The news spread like a forest fire.
Within the next two days, EVERYBODY knew about the stabbing in Kokiri.
The quadruplets' parents had said (more like demanded) that Link was to live at theirs, at least until his father came back from the front-line. However, his mood had not improved in the slightest. He hadn't spoken once since the morning after his discovery and his eyes had not yet regained their usual glint.
Students always gossiped and pointed as he passed in the corridors and always seemed a little scared of him. Either that, or they were convinced that he had become a mute.
This carried on for another week. Link could see that it was hurting his friends to see him like this, but at that moment, he had lost all care and love.
Finally, one lunch, their pained and pitying expressions all got too much.
Link walked out of the canteen with his usual pot of pasta and bottle of water. He looked over at his table. Whispers hissed in his ears, pointing fingers seeming to tangle his vision. It seemed like the hall had turned into a forest of thickets, buzzing with nosey bees and wasps, the odd butterfly telling them to be quiet as he passed, his head down as to avoid the thorns. He took another glance at his friends then at an empty table. He took the latter, wanting more than anything to be alone.
He took a seat, placing down his lunch and starting to pick at the pasta with a plastic fork.
"Hey, scrawny!" Came a bark.
Link had other things on his mind, so he chose to pay no attention to Groose as he neared the table with his cronies. He had just seen a very peculiar looking boy. He was lurking in a corner of the hall, a black hood concealing his facial features, arms crossed and alone. The strange thing about him was that he was staring at Link. Not in the way that most did by now, but in such a way that he looked somewhat intrigued.
"OI! Are you listening?"
Link peeled his gaze away from the strange boy to look at Groose, whose big, sloth-like eyes were focused on his prey.
"So…" Groose smirked, "The reason that you're quiet is because you mum died, huh?" He said a bit too happily for Link's liking. In response, he just looked back down at his food and started to poke a piece of pasta around with his fork again.
"I'll take that for a yes, then. You know, I was wondering who could have done it." The red pompadour bounced as he put a finger on his chin in mock thought, "People are saying that it was that serial killer, Ganondorf. I disagree. My bet is that one of the old mad men in that village of yours killed 'er."
Link's grip tightened on his fork.
"Or, even better," Groose grinned stupidly, "From what I've heard, she was pretty much mad herself. Maybe she decide to kill herself before she hurt her poor little baby boy instead!"
Link's eyes flashed. He unzipped his bag and pulled out the old cricket bat he'd stolen in their last games lesson and grabbed the bully's collar, dragging him onto the table and holding the bat to the back of his neck.
"Why you little-" Groose threw him off easily, then held him up by the front of his school shirt so that his feet dangled.
"Now that's not a pretty look." The thug chuckled as Link scowled deeply at him. The hall had fallen silent.
A fist made contact with his stomach and Link groaned in pain, scrunching up his eyes, but quickly recovering his glare. Another blow to his nose, and he found blood dripping off his top lip onto his chin, then onto the floor. Though he still kept the glare as the cowardly laughed.
"Stop it!" Came a shriek and Link looked past Groose's thick head to see a girl with a long blonde pony-tail running towards them, hitching her bag further onto her shoulder, "Put him down, Groose!" Zelda said angrily.
"Zelda!" He laughed, dropping Link so that his legs gave way and he ended up on all fours, spitting the blood from his nose out of his mouth, "Aren't you looking pretty today!" Groose walked towards her and she shrunk away a little.
Link panted as he looked up, hatred in his eyes. He reached for his bat.
"Why didn't you reply to my text last night, darling?"
"You know why!"
"HYAH!"
Groose gasped as he spun around to see a flash of green. Link hit his arm with the bat, spluttering out, "L-leave her a-alone!" His voice was weak and timid from neglect of using it, but his eyes spoke of a different attitude.
The bully staggered to one side, then rose a fist. Link blocked the blow with the bat and soon it had turned into a full-out fight. Link dodged around the opposition as it flailed his arms around, trying to land a punch, but Link was simply too fast for him. Until-
"Oof!" One of the fists caught him in the ribs and he was sent flying into the opposite wall. He slipped down it, exhausted and winded. His eyes darted up to see a fuming Groose approaching, mashing his fists together. He rose one-
"THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND, YOU BRUTE!"
Groose yelled in shock as two arms were flung around his neck and he was forced to the floor, a heavy, hard back book swinging around and hitting him on the head.
He got back up, seething, then gestured to his stunned friends to retreat.
"AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK OF COMING ANYWHERE NEAR HIM AGAIN!" Their vanquisher bellowed after them as the door swung shut.
A clap. Then another. It escalated into a torrent of applause. It was what most had been waiting for.

Vio stood with his feet a little apart, a warning glare still written across his face and the book hanging at his side. That glare was soon gone, however. He started to laugh in disbelief.
"I did it." He gasped, "I DID IT!" He jumped into the air punching up a fist in victory, "Take that, you blubbering idiot! HA HAA!"
He was engulfed by his friends, all congratulating him in his triumph.
"Wait! Link!" He pushed his way out of the crowd, over to where Link was laid against the wall, but stopped in his tracks, feeling his brother doing the same behind him.
Zelda was knelt in front of him.

"Thank you, Link." Zelda spoke to him softly.
Link looked at her with a little smile on his face, the first smile he had cracked for a good week or two, "Nah, it's Vio who you should really be thanking. He got rid of 'em." His voice was thick and it felt like his nose was broken, but at the moment, he didn't really give a damn; Zelda was talking to him! Zelda!
"But no one else was going to stop him from harassing me. You did." She smiled, taking a packet of tissues out of her blazer pocket and dabbing his nose with one, "That meant a lot."
"It was nothing." He laughed nervously, "To be honest, I really wanted to kick him in the balls myself. Couldn't let you take the chance."
They laughed. Zelda then leant in and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you, hero." And she left him there to turn radish red on his own.