(A/N: Guys, I am so sorry for not having posted this. It has been done for a while but I haven't found the time to go through it and work out a few problems that it had. I'm hoping I caught them all.

My Dad has had back problems for a long time and they have gotten worse recently. My life is very complicated for more reasons then that so progress on this story is going to be a lot slower than I ever intended when I started it.

I will work on it whenever I can but, please, please, please be patient. I will update as soon as possible.

Thank you ALL so MUCH for all of the reviews, comments, and continued patience with me. I am honored to have all of you read my stories.)

Thanks, again.

Queaky.

Zelda flexed her fingers out as far as they could go and stretched them out far before her. She closed her violet eyes and forced her almost perfect memory to the forefront of her mind.

"You must focus." Impa spoke, hands placed upon the Princess' shoulders to steady the girl in the case of a backfire. "Let all things fall away."

The girl's brow furrowed, the air was cool as it was pulled through her lips, and she brushed away the thoughts of the day like ashes from a fireplace. Her arms crossed into a perfect 'X', slowly, and the sound of the wind was all she heard.

"Can you feel it?"

There was no answer for if she was to do so then she would lose her concentration. The wind was no more than a light breeze outside of her bedroom window... but Zelda wished for it to gust... to blow... to hurricane... but only when she was ready to command it. Her heart beat slowed and, for an instant, stopped. Her palms rotated in a downward circle toward her and as she shot her arms out like one would throw knives... the wind heard her command.

Farore's Wind obeyed and ripped apart the defenseless dummy like a newly sharpened dagger through rice paper.

"Well done."

Zelda scowled. "Well done?" Her violet eyes lept to the Sheikah's face with clear upset showing on her young face. "That dummy can withstand the force of a well seasoned Knight and a newly sharpened sword!"

"Yes." Impa kicked at the bag representing the thing's head and picked up a wooden shield propped against the Princess's bed. "However, impressive that casting was, it still took you nearly fifteen minutes to complete the spell."

"Fifteen?" The ten year old frowned, violet eyes widening. "That is impossible!"

"Hardly anything is impossible." Impa smirked. "And that is not one of them." It took a few minutes but another dummy was situated to hang from the child's ceiling and armed with a shield. "You need to clear your mind, Zelda, if you are not be successful at Mastering-"

"It is hard to do so with so much on it."

"Link shall be fine."

"Link... yes... I know." Those violet eyes glinted with that odd glimmer of ancient cunning that so often invaded the youthful orbs. "To be completely honest, Impa, not all of my thoughts have been of things outside the Castle Walls."

The Shiekah rose a brow and, inwardly, marveled at how her charge's precise wording frightened her. Despite the tremor of her heart, she inquired with a perfectly even. "Oh?"

"Link's position should lie close to the Inn near the River Crossing before Kakariko... Ganondorf and Nabooru should be arriving at the Fortress tomorrow morning... and you." Zelda crossed her arms over her chest. "You sit here..." The hope and hurt in those eyes crushed Impa's heart but she remained stoic. "I thought the halls would be thriving with whispers about the odd circumstances due to the sudden events... but, to my surprise, it has been about the state that you left my father's room in."

Red eyes barely moved but the Princess noticed. She was looking too hard for the movement to be ignored. "Would you truly be-"

"It is of little business to me." Zelda frowned, heart wrenched between joy and hurt. "However, you-" The ten year old's eyes dropped to hide the emotion she felt dredging up from all that had been going on. "You are like a mother to me... I will forever cherish Mother's memory but... you are the one who raised me."

Impa remained still in shock and speechlessness. She had thought little of what transpired that morning for there was very little time to.

"To have you take Mother's place would finally mean the end of her..." The child swallowed a sob and smiled, softly. "But, that would also mean you would be my new mother offically..."

"It is not as serious as all of that, Zelda." Impa frowned, wanting to calm the girl and give herself some time to collect her thoughts.

Zelda sighed in both frustration and mild disappointment. "IF it is or is not, that is not my business... as I said, however, know that you have my blessing." With that she turned back toward the dummy and began to concentrate as she had before.

Impa's brows furrowed and red orbs burrowed into the back of the girl's head. This was not a complication she wished to deal with... She had much grander schemes to plan but this problem had to be seen to... "As wise as you are, Zelda, you do not yet know the ways of adult affairs." An inward wince at her own wording did not show upon the Sheikah's face. "The relationship between King Edric and I is defined by the statuses we are given. One day, perhaps, you may understand but for now do not dwell on the matter. There are more pressing things to focus open this is not one."

The child released her spell which fizzled out to her displeasure. "You are right..." Zelda frowned and turned her gaze toward her window. "I barely know him... yet all I can do pray for is his safety."

"He has risked a lot based almost completely on your word."

Zelda clapsed her hands together and sighed. "I know."

"Now, would you please reaccount for me the exact nature of what you thought you were going to do?" Rowan smirked, glancing up at the sky with a casualness befitting of a tourist. His heavy cloak kept the sting of the chill from him for; even though the sun was shining brightly; it was cold.

Hyrule Field seemed to follow its own weather patterns. It could be boiling hot one day and snowing the next even if Summer was coarsing through the land. The Hudsons had been graced with a rather good day for travel even if the chill made one's bones creak.

Thomas' hands flew up and wiggled about his head for a moment before he crossed them across his chest. "Except with fire."

Rowan remained silent for a few moment before he allowed a laughing fit to seize him. "And how was that going to stop them from drowning you?"

"I would have been on fire. Zoras hate fire."

"You were in the Water Temple."

"So?"

"Water is everywhere down there."

"I was naive... young." Thomas' embarassment was plain and though only Rowan seemed amused.

"You were 20. A Knight already." Rowan smirked, eyebrow raised expectantly. "And a damned good one too."

Thomas laughed. "Past tense, I see." His brown eyes glinted in challenge. "We both know I could still beat you."

Rowan frowned, suddenly, and felt his chest swell with his own pride. "You have never defeated me." The thirty-six year old shook his red head and held eight fingers out. "Eight times we have fought and not once in any of those spars have you disarmed or pinned me."

"Father never let us get bloody."

"So you think you could if we went to First Blood?" Rowan scoffed. "Brother, I was the one to teach you all you know. It is hardly possible that you could even accomplish smacking me on the cheek much less dr-"

Thomas' hand connected, rather roughly, with the side of Rowan's right cheek and was followed by a roaring laugh. "What was that?"

Rowan snarled, his seething anger flashing red hot. "You little bastard!"

"Boys, would you please stop fooling around?" Navi shouted, twisting the old, gifted map around so that she could analyze a few shortcuts she spotted. She sat atop a saddle bag on Link's horse though the Fae would move just as soon as she had squatted down. It was quite apparent that this journey had her stir crazy.

"I was not 'fooling around', Navi." Thomas' handsome face melted into one of a warrior and he smiled, confidently. "I challange you, Sir Rowan, to a duel!"

"We do not have time for that." Navi glared, fluttering between the two Knights' horses.

Rowan rolled his eyes. "He knows that." A glare shot towards the brunette's way though the green eyes returned to steady on the little blue girl hovering about. "He should also know that I mean to kill him when we have time to spare."

Thomas merely laughed and shook his head. "You love me too much, Brother!"

"Only half of you is my brother." Rowan chuckled. "I could always kill the other."

"And have my mother haunt you?" Thomas grinned, flicking at Navi's map in the process. "You would never sleep through a whole night for the rest of your miserable, kinky, redheaded life!"

The Knight choked. "Kinky?"

"HA HA! Aye, Kinky. I've heard stories about that tavern wench who tied you down and f-"

"Thomas!" His name was spat out, angrily, and in a huff the Fae landed open the head of the Knight's horse. Frustrated from having to deal with the wind and the map, Navi sighed in a feeble attempt to calm herself. "Do you have a quill?"

"Wha-? Does it look like I packed a quill?" The Knight chuckled at the furious face he recieved from the Fae and shrugged. "I do not understand why you are even fiddling with that thing. Rowan and I have been over every inch of Hyrule, collectively, so there is no worry about getting lost."

"Worry about watching your tongues." Navi rose, gracefully, though mumbling with irritation. "This is not for your concern." She then skipped over to Lincoln's horse instead.

A sign appeared for a tavern after nearly an hour and it was decided that would be their destination come nightfall. If all were lucky then they would reach it before the Moon peaked out. Thomas glanced backwards toward where his young brother trotted behind him and frowned.

The boy had been lost in his own thoughts for most of the day... a day that was nearly half way through.

"You've been quiet, Brother." Thomas stretched his arms out above his head, attempting to lure the limbs out of the restless state they were in, and cast a glance backwards. "Care to speak your mind?"

Rowan scoffed several feet ahead of them. Raven's second son had tried to cheer the child up earlier by attempting a small fire trick but had failed at both... though that did not stop Thomas from getting a laugh out of it."Not likely. That boy may be more stubborn than Father."

Thomas made a clicking sound with his tongue, inwardly amused at the way his elder brother cringed at the sound, and pulled back on his reigns so that he landed in perfect step with his sibling's steed. "Lady woes?"

Those blue eyes shot up into brown and blonde brows arched in surprise. "What?"

Ahead of them, the red headed Knight of the Realm twisted around in a rather uncomfortable way to give his youngest sibling an annoyed look. "Link, it has been hours since we left the Castle... You will need to wake from this daze you are in if we are going to make any progress with Darunia."

"We will not arrive there in nearly another day."

Thomas rolled his head around on his shoulders, popping it. "Yes... but you only have a week to get to Death Mountain and Zora's Domain."

"And then back to the Castle." Rowan tossed in with a tired looking face.

The other Knight nodded. "And then back to the Castle." He confirmed before turning to Link with an encouraging smile. "But, cheer up, Brother!" His contagious grin sparked a smirk in the boy though that distance gaze lingered in his blue eyes. "We are not here to see you fail."

Rowan chuckled. "So, if you would, please, remember this giant of a favor when you become King?" He laughed. "For future reference, I want to retire early."

Thomas caught up with his brother and grinned. "You want to find time to hike a few skirts!"

Navi popped her head up from the contents of Zelda's map and looked around Link from where she sat leaned against him on the saddle. "Vulgarity is not needed!"

"Neither is nagging!" Thomas quipped with a very annoyed look. "Navi, I love you, but would you please stop being so..." The Knight turned to his older brother. "What word am I looking for?"

"Contravening."

Thomas beamed. "Ah! An impeccable description."

"Much appreciated." Rowan chuckled.

Navi stuck her tongue out. "All I wanted was a little more seriousness from you two." Her white eyes narrowed. "You act as if we are going on a day trip."

Rowan sighed, luring his steed back so that they weren't nearly shouting at each other. "Navi, we understand how serious this undertaking is... more so than probably yourself... you can be sure that we know this is not a vacation. The name of our House and, perhaps, our heads are in grave danger. I have already seen two scouting hawks soaring over head." His finger jabbed at a dot blotting out the sky in smooth circles far above them. "That is a Gerudo bird. They send them out with messages of attack, changes of plans, and signals. We are being watched."

"You shouldn't have told them that." Thomas frowned, his own head upward at the sky so that the light washed across his face instead of the numbing chill about them. "Now, they will never get to sleep."

Rowan rolled his eyes, ignoring his younger sibling. "Now, would you rather I remain quiet or try to make light of things because as far as I can tell, Navi, you are doing little more than irk me at this point." His eyes narrowed. "I did not get hand picked to be a Knight of the Realm for naught. Do not tell me how I am to guard my little brother, practically like a son to me, or how to do my job."

Navi opened her mouth to speak... but closed it with a emotional huff. Her eyes returned to the ancient map and Link felt her shiver against his back. The Lordling sighed. "Brothers, let's calm our-"

"WE are calm. YOU are the one we are worried about." Thomas' finger nearly poked Link in the forehead as it stretched out over the small gap their horses had created. He smirked, softly and suddenly, after his outburst and sighed. "You know, I think this may be a good time to practice your archery." His finger moved from the boy's forehead and toward the sky while his brown brows arched with a look of cunning mischief.

Rowan frowned. "Killing the birds would not be the best action-"

"If he can hit them." Thomas intercepted though Rowan did not skip a beat as he continued.

"-We need the element of surprise."

"He needs target practice."

"You both need to shut your mouth." Navi mumbled from behind her charge which incited a laugh from the two knights despite the unplayfulness of her tone.

Thomas slipped a few arrows from his own quiver and waved them at his youngest brother. "Want to try, eh, Little Link?"

Link grinned, shoving his worries away, and slipped his fingers around the bow thrown around his back. "I would love to, Tom."

The birds drew back after nearly two hours of being shot at... none of the arrows reaching far enough to clip them but close enough to be a danger if they flew to low. The Riverside Inn appeared shortly after Link's practice and the Hudsons quickly drew their covers about them...

Tomorrow they would greet Death Mountain.