"I can see the castle from here" Zelda said, shielding her eyes from the sun. They had left the safety of their clearing a couple of hours back, and now they were closer to the castle than ever. Link glanced sideways at the princess.
"You nervous?" he asked.
"No... yes" Zelda admitted. It had been too long. She wondered how much the castle had changed.
"Well, we'll just have to see how it goes" Link said. Zelda urged Fury into a fast gallop, making Link follow suit.
Outside the castle's west walls, something was going on. Tents had been raised everywhere. Stands of food and games lined the castle's outer walls and jesters entertained the public.
"What's going on?" Zelda asked out loud. Approaching slowly, Link and Zelda stopped at a nearby stand run by an older woman.
"Excuse me, ma'am... would you be so kind as to let us know what is going on here?" Zelda asked, jumping off of her horse.
"Not from 'round here, are ya?" the woman sniffed as she sliced a loaf of warm bread. Zelda shook her head. "Well, it's the Grand Games. Every year, King Zanthos hosts the games for two months" the woman explained.
"And what exactly are the games?" Link asked, coming to stand beside Zelda. The woman took one look at Link and turned bright red. Zelda tried hard to hide her grin. Yup, she was sure Link would have that effect on women.
"The Grand Games are just a bunch of tournaments that men and woman can participate in. Whoever wins gets a prize" the woman explained.
"What kind of prize?" Zelda inquired. The woman shrugged.
"Nobody's ever won" she said simply, slicing up a beef log.
"Why not?" Link asked. The woman looked up at him and pursed her lips.
"Nobody has been able to win against... that monster" the older woman said, sniffling. Link and Zelda looked at each other.
"Aye... he's not from this land" someone said beside them. An old, frail man was looking at them, leaning on his crooked, wooden cane.
"What do you mean?" Zelda asked. The old man handed the woman a few rupees and she handed him a large slice of bread topped with beef and cheese. The old man took a bite of his food before answering.
"We know him as the Iron Knuckle. He wears extremely heavy armor, yet he moves swiftly. He is ten times stronger than any man in Hyrule, too. Anyone who goes against him... dies" the old man said, taking a swig from his canteen.
"Then why do they challenge him if he can't be beaten?" Link asked with a frown.
"Don't have a choice, do they?" the woman said. "By law, anyone between the ages of eighteen to thirty-five must participate"
"What? Why?" Zelda asked. The old man leaned close to them.
"That's how King Zanthos gets entertainment... while simultaneously getting rid of anyone who may be strong enough, clever enough, to start a rebellion. He knows we Hylians don't want him here. He will never be our King!" the old man spat bitterly.
"Quiet down, Marius!" the woman hissed, looking around in alarm.
"How do we sign up?" Link asked. Zelda stared at him with wide eyes.
"Can't do it anymore, laddie. Last day of the challenges, ain' it? Tomorrow we get to see yet another good Hylian die. You gotta try your luck next year, son" the man said, shoving the last of his food into his mouth. Slowly, he ambled away.
"That's some bullshit" Link grumbled.
"Watch your mouth, boy!" the older woman said, glaring at the two. After a quick apology, Link and Zelda moved along.
"May as well not draw attention to ourselves" Zelda said quietly, pulling on her hood.
"Let's get out of the open and find some food" Link suggested.
Zelda followed him to the entrance of Castle Towne. "Wait!" she said, stopping Link.
"What is it?" he asked, looking around in alarm.
"I just... I think it's best if we use a disguise while we are here. Zanthos may very well be looking for us even after so many years" Zelda said quietly. Link remained silent for a moment before nodding. She pulled him behind a tent, away from anyone's view.
"Oh… behind a tent, huh? Zelda, I didn't think you would try and seduce me in such an open place" he teased with a grin. Zelda rolled her eyes.
"You're so dumb sometimes" she said, but her cheeks had turned light pink.
"Ok… how do we disguise ourselves?" he asked. Zelda winked at him. She touched his arm with her hand as she whispered words he could not comprehend. He felt a strange sensation as though he had been doused in cold water.
"Hm..." Zelda said, "not too bad."
"What did you do to me?" Link asked curiously. She unsheathed her sword and held it in front of Link's face so he could look at his reflection.
"Whoa... hey... I look good..." he said, grinning. Instead of his sandy blond hair, he now had auburn hair and his usually clean-shaven face sported a bristly, auburn beard to match. Thick, bushy eyebrows enhanced the now brown eyes that stared back at him. "And you?" he asked, looking expectantly at the princess. She giggled and murmured the same words. Before his very eyes, Zelda's hair turned from blond to raven-black. Her sapphire eyes turned hazel and her fair skin darkened a few shades.
"Nice! Are we ready?" Link asked, peering over the side of the tent. Zelda nodded and they emerged, pulling their horses along.
Upon entering Castle Towne, Zelda gasped. The once prosperous little town, with its clean stone streets and neat shops, was no more than a dirty, old place. The streets were filthy, the shops unkempt. The townsfolk dressed in rags. Children with grimy faces and tear-streaked cheeks wandered around, begging or selling trinkets. The small stands that used to line the streets full of fresh vegetables and fruits were still there, but considerably less full than she remembered. One shop, however, stood out from the rest. It was decidedly cleaner than the others, and a long line of civilians stood outside its doors. Zelda was startled when she felt a tug on her cloak. She looked down and saw a young boy, no older than six, looking up at her.
"Buy a good-luck charm, ma'am?" he said in a soft, sweet voice. An older girl came up next to him. Zelda assumed they were brother and sister.
"Our charms work, miss! They bring good fortune during the tournaments" she said, wiping her nose with her dirty sleeve. Zelda felt a lump rise in her throat. Kneeling down in front of the children, Link pulled out the pouch that held their rupees.
"We'll take two" he smiled. The children's eyes shone bright and they happily gave Link two of their charms. He handed them a red rupee and their eyes grew round as saucers.
"Whoa... excuse me mister... but that's way too much money... the charms only cost two rupees each" the girl said, trying to hand the rupee back to Link. Link shook his head.
"That's alright... These are great charms" he grinned, ruffling the little boy's hair.
"Thanks a lot sir!" the boy said, looking at Link with adoration. Zelda knelt in front of the children too.
"Hey guys," she said, "can you tell me what's going on over by that shop?" The kids looked to where she was pointing.
"Oh yeah... That's the place where everyone gets their food for the week" the girl explained, scratching her head. "Commander Kobra lives there."
"What do you mean? What food?" Zelda asked. The little boy shrugged and looked at his sister.
"Mom and dad work in the fields and every week they get a ticket. They take the ticket to Commander Kobra and he gives them... what did he call them? Ratios" she said.
"Oh, you mean rations? Does everyone get a ticket each week?" the princess pressed on. The young girl shook her head.
"Sometimes, if mom and dad don't work hard enough, they don't get a ticket. But you can buy one for three-hundred rupees... we never have that much money" she said sadly. Zelda was angry. How could they do this to her people? She pressed another red rupee into the little boy's hand and smiled.
"Thank you guys" she said. Link and the princess watched them scurry away happily.
"That's so horrible" she said, turning to Link. He nodded.
"Let's go over there and check it out" Link said, nodding towards the building. Together, they made their way to the shop.
"Excuse me... pardon me..." Link said as he and Zelda made their way through the line of people.
"Hey! You have to wait your turn!" a man said angrily, grabbing Link's arm roughly.
"Gentlemen... there's no need to get carried away" Zelda said, placing her small hand over the man's hand that was gripping Link. The man looked at Zelda for a moment and then, grumbling, let go of Link's arm.
"Can we not cause unnecessary trouble for us?" she hissed at Link as she pulled him to the back of the line.
"Hey, I was just trying to get a good look" Link grinned. But he knew she was right, and so for the next twenty minutes, he waited patiently in line. When it was finally their turn to step inside the shop, Link frowned. He immediately spotted Kobra. He was a dynalfos, only bigger, burlier, and wearing armor. Resting on either side of the counter were two huge axes that Link assumed were his weapons. Kobra's scaly feet were propped up against the counter as he leaned back against the wooden chair he was sitting on. He was chewing on a roasted cucco leg, making disgusting chewing sounds as he devoured it.
"Ticket" he said with his mouth full. Zelda wrinkled her nose. "I said TICKET!" Kobra snapped, slamming his claw against the counter. "I don't have all day!"
"We don't have one" Link said nonchalantly.
"Then what the hell are you doin' here?" Kobra snarled, bits of chewed chicken flying out of his mouth.
"We have money" Zelda replied, a sneer on her pretty face.
"Money, eh? Not from around here, then, I bet. These buffoons never have any money for food" Kobra guffawed.
"Give us a week's rations" Zelda said coldly. Kobra leaned down, picked something up and then slammed it on the counter. It was a sack full of food. Zelda opened the bag and examined the contents. One loaf of bread, half a bar of cheese, one fully cooked ham, a couple of vegetables like onions and tomatoes and corn, a few fruits that included apples, oranges and peaches, two tiny bags full of rice and beans, and finally, one small jug of milk.
"Where is the rest?" Zelda asked.
"The rest? That's all you get lady, we have more mouths to feed" Kobra said.
"But this is hardly enough. This would barely feed a grown man through a week" the princess said incredulously.
"Look here lady, if you need another one, you pay up!" Kobra yawned, ripping another chicken leg from the roasted bird. Zelda opened her mouth to retort, but Link cut her off.
"How much will it be?" he asked, pulling out a couple of purple rupees.
"Three hundred big ones" Kobra said. Handing over the money, Link ushered Zelda out the door.
"This is madness!" Zelda raged as she stepped outside. "This," she said shaking the bag in front of Link, "is ridiculous. Not nearly enough for a standard family!"
"I know. It's bullshit. But we can't do much about it... yet" Link said. "If we can find a way to the warehouse where they keep the goods... well... tonight we can help" he whispered, looking around.
Seeing as they had a couple of hours to kill before sundown, Link and Zelda walked around town, taking note of everything and trying to find the warehouse full of food. They ventured outside and walked around, stopping at nearly every stand, trying to get as much information as possible. When the sun began to set, the people began to close down shop and going home.
"I guess we better find a place to stay" Zelda said.
"We don't have many options... how long does this disguise stay?" Link asked.
"However long I want it to" Zelda replied.
"Then we're just gonna have to sleep out in the field tonight. I don't think it's a good idea to stay anywhere inside the castle walls" Link said. Zelda nodded in agreement and the two went looking for a decent spot to camp out for the night. They found a small cluster of trees nearby and they made a makeshift tent out of their blankets. Zelda used her magic to make an illusion that better served to block their hiding place from view. Starting a small fire in the middle of their space, Zelda began to weep quietly.
"What's the matter?" Link asked with concern.
"It's just... I can't believe how oppressed my people are. I can't believe I did this" she sniffled.
"We didn't mean to. And now we can make it better. We will fix this... I promise" Link said as he reached for her hand. Exhausted and cold, Zelda lied down on the hard earth and closed her eyes. Moments later she felt Link throw her heavy cloak over her before putting out the fire. Link had gone outside to make sure their horses were securely fastened to the tree.
"Link? It's cold" she said in the dark as she heard him return.
"I know" he said, lying next to her.
"Come closer... we can share my cloak... and bring your cloak too" the princess said shyly. There was a moment of silence before Link moved closer to the princess. Scooting closer to him, she threw their cloaks over both of them.
"Good night" she whispered.
"Good night" Link replied.
Curling up against him, Zelda fell asleep.