The boy stumbled from his slumber with the grace of a drunken Goron and, with help from Saria and Navi, managed to gather the gear he needed. His father had returned after the two days, as promised, and had given his son strict instructions to meet he and Jason outside the Forest the next morning.
A dark grey-blue long sleeved undershirt, a light shirt of chain mail, and a black tunic with the howling wolf of White Tower embroidered on the front was given to the boy to wear along with grey, cotton breeches and black leather boots. A dark ensemble to show mourning for the Great Deku Tree as the three Hudsons rode out to see the King.
The plan had shocked Lincoln for he had not expected his Father to make such a drastic decision after such a traumatic experience. Raven had frowned at his youngest child when Lincoln questioned why they were in such a hurry... why they could not take the time to grieve, to rest... but the boy recieved no answer.
Only a horse that was not his old steed, Spirit.
She was tied up away from the makeshift camp and balked when anyone approached. Her name was Epona, Link found out while a guard was cursing out her name, and she was a beautiful, clydesdale, pony. Her eyes held a wildness to them and Link fell in love with it... but he could not approach her to his disappointment.
"She was fine when we were leaving..." Jason frowned, crossing his arms over his armored chest. He wore a black brigandine; a jacket resembling a doublet made of leather with small oblong metal plates riveted into it; that would protect him from arrows. There was brief mention of Janette's fury being ignited when her husband refused to wear a full suit of armor... but she saw reason when Raven said the trip was meant to be riden swiftly. Jason's outfit held no color but black which made his green eyes and red hair stand out amoungst the ever greens of the forest behind him.
Link frowned and turned his coblat eyes back to the pony that was to be his. "Did someone spook her?"
"No, Talon's daughter made up a fuss about the thing leaving... something about her mother." Jason shrugged and pulled a piece of parchment from a pocket in his pants. "I think the two were close... Oh, here, the girl said this would calm her though we don't have anything to play music on..."
Link took the paper and sighed. "How would a song calm an animal?"
"It is just the same as when your Mother sings to you, Brother." Jason smiles, wisely, and looked almost like Raven in the moment. "Music is not to be taken lightly, Link... espeically not here." A gloved hand indicated the forest behind him. "Father always taught us that... so keep it in mind, hm?"
"I will." Link smiled, passing the script to Navi who had been pawing for it. Jason left the two and the odd pony alone to help ready the soliders they were leaving to protect the Kokiri. "What do you think?"
Navi shrugged. "The Fae have such melodies that have certain properties... perhaps this is just the song to help Epona calm her nerves." The Faerie flew forward and sang the few notes off the paper with a high, but pleasant falsetto voice... but to no avail.
"Try this." Link turned and found Saria's form peeking out from the edge of the Kokiri Forest border. Her appearance was the same as always, neat and vivid green, but her eyes were chaotic and dull. In her hands, she held out her favorite instrument: her ocarina. "... I wanted you to have it before you left anyways."
Emotion caught the boy off guard and Link practically tackled his friend when he reached her. His arms wrapped around her and squeezed her as tightly as she squeezed him. But, "Thank you..." was all he said because he was too afraid to said good-bye... something told him he would not be seeing her for a long time.
After a few heart breaking moment, Saria pulled away and looked deep into the cobalt blue eyes of Lincoln Amadeus Hudson and smiled, softly. "You're my best friend, Link." She pressed a kiss to his forehead and pressed her ocarina into his hands. "This is a symbol... that we will always be friends." A stray tear fell and Allievander wiped it away in silence with a brief nod of farewell to Navi. The two children stared at each for a long moment before the emotional tension broke... causing both to turn and walk away as fast as they could with a promise that they would met again being silently understood.
"Lincoln!" Lord Raven stood next to some of White Tower's Elite soliders with the stern expression he reserved solely for his men. "Go ready your horse, my boy, we are leaving now."
"Are you sure I should not ju-"
"Go, Lincoln." The greying Noble replied with a voice that held no room for sway.
Link frowned and gave a curt bow that showed he was not happy... a short distance away Epona struggled to get away from the hands trying to saddle her. Navi flew out in attempts to help the pony calm down but none could do so.
"Try playing that song, Link." The Fae sighed, blinking away the traces of exhaustion seeping into her. "Maybe Saria's Ocarina will help."
Having been taught by his friend to play, Link put the flute to his lips... and played...
The last notes echoed out and found silence in the camp. Several eyes had drifted over to where Link stood with one hand patting Epona's muzzle. "Let us be friends, now..." He whispered in a soothing voice as he took the reins from one of the guards.
The morning stretched on for several long hours which found Lincoln and Epona enjoying a strong gallop between the trees of Faron Woods which was the forest surrounding the Eternal Children's Village. Not many knew the paths to the Kokiri's hidden home and so they were often forgotten about until a relative disappeared... then they were always blamed. The kids did not care, however, for such talk never reached their ears. The Great Deku Tree never allowed it... but he was dead and so now White Tower's Knight would protect them until the Sprout would grow.
Still, even knowing the men who guarded his immortal friends, Link worried.
"Father?"
"Yes, Son?" Raven sighed, wondering which of the three questions his son would repeat this time.
"Why must I visit with the King?" Lincoln squirmed and attempted to adjust the chain mail beneath his tunic. He was unused to the way it pinched at his skin.
Jason growled and dropped his head back in aggravation. "Is it not enough that you are simply being ordered too?"
"Every order has a reason." Navi countered with a sly smile which earned an appreciating nod from her partner.
"The King and our Family have buisness together." Raven answered, glancing backwards where his sons followed in a lazy line behind him. "All of it will be explained when we get there."
"We are two days travel from Hyrule Castle, Father."
A grimance from Jason and no reply from Raven sent the travelers into silence. No guards accompanied them for the Hudsons had left them all at the entrance to the Kokiri Woods and so no others were there to speak too... but silence did not bode well for the young Hudson.
Link closed his eyes and dipped his head back to allow the warm sunshine that spilled through the green canopy to pour across his face. The ten year old shifted in his saddle and glanced sideways at his eldest brother with a frown. "Are you sure the Kokiri will be-"
"Fine." Jason replied, sweeping emerald eyes over to meet a blue eyed gaze with a glare. "We posted the best of our Knights, Brother... and, as Father and I have pointed out several times, Thomas will be joining them soon."
"Still." Navi crossed her arms. "We should have stayed. Link can s-"
"Navi." Lord Raven's voice cut through like cold steel. "If it was not for Hyrule's better interest then I would have left Lincoln with the Children. However, it is not. I need Link to come with us for the good of us all. The Kokiri Emerald is in our hands now and there is no reason for another attack upon the Village. They are brave men, good men, and better fighters. We will not be caught unaware by any manner of beast this time." Raven turned and regarded the young Fae and his son. "No harm will come to the Kokiri."
Another long pause ensued in which all felt the effects and during it all grew increasing uncomfortable. Jason stretched, rolling his shoulders, and tugged at the brigandine he wore for it was several uncomfortable. He had put strong leather arm guantlets on and leg guards made of the same material which mirrored his father's own garb though Raven deemed it all unnessacary.
Evangeline and Janette had not and forced both men to promise they would put them on when the departed from their soliders.
The boy, frustrated with the feeling that he did not understand everything going on, growled. "I do not understand why I am so important in all this."
Raven glanced back toward his son and pulled back on his reins so that it halted their tiny party. "Lincoln..." A pause and Raven felt guilt pang at his heart when his child looked at him with eyes filled with uncertainty. "You are important for a crucial reason..." A soul shuddering sigh. "You were given the Emerald to protect and I have never known the Great Deku Tree to do something out of a singular whim. True, he could have done a thing because you defeated that monster but... he refused to allow me to battle Gohma before she attacked. I believe he had you in mind the whole time." Raven ran a hand through his child's hair. "However, that is not the reason you are with us today... and I hope this- this event will be nothing more than old men's paranoia."
Knowing where his father was going, Jason turned to his brother. "We mean no ill by any of this... Wh- Hm, uh, what I mean to say is that we mean you no unhappiness by this."
"By what?" The boy pressed, finally recieveing an answer for the questions he had been asking since they left the Kokiri Forest.
Raven sighed and said with a voice that did not allow objections and held many unspoken apologies. "You are going to be wed to the Princess of Hyrule... I recieved word from His Majesty that he enforced the idea before we returned to retrieve you."
"I'm... to..."Link stared at his family with a look of pure bewilderment as his cobalt blue eyes grew wide with shock. The ten year old swallowed after several long minutes and remembered to breath after a worried prompt from Navi. "I-I'm to... to WHAT?!"
Raven winced but he did not lose composure and began to explain, slowly. "The man who murdered the Great Deku Tree has shown great power in such a feat. He managed to vanquish a entity that had been around for thousands of years." The Lord of White Tower sighed and ran his hand through his salt and pepper locks with a frustrated face. "He killed the Great Deku Tree and I have recieved word from Darunia, the Goron's New Leader, that he has made appearances to both he and King Zora. Threatening them."
"But what does this have to do with me?!" Link gapped and resisted the urge to jump from his saddle and bolt away like a pup hit with a stick.
"Dear Brother, a man with such adacity will not hesitate to kill the King. If our suspicions are correct and, in all likely chances, they are. We will need an Heir to the Throne-" Jason's face crimsoned when Raven turned to him with a scowl at his wordings. "Uh, we shall need someone to be able to ascend the Throne in such an event."
Raven nodded though solemnly. "The Princess could do so on her own but... this is a ruthless man."
Link frowned. "You expect him to murder them both? He would never make it out of the Castle alive!"
"She is the only Heir." Jason folded his arms. "Listen." He scolded, his temper setting in. "This man mudered The Great Deku Tree. Do you know how strong, how powerful, how knowledgable the Deku Tree was? He saw the rise of Hyrule itself and Hylia herself planted his seed!" Jason face inflated with deep inhale. "And. That. Man. Mudered. Him." The last five words were spat out with the very emotion all three males were feeling. "We need a plan in the case that King Harkinian and his daughter dies. His Highness agreed to marry you to Princess Zelda because of the history of our families and because he fears an assualt as well... Your prodigious skills with a blade also helped smooth negotiations." Jason's hands dropped to his side and the plump, red head sighed. "Brother," He began after several moments and an added look of apology. "We, your family who love you very dearly, would not force you to this at such a young age. You are the Fourth Son and by all rights you should either be at a Temple or learning some sort of craft. We did not want that life for you. None of us did... and know that we all grieve this decision but it must be done."
The three Hudsons stared at each other for a long while.
"I would not tie you to a fate so dismal, my child." Raven murmured. "The Throne is a bloody buisness and I hate dipping my own hands in it... and worse, yours... but if Edric Harkinian and his child dies... We shall need someone that Hyrule knows and who they can put their faith behind to lead them."
"Already the People respect you as the Wolfos Slayer and now that word is sure to spread about Gohma... You are a prime canidate." Jason added with some softness.
Lincoln swallowed and felt very much his age in that instant. He wanted his mother to console his fears and tell him everything would be alright... but she was not there and nothing would be all right. He only had his decided Fate and the weight of Navi on his shoulder. "But I'm just a child." He whispered, weakly.
"You are my son and you have a much greater destiny than you know, my Little Link." Raven clicked his reins and turned his steed toward the setting sun slipping beneath the top of the hill ahead of them. "Come, now, my children. We need to find a place to camp." In the distance the sound of thunder rolled. "Quickly."