On another note: I decided to make this longer than 5 chapters. Not by requests or anything, just because I really wanna line of one-shots following this story. Besides, who doesn't love young Link? Lol I'd write them anyway even if no one was interested.
I'm gonna chat a bit more, so if you wanna go and read the chapter already that's fine by me. Since I'm adding lil one-shots onto this after the main story is done I'll be starting Captivity around the time it ends. As in before the one-shots. Not after. That would take too long and I've been dying to finish polishing it in order to post it. Captivity will be much longer. I was gonna make RS about 8 chapters long but NOPE. At least you guys like it. So expect Captivity's "10 chapter" length to expand much more than that. As for this and its one-shots, if it never ends that's fine. As long as I have ideas it'll stay alive. (Meaning: maybe 5 other chapters. MAYBE)
Alright, looks like I'm done here, but I can assure you there'll be more at the bottom. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Something was wrong. Creaks and groans accompanied Rusl's awakening. Joints and muscles protested painfully at being moved, his body sore and making it known. Another thing was off, but he just couldn't place it...he wasn't able to remember what exactly. First thing he noticed upon opening his eyes was the lack of light, sure there was some, but not much. Little glimmers would be a better way to describe the rising sun. Of course, sitting in his wooden chair with stiff joints didn't escape his mind. He was awake approximately an hour before he would usually wake up, which was odd. So what had awoken him?
Then he noticed the answer to his question.
Shrouded almost completely by the shadows, a boy was crouched in the corner. Midnight blue irises turned a pale turqoise in the light of the rising sun and dying moonlight. Anxiety. Fear. Both raged within the eyes of the hiding Hylian. They stared at each other, the swordsman's eyes locked with the younger's. Bravery, courage, it came out of nowhere. It happened so quickly.
Jumping up suddenly most likely did not feel at all pleasant to him. Before Rusl could even react, the small child had already hopped to the door, throwing it open. Launching out of his seat the man swooped the boy up.
"You're not going to be harmed here. You're saf-ack!" One of the struggling limbs collided with his jaw, clacking his teeth together. "You need time to recover, there's no way you'd make it far on that foot." Rusl's explanation to the squirming Hylian did little to hinder his efforts.
He plopped Link onto the bed. Said child was not having it, his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed, sitting on the bed quite reluctantly. Confusion stirred in Rusl briefly. Why was he so determined to leave? Sure he was in an unfamiliar place, but he was safe. Besides, usually someone so young would want to stay put with such an injury, not try to escape from the people that helped them. Puzzled at the child's behaviour, he moved to close the door, all the while keeping an eye on him. Once the door was shut he moved back to the bed where grumpy Link had thankfully remained.
"You must be hungry. Usually I wait for my wife to wake up, but I have a feeling she won't mind us eating without her." He smiled kindly as he spoke, the more comfortable he could make the atmosphere the better. His jaw still smarted a bit, but being angry with the child would be counterproductive.
At the mention of food the other perked up, annoyance at being confined to a house forgotten. Rusl pulled out two wooden platters and placed them on the table, still keeping a close eye on him. Bread, dried fruit, and some cheese was pulled from where Uli stored the supplies. It was divided up between both of them. Upon remembering how skinny Link was, he set some extra chunks of food on the Hylian's platter. The very second he placed the food in front of both of him it started disappearing.
Shifting and anxious eyes scanned around instead of remaining on the food. One bony arm was placed in front of the plate protectively, food disappearing fast. Link had a wild look to him, the wild that follows when one isn't sure when their next meal will be. Unrestrained wild, it felt wrong seeing it out of nature. Even though Rusl knew the boy was hungry, he couldn't let him eat like that, he would get sick.
"Slow down a bit, alright? It's your food now, I won't take it." the swordsman gave him more space, trying to show he meant what he said.
To Rusl's relief, Link listened. Relaxing slightly, the younger slowed down, but the wild look remained. Once the man was sure the other was feeling more comfortable he took a clay cup and filled it with water. The liquid disappeared faster than the food did. Sitting down to his own meal, Rusl continued to keep his attention focused. Once fed and watered, the odd urge to run away may become more prominent. Luckily it appeared as if the hungry kid had made up his mind to stay in the house for the moment. Food is a good motivator.
More light started to flood the room, particles of dust could be seen through the bright pillars. Both platters empty and stomachs full, the sunrise managed to catch the attention of man and child. Unaware of Link's interest in the morning light, Rusl assumed that he was just watching it by himself from the window. It really was stunning. Being too short to actually see out the window properly, the poor child spread his fingers upon the windowsill, attempting to pull himself up to see out. That's when the older man noticed something. What appeared to be a brand was in the center of one of the small hands. It was faint, unnoticeable unless in the right lighting. Curiosity peeked in the swordsman's mind just as how the sun did over the horizon. The mark looked familiar, as though he should remember what it meant; he quickly dismissed the brand-like mark for the moment. It could be dealt with later. He got a chair for the younger to stand on, if he was interested in the sunrise, Rusl wouldn't hinder that fascination.
Obligations are easily avoided or forgotten when one wants to. Especially any obligations that would involve having to wake a certain recovering Mayor. Recovering as in emotionally so. Bo had lost his wife to illness that winter. She was a wonderful woman and well-loved by the entire village. Unfortunately, it appears that the Goddesses have to take even the best of people from the mortal realm. Reluctance to inform the Mayor of the "new arrival" was also in part to the fact Link couldn't be left alone. He glanced at his wife's sleeping form on the hard floor. Waking Uli to watch over the boy probably wouldn't be a bright idea. Not because she would be mad, but there is a fine line between feeding a malnourished child enough versus too much.
Awe was still radiating from the boy standing on the chair, injured foot holding little to no weight. More sunlight meant the sooner other villagers would wake up. Rusl could very well wait until they were, but decided against it. If Link had to stick around for awhile, he might as well show the curious little thing the village before more strangers started to be up and about. Eyes scanning the room, the man spotted the broken chair he had been meaning to fix. Tucked away in the corner it rested, wood warped and legs detached. That would work. With the younger being distracted by the sun and outside world, he went to work. It hardly took any time at all to form a makeshift, child-sized crutch from the legs.
By the time he finished the crutch, light had almost filled the room to the brink. Rusl strode over to the boy on the chair, resting a hand on his bony shoulder. Though it was not his intent to frighten Link, the scraggly little thing still jumped in fright, flinching away violently. If it weren't for the hand on his shoulder, the Hylian would've fallen off of the chair. Apologizing immediately, the swordsman steadied the youth.
"I didn't mean to startle you. I figured you'd appreciate being able to walk around a bit. Here, I hope this suits you well." He handed the makeshift crutch to Link after helping him down from the chair.
While timidity was not new to Rusl, he had never quite seen the type that boy had. To say it was uncommon was no lie. How could a living thing hold both a timorous gaze within irises of courage? Even with fear woven into the Hylian's very countenace, he took the crutch with a tenacious hold, ready to go out into a completely unfamiliar village with a strange man. It was... admirable. Struggling with the rough chair legs, said youth followed the swordsman out of the house and down the path.
Keeping an eye on a small, injured boy was quite easy. It seemed that the younger had given up any thought of escaping by that point which was good news to Rusl. Even though knowledge concerning children that age was lacking on his part, he felt he was doing well in dealing with the current situation. Injuries, fear, and pain did little to hinder Link's obvious curiosity, head swiveling and eyes alert in wonder, he gazed upon the small village in the growing sun. Beauty not going unnoticed by someone so young was also rare. Very few children would be able to appreciate the world at that age. Rusl knew such things from observing Bo's child, Ilia, interact with her surroundings. Same for Fado, the child of the village goatherders, who was only a couple years older than the Mayor's daughter. More and more aspects about that scruffy Hylian continued to intrigue the swordsman. Speaking of scruffy: Rusl would need to find the child some clean clothes. That could be dealt with later though. First, a miniature tour for the poor thing. After that he could take care of Link better.
Sun continued to flow through the trees and onto the ground as Rusl's "tour" ended. The main reason to show Link around was to make sure he felt more comfortable there and to allow the Mayor a chance to awaken. He did not need to be the one to bother the man so early in the morning. He'd allow the young (nearly) 5 year old girl to wake her father up. That way any anger at being bothered would be dampened. Definitely the better option. Soft panting could be heard by the swordsman's side, they really needed to stop soon if the Hylian was already getting worn out by the short walk. Children are known for bouncing back from injuries and such, faster than adults, but recovery was still important. So, that was the final indicator that they needed to go to the Mayor.
Rusl didn't know what to expect from the small boy by his side. The house had to be the largest building in the village, the largest building for miles if you didn't count those old Temples in the woods. Stepping onto the porch, he looked down upon the injured child for a reaction. Nothing new. Mild and constant fear still glowed around him, but there was no change. That got the man thinking as he knocked on the door; Had the Hylian grown up in a large village? Having only served in Central Hyrule, Rusl couldn't be sure if there were many villages at all in the West. He was only aware of how determined the people were when it came to distancing themselves from outsiders, that and the fact they spoke a very different version of Hylian. Their culture was odd and foreign despite still being part of main Hyrule. A lot of things were confusing and difficult to understand, especially at that moment.
Unaware of how long it took for Bo to answer the door, the creak of old hinges snapped Rusl out of his thoughts. It took a single glance at the Hylian next to the swordsman's side to shut the Mayor's inquisitive expression down. Turning to surprise, questions were pushed aside for the time being.
"Mayor Bo, this is Link. We need to talk."
Silence was Rusl's only answer for a second before the other man moved aside, allowing entry to the warm home. Surprise and curiosity were still prominent on Bo's tired face. Though he was struggling to understand any bit of the new information, the Mayor still noticed his daughter peering around the corner nearby. He excused himself for a second, closing the door and wandering over to where Ilia was, he shooed her away (much to her protest). Whatever was going on didn't require her at the moment, he could explain some things to her later. Upon returning to the main room, he studied both of the people standing in front of him.
"Care to tell me what's going on?"
Explaining the situation so far involved just as many questions being asked as it did when Rusl had first spoken with Uli. That time, though, Link was awake. The poor, skittish, Hylian boy was being practically bombarded by questions. Luckily, attempts at being gentle and unthreatening were made. While Rusl knew the child could speak, it appeared as though the younger would always make an effort not to. Occasionally both he and Bo would recieve no answers or an uncertain head shake of 'yes' or 'no'. Such questions that lay unanswered often concerned Link's parents or his home. Eventually the questions stopped, much to the youth's relief. After the "interrogation" ended, Bo pulled Rusl aside to analyze what they had.
"Rusl, I don't think he has any parents. Whenever we brought them up he'd look away or something." Bo whispered quietly to him.
"That makes sense, but surely he has a family of some sort. How else would he end up so far from the West Region? He might've been seperated from them, or maybe, yknow...abandoned." he responded, just as quiet.
Meanwhile, Link was shifting uncomfortably in the chair they had sat him in. He looked more timid than he had before, borderline trembling. Glancing over at him, Rusl realized they might've been too overbearing. So many answers had remained in mystery that he and Bo had probably gone overboard. Guilt stirred the swordsman's stomach. Poor boy, seemingly parentless and evidently lost, ages away from his home, he was stuck with 2 men that wouldn't stop bothering him. Wounded and scared, he remained just visible out of the corner of Rusl's eye. Bo started to speak again, but the sound bounced uselessly away from the other man, focus stuck on the child nearby. Ignoring the distant protest to his departure, he made his way to the Hylian. Actions that didn't seem quite like his own brought the youth into an embrace. Tense at first at the suddenness of it all, said youth sat rigid, breath hitched. Hardly a second had passed before small shoulders relaxed, fragile hands grasped folds of the swordsman's shirt in response.
Such movement had felt involuntary and sudden, but necessary nonetheless. Bo stood about three yards away, jaw slack at the sight. Link still held onto Rusl, trembles drifting from the skinny form. Rusl remained there as well, crouched to his level, strong and unmoving. A solid wall to lean on.
"You'll be okay."
Again, it felt out of nowhere. Yet, it was needed. Needed by the trembling, scared, and young Hylian. So young and frightened. While it had been so very sudden, it seemed to work best. Rusl could already feel more trust being placed upon him. That's what the boy needed. He didn't need strange men asking him too many questions, he needed somebody to lean on. That's what he recieved right then. Out of thin air, a place to find solace.
Only when Link let go, did Rusl end the embrace. Sitting straighter than he had before, the Hylian had a different light to him. No trembling was present, timidity remained, but barely.
"Better?"
A single nod was given in response to Rusl's question. The man smiled kindly at the child before turning back to Bo. Surprise and respect had a firm grip on the other man's face, uncertainty in his posture. He stood there, questions writing themselves across his forehead before he could finally spit one out.
"How did you know to do that?"
Rusl shrugged, he didn't know. It had felt like the right thing to do, just as it had been the day before. He had felt impressed to take care of the boy, so he did. That care appeared to extend to being able to calm Link. Caring for the Hylian felt natural. If he could comfort a suffering child, he would. Comforting one successfully felt great as well, seeing the boy's fear gradually dissipate and his body relax was worth it. Soon enough, Rusl's attention was brought to the Mayor.
"We need to send a letter to the Castle or something. Maybe they can locate Link's home, family, anything. It's better than nothing." Bo had a good point, the sooner they got the Hylian somewhere safe and familiar, the better.
"Good idea. I'll be back later today and we can write it, does that sound alright? I think I should probably take him back to my house for the time being."
A glance toward the boy showed that Rusl really had worn him out with the short walk around the village. Bo nodded in understanding. Now that Link was slightly more comfortable, he had started to drift off in the chair. Lots of recovery was certainly required for that child. Walking over to the boy, the swordsman helped him get to the door and down the porch steps. Tired thuds accompanied each time the crutch hit the ground. Down the path and along the creek, all the way back to Rusl's house, Link's eyes struggled to stay open. Once his head rested on a soft pillow and warm blankets were tucked snuggly around, the fight to stay awake ceased.
A fond smile graced the past-soldier's face. Maybe, just maybe, he and Uli could discuss having children in the near future. For the time being, they could take care of a Hylian boy, but once he was returned to the West they could talk. At that moment, his wife slept on and so did the mysterious boy. Everything seemed so at peace. Serene. Yes, maybe one day he and Uli would have a child to call their own.
One day.
A/N This took forever! I meant to post on Monday this week, I swear! I kept getting caught up with stuff and once I finally started getting time I caught a cold. Usually a cold=YAY more freetime, but nope. I only have nighttime pills at the moment. So it's 1 AM (again) and I'm struggling to stay awake as I present to you this halfbaked chapter. (There was gonna be so much more, hnnnnng). Next chapter will be better. I hope you guys enjoyed this, criticism is welcome (since I'm too dead to do much like edit right now). The next chapter of RS will (hopefully) be up tomorrow, but perhaps not. Chapter 3 for this one (maybe) next Thursday.