12 years before preset time

In a large log cabin located in the forests of southern Hyrule, the man paced fitfully across the floor. Often he stopped for moments in front of the bedroom door, hand resting on the knob before returning to his pacing.

"She's quite alright Kian; Alazne is a strong young woman. She can handle herself and if you don't stop soon you will wear a trench in the middle of your living room floor."

Slowly, Kian halted his walk, and turned to the older woman behind him, rocking in her rocking chair. Worried, he ran his fingers through brown hair.

"I know that Mother, that's the reason I married her in the first place, but how could she go through that? Alazne sounded like she was going to die! And now, I haven't heard a word coming out of there for the last hour."

Sighing amused at Kian's frantic face, she halted her rocking and gestured for him to come closer. After standing in the middle of the room undecided for a couple of moments, he finally obeyed and let her tenderly rest her hand on his arm.

"I am not going to lie. She just went through the worst pain a woman can ever have but, in the end, it is well worth it. The sight of a newly born babe in your arms will melt even the coldest heart and the pain will seem all but a faint memory, at least for the moment. I should know, I gave birth to and raised your grandmother, as well as raised your father and his twelve siblings. Not to mention I raised you also."

Kian smiled at his grandmother's words, she had definitely been around for a long time, but grimaced when he again imagined the screams that had gone through the door.

"I still feel bad for her though. It's my fault this all had happened in the first place."

The old woman glared at Kian and shook a deeply wrinkled finger at him. "Don't you say that, it just as much her choice as it was yours, and you both wanted a child to carry on the family name."

Although he had originally shrunk under her gaze, Kian straightened and stared hatefully at the door that had been separating him from his labouring wife. "The rules that say a man can't enter the room when a woman is giving birth are outdated. I am her husband and the child's father, I should be able to go in and see how she is doing."

Ignoring any further words from the woman in the rocking chair, he walked determinedly to the bedroom door, only to have it opened before he could reach it. In the opened door stood Rina with her hands on her hips and strands of the normally tightly bun steel gray hair hanging down her face. She had been Kian's tutor and nanny since he had been a child and hadn't seen her in years.

"You can enter the room now. She's just resting although I'm surprised your racket didn't wake her up from much needed rest. Only Nayru herself would know why she isn't in a coma or worse with the difficult birth she just went through. Neither one of the babes seemed to be able to decide who should come first."

Relieved, Kian smiled gratefully that his wife was alright but quickly adopted a confused look. "Wait, did you just say babes, as in babies? I thought we were going to only have one?"

"Farore herself has gifted both you and Alazne with twins, congratulations." Annoyed now, she turned to the elderly grandmother in the corner. "Ulima, your grandson seems to be just as dull-witted and impatient as I remember him."

Ulima laughed, a deep, crackling sound that soon turned into a fit of coughing. Concerned, Rina lay a hand down on her shoulder in an effort to calm her down. Kian also glanced worriedly towards the women but instead saw what he had missed on Rina before, a normally clean apron covered in blood, and a lot of it.

Deciding that Rina held the situation well in hand, he entered the nursery where Alazne lay currently resting on the bed, her sister sponging her forehead with a damp towel.

"How is she Naiara?"

Naiara continued to sponge her sister's head. "Good, or as good as she'll ever be though. The boys had problems deciding on who should be born first so it was a difficult delivery. Ne lost a lot of blood, it's a miracle in and of its self that she didn't die. I guess Farore, patron of life that she is, was watching over more than just the birth. Sadly, though, she will never truly recover from the ordeal."

Suddenly tired, Kian sank into the other chair across from the bed. He couldn't believe it, he had been so close to losing her. All because of some indecisive boys and... wait, boys?

"You said boys Naiara, I thought Alazne was going to have a girl?"

Naiara brushed blonde bangs from her eyes as she shook her head. "Nope, sorry to disappoint you Kian, but you were given a couple of twin boys instead."

"I'm not disappointed, just… surprised. The doctor in town said it was to be a girl."

"The doctor's a quack anyways. The only one who got the gender right was Ulima."

"Despite her age, your grandmother still lives up to her name Kian."

At the unexpected extra voice, both Naiara and Kian looked down at Alazne, who despite her exhaustion was smiling faintly. Relieved that his wife alright, Kian walked over and took his wife's hand in his, rubbing his thumb affectionately across the back. Smiling, he brushed the sweat-soaked bangs out of her face. Returning the smile, Alazne turned to her sister.

"How are the boys Naiara?"

"They're both peacefully sleeping Ne, just like you should be."

Despite her sister's calming tone, Alazne tried to leave the bed only to fall back down wearily.

"You have to stay in bed, doctor's orders."

"And whom may I ask orders would that be?"

"Rina's of course, periodic bed rest for her favourite patient."

Alazne glowered at her sister before lying tiredly against her pillows. "I'm her only patient, but I guess there's no arguing with Rina is there?" Smiling softly, she turned to Kian. "I wish to see my boys, our boys, Kian. Can you get them for me?"

Giving his wife's hand one last squeeze, he looked behind Naiara and noticed a crib that the boys were sleeping in. He had been so concerned with Alazne's condition that Kian hadn't noticed it till now. Rising to his feet, he walked over and looked at the two peacefully sleeping boys. Suddenly the one on the right opened a pair of deep brown eyes and stared back, entranced at the man in front of him.

Kian smiled broadly back at his son as he reached in to grab them. Slowly, he rubbed his hand over his son's head, the baby still staring curiously back at him. A cry distracted Kian from the peaceful moment and he turned to look at the other baby. To his horror, he saw the other boy squirm before letting out a long wail. Sooner than the new dad expected, the young boy had let out a full tantrum, face turning bright red with the effort.

Kian shifted uncomfortably, as the youngest of his siblings he had never dealt with a crying child before and was unsure of how to handle it. Acting on instinct, Kian slowly picked up the boy and began to rock him, hoping it would end his crying. To his relief though, the other twin was still silent.

"Come on son, your father's here. There's nothing to cry about."

Rina's curt voice cut in. "You're rocking him too fast; it's upsetting him even more. Despite being a father, you still have no idea how to act around an upset child."

Shocked at the intrusion, Kian turned to look at the sour-faced Rina and the amused Ulima. Both Naiara and Alazne looked calmly on at the older women as Rina slowly let Ulima down in the seat Kian had previously been occupying.

"Hand the child over to me; I'll calm him down for you."

Nodding, secretly glad to be rid of his wailing son, he walked over and carefully placed the boy into Ulima's waiting arms. Remembering the other boy, the much quieter boy, he quickly reached in and pulled out him out.

Turning, he stopped and stared at Ulima who had started to hum a tune to the still howling boy in her arms. Rocking him gently, she began to sing.

Up above
Up above
The Wind Fish flies
Like a dream
He soars, through the skies

Known as the dreamer
He can make our dreams come true
With his powers so great, so great
Trust in him

With his powers
With his powers
He can grant your wish
But only one
To those who are worthy

Up atop Tamarach
In his egg he sleeps to await
The one he deems worthy, worthy
To awake him

Go to sleep
Little one
He will guide you
And your dreams
From the creature Nightmare

With his wings he will
Shield you all from evil
In the world and your dreams, your dreams
Sleep peacefully

By the end of Ulima's song, all in the room gazed at her in awe, all but the two now sleeping babies. With a wrinkled smile, she brushed an aged hand softly across the boy's blonde peach fuzz of hair.

Smiling at his aging grandmother, Kian silently handed his son to Alazne, the boy's brown eyes now closed in slumber. His arms now empty; he now realized with a start his previous words to the once howling boy. Father, I really am a father.

"What was that song? It was beautiful." With a start, Kian turned to Naiara, forgetting that she had been in the room. She was leaning forward over the bed now, hazel eyes shining with wonder at Ulima.

Ulima chuckled softly at the question. "Oh that? It's just a song that my great-grandfather had taught to my mother. He said that is was a song he had learnt on his travels long ago. He had had been so proud to finally have a girl born in the family that he had named her Marin, after the girl who had taught him the song so many years ago. Although it was originally used to awaken those sleeping, it can also be used for putting them to sleep. You just have to change the last two stanzas."

"What was it called?" Alazne asked.

"It was well-known on the island where I was born by its nickname, the Song of Awakening." Ulima's voice soon dropped down to a whisper. "My mother said though that its true name is Ballad of the Wind Fish."

At the name, Kian began to remember instances as a child where Ulima had sang the song to him after he had had a nightmare. He couldn't be sure, but he felt as if after the song was sung, he had not had another nightmare for the rest of the night.

"So Ne, have you thought of any names for the boys yet?" Naiara asked her sister, breaking Kian's thoughts,

Alazne smiled as she looked down at the sleeping boy in her arms. "Yes, the eldest will be Gareth." She said gesturing down at the boy in her arms. "The youngest though, shall be Bryne."

Alazne looked up at her husband, looking to see if the names were fine with him. In response, Kian knelt down and tenderly kissed his wife on the forehead.

"They're great," he declared finally.

"No."

Stunned, everyone turned to look at the speaker, seeing fierceness in her gray eyes that hadn't been seen in years. Frowning, Rina looked down at Ulima, hands on her hips.

"Now Ulima," she explained gently. "Both the boys are Kian and Alazne's. It's their choice what they want to name them and Gareth and Bryne are fine names."

Refusing to back down, Ulima scoffed at the housekeeper. "Oh please, I've raised almost two dozen children since birth and I know what good names are. Now Gareth is a perfectly fine name but the little one here needs a different one."

"Well then Mother, what would you name him?" Naiara asked curiously.

The fierceness gone from her eyes, Ulima gazed sweetly down at the young boy sleeping peacefully in her arms, oblivious to the argument going on around him. Smiling, she held the boy's tiny hand in her own wrinkled one. "Koble," she finally answered. "His name should be Koble."

A pregnant silence filled the room. For minutes no one spoke, shocked at the grandmother's words. Finally, Kian spoke, his voice shaking.

"B-b-but Mother, the name, it is-it is illegal. Even speaking in the old language is treason enough."

"As gut-livered as the boy is," Rina continued, ignoring the glare Kian sent her way, "he is right. To name the baby something like that is, is idiotic. The child will never be able to live a normal life."

Hard as stone once again, Ulima bristled under their fire. "I did not teach you the ancient language only to be told that it is illegal. You didn't seem to care about the law when I taught you it almost twenty years ago, and now you object? Anyways, I believe that the boy will live up to the name. Goddesses know who much…"

"It's perfect."

Kian and Rina looked at Alazne shocked, while Ulima seemed to glow, a proud smug smile on her face. The two too stunned to speak, her sister spoke the objections on their mind.

"But Ne, are you sure?" Naiara asked incredulous. "You know that Kian and Rina are right, he will lead a troubled life."

Ignoring her sister, Alazne turned and spoke to her silenced housekeeper. "Rina, bring him to me," she ordered, all traces of exhaustion seeming to have left her. Without a word, Rina received the other twin from Ulima and handed him to his mother. Carefully, Alazne shifted the sleeping boy already in her arms and received the younger and laid them so she held one child in the nook of each arm, smiling fondly down at her sons. Managing to tear her eyes away, she stared down her husband.

"I understand perfectly well the repercussions of naming our son Koble," she firmly declared, "but, I do believe he will indeed live up to the name chosen. And really, name or no name, he is still our son."

Kian didn't move for a moment, thinking over what his wife said. Finally, he nodded. "You're right, and if this is what you really want, than his name will be Koble."

"It is."

Rina simply looked at them as if they had turned into Goron's before her very eyes. "You're crazy," she said. "You're all crazy. You will cause quite the ruckus down at the castle when you go to get the birth certificates for the boys. You will be hanged. But they're your children, who am I to object to what you name them?"

For once standing tall, Kian looked at the women who had helped raise him his whole life. "That is why we won't sign his name. We will simply tell them that the other child died at birth, leaving only Gareth here. He will be a secret, growing up knowing that he is different but he will not know of his true name until the time is right. He will know though that we are his parents, which is all a child really needs to grow up well in the end."

Finally, she nodded in obedience. "Although I still don't think that what you are doing is right, I can promise you that I won't tell a single soul about him. No matter his name, the boy still needs at least a semi-normal life and someone to teach him his mathematics."

Softly, Alazne smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.

From her seat next to the bed, Naiara smiled down at the two newly named twins. "Gareth, Koble, it's time to wake up and meet your new family."

Well, the first actual chapter was quicker to get up then I expected. And as you can tell, it was majorly shorter when compared to the prologue. Comparing them though, this one isn't nearly as exciting but it's mainly introducing a couple of the main characters. The pace will probably pick up within the next couple of chapters. On a totally separate topic, if you play the song Ballad of the Wind Fish, the tune actually goes with the lyrics. Yay! I know its not that great, certainly not Juno winning that's for sure, but tell me what you thought.

And guess what! I'm going to try a new system, updating every Friday and Monday but we'll see how it works. The second chapter is only about 3/4 finished in my book though. And for those wondering, the term 'Mother' that is used by some characters is simply a word of respect; it by no means implies any relationship by Kian, Alazne, and Naiara; aside from marriage of course.