This will be my last update before the holidays hit us, so 'happy holidays'to all you lovely readers. Many thanks to Mikure for the review!
This chapter is in memory of my own pooch Robbie, who had to be put to sleep on Monday. And if that don't make you send in a sympathy review – nothing will!
ENJOY!
Chapter Five
Impa leaned back in her chair and stared into the fire. In one hand she held a letter from Daphnes. She glanced at the note again and sighed. Opposite her, snoring gently was Rauru. Kru had long since retired for the night. She had not yet decided whether to share the latest news from their esteemed leader with her fellows. It would alter their plans drastically if they knew…
There was a knock on the door. Impa carefully folded the note before allowing the landlord admission into the private sitting room. It was the landlord, Kafei. He bowed respectfully to her. Impa smiled slightly as she saw his eyes flick towards the sleeping Rauru. She saw the briefest glimpse of amusement in his eyes before they returned to her face.
"Your honour, are you willing to see Lord Link Eipough yet?" He asked.
Impa considered his words carefully. Really, she knew she should wait until the morning, when Kru and Rauru were awake once more but on the other hand, a more pressing need had arisen. If she saw him alone, then her fellows would be furious but if she didn't…
"Where is he?"
"In our parlour, flirting with my wife." Answered Kafei. Considering his words, he seemed to be smiling at the thought.
"Flirting?" Impa repeated the word faintly. She sighed and glanced at Rauru. He always managed to fall asleep at the most inopportune moments and waking him was a feat for which the most potent of magic was needed. "What is he like?" She asked, part of her hated gossiping with such inferior people as a mere innkeeper, whilst the other side was desperate to know what she was letting herself in for.
"He is… unusual." Replied Kafei. He could sense Impa's reluctance to gossip and he had his own reputation to maintain. He and Anju had long established status of being trustworthy confidantes. It was not in his nature to discuss his guests with others. However, he knew it would be worth his while to be a little open with this Judge. Impa could be generous and they were moving into the winter season – a notoriously meagre time of year. Impa raised her eyebrows slightly and Kafei coughed. "He is not what you'd think, Ma'am."
"Is he…strong?"
"I don't know. It is hard to establish what he is – he is like an urchin."
"An urchin? He is young then?"
"He is barely my age, ma'am." Replied Kafei, who himself was in his late twenties. He was getting increasingly uncomfortable. "He is not like I expected from your description."
Impa considered this for a long moment, one slender hand playing with the fringe of her silver hair. Her eyes looked troubled. Kafei was surprised to see these signs of agitation. Impa was notoriously apathetic and cool in all circumstances. Kafei took another surreptitious glance at the note in her hand and wondered if that was the cause of her tension. Unconsciously, Impa's gaze followed the path taken by Kafei's eyes. The note in her hand changed all of their plans. For the first time in a long time, she was uncertain of what to do. If only Rauru could be woken then she would have consulted him. She glanced over at him and was not surprised to see that he was still snoring, and his mouth was still slightly agape. He would not wake.
"I will see the child." Decided Impa aloud.
Kafei was relieved to hear this. Although he thought his guest was amusing, he had not wanted to house his…pet. The thought of his 'dog' still lounging in front of the fire in his parlour made Kafei shudder slightly. Amber had decided to take residence on the hearth and, after one glare from the dog's golden eyes, neither he or Anju had dared disturb her, even though she was effectively soaking up all the heat pouring from the fire.
"Shall I bring him up here?"
"No, I will go to him." Announced Impa. She did not want Rauru to wake up (if by some miracle it was possible) and discover her transacting business on his behalf.
"Very well." Said Kafei. His attitude did not hint at what he was thinking which was namely whether or not he should warn the Judge of what awaited her downstairs. He decided not to, thinking along the lines that the poor thing would be startled enough by Link's appearance to worry about his dog. At least he hoped she would be. And besides, he didn't want to allow the beast access to the best rooms in the house. From what he had witnessed so far, the dog would decide that she deserved to sleep on one of the guest's beds. Kafei shuddered again at this thought and led Impa in silence down the narrow stairs.
Link sat on the floor, quietly stroking Amber's head. She was oblivious to the fact that her fur was starting to smoulder. Link saw this and prodded her gently to make her move a little. The dog sighed happily and stretched, evidently happy basking in the glory of fire after her long, and decidedly damp, day.
"If you wish to catch fire, that's your choice, Pooch." He said cheerfully, "However, I think you look better with fur." With these words he pulled the dog away from the hearth and, before she could react, took her place with his back to the flames. The dog glared at him. Link pulled her ears gently, "Besides, it's my turn to get warm!" He explained glibly. He glanced up at Anju and smiled. She could not stop herself responding to this and smiled back. She leaned back in her chair, both hands massaging her huge stomach and was about to continue their conversation when there was knock on the door.
Without waiting for a response, the door opened to reveal Kafei and, to what seemed to be to Link, a disproportionately tall, skinny woman with short silver hair and brown-red eyes. She wore a tight tunic and short breeches. His eyes widened slightly and he jumped to his feet. Amber, responding to his sudden motion, stretched and slowly stood.
Impa took one look at Link and then found her eyes drawn towards the creature standing at his side, hackles raised slightly. She raised her eyebrows and a slight smile appeared on her mouth. She dismissed the curious Kafei and Anju. She waited until the door had closed behind them before turning her attention back to him. Her smile faded slightly as she addressed him, "Who are you?"
"My name is Link."
She allowed her eyes to travel slowly over his figure but her expression remained aloof. A silence followed.
In an exasperated tone, Link continued, "Link – that is my name. I have come to demonstrate why I should be employed. We arranged this meeting, remember?"
Silence.
"You do remember, don't you?" He asked, laughing slightly. He was slightly confused by her attitude. The way she was watching him was unnerving, she remained perfectly silent and still, her arms folded across her chest and a sneer on her face. Link gave a frustrated grunt and from his backpack he drew an old, well-used short sword. He parried an imaginary foe before holding it to her, "You did want to hire a sell-sword, didn't you?" He asked, "That is what I am, and I am the best you could get."
This didn't win a response.
Link sighed and began twirling the sword, thrusting, blocking and parrying an imaginary foes sword, all the while tapping a rhythm out on the floor as he heralded that:
"I can dance the dance of death,
I can parry the sword of doom.
I can fight a thousand men
In the shadow of the moon
I can spin, dodge, parry, thrust
Make my foeman taste the dust
I shall bring him to his knees
I shall heed not his pleas
I fight for gold,
Say what you think
A warrior born –
My name is Link!
After bowing extravagantly, he looked up at Impa, who eyed him stonily. Still a deadly silence reigned over all in the room.
Link ran a hand through his hair, "Good gracious, what must I do to make you smile?" He asked with his most winning grin. "I presume your are either Impa, Kru or Rauru. My guess is Impa. Am I right?"
Impa indicated her assent by inclining her head a touch. Link's grin widened. If she was hoping to depress his spirit, she was not having much luck. "Great, well allow me to advise you, Madam Impa, that I really am the best mercenary you'll ever come across. Not only do I have fabulous sword skills, I am surprisingly good at keeping secrets too and I won't ask questions. How does that sound? If you don't employ me, you'll regret it forever!"
Finally breaking the silence Impa said in a cold voice, "I believe, Sir Link, as you call yourself, I did not seek to employ a court jester."
Link's blue eyes flashed in sudden annoyance, "Heed my words, Madam Judge, I have not come all this way to amuse you. I came here for work. Try not to concentrate on my outer appearance."
Impa snorted in laugher, "Your appearance? Try not to laugh? Have you glimpsed yourself recently? It is nigh on impossible not to laugh at you." She saw Link's eyes narrowing dangerously and smiled slightly. "Come, child, do not be offended. You can hardly expect me to take you seriously when you look like a beggar."
"I might look like a beggar." Admitted Link, his eyes were still flashing dangerously, "But I assure you I am no such thing. The way I live has shaped the way I look but it has also sharpened my wits. I am a soldier of the late King Osira of Calatia. I was trained from the age of five as a knight and it was only after his untimely demise that I was forced into poverty. For these last five years I have eked out a living, surviving on what I could steal or kill. If you want a warrior that seeks only riches and asks no questions with the ability to turn a blind eye to what his employers do, then hire me! I fear nothing; no task is too great for me to tackle. I am only interested in how much you will pay me. If you offer me a good wage, I am yours to command."
Impa considered these words. Her eyes did not leave his face. She could see he was honest. And they needed an honest warrior who would not question them. And if he had been trained as a Knight of the deceased King Osira, then he would be lethal. If his silence could be bought, then he would be a valuable asset. "If you can prove your credentials, then the job is yours." She said coolly.
Link smiled and rolled up his tattered sleeve. On his left arm was a brand mark – the outline of an eagle with its wings spread wide, carrying a sword. Impa's eyes widened , she touched the cold scar and then smiled to herself. The mark could not be forged for it was created through a spell that only the deceased King Osira had known. She was a little surprise to find he had told the truth. She raised her eyes to his. "To think that we have found the last Knight of Calatia, you are the Free Sword?" She murmured. "We are fortunate."
"Free Sword?" Link repeated the name slowly. "I suppose that was my name once." He smiled, "It was a long time ago. King Osira named us all ridiculously in my opinion! After some old song or other. So, am I the last of my kind then?"
Impa's fingers still rested on the brand mark. "You are the last Knight. The other's have been executed." She smiled a little grimly. "I did wonder what happened you. Are you truly as fearless as your reputation suggests?"
"My reputation? I wasn't aware I had one." Laughed Link.
"I refer to the combined reputation of the Knights of Calatia." Replied Impa dampening his spirits. "You are supposed to be fearless, cunning warriors who will stop at nothing to accomplish their goals."
Link shrugged. "Oh that! I was trained from being a child to be afraid of nothing. We all were. I suppose I don't think about it anymore. We had our fears beaten out of us. Anyway, we digress – you said if I could prove my credentials, I could have the job. I have done, so am I employed? And if so, how much will I be paid?"
"Are you not interested in what way we require your service?" Impa found it a little hard to believe that he was only interested in the amount of rupees he could amass.
"Nope." Link grinned at her. "I thought I told you – I'll do anything for money. I'm quite desperate you know. And you must know, I am fearless – I've been trained to be. Nothing you can throw at me is too much trouble."
"How about murdering a King?" Asked Impa.
Link blanched slightly at this but maintained his smile. "Providing there is a good reason for the said deed, I will do it."
"Good. Very well, you have the job, Sir Link. And for your information, there is an excellent reason for my request. This is what I require of you..."
As she told him her plans, Impa thought of the contents of the note safely stowed away in her pocket and silently prayed to the gods that she was doing the right thing.
Outside the door, Tassia stood. She had heard all she needed to. She smiled at Kafei and Anju and nodded to her servant. The girl withdrew the sword that had been pressed firmly against Anju's stomach. Tassia smiled beautifully and tossed a bag of rupees towards them.
"I thank you for your assistance." She murmured, "King Ganondorf will be most grateful." She glanced at the door and smiled again, her golden eyes glinting and then, with a twirl of her long cloak, she was gone. Her servant with her.
Sorry I couldn't get the poem formatted properly. Meh. Anyway - SEASONS GREETINGS! Send some Christmas Cheer my way and review! You know you want to!
P.S. (according to Wiki) In the manga Link is said to have come from a place called Calatia, there you go, some random trivia!
