Chapter 4

Ian was feeling a lot better by the time the celebration was set to begin. His recovery was very remarkable. The Sages figured that he must know some magic or he was in tune with nature in some way. Ian knew better. It was all thanks to Ganondorf. He really had to give the evil man credit… he was very good at what he was doing.

He looked at himself in the mirror in his guest room. He had on one of Link's normal everyday tunics, a blue one. He had to admit, Link had some good taste. That won't matter in a couple of days though, he thought. Then, almost as if on cue, the door opened and Link stepped in.

"You look good. A lot better than you did out there in the field."

"Thanks. I owe it all to you and your friend, though. What was his name?"

"Nick. Sir Nick. He's been my best friend for many years now. He's a Knight in the Royal Guard."

"I hope I get to meet him."

"I'm sure you will tonight. There will be a large crowd and all the Knights are always welcome."

"Good."

Link noticed the case on top of Ian's bed. His curiosity took over. "You said you were a gem collector, right?"

"Yes I am. Those ones in the case are my best find."

"Could you show them to me, if you don't mind?"

"No, no problem at all," he answered as he walked over to the case. He took a key out from his pocket and opened it up. "In fact, I love showing off these beauties. It helps boost my ego every now and then."

Link gazed into the case and saw the seven gems. He had never seen such beautiful stones before in his life. "Those are magnificent! May I ask what they are?"

"Of course." Ian picked up the top stone. It was a yellow gem and Link wouldn't be surprised if it had anything to do with the sun. "This is Yellow Topaz." Link marveled at its beauty.

Ian continued to name the gems to Link. Going clockwise after the Yellow Topaz, came the green Emerald, the red Ruby, the blue Sapphire, the orange Fire Opal, and the purple Amethyst. The middle contained the most magnificent gem Link had ever seen. Ian caught his gaze on the gem and smiled.

"Good choice, my friend. This gem is a Diamond. Perfectly clear, it is my most beloved stone in my collection. It symbolizes purity, goodness, and peace." Ian gave Link the gem. "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

"Yes, yes it is."

As Link gave the gem back to Ian, he noticed something about the pattern of the gems in the case. He'd seen that pattern before somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. The colors were in an order that seemed so familiar to him. Oh well, probably just saw it somewhere on one of my adventures, he figured. Ian placed the diamond back into the case and closed it, placing it underneath his bed.

"Well, Ian, I believe there is a celebration that is awaiting my arrival. I would be honored if you walked in with me."

"No, no, Link. I am the one who would be honored." The two walked side by side out of the room.

Ian had never been to a celebration before, let alone one so marvelous and spectacular. He felt completely out of place. He was so used to being by himself that he found that he didn't know what to do in a room full of hundreds of people. Luckily for him, Link was making it easier.

"Ian!" Link called. "Come over here!" He gestured with his hand in his direction. Ian made his way through the crowd and stopped beside Link.

"Ian, this is Sir Nick. Without him, you may still be out there in the field."

Ian reached out his hand to Nick. "I am in your debt, Sir Nick. I would have surely died if you had not spotted me."

Nick took Ian's hand and gave a firm handshake. "That was no trouble at all. I'm glad to see you well."

"These are more of my friends," Link continued. "This is Sir Charles of Hyrule, Sir Aaron of Dellenia, and Sir William of Malaank. Sir Robert of Larosia has yet to arrive, but he is also a dear friend."

Charles was a very tall man, with dark hair and dark eyes to match. He was one of the best swordsmen in the land of Hyrule, right behind Link and Nick. Aaron had blonde hair and blue eyes. He was the shortest of the bunch, but that was just typical for his country. Dellenians were naturally shorter than Hylians. Finally, there was William. He had about the same build as Link, but he was a little taller. His brown hair hung down to his shoulders and his green eyes seemed like they could pierce into one's mind. After Ian shook hands with each of the Knights, several women approached the group.

"Hey, guys," one said.

"Oh, hello, ladies," Aaron replied. Aaron was always a big flirt. He still was not married, but many women have thrown themselves at his feet. He hated that. He hated being treated higher above the rest, even if he was a great warrior in Dellenia.

"Hey, Link, who's the new guy?" another asked.

"Ladies, this is Ian. Ian, the ladies. More specifically, Sarah, Celes, Adriana, and Diana. Celes is married to Sir Nick, but I believe the rest are unattached," Link said while giving Ian a little smile and a wink. Ian let a big smile cross his face. All of the women were fairly good-looking, but the one that struck out at him was Adriana. She had perfect auburn hair that went to the middle of her back. Her blue eyes were filled with life. She had a very nice body as well. Ian must have been staring, because she noticed his gaze and smiled back. Her cheeks were becoming red and she let out a little giggle.

The band began to play a new song and Ian decided that he would try to dance. He only hoped that he didn't look like a complete klutz.

"Adriana, would you care to dance?" he asked while holding out his hand in an inviting position.

"I would be honored," she replied. And with that, the two walked out onto the dance floor. After the two left, Link decided it would be best to go see his wife.

"I'll see you guys later. I'm going to go find Zelda," he said as he began to walk off.

Nick turned to Aaron. "Do you find anything weird about that man?"

"Who? Ian? No, not really. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason. It's just that when Link and I found him a couple days ago, he was on the brink of death. Now, he's all cheery and doesn't seem to be affected from it at all."

"I see what you mean," agreed Aaron.

"Hey, you guys know that some people are just fast healers," William pointed out. "Give him a break. He's probably trying to put it all behind him."

"Yeah. But do you believe what they say about him?" Nick asked no one in general.

"What do they say?" It was Celes.

"Link tells me that he believes he came from the future to warn us of an attack from Ganon."

"Really? Did he say when?" Charles was getting worried. He remembered what happened last time Ganondorf attacked. He had lost his parents then.

"No," answered Nick, "but if he wanted to rid us of Ganon and he could travel through time, why didn't he go to before Ganondorf ever did anything?"

"Good point. That does seem kind of odd," William agreed.

"What are we doing? We just meet the man and already we're trying to judge him," Aaron said. "Let's give him a chance before we start to form an opinion of him." Sarah moved up next to him.

"Yes, give the man a chance. In the meantime, care to give a lady a chance?" She smiled up at Aaron and he couldn't help but smile, and slightly blush. And with that, Aaron and Sarah walked out onto the dance floor.

Nick turned to his wife. "Well, honey, care to dance?" Celes didn't even reply. She just took his hand and led Nick away.

"Well, it seems as if there are two men left and one pretty little lady," Diana said flirtatiously. "Whom so ever will I dance with?" She put on an innocent face toward Charles and William. William found no interest in the girl, so he made the decision.

"Why don't you dance with her, Charles? I'll just go on over to the bar and have a few drinks."

"That'll be my pleasure," Charles replied. Damn, he thought, I was hoping I'd stick him with Diana. Oh well. Charles didn't care much for the girl either. But no sense in breaking her heart. He didn't want her to start crying in the middle of the celebration.

Link walked through the crowd toward the thrones that were set up for the celebration. As he expected Zelda was sitting on the throne with their son and the other Sages. As Link walked over, his son jumped up and ran to him.

"Dad!" he called as he wrapped himself around Link.

"Hey, Evan. Are you having fun?"

"No! This part is boring! When are we going to have the competitions?" he whined. Link bent down next to his son.

"You know they're tomorrow. But don't worry, I hate this part too. I have an idea that'll make it more fun, though." He winked at Evan. The boy knew exactly what his father was getting at. Link turned around and Evan jumped up onto his shoulders. When Link was sure he had a good grip, he stood up and walked quickly in the direction of Zelda.

"Wheee!" Evan cried over the noise of the crowd. Zelda turned toward her two guys and smiled as they came up to her.

"Oh, this is a time for fun and games, is it?" she said in mock anger, but her big, bright smile was a dead giveaway. "Well, I'm glad you two are having fun. Too bad I can't join in."

"And who says you can't?" Link asked his wife.

"Me, that's who," Impa stepped up. She too had a big smile on her face. She just loved the boy so much. So much of his father in him.

Rauru came forward and said, "I think I'm going to go outside for some fresh air. I'll be back in a few minutes." He walked toward the courtyard.

Link put Evan down and looked into Zelda's eyes, those beautiful eyes. "Your Highness, I would be honored if you would care to share this next dance with me," he said in a very respectful manner. He always knew how to embarrass Zelda.

"Oh, stop calling me that and take me out to the dance floor, Hero." Link noticed her cheeks were slightly red. Oh he loved to harass her. It was so fun.

"Yes, milady," he added as he took her hand.