Chapter Eleven: A Link to the Present
A small white dog frolicked through the empty, dark streets of Castle Town. With a bone in its mouth covered by its scruffy white bread, the dog trotted to a stop in front of one of the few buildings with lights on inside. The glow lazily escaped the windows and into the streets. Despite the warm glow the shadows that chaotically danced between the little yellow squares made it feel cold. A rock shattered one of the windows and flew out into the street. Startled, the little white dog galloped away into the darkness with its bone.
Nivan walked in his uniform next to Owin down a quiet side street. They both stepped cautiously as their armor loudly clanked and echoed within the silence. Somewhere ahead of them two other figures walked confidently in their loud jangled armor.
"Do either of you know where our mentor went?" Owin called out.
"Where he usually goes," Roul turned back to look at Owin and Nivan. "The night patrol is pretty boring. Just a bunch of drunkards you gotta herd home.'
"And how have you been able to go on more night patrols than us?" Owin asked.
"Because we're better than you." Roul smirked.
"Actually it's because they split us into random shift teams and will switch the shifts after a certain amount of time." Nivan smiled as he explained. "Though it appears we broke that rule."
Link stuck out his tongue. "It's because you're both know-it-alls and kiss asses."
The four boys turned around a corner and into the warm glow emitting from a single building. Without pausing, Link walked over to the door and pushed it open, with Roul following shortly behind. Both Nivan and Owin shrugged before they entered the building.
Inside the building was a cacophony and dozens of men and women holding glasses while moving their mouths as they spoke. A set of stairs swirled upstairs to a balcony that held even more people. There was a chandelier in the center of the room, and a very fat cat asleep on the counter. Both Nivan and Owin's eyes scanned the room to see several Knights of Hyrule slumped into chairs with mugs, including the one that they were supposed to train under.
A woman with curled and braided orange hair walked over to the corner of the counter closest to the entrance and looked all four boys up and down. Her cheeks were plump and her eyes sparkled underneath a heavy amount of eye shadow. "I think you boys are a little young to be here." The woman's voice boomed through the room.
"We're just here looking for the knight training us." Owin responded. Roul and Link rolled their eyes in the background.
"Well, hun." The woman tapped her hand on the counter. "You're not going to get any training for anyone in my bar given the state they are all in." She turned around and poured liquid into a small square glass before she slid it down the counter.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Owin asked.
The woman smirked. "There's a dog that keeps harassing my poor Louise. Do you think you can find him and find a way for him to leave my poor girl alone." The fat cat yawned on the counter.
Owin went to speak, but was cut off by Nivan. "Sure, anything we need to know about this dog or its owner?"
The woman smiled warmly. "It's a little white scruffy dog. I think he used to belong to one of the general store owners, but I'm unsure if she even still lives here."
Nivan smiled. "Sounds good. Anything else we need to know?"
The woman smiled back. "No, that should be it. Maybe try to lure it with a piece of meat or something."
"Hey Telma! Can ya pour me another glass?" A customer shouted from across the bar.
"Only if you plan to pay for it," Telma shouted back. She winked towards the boys before she strode to the other end of the bar. The boys watched as Telma slammed a large glass of amber liquid down in front of a slouched man before they left.
Outside, the air felt cleaner and cooler compared to the warm sticky air inside the bar. The hum from the inside of the building could still be heard from the quiet street. All four boys stood around and glanced in every direction that they could look.
"Which way do you think the dog went?" Nivan asked.
Link huffed. "Why did you even ask for a stupid task when we could have just stayed in the bar?!"
"Don't you want to help?" Nivan looked down one of the alleys.
"Not really." Link rolled his eyes. "She just sent you to do busywork."
"If you're that upset about looking for a dog then just go back inside." Owin replied.
Link let out a big sigh. "No, it's too late now. Now Roul and I gotta make sure you two don't get killed looking for a stupid dog."
Roul walked over and put his elbow on Owin's shoulder. "And you two definitely need us."
Nivan crouched down. "If you all want to stop chatting I think I found something."
The three other boys rushed over to where Nivan was and looked down at that ground.
"What are you even looking at?" Roul asked as he squinted.
"There's little muddy tracks." Nivan answered. "Maybe they belong to the dog?"
"Or they don't." Link and Roul answered in unison.
"If you disagree we can split up to try and find the dog faster." Owin glanced back at the numerous alleyways that scattered out from the street.
"No." Link answered instantly. "We gotta make sure you two stay alive so we better work as a group."
Nivan stood up and started walking down the alleyway. "Okay, then follow me. We're trying my idea first."
Owin without hesitation followed Nivan down the path. Both Roul and Link stared at each other with a mixture of annoyance and fear before they reluctantly followed.
The path of the small muddy tracks zig zagged through the street, as if the owner was either dodging something or carrying a large object. Despite its movements, the boys walked mainly in a straight line down the alleyway. Only the light for the moon above was able to guide them as everything else around them was boarded up and dark.
"Do you think it's worth trying to train to be a night of Hyrule." Link asked.
Owin looked back at Link and the red curls protruding from his helmet. "Why would you ask that now?"
"All the soldiers do is get drunk. Castle Town is the emptiest I have ever seen. None of us know what we are actually training or fighting for. The King has said nothing and Impa has swirled stories around the entire kingdom that we are all going to die to the King of Darkness." Link paused. "So why am I here when I could be raising cuccos in Kakariko or fishing in Jetir or Salis. Maybe I could have even followed your crazy friend with the red eyes to be a mail person."
"I'm not sure if you would have luck anywhere these days, Link." Nivan said with his eyes glued onto the ground. "Salis has no fish due to monster infestations. Kakariko deals with landslides off of Death mountain. Jetir is freezing over. Lonlon deals with raiders. Tilton the soil is producing less. Every race of Hyrule is attempting to help each other while the King watches from the Castle… there are still people in Castle Town, they are all just hiding from the inevitable."
"And what would that be?" Roul asked even though he knew.
"The return of the King." A voice said.
All four boys stopped in their tracks, their eyes wide. In an opening at the end of the alleyway a figure appeared.
"You can come near me," I won't bite." The voice said. All four boys drew their swords.
The figure stood still. Its purple robes bellowed in some sort of breeze that did not exist around anyone else.
Nivan blinked and suddenly all four boys were at the end of the alleyway within a few feet from the figure. Upon closer inspection Nivan could only see two eyes within a void where a face should be. Something shiny sat above its eyes.
"Can you take off the hood?" Nivan asked, "so that we can see your face?"
Carefully two white gloved hands removed the purple hood. Instead of a dark void and two soulless eyes a pale delicate face with wispy blonde hair stared back. Her eyes were green. Roul, Link, and Owin all relaxed at the sight of the face, whereas Nivan took in a sharp breath.
"See? Just a simple little dweller of Castle Town." The woman smiled with perfectly normal white teeth.
Nivan kept his sword by his side while the others had already put theirs away. The woman squinted at Nivan.
"Oh," The woman's mouth twitched. "You don't believe me do you?"
"Nivan, chill, it's just a lady." Link said.
"A woman alone in a dark alley at night?" Nivan kept his eyes on the woman. "Can you…" Nivan paused before he began to speak again calmly. "Ma'am why don't you tell us what you were talking about before we found you here."
The woman smirked. "All I said was the return of the King. I was merely answering your friend's question as I walked home from the bar."
"But which king," Nivan said slowly.
"You know." The woman swished her skirt about. "The King."
"Of Darkness." Owin said in the background.
"Oh so she's one of Impa's believers." Roul said instinctively.
"Ma'am have you seen a little scruffy white dog around here?" Link asked nonchalantly.
The woman tilted her head and stared at each of the boys. "You lot seem like a mixed bag." She chuckled.
A little white scruffy dog barked from behind the woman. Its ears pointed straight into the night sky as it hunched its body to growl.
"Oh thank the goddesses there's the dog." Link sighed relief as he attempted to walk past the woman and towards the dog. "Now we can go back and grab a drink."
Link stopped in his tracks and gasped. A cough escaped his mouth and blood trickled down his lips. His eyes grew wide as he slowly looked down.
All of the boys glanced at Link's stomach where the woman's hand went completely through his body.
No one spoke. They all just watched.
As if time went dramatically back into motion the woman ripped her arm out from Link's body and he collapsed onto the ground. The woman just merely smiled.
"Ah." The woman said after a moment of silence. The boys continued to stare down at Link's body as she spoke. "There's too many young boys named Link in Hyrule these days." She held a flickering orb in her hand and scowled. "I was hoping that a young boy named Link training to be a knight in Hyrule would have been a contender, but looks like this one was a dud."
Roul screamed, tears flowed down his face.
"Ah." The woman smiled, her teeth now looked a little sharper. "I have to dispose of all of you don't I? How fun." She lifted her bloody hand in the air. Her glove was now missing to reveal a long bone hand with pointed finger tips.
Nivan dropped his sword and quickly dug his hands into his bag. Without a second thought he flung a bottle into the woman's face.
Blood curdling screams filled the alleyway as Nivan picked up his sword and ran. Owin and Roul followed shortly behind along with one scruffy little dog.
None of the boys looked back as they ran back into the Castle Courtyard. None of them bothered to slow down as they barreled down the hallways of the castle. And, none of them bothered to stop and say hello to a very confused Princess Zelda as they ran by.
Eventually the three boys entered their bedroom and crashed onto the floor. The other soldiers-to-be all peered out at them from the comfort of their beds before going back to sleep.
Roul's eyes were still wide as he stared at his shaking hand. "Holy Hylia Link…" He couldn't finish the sentence.
Owin sighed. "Do you think she…"
"No," Nivan answered. "She would have caught us by now."
All three boys shudder.
"What did you even throw at her?" Owin asked.
"Holy water." Nivan answered a little too casually.
"What?" Roul's voice shaked. "Why were you carrying holy water?! Where did you even get something like that?"
"There's a sacred spring in the castle. It's the one Princess Zelda uses to strengthen her bond with the goddesses." Nivan said.
"You threw Zelda's dirty bath water at a woman." Roul's voice cracked. "Did you—"
"No, I did not see her naked. Now isn't the time to ask something like that." Nivan whispered. "We have bigger issues on our hands."
"How did you know to throw the holy water?" Owin asked.
"She was some sort of demon… wasn't it obvious?" A tone of confusion danced in Nivan's voice.
"Well, yeah, after she killed Link. But even before she did anything you stayed tense." Owin shrugged.
Nivan looked down to see Owin's hands were also shaking. "Did you not see…" Nivan paused. "What did you see when she pulled down her hood?"
"A normal Hylian face." Owin answered. Roul nodded in agreement.
"That's not what I saw." Nivan looked up. "I saw a face of decaying flesh and bone."
"Why didn't you say that back then!" Roul's voice cracked again.
Nivan's voice shook. "Because I didn't want to aggravate her. I wasn't sure what she wanted or what she was capable of. If I said something we could all be dead instead of just—"
A bark came from inside of the room. All three boys turned to look at the scruffy white dog with blood stained paws in the middle of the room.
"I guess we have a dog now." Nivan whispered.
The desert air felt dry and hot as Mystique glided high in the air. Beside her, Abony flapped her wings to keep an even pace. Behind the girls the mountain range looked like jagged little hills the farther that they flew away. Somewhere behind the mountains, the tip of Rito village could be seen as only a speck.
In front of the girls there was only the large expanse of sand and dunes. To the East and West tall flat mountains could be seen. Not a cloud was in the sky.
"How much farther do you think until we reach the oasis?" Mystique asked. She wore goggles around her eyes and a scarf around her nose and mouth.
"Hmmmm" Abony squinted her eyes. "Ty said to look for a cluster of palm trees, but I don't see any yet."
"Isn't there supposed to be a city?" Mystique asked, her voice extra muffled this time.
"Yes, but it's easier to see the green from the trees versus the buildings the same color as sand." Abony continued to scan the horizon. "We may want to glide a little closer to the ground; we may be too high up."
"Is there a sand cloud in the way?" Mystique tilted her head forward and looked down.
"There may be." Abony answered. "But we also have to be cautious of the Helmaroc King if we fly too close."
Mystique's muffled voice jumped up an octave out of excitement. "What's the Helmaroc King?!"
"It's the Gerudo Chief's patrol bird. They use it to keep any men or Hylians out of their city." Abony looked over at Mystique. "Which may be a problem given that you are a Hylian."
"Just means we have to be extra sneaky right?" Mystique laughed. "Is it true that Medoh is one of the safest places in all of Hyrule?"
"Where did you hear something like that?" Abony raised an eyebrow.
"From the letter I got from Nivan a few weeks back. He's mentioned it a few times in letters actually." Mystique said.
Abony began to descend closer to the ground. "Well, I guess so if you are comparing it to Hyrule field. A lot of monsters have an easier time with flat terrain vs the mountains. We have our own monsters too, we just have a lot more space to share and avoid them."
Mystique followed suit and began to slowly descend closer to the ground as well. Sweat glistened against her forehead. "I actually miss the cold from the mountains right now. How can anyone live out in this heat?"
Abony laughed. "It will get cold once the sun sets, don't worry. The Gerudo also have clothes equipped to deal with the heat that is a lot better than what we could provide you."
"Do you think that there are a lot of monsters down in the desert?"
"I'm not sure, but probably more than the mountains."
"What do you have for monsters in the mountains?"
"Mostly flying creatures like Keese, Aerocudas, Kargaroks, and the occasional flying Octorok… maybe a wizzrobe."
"That sounds like a lot."
"Well on Hyrule field there are Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfoes, Octoroks, more Wizzrobes, Deku Babas, Gibdos, Wallmasters, Peahats, more Keese, Skulltulas, Stalfoes, Lynels, Darknuts, Poes, and many many more."
"Wow, yeah that is a lot."
Abony sighed. "Yeah it is. Every area of Hyrule has their own enemies to deal with, but nothing compares to the field. I've even heard of bigger enemies hidden within the field ready to strike unsuspecting travelers."
"There's also these skeleton creatures that come out at night and run up against Castle Town's walls." Mystique said casually.
"What?" Abony said confused. "There's what?"
"Is that not a normal thing?" Mystique asked now confused.
"Not really. It's nothing I have ever heard of happening in Castle Town."
As the two girls continued to soar lower into the sky, neither of them noticed the large shadow which flew above them until it was too late. Swiftly and quietly the Helmaroc King scooped the girls in its talons and began to flap its massive indigo wings towards a large sand cloud in the middle of the desert. With one giant flap, a gust of air moved the cloud to reveal a forest of palm trees decorated on top of many flat roofed buildings.
Abony's eyes went wide as she looked between the city that appeared before them and the massive bird, which held them delicately as it descended onto a large flat roof with no palm trees. A symbol was painted on top of this roof in orange paint, and at the point of the symbol a tall muscular woman stood.
The Helmaroc King floated several feet in the air before it casually dropped Mystique and Abony off onto the roof. It waited until both girls rolled out of the way before it landed itself. As if on cue, the Helmaroc King opened its mouth and swallowed a large piece of meat that the woman threw its way. It cawed and fluttered its wings as it swallowed the meat down its gullet.
Mystique looked up towards the sky to see the woman now towered over her.
"Both of you please get up." The Gerudo woman said sternly.
As both Mystique and Abony stood up, several more Gerudo women appeared with spears pointed towards them.
"State your business here." The same woman said again.
"We're here to deliver mail." Abony said as she shuffled through her mail bag to pull out a few letters.
"And what about the Hylian?" One of the Gerudo guards asked.
"She's also here to deliver mail." Abony answered. "She's still training, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring her along to keep me company for this delivery."
"Take off your goggles." The original Gerudo woman said towards Mystique. Without a second thought, Mystique removed her goggles and revealed her bright red eyes to the crowd.
All of the Gerudo guards took a step back and raised their spears higher.
The Gerudo woman grimaced. "Take this one to the dungeon."
"What!" Both Abony and Mystique answered.
Both girls stood still as a single guard grabbed Mystique and carried her away down a flight of stairs. Everyone on the roof watched until Mystique was fully out of view, and they all let out a sigh of relief.
The Gerudo woman turned towards Abony. "Follow me." She said and descended a set of stairs on the opposite side of the roof. Everyone followed.
Mystique sat on a pile of sand inside of a prison cell. She kicked her feet back and forth, which created little dashes and patterns within the floor. Her face scarf by this point had slid down to around her neck, and her face itself had slumped into her hands.
Inside the cell itself, the only Mystique had noticed was sand and a small wooden plank that dangled from the ceiling by two metal chains. There was no window, and no one in any of the cells she could see from her own.
"What did I even do to deserve jail time?" Mystique muttered.
"Well kid, I am sure there are a lot of things from your past." Lumina said from inside Mystique's pocket. "Like that time you trespassed. Or the time you went out past curfew. That time you kidnapped the princess of the Zoras. You know, there' s plenty to work with here."
"Yeah but the Gerudo know none of that." Mystique whined. "They didn't even ask my name. They just saw my eyes and arrested me."
"Maybe they don't like red eyes?" Lumina suggested.
"That's stupid. It's just an eye color." Mystique answered.
"And how many people do you know with red eyes?"
"Well mother has red eyes. So does Impa, and my old teacher Pom." Mystique paused. "And some of those folks wandering around Hyrule Castle have red eyes too."
"And what do all those people have in common?" Lumina asked.
Mystique sat and pondered in the silence of the dungeon. Lumina bobbed around the room as she waited for an answer until no answer came at all, and instead footsteps could be heard emitting from somewhere within the dungeon. Eventually the original Gerudo woman stood in front of the cell with Abony slightly behind her.
The woman, Mystique now noticed, wore a crown wrapped around her head with colorful warm toned jewels. A broad-collared gold necklace decorated her chest, which matched her crown. Her hair was placed into a high bun, with several curls of red hair framed around her face.
"You're lucky that Tyto thought ahead." The woman spoke and held up a piece of paper.
Mystique squinted as she read the official document to release her from jail signed by Tyto. She chuckled. "Wow how could he have known you would do that Ms..?"
"Kanchana." Kanchana answered. "Now please follow me upstairs so that I can be a better host."
As Mystique followed Kanchana upstairs, she looked back into the dungeon to see a single skeletal hand that reached out from one of the cells further down. She shuddered.
Above ground the streets of Gerudo town many tan red-headed women in cloaks and scarves bustled around the streets. Some carried baskets filled with fruit while others herded strange pig-like creatures through town. A cluster of little girls chased each other around a grove of palm trees in the center of town. From somewhere high up water fell and ran through little canals into a large pool in the center of the grove. Music could be heard being played somewhere softly in the distance.
Kanchana led the girls up a set of large stairs guarded by half a dozen Gerudo guards. Mystique looked up towards the roof of the building to see the Helmaroc King perched and watching her as they entered the building.
Inside the building more water poured down from the ceiling and into more little canals that led outside. A single throne decorated with the same orange symbol sat in the center of the room. A skinny boy with orange hair peaked out from behind the chair, curiosity plastered across his face as Kanchana, Mystique, and Abony entered.
"You do not need to hide Levis" Kanchana stated.
The boy emerged from behind the chair and awkwardly watched. He wore a scarab around a chain and his hair was messily pulled into a ponytail. Two brass bracelets wrapped around his arms with the Gerudo symbol sketched onto them, and his pants looked too baggy as he shifted his body weight. His eyes, Mystique noted, were gold.
"I apologize for arresting you," Kanchana said as she sat down onto her throne. "But a mother must always be cautious to protect her child." She gestured towards Levis who immediately looked in another direction.
"I thought the Gerudo were all women?" Mystique asked, confused. She glanced over at Levis again and noted that he was most likely closer to her age than she initially thought.
"Correct." Kanchana answered. "The Gerudo have only ever received one male born every hundred years, or so the legend goes." She paused. "Most times though in myths and legends the Demon King takes that slot." Kanchan placed her head in her hand. "Imagine spending all the time carrying a child you will love unconditionally and instead you release a monster onto this land accidentally."
"But He doesn't look evil?" Mystique responded still confused.
"Trust me, I know." Kanchana answered. "When Levis was born not a bone in my body worried that he would one day be taken away by the witches of the desert and be dubbed the Demon King." Kancha looked over at Levis again. "But truthfully that legend had never been too much of a worry for us until your Queen died. We hadn't seen anything about the Demon King since the last big war centuries ago." Kanchana stared back at Mystique. "But when your Queen died, and Impa saw my son at the ceremony, something clicked inside her. Ever since that day, someone I used to call a close friend has sent assassins to my lovely city of Booru'an." Kanchana paused again. "All for my son. All because of a myth and not because of facts."
Mystique awkwardly laughed. "Well I uh, I'm just a mail person. I don't work for lady Impa at all."
"Really?" Kanchana raised her eyebrow. "That's strange for someone of your kind."
"A Hylian?" Mystique asked.
"A Sheikah." Kanchana said bluntly.
"No?" Mystique answered. "Why would I be a Sheikah if my hair isn't white."
"Who are your parents?" Kanchana asked.
"Saffron and Cerise Luriken." Mystique answered.
"Your mother is a Sheikah. I used to work with her back when we were younger." Kanchana smiled. "I guess she didn't want you to know that though."
Mystique pondered for a moment. "You know, it kinda makes sense. She always worked nights." Mystique's eyes went wide. "Did my mother try to assassinate your son?!"
"No." Kanchana answered. "I doubt she would want to do that as a mother herself."
Kanchana stood up and walked over to a dresser in the back of the room and pulled out a little square. She walked towards Mystique and handed it to her.
Inside the square was a picture of a much younger Kanchana holding a small child bundled up in layers of blankets. Next to Kanchana a much younger version of Mystique's mother stood holding a red eyed and bald baby with a little blue pacifier in her mouth.
"You didn't have hair back then." Kanchana said. "You look like both your parents so I apologize again for not recognizing you and thinking you were just a simple Sheikah soldier working for Impa."
Abony peered over to look at the photo. "Wow, Hylian babies are chunky. Do you remember this photo?"
"I must have been only a year old in this photo." Mystique stared at the picture before she looked up at Levis. "So that means you're 14?"
"Just about." Kanchana answered. "Levis hasn't been talking a lot lately given the gravity of the situation. He might not trust you given…" Kachana pointed at Mystique's eyes.
Mystique sighed and lowered her head.
"You have done a lot of apologizing today Kamchana." Abony said. "We don't want to overstay our welcome, and can go find the nearest place to rest."
Kamchana took the photograph and walked over to the dresser. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and jotted something quickly down. Casually, she handed the piece of paper to Mystique. "Show this to the innkeeper or else they aren't going to let you stay the night. We are all extremely protective of Levis."
Mystique grabbed the paper and nodded. Carefully, the two girls exited the throne room and emerged back outside into the bustling city of Booru'an. By now the sun had started to set over the flat mountains to the west, and a cool breeze crept between the palm trees. Mystique shivered as she walked down the steps and into the main plaza. Vendors still sat on their mats under tarps selling various goods and wares that ranged from more fruit to expensive and pretty jewelry.
"I should get someone for Nivan." Mystique said as she stared at all of the booths.
"What would you get him?" And with what money?" Abony followed Mystique's gaze towards a rather expensive looking shop.
"Something small." Mystique stepped up and stared down at several amulets at a jewelry stall.
"Those amulets are excellent for any fighter you know." The vendor said as she homed in on a potential sale. "Each one has a special ability that helps the wearer."
"Sounds fake." Abony said.
"Do any of these help against evil spirits?" Mystique asked.
"Ah," the vendor smiled and held up a little purple amulet. "This amulet keeps away monsters for the low low price of…" The vendor looked Mystique up and down. "600 rupees."
"Mystique, you don't have 600 rupees." Abony shouted.
Mystique dug into her wallet and handed over 600 rupees. The vendor smiled and handed over the amulet.
"Where did you get 600 rupees?!" Abony asked, shocked.
"Frog gambling," Mystique casually replied as she headed down the closest side street.
Abony shook her head as she followed down the street. The little pitter patter of her feet echoed down the alleyway. Behin Abony, even quieter steps followed them.
When the girls entered the inn, they hastily handed over Kanchana's note to the innkeeper, and were guided up a set of simple sandstone stairs and into one small roon. Two cots sat on the floor, and a large rectangular window overlooked the street outside. As the sun set over the buildings, the vendors below began to pack up their goods and shuffled away to their own homes. A few of the Gerudo vendors walked past the gates towards a round creature with tusks, and rode away.
Mystique sat and stared out the window towards the scenes below her with a glisten in her eye. Abony perched next to her and peered over the edge of the window. Her eyes narrowed before they suddenly widened and she gasped. Curious, Mystique peered down the inn's wall.
Levis clung to the wall. Mystique was unsure what or even how he was holding on to the wall, but there he was. He wore a sheepish smile as he stayed frozen against the wall.
"Did you follow us here?" Abony exclaimed.
Without an answer, Levis climbed the rest of the wall and swung his legs over the window and into the room. He ruffled his hair with his hand before he eventually nodded.
"Can you even speak?" Abony raised an eyebrow.
"No." Levis said sarcastically back.
"Okay smart guy, why did you follow us?" Abony crossed her wings against her chest.
Levis shrugged. A long pause of silence filled the room. "I wanted to talk more."
"Why did you talk earlier?" Mystique asked. She noticed the Gerudo symbol was painted onto his back.
"I was embarrassed." Another long pause hung in the air. "It's embarrassing having your mom talk about you like that."
"I wouldn't be embarrassed over that." Mystique tried to sound reassuring. "She's just extremely worried about keeping you safe."
Levis sighed. "Still embarrassing that I can't protect myself yet." He blinked a few times. "I remember your mom, she used to visit all the time… she's very nice."
Mystique pondered for a moment. "This must be where she went on trips."
"She always said that she'd bring you again, but after your Queen," Levis imitated a knife sliding across his neck. "She hasn't come back, and every Sheikah wants me also," Levis repeated the motion.
"Maybe all of this will stop soon so that she can visit again." Mystique said, sounding hopeful.
"So long as the King of Darkness potentially exists, that won't happen." Abony interjected. "Ty talks about it a lot. The relationship between the Rito and the Sheikah have also been strained since your Queen died. We try to keep the peace and stay neutral, but Lady Impa is hard to bargain against." Abony looked over at Levis, "but I think almost everyone is against the idea of murdering a child for the sake of mythology save for her… it's already causing a rift with us. I'm not sure who else Lady Impa will have if she keeps behaving like this."
"Guess we'll have to go find the King of Darkness soon." Mystique said.
Levis looked wide towards Mystique.
"What?" Abony said.
"Well how hard could it be? Everything is getting worse, so he must be out and about ready to be found."
"Mystique, that's not how that works." Abony sighed. "According to Ty, Lady Impa has been looking for this demon since before we were born. How can you find him by yourself?"
Mystique shrugged. "We can find a way."
Levis awkwardly smiled again as he started to climb out the window. "Thanks." He said before he jumped down and disappeared silently into one of the side streets.
"Wait," Abony looked slowly over at Mystique. "What do you mean we?"
"You're going to help aren't you?" Mystique answered. "And I can ask Nivan for updates, and I am sure we can get Egan and Rudi to help. Maybe Gonzo and Hammada will help too?" Mystique looked into her pocket, "And Lumina will help too."
Abony raised an eyebrow. "That's still not the size of an entire secret Sheikah team."
"It doesn't need to be." Mystique said casually. "We just need to gain enough evidence that Levis isn't the Demon King, and then Impa will leave him alone."
Abony walked over to a cot and laid down. She closed her eyes. "We can talk about this more on the flight back. Make sure the fans in your glider aren't clogged from the sand."
Mystique nodded before she pulled the long wooden pole off of her back. Carefully, as she opened it up, two small circular fans emerged along with the glider's fabric. She traced the grooves and indents of the fans with her finger and yawned. Mystique slid to the ground and rested her head against the wall, the glider still fully opened in her lap.
King Suehprom Patroclus stood over the bloody body of Link in broad daylight. Several guards patrolled the area as well as stood guard against any and all entrances to the area. Two guards stood immediately next to the King of Hyrule in silence.
"This is the fifth Link this month." King Suehprom Patroclus muttered out loud.
"The seventh actually," One of the guards answered.
"Thank you, Percival." The King responded. "So, seven Links. Do we have any other Links working or training as knights in Castle Town?"
"There's about fifteen that I can think of off the top of my head sir." The other guard answered.
"Thank you Arthur." The King paused. "Goddesses above there are so many Links. Why do so many people keep naming their kid that name?"
Percival and Arthur both went to answer, but were stopped by their King.
"I know the answer, but thank you both." He responded. "Have all of the Links working in the Castle transferred to different towns and cities within the week."
"Understood my King," both guards answered.
All three figures looked back down at the body on the ground. Link's eyes were still open as they looked up towards the grey clouds in the sky. The rest of his body slumped and bent in uncomfortable angles on the ground. The middle of his body, through the chainmail and armor, was the gaping and bloody hole. Over time, the blood had filled the crater and had leaked onto the surrounding area.
"Was this Link alone?" The King asked.
"No," Percival answered. "This Link was on patrol with three other knights in training."
"Are they alive?" The King asked.
"Yes." Percival answered again. "All are alive and currently resting within the castle."
"What have they been saying?" The King looked back towards Percival and Arthur.
"Well," Arthur began. "They have been saying that it was a demon who killed him. Potentially someone who worked for the Demon King himself."
"That's impossible." The King huffed. "The Demon King doesn't exist. It must be some Impa believer going around causing these murders."
Both guards looked down at the hole in Link's chainmail.
"Have those three knights shipped out to different towns too. I can't have them spreading rumors like this to others."
"I'm sorry my King, but that is not entirely possible," Arthur responded. "Two of the knights, Owin and Nivan, have been chosen by Zelda to be her royal knights."
"What?!" The King almost shouted. He took a deep breath. "Tell my daughter that she must choose a different knight and, wait," the King paused. "You said two names, she only needs one knight."
"Princess Zelda requested a second knight to be for Paige." Percival answered.
"Paige isn't allowed to have a knight." The King said bluntly.
"According to Princess Zelda, your late wife Queen Kassandra left specific instructions for Paige to also receive a royal knight." Arthur said.
"My wife did not inform me of this." The King looked down at the body. "Tell Zelda to choose two different knights they can't stay."
"Well," Percival began, "my King, I think that would be an unwise decision."
"Both boys have scored the highest out of any other knight in training and are diligent to the tasks they are assigned. It would be a waste to send them elsewhere." Arthur continued.
"Your daughter would be safest with them. And besides, it might be easy to convince them to just keep their mouths shut." Percival finished.
"Hm," the King thought. "What are their backgrounds to be so good and qualified for this role."
"You requested that Zelda gain a younger knight, so she looked at the pool being trained." Percival said. "They may not outperform some of your more experienced knights, but they have the guts and the stamina of a youth.
"Owin is from Kakariko and the grandson of Dampe the gravedigger. His father is a knight that was stationed in Kakariko village, and he has been training since a very young age." Arthur said.
"As for Nivan, his records are a little more blank. He showed up in Castle Town at the age of six and was raised by Cerise and Saffron Luriken. Nonetheless, he is still rather good with a sword and is level headed. Owin stated that Nivan was the reason they did not suffer the same fate as their friend Link." Percival said.
"The shoe maker?" The King said before he shook his head. "Keep a close eye on both of them for the next few weeks after you talk to them. If they flub up I want them removed from Castle Town without warning. As for the third boy, send him off along with the Links."
Both guards nodded.
Dear Nivan,
It's been a crazy past couple of weeks here in Medoh. Tyto did confirm that is where I am residing. There is also Reval, Quillan, and Valoo for towns in the area. All of them are very cold, and I have had to keep buying warmer and warmer clothes as we get closer and closer to winter.
You might have guessed before you opened this letter, but Lumina has asked to live with you for a little bit. She said that the cold was getting to her, and that she misses Castle Town. I told her that you said Castle Town is like a ghost town, but she said that she didn't mind.
I am also enclosing a little gift that I bought you while on one of my mail delivery adventures. My mail adventures aren't as glamorous as our old ones, but they are still pretty fun. I bet that your patrols are like a different kind of fun as well. The weirdest part of my mail runs is that I am flying a lot more than running. Heron adjusted my glider so now it has little fans to propel me higher into the air when I take off from the ground. I tested it a few times at the foot of the mountain Medoh is on before I got to use it out in the Gerudo desert.
Oh! Right! I went about a week ago to the Gerudo town of Booru'an for a mail delivery and I got put in jail. It turns out that the Gerudo chief Kanchana has a son who keeps almost getting assassinated by the Sheikah. Kachana said that one Gerudo is born a male every one-hundred years, and that the Demon King was once a Gerudo male. I think Levis (that's his name) is innocent. But I am now on a mission to find a way to prove to Ms. Impa that Levis is innocent. If you hear or see anything in Castle Town can you let me know? I'm sorry that I haven't written back to your last letter in a bit, but being out in the desert took up a few days and I didn't bring anything to write to you with.
Lumina is also coming with you to be another set of eyes and ears to figure out more on the whereabouts of you know who as well. It's a lot to put in a letter. I hope you don't mind. But! To make things easier and safer for you, the gift that I put in this letter is supposed to protect the wearer from darkness and evil. Abony says that it's a piece of garbage, but better safe than sorry am I right?
Have you been assigned to a new station yet? I remember you saying that would be soon and that Owin was going to be the royal knight of the Princess. That's exciting! I hope that you get to be stationed closer to here so that we can hangout more again.
Have Roul and Link been nicer to you? I remember you writing that they still weren't the nicest to you when you all joined knight training, but they better be nicer since you kicked their butts so many times in combat. It would be funny if they got stationed at Death Mountain or something, but they both might enjoy that. Hmmmm, there are so many things you will have to tell me in your next letter. I'm so excited to hear from you and…
One more thing. I found out that my mother was apparently a Sheikah, Which means that I am part Sheikah. That's wild right? Kinda weird how I found this out from Kanchana while in Gerudo jail, but I probably should have been able to put two and two together. Oh well!
-Mystique