Chapter 5

Time skip- A few years later

A metallic clink rang out, Link skillfully blocking the sword of his opponent with his shield. The other teen stepped back, trying to find an opening. Link held up his shield and sword, prepared for any move thrown at him.

He had become a formidable knight-in-training, I observed. Rarely had I watched him practice before, but today he had somehow convinced both Zelda and I to watch as he sparred with a fellow trainee. Honestly I had not expected sword play to be so entertaining to watch, but I had been proven wrong, it seemed. Link also made it look so easy, I was curious to see how other people handled themselves.

"Link has improved a lot," Zelda commented, not taking her eyes from the mock fight.

"Perhaps his bragging is warranted." I shook my head, smiling slightly. When he said he could fight, he meant it. He was not full of arrogant confidence with little evidence of skill, unlike someone else. "He could very well be the next Knight Captain."

Zelda grinned and nodded her head. "He has a very good chance. Link's father has actually requested my father to consider the idea."

I simply nodded my head, the sparring match recapturing my attention as Link began to go for the win. He stepped forward, bashing his shield against the other man's sword. The movement knocked the man off balance, allowing Link to step forward and stab at the man. Link stopped with the tip of his sword's blade pointed at the other's armored chest.

"And the victory goes to Link," the older knight refereeing the match called.

Link smiled and shook hands with his opponent before facing Zelda and I. He pointed at me saying, "I told you can fight!"

I chuckled once, seeing that Link had proven me wrong. I had been teasing him the other day when I asked him if he fought actual people or just dummies. "I see I had misjudged your ability, Link. That was a brilliant match."

"Indeed, Link," Zelda chimed in, clapping a few times for him.

"Glad you could come watch, Zelda." Link made his way forward to stand in front of us. "You seem really busy lately."

"Oh, yes, I have been. I have to learn how to run a country, after all." She paused before adding in a serious, determined voice, "I want to be a good ruler someday, so it is necessary for me to learn as much as I can."

"You'll be a great queen." Link then posed with his shield in front of him and his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "And I will be the next Knight Captain."

I giggled a bit at his enthusiasm before adding, on a serious note, "With Zelda as queen and you as Knight Captain, Hyrule will be well respected. From what I have seen and know of you two, Hyrule should not dread the future."

"Thank you, Eivie." Zelda smiled.

"Yeah," Link said. "But what are you going to do? Will you take over the potion shop or…?"

"I have not considered what I wish to do yet," I answered honestly.

"You probably should start," Link laughed. "All of the good apprenticeships will pass you by if you wait too long. You don't want to end up without a good job later on."

I shrugged, not really caring. There were more pressing things to think about than finding an apprenticeship for a future job.

"Well," Zelda said, standing up and straightening out her skirt, "I should go back to my studies now. It was nice to take a break and visit with you two."

Link nodded. "We'll have to do this again, sometime. Hopefully next time for longer than just a few hours."

"I will see if that is possible because I would enjoy that very much as well," Zelda answered. She gave a slight curtsy before turning to leave.

"So, what now?" Link asked when Zelda was gone from sight. "I think I'm done for today. Do you have anything to do?"

"Not really," I answered. Syrup had given me the day off, essentially, and I had nothing else to do at the moment.

Link nodded, taking in the information and considering his response.

When I glanced at him, an idea came to mind. "May I see your sword? I find it interesting." I tilted my head, waiting for a response.

He gave me a questioning look. "I don't see how it's interesting, but okay, I guess." He unhooked the sheath from his belt and held it out for me to take. When I reached, he pulled it back, saying, "Be careful not to cut yourself or anyone else." When I smiled, he hesitantly placed it in my hands. "Seriously. Be careful."

"I will," I assured, already drawing the blade. It was heavier than I thought it would be, forcing me to let the sheath drop to the ground so I did not drop the sword. The silver metal shined in the midafternoon sun, making the deadly weapon look imposing. The sword itself was rather plain in design; it was standard issue and did not have fancy elements like nobles' decorative swords. Link's sword was made for defending the city against monsters and criminals. There was no need for elaborate detailing that would be ruined in battle. I sort of wanted to swing it around but figured it was not a fantastic idea considering how nervous Link already seemed to be. I would be too, knowing how I accidentally dropped a knife inches from his foot once before. That visit to buy potion ingredients obviously caused some mistrust between us when I had a sharp object in hand.

"Here." I handed the sword back to him. "Someday I want a lesson on how to use it."

"You swinging a sword around? How about not," he laughed as he hooked the sword back onto his belt.

"Still sore about the knife incident?"

"Ha, ha. Funny joke, Eivie." He rolled his eyes. "If you really want to, I might be willing to show you. Just let me be in full armor first." He rapped his knuckles on the metal chest piece he had worn for the sparring match. "This won't be enough protection."

I scoffed at him. "What if I am actually decent with a sword and you just do not know it?"

"Yeah, keep dreaming." Link shook his head. "Are you sure you're not Wendal's lost sister or something. You keep trying to brag and it's not working."

I shrugged, hoping to drop the subject there. It was a nasty habit I had picked up from Vaati. His sarcasm and boastfulness were apparently infectious. Link still had no idea that I was well acquainted with Wendal and I would rather keep it that way. It would only complicate things because Vaati insisted on being a jerk to Link. Actually, he was a jerk to everyone. "Have you thought of something to do yet?" I asked, just to be sure the subject changed.

"Well, I was going to drop this armor off in the barracks first. Then I'm not sure what we should go do."

"Perhaps we will think of something while walking," I suggested, slightly annoyed with the sun by this point. It was too bright outside to be standing around purposelessly.

Link nodded in agreement before beginning to walk. I followed behind him a few steps. We soon came to the entrance of the castle nearest to the guard barracks and entered. The stone walled hallway lead to an open room where the guards had a place to rest, the area complete with a few tables and beds. On the far wall, Link went to hang his borrowed armor piece next to the others.

When he returned to my side he asked "Think of anything?" I shook my head and he sighed. "Me neither."

We took a flight of stairs that lead to the main level of the castle and near the library. As we traveled by the library and to the nearby stairs, something, or rather someone, caught my attention. Vaati held a book in his hands and was standing a few feet away from the stairs. He, of course, noticed me and suddenly got a mischievous smirk on his face. I swallowed nervously, already knowing he was scheming something. Link seemed oblivious to Vaati's presence until we reached the top of the stairs.

Link glared at the lavender haired teen for a moment. Vaati acted as if he was enthralled by the book in front of him and ignoring us. I sighed, knowing there was no escaping whatever Vaati had planned.

When Link decided to go down the stairs, he suddenly tripped and slide painfully down several stairs on his back. I cringed seeing the look on his face. I quickly went down the stairs, hoping that Vaati would spare me the same treatment. When I got to the bottom, I offered Link my hand to help him off of the ground. He accepted and pulled himself up with a pained grunt. As he rubbed his back, he glared back up the stairs at Vaati, knowing full well he had caused the accident. Vaati shrugged, acting as if he had no part in the matter. Link gritted his teeth and turned to storm out of the castle. I went to follow him out, only to find myself suddenly slipping and falling down. Just before the fall, I felt a very controlled gust pummel into my ankles. I glared up at Vaati as I stood back up. He smiled cheerfully and shrugged. I rolled my eyes at him. He may have spared me falling down the stairs, but he could not hold back on letting me go without incident. He never did when we happened upon each other during the day. What was worse was he could get away with it and know that I could do nothing in response. Sending Hue after him would cause an uproar and physically attacking him would be me assaulting a noble.

Link and I walked outside, both of us in a huff. We stopped once we were near the fountain, plopping down on the edge at about the same time.

"What is his problem with me," Link grumbled. "What did I ever do to him?"

"I have no idea," I sighed. Vaati's dislike for Link perplexed me. I tried to ask about it once, but got no answer. Perhaps it was time to bring it up with him again.

We sat in silence for a moment, not having a solution for Vaati's ill-mannered behavior. Link still looked quite upset, not to mention sore. Falling down stone stairs could not have been pleasant.

"Whatever," Link mumbled quietly, seemingly putting the incident out of mind for now.

"I agree. He does not deserve the attention he craves," I added. I could imagine that his tricks were for, on one level, attention. Otherwise it was for his own personal enjoyment.

"Got that right." Link leaned back and looked at the sky briefly before looking back at me. "Is it all right if I just go home? My back is killing me now." He looked needlessly apologetic.

"It does not bother me at all. It is not your fault anyway." I stood up and smiled at him. "It was nice to visit with you and Zelda today."

"Yeah." He stood up slowly, grumbling about his back. "See you, then." He walked past me. I heard him mumble "I'll get you back for this, Wendal."

Once I saw Link turn around the corner, I began my walk back to the shop. I honestly had nothing to do, so I might as well help Syrup. Even though she looked incredibly old, she was a hardy witch. I was actually beginning to think she may have created a longevity potion.

The walk back was quick and uninteresting. The streets near the market were packed like any other day. People chattered away about various bits of gossip and other trivial things. I still enjoyed the streets at night more than the overcrowded, noisy streets of day.

I arrived in the shop to find Syrup speaking with a few customers. I silently waved at her just so she knew I was back. Instead of waiting around in the shop, I went directly upstairs to my room. I sat down on the edge of my bed and stared at the items on my desk to find entertainment.

The mirror and brush offered no interest at the moment. The worn potion book would be a last resort considering I had already read it twice since Syrup had given it to me. A newer book of poetry and short stories sat on top of the potion book; I figured I would leave that be because I often read while I tended the shop counter. Link and Zelda had given me it; Zelda had suggested the book and Link actually went and got it. For some strange reason they deemed giving me a birthday present necessary. The only other thing in my room was the lantern Meg had given me a few years ago.

I had yet to see her purpose in giving it to me; it actually annoyed me sometimes. Poes did not hand out gifts without having some purpose. Hue showed how self-serving Poes were. The irritating Poe had grown more detestable lately. He would still follow me around at night, but rarely did we have a pleasant conversation with any meaning. If I asked him something he would ignore me or complain about something else. He also had a habit of disappearing during the day. I hardly ever sensed him nearby when the sun lite the sky. Not that I missed him at all; I had other people to talk with.

Link and Zelda, for some unfathomable reason, seemed to enjoy my company. I usually saw Link a few times a week when he stopped in for potions on behalf of the knights. Sometimes I would also go with him to the castle. He would then go do his training and I would read in the library. Occasionally I would meet Zelda there and talk with her while she took short breaks from her studies. I would also see Vaati in the library; while we avoided each other I could see he was researching something quite avidly. Often he would be at a table piled with old texts and have such a concentrated look he would not even notice my presence. But, like today, when he was not as focused, he would cause some sort of disturbance. It was a game to him, teasing me. It had been ever since we meet.

I heard Syrup call for me from the bottom of my stairs. Without a second thought I stood up and made my way downstairs to help with whatever she needed. Even a mindless task was better than sitting in my room staring down my desk.

I turned the page in my book lazily, growing bored of reading. Syrup had stayed up later than usual mixing potions, making it difficult for me to leave for my nighttime stroll. She had made it clear that sneaking out was no longer allowed; apparently the recent increase in monsters frightened her. In the last year or so, many more nightmarish creatures wandered the fields and occasionally near the town. Just a few days ago a group of Bublins had attacked a trade caravan, wiping out most of the group with burning arrows and clubs. While Syrup had the right to be nervous, I felt perfectly safe inside the stone walls. Her worry of my walking around at night was bordering on ridiculous.

I placed my book on my face, done trying to act like I was reading. Syrup was still awake, the sound of the spoon striking the side of the kettle as she stirred a clear indication to her where-abouts. After a while of waiting I started to feel myself drifting off. That is until I heard a high pitched screech, which successfully startled me into sitting up. My hand also swatted whatever had made the wretched noise to the floor. I frowned when I saw a single eyed bat creature laying on the floor. As it flew back into the air, I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for the messenger to state its purpose.

The creature flew towards the window and waited for me to follow. I sighed, considering whether or not to ignore it. Syrup did not usually check if I was in bed, so if I left I would have to be extremely quiet. She had better hearing than I did, I swear. The winged monster squeaked at me, urging me to open the window. I was actually wondering how it made its way inside considering the closed window and door, but decided not to question it for now. I would likely not appreciate the answer.

I slowly opened the window, being sure not to cause an unnecessarily loud creak. The bat may have already alerted Syrup something was happening; the window would assure her I was up to no good. I carefully climbed through the window and onto the overhang, only creating a light tap on the ground. Once out, I closed the window. I slowly crept to the edge of roof, avoiding areas I knew created creaks when stepped upon. When I reached the edge, I jumped down, landing as softly as I could manage.

The bat reappeared in front of me and began leading me down the streets. It mainly kept to the darkened alleys and streets where guards were seldom posted. I soon found myself next to the deserted tower on the edge of time. Without wasting time, I climbed the ladder like I had plenty of times before. Since our first encounter, the tower became a meeting place for us.

When I reached the top I swung my leg over the edge and pulled myself over. I then leaned back, waiting to be acknowledged. The bat perched on its master's shoulder.

"It took you quite a while to get here," Vaati mocked as he turned to face me. "Did you get hurt when you tripped earlier?"

"Not as bad as Link did." I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. "I have yet to find your motive in being as cruel as you are towards Link."

"Angry at me for making a fool of your favorite knight, are you?"

"Why do you dislike Link so much?" I asked, knowing that if I took his bait the subject would be lost.

"Persistent, today, I see." He rolled his eyes. "I just do not like him. His very existence somehow irritates me."

I raised my eyebrow at him, not understanding how he hated someone without knowing them.

"You clearly do not understand; have you not taken an immediate dislike of someone upon meeting them?" When I did not respond he rolled his eyes. "Not even me?" He asked.

"No," I answered truthfully. "I found you irritating, but interesting enough to tolerate."

At this he chuckled. He motioned for me to stand next to him. I expected him to show me something when I arrived next to him, but was surprised when he wrapped his arm around my waist and forced me to jump off the side of the tower with him. He created a gust of wind that slowed our landing enough to be uninjured from leaping from such a height. Once on the ground, he rudely dropped me, causing me to land on my hands and knees. While I stood up and brushed the mud and grass off of myself, he began walking.

"There was no need for that," I grumbled when I caught up with him. I could see a smirk on his face. "Do you not worry about being attacked out here?" I asked after a few minutes of blindly following him. The further we went into the fields, the more likely we would be attacked by monsters.

"Worry about Bulblins? Are you serious?" He raised his eyebrow at me, causing me to look at the ground. "Such pathetic creatures are no match for me. Are you doubting my ability again?"

"No. I was more worried for myself than you." I paused, taking note that Hue had indeed left me again. Without him, I really had no protection of my own.

"The Poes are not subjects of your will. It must be irritating."

I nodded my head. I had no control over them; Poes did what they wanted. Vaati could summon those bat creatures that listened to his every command. It was maddening that I had so little control over Poes. Of course, why should Poes listen to me? I was not stronger than them. I provided no advantage to them. I could only speak with them and sense them.

We fell into silence. I walked a few steps behind Vaati, trying to decide where he was leading me. I had not been outside the city often enough to know where Vaati would even want to go. Wherever it was, it had to be east of town. I noted this as we passed by the eastern gate.

Soon we arrived to a strange area that seemed to have no discernable purpose. A few rows of stone stairs lead down to a flat area with three pillars, two of which had crumbled and fallen to the ground. The area sat on the edge of a cliff overlooking Lake Hylia. Admittedly it was quite a scenic location that likely looked beautiful during the sunset or sunrise. The moonlight only gave the gray stones a dim glow and most detailing in the stonework was lost in shadow.

Vaati rested his arms on top of the wall and looked out at the dark lake far below. I went to his side, not entirely sure why we had come to such a place. It doubt it was for the view. When he remained silent for a few minutes, I decided to speak.

"Have you found out anything new?" I tilted my head and looked at him. "About yourself, I mean."

He blew the hair in front of his eye out of the way. "Nothing in great detail. Apparently the oldest records were lost years ago and the remaining is either of little relevance or in an old dialect."

"I thought that you were able to read that?" He bragged about it to me a few times; reading old Hylian had been one of his specialties.

"Some, not all, Eivie." He sighed irritably, like he always did when discussing his memory. "For some reason it is… hazy. I know that I should know how to read it, but something is interfering."

I nodded absentmindedly. He was really bothered by this, by the fuzzy memories. He hated not knowing what they meant. Vaati griped about them often enough it was obvious he was annoyed by it even if he never directly said so. I knew better than to continue the conversation and let it end there.

After a needed silence, I asked "Why did you want to come here? I can see nothing significantly interesting here."

His answer was a shrug. When I rolled my eyes, he smiled crookedly. "Eivie," he began, his tone making me wary, "where is it you came from again?"

My brow creased, not sure what to think of the sudden inquiry. He never asked such things before; I had volunteered the personal information if I felt it to be necessary. "A village in the Faron Woods. Why do you ask?"

His smirk grew. "Do you happen to know the name of that village?"

"I…" I paused, having to think. The name… the name escaped me. "Or…Ordon, I believe."

He looked like he was holding back a laugh now. "Oh, that is great." He finally let a chuckle escape. "With your looks?" He took my hand and held it in my face, showing off my awful nails. He also motioned to my eyes. "That must have been nightmarish," he laughed. If he continued, I would call it hysterical laughing.

"What do you know?"

"Nothing at all," he said, completely straight faced. He then turned away from me, keeping hold of my hand and dragging me behind him as he walked. He took me to the one standing pillar and a sudden tornado-like wind dropped us on top of the pillar. He dropped my hand and faced me again, saying, "Nothing at all, little Eivie." I was about to say his name plaintively when he held up his hand to silence me. His sly grin warned me he was about to do something irksome. "Have fun," he said, shoving me off of the pillar.

He used his magic to stop me from slamming into the ground, but that did not make me feel any better about the situation he had just thrown me into. Approaching quickly were two Bokoblins, both holding large, deadly looking cleavers above their heads as they ran.

I stumbled back a few steps until I felt the pillar behind my back. "V-Vaati?" I looked up him, panicked.

"Life and death situations supposedly bring out one's true strength," he commented, sitting on the tower with a bored look on his face. "Consider this a test."

"Please, Vaati, help me," I begged, my heart racing at the sight of the monsters. When he gave no response, I grit my teeth and tried to focus on the situation. "Hue?" I called. When we arrived here I felt his presence. "Hue!" I yelled angrily. "You will protect me or I shall eliminate you myself."

The gold Poe finally responded and materialized in front of the charging Bokoblins. He lazily swung his lantern into one of the attacking creatures, the other continued on with its sights set on me. I narrowly avoided its first swing, the monster's blade smashing into the pillar with a horrendous screech. With Hue occupied, I was left on my own.

While the Bokoblin pulled its cleaver-like weapon out of the stone, I tried to put some distance between us. I had made it several feet by the time it looked ready for another charge. Even with so much adrenaline rushing through me, my brain could not formulate a plan. It screamed shrilly before coming after me once more. With the stairs to my back and rubble all around, I had no escape. I stood my ground, hoping that I could perhaps dodge the attack. When it was within swinging distance, I stepped back, losing balance after slipping on a stray rock. I fell onto the ground, the Bokoblin only a step away from me. I held my arms in front of me and snapped my eyes closed.

The monster made a gurgling, choking noise, causing me to open my eyes to investigate. I found my hands were on fire. For a second I panicked, not knowing what was happening. Then I noticed the fire was blue and gave off no heat. I looked at the Bokoblin, which stood in front of me, weapon raised, but seemingly unable to attack. I had to act while I could.

As soon as I stood, the blue flames disappeared. I quickly went to the monster and pried the cleaver away from it. It got over whatever shock I had caused it and yelled at me, trying to claw at me to regain control over its weapon. I swung the blade instinctually, not wanting the Bokoblin to get any closer. The creature fell to the ground, the blade buried into its neck.

I stumbled back a step, scared. I had…I had killed it. I looked away from the dead monster.

Hue stared at me, ignoring the Bokoblin he had been fighting. He seemed shocked. Vaati jumped down from his perch on the pillar, knocking the other Bokoblin off of the cliff with a strong gust. He stepped around the dead Bokoblin at my feet. I finally dropped the cleaver to the ground, my fingers numb from how hard I had been gripping the handle.

"I had not expected that," Vaati congratulated.

"What did…" I trailed off, unable to continue.

"A jinx spell," he explained. "You made it impossible for it to use its weapon for a short time." He smiled. "You are more interesting than I thought, it seems."

I held my hands in front of me, flexing them, trying to get the blue flames to return. When I had no luck, I let my arms fall to my sides. It was then I noticed Vaati walking away. "Where are you going?"

"It will be dawn soon."

I stared at him. "And you are just going to leave me here?" I looked over my shoulder at the seemingly shell-shocked Hue who had not moved. If Vaati left, I would essentially be by myself. I was not about to see if I could manage a jinx spell if another monster showed up.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "That had been the plan. I have places to be in the morning and you are incredibly slow."

I glared at him, knowing he was insulting my intelligence and not how fast I walked. I had enough of his irritating mannerisms for the night. "Vaati, you are among the lowliest creatures ever to walk Hyrule."

Instead of being insulted he scoffed and smiled. "Eivie, you have no idea how similar the two of us are. You might as well have insulted yourself just now." He resumed walking, not waiting for a response.

I watched after him for a while, somewhat confused by his words. We shared some similarities, yes, but the way he said it hinted at something else. He knew something more than he told.

"You," Hue suddenly screeched accusingly. I turned to him to see him pointing at me. "You!" He shouted. His body shook, from fear or anger, I did not know. He faded from sight and soon after left. His behavior was more off than usual, both worrying me and confusing me.

I decided to go back to town. There was no need to stand in the middle of Hyrule Field contemplating when I could do the same in the safety of my room. The thought of my room also reminded me that Syrup may have noticed me gone. My pace became quicker at the thought of her catching me sneaking back into my room.

Sometimes the past is better left forgotten.

A/N- Thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! This was a long chapter, wow. I hope you all enjoyed it. And, now, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter. Seriously, I could hug you all for your kind words and encouragement! And I'm still considering switching the rating to M, because, in the fight scene, I wanted to be a bit -a tiny bit- more graphic for more impact. I'll wait for now and see what the next chapters require. If anyone has an opinion of this, feel free to tell me.

guesty- Thank you for your review. This is actually my first fanfic, so your advice is exactly what I needed in regards to Eivie. I did not want to create a horrible Mary Sue. Your review helped me see what the readers would think of Eivie at the moment. I'm happy to say that most of the Sue traits you pointed out already have explanations in later chapters, but you also sparked some fantastic ideas (so thanks!). I'm also really happy you liked the idea of monsters vs. humans and the pacing of the story. Thank you, again, it means a lot to me!

Miss Ominous- I'm so happy you like the storyline! And, wow, I'm flattered that you consider me one of the best authors on here. I did not think that I would be hearing that, so thank you! Also, feel free to point out any mistakes I make. I'm always looking to improve. Thank you for reviewing!

Awkward passerby- I don't know how long Eivie will be a Sue, but if she stays one I'm happy you'd stick around! I never thought of a Mary Sue as describing an author before, it's an interesting concept. I guess I'll just mention that Eivie and I do share some things in common, though. It's easier to write from her POV that way. Thanks for the review!

-AwkwardBlackCat