Chris ran through the refuge faster than she had ever run before. Tears rolled down her red face as she cried loudly through the passageways of the refuge. She was so blinded by grief that she never noticed the people that she was knocking over. Behind her, Liz was running slower than she, but still quite fast. Liz was crying as well, although not as much as Chris. The two teenaged girls continued through the refuge until they finally came to their destination. Chris stopped outside the doorway, not wanted to go in to the room, thereby making it all too real. It wasn't until when Liz got to the door that Chris was able to raise up enough courage to open the door. She reached her hand out slowly and grabbed the knob.
As she walked into the room, she closed her eyes and made a promise to herself. She promised that she would be strong and would be able to go on, knowing that John died a hero and that he was in a better place now. She decided that she would abide by that promise for as long as she lived. Upon opening her eyes, the promise was instantly broken.
"John! No, John!" she cried as she ran over to the table where John's body had been placed. She buried her face into his chest and wept her eyes out, only taking brief pauses in order to breathe.
Standing on the other side of the table was Nick, his head bowed. He gently put his hand onto Chris's shoulder and tried to offer some sort of comfort.
"He was a very brave lad. You should be proud of him." The words just seemed to echo off the walls as Chris continued to weep onto the one she loved. Nick realized that he was no good at this sort of thing, so he did not make another attempt at consoling her. He looked around the room and saw Aaron praying to himself in the corner and William sitting on a chair, deep in thought. Robert had left the room just a few minutes before. Nick's eyes caught Liz's as he scanned the room, and without saying a word, she knew what he wanted to say. She nodded her thanks and walked up beside Chris to console her.
Nick spoke up again. "Well, we'll leave you alone. Besides, we've got some planning to do." He gestured to the other Knights to get a move on, and they all complied. They walked out of the room without uttering a single word. Nick was the last to leave, and as he did, he took one last look back at the two mourning girls. Poor girls. Barely more than children and they've each lost all that was dear to them. With a deep feeling of sympathy, Nick left the room and closed the door.
As he walked down the passageway, Zelda, Celes, Adriana, Diana, and Sarah all ran up to him at once.
"Nick, tell me it isn't true," Zelda said to him.
"I'm sorry, Princess, but John was slain by a Stalfos."
"No. No, that's horrible. Oh Chris! She must be devastated," Adriana said with choked back tears.
"Can we go see them?" Sarah asked.
Nick sighed deeply. "I don't think you girls should go in there right now. We just left Liz and Chris in there. Maybe a little later."
They all nodded their agreement.
"Anyway, Princess, we need to figure out what we are going to do. An attack on us is imminent. We must take action now."
"Yes, yes of course," Zelda responded. "Let's go."
"Nick!"
"What is it, Celes?"
She ran up to him and embraced him as tight as she could. "I love you. No matter what happens."
"I know, honey. I know." She released her grip on him and allowed him to leave. Nick and Zelda left the other four women standing there, not knowing what was going to happen.
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It was like nothing else Link had ever felt. He seemed to be flying through some kind of vortex. He couldn't see his body, but then again, he couldn't even move his head to see if his body was there or not. His vision was fixated in front of him. In the distance, amid the vast array of colors, was a single white light, brighter than anything else around him. The light grew brighter and brighter, and closer and closer, until it was all around him. Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. There was a split second of darkness followed by a blue sky, white clouds, and green trees.
Before he could utter a word, he felt two hands grab him and pull him up.
"Well, that was a rough landing," Ian said jokingly, a smile across his face.
Link ignored the comment and gazed all around him. "Where are we?" he asked without turning to face Ian.
"Hyrule," Ian said matter-of-factly.
"This isn't Hyrule. I don't recognize anything here."
"That's because we are many centuries in the future. Hyrule has changed due to famines, wars, and, of course, Ganon."
Link continued to survey the landscape. As he looked around, he could only make out one thing that seemed to be the same as it was in his time. Death Mountain. It rose in the air just as it had done so many years ago. As he looked at it, Link wondered if the Gorons still lived there.
"Link, we need to get going," Ian said as he broke Link's concentration. "We have no time to waste. We must find your descendant as quickly as possible."
Link nodded. "So where do we start?"
Ian raised his hand and pointed at a house close by. "That's Link's house on top of that small hill."
"Link's house?"
"Ah, yes. He has the same name as you, as does the other descendant that we are looking for."
"They have the same name?"
"Yes. Come to think of it, that will make it rather confusing around here. I can't just say 'Link', now can I? I suppose… yes… since you're the Hero of Time, I will refer to you as such when we are all together. Or perhaps Link I. And they could be Link II and III… hmmm…"
Link looked at Ian with a confused face.
Ian let out a small chuckle. "Or perhaps we'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, you're Link. So let's go."
The two travelers walked up the small hill toward Link's house. It was a nice little house, fairly decorated, with a small garden in front of it. The humble home reminded Link of his childhood in the Kokiri Forest. Life seemed so much simpler then. They came to a stop by the front door. Ian raised his fist and gently knocked. They waited. No answer. Ian once more raised his fist, but this time, he pounded harder, hoping to get the attention of anyone inside. Still no response.
"Must not be home," Link said.
"Guess not. It would seem as though finding your descendant will not be as easy as simply going to his house."
"So what do we do now?" Link was irritated that his descendant wasn't home. The longer he spent trying to find his descendants, the less time Zelda and the others had.
"We go to Kakariko Village. We should be able to find out his whereabouts there," Ian stated. "Oh, and Link?"
"Yes?"
"You need a different name."
"A different name? Why?"
"The people here are very proud of Link, your descendant. They wouldn't take too kindly to someone who says they have the same name and is a legendary hero. Remember, your deeds are not known in this time."
"Fine. I will use a different name for now. What should it be?"
The two racked their brains for a good name to use. It had to be one that was strong, but also had a deeper meaning to it. After some thought, Link came up with a name that he couldn't stop thinking about. He looked up at Ian.
"Evan."
Ian nodded as he remembered Link's son jumping into his father's arms and riding around on his shoulders. It was a memory that he could barely recall as it had come during a time that he would rather not remember. A time when he was evil.
"Very well. Evan it is."
They stood there a moment longer before Ian turned in the direction of Kakariko Village. Link took one last look back at his descendants' house before following the older man. So peaceful. I wonder if he was thrust into his journey as I had been into mine. His thoughts then turned again to Zelda, Evan, and the rest of his friends. He had a long journey in front of him.
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"So it's decided. We will leave the refuge and attack the enemy first," Nick said in front of a council of the best warriors and the Princess.
"But where should we attack them?" William asked.
Nick thought about it briefly before he came to his decision. "We must attack them outside of the forest. Some of the enemies are extraordinarily difficult to fight enclosed in trees. Plus, we must not let them get to the Great Deku Tree."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Aaron questioned from the back of the room.
"Wise? No, it may not be wise. But it's our only choice."
Soft murmurs filled the room as everyone realized that he was right. He continued on.
"We must first establish an exit for her Highness and her son."
Zelda jumped up from her chair. "What do you mean, exit? I'm going to stay and fight for Hyrule!"
"No, you're not. I'm sorry your Highness, but if we are victorious in this battle, we will still need a leader," Nick reasoned.
"You can be that leader!" Zelda shouted back.
"I may be able to lead armies, Princess, but I cannot lead civilians. Only you can. The people love you."
Just then, the door was slammed in as Celes, Adriana, Diana, and Sarah all came in. It was Celes that spoke up.
"We are going to fight alongside you men."
Nick was startled. "No, honey, you are not going to fight!"
"And why not? We have a sense of duty too. Not to mention we want to protect the Princess as well," Adriana said.
"In my country," William started, "the women do not fight!"
"Nor in mine!" Aaron injected.
"And they have never fought in this one," Nick said, "and why should it change now?"
Sarah was furious. "There's not much of a country left, if you haven't noticed! You need all the help you can get and here are four women who are willing to risk their lives for the future of the country. I'm sure there are plenty more who would do the same!"
The room fell silent after Sarah's remarks. The disturbing silence was broken by a sweet, innocent voice that was shaky with grief.
"We would like to fight," Liz said.
The room remained silent as the two teenagers entered the room. Both were grief-stricken with tear-filled eyes. No one wanted them to fight, and if it was up to the Knights, they wouldn't. But everyone could tell that even if they were told not to fight, they still would.
Nick glanced around from one woman to the next and saw the deep desire they had. All they wanted to do was protect what they loved, just as he always does. He sighed deeply.
"Alright, you girls can fight. Anyone that wants to fight will be allowed." The women were very pleased, but they would not show it. They knew that they could very well be sending themselves to an early grave.
"Then I will fight."
"Except for you, Princess Zelda," Nick reiterated.
Zelda was visibly upset, but she knew that there was no way any of them would let her fight. Instead of arguing, she was going to go against their wishes and fight anyway. She just had to figure out what to do with Evan.
"Alright, men… and ladies," Nick corrected himself, "we have a lot of work to do. I suggest that all of you practice strategy and technique. Fellow Knights, we will teach these women how to fight."
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They walked into Kakariko Village a little after dusk. The sun was down, but numerous torches lit the streets with their soothing light. No one was outside, save for the homeless. Link couldn't believe that people didn't have a place to live and no one came to their aid. He wondered how morals could become so easily avoidable.
Ian kept on walking, seeming to know exactly where he wanted to go. To Link, the town was very strange. It was nothing like the Kakariko he used to know. Not to mention the fact that the Kakariko from his time stood at the base of Death Mountain, while this one seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.
"Ian, do you know where you're going?"
Ian chuckled. "Not a clue, Li… Evan."
"Then where are you leading us?"
"In search of a tavern, my friend."
Link was a little unsettled. "You mean you want to get a few drinks at a time like this? Ian, we have to hurry and find him!"
"Calm down. I'm not looking for some drinks. Taverns are a great place to get information on somebody's whereabouts. All the gossip and stories always wind up there." Up ahead, Ian spotted a sign that read Kakariko Tavern. "Found it."
Link looked at the sign that Ian was pointing at. The writing on it wasn't anything that he had seen before. "How do you know that's the tavern? That writing isn't in Hylian."
"Oh, but it is. The language you know is only one language. There is another language now, although it sounds the same as the language you use. Which is good, because this would be much more difficult if we couldn't understand each other's language."
"Then why is it written different?"
"Influences from other countries and peoples changed it ever so slightly over the years until it has become what it is today."
"I don't like this place."
Ian laughed out loud. "So, the Hero of Time doesn't like someplace because its different. Why, I would have thought you would've been used to things being different after all you've been through," he said as he let out another laugh. When he was able to bring himself under control, he realized that they were right in front of the tavern. "Now remember, you're name is Evan."
"Why are we here?"
Ian was a little puzzled. "What do you mean, 'Why are we here'? We need information on Link II."
Link shook his head. "No, no, no. You misunderstand me. If someone asks us why we're here, I would like to give them an answer that won't get us into trouble."
Ian's eyes light up with understanding and a small smile appeared on his face. "I see what you mean. Very well, then. We are travelers from another country and are just on our way through. We are inquiring about legendary heroes from many different countries in order to make peace with them. Is that alright, o wise one?"
Link smiled. "That will do just fine." And with that, Ian opened the tavern door and they walked in.
The tavern was quite big. There must have been between 20 and 30 tables scattered throughout the whole place, and the bar was long enough to hold an addition 20 people. The bar ran along the left side of the tavern, almost all the way from the front door to the back door. The tavern was fairly crowded, but there were still many tables to choose from and some stools left open at the bar.
Ian leaned over to Link. "Go sit at one of the tables. I'll be there in a minute."
Feeling uncomfortable in this new situation, Link was more than happy to just sit down and wait. He walked slowly toward the back of the tavern. All the way back, he thought that everyone was looking at him. In fact, he did catch the eyes of quite a few patrons, and he became even more uncomfortable. He finally chose a table to sit at. It was located in the back next to the stage. There were no performances that night, so the area wasn't crowded at all.
He took off his sheath and shield, leaning them up against one of the other chairs at the table. As he sat down, he began to scan the room. A few tables to the left, a group of four men were playing cards. Link recognized that they were cards, although he had never seen any like those before in his life. He had been familiar with three suits, each of which represented one of the Goddesses. These men were playing with four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, although Link didn't know them. A few tables behind the card-players were two couples, sharing a drink together. Over to his right, Link saw a group of men and women sitting at several tables pushed together. All their eyes were on one man in particular who seemed to be telling a story. When they all erupted into laughter, Link realized he was telling jokes.
Up at the bar, Link caught sight of Ian. He was leaning next to a man and whispering something to him. Ian pointed in Link's direction and the man turned around and nodded. Ian nodded his head too, as though they had reached an agreement of some sort. Then, Link noticed the bartender walk over to Ian and place two mugs onto the bar in front of him. He paid what he owed, grabbed the two mugs, and walked to where Link was sitting.
"Here you go, their best ale. Or so they say," Ian said as he handed the mug of ale to Link. As Link took a drink, Ian could see the discomfort in his face. "What's wrong?"
Link glanced around the room again. "It's just… I don't know… I feel so out of place here. This place doesn't seem right."
Ian laughed a little. "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it. This place is no different than any other one."
"But some of the people here were staring at me," Link said quietly, not wanting anyone to hear that they had gotten under his skin.
Ian looked him directly in his eyes. "Were they staring at you, or at your sword?" Link's face turned to that of surprise as he realized what Ian was talking about. "If you hadn't noticed already, nobody here is carrying a sword and shield with them."
Link looked around the room a third time, but for the first time realized that no one, not a single person, was carrying a sword. "So I guess I'm just out of place, then."
"Yes you are," Ian said with a smile. "You're definitely the one out of place here."
Link smiled in return, realizing how childish he was being. "Well, live and learn, I suppose." He raised his mug in the air. Ian raised his as well and the two of them tapped their mugs together and took a big drink. "Can I ask you a question, Ian? It's kind of a tough one."
"Sure thing. What's on your mind?"
"Well, we're in the future right?" Link asked. Ian nodded his head. "But the events in the past, such as my death at the hands of Ganondorf, still happened, right?"
"Yes. So what's the question?"
"Shouldn't the future have been changed because of those events? I mean, Ganondorf was able to get my piece of the Triforce, so he should've been almost unstoppable. How can this future exist?"
"I see what you mean. And, believe it or not, I can answer this. Well, I can give you an answer, if it's the right one, I don't know." Ian reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of paper. "Say that this piece of paper represents time and events," Ian started. The paper was a standard size, longer than it was wide. He held the paper long ways with his hands at either end. "Now, this end over here," he shook his right hand, which to Link was the left side of the paper, "represents the initial event. In this case, your death. The other end is the present. If I take this piece of paper and set it on fire," he reached to the center of the table and grabbed the lit candle with his right hand, and lit the end of the paper corresponding to the initial event, "the fire consumes the paper and moves along from one side to the other." The fire consumed the left side of the paper and progressed toward the middle, slowly making its way to the other side of the paper. "In this way, events that occur at the end create a ripple effect on the future. It takes time for this ripple in time to change the future. As you can see, the fire has not damaged the side of the paper representing the present yet. This is the same with us. We are here, but the ripple effect of your death is gaining on us. If we don't find your descendant before the ripple hits this time period, all is lost, fore he will never have been born."
Link sat silent, trying to understand what Ian had just said. "That was a mouthful," he finally said. He was still trying to figure it out in his head. "So, you're saying that my death will have an effect on the entire future, but it must move through time first?"
"Yes. The years directly after your death were changed instantly, but as you get farther and farther away from the event, it takes longer for changes to happen. Kind of hard to swallow, isn't it?"
"Yes, but it's starting to make sense. When did you come up with this?"
"Like I said before, I had a lot of time to myself while I waited for you to arrive in Purgatory," Ian reminded Link with a smile.
"So sorry that I took so long to die. I'll do better next time, I swear," Link smiled back and let out a small laugh.
Just as he was taking another drink of his ale, the man that Ian had been talking to at the bar came over to their table. Link sat there, trying to figure out if the man was a friend or foe. He was dressed in black pants with brown boots, and a white shirt underneath a tan vest. His hands and face were dirty, masking his light complexion, suggesting that he did hard labor for a living. He smiled and Link noticed that he had several teeth missing, most likely from bar fights. The remaining teeth weren't anything to be proud of, either.
"This is Marcus, and he's known Link since he was a boy. Marcus, this is Evan."
The two of them shook hands. "Hello, Evan. Ian here tells me that you guys are looking for the great Hero, Link."
Link nodded, remembering to keep the charade going. "Yes, I'm very interested in meeting him. He seems like a fine warrior for the side of good, and we need more like him."
Ian gave Link a small kick under the table. The Hero of Time glanced at him, and knew what Ian was trying to tell him. Don't overdo it.
Ian went on. "So, Marcus, what can you tell us of his whereabouts?"
Marcus sat down between the two of them and began relaying the story. "Well, a few days ago, a giant beast appeared over by Lake Hylia. Now, this is nothing out of the ordinary for these parts, so Link's uncle went out to see what was going on. Thing is, he hasn't come back yet. Of course, this news would worry a great many people as Link's uncle is one of the best warriors in all of Hyrule. So to keep it secret, Link himself went out to search for his uncle and stop whatever creature was causing all the trouble."
Link sighed. "And what if Link is defeated by this creature? What then?"
Marcus turned his head quickly and looked directly at Link. "That would never happen! Link defeated the evil Ganon! There is no way he would lose to any lesser creature!" Marcus' face was a bright red, visible even through all the dirt and soot on his face.
Ian gained control of the situation. "Now, now, Marcus. Evan here knows that. Don't you, Evan?"
Link nodded. "I'm sure Link will defeat this creature."
"Tell me, Marcus," Ian said, "when did Link leave?"
"Just this morning. He should've arrived at the lake just this evening."
Ian reached into his pocket and pulled out some rupees. "Thank you, Marcus. For your trouble," he said as he handed the money to him.
Marcus looked at the amount that Ian had given him, and his face beamed with happiness. "No, thank you, Ian." With that, Marcus walked back over to the bar and yelled to the bartender, "Drinks are on me!" The resulting cheer filled the tavern.
Link turned back to Ian. "So what do we do now?"
"We sleep and get ready to leave early in the morning tomorrow. We're going to have a long journey ahead of us." Chanting rose up from the crowd around the bar. Listening closely, Link could make out what they were saying: Three cheers for Marcus! Hip hip! Hooray! He smiled and went back to drinking his ale.