Nearing the door out of the train, a hand shoots out in front of us, smacking Link square in the face. He's very confused by the blow, and just stands there awkwardly. He puts a hand to his sore brow and rubs it, looking up at me.

…Well then. This is strange, to say the least. The hand looks familiar to me. The owner of the hand rises up out of the seat and stares down at Link, smiling at him. Link takes a few steps back and hides behind me a bit, frightened. And this fellow… he can't be no one but-

"Well 'ten. If it ain't Linebeck again! And 'is little apprentice! …Sorry 'fer smackin' ya there, little guy."

Starn? Well, this is new. How long has it been since we've last seen him? A few days, I guess. With everything that's been happening in the last week, it's been hard to keep track of time. I sigh and chuckle a bit as Link responds.

"It's okay, just hurt a little. …And please, don't call me little."

Starn gives a hearty laugh and replies, "What's wrong with callin' ya little? You are! Not in a bad way, o' course. So 'ow's it goin', Kael?"

Oh no. Looks like I have to break it to him now if Link can't keep up with the act he has to put on. Link looks up at me again with worry, but then goes back to Starn.

"I'm fine. But uh… erm…"

"What's wrong? Like like got 'yer tongue?"

Good thing his confusion kicked in, or I would've had to step in. Link's brow furrows and he cocks his head to the side.

"What's a like like?"

"Wha? Ya don't know? A like like is a terrible creature 'tat can gobble 'ya up!" Starn bends down and leans into Link's ear, whispering, "And I heard 'tey like boys just like you the best!"

Link steps back for a moment and shakes his head. I hope he didn't take Starn's comment seriously.

"What happens next?"

"After 'tey gobble 'ya up? 'Tey spit 'ya out!" Starn steps back and goes over to an open window. He makes a weird noise in his throat and he continues, "Like 'tis!" He spits out what he calls a loogie, and it lands on some poor unsuspecting fellow.

"Hey! Who did that? I swear, when I find you kid, you're going to be in a world of hurt!"

Starn's grin quickly turns into a frown as he races back to us. His eyes dart around like he was guilty of something. And he was, to some extent.

"Well, 'tat went pleasantly."

Meanwhile, Link was in a giggling fit, with his hand over his mouth.

"And what're you gigglin' at?" Starn says in a false tone of seriousness. This is why he's my friend. He can turn anything bad into a good joke.

"You, of course!" Link replies, still giggling.

"Bah! Well anyway kid, was there somethin' wrong with 'ya earlier? 'Ya kept stutterin'."

Well, crud. Looks like I have some explaining to do.

"Um, well… it's about…"

"It's about Kael's name. After a series of events at home, I found out his real one, as well as where exactly he erm, came from," I finish for him.

"Well 'ten, what's 'is name?"

"It's Link. I'm dead serious here, Starn."

It takes a while for it to sink in, but Starn comes back after a few moments.

"…I believe 'ya. Still, a kid runnin' around with 'tat name can get in some big time trouble. Be careful. Where'd 'e come from?"

Link and I exchange looks before I respond, saying, "Well, he was in an orphanage. But the orphanage became well, a bad place."

"How so?"

I sigh and make my way over to him. I lean into his ear and whisper, "After the owner's wife passed away, he went mad with grief. After a while, he began selling the children there as working slaves to keep up with the expenses."

Starn's eyes widen and his jaw drops a bit. "No way. Are you pullin' a swift one on me 'ere?"

"Unfortunately, no. There's more."

"…Go ahead."

"When the expenses piled up even more, he sold them as well… to put it bluntly: pleasure slaves."

Starn's eyes close and he sighs heavily. "Poor kid."

"I know, it's hard to take. But look, he made it out of there. Isn't that a good thing?"

Starn shakes his head and turns to leave the train, without an umbrella. Before he does though, he leaves us with this: "Just because 'is body made it out, 'tat doesn't mean 'is spirit did. And listen: if 'ya wanna visit Millie and I, come whenever." And with that, he's gone.

That hit me in so many places. It's true, what he said. Even though he's physically out, he isn't mentally. I wonder what's going on inside his head right now, the way he's eyeing me with pain in his eyes. I can tell he's hurting right now. At least I can maybe cheer him up later on now.

"Why did you tell him?" He asks, gripping the sleeve of my coat.

"I had to. He's my friend."

He waits for a second and replies, "…Can we just go already?"

"Yes. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just want to get this over with."

And with that, we head outside into the rain. I put my umbrella up with Link at my side. After a few minutes of walking, he pipes up again.

"Is that the castle up ahead?"

"Mm. It's big, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"You guess? What, have you seen something larger than this?"

"…No."

His answer doesn't seem truthful to me. I won't ponder it too much, though.

The castle really is gigantic, filled with many hallways and corridors. It's easy to get lost in there if you're not careful. The outside is what you would expect from a castle, large pillars, giant doors and windows. The castle is a plain white with hints of light blue around it. There's a garden around it there, too.

Every step we take gets us nearer and nearer to it. My heart is beating fast, I'm trying to go slower. But then I remember what we're here for and quicken the pace. I wonder if Link is feeling the same way. There's an arch over us now. The entrance to the outer courtyard. There are two guards in front of a giant door garbed in a vivid green with spears in their hands. They are motionless.

Link and I stop in front of the guards, with him naturally behind me a little. He's a very timid boy, I know that. But really, there's no reason to be shy around a bunch of guards.

"State your order of business," One of the guards barks at us. So much for a warm welcome, I suppose.

"I am Linebeck the Fifth, owner of my grandfather's trading post in the Eastern Segment," I say, then point to Link, "And this is my apprentice. We are here to speak with the prince and princess."

The two guards look at each other for a moment, as if trading thoughts with one another. The guard from before speaks up again, his words still harsh.

I'm very much surprised that they still wear that uniform. After the Hero passed away, the kingdom was under much grief, you'd think that they would change the uniform as to not be reminded of him. Instead, I feel that they wear it with pride.

"You are allowed entry. Jos will lead you to their chambers. Once you are finished, do not go about the castle on your own. You must head straight out. If you don't, we will take you out by force. Do you understand?"

We both nod, and the guards together open the door, with one of them going in. I assume this one is Jos. Strange name, but I don't think much of it. Before they let us in though, the same man halts us again after getting a good look at my umbrella.

"Sir, we're going to have to remove your umbrella from you. It's not that we don't trust you, it's just well, to put it bluntly, we don't want our floors wet. Is that clear?"

Seems reasonable. I hand over the umbrella and immediately feel the rain falling down on my head and shoulders. Link huddles close to me as if he's trying not to get wet. The two separate to allow us entry.

"Now get inside, quickly. Jos will be right behind you." He gives a cold stare to Link and continues, "And don't try anything funny, kid." Link gulps a bit as we are both hurry inside.

The castle is warm, warmer than outside at least. The floors are covered in royal blue carpeting embroidered with gold lining. The walls are white and barren, save for a few flags and tables with flowers on top of them in tiny vases. Link's eyes go wide at the sight.

"It's really big…" He says in awe.

"Course it is, kid. Say, didn't catch your name," Jos replies. Oh no, this is bad. What are we supposed to do? Just go with "Kael" again?

"Oh… it's Kael," He says with a small smile. I can easily tell its fake, but hey, it works.

"Kael, eh? Sure I can't just call you cabbage? Ha!"

"…Huh?"

I have to admit, this is pretty funny. I think it's my cue to explain something. Again.

"Kael, listen. He's talking about a type of cabbage called kale, k-a-l-e, and some people pronounce it like your name. They sound alike. Get it?"

"Oh… okay. Hey!"

Jos just doubles over in laughter. Not really fond of this man, but really, he's our guide. Lose him, and that's it.

"Bah, now you get it! Ah, but you're just a kid, you wouldn't know. Anyway, we need to get going. I must tell you two, the children have been expecting visitors for a while now. Must be you, I guess."

"Perhaps," I reply. We finally begin moving, passing more halls and finally reaching a set of stairs.

"This stairwell leads to the throne room. From there is the door to their chambers. Come with me," Jos orders, and we follow him up the stairs. I swear, my heart is beating way too fast. From the looks of it, Link is a tad nervous as well. We're so close now.

The door at the top opens to a massive room with red carpeting and massive thrones, all three of them empty. There is one in the center, which is the tallest. The other smaller ones sit next to the larger one, one on each side. There are two doors; one I know leads to the chambers. The other, I don't know. On the walls are two light blue banners with the symbol of the kingdom. On top of that is a giant painted-glass window of a young girl, presumably the first princess of the kingdom. However, she really doesn't look very… royal to me.

"Almost there. This is the throne room, obvious enough. The queen is out right now. She's speaking with the chief of the Gorons. Something about another route being created from their village to the Center Square to deliver their wares easier." So this means the children are on their own. "However, the queen's mother is in her chambers with the children. At least, that's the last place I saw them. Come."

Ah, I almost forgot. The children's grandmother still lives with them. The princess who's first child was taken away by the hands of fate is still alive and well. But why does she not have a throne herself?

We walk up the small set of stairs and take the right door, with Jos right behind us. Inside is another hallway with four rooms, most likely the chambers. Jos leads us to the last one and gives a few quick, hard knocks.

"Your highnesses, you have visitors. Do I have permission to let them in?"

"Do let them in, Jos," A voice rings out. It's Luca's, no doubt.

"Very well then," He opens the door, pushing us in. Jos follows close behind, blocking the way out of the room. The room itself is a deep shade of maroon with old floorboards, a giant bed, and a few windows. Around us are very expensive looking chairs. The two children are sitting on the floor, talking to an old woman in a bed. Luca looks up and smiles at me.

"So, you have decided to come and see us again? It is a treat to see you again, Linebeck," He says, standing up to shake my hand. He guides me over to a chair, pulling one up for Link as well. Zelda stands, sitting down in a chair across from Link, while Luca is across from me. The old woman in the bed stares at Link for an unknown reason, as if she is longing for a forgotten time. "Oh, Jos. You may leave. Our conversation will bore you, I'm sure of it."

"Erm… alright then," Jos turns to leave, closing the door behind him. I wonder what that was for?

"It is nice to see you two again as well," I say, figuring we can slip in some small-talk before getting into it.

"The same with you two. I must admit, you and your son look very similar with those coats!" Zelda giggles. Well, here goes some explaining.

"Here's the thing, your highness, he is not my son, merely my apprentice."

"Ah. I see. What is his name?"

"This… is going to be a little strange, but listen. His name is Link. I did not name him of course; it was his mother who gave him up to an orphanage in the Western Segment years ago." Link is fidgeting in his seat. When I mention Link's name, the old woman frowns at me.

"That is odd. Do you know who his mother is?"

"No. Link, do you know your mother's name still?"

His eyes scan the room, as if he's looking for a way out of the current conversation. I know it's a touchy subject, but we need this to be explained. Now.

"I think so… she said her name was very special, no other girls had it besides her. But it was changed once she got older, before she had me. I think it was Rose."

This time, the old woman jolted up out of the bed, her jaw dropping. She just stares for a minute before ordering her grandchildren out of the room. They protest, but they walk out anyway. Why, I don't know.

"You mother's name, child, was Rose? Am I correct?" Pretty name, I suppose.

"Yes. Why? Do you know her?"

"Perhaps," She said with a grin, "Did she have long, flowing blonde hair with bright blue eyes?"

"Yeah…"

"Was her adoptive mother's name Ann?"

"Adopted? She wasn't adopted. Her mom's name was Ann, though." Link does his signature head cock again.

"Oh, but child, your mother was quite the liar."

"How do you know all this about my mother?-!" Link snaps.

"I'm your grandmother."

Holy Gods above. Are my ears working correctly?-! That is impossible… how…

Link is silent for the longest time, as well as the rest of us.

"This will be a long one, so sit back, you two. A long time ago, before either of you were born, I was a young girl, about the age of seventeen. Link and I- …no, the Hero and I had… our love shown to each other recently, if you catch my drift," She begins.

"We do, we do," I say before Link can ask anything.

"I found out that I was to have a child. Usually, girls would be very happy about that. But me, I was oh so afraid… I was to have an arranged marriage, like many girls in our class. Mine and the Hero's love was to be kept secret. My suitor would have been furious if he knew at that time. So I kept it secret, until Teacher noticed my stomach enlarging. I told him everything. With a sigh, he told me the only way out was to marry him, and not my suitor. He did not want a bastard child on his hands, or the kingdom's for that matter. I met with the Hero again, and told him as well. He took it the same way, agreeing to the marriage. A few days before the marriage… he was killed in a terrible accident. I starved myself. I almost tried to kill the life growing inside of me, to rid myself of his lingering essence. I was a fool, to love a warrior. I was a fool to love a conductor. I am a fool today to love a dead man. Now, listen to me carefully."

We nod, trading looks.

"When I married my suitor, he was a terrible man. He did not want someone else's child in the family to be raised. He believed in purity. Bloodline. Once my daughter was born, we kept her for a while. He told me not to name her; she would be gone in a matter of time. Oh, but I did name her. I named her like every other female in the family, Zelda. We moved into his kingdom, the one near us. We ruled, as husband and wife, until the kingdom was attacked a week later. It fell. We came back to Hyrule, and stayed there, taking over the roles of king and queen. Days went by, and he formulated his plan of getting rid of my daughter. He told me to kill her, or I would be killed. See, even when the wife passes, the husband is still in control. I would not comply. In the middle of the night, the night I was to kill her, I ran. I ran as far as I could, child in tow. I left to find a witch. Why? So she could create fake, deceased baby in my child's image to put in the bed instead. She would be a decoy baby to make husband believe I killed my child. She created the baby from magic and gave it to me. It was so cold… so lifeless. I paid her handsomely and left the place. However, I realized that I could not still keep my own baby. I wept. I wept, and wept, and wept. I had to give her up. I knew a girl, as young as I was, a girl I knew for a long time. Ann. After some convincing, she took the baby for me. I told her to never tell her her existence as a princess. The least she could do, and what I wanted her to do, was teach her… a song. And make sure she teaches it to her own child. And to tell her she was adopted too, of course. She would say her mother was dead. And that would be the end of it. I went back to the castle, with the false baby, and slipped it into my daughter's bed. I placed a pillow over its head to make it look like I killed it. You can guess what happened after that."

"The king found the baby the next day, buried it, and told the kingdom that the child was dead, due to accidentally being smothered in its sleep by laying on its stomach," I say.

"Yes. He thought I killed her. I told him I did. he lied to the kingdom about her death. He got me pregnant with his child, and had another daughter. She grew up, unknowing of her sister's existence. She married a man with brunette hair instead of blonde, and had the twins we have today. They too stayed in Neo Hyrule. It seems my first daughter grew up and had a baby boy, cute as a button may I add."

Link gives the woman a look, but quickly starts to giggle. Being called cute by a former queen is not something you get every day.

"Tell me, child, did your mother ever teach you… a song of sorts?"

"Y-yeah…" He says, fidgeting even more. He really doesn't want to talk about this.

But really now, so all this time, I've been dealing with a… a prince? A descendant of the Hero? This is so much to take in, I-

"Please, sing it to me. Go on."

And he begins, very softly. Just like one the train, I urge him to get louder by providing a little beat. His confidence raises and he sings even louder, the secret song of the land ringing out in the room. When he's finished, he leans back in the chair, staring at his newfound grandmother.

"Wonderful. Tell me, why were you at an orphanage and not with your mother? I would've loved to see you, you know."

"She… she didn't have enough money to care for me. She put me in there. I never saw her again."

"Ah… at least you were brought up well. I suppose the orphanage you were raised at was a good one."

He doesn't speak after that. I urge him to continue, but he only keeps his head down.

"What is wrong, child? Why do you not speak?"

"He doesn't want to. If I could speak for him…"

"Is something wrong with him?" She gets up out of the bed, and wobbles over to a chair. Even she is dressed regally.

"If I tell you, promise not to take it badly."

"Mm… alright…"

"You see, he was dropped off at an orphanage in the Western Segment. We both know how… bad it's gotten, correct?"

"Not my favorite place to be."

"Well, anyway, life was good for him there for the time being. The owner had a wife who was ill all the time. She passed one day, and he went-"

"…Let me explain," Link pipes up. Why? Is he feeling he should be explaining it instead? Someone's growing confidence…

"Sure, child. Go ahead."

"I was young. Eight or so. We were poor. Poorer than dirt. We were robbed countless times. Of course, that's what you get for living in the Western Segment. Mother couldn't take care of me anymore. She cried all the time. I didn't know why at the time. She cried because she had to give me up. We couldn't just go somewhere else, we had nowhere else to go. She raised me alone, father having already passed away when I was three. One day, she put all of her money together and we traveled to the heart of the Western Segment, hearing there was an orphanage nearby. She knocked on the door, hugged and kissed me goodbye, and fled before the door opened. There, there was a young man, a little older than mother. I told him what happened and he guided me in. Told me his name was Lyle. I told him my name, too. He told me he liked the name, it showed courage and kindness in the same breath. I made friends with the other kids there. Lyle told me about his wife, who was terminally ill. She would die soon, but he thought it would be many years before she did. Years passed. When I was almost ten, Lyle's wife died. He went totally mad. He locked himself in his office all day long. Some of the kids ran away. I stayed and tried to comfort him. I was his favorite, I guess. We had no money at the time, either. That meant no food. He got depressed and fell out of his mind. Soon, he needed to get money. How, you ask? He sold us. As "workers". We'd work for a week at a time and come back, the orphanage getting paid. Of course, it wasn't an orphanage anymore. Lyle… he loved money. He realized that once we started to work. Of course, he also noticed how some of us looked, both the girls and the boys. He started to sell us as… something else."

At this time, tears are falling down his face. I sigh and put an arm around him.

"What was that something else, child?" The old woman was worry-stricken.

"Workers that provided a kind of pleasure. He kept us inside all the time. It was dark a lot. He made the place to look like a cart factory to disguise it, saying that the orphanage closed down years ago. And really, it did. People would come in… and…"

"You don't have to say anymore, child. Where is this place?"

"It's in an alleyway of the Western Segment. I don't remember where."

She looks at him for a while, and then turns to me. Hearing this told in great detail bothers me.

"How did you find him, Linebeck?"

"Well… I was out to find workers for my trading post. I went out to the Western Segment, and on my way to the metal works area, I found a little building in an alleyway. I went in, spoke to the man that we now know as Lyle, and requested to see the rest of the place. Down we went into the dark. He told me the pace was a cart factory, but that quickly changed when he started to think I was there to… buy. He brought out a boy, and I think we both know who that was. Somehow, I was convinced that I had to get him out, so I bought him with the money I had. We ran away from there, with Lyle yelling after us. And now, weeks later, we're here."

"How could this happen… my grandson… stolen of his innocence…" The old woman starts to cry out. "You two… I think you two need to leave. I will not tell anyone of this. Get." I think she needs some time to recover.

It's over. The mystery of his past is solved. A princess out to save her child from certain death hides her daughter who grows up in poverty. A boy is brought to an orphanage by a poor mother and is soon damaged by someone he thought to have loved him. The boy is revealed to be a prince in disguise, the product of a bastard child.

I stand to leave the room, with Link behind me.

"It was… nice to see you," I say, walking over to the door.

"It was nice to see you as well. Goodbye, and take good care of my… grandson." She crawls back into the bed and lies there, watching us.

Out we go, out the door. We don't say anything to each other as we head out, meeting with Jos again. He hands me my umbrella and doesn't say anything to me. Out of the castle, in the rain, we walk slowly, with neither of us saying a word. I have a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, like something is going to happen soon. I don't think I need Rae to talk to Link, either. I'd prefer we just let this go. Watching Link as he goes, I realize how princely he acts. His way of talking, his actions. At least we know just who he is now. A fallen prince who had lost his innocence. Mm, that rhymes. Strange.

Further we go, and we're at the station. Further we go, we're on our train, still as silent as ever. The further we go, with Starn not there at all; we reach the station at home.

Inside our home, Link asks if he can sleep for a while. I allow him to, and he retreats to the bedroom. I sit down on the couch, and just allow my mind to wonder if there was a way to prevent all this from even happening. It's strange; one mistake on the job can lead to… all this. It's funny, in a way. It's sad in its own, too.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

AN: And there we have it, chapter six! Hey, I updated a little quicker this time! Well, see you all in the next chapter!