Disclaimer- I own only my original characters and the plot.

Chapter 3

Castle Town was peaceful at night. People retreated back to their homes, leaving the streets empty and quiet. I could walk down many of the streets and not see a soul. Well, a living soul. Hue had accompanied me the last few times I had ventured out for a nighttime walk. He was begrudgingly following me now, in fact.

The last few days had been quite boring. Syrup had me organizing potions and ingredients most of the time. Other times she left me to sit at the counter and help customers while she went to the back to brew more potions. There seemed to be quite a number of people in need of potions in Castle Town. Most were seeking cures to ailments, but a few knights would visit looking for health potions to heal wounds faster and ease pain more effectively. One thing they all seemed to have in common was their cheerfulness. I had never had so many smiles and compliments directed at me before; it was certainly a change. I was actually baffled as to why residents of Castle Town were so much more welcoming then the villagers had been.

"Hue, why are people so strange here?" I stopped walking and leaned against the wall of a building. "They are very welcoming and polite."

The masked Poe scoffed. "Welcoming and polite, are they? When I lived they were no such things."

"Do you remember being alive?" I tilted my head at the Poe. He had referenced his past life several times now.

"Not in great detail," he admitted after a brief silence. "I only remember rage at those around me, whoever they were. I have even forgotten my true name. Hue is the name Hylians called us by when there were many gold Poes in the city."

I nodded, not really sure what I could say to the Poe. He was not seeking comfort; he was coldly indifferent as he told his short tale. Poes held no interest in their past or why their spirits were bound to wander for all of eternity. Continuing to exist was their main concern.

I dropped the subject and went about my midnight stroll. The nighttime scenery was not particularly interesting today. The other night the sky had been incredibly clear, allowing me to see a great many stars and constellations. Today clouds covered most of the stars and often concealed the moon as well. I had to find something else to entertain myself.

"Hue, I will be going to the center of town," I warned.

"Fine," he sighed, already fading from sight.

I mumbled a thank you. Even at night, there were guards stationed in the center of town. I had not tested their reaction to a child wandering alone at night yet; I dare not push my luck by having Hue be visible for all to see.

When I arrived at the central fountain near the Castle gates, I decided to sit down on the edge of the fountain for a short break. I stared up at the clouds, finding what different shapes I could see.

I missed the woods. At least when I was bored I could visit with the Poe Sisters and collect random ingredients for Syrup. I had yet to find something interesting to do to fill my nighttime outings here.

Looking over my shoulder at the Castle, I could see lights in the windows. They must have had some social event tonight because the candles were usually blown out by this hour. It was foolish to think I could waltz into the castle to find something to do, but the idea was quite tempting right now. I had not seen rich nobles until I moved here, making them quite interesting. While other people struggled to make a decent living these people spent money on parties, fancy clothes, and many other frivolous things. Many nobles were also Hylian, which, despite only minor differences with humans, interested me.

Outside of the Faron Woods, the majority of the population consisted of Hylians. Perhaps this was the difference between the village and Castle Town. The village had been filled with humans of similar background. I had been the only Hylian around –aside from Syrup- and easily singled out because of it. In Castle Town there was variety. I was no longer the only strange one around; there were other people far stranger than I. For example many thought Dampé or the mask salesman were the strangest ones town. Others thought that the Gorons with the spring water shop were the oddest bunch. I was not at the top of the list of oddities for once, which felt fantastic, truth be told.

Drawing me from away my musings, I heard the groan of a large door opening. My back straightened and I quickly looked over my shoulder, confirming that the castle door had been opened. Not even taking the time to look who came out, I slide off of the fountain and crouched in attempt to hide. When I felt hidden enough, I peeked over the edge.

Two people walked down the courtyard's path on their way to the front gate. One was a man with dark hair and a well-trimmed beard and mustache. He wore a fancy dark blue tunic with golden accents, plain dark pants, high leather boots, and a long cloak. A noble, I thought in awe. The other was a boy my age, who walked a few paces in front of the older man. He had the oddest hair color; I had never seen a person with pale lavender hair before. His hair was abnormally long for a boy and was held back in a loose ponytail, except for the front where his hair obscured his right eye. He had a scowl on his face and looked to be quite angry for whatever reason. The older man did not seem any happier.

"Hey!"

I jumped to my feet and almost fell into the fountain, but whoever had shouted had grabbed my arm to prevent the accident. When I regained my balance and as I tried to get over the sudden shock, I looked at the cause.

"I'm sorry," a blond haired boy apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I stared at the boy. He wore a strange green hat, a rather plain green tunic, beige pants, and brown boots.

"My name's Link." He smiled brightly. "What's your name?"

"Eivie," I responded quietly. He was so… cheerful.

"Nice to meet you!" He paused before asking, "Why are you out here this late?"

"I was taking a walk." I took a seat on the edge of the fountain when he remained in front of me. "Why are you?"

He shrugged once before sitting down next to me. "My father is at that party," he said, pointing back at the castle. "He's the Knight Captain," he added with pride. "He brought me along so I could visit with a friend. I got bored after she went to bed and ended up out here. Are you by yourself?" Link tilted his head to the side, clearly puzzled.

"Yes," I admitted, seeing no way around it. Why lie? I was not doing much anyway.

"Really? You know that's dangerous, right? My father warns me not to go wandering at night all of the time. Don't your parents worry?"

"I have no parents to worry." I immediately wanted to take my words back. Now Link would pity me and pity was irritating. Even if I had sounded indifferent, he would still feel sorry for me, treat me differently than he would have had I lied or chose better phrasing. Just as the dreaded apology was forming on his lips, I cut in, "Do not apologize for something so trivial. I had not meant to gain your sympathy for such a ridiculous thing."

His eyebrows went together and his jaw partly agape. He had not been expecting that response, I am sure, but now I felt slightly bad for my bluntness. No wonder I am not a conversationalist.

"Well, I'm still sorry. Not having parents is kinda sad; I know I miss my mother a lot." He looked away and at the ground for a moment. Then our eyes met once more, Link's eyes filled with determination. "I guess if you don't care, than that's your choice, but you still shouldn't act so cold towards them. They were your parents, after all."

"I…" I nodded instead of trying to find words to express my feelings, since I did so poorly at it. I could understand why he felt parents were so important; he had most likely known and loved his mother. I had no such experience with my biological parents, whoever they were. Syrup was my only family and acted more like a caretaker than a mother or grandmother.

The conversation died there for a while. Link made no move to leave, though, which I found encouraging. I had not offended him so much that he felt it necessary to leave and find someone better to talk to.

"I've never seen you around here before," he suddenly stated. "Did you just move here, or something?"

I nodded my head. "I moved less than a week ago, in fact. Do you know of the new potion shop run by the witch Syrup?"

"Yeah. Some of the knights were talking about it and how great the potions were. Do you live there?"

"Yes. I live there and help Syrup with the shop."

"Do you get to make potions and stuff?" He asked excitedly. When I nodded he smiled brightly. "Really? That's amazing. I never get to do stuff like that, but I guess I get to go to the castle with my father."

"You are allowed into the castle? What is it like?" I caught myself before I spewed forth a string of questions. "I have never seen the interior of one before."

"Link," a new, older sounding voice called. It was a sandy blond haired man wearing a simple but stylish tunic with chain mail underneath, dark colored pants, and leather boots. It was easy to see his resemblance to Link, leading me to believe it was his father. "It is time to go home."

"Okay," Link said to him, sounding perhaps disappointed. He looked back to me with an almost goofy smile. "I'll ask if you can come with me to the castle sometime. It's too hard to describe it, so you'll have to see for yourself! Does that sound like a good plan?"

"Yes. I would…" I hesitated, still attempting to process the offer. Never before had someone my one age willingly invited me somewhere, let alone Hyrule Castle. "I would enjoy that very much. Thank you."

He gave one last smile and a wave as he left, walking beside his father down the street. I stayed sitting on the side of the fountain, staring after them until they turned around a corner and disappeared from sight. I wrung my hands together in front of me, wondering what I had just agreed to. Link seemed too nice for this to be some sort of trick, and why would he have reason to trick me anyway? But, then, why did he just offer to spend more time with me? Did that… Did that make us friends?

One encounter is enough to change fate, for better or worse. With one word or action, the life of another can be irreparably changed. Something so seemingly insignificant can mean chaos or peace.

A/N- Thank you all for reading! A special thanks to the guest who reviewed and the people who faved and followed! I'm so glad you're liking the story! It filled my heart with rainbows knowing people like my story, readers and reviewers alike. I have decided on a tentative update schedule; Friday through Sunday are when I have time to write and update (if I do not have too many other things going on). Other times I may update during the week if I have time and motivation to do so.

-AwkwardBlackCat