Chapter Twenty Nine
(Link's POV)
I stare at Calen for a long time. So does Tanner.
This is absurd. My parents? Alive?
Not possible.
Tanner speaks first. "Our parents are dead, Calen." He says slowly.
"Yeah, I thought that too," Calen sighs. "I've known your parents for a long time boys, and the people I saw in the castle last week were definitely your parents. I didn't believe it myself, but it's them. And you know what? They recognized me too! Your mom came running up to me, gave me a hug. They're a little older and grayer, but hey, I am too, sadly. The first thing they asked me was if you two were all right. I told 'em that Tanner was somewhere locked up in the castle, and that I all I knew about Link was that you didn't get captured. Maybe I should've lied, because your mom had a panic attack. But they're alive, boys. I swear, I saw them with my own eyes."
Tanner shakes his head in disbelief. "Then why didn't they come back for us? It's been 12 years. That's a long time for them to just up and abandon us."
"I don't know. Guards came in and separated us before I had the chance to ask what was going on. I swear, I thought they were the living dead. Scared me for a bit. Thought I'd gone crazy, imagined the whole conversation. But I know I didn't, it was them."
"But why would they leave us alone for 12 years?" Tanner practically yells. "Why would they do that to us?"
"Tan, calm down." I rub my temples and take a deep breath. "Calen... this is crazy. I'm not all that sure I believe you."
"Well then I'll prove it to you. I'm sure your familiar with the tunnel that leads into the castle."
"Which one?" Sheik asks.
"What do you mean which one? The one right outside the castle, idjit."
I almost slap my forehead. No duh, the Castletown entrance. How many times have me and Sheik used that thing? Sheik, Zelda and Tanner all have that same look of self-proclaimed stupidity. All of us have used it. In our rush to be stealthy, we ignored the easiest way in.
Remind me again why the goddesses chose me, the biggest dumbo in all of Hyrule?
Nicky and Navi catch on too. "You're telling me there's a straight and easy path into the castle, right outside the gates, that we could've taken instead of starting a freaking riot?!" Navi yells. "It's official, I'm surrounded by idiots! No disrespect to you, your Highness."
"And that just happened to slip your mind, Link?" Nicky says, using my own words against me.
"You try being the Hero of Hyrule and remembering everything!" I say, defensively.
"I have and did." She smiles. "Many times."
"I can't win this." I say in exasperation. Her smile is cute though...
You've just found out your parents are alive and you're focusing on that?
I force myself to turn my thoughts back to Calen. "Okay, so where exactly in the castle are they? What are they doing?"
"They're Ganondorf's personal minions, that's what they are."
~X~
We slip through Castletown undetected. My riot did serve us a purpose after all. We get to the castle easily, no guards are at the gate.
The Castletown tunnel leads right into the gardens, which is why we've all used it so many times. It's kind of our unofficial meeting place with Zelda. She presses the stone that opens the entrance. That was easy.
Then a guard marches around the bend and spots us. I spoke too soon. "Hey, what are you doing? Stop!" He yells.
Zelda gasps and we all run into the entrance. She barely gets the tunnel closed before the soldier's sword impales us.
"He'll get reinforcements," Sheik says.
"Then we'd better hurry." Nicky says, walking down the hallway. "This is cool, it reminds me of Ocarina of Time. I mean, you never really go through a creepy tunnel crawling with spiders but you do have to sneak into the castle. Actually scratch that, Shadow Temple had loads of creepy tunnels with spiders. I hated that place."
I smile and follow her.
The tunnel splits into two. The right leads to the gardens, and the left leads to a balcony overlooking the throne room. Sheik and I went up there when we were 13 to spy on the King making deals with the Ambassador of Monzerat. I still don't understand half of what they said. We quickly walk that way.
About 5 minutes later we're crouching in the balcony, spying on Ganondorf and his cronies. This is the first time I've actually seen him in person. And boy, is he ugly. Reminds me of a pig.
"Do you think I care about how tired your son is?" Ganondorf yells. I frown at his voice, anger bubbling up in my chest. This is the man who's been causing me so much trouble for the last few months. "Keep working! Both of you! This is your last warning, the next time I see you slacking off both you and the boy go in the dungeons!" I glance to see who he's yelling at. A young mother and her son, who can't be more than 5. The anger grows.
And then I see something that stops my heart. A couple is standing chained next to the throne, both of them frowning bitterly at Ganondorf. Their hair is graying, they look to be in their mid-forties. The man is tall and has his arm protectively on the woman's shoulder, she's pretty and kind looking. The man looks more like Tanner, with his dark hair and green eyes. But the woman looks like me, all blond and blue. I have a few hazy memories of them. I was only 6 last time I saw them.
It's a good memory. Short, but good. Both of them smiling as they drop Tanner and I off for a week long vacation at Uncle Alac's. Mom smiles, Dad ruffles my hair, and then the memories fades away and they're gone.
And now they're back.
It's my parents. They really are alive.