way home, to the outskirts of the Western Segment. The evening is still, like it was the days before. I hear another door open and close. "Kael" is up. I watch him, still in his day-clothes, trudge up to the counter, rubbing his eyes.

"Tired, eh. You still have to eat something, you know."

He nods, his eyes going half-lidded for a minute.

"Oatmeal sound okay? We still have some of the honey left from yesterday."

He nods again. I notice that he's holding his plush. He's grown attached to it. I have to admit, I slept with one too when I was younger, it was a thing for getting to sleep though.

"Good. I'll be in the kitchen; you can come in anytime to help me, alright?"

"Uh-huh."

I go around him and begin to leave the room, looking back to see him reach for the paper next to the box. I would like to see his reaction to it, but I don't want to seem like I'm intruding, if that's the word I'm even looking for. In the kitchen, I lay out a pot and pour in water from the faucet, then place it on the burner. I turn the heat up and wait for it to boil.

A little while later, "Kael" finds me, saying my name with a confused look on his face. He cocks his head and asks, "You read it, and then proceeded to ask me about it. And yet you say you care about me?"

"Of course I do. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't be asking, right?"

His eyes dart around every which way, then turning his head down, he mutters out a thanks.

"Anytime, Link."

This time, his head jolts up, and his jaw drops a tiny bit.

"What did you call me?"

"By your real name. Might as well start."

I knew he was going to cry, the way he walked in made red flags stand straight. He walks up to me and wraps his arms around my middle, his head in my chest. I hold his head against me, and I sway a little to comfort him.

"I've said it before, you're safe here. There are two people who care about you. Death is never the answer."

"…Really?"

"Of course. I bet you mother loved you very much. She just couldn't support you and make enough money. Is that true?"

He nods and removes his arms. We stand there for what seems like an eternity until Link speaks again.

"Why did she leave me there?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Like I said, she might not have had a lot of money to live on, and she just couldn't support you. It's terrible; the place you and she thought to be a safe haven turned out to be a living Hell in the long run."

He shifts and looks behind me. "…The water is boiling."

After dinner, we clean the dishes and set them out to dry. Link asks me if I could read to him again. I pick up the book from the table in the bedroom and take it out to the living room where he's already sitting in the couch. I take a spot next to him and open to the page where we left off. He's actually been reading from the beginning, with some of my help and slight pressure. He likes the story, and he wants to get through it, beginning to end.

"Yes, I still want to find her," I pouted. Sadie left before I had the chance to say goodbye properly. Over the years, she's always been in my thoughts. When my family moved, I was sure she wasn't coming back, but now I feel different. She could be there now, going up and down the street we used to play in, standing under the tree we told our innermost secrets in. I wonder if she has the same feelings about me.

"Then go find her. Who knows, she just might be in Alder right now, looking for you," Said mother. She was always the optimistic in the family, keeping our heads held high whenever something brought the world crashing down around us.

"How?"

"Alder isn't too far, you know. Here's some money, go buy yourself a train ticket and get yourself to your girlfriend."

"Thanks… hey, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Not yet."

"Mom!"

"Just go, Abel. I'll be here, praying that you find her soon."

I nodded and gripped the crisp paper, wondering if what she said was true. Could Sadie have come back to Alder, after all this time? Walking out into the snow, I shiver and hold my coat together. It was a short walk to the station, but to me it seemed like forever to pay and find a seat.

Finally in, I watched the scenery go by, covered by blankets of fallen snow. It looked beautiful, but the cold weather has taken the lives of people before. It is unwise to stay out there for long.

Alder isn't as bustling as it was those few years ago, but it still has the same folks from before. I just hope that Sadie hasn't given up on me; I haven't on her.

"And that's the end of the chapter."

"Can we read a little more?"

"I would say yes, but it's getting late and you need your sleep. So no."

I close the book and set it down on the table, following Ka- Link to the bedroom.

Both of us changed out of our day clothes, we take our spots in the bed, with Link falling asleep very quickly. He's one to do that often, I suppose. I lie there, listening to his soft snoring.

"Goodnight, Link," I say before letting myself drift off to sleep as well.

AN: And there we have it. It's taking a while to get these out, and I'm still sorry about that. Anyway, see you all next chapter.