The news of Queen Esmerelda's murder and Princess Heaven's disappearance spread quickly throughout Hyrule. While no additional attacks were reported, Link was still not allowed to leave the village. Two weeks flew by and all the poor boy was allowed to do was hang around Oridon. Link had nothing against the residents of his home village, but it still wasn't pleasant to be trapped in such a small area for so long while Zach was able to leave whenever.
Zach tried arguing with his mother to let Link at least take Epona out into Hyrule Field so the poor horse wasn't confined to the village, but she held firm with her decision. Their dad wasn't much help either, choosing to side with his wife over his children.
Link still felt bad that he couldn't take Epona out, so he asked Ilia to take her out for a ride every now and then. The mayor's daughter had no issue with the request and spent most of her time out in Hyrule Field with his horse. While Link was glad Epona didn't have to suffer with him, he still wished he could be the one out there with her.
At the end of two weeks, Link found himself pouting under their apple tree while Zach climbed up to pick the fruit.
"Link, could ya at least hold the basket for me?" Zach asked. "I don't wanna fall and drop everything."
"You won't fall," Link said, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "You never fall.
Zach hooked his legs on the branch he was seated on and flipped so he was hanging upside down. He managed to keep hold of the basket without spilling any of the fruit.
"True, but you could still help," he grinned, handing Link the basket. Link took it without looking up at his brother. Zach frowned and stuck his tongue out at him before sitting back up in the tree.
"Can I trust you to catch what I throw down at you?" Zach asked.
"I don't understand why I still can't leave!" Link grumbled, ignoring his brother.
Zach bit his lip and frowned. "Take that as a no."
"You get to leave whenever!" Link continued to rant. "If anything, ma should be more worried for you since you don't have a piece of the Triforce! If this thing is supposed to be a blessing from the goddesses, don'tcha think that means I have a goddess looking out for me? Does she really think Farore would give this to me if I was gonna die before doing anything heroic?"
Zach sighed and climbed down to the branch right above Link's head and sat down. "I don't think she's worried for your safety as much as she worried that someone's gonna find out who you are and go telling the royal family. You gave her until your fifteenth birthday. She doesn't want anyone taking you away before that."
"I already said I wasn't gonna leave until I turned fifteen," Link pouted. "What makes her think I'd leave sooner?"
Zach groaned. "You're not listening! It's not that she thinks you'll leave sooner of your own free will! It's that she thinks the royal family is gonna send for you before you turn fifteen! You can't turn down an invitation from the royal family. It'd look bad."
"They can't force me to go if I don't wanna."
Zach laughed and jumped down. "Oh yes they can! It's called being rich and in charge. Kinda gives them the power to do whatever they want."
Zach held out a hand to help Link up. He was still annoyed, but Link took his brother's hand anyway and stood up, still holding onto the basket.
"Ma's gonna have to go to the Castle Town market soon," Zach pointed out. "Since she can't ride and dad's always busy, she'll probably end up sending us. She can't afford to keep you in the village forever."
Link smiled. "Yeah, you're right! Maybe she'll let us go today! Come on!"
Link started running back towards the house, leaving Zach behind. He shifted the basket to carry it under his arm so he could open the door.
"Ma! Ma!" Link shouted as soon as he was inside.
"Jeez Link! Don't scare me like that!" his mother said, stepping out of the kitchen. "What is it?"
"Don'tcha need someone to go to the market soon?" Link asked, setting down the basket of apples. Zach stepped inside and closed the door, chuckling at his brother's excitement.
"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me," their mother smiled. She looked over at Zach. "Zach, I got a list of a few things I need from Castle Town. You should have plenty of time to make it there and back before sunset."
Zach stared at his mother before turning to watch Link's face fall.
"You're gonna send him by himself?" Link asked.
"Zach's old enough to go by himself."
Zach turned his attention back to his mother. "You're joking right? We're twins."
"You're the older twin," their mother shrugged.
"Yeah, by three minutes!" Zach argued.
"Enough," she snapped. "Link, you know you're not allowed to leave Oridon yet! The more you bug me, the longer you're gonna end up staying!"
"But it's not fair!" Link whined.
"I'm sick of your whining! You're twelve, not three! You're not going to Castle Town today and that's final!"
Link groaned and stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him. Their mother sighed and went into her room to fetch Zach a list and some rupees. When she came back, she returned to Zach glaring at her.
"You can't keep him here forever," he told her. "All you're doing is driving him away. He said he'd wait until he's fifteen before running off to become a knight, but we all know he's of age to go now if he so desired."
"Zachariah, I don't wanna hear it," his mother snapped.
"You're gonna be living it if you're not careful," Zach warned. "Actually, I take that back, you're gonna be living it if you continue to be too careful."
"I know, Zach!" she sighed. "I know! I just… Gods, he is already destined to have a dangerous life! I don't want to lose him while he's still a kid!"
"The issue about us being twins is that you can't use the age excuse on one of us. You telling Link that he can't leave but I can is you playing favorites and we both Link and I know it."
"I'm not playing favorites," his mother denied.
"Oh really?" Zach chuckled. "Link thinks I'm your favorite because I'm allowed to leave the village. However, I know Link is your favorite because you're prioritizing his safety over mine."
"I am not playing favorites," his mother repeated. "Link is destined for something, but I don't know what. Whatever it is though is bound to be not only dangerous, but it's going to take him away from us, his family! He's twelve! He's not old enough to go fight monsters or save a kingdom!
"You on the other hand, Zach, you aren't tied to some scary, unknown destiny. There's no goddess mark saying you're meant to put your life in danger for other's sake, and while saying you don't have a goddesses blessing might sound like a bad thing, I promise you, it's not. It honestly gives me room to breathe."
His mother sighed and lowered her head. Her knuckles were turning white from gripping the list and small bag of rupees so tight. "Zach, I didn't mean to make you guys think I was playing favorites. I- we'll talk about this more when you get back."
She handed over the list and rupees, still keeping her head down.
"I can't let Link go with you," she whispered. "But when you get back, we'll all talk about what to do next." She looked up and smiled at Zach. "I never meant to make you think I favored Link, or make Link think I favored you. You're both my sons and I love both of you."
Zach didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded, muttered a quick 'love you too' and left. He pocketed the list and rupees without looking them over and headed straight for the barn where Orcus was waiting.
Or at least, he thought Orcus would be waiting there for him. Both Epona and Orcus' stalls were opened and empty.
"Ilia," he sighed. He left the barn and made his way towards Hyrule Field. Sure enough, there was Ilia with both horses in tow. She was happily riding Epona around while Orcus grazed nearby. Zach whistled once to get Orcus' attention and his horse wasted no time trotting over. Ilia heard the whistle too and pulled Epona to a halt.
"Oh, hi Zach!" she greeted. "Wasn't expecting you to leave Oridon today since Link still can't go with you."
"Is that why you stole my horse?" Zach asked, climbing on top of Orcus.
Ilia blushed and shook her head. "Stole is such a strong word-"
"I'm sorry, took without permission."
"Oh hush!" she snipped. "Clearly you knew where he was! Plus, you're acting like you don't know me!"
Zach rolled his eyes and directed Orcus towards Castle Town. "Don't take Orcus out again without asking me first."
With that, he pushed Orcus into a gallop and started making his way towards Castle Town, leaving an annoyed Ilia behind. Zach silently wished Epona would throw Ilia off of her back one day just to show her she's not as good as she thinks she is. Just because she's best friends with the rancher's daughter who sold them the horses, she thinks that makes an expert.
It took a little longer to reach Castle Town than normal. Without Link and Epona to race, there was no reason to rush.
Since the queen's murder, the king issued more knights to patrol around Hyrule Field. The murderer was still out there and Princess Heaven was still missing. The king even put out a reward to anyone who can safely return his daughter, but so far nothing.
Zach did get stopped once on his way to Castle Town by a knight. All he had to do was answer some simple routine questions about where he was going and why.
"You seem a little young to be traveling all by yourself," the knight commented after giving Zach the okay to continue.
"Typically, my brother is with me, but my mom's keeping him at home," Zach shrugged. "You know, since there's a murderer still out."
"Ah, younger brother I assume?" the knight asked.
Zach gripped Orcus' reigns a little tighter and fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, you could say that."
Zach tapped his heels against Orcus' sides to get him moving again and the pair continued their commute to Castle Town. Zach dismounted at the bridge like always and walked Orcus to the stable.
The stable boy who was always there frowned as Zach handed over Orcus' reigns. "Where's the other one?"
"Sick," Zach lied, tossing him a blue rupee. He walked away before the stable boy could ask anymore questions. He was tired of everyone reminding him that Link wasn't there. He pulled out his mother's list and quickly scanned it over before shoving it back in his pocket.
Zach was shocked by the realization of how much Link's presence effected their spending. Without him, Zach ended up paying full price for just about everything. Even the kind elderly lady who gave them candies last time with the sugar charged him full price, candies not included.
It was strange. Yeah, Link was more of a people person than Zach, but he always assumed that the people they bought from liked both of them.
Normally, he and Link would hang out in Castle Town after buying everything and just enjoy the change in scenery, but Zach was just done with the whole day and wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Plus, with the curfew in effect, he didn't want any knights stopping him on his way back home.
He threw his bag over his shoulder and started making his way back towards the gate, grumbling quietly to himself. If Link were there, he'd kick Zach's ass for being such a downer. There were worse chores than running errands, but Zach couldn't care less.
Someone ran into Zach on his way towards the front. The person who hit him stumbled and grabbed onto Zach's bag to catch themselves. Zach reached out and grabbed their arm, pulling them up before they could hit the ground.
"Jeez, watch where you're going," Zach grumbled. He paused for a moment though when he saw who hit him.
The person was clothed in a teal cloak, the very same from two weeks ago. Their skin was darker than most Hylians, and dark brown curls stuck out from under their hood. The person was a boy, only a few years older than Zach by the looks of it. He stood up and smiled awkwardly, dusting himself off, hands covered by thick, leather, fingerless gloves.
"My apologies," he said, standing up straight. "I am not use to being in crowds."
Zach blinked and shook his head. "No, sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Zach stuck out his hand in an attempt to apologize for being short earlier. "Name's Zach."
"Siddharth," the boy said, reaching out to shake Zach's hand.
He flinched slightly at the contact, causing Zach to eye him questionably. "You okay?"
Siddharth pulled away and nodded once. "Yeah, I uh, fell earlier. Scraped up my palms. It is no big deal."
Zach hesitated a bit before shrugging it off. "Okay. I gotta get going. See ya." He waved bye and quickly turned around to leave, leaving Siddharth behind. As polite as the stranger had been, there was something about him that made Zach want to get home as soon as possible. He wove in and out of the crowd, eventually making it back to the stables where Orcus was waiting for him.
"Tell your brother I hope he gets better soon," the stable boy said as Zach climbed onto Orcus.
"Will do," Zach said, only half paying attention to him.
The ride home was a little faster, but that was because Zach was trying to get home as soon as possible. He didn't feel too bad pushing Orcus a little harder on the return trip since they didn't race earlier.
Ilia was gone when Zach got back and Epona was back in her stall in the barn. Zach put Orcus up and patted Epona's side.
"If ma doesn't let Link go to Castle Town in two weeks again, I'll ask about taking you with me," Zach told her. Epona gave no indication that she understood what he said. He turned around and left the barn, heading back to the house.
He threw open the door, announcing his return before kicking off his boots. No one answered so Zach made his way into the kitchen to unpack the groceries. He let his mind wander as he put away the food.
There was something off about that boy, Siddharth. He seemed friendly enough, but two weeks ago, Zach watched him and another hooded figure run away from the messenger reporting on the queen's murder. Zach didn't see anyone else there with him today, but that didn't help to ease the feeling of unease in his gut. Also, the way Siddharth had flinched when he shook hands. He claimed to have scrapped up his hand, but the gloves he was wearing were made from a tough leather. They should've prevented him from doing any harm…
Zach shook his head and finished putting the groceries away. He was over thinking it. Everyone was on edge since the queen was killed and Princess Heaven went missing. Zach and Link had done the same thing as Siddharth and the other hooded figured during the announcement in Castle Town. They had used the roofs to get a better view point, and they left pretty quick while the announcement was still going on to avoid the crowd and double check to make sure they were allowed to leave.
He grabbed his bag and went back to his room, tossing the bag in the corner near the door once inside. There was a folded-up piece of paper on top of his bed. Zach sat down and unfolded the paper.
Went on a walk with ma. Dad went a couple buddies to Kakariko and won't be back till tomorrow. If we're not back when the sun starts to set, ma's wondering if you can start dinner? Your choice if you make it.
-Link
Zach reread the first sentence a few times just to make sure he understood what was going on. His ma took Link out for a walk? If she's asking Zach to start dinner, that means they went outside Oridon's boarders.
Was his mom finally going to realize she was over reacting and let Link leave the village again? Zach let out a sigh of relief and set the note down. If his assumption was correct, first thing tomorrow he was going to take Link out to race. There was no way Link would beat Zach and Orcus while being two weeks out of practice. Ilia taking Epona out almost every day, while helpful, was not enough of a work out to keep Epona in top racing form.
Zach made his way back into the kitchen to see what they had for dinner. He found everything needed to make beef stew and set it out before grabbing the metal pot, putting his boots back on, and heading out of the house towards the Oridon spring to fetch fresh water. Normally, his ma would use the water in the house, but the spring water always had a much better taste. His ma said Zach could make what he wanted, and he wanted stew made with spring water.
The path into the forest just outside of the village had been walked hundreds of times over, leaving it flat and easy to travel. The walk itself was short, not even ten minutes. Zach pushed open the gate leading to the spring and knelt down by the water's edge. He dipped the pot into the spring, collecting enough water for his stew.
As he stood up, a hint of movement caught his eye. On top of the small waterfall, off to the side crouched a small girl. She was cupping her hands and bringing them up to her mouth to drink before dipping them back into the water and repeating the process.
Zach watched her silently. He knew everyone that lived within the village. He also knew all of the frequent visitors that came to trade.
He did not know this girl.
Her hair was dirty blond and short, barely touching her shoulders. It was choppy, almost like she cut it herself. Her shirt and pants were baggy, obviously too big for her. There were no shoes on her feet. Everything about her screamed poor; in need.
Zach took a step forward and opened his mouth to call out to her, but the second he moved, her head darted up and they made eye contact. Before he could get a word in, she fled into the trees, hardly making a sound.