A/n: Finally another post. We promise that when it takes this long, it's because we were debating plot and direction of the story. This chapter is mostly fluff, but we thought out our next course of action in the story and decided to draw out the ending, especially since we feel like the relationships between the characters needs time to deepen, and a lot of key plot points need to occur. So!

Review replies:--

Wolf demon 2010: We're glad you liked the fluff, because there's plenty more where that came from, and thank you for the complement. We love making things unpredictable and glad that it's appreciated.

Lalalanerd: Thank you sooo much for complementing that ending. We tried to go a little artsy and try to write it like actual literature and not just a story. :D

Silver Warrior: It was a last minute decision to give Amy a family, but we suddenly realized that it would be a wise decision on our part to give her two parents, siblings, etc, because it almost bothers us that most main characters of most stories are completely without family (Disney especially likes the single parents and orphaned children-? Go figure) We thought it would be a nice twist to go out on a limb like that.

The Silverdark Knight: Yeah, we'll make you completely visible, but that's because the most influential people to any story are the audience. The writer is writing for the audience, which means that your opinions really matter and we are very grateful for your input because we don't always notice everything –cough- plot holes.

We promise we're not lazy, but we're going through the awkward college life transitions, however, one of us is no longer an engineer, and the other has no idea WHAT THE CRAP she is majoring in…so maybe… maybe… keep hope that we'll speed things up.

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Thank you all so much. The fact that you are reading this story means a lot to us and really lifts our spirits as writers. Here is the next chapter.

Chapter 38: Incidental Actions

The night was eerily peaceful. It didn't seem as though such news had truly been spread; the realizations had yet to sink in. When the sun rose again on Death Mountain and Amy had found herself surrounded by family, her heart was warmer than it had been in a long time, which shouldn't have been so considering their island was destroyed and Hyrule was in grave peril.

Still, Amy rose very early and headed into the mountain where the new Dragonry had been established. There weren't many dragons remaining, but Amy gave a good morning to Daruitha, the transport dragon who Terrin had driven in his mother's absence. Terrin's mother, one of the dragon riders, had yet to return.

Ignus was yet to be seen as Amy entered. Instead, she saw a large cavern with various rope bridges and different level platforms. There were many of the unusual-looking Gorons milling about, following many dragon tamers around with insatiable curiosity. Link had explained that the Gorons were initially mistrusting of dragons due to the legend of Volvagia, the great dragon who had once terrorized their people, only to be destroyed by a great Goron hero. However, once Kerrik enlightened Darunia as to the circumstances surrounding Volvagia's exile, and also the general amiability of the dragons, the Goron leader was at ease. Therefore, Darunia had made it a responsibility to put the Gorons' fear of dragons to rest.

Amy climbed down a long ladder into the cavern and walked across magma, following a small group of dragon tamers. They were holding vats of a substance that Amy recognized as food for the infant dragons. She then parted ways from the group and walked along a winding pathway, greeting various dragons and tamers. The atmosphere of diligent work and normalcy put Amy at ease as she dwelt among her people.

The sound of a commotion reached Amy's ears, and she followed the noise down the pathway and around a turn. She came upon a particularly large, young dragon who was struggling against the hand of tamers. Amy was surprised to see that her brother Mikyle and Link, wearing his red tunic, stood near the dragon as one tamer was trying to put a harness on her. Navi floated above this tamer, indicating Link's attention to her task.

As Amy slowly approached the group, she recognized the tamer as one of her friends, Astra. The girl was rather petite, and her quiet voice and sweet disposition often charmed the dragons. However, this dragon was particularly unwieldy. She had her wings wrapped tightly around her in a defensive gesture, and her teeth were bared. Astra was still rather new to taming, and so she was nervous at the large female's aggression and was unsure how to approach her.

"Astra, let me take it from here. I think this is a good learning opportunity for both you and Link." Mikyle said authoritatively. Amy stood at a distance, watching her older brother with a small smile on her face. Link, whose face was visible, had a fascinated expression which Amy was not very used to seeing. Mikyle ordered Astra and Link to take a few steps back as he prepared to approach the dragon. The large reptile became agitated and began to flutter her wingtips angrily and blow smoke out of her nostrils.

The tall man had a strange smile on his face as he slowly walked away from the dragon. To Link's surprise, Mikyle walked into the pool of magma across from the agitated female. He reached down and scooped up the hot substance into his hand. Mikyle remained unburned, but his expression revealed that it still stung him, like Amy had explained in Snowhead.

The dragon sniffed the air in a curious fashion, though her wings were still curved into a defensive position. However, the pupils of her narrowed eyes grew larger and more docile as they watched Mikyle come closer, kneeling before her and holding out the fuming magma.

"Come here, Agatha." Mikyle called her by name. Agatha's wings slackened some, but she made no move towards him. "Trust me." She hesitantly approached him. After a short pause, when she was mere inches from Mikyle's hand, she rested her nose in his burning palm. It seemed comforting for her, but most importantly, it proved that she now trusted him. Mikyle quickly stood and continued to speak comforting words to her.

"Don't worry, Agatha. I'm just going to see what's wrong." He lifted up her wing to reveal a large gash underneath, and she released a low groan. Mikyle used the remaining magma in his hand to rub it on the slow-healing wound. This time Agatha released a groan of a more pleasant nature. Mikyle stood and Agatha seemed much calmer, allowing Astra to walk up to her and put a lead around her neck.

"Now listen to Astra." Mikyle addressed her once more.

"Astra…" Agatha's gravelly voice mimicked as she turned to the petite girl. Mikyle then addressed the humans present.

"Dragons become agitated when threatened—and the move especially rattled Agatha; she lost her eggs and was injured." Mikyle explained her mood. "You have to regain their trust by presenting them a gift of comfort. Magma is a great comfort for dragons, so even if it hurts a little to touch it, the dragon will most likely respond well to your effort. If they don't, then just back up. We don't have time to deal with bad dragons right now." Astra nodded and led Agatha away. Mikyle turned back to Link.

"We're trying to round them all up now. A lot of them fled just like us, and just followed the pack. Most of them are still really distraught, which reminds me." He turned to Amy, revealing that he had been aware of her presence. "Did you want to take Link to breakfast, Amy?"

"How did that remind you of—ugh nevermind… Yes…" She nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah, I'm hungry, and I wondered if Link was too."

Link, unaware of the teasing nature occurring between the siblings, delved into thought about the food he had thus far eaten on his journey. He realized that before meeting this group, Link had rarely eaten anything on his journeys—living off of milk and fairy magic. However, he found that a well-cooked meal had no other substitute.

"Link, you've gotta stop drifting off like this!" Navi interrupted his thought. "Are you hungry? Yes or No?" Link snapped out of it and found that both Amy and Mikyle were staring at him with the same wry grin.

"Uh… yes! I am hungry." He replied. Mikyle put a hand on his back and pushed him towards Amy, winking as he did so.

"Well uh, you go take care of that." He said in a laughing manner. "I'll see you both later. Make sure you say goodbye before heading back to the castle." They waved and left for some of Desandra's, recently famous Dadongo Soup.

"You're right, this is a really nice view." Amy said while they drank out of the stone bowls. Link and Amy sat atop Death Mountain, joined by a giant goron with eye problems. He enjoyed their company, but didn't speak much. Apparently, this was his favorite place to sit and enjoy life, and he used the steam from the top of the Death Mountain volcano to forge giant swords. Amy found this strange, but chose not question.

"I came up here a long time ago and met the great fairy." Link told her as they looked off to the distant Kakariko village. Amy grew interested.

"A Great Fairy? Here? Can I—."

"No." Link replied quickly, not wishing to revisit the cackling, scantily clad fairy. "It's best if we don't…" Amy rolled her eyes.

"Fine… I'll let you have all the fun."

"I wouldn't call any of this fun—well, except for right now… I mean, even though Hyrule's in grave peril and all, I'm feeling pretty relaxed."

"You know… me too…" Amy agreed and took another drink from her soup. A comfortable silence followed.

It wasn't long into this silence that Darunia and Mikyle appeared at the mouth of the Death Mountain entrance.

"There they are." Mikyle said to Darunia. "I thought they'd be up here—Amy, mom wants to talk with you before you leave." Mikyle rolled his eyes and Amy glumly anticipated the worried mother speech in store for her. She turned back to Link and delivered an awkward smile.

"Whelp… uhhhhh… see ya!" Amy collected his bowl, despite the fact that he wasn't done with his meal, and walked away. Link watched her with an incredulous expression and shrugged as Darunia approached him. He stood and brushed off the dirt from the seat of his tunic.

"Link, I wanted to speak with you." He turned to the giant goron with eye problems. "Alone, if that's alright." The goron nodded and rolled into a ball, rolling off the mountain and causing the mountain to quake. Link and Darunia stumbled, trying to steady themselves before continuing.

"Ehm." Darunia started, a grin on his face. "I suppose you're wondering about the sages reappearing." He started. Link nodded eagerly.

"Yes, when I saw you, I tried to contact Saria, but she didn't respond." Link replied. Darunia was impressed by him speaking a full sentence, but decided to reminisce on the matter instead of questioning Link's new confidence.

"Ah, yes, I love her song." He shook his head. "Anyways, I thought you ought to know that the sages will be returning. Zelda believes that we will be of better use here, as the Sacred Realm is no longer safe, and therefore neither is our chamber." Darunia explained. "The others should be reappearing within their guarded temples, as I did. It turned out spectacularly though, because I needed to be here for the Draconian's arrival—my son was too scared to speak with anyone. He was found rolling around the hall." Link nodded, thinking on his words. Darunia went on.

"Now, speaking as the Goron leader, I ask that you return this message to our sworn brother, the king. Can you do this for me, brother?" Link nodded. He thumped Link on the back, causing him to fall, but he abruptly stood again. "It will be an honor to fight alongside you, brother!" Darunia ended boisterously, his loud personality swiftly returning. He then left Link standing with a scroll bearing the goron's official seal.

Once Darunia had disappeared within the mountain, Link became confused by the sound of flapping wings.

"Amy?" He turned only to be frightened by an old acquaintance.

"Hoo Hoot Ho!" A great owl squawked in his face. Link fell backwards with a loud yell and landed on the ground just as the owl landed on the sign in front of the Great Fairy's cave.

"You have grown much since our last meeting, Link!" The owl began, looking down at Link as the boy stared upwards. Link rolled and stood up awkwardly.

"Thanks…" He replied, wondering many things about this strange owl who started cocking his head to either side.

"I thought my last advice to you had been many years ago, but it appears that even a giant owl can be wrong. Hoo hoot. As I had promised, I've been keeping my eyes on you and I see you have made many new friends. These friends seem different to you, very different from any of your others. These friends stand with you, and you hold far more in common with them than you have with anyone else in a very long time." The owl pointed out. He changed his head's position, which signified his change in topic. "There are now many new people in Lon Lon Ranch. It would be wise to head there first, before delivering this message to the castle. Did you want me to repeat what I said?"

"Hahaha. Nooooooo thank you!" Navi piped up as Link was shaking his head.

"Until we meet again, Link. Hoo hoot ho!" The owl flapped his wings and took off, heading down the mountains and gliding over Kakariko village. Link watched this old acquaintance leave with wonder.

"Well, Link…" Navi started out. "The giant owl has spoken. It's official—we're on an epic quest." Link nodded before turning inside to find Amy and head towards Lon Lon Ranch.

The ranch had never seen so many visitors. Soldiers were all across the field, the horses were all saddled up, and the rolling murmur of many voices ensued. Aura and Naomi had returned earlier that morning, after having had a wonderful night's rest in Zora Hall. Well, Naomi had gotten a good night's rest. Aura had complained about the loud roar of the waterfall and the heavy breathing of the Zoran king that echoed within the domain, but all of this just reminded Naomi of her old home where she slept next to the sea and surrounded by hundreds of snoring pirates.

Despite the recent fall out, and many terrible memories associated with that place, there was also a fondness for the many comforts associated with many of her sisters. Not all of them had been like Aveil, and Aveil had not always been as she was now. Many of them had been kind to Naomi and were very much missed, but Naomi never dwelled for long on unhappy thoughts.

The former pirate girl now found herself busy in the kitchen of the ranch home, having adorned work clothes attained from Malon. She finely chopped several deku nuts found lying about and mixed them in some steamed milk. Adding some sugar, she poured this mixture into some hot coffee sitting on the fire. She smelled the warm drink and breathed deep with satisfaction before she ladled the sweetly nutty concoction into three wooden cups and carefully took them outside, balancing them on a tray.

Upon exiting the farmhouse, she saw a shirtless Damien in the distance, ordering about a large group of guards. Damien had been placed in charge of the guards' additional training, recommended as preparations for the upcoming attack. Naomi wrinkled her nose at the sight of him taking the soldiers through basic charts and continued on her way towards the lines working in the large horse field. However, she stopped short of the fenced field and headed towards her two other friends, Aura and Arian.

These two were busy attempting a slightly stranger commission than Damien that involved ancient, unfinished plans and several large, iron parts.

Arian held up a large iron barrel and examined the end opposite the circular opening, sighing again before setting it back on the ground alongside some wood and rope. Aura sat on a wooden barrel opposite him, looking at the plans spread out on a large crate. Naomi joined the two and set her tray onto another barrel near Aura, handing her one of the cups and picking up the other two. Aura took her drink without straying from her objective.

"It looks like the machine uses some sort of rigging to build up pressure. The pressure is what shoots that thing out." Aura said before taking a drink. It was then that she took notice. "Mmh, thanks Naomi." Naomi smiled as she carried the other two drinks over to Arian, handing him one and keeping the other while taking a seat next to him. She too stared at the large iron pot, though Arian had temporarily removed his attention from the project.

"This isn't coffee…" He noted skeptically. Naomi's expression faltered and she shifted her gaze to him to explain.

"Yes it is. I just added a few things." She answered with forced sweetness. Arian sniffed it hesitantly.

"What did you add?" He asked after smelling it, though he had yet to take a taste. Naomi cocked her head to the side, apparently offended by his insinuated lack of faith in her concoction.

"Just a few things to give it taste, but I don't know, why don't you try it first?"

Aura looked up from the plans and glanced between Naomi and Arian, sipping her own coffee hybrid and feeling rather amused despite the situations' awkwardness. Arian hesitantly took a sip while Naomi stared at him—she was sitting straight up, shoulders back with one arm across her chest, holding the arm in which her cup was held. She watched in this fashion as Arian licked his lips and nodded his head. He turned to her with his eyebrows still bent with skepticism.

"It's good, but it doesn't taste like coffee." He told her straight up. Naomi's eyes widened in mock surprise and she nodded her head.

"Which is why I like it." She took a drink of it herself and finished by licking her own thick lips. Arian wasn't moved.

"That's fine but… I like the taste of coffee." Arian responded with a little frustration, which didn't do much for Naomi's stern disposition. She smiled the coldest smile Aura had yet seen and narrowed her eyes.

"Great, well you can get coffee when you make it yourself, but for now you'll have to stomach this." Her voice, though sweetly feminine, held a sharp tone. Arian set his drink aside and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I will, thanks." He grumbled and began irately toiling with the equipment again. Naomi continued her death stare into the back of his head and Aura continued to watch them. None of the three noticed the quiet arrival of Link and Amy, who both took note of the shirtless Damien in the field, wrinkling their noses as Naomi had done, and then quietly approached their other friends.

Arian, being so intent on ignoring Naomi's stare, didn't notice the two as his head was nearly fit into the iron barrel he was inspecting, and Naomi, being so intent on staring angrily at Arian, also didn't notice. Aura seemed the only one to perceive the two new shadows hovering over her. She looked up to Amy and smiled, holding her cup with both hands.

"What's going on?" Amy asked in a hushed voice. Though it wasn't necessary to speak in a whisper, the discomfited silence made it feel obligatory. Therefore, Aura answered in an equally hushed tone.

"I think they're fighting." Aura whispered back. The two subjects didn't hear the whispers through all of the background noise.

"About what?" Link whispered.

"Coffee…" Aura trailed off as Naomi looked up, the ice instantly melting from her façade.

"Oh! You're back." She quickly stood, grabbing Arian's rejected cup. He looked up, saw her passively aggressive action and rolled his eyes again before greeting his other two friends with a smirk. Naomi handed her own cup to Amy.

"Here, try this. I mistakenly brought out an extra." She smiled sweetly. Amy hesitantly took the drink and returned Naomi's smile. She took her first sip and followed it up with loud and over emphasized sounds of appreciative satisfaction.

"Thanks, Naomi!!" Amy finished, her eyes wider than usual. Link passed her an incredulous stare while Arian continued to stew over Naomi's present demeanor.

"Would you like some, Link?" Naomi asked with the same sickening sweetness. He cleared his throat and awkwardly, but politely refused.

"Not now…" He said. Amy took another sip of her own drink, sincerely enjoying it but emphasizing that fact with a broad smile.

"I need to leave soon to deliver a message to Castletown." Link explained. Arian immediately perked up.

"Good. I'll go with you." He said, forsaking his project. Naomi once more shot him an icy glare, making him shudder involuntarily, though his expression remained stern.

No one spoke after this as all were afraid of directing Naomi's attention unto themselves. Arian remained very still under the girl's piercing stare, making slow movements as though cornered by a dangerous beast. He had never been more grateful to be addressed by a half-dressed Damien.

"Well hello everyone, and how nice of you two to finally show up." Damien announced in his usual sarcastic tone. No one responded, but Arian smiled at the distraction, even if Naomi's wrath had only been temporarily diverted.

Damien did not take notice of the thick tension. He just smiled and walked directly in front of Aura's barrel, glancing with casual interest at the scrolls which Aura was strenuously studying.

"So, I just got done with the troops for today, though I don't plan on taking it this easy on them tomorrow." Damien said. The group suddenly became aware of the gasping and moaning from all the worn soldiers.

Damien finished his stretching directly in front of Aura, ironically the only one paying him no attention. It was then that Link decided to return to the original topic.

"So… as I was saying… I'm going to deliver a message to Castletown…"

"And I'll be going with him, if you would like to join us, Damien." Arian added. This time he kept himself from shuddering as Naomi intensified her stare. Damien finally noticed.

"Uh… you okay, Naomi?" He asked to most everyone's surprise. To this Aura raised a brow and glanced up, but then quickly reverted back to ignoring him before Damien noticed her movement. Arian's face fell back into a scowl.

"Oh… I'm fine." She answered, breaking her gaze. The sharpness of her tone indicated otherwise and Damien passed her an odd stare before looking to Arian.

"What's going on?" He demanded to know, sounding as the responsible leader of the group, making Aura roll her eyes that stared at the parchment without reading.

"Naomi's mad because I like coffee." Arian stage-whispered with crossed arms and a smart tone.

"It is coffee… and you know… I didn't really have to bring you anything!" Naomi scoffed, irritated that he was making light of the situation. Arian cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.

"You're right, you didn't, but you asked me what I wanted, and I said coffee. That's it, that's all there is to it, and I didn't mean any more than that!" He defended. Damien raised a brow as Naomi growled.

"Well uh…" Damien started, entering into a mediating role. He was, after all, standing between the two. "It appears that Naomi feels like her efforts are underappreciated while Arian thinks that his opinions and interests aren't being taken into consideration. Let me be the first to say that—."

"Shut up, Damien!" Both Naomi and Arian yelled before they resumed their heated stares. Damien shrugged and put his hands on the back of his head, an ironic smile assuming his features.

Amy, who was trying to make a quick escape of the fiasco, let out a strange yelp as she collided with a soldier walking in a gawky fashion. The rest of the group noticed the noise and looked toward the borderline-gangly man. He reached out and steadied a rather frazzled Amy in an unusually mellow manner and continued sauntering past the group.

As soon as Amy thought the soldier was out of earshot, she turned to Link and Aura, finding that she wasn't the only one wearing a bewildered expression.

"Well that was kind of-" She began, but was quickly interrupted by the same soldier, who was running back to them with almost flailing limbs.

"It smells great over here!!" He said with extreme enthusiasm. Amy, Aura, and Link stared with blank expressions, and Naomi and Arian were frozen in mid-glare, confusion quickly taking over their features. Not a word was said for a long, drawn-out moment. All that was heard was the ever-present cawing of a distressed cucco. Damien, sick of the ridiculous amount of awkwardness that seemed to always plague the group, spoke up.

"Hey uh, Dune is it?" He asked, throwing out a random name.

"Yep, that's me!" The man known as Dune replied with a content smile. Slightly surprised at his luck, Damien racked his brain for something else to say. Dune, however, saved him the trouble.

"Who is it that smells so wonderful?" He passed a curious and admiring glance over all three of the girls present. Naomi looked back with a guarded expression, while Aura just raised an eyebrow and Amy sniffed her underarm.

"I'm sure it's Damien. With what he's been doing all day, who wouldn't smell good?" Aura said with a half-smile. Damien rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, she finds my manly scent irresistible." He picked up Aura's still steaming cup without warning. "I think this is the smell you're talking about." He took a generous swig while Aura protested inarticulately. Noticing her irritation, Damien rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully, appearing to analyze the distinct flavor of the drink.

"Try this. I have a feeling you'll like it." Dune grabbed the offered cup quickly and also tasted it.

"Mmmm! That is really good. What is it?"

"Apparently, it's coffee." Arian spoke up with a hint of a snarl. Naomi let out a high-pitched huff.

"Dude, really?? I had no idea! It sure doesn't taste like coffee." Dune replied, his entire body expressing his surprise.

"Thank you." Arian said with exasperated relief.

A loud scream of frustration startled the group as Naomi stomped off, her fists clenched. Another beat of silence passed.

"Hm. That was unexpected." Dune noted. "So you like coffee!" He leaned over to Arian, pressing the half-drunk cup into Aura's hands while holding out his own in greeting, which Arian laughingly shook.

"Why yes, yes I do." He grinned. The two of them, apparently having a lot in common, launched into a conversation which nobody else could follow. They quickly left the group, talking animatedly about Tubas and Deku scrubs.

"Well, that's my cue." Damien said before brushing past Aura and flicking her ponytail. Aura's eyes narrowed, but she remained passive.

Link let out a breath expressing his utter disbelief. He exchanged glances with Amy and Aura.

"Well, guess I'm not heading to Castletown any time soon." He said with raised eyebrows. Amy sucked a deep breath in through her teeth and let out a noisy sigh.

"And I guess I'll go talk to Naomi… after a hot bath."

"I might go ride Epona for awhile." Link replied. Navi abruptly flew from Link's hat with a yawn.

"Whoo, that was some intense sleep. Have you ever woken up and thought you were a rock?" Everyone remained silent. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not a thing…" Aura said, before looking between Amy and Link and shrugging goodbye helplessly.

"Have fun, you two." She watched as they walked in separate directions and then looked down into her cup. Her nose wrinkled in slight disgust, and with a sigh, she dumped the rest of the liquid out onto the grass.

The tall grasses of Hyrule field bent with the wind. Malon sat upon a buried boulder just outside the fallen boundaries of her ranch. The builders of Kakariko were rebuilding the shoddy walls with stone, so Lon Lon Ranch now had gaps of space where walls used to stand as the renovations were still taking place. Malon took advantage of this new open atmosphere and enjoyed staring off into the distant forests. It was then that Link and Epona broke her reverie.

She heard the hoof beats behind her and joyfully stood, gazing over her shoulder. The sun beams shined down on her glistening red hair.

"Link." Her effeminate voice called as she clasped her hands against her chest. Link smiled at his old friend, and Epona let out a welcoming whinny.

He stepped up beside her, Navi flying over her head.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Link. It's been a while since you've stopped by the ranch." She noted. Link remained silent, as he always was with her, but that never dissuaded her nor did he mean for it to. "I suppose we truly are in danger. The King has never asked us for anything before, other than our usual delivery of milk." She took a moment to think, staring off into the distance as she did so.

"I would love to go see Zelda once more, before it all starts. She and I became very close in your absence… I wonder how she is doing…" Malon added with some affliction. Link grinned kindly on her compassion.

"We're going to Castletown soon. Would you like us to take you there?" Navi asked. Malon smiled.

"I would love to come. Thank you, Link." She said and wrapped her arms around his neck. Surprise hit Link but Malon was running to get packed for the trip before it had any effect. A blush had spread across his cheeks but he was also a little frustrated with the current predicament.

"That means we have one more person to wait on… doesn't it?" He asked Navi.

"Yup…"

Amy finished her bath and found Aura napping by the barrel. She had decided that they should find Naomi and together uncover the reason and solution for the random aggression. Aura's peaceful form lay in the soft grass. Amy smiled dumbly and leaned down near Aura's ear.

"Damien's telling all the guards that you have the hots for him." She whispered. Aura's eyes ripped open, her peaceful expression marred by a fierce glare.

"What?" She bellowed. Amy shrugged.

"Eh, not really, but since you're awake, help me find Naomi." Amy said and started walking. "I think she went this way…" She sighed. Aura, after recovering from her sudden fury, came to Amy's side.

"Well, uh… If you were crazy, would you storm off this way, or that way?" Aura asked her friend. The two of them stood in contemplative silence until they were interrupted by Dune, the odd soldier.

"Dude, what are you guys doing?" He asked, leaning over to them with a curious expression. Slightly disconcerted by his closeness, Aura spoke up with a creased brow.

"We're looking for Naomi… You know who she is, ri-"

"Oh yeah, I saw her! She's over there!" Dune interrupted while turning to run. The two girls exchanged confused glances, shrugged, and then followed the strangely entertaining soldier.

He did indeed know where Naomi was sulking. She sat upon a wooden rail near the back of the large barn. It was a secluded place, blocked off by stacked crates. Amy quickly walked near Naomi who held her head up for only a second to acknowledge the newcomers.

"Hey Naomi." Amy sat on the wooden rail next to her friend. Amy decided that she would merely be a comforting presence for the time being, letting Naomi come to her in her own time. However, Amy was startled out of this state after seeing blood dripping from the girl's knuckles. "Naomi! What happened?"

"Oh, that was probably from when she annihilated those crates… with her bare hands." Dune responded, pointing to the pile of wooden shards. Naomi growled while Aura and Amy stared with mouths agape.

"It was all I could do!" She jumped off the rail, startling Dune and causing everyone to flinch. "I just wanted to punch him square in the face!" She said through gritted teeth, her bloodied knuckles balled up again.

"Uh, Naomi…" Aura started, fearlessly placing a hand on the rigid girl's shoulder, but keeping the other on the hilt of one of her swords. "Are you sure coffee is really that important. I mean, this guy did save you from Pirates, and he really sticks by you through your crazy episodes."

"What?!" Naomi growled.

"Nothing!" Aura and Amy quickly said, as Dune replied, "Your crazy episodes."

Naomi let out a long sigh, staring at an oblivious Dune as she did so.

"You're right… I just don't know why I feel so angry." Naomi said, her tonal anguish returning with the last few words. Aura tightened the grip on her sword. Amy merely looked pensive.

"I guess it's just that kind of a time?.. This month has been crazy for me too." Dune comforted. All three girls suddenly froze.

"The Argusigh!" Naomi uttered the strange word in enlightenment before walking off. Her three companions were confused, but Amy and Aura seemed to have gained some understanding. Aura came closer to Amy.

"Was it your time when we first met Link? Is that why you were so hard on him?" Aura asked with a wry grin. Amy's eyes widened in a revelation.

"Oh wow… it was!" She exclaimed. "And I just finished like… a couple of days ago!" Aura laughed slightly, patting Amy on the back.

"Well, don't worry. I started yesterday." She said. Dune's eyes widened in sudden, belated recognition.

"Oh. Ah. I'm…" He stuttered, exiting quickly without finishing his sentence.

Naomi ran to the edge of Lon Lon Ranch after hearing from another soldier that Link and Damien had just left for Castletown. She knew that Arian would be with them. They had already left the ranch's walls, which disheartened the girl, but she still held a slight hope. Naomi nimbly climbed up several crates onto the roof of the barn to see over the edge of the wall. Her slight hope faded away once she found that they were already a good distance away. It was half a day's walk to the Castle but their horses had already carried them half the journey. Naomi realized that it would be ridiculous for her to run after them at this point.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered to herself in hopes that maybe the wind would carry her message to him, but she knew that it was unlikely. Naomi would have to wait to make amends until Arian returned.

She sighed deeply and turned back to see all of the soldiers lingering about the field, laughing with Talon and annoying his irate stable hand, Ingo. An idea crossed her mind—something to help her pass the time before Arian's arrival.

With a renewed enthusiasm, Naomi jumped from the rooftop and landed in the middle of several surprised guards, one of which was Dune. Tilting her head to the side, she loudly cracked her neck and then did the same for her fingers. With a smile she addressed one of the larger soldiers standing before her and gaping at her rather unladylike display.

"You, sir." Her confident voice captured everyone's attention. "I challenge you in hand to hand combat. Would you care to face me?"

"You, little lady?" The soldier laughed. Naomi grinned maliciously.

"Me, sir. The first one to bleed loses." She quickly ripped several cloth strips from her apron and wrapped her knuckles. "Discounting these of course." She stretched her arms again. "Unless of course you are afraid to accept my challenge, in which case I will have to continue my search for a worthy opponent." The soldier openly laughed.

"Don't you worry, little lady. I'll play your game, but you just tell me whenever you want to quit, okay?" He said and followed her into the field. Naomi's grin widened and eyes narrowed. She was ready for the challenge. Dune watched from the fence with a curious expression.

"You doing alright?" Malon asked from behind Arian. The two traveled on the same chestnut steed. This decision came after Arian had confessed to his inferior abilities in horseback riding; he had never ridden one.

"Yeeeaaah." He drawled uncomfortably. His hands fidgeted with the reigns making Malon laugh. "I guess this takes getting used to."

"Malon taught me how to ride a horse, so you're in good hands." Link assured his friend, leading Epona near them. Malon gasped in surprise, making Arian and Damien laugh. Link just continued, though he had momentarily passed her a curious glance. "Of course Epona always goes where I need her to go anyway." Malon continued to gape openly at Link until he raised an inquisitive brow.

"I've never heard you speak…" Malon said. Link forced a grin through his sheepish expression. He avoided her stare, looking to Damien. "Your voice is so… deep…"

"What? This chatterbox?" Damien started in. He expertly rode his black steed. "I can't imagine him ever being quiet." Despite the fact that sarcasm dripped from his statement, Malon passed him a near mortified expression. This was one of the few moments in which Damien was rendered speechless, as he didn't know what to tell the pitiable girl.

"He's kidding, Malon." Arian came to the rescue. He could sense her tenseness in her tightened grip.

"Oh… of course…" She breathed out an uneasy laugh. "It's just so… strange… I've known Link for seven years… and he's never really said anything. He's just nodded his head or mumbled 'Ok.'" She glanced over to Link who had reverted back to his silent disposition. He felt rather uncomfortable about this topic, but Arian once more came to the rescue.

"So, he only speaks when he has something to say." He shrugged, tilting his head back to see Malon. "At least when he finally speaks he pays you a compliment."

Malon began blushing but remained discomfited on the matter.

"Otherwise he communicates through incoherent grunts and shouts." Navi interjected.

"Mmhmm…" Link grunted irritably.

"Exactly." Navi finished.

Castletown was eerily silent. The previous day's announcement had many boarding up the windows and doors of their shops. Only a few dared to cast unnerved glances into the near empty streets. Most from Kakariko had taken refuge with family and friends, but some without either in the castle's city had resorted to hiding in the back alleys or desperately begging for refuge from strangers and soldiers, appearing as crazed homeless.

This same trepidation hung over the king in his luxurious study, decorated with royal colors and foreign tapestries, where he was currently meeting with Kerrik, the Draconian ruler, and Leon, the Minrithian and former keeper of the ancient spell now in Arian's possession. Leon had fully recovered from his plague in the desert thanks to Naomi's and Thrucian's remedies, and now that his strength had returned he pledged his loyalties to the Hylian King, offering whatever help he could.

"There aren't many Minrithians who would come to aid in a war, nor any that would be able to… but I am sure there may be some who remain loyal to you, even after you released our lands." Leon professed. The king nodded his head solemnly, the life slowly draining from his strained features increasing his apparent age. Tatl's light upon his face as she circled him only rejuvenated him slightly.

"Thank you, Leon…" The king replied, he bowed his head and turned to Kerrik, whose usually jolly and wrinkled face was solemn like the others. "I take it the Gorons are treating you and your people kindly."

"Very much so. They are allowing us to use their caverns for housing, the volcano for our Dragonry, and we are allowed to kill and eat as many dadongos as we like. I am most obliged. I believe we are also arranging for our remaining dragon riders to help transport some to Kakariko when the time comes."

"Yes, it would be good to keep that town, and some will remain to hold the mountain?" The king asked. Kerrik proudly nodded.

"Good… and Naomi has sent word that the Zora's are still in debate. I expected as much, for the Zora's are known for lengthy deliberations in politics. They feel obligated to take their time with hefty decisions such as this." The king explained. A knock sounded on the door, entering a castle soldier.

"Sire, the green hero and his friends have arrived. They are in the market now, helping the guards resolve a conflict." The soldier announced uneasily. Each face grew concern upon the latter statement.

"What conflict?" The king asked worriedly.

Fear and panic had aroused the conflict in the city's streets upon the arrival of Malon and the three heroes. The soldiers had been trying to quell the unnerved citizens, displaced by the anticipated disaster, but upon Link's arrival, one of the distressed Kakarikoers assumed the worst—believing the war nearly ready to start. This panicking disposition then spread as a plague among most others, and the castle soldiers found themselves forcibly restraining the distressed citizens, keeping them from charging the castle.

Link and Damien had immediately gone to work in aiding the soldiers, trying to capture the crowd's attention and silence their fretful rampage without much avail. Arian sat with Malon and both dismounted, watching the people trying to scale the gates into the castle courtyard.

"Oh my goodness…" Malon whispered. Arian agreed with a hum. "What are we going to do?" Arian didn't respond to her open question. He merely handed her the horse's reigns and walked towards the barraged gates. He climbed up some vines a short ways away to reach the top of the stone archway through means of the tall cleft leading up to it.

Once at the top, standing over the seal, he looked down at the panicking people who were completely ignoring Damien's and Link's pleas for calm. In the chaos, Navi was flying from person to person, trying to aid Link in his attempts to address the people. Arian was not long alone at that perch. The king, Leon, and Kerrik soon joined him, also staring down in contemplative worry. Tatl flew from the King's side and went down to help Damien, as Navi was helping Link.

"Your majesty." Arian addressed the king without removing his gaze from the worrisome chaos below them. His grace didn't seem to mind, for he too couldn't break his gaze.

"They seem to be seeking a safe refuge… worried the war is about to break out." Arian explained. "So they decided to break one out first." The king nodded with his mouth still agape.

"I need to get their attention." He finally said. Arian agreed, nodding his head.

"I got it." He reassured his majesty before stepping a little closer to the edge, bracing one foot on top of the decorative statue hanging over the stone gate.

A great roaring howl erupted over the crowd, scaring them into silence. They all looked with wide eyes towards the source sitting atop the gate and waited for their untimely demise. Arian stared back at them, slowly returning to his human form. The king and Kerrik both gazed at the boy in astounded surprise while Malon tried to quell the rearing horses in the distance—Epona being the only animal unaffected.

"That's a good lad." Leon laughed and patted Arian on the back.

"Ehm." The king cleared his throat and addressed the fretful people. "Castletown is safe, however, if you do not currently have housing then you may register with the city's innkeeper and the overflow shall take up residence in the castle. All people remaining in the market or accepting strangers into their home shall be rewarded for their kindness and courage." The people began to stand more comfortably, but not all felt completely reassured, so the king continued.

"On the day of the battle, everyone unable to fight shall obey the soldiers in their instructions for taking refuge in the castle, proceeding in an orderly fashion. Anyone not willing to comply peacefully and calmly can leave Castletown now and fend for themselves in the wilderness." He ended sternly. The people's remaining fears would now keep them obedient, but they continued looking to their king for orders. "Now go to Castletown Inn and register. Wait in the lounge, eat a good lunch, and wait until someone comes to lead you into the castle and to your room."

The crowd began to leave. Link and Damien stared in utter disbelief of how such a violent group could have been quelled so quickly with so few words.

"Open the gate for them, Mantague." The king ordered the soldier standing below them.

"Aye, sir." He replied, tapping his spear on the ground which somehow unlocked the gate behind him so that Damien, Link, and Malon could lead the horses inside.

"This sort of thing was never heard of in my old kingdom…" Damien whispered to Link who also couldn't believe such a response.

"It hadn't been heard of until now…" Navi said solemnly. Tatl shuddered in agreement next to Damien. "Why would they have panicked like that?... We need to do something to keep them calm, Link." Link nodded in agreement, but went on without the faintest idea of how they would do such a thing.

The study now held three more men of valor. Malon had been escorted to Princess Zelda's chambers, where she had been sitting in contemplative silence since Link and Amy had left for Death Mountain. The king was more than grateful for the young ranch girl's presence, as he was worried for his daughter and knew that Malon's company might lighten her mood.

It had always been evident that Zelda was more than she appeared, the king knew this well, but he also understood that no matter what fate had her destined to be, she was still a young woman with human needs and would also always be his little girl.

His familial stress mixed with the burden of the kingdom was wearing him thin and Link hated to once more remind him of the current predicament with his message from Darunia, but he delivered it all the same.

The king hunched forward in his seat after reading it, nodding his head and rubbing his short beard.

"I'm glad to hear that the gorons are strong… they are good allies." He told the group, looking to Link graciously for bringing him good news. The green hero took a deep breath, glad to hear he had lessened this man's burdens.

"Well, your majesty…" He tried, feeling weird at addressing his father in such a way. In fact, this was the first time the King had ever heard him speak. During Link's pause in speech, the King's expression lightened considerably. A strangely tender expression shined in his eyes.

"No, don't address me so formally." He said, turning to the rest of the people present in the room, "I have enough reminders of my responsibilities as it is. Call me Rhone." He looked back at Link, a slight smile on his face, "Or whatever else you feel comfortable with."

"Alright, Rhone." Damien broke the warm quiet. "The men are doing well in Lon Lon Ranch right now, and once you get everyone settled here, things ought to calm down."

"Like a calm before the storm…" King Rhone sighed out.

"That's certainly true…" Damien concurred. The remainder of the group had grown sorrowful like the king and Damien decided to set aside his jokes to offer some comfort to his fellow warriors. "But, I will admit, si—er… Rhone… that I'm already feeling far more prepared than the last time… Remember, we've already defeated him once. Mankind has prevailed before and we can do it again." His words struck all who listened, having the effect he had intended.

Rhone smiled.

"Of course… what a silly thing to forget…" He thought aloud. "Well, let us celebrate this new notion over dinner, and then I shall see you three off. I believe you have more work to do with the guard, don't you Damien?" He nodded. "And you, Link. You have many things to do, I'm sure."

"Yeah, he always does." Arian answered for him. "He never seems to have an agenda or a plan, but he always gets the job done."

"Well, maybe if he'd listen to me like the Deku Tree told him to then he'd have a plan." Navi complained, passively indicating her frustration near Link's pointed ear.

"But the kid does alright." Tatl interjected. "He's clumsy and sloppy, but he does get the job done."

All smiled and concurred, looking to the surprised and rather embarrassed Link while they each thought of a different task completed by the green hero that had been witnessed or heard of.

"Let's go to dinner, big guy." Damien put an arm around his shoulder and walked out at Link's side. Arian laughed and followed right before the other three, all feeling slightly less burdened thanks to the legendary forest boy who always seemed to help, whether he meant to or not.