Warm Reunions

After departing from the temple the rest of the day's events seemed normal and almost boring in comparison. The sunshine calmed our shaken nerves as we trudged through the snow in a prim and orderly fashion. Rusl kept the lead while I trailed languidly several yards behind him. The laughter from the blackened temple only left a sour taste on the back of my mind. I felt bitter as my stomach growled with a boiling temper. Rusl looked no more at ease.

"What are you plans for the evening?" Rusl pulled his reins back with a jerk and tightened his boots around the waist of his horse. The nibbling mare snorted in agitation as she pulled away from the sparse frozen bush that had been buried under the months of snow. With another quick pull she was on her way and splashing through melted snow once more.

"No plan. I hunger." I spoke blatantly as I eyed Rusl carefully. "Need to stop at home. Take a rest, this snow blind is starting to give me a headache." Although a majority of the snow had begun to melt there was still enough to render me sightless. After wandering about in the temple of doom the outside felt like a sparkling nirvana of lights and colors.

"That's not from your drinking?" Rusl coyly retorted. I saw his fingers grip around his reins as his eyes remained glued to the expanding horizon. Even though he didn't give me the courtesy of looking at me, I saw the impish gleam in his eyes.

"No….Not from drinking." I spit aggressively as I took a pause to retort. "What are your plans for the evening? Helping the wife with the baby, maybe you have to help cook dinner. Something respectable I presume." I chuckled as Rusl remained stone faced and frigid. In the sunlight his grey hairs stood out more predominantly and his wrinkles seemed more hardened and sagged.

"I have a meeting with the Resistance." Rusl spoke with an air of refinement as he mentioned his group. His head stood a little taller, his back a little bit straighter. "Then yes, I will be going home to my wife. It's nice that she is actually at home with me. I don't have to drink myself into a dark corner as I imagine my wife and try to remember what she looks like." A slight smirk pulled across his unshaven face as his eyes glinted in dark humor.

"Oh how they will honor you when you die." I snapped as a boiling hate began to seethe out of my pores. "Here lies Rusl the housewife. Loved by some, honored by none." The words danced off my tongue beautifully in a natural rhythm. It was as if I had been waiting to say these things for years but could only now voice them. Rusl's face contorted in blind anger and his body tensed like an angered alley cat with its hairs on end.

"Like anyone will mourn you when you die. Even your parents left you." Rusl seemed to froth out his mouth. His voice was dark and full of hate and malicious underlining. His brow hardened and he looked almost unrecognizable. It was something I had never seen from him.

I let loose the reins and reached hurriedly for my quiver. I flung the bow over my shoulder as I reached for the arrow with my free hand. By the time I had the arrow ready to shoot Rusl was already drawing back and aiming straight at my heart.

"Don't be stupid boy." Rusl growled as the growing tensions seemed to permeate around us in thick smog. "Remember who taught you."

The air was dry and still as both of us continued to stare daggers at one another. Neither of us were archers, but I wasn't about to test my skill against Rusl's. I breathed heavily as puffs of hot air shot from my mouth and into the cold. The bow felt flimsy and awkward in my hands as I began to wonder what exactly I was doing. My arm began to shake against the bow and I reluctantly dropped my arm.

"Fuck you." I spat in bitter defeat. "Your Resistance is bullshit anymore. This is about the most action you get. You managed to point an arrow at the town drunk. You will be considered a hero in Hyrule's eyes."

Rusl dropped his arm and his eyes began to fade from their blackened casing. He stared at me with confusion and a sense of awe as he looked down to his bow."I apologize for my words." Rusl solemnly put his arrow back into the quiver and lowered his weapon. "I've been feeling a little ill since the temple." He paused and seemed to reconsider. "But do not insult me and my family."

I only chortled and gazed onward. I would not be making any apologizes in the near future and that was for sure. A moment passed and the chance of holding any conversation dwindled into the tense silence. The tension only washed away as the miles stretched onwards and the sun began to shift towards the western mountains. We rolled past the Faron Woods and were nearing the heart of Hyrule's field. It took but only the simple miracle of a blooming common weed to strike up our conversation again.

"It's about time this winter has gotten over, eh?" Rusl sounded like his usual light hearted self once more and the gentle calm in his eyes were back.

"Hmmm…." I tittered. I was still angry over his comment from earlier. It was going to take a little more than talking about the weather to fix this one. Rusl and I had always been close. It wasn't until recently that the gap had begun to grow and fester. As Rusl began to delve more into the life of his family and ever since I had experienced the most epic adventure of a lifetime, things were a bit rocky.

Rusl may have not outright say it, but I knew he was jealous of my endeavors. It was a bit flattering that he was envious. I know that he is envious. This part does not please me. Rusl thinks if he had been giving the chance to save all of Hyrule he could have done it better, faster, more efficiently. He thinks because he taught me how to spar, he knows all there is to know about the land. If I could get the chance for glory, why couldn't he? There is no glory in the shame you feel for the lives that were lost. I was chosen to be the savior because I had nothing to lose.

Ganon had nothing to lose, neither does Zelda. We are all similar in the sense that we are social outcasts. Ganon may have had his followings, his right-hand men and faithful minions. No one truly cared for him, he had no family. No one was there to grieve his death except those who mourned the loss of their chance for victory and greed.

Zelda's father never raised her and she never had a mother to care for her either. Zelda was born and raised in the castle where she was blocked away from society and kept a secret to the public. Who can say who Zelda is? That girl is beyond miserable. She is trapped within a warped mind of incomprehensible fallacies and complex royal code.

I am self-explanatory.

"Link?" Rusl shouted from a few yards ahead. I hadn't even noticed that I had lost pace with him. I nodded sluggishly as Epona rushed forwards. "Did you hear what I said?" he smiled over pleasantly as he tried to cover up the slight annoyance that edged around his voice.

"Sorry. Distracted." I mumbled as I felt the faint glow of the Triforce burning beneath my riding glove.

"It's not safe to be distracted in these times…" Rusl scratched at the nape of his neck and cleared his throat. "I was merely inviting you to come to tonight's meeting. The gossip stone is advising me that something important may be happening in Castle Town very soon."

I acknowledged him with a slight nod of the head but remained nonplussed by his open words. Epona whisked her tail angrily at the approaching newborn gnats that were threatening to tear at her hide. It was beginning to look like spring after all.

"Even though we had our little quarrel your opinion is always valued in this town." Rusl gulped tightly as he attempted to breach eye contact. "Our meetings are still at Thelma's Bar and I know she'll be happy to see you."

"It's not Thelma I am worried about. It's the others." I slowed down Epona's trot as I pulled a two day old cigarette from my pocket. I was beginning to get lazy they weren't nearly as good when they were stale.

"I'm sure Ashei has forgotten all about last year's incident." Rusl pulled out his own pipe and loaded in the dank herb without disrupting the path of his horse. The smell of rough earthy tobacco filled the air as both of us slowed to a turtle's pace as we enjoyed the afternoon's smoke. Within the cigarette was another hidden strain that was much needed for the remainder of the trip back.

"Ashei is not necessarily the one that I am worried about either. Shad was angrier about it than she ever was." I took a deep inhale and suppressed the urge to cough as hot smoke pushed up against my lungs and infiltrated my bloodstream in a welcoming white cloud. My eyes began to sink and my body felt hot and toasty in the 30 degree weather.

"They have grown as a couple. Shad has since lost most of his jealousy issues." I could tell Rusl was uncomfortable with this kind of conversation. Rusl could talk all day about killing moblins and yanking limbs from boklobins as it were as simply as plucking a chicken. When it came to people and personal relationships, Rusl was never privy to explaining other's emotional status or one to gossip.

"Everybody has somebody." I grumbled as I took two quick drags from the smoking cigarette. The cherry glowered red and sizzled its way back into my body as a deeper wave of relaxation began to calm my fingers and toes.

"Speaking of that, I've been hearing that the princess had finally found a suitor." Rusl mused as puffed and blew small smoke rings from his pipe.

"And why are you interested?" I forgot my anger as it was overcome with a teeming anxiousness to know why Rusl cared about this. This was much more than just a gossip floating around town.

"Apparently this suitor has lots of money. A good friend of King Daphnes IV so has been rumored. This is what the resistance is meeting on tonight. Shad has been working alongside one of Hyrule's accountants. In his internship he has come to discover that our dear kingdom is nearing the end of its golden era. In other words, the kingdom is running out of money. The man that Zelda has been arranged to marry just so happens to be the son of Adravan Dranavir."

"Dranavir?" I flicked the cigarette into the snow and bit my lip in slight apprehension. "Have I heard of this name before?"

"If you are interested in the lives of the rich and powerful than most likely yes." Rusl ashed the burnt tobacco and placed his pipe snuggly into his front pocket. "Adravan Dranavir is one of the richest men in all of Hyrule."

"So Zelda marries this man and in return for him being king, he finances our entire province. What is the meeting for then? I just told you what's going on." I smirked for my own amusement as Rusl ignored my incompetence.

"Yes this is obvious." He said in a know-it-all asshole tone. "What we are concerned about is how he acquired this money. The Dranavirs were not always royalty you see. Solomon Dranavir, Robert's father, was a world renowned thief not even a century ago. He was a thief and a cheat well into his older years and he raised his son Adravan to be the same way. It wasn't until after he was arrested that the Dranavirs changed their ways. They were penniless when Solomon was arrested. Five years after his return from jail they own half of Kandrova."

"What about King Kasius? Is he not stopping these criminals from owning his country?" A dull sense of dread began to form in the pit of my stomach as Rusl continued to talk. Something about this wasn't right. I thought of Zelda and wondered if she knew any of this information.

"They bought King Kasius too. The Resistance and I think that he is helping them launder money in return for a small exchange of the profit."

"What about King Daphnes? Isn't he suspicious?" My fingers thrummed against the reins excitedly without my realization. What? Do I get a hard on when I hear about evil-doings?

"Him and Adravan go way back. They fought in the war together. King Daphnes thinks very highly of him." Rusl paused and smiled meticulously. "You know Link, all of this will be explained at the meeting tonight. I'll have a pitcher waiting for us. I think both of our nerves deserve a little bit of soothing after today's activities." Rusl stretched and cracked his back tried not to look as if he were eagerly waiting for my reply.

"Well…I don't know. I wouldn't want to be getting another headache tomorrow from all this drinking I've been doing. I might want to take it easy." I said emotionlessly as I tried to suppress a smile. Rusl's face instantly sunk as he tried to spit out an apology.

"Hey I'm real sorry about- that wasn't. I felt weird after the…"

"Have a drink waiting for me. I'll be there." I shouted, ignoring his apology, as I spurred Epona off into a gallop.

Rusl and I had arrived back into town much later than originally intended. The sky was filled with dark hues of blues and purples as streaks of oranges and light pinks lined the yawning horizon. It was late afternoon but there was already an undeniable sense of urgency to return to town before dark. It was Twilight once more, something I seem to take notice of often. I watch the sky change every day and wonder why I am not allowed to change with it.

The slow pace of the afternoon quickly turned into the high speed tempo of the night. Our horse's hooves pounded thunderously through the damp ground as cold wind whipped through our lungs in delighted tendrils. Despite our trivial dispute the afternoon had faired pretty well. I found an odd sense of peace romping through the fields with Rusl. For a second it was almost easy to forget where I was and the past long behind me. Rusl and I chatted happily about old times and traded tricks as we laughed and boasted ourselves up. It wasn't until I began to see the silhouette of the town that the dark membrane of my mind became noticeable once more. Even though Rusl didn't say it I knew that he too felt anger. His tone may have been chipper but the sullen eyes and twitching fingers gave him away.

As hard as I tried I couldn't get the sound of her voice away from me. Her reminding presence had left a sour taste in my mouth and it made it hard to enjoy the other senses. She was hard to deny, even given the distance. I felt strangely violated after hearing her impish giggle. I had gone so many months without hearing it. I've heard it in my mind many times but I fear that it has become distorted. Even now I wonder if it had only been my own mind I had heard in the temple. Her voice could have been my imagination. Rusl hadn't heard her at all. He heard his own echoes of his ghostly past. And that was exactly what Rusl looked like, like he had seen a ghost.

Reaching the gate a sort of boyish buoyancy cut through us as we scrambled through. A small throng of people were still lingering about in the market from their previously sunny day. Their pale skins shined in the silvery moonlights as their frail bodies ambled down the dusty streets. The town was louder than usual; a ghostlike mumble of tired voices and aching souls reverberated off the stone walls. The hum of the city had a funeral like quietness along with the same somber atmosphere. The meeting had begun a little earlier than expected and there was no time to stop home and take a breather. Rusl and I arrived with windblown hair and chilled red faces as we ambled into the underground bar.

We were greeted in a dead state of silence. Four stolid faces and the uncaring glance of the cat sleeping by fire gazed our way as we stepped into the room. Rusl stepped down to meet his brothers and Auru smiled meekly to him as he passed by. Thelma had begun to busy herself behind the bar as she scrubbed furiously at the already cleaned mugs. Ashei stood up immediately upon our entrance and looked wild eyed and frigid. Our eyes caught and before she had time to even look disgusted, her gaze had already been fixated elsewhere. She awkwardly took a seat back down but her edgy complexion stayed the same.

I glanced at every face carefully before stepping down. Although it had only been a short year since I had seen them all, they were almost unrecognizable. Auru was finally beginning to look his age. His salt and pepper hair seemed to be thinning along with his skin. I noticed dark spots by his forehead and the wrinkles near his brow were now deeply carved. Shad had lost his boyish face. His soft features were now hardened. His blonde hair was now cut shorter, his glasses removed, and a stone like façade seemed to have taken place over his usual skittish demeanor. He stared at me with some sort of a bitter remorse and I could tell that his teeth were clenched. His rock like jaw was pulled back in agitation and I could see his fist curling their way into the wooden table. I smiled at him and then watched his face turn bright red in anger.

"Hiya honey." It was Thelma who broke the silence. Her voice sounded like crackling coals and her throat was so parched I was amazed that smoke wasn't shooting from her mouth. Her tits seemed to have finally caved in on themselves and looked like heavy medallions hanging from her neck. She smiled at me and I was surprised that she still had enough glow to pull me in. I cast one last glance at the four seated at the table before avoiding their down trodden leers.

My boots seemed to clomp obnoxiously with every step and I felt eight pairs of eyes digging into my back as I walked. I sat down with an obstinate thump and I pulled off my gauntlets in a jittering movement. Thelma smiled shyly as she leaned in closer to where I was seated.

"Don't let them get to you. I'll get you a drink." She whispered. "On the house." I could only smile and nod as I tried to shake off the watchful eyes. I wasn't embarrassed, nor did I feel any sort of need to atone for my actions to the table behind me. I wasn't trying to repress any long lost feelings, but instead trying to fight off the new anger that was beginning to bubble from the brooding eyes.

Thelma's thick hips rotated and disappeared behind the counter as she went to grab a glass. I turned again and saw that Rusl was watching me carefully. His thin lips were pressed tightly together and his hands wrung about in obvious displeasure. Auru was whispering something into his ear. When the old man saw I had been looking, his gaze turned cold and his mouth grew silent.

Thelma slid an amber filled mug across the table and into my waiting hand. I felt my hands shake as I grabbed the golden liquid and felt it slide down my throat. Still feeling watched I resisted the urge to drink more and instead I put the glass back onto the table. I watched the small beads of condensation run down the thick glass as the quiet hum seemed to grow louder.

It only took a few seconds for everything to burst into gaudy disorder.

"And just exactly why did you bring him here?" I could feel Ashei's hostility even given the distance between us. I had been anticipating this moment ever since Rusl had invited me earlier. I was a bit taken aback by how seen she was to jump the horse. The scraping noise of a chair sliding against wood sounded behind me. Auru mumbled something inaudible and I heard Ashei's fingers tapping against the table. I wasn't ready to give her the courtesy of turning around.

"No I will not just sit down." Ashei's voice was lined in frustration. "It's about time somebody should say something." There was more scuffling behind. Thelma grimaced and put down her rags. Her large bosom sank into the counter in defeat. Even though she looked exasperated it was easy to see that she had been expecting this moment as well. I smiled as I stared at the empty glasses and upside down mugs that lined the polished oak bar. A mirror lined the inner wall of the bar and I smiled hungrily at my reflection. I had missed Ashei.

I drank the remainder of what was left and pivoted around in my bar stool to face her. I had been right in guessing was her who had risen from the table. Her onyx eyes blared into me with a million different accusations. I relaxed into the bar stool and folded my arms childishly letting her know that I was ready to play.

"I think it's best if you sit down." Rusl tried to coax Ashei back into her seat but failed miserably. She batted his arm away in annoyance and flashed her teeth.

"Stop sticking up for him!" She thundered. "Why am I the only person who can't stand him?" Ashei was beginning to sound desperate. Her chest heaved in an animal like fury and her hands shook uncontrollably.

"What's the matter? Does my presence disturb you?" I flirted. "I was invited here by yours truly." Rusl seemed to shrink down in his seat when I pointed at him.

"Your presence is sickening." She spat.

"You invited him to our meeting?" It was now Shad's turn to rise from the table. His voice was much gruffer than the last time we spoke. It was almost intimidating...almost.

"He can still help us." Rusl's voice nearly disappeared between all the ruckus. "He's highly trained and he knows a great deal more about this land than we ever will."

"Your "orphan" son is a lost cause. What can a whore loving sadist drunk bring to the table?"

"Sit down Ashei." Auru spoke calmly with his head in his hands. "This is unprofessional, now is not the time for petty differences."

"Rusl should have thought about being professional before he brought this thing into our meeting." Ashei hissed. Auru put his hands back on the table and shook his head in disappointment.

"Honey this is my place. I let you have your meetings here. I will not watch you kick this boy around that like in my bar." Ashei could only nod and agree with Thelma. I smiled devilishly as I basked in the glory of feeling untouchable.

"You miss me." I sneered. "It's okay, I'm back now. You don't have to be without me anymore.

"You fucking incompetent git!"

"Leave her alone Link." Shad threatened.

"Are you afriad she's going to put her boobs in my hand again Shad?" I laughed as I pretended to squeeze a pair of imaginary tits. Shad grunted like a wild boar and then tore his sword from its sheath and pointed the blade towards my chest.

"You are a rapist." Ashei blurted out, she seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"I saw you with him last year. Don't blame him because you're a soulless whore." Shad bellowed as he turned his sword towards her direction. Ashei gasped in fear while the other members stared in shock and awe. The air was sickeningly tense as time seemed to creep by in melted minutes. "You let him touch. You were like all his other tarts." The blade shook as Shad gripped the helm with a shaking hand. Ashei backed away as her lip trembled in fear. Her fingers gripped around the edge of her chair in a vain escape.

"ENOUGH!" Auru's voice shattered through the commotion and left the room speechless. In the silence, I started to chuckle to myself like a mad man.

"Put that sword away or I'll chop it off your arm." Auru said this in the politest way possible. Shad spun his head around furiously and gave one last defiant grunt. He sucked in a deep breath and lowered his hand. He looked ashamed when he sheathed his weapon.

"Auru is right. This is a business meeting. Let's treat it like one." Rusl cleared his throat scooted his chair forwards. His hands were trembling as he fumbled to open the map that was lying on the table. He peeled the pages back carefully and I saw a glimpse of red traced alongside the tattered pages.

"Then rid of this man." Ashei breathed one last futile attempt as she teemed from atop her chair. Her eyes looked scared and battered. It was easy to imagine puffs of smoke stemming from her ears and nostrils.

"Who are you to judge this man's shortcomings?" Rusl spat back. His nerves were beginning to short-circuit. He put the map flat on the table and pointed a finger towards the already badgered girl. Auru began to open his mouth in protest but Rusl interjected. "Let me finish." His mustache twitched as his eyes scanned the room for attention.

"Look at us. I can understand some of your anger towards this man." (All eyes turned to me without having to mention any names). "It's easy to blame all of our shortcomings on him, but that doesn't make it right. We are all equally guilty of unlatching ourselves from reality."

"But-" Ashei started.

"Ashei do you even recognize yourself?" Rusl's paused for a response but she only stared at him with hateful eyes. "I don't. You are bitter and full of self-loathing." Shad snickered from behind them and made a poor attempt to hide his pleasure.

Rusl turned around without skipping a beat. "And you. Barely recognizable. You traded your brains for bronze. I hope your new muscles bring you enlightenment. You've always been terrible with a sword." Rusl smiled as Shad clamped his mouth shut. Rusl was clearly happy about his heartfelt speech. He stood tall at the round table as if expecting praise from his peers.

"And you Rusl have been drinking more and I have gotten older and less spry. Let's continue this damn meeting and not forget why we are here." Auru pulled out his pipe and loaded it to the brim with tobacco. "Sit down Link. In-between Rusl and I." Auru pulled back the empty seat and gestured for me to join in.

I slowly rose from the bar stool and took the few looming steps towards the table. Ashei and Shad remained silent but their eyes were on fire with unsaid words.

I sat down and Rusl nodded at me reassuringly. I rolled my eyes and tried to catch Auru's attention. He stared ahead as smoke shimmied from his pipe and went up into the ceiling in wispy gray plumes.

"Alright kids. Let's talk about those missing Gerudos."