Chapter 10: Sela

Link was astounded. He thought the little rodent was holding back a smile.

"Your name is Link…I heard?" she asked, and he nodded. "…you aren't…thinking of running off and telling anyone about me, are you?"

"No, I won't."

She slowly lowered her rear end, tucking her paws underneath herself and wrapping her tail around her body. Link shifted a bit and she tensed.

"Please don't run," he said. "I won't hurt you."

"I can't know that. Pardon my instincts," she replied smartly.

He mimicked her and laid on his stomach. She leaned forward, twitching her nose at him. Link wanted to pet her so badly.

"I've never met a talking squirrel before," he said.

"I'd be surprised if you had…it's a special secret of mine. Promise me you won't tell anyone?"

"I promise."

"Very good…I hope," she said steadily. "And despite that, I'll keep your secret of being an Outsider."

Link darted his eyes left, right, then back to her. "Um…no I'm not?"

"I've heard all of you talking. I understood enough," she said, twitching her ears. "But you shouldn't worry. I won't tell. I'd have no reason. I don't care about the laws and activities of humans anyway. I don't like being around them."

He gazed at her for several long moments. She let out a tinkling chuckle.

"Ah, let me refrain…the little ones like you can be fine. And you have a quiet spirit. Not like that girl. Heavens no. She's far too much for me."

She stopped twitching her nose, briefly stood, then laid back down on her front. Her eyes twinkled.

"Thank you for the bread," she said. "I've never had anything so sweet. It's one of my favorite things in the world now."

He grinned at her sheepishly. "I don't have any more…sorry. Do you have a name?"

"My name is Sela. And you saw...this is where I've decided to make my home. I'm not sure how long it will be that way, if you both are to be living here."

"Uh oh...! I don't think we'll be here for too long, though."

Sela let out a short, good natured laugh. "I'll tell you something! That Zora is going to be the happiest fish out of water when he sees this place. He'll probably even be hit with one of his famous waves of inspiration. I was getting desperate to the point where I planned on cleaning up all by myself, but it drove me mad to just think about how long it would take me..."

She balked suddenly and turned her head away. Link was unsure of what he had done wrong.

"Try not to bore holes into me, dear. You have eyes just like a cat's," Sela said wearily. "They put a fright in me like hardly anything else."

"Oh, sorry," Link apologized. He looked at his hands instead, fiddling with them for a moment. Sela sniffed at the cot, gradually turning her head back around.

"So, since you're from the outside," she said. "I have to wonder, what was it like?"

Link thought hard for a moment. "There's a lot more water," he said lamely, even if it was the truth.

"Oh ho, is that right?"

"Mhm. We sailed a lot."

"You and that girl?"

He nodded, and she seemed a bit skeptical.

"Anyone else? A crew?" she asked. "I managed to catch that she's a pirate...now, was that flair on her part?"

"It's true. She's the captain. I have six crew members."

"So she bosses around seven people in total. Wouldn't that mean you're technically a pirate, too?"

"Oh, I...oh," Link said, amazed. She had a decent point there.

"Or maybe not, if you hadn't thought that yourself," Sela said humorously. "I suppose you're just chummy with them, eh? How so? A quiet thing like you with a bunch like that?"

"They're not that bad. Tetra has the idea of changing a lot of things in the future, though. She wants to."

"Why is that?"

"She's also a princess."

"Is that so? One thing certainty isn't much like the other, but it doesn't sound like you're making it up," Sela said, eyeing him. "Regardless...traveling is good and enriching. I regret not gathering the courage to do it in my younger years."

"It's better late than never…that's what my grandmother told me."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're listening to advice from your elders. A healthy part of growing up is to have plenty of experiences. Good and bad."

"I live...oh…used to live on an island, for most of my life," Link murmured. "When I started to travel, I began to like it more and more, even if the circumstances weren't good..."

"But I regret to say, that's not something you can ever go back to."

"That's really true, Sela? We can't leave?"

She sighed deeply. "If…IF…there is a way…and I will say, nothing is impossible in this strange world we live in—then I don't know of it. If I did I wouldn't have even waited this long before vomiting out the answer. But maybe…"

She stopped, suddenly uncomfortable. "Maybe what?" Link urged.

"If...there were anyone who knew a way, it would be the Emperor."

After a moment he sank back, defeated. Sela puffed her fur up in discontent.

"That's right," she said solemnly. "You already have a foundation of respect and fear of him, don't you? Good boy. You'll live your life longer, but also in constant paranoia. There's no point in me sugarcoating it. I can't possibly fathom what you both have left behind in your world, but...I'm sorry. Very sorry."

His insides were boiling. With her words the reality of it all had finally come together.

"We were on an important journey," Link muttered. His normally quiet voice was now fierce with agitation. "For someone…for a lot of people. Our job was almost goddess-given...if we're not there, then I don't think anyone else could do it for us..."

"I hate that. I really do," Sela lamented. "But...don't think about that. Stop thinking about that. Please. It'll drive you mad. Take my advice and stop dwelling on unfinished business. You need to live here and now. That's more important. There were others who were unable or unwilling to see the truth for what it was. There's a reason they go unheard from again."

She flicked her tail irritably. "And that woman…" she hissed.

"Lora is helping us."

"I'm sure that's what she's led you to believe. Has she actually stated her reason for, ahem, helping you?"

"She said she's done it with other Outsiders."

"And you believed that, sweet child?"

He sputtered, taken off guard.

"She's fair at explaining what she does and how she does it, isn't she?" Sela asked. "There's no denying that she's frank. But she often leaves out the why in her actions, Link. She doesn't have to explain herself. Her position gives her all the justification she needs. No one dares to question her, much like how no one dares to question the Emperor."

Link suddenly had a nasty, nasty feeling.

"Sela..." he said cautiously. "What else do you know about her?"

The squirrel grimaced, looking towards the door. "Well...I see she's taken your friend away. That's unfavorable. She's skilled at making people go missing with hardly a thought to it. It's how she was taught by the Emperor...she's apart of his empirical forces."

"WHAAAT?" Link yelled, rocketing to his feet. Sela darted down to the floor in a fright.

"Good lord!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think you could get that loud!"

"Sela, are you sure you're talking about the right person?!"

"Oooh, there's no mistaking who she is! She's the Emperor's left-hand woman," the squirrel said in a hushed tone. "It garners little surprise she didn't mention that to you."

"I thought she was just King Hearth's Executioner!"

"Dear, she was inducted into that position by the Emperor himself! And it happened one day out of nowhere. Let me tell you, Hearthstone already had an effective Executioner at the time. Of course everyone wondered the purpose of having two of them, but who would be foolish enough to ask? I believe the only one who never minded is Queen Luna, but she's a paragon of shamelessness."

"There's…there's no…"

Sela was pacing slowly in a circle, letting her tail drag the ground. "She may not be within close proximity of the Emperor anymore, but with all her terrible wisdom I'm sure she can still operate effectively. It's been all but said that her job as the Hearthian Executioner is just a mask."

Link was ready to charge out the door. He realized that Lora had never stated where they were going or how long they would be gone...he felt as dull-witted as they came.

"I can only tell you to hope and pray she didn't take that girl to do something horrendous to her, but I've labeled that as a lost chance. There's nothing you can do when you're at that woman's mercy except count the seconds you have left," Sela said. "My advice is to run."

"I'm NOT leaving without Tetra!" Link exclaimed. He blindly went to check his things, then realized he didn't have his sword or shield...again.

He grunted with frustration, pounding his hands on the cot. He recalled seeing the old swords on the rack outside and knew one of them would have to do in the meanwhile. Sela suddenly bolted, fleeing into the closet.

"Sela, what's...oh!"

He finally heard them. A pair of voices outside were coming closer.

Tetra opened the door to the base, peering in. She got a fright when Link suddenly hurtled out of the darkness. "Tetra!" he yelled, pouncing on her.

She barely caught him. "Link, no, what're you—"

Her knees shook, then gave out. They both collapsed to the ground.

"…doing…" Tetra groaned.

"Are you okay?!"

"You almost scared my hair down! What's up with you?"

Link glanced up towards Lora. She was scanning the inside of the base and seemed mildly confused at worst. When she looked down he stared directly into her eyes, searching for any signs of malice. She only blinked once in that slow way of hers.

"Link, like, today? Can you stop sitting on me? I'm not a chair," Tetra said, laughing.

"Oh…! Sorry."

He stood, helped her up, then didn't know where to look for a few awkward moments.

"…what are you doing, dork?" Tetra asked lightly. "Is your blood sugar low for the seventieth time today?"

"What does that mean?"

"Are you hungry?"

"No!" he said defensively.

"Did you take a nap or two?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, sure…you couldn't have missed me that much," Tetra said, shaking him by the shoulder as she passed. Link went and pretended to go straighten up his cot. Lora's flat stare drilled into him and he held his breath, trying to keep the tremor out of his hands. All they had to do was wait her out...

"Hey Link," Tetra spoke up, looking at the small gap where the tiny window had been. "Our first full day here is almost over. Didn't realize it got this late."

"Really?" he asked, trotting over. The sun seemed to have shifted greatly in the last ten minutes or so, hovering in a sky bathed with orange. Link furrowed his brow, feeling as though he had briefly gone mad.

The sky was blue when I was talking to Sela! What's going on...?!

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Lora said suddenly. "We don't have a moon or stars here."

They stared at her, dumbstruck.

"I knew about the stars...the moon doesn't bother to show up for work, either?" Tetra asked. "Does this mean it's pitch black at night?"

"Most roofs in the capital have structures called Eye-Lights on them. They're just balls of light, basically. They help provide illumination during the dark hours," Lora said. "Look...the sun rises at exactly seven in the morning, and sets in the afternoon at the same time, like now..."

It was just another oddity of the realm, it seemed. Twilight was starting to fall far too rapidly—the children ran outside and were astounded to see the sun spiraling downwards like a fiery comet, much faster than what they thought was natural.

After it vanished below the horizon, there was a single second of complete darkness in which all movement and sound in Hearthstone froze. Then the Eye-Lights lit up. All within a matter of seconds Hearthstone was filled with light once more, the greatest source of it emanating from the glowing castle.

"Just like that," Lora said.

Tetra rubbed at her arms uneasily. "That sunset didn't even look real..."

"It's perfectly normal. Traffic begins to lessen at this time. On the off chance that you both are out in the later hours, make your bussiness swift," Lora said. "But as for tonight you both need to go to bed immediately."

"Why immediately?" Tetra wanted to know. "And are we always going to have a curfew, 'cause I'm not going to bed at exactly seven o' one every night."

Lora spontaneously vanished. Link gasped. "Tetra, you made her angry!"

"All I did was ask a question. She probably left to go get us some pillows or something." Tetra peered into the shack. "Oh, but now I can't see worth anything in there. Dang it! We need a lantern. Go ask the monster if she's got one."

"Who?"

"You know, the giant squid?"

"Roxy is nice."

"She's also weary of fire," Lora said. A soft glow bloomed from the inside of the base. Lora was sitting at the desk, making adjustments to a peculiar little lamp. It gave enough light to help them see, but wasn't too intrusive on the eyes.

"There...this is all I can do for you both today. I'll be back early next morning of course," Lora said. "Taking things day by day is important. Just make sure you get your rest. Alright?"

Link eyed her carefully. "Where did you go, M—"

He caught himself just in time and cursed his tongue for almost slipping up. Tetra gave him a strange look.

"I went and got pillows for you both," Lora said. "I forgot them earlier."

Tetra grinned at him. "Told you."

"I also picked up a nightgown your size, Tetra...it's on your cot. Make sure to turn the light off when you're ready to go to bed. All you have to do is touch the lamp," Lora said, standing up from the desk. "Now...goodnight. I'll see you both later."

She disappeared. Tetra groaned, pulling at her eyes.

"Oh, my, Nayru, finally! I thought she'd never leave! Alright, so what were you so freaked out about earlier?" She cackled. "You should've seen your face...I thought your eyes were gonna pop out of your head!"

"Lora's apart of the empirical order!"

Tetra just looked at him for a few long moments.

"Yeah," she said casually. "You think so, huh? Well, it's about time you came around. And here I thought it'd take you a bit longer. I mean, you have been blindly trusting her, haven't you?" she asked, when he pulled a sour look. "Until now, anyway. Better late than never…who told me that recently?"

"Grandmother," Link said flatly. "We need to leave now."

"Atta boy! I was planning on running tonight anyway, and I wasn't going to leave you behind even if I had to knock you out and drag you by the ankles. Having consent is always easier."

He hefted a sigh, rolling his eyes.

"You're acting funny. Are you sure you're fine?" Tetra poked. "We're not going anywhere yet, 'kay? We're gonna rest first."

"She didn't do anything to you, did she?"

"No. Just talked."

"About what?" Link asked, now curious.

"Girl stuff."

"Huh?"

"Stuff only girls talk about."

Link put his hands on his hips. He wasn't sure he believed that.

"It wasn't about you or anything," Tetra added.

His brows went up. "I…didn't think so?"

"Oh, okay. I thought that was why you wanted to know."

"Do you still want to talk?"

"What? No. Why ask that?" She took Dracnoir off her hip. Link had forgotten she had it and watched as she set it next to her pillow, feeling an odd tension coming from her.

"We used to do it every night..." he said.

"Wait, what?" Tetra did a double take. "We did what?"

"Talk, Tetra," he said patiently, unsure of what she was confused about. "Remember? Ever since the Ghost Ship—"

Her cringe was strong enough to cut him off. "Oh right, that's what you mean. And no, not now. I think I'm good. I'll just let you know when I'm not, alright? Alright."

"O...kay," Link said, raising a brow. He went to go get his other set of clothes. "I'll just...go get changed outside."

"Huh? Oh sure. Just knock before you come back in, alright?"

He didn't go right back to the base when he was done, though. He went to Roxy for two glasses of juice and she graciously obliged. He felt bad that they were planning to run; her generosity would be hard to leave behind.

He had only made it one step from the Octowok when Tetra opened the door of the base, now in a white nightgown with her hair down. He was fixated on her starry-eyed, faraway expression. It looked like she was trying recall something.

"Tetra?" Link spoke, holding out one of the glasses. "This is from Roxy...it's cherry juice."

"Uh...oh...thanks."

She eyed the juice suspiciously. Link drank all of his in one go and set the glass on the desk. Then he fell out, toppling to his back. Tetra gasped.

"Link! Can you..."

He began to snore.

"Oh for the gods' sake," she snarled. She went outside and poured her juice in the reeds. As she went back into the base, she failed to notice a pair of eyes watching her from the roof...