Chapter One
Colin dodged nimbly under the swing of the wooden sword, ducking low into a roll behind his opponent and bringing his own weapon up in a counterattack. As fast as he was, Link was faster. Colin stumbled, the momentum of his attack throwing him off-balance as Link rapidly sidestepped the manoeuvre. The older boy's free hand snaked out and seized Colin's swordarm by the wrist, disarming him with a deft flick of his hand. The training sword skittered off to the side and out of reach as Colin barely managed to catch himself before he fell over.
"Good, Colin. Your form was almost perfect on that one. Once you get some more speed into your movements, I might not be able to avoid that," A slight smile curved Link's lips as the 11-year old grinned up at him, "I think that's enough for today. Uli will skin me and your da both if I don't get you back in time for supper."
Colin's wide grin faded into a look of consternation, "Oh! You're right. It is getting late." A quick glance to the sky plainly showed that the sun still had quite a ways to go before it would be time for an evening meal, but these days Link was careful to tread lightly around Colin's normally placid mother. She didn't half approve of these lessons, but after Colin repeatedly begging his father, Rusl had managed to convince her to allow them for now.
The clearing they stood in was a stone's throw away from the pool of the light spirit Faron, guardian of Faron Woods. None of the light spirits had revealed themselves again since the day of Ganon's defeat, but Link could still feel Faron's presence any time he came near the crystal-clear waters. Epona stood a little ways away, closer to the pool – she was well-trained enough that Link never had any need to tie her down, and was cropping peacefully at a patch of grass.
Link studied the scenery as Colin scurried over to the rock he had left his overcoat on while they practiced. It was starting to get colder as the season turned, and the boy's mother would tan his hide if he left the house without a coat. Colin had eagerly accepted Link's hand-me-down tunic, and after some quick needlework by Uli the outfit now fit him almost as well as it had Link.
Link's new forest-green tunic was similar to the one he had formerly worn while fighting against the forces of Ganon, but this version had been tailored on a commission from Princess Zelda herself, as a gift to him. Gold trim edged the well-cut, fine green fabric, and the symbol of the Triforce was embroidered in golden thread on each shoulder under the stylized firebird crest of the royal family, indicative of his status as a Royal Knight of Hyrule. She had had a matching cape crafted as well, "to complete the outfit," she had said, but that was where he had drawn the line.
As far as he was aware, he was the youngest ever to receive a knighthood from the royal family. Barely seventeen, Link had not even begun needing to shave yet – a fact Rusl, his friend and former mentor, took every opportunity to remind him of.
While Colin fumbled with his overcoat, Link walked over to where the training sword lay forgotten off to the side. Reaching down, he picked up the wooden switch and bundled it together with the one he already held. Link's real sword and shield sat propped against the rock that Colin's coat had been resting on. The young boy scooped them up awkwardly as Link turned towards him, tucking the scabbard under one arm while carrying the shield in both hands across his chest and tottering over to the golden-haired knight.
The sword was serviceable, he supposed – it had been crafted by the finest smith for use by a Hylian Knight after all – but he was still unused to handling an ordinary weapon as opposed to the legendary Master Sword. He had returned that blade to the Temple of Time on orders from the Princess, albeit reluctantly. The shield at least was the same Hylian kite he had always used.
The two of them swapped armfuls, Colin strapping the wooden practice weapons to his back while Link secured his scabbard and shield. Walking over and gathering up Epona's reins, Link guided her down the path as they started back to the village at a leisurely pace. Splashes of sunlight filtered through the trees and played across the rough trail as they walked. Link was happy to note that the forest hadn't changed at all in the eight months that had passed since the cleansing of the Twilight that had draped the land.
Ordon lay up ahead; the village itself hadn't changed much either. After the bulblin raid and the children had returned from Kakariko, a watchtower had been erected much like the one in the other village. It seemed a wasted effort, considering that the village was surrounded by forests and any half-stealthy group could quite easily make it almost all the way to the houses without being noticed. Most of the villagers must have thought so too, as the tower was barely ever manned. Apart from that one addition, the village was much the same as it had always been.
As they moved closer, Link could make out people moving around in their lives. Mayor Bo was out and about – the large man was unmistakable even at this distance. The Mayor had even sumo wrestled with gorons and won; as had Link himself, but he would never have been able to overpower one of the massive, rocklike people without Bo's training. Fado, Link's former employer, waved excitedly as he saw them approaching, but spun around as one of his goats came charging down the hill. Again. Surprisingly, Fado managed to seize the goat's horns and wrestle it to the ground before it could escape. Jaggle, his dark skin camouflaging himself somewhat as he sat in the shade, was resting his eyes as he lay back against the short cliff overlooking the village.
"Are you and Illia still friends?" Colin asked suddenly.
There was a pause before Link replied, "We're still friends." Colin was still too young to understand Link's relationship with Illia. The two of them had basically been all but betrothed to each other since they were children, and had been close friends as long as Link could remember. Now, after everything that had happened, he just felt awkward around her. There was just nothing else there anymore. He felt bad about it – when she tried to talk to him she seemed confused, or frustrated, or both. Sometimes she looked hurt. "Things are just… different now."
"Why?"
Because while she still loved him, his heart belonged to another. Because after all he had been through he would never be able to settle down to live a mundane life as a farmer in Ordon village. Because he ached to be with Midna, her absence a gnawing void filling his chest, "Just because. You had better run on ahead, evening's getting on and your ma won't be pleased if you keep her waiting. She'll have you scrubbing floors tomorrow from sunup 'till supper if you're late, and box your ears for good measure."
Colin squeaked and started to bolt, but stopped and turned to look at him, "One day, I'm going to be just like you Link! I'm going to be a Royal Knight and I'm going to save Hyrule and I'm going to protect everyone!" A wide grin split his face again as he turned and scampered off towards his parents house, almost at a run. Link frowned slightly at the retreating figure. Colin had changed so much ever since the bulblins had attacked Ordon, back when Ganon still threatened Hyrule.
A year ago he would never have been able to picture the shy, quiet boy even holding a sword, let alone being able to use it, but after the attacks on Ordon and Kakariko he had picked one up of his own volition. After the shadow had been lifted from Hyrule and Link had been knighted, he had begged to become his squire. Link had said no, of course – not only because Uli would have had his hide, but Colin and the other children were his friends. He didn't want them fawning over him like the servants were wont to do when he stayed at the castle. The bowing and scraping by the people there had become tiresome very quickly, and Link tried to limit his time in the castle to a little as necessary.
Unfortunately, visits to the castle were becoming more and more necessary as he exhausted his other avenues of research during his investigations. The castle library boasted an impressive array of tomes, and Link was fairly certain that the answers he sought would be found hidden somewhere in those volumes. He had hired a scholar to delve into the library for him, but it was a lot of work for just one person, and Tuli was a bit scattered at the best of times.
That was a concern for tomorrow, though. He would leave for the castle in the morning, and if he didn't run into any troubles he would arrive late in the afternoon. Tuli would meet him that evening and provide a full report of what she had uncovered thus far, and hopefully give him some clues to work from. He prayed to the Goddesses that Tuli would find something, anything, he could use. All of his own investigations had come up empty-handed so far, and he was fast running out of places to look for answers.
- - - - - -
Tuli tottered slightly under the weight of the stack of books as she made her way down the hallway, her footsteps echoing loudly on the white marble tiles. The long corridor was brightly lit, the midday sun streaming in through the large windows placed every so often along the western wall. Her rooms weren't far from the castle library, so she didn't have long to walk before she reached them.
Resting her weight against the door as she fumbled awkwardly with the handle, she attempted to work it open with her elbow. Her long brown hair caught between her shoulder and the dark mahogany and she bit her lip as it tugged painfully. Stumbling, she overbalanced and fell into the room as the door swung inwards on well-oiled hinges, sending her neatly stacked pile of tomes and parchments scattering across the floor.
Sighing, Tuli got to her knees and began gathering up her research materials. Link was due back sometime today and would probably want a full report on her discoveries as soon as he returned; she didn't intend to be caught unprepared this time.
Tuli's cheeks coloured slightly as she recalled the knight's last visit. He had all the manners of a bulblin, bursting into her room unannounced – without so much as a knock at the door! – while she had been in the middle of readying herself for bed, wearing nothing more than a thin shift. She wasn't sure who turned a more vivid shade of crimson, him or her.
Picking the bundle back up and placing it haphazardly on her writing desk, she pressed a finger to the bridge of her eyeglasses and pushed them gently back into a more comfortable position. By the Goddesses, Link was handsome. If only he wasn't so obsessed over this Midna girl he had told her about. She sighed again. Picking up one of the volumes she had placed on the desk, she ran a brief mental checklist to make sure she had everything she would need.
A light knock at the open door made her spin around in surprise, and she goggled briefly at the woman standing in the doorway. "Oh! Your m-majesty!" She managed an awkward curtsy. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you."
Princess Zelda smiled warmly as she glided into the room, the golden hem of her white and purple samite gown lightly brushing the carpet. Her hand, clad in a white silk glove up to the elbow, reached out and closed the door lightly behind her. "That's quite alright, Tuli. Preparing for the return of your patron knight, I see."
Tuli straightened and unconsciously adjusted the russet stole across her shoulders, anxiety worming its way across her small, delicate features. "Um, yes, your majesty." She curtsied again, placing the book she had been holding back on the table. She hadn't really met Zelda before, and wasn't sure how to behave around royalty. Sweat started to bead on her forehead and she swallowed nervously.
The princess laughed, "All that bobbing about is going to make me sea sick if you're not careful. Be at your ease, Tuli, there is no reason for nerves around me." She moved over to the overstuffed armchair that sat in the corner of the room and delicately sat down, gesturing towards the chair next to the writing desk opposite her. "Please, sit."
Tuli quickly stepped over to the chair and planted herself in it. "To uh… to what do I owe to honour of your visit, your majesty?"
"I wanted to talk to you about your research. I understand you have a possible lead or two in regards to bridging Hyrule and the Twilight Realm?"
"Um, yes. I mean, er, yes, your majesty. Well, no. Not exactly, your majesty. Er, maybe. Um." Tuli shifted in her chair nervously, smoothing the front of her white robe with her hands.
"Please, tell me of what you have discovered."
"Um. Alright. Well… I guess first of all would be my progress with the Shadow Crystal."
"That is the crystal that Midna would use to transform Link into his wolf form while the Twilight was still draped over Hyrule, correct?"
"Yes, that's it. Well, it fell inert when the Twilight Mirror was broken – Princess Midna must have overlooked it during the confusion during Ganon's death and left it behind. I've been probing it and cross-referencing what I could with some older materials, and I think that with some more work I may be able to mimic the crystal's connection to the Twilight Realm. After I can do that I could study the connection itself and try to find some way to re-establish it."
"And is that all you have to report?" Confusing as it was, the princess sounded hopeful that it was.
"Um. No, your majesty. There is an artifact that I found a number of references to that I believe may be a possible alternative to the entire issue of bridging the realms. Unfortunately I am yet to find any sort of clue as to what its current location might be."
"What is it?"
"It used to be an heirloom of the Royal Family. An ocarina. The ocarina. Of Time. Ahem. Um. Your majesty. From what I have ascertained it seems to be an object of no minor power, and is capable of exerting influence over time itself."
It appears that the last use of the ocarina coincides with Ganon's first appearance. Little over a century ago, it seems one of your ancestors gave it to someone that the books refer to as the 'Hero of Time', who used its powers to travel through time and learn of Ganon's intention to take over Hyrule, in essence allowing them to disrupt his plans before he had a chance to act."
"So it may be possible for Link to use this Ocarina of Time to travel back to a point before the Twilight Mirror was shattered and prevent Princess Midna from destroying it?" Princess Zelda expression was unreadable, her tone measured.
"Of course travelling through time and changing something like that may have drastic and far reaching consequences." Tuli said hastily, "If it would even be as simple as that. But I'm sure that we could take that into due consideration and ensure that nothing changes that we do not intend. Fairly sure. Um."
Nodding slowly, the princess leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers in her lap, seemingly deep in thought. "I am sorry Tuli, but I am going to need to ask you to hide your information regarding the Ocarina of Time from your patron. Link is not to learn of it. In fact, from now on anything more that you intend to report to him you must report to me first, and I will choose what he is to know and what he is not."
"Your majesty?"
"Ganon may be dead and the Twilight lifted from the land, but this kingdom still has need of Link and his abilities. As a Royal Knight of Hyrule, he has an obligation to the Hylian people to protect them and put the well-being of this kingdom ahead of his own desires. What's done is done, and he needs to be focusing on the future. Do you understand, Tuli?"
Tuli's open mouth snapped shut after a second and she nodded dumbly, "I… yes, your majesty. I understand."
"You do not need to hide everything from him. Your research concerning the Shadow Crystal is fine for now. Feed him just enough so that he is satisfied that you aren't wasting his time, but not enough for him to have something to work with. Eventually the lack of progress will frustrate him enough and he will give up. Until that time, I am counting on you. I have every confidence that I can trust your discretion with this matter, Tuli." The princess stood, her cool gaze piercing through Tuli as the scholar scrambled to her feet.
"Yes, your majesty. As you say." Tuli curtsied deeply, her mind racing.
"Thank you, Tuli." Princess Zelda reached out and touched her lightly on the shoulder, her expression melting into a warm smile. "We will talk again later." She turned and glided to the door, slipping out into the hall and closing it behind her.
Tuli exhaled loudly and collapsed back onto her chair. There were no thoughts of disobedience. She had received a directive from Princess Zelda herself; she had no choice but to obey and hope that the princess had made the right decision. Maybe Zelda was right and after a while Link would just forget about Midna, and all the time he spent with her might turn into something else. Maybe. She could live in hope.
- - - - - -
Zelda strode down the hallway purposefully. A pair of guardsmen, on their way to the gates by the look of them, dropped to one knee as she approached but the princess brushed past them without acknowledgement. Things were starting to get out of hand with this fool's errand Link had taken upon himself. She knew how he felt about Midna, but she meant what she had said to Tuli. He had a duty first and foremost to Hyrule and its people, and he was going to meet it even if Zelda had to drag him by his pointed ears.
She felt slightly bad for Tuli, though. It wasn't fair to ask her to withhold information from Link, especially considering how the young scholar mooned over him. That had been obvious from the moment that Zelda had first seen Tuli in the castle, the way she hung off of Link's every word and gesture. Zelda could hardly blame her, though. The young knight was quite handsome, and initially after Ganon's defeat she had considered him as a possible consort. Of course, that had been laid to rest rather quickly when she learned of his feelings for Midna.
The Ocarina of Time, however… she hadn't seen that coming. The location of the ocarina had been passed down by word of mouth through the royal family for the past few generations, but she had never really even thought about it before now. How far could she really trust Tuli to keep her silence? Perhaps it would be a good idea to have it moved. No, not yet. Tuli seemed loyal enough to the throne. Though even if she did tell Link, it would take time for them to track down the artifact. If she really needed to, Zelda would have plenty of time to move it.
Sometimes as a ruler, Zelda had to make hard decisions. It was very hard, trying to decide what was best for an entire kingdom. One of the things her mother had taught her was to never regret. Regardless of the bad choices you might make as a leader, you can't regret them or you would start to second-guess yourself. Second-guess yourself, and you would appear unsure of yourself. Appear unsure of yourself, and people would lose faith in you. After having her rule undermined by the Twilight so recently, Princess Zelda could not afford for the people to lose faith in her. Regardless of the cost to herself, she would do whatever it took to ensure that did not happen, and if hiding certain things from Link was the only way to do that, she would do it without ever having a second thought.
