Chapter 7
Sage Lessons

As much as Maron enjoyed her time with Link and Navi, when the fairy had finally revealed herself about halfway towards their destination, the farm girl did find challenges in figuring out how to spend their time.
She tried to start a game of Eye Spy, but Link didn't know the alphabet, nor did he know what half the things in the wagon were called for that matter.
Link knew a game to pass time that involved drawing lines and circles in the dirt, but the wagon floor wasn't yielding, and Maron was very against him carving into the wood with his sword.

"Link, just show her your ocarina." Navi sighed, changing position for the thousandth time since she first lay down.

"O'car…?" As the farmgirl was struggling with the strange word, she watched Link pull from his bag what Maron thought to be a potato. That was up until Link played a quick melody from just a few sharp breaths.

"Can I try?" Maron nearly fell over herself trying to get a better look at it.

"Okay, you just need to cover these two holes with your thumbs…"

As Link showed Maron the easiest way to hold the instrument, Navi was gritting her teeth and tightly pressing her ears shut in preparation for what was about to come.
Then, exactly as predicted, mere seconds after Maron wiped her sleeve on the mouthpiece, the only 'notes' she produced were that of a screeching whistle that almost deafened Link and scared some of the horses outside.

"What was that?!" Called back the driver.

"Sorry!" Maron yelled back a little louder than needed, still getting used to the ringing in her ear as she handed the ocarina back to its owner.

"Like this," Link put the ocarina to his lips and started playing. His notes carried a cheerful melody, but he abruptly stopped when he saw the shocked look in Maron's eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked, finding himself at the receiving end of Maron's accusing finger.

"you, didn't wipe it first!"

Link and Navi shrugged at each other, neither having a clue what had Maron so worked up while the red-headed girl could only cover her blushing face after the indirect kiss Link just took from her.

When the padded noise of hoof on dirt became clops on stone, Maron sprung back to life, announcing that they were arriving at Hyrule's capital.
Moments later, Link shuddered at the city walls arching over them and blocking out the sun.
He, Navi and Maron stared out the back as the wagon made its way through the buildings with townsfolk closing in and crossing the road behind them.

Link had never seen so many people. All different shapes and sizes, wearing such a variety of different clothes and shouting at each other.
"They have it too," Link gasped, spotting features on these people that were shared by Maron's family at the farm.

"What?" Maron tilted her head as the boy rubbed his chin.

"Hair all over their faces!" Link exclaimed.

Navi just smirked to herself as Maron giggled. Although the fairy didn't know much more about beards than Link did, she'd seen enough adult Hylians to accept it as part of them.

It wasn't long before Maron heard their driver say 'whoa'.
Knowing this meant they were about to stop, she grabbed onto the hinged backboard of the wagon. Remembering what happened at the start of the ride, she also put an arm around Link to stop him from losing balance again.

However, Navi wasn't there at the start and so when the wagon stopped, she rolled back over herself.
"ouch…" She hissed, grateful that her wings weren't extended at the time and that neither of the children took notice of her fall.

Deploying her wings at last, Navi flew over to Maron.

"That saved us a lot of time, thank you," Navi had been hiding a small daisy that she plucked from the wild fields of Hyrule since before boarding the wagon. Now that they'd arrived at the city, Navi pushed the daisy through Maron's hair.
A gesture that made the young girl smile with glee.

"I love you so much Navi!" Maron screeched, failing to contain her excitement. "No one is going to believe I met a real fairy today!"

"Hehehe~" Navi was clearly loving this. A fairy is just another member of the community back home, but with Maron, Navi's very existence is treasured, and every kind act is received as a blessing.

As the wagon convoy started unloading in the town square, Maron hopped off out the back with Link following her lead and Navi clinging to his hair.
By herself, Navi tried to avoid being in the crowds. Too many people would swish their hands or try to grab her. She hoped being with Link would make her safe.
But the adults walking around were so much taller than him. She felt scared.

"I'm going to sit on your shoulder, Link."
Link was okay with her repositioning down where she could hide in his free-hanging hair, but he wished there was a way he could cope with the crowds too.
This was more people than he knew how to count. And they moved about so quickly, yelling, and bumping into each other.

"Maron, you run along to your lessons now." Her driver told the girl.

"Okay." Maron was about to disappear into the crowd, but when she saw the lost look on her new friends' faces, she went back for them. "Come on, follow me."

Link felt like everyone was barging into them, but Maron understood the traffic of the bigger city and navigated them all to a quieter spot.

"You never said why you wanted to come here,"

"We've been sent to give a warning… something is coming," Link explained, obviously at a loss for words.

"Something called a Ganondorf," Navi added for him, seeing that he was struggling to remember what it was called.

Maron stopped dead in her tracks.
"But that's just a story… Ganondorf isn't real."

"Do you know what it is?" Navi asked.

Maron shook her head. The subject would come up occasionally at her lessons, but the sage would never go into detail, claiming that saying the name too many times will invoke the end of the world. That its arrival is entangled in destiny and prophecy, the ruin of a kingdom.

"Either way, we've been asked to warn the royal family that it'll be here soon," Navi explained.

Maron gulped, looking away and covering her face at the mention of the royal family.
"Ganondorf isn't real…" She reiterated. "besides, I have to go to my lessons now…"

Link and Navi shared a look. Although they were sad to see Maron go, they had a mission. Real or not, they must tell the royal family of this plight before they can go home.
"Well, thanks for everything Maron." Link told her with a weak smile.

"If we happen by your home again, we'll make sure to see you before we return to the forest," Navi promised.

Maron turned to watch the pair go.
All her life, she envied the tales of heroes. Wished they were real. One book she has at home is actually of a fairy boy like Link protecting a girl on a farm and them going on adventures together. Meeting him gave her hope that, despite his silliness, maybe he'd be her knight in shining armour too.

Watching him go, moments away from getting lost in the crowd and disappearing forever, Maron couldn't let that happen.

"Wait!" She called, running along the cobbles to reach him. "You said you need to meet the royal family, but I bet you don't even know where to look, do you?" Maron looked at their faces, smirking as her suspicions were confirmed.
After all, how could a boy that doesn't understand what a horse is have any idea on how to track down members of royalty?

"Do you know how we could meet them?" Link asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ha! Do I know…" Maron crossed her arms. A proud smile grinned across her bright face.

"…do you?"

"Yes!" Maron impatiently grabbed Link's wrist and pulled him along at a pace. "It's just, I need to go do my lessons first. Can you wait around a bit longer?"

"uh… sure…" Given how much time was saved by Maron bringing them to the city, Link didn't see the harm in waiting for her. Especially if it means she can continue helping them complete the task.

Maron brought them to temple grounds.
Lots of children from other farms attend lessons along with those from the city.
Thinking Link might stand out, it was of great relief to Navi that Maron advised them both to stay out of sight.

The fairy folded her arms and legs as close as she could while her wings rolled up into little buds on her back.
The sight of all those unknown children with their grabby hands scared her, even at a distance.
With Navi back on his head, Link sat down against the wall of the old temple with his green tunic helping to blend him in against the moss and weeds growing up the brickwork.

"You and Maron seem to be getting friendly." Link teased, mimicking the faces the fairy and farmgirl made to each other.

"You can talk!" Navi laughed.

With some time to kill, Link and Navi shared some fruit from his bag and had lunch.

"Skipped breakfast, did you?" Asked a rather large man with a bald head, white moustache and wearing an orange robe. "Put your food away and come along…"

Although the man spoke softly, Link was a little scared by his clouded grey pupils under his bushy eyebrow.

Navi, however, was more petrified by the massive bird of prey sitting on the tall man's shoulder.
"bye Link…" Navi flew away to hide in a thorn bush while Link was escorted to the other children. Her tiny heart was pounding against her chest as the owl's eyes kept on her.

But the bird soon turned its attention on Link.

"You've not been here before, where are you from?" Asked the old man.

"The woods," Link explained.

"Please don't play games on your first day. Who did you come with, boy?"

Being pointed out by the 'new boy' turned all the children's attention on Maron, who just sat quietly and let out a deep sigh as Link was brought over and made to sit with her.
"you call that hiding?" She muttered to him.

"sorry…"

Maron shook her head. However, her biggest fear was introducing the strange boy. Now that that's been taken care of, all she had to do was get through her lessons without hassle.
It might actually be nice to have company for a chance.

As the tall man in orange robes walked about talking to the children attending his lesson, Maron found herself getting distracted by how she was going to get Link and Navi into the castle without being seen.
A lot of events were being planned for the upcoming weeks, and although Maron doesn't know all the ins and outs, it might be a bad idea to intrude.

"Maron?" Link whispered, not being able to break his stare from the wondering man. "What's wrong with his eyes?"

"Shhh!" Maron made sure they weren't being watched before answering. "He's blind, he uses the owl to see for him."

"You mean the bird?" Link's attention when to the large brown feathered owl. "So Kokiri get fairies, your people get horses and his get owls?"

"What? No, He's just…" Maron got the fright of her life when a set of robed legs appeared at the corner of her eye.

"Miss Koopa, are you still with us?"

"huh?-Yes!" Maron nodded, looking up to the old sage.

"Then perhaps you can shed some light on what happens if an unbalanced heart were to enter the sacred realm?"

"Well, um…" Maron had to think hard. Although she knew the answer, part of her wanted to play dumb. For no other reason, than to maybe get an answer, for herself and Link. "does it have something to do with Ganondorf?"

The sage stiffened as he moved away from the redheaded girl.
"I fear for the future of this world. I do," He said as he walked between the rows of glossy-eyed children, with his owl frowning at each of them. "I do my best to educate you on the spirit of goodness and hope, but it seems you all have a keen interest in the evillest creature that walked the red crust of this world." He spun on the spot, pointing to the heavens. "Before your ancestors walked this land, they walked islands floating above the clouds, but even this far back, Ganondorf's evil bubbled under the soil and took on the shape of man so he can one day take control of the sacred realm. And do you know how this is possible?"

Link and the children were silent, waiting for him to say the reason. But Maron could felt he was waiting for her answer first.
Only after the girl sheepishly shook her head would the sage of light respond.

"Because we'd gladly let him." He said. "An unbalanced person says one thing and thinks another. We may pray for salvation and peace with our mouths. But greed, envy, lust, and other wicked desires rest within all our hearts. Only through meditation and focus can we achieve enlightenment in the three sacred tenants of our heavenly mothers. Which are what, again…?"

Maron had forgotten this one, but one boy near the sage's foot started speaking.

"Farore, Lanayru, and Eldin!" Called out an excited young boy.

The sage chuckled softly, patting the boy on the head.
"Yes, quite right. Those are the mother's names. I meant, what are the three tenants?"

"Holiness!" "Power" "Strength…?" "Wisdom and Bravery!" "Goodness!" The children all said at once, giving similar but different answers each time.

"Courage?" Maron asked, feeling her answer was going to be wrong.

"Ah, the last horse finishes!" The sage clapped. "Wisdom, Power and Courage, are the three tenants of destiny. Armed with all three, one can defeat evil in whichever form it takes."

Link felt himself smiling. All of this was new to him, but he was glad people like the man in orange had hope for their future, even if this Ganondorf comes.

"Who of you believe yourselves to be wise?" Asked the old man.

Link watched as some children raised their hands.

"Who of you believe yourself to be powerful?"

Link watched fewer children raise their hands, but of those that did, they were wearing the sort of grins that he recognised Mido carrying whenever he had his friends around him. The sort that bullies often wear.

"Who of you are courageous?"

Everyone put their hands up. Even Maron.
From the children's combined answers, the sage merely smirked at all of them, but his attention fell on the new boy.

"What is your name?"

As Link gave his name, the boy noticed a nervousness about Maron.

"You never raised your hand. Not once. Do you feel you lack Courage? Wisdom?" The sage stroked his white moustache. "Do you perhaps carry a blade because you covet Power?"

Link felt a bit shy with all the eyes on him, but swallowing his fear, he admitted to the sage; "A Bokoblin in the woods dropped this sword last night." Link thought about his fight this morning. "I scared off another one today."

Maron narrowed her eyes on him, wondering if the monster she saw running away was indeed running from him. He was in that direction, after all.

"You liar!" One boy laughed. "A Bokoblin would have just eaten you whole."

Maron merely blinked, and Link was on his feet.
"I am Not a liar!" Before he could take a step forward, Maron grabbed his wrists and tried to pull him down.

Even Navi dashed over and behind Link's ear, whispering for him to calm down.
"this isn't the forest, fighting here will get you in a lot of trouble."

Link wasn't intending to start a fight with the boy, he just wanted him to take the liar comment back.
"Fine…" He nodded to Navi, who quickly flew back to her thornbush, hoping with every beat of her wings that the owl would stay with his master.
Everyone saw her though.

"what was that?" "did you see that fairy?" "where did it come from?" "I think it went that way…"

"Fingers on lips, children." The sage boomed.

Link gave everyone a questioning look as children ages with Maron and younger all put their fingers to their lips. Maron elbowed Link until he did the same, despite the fact that older children clearly weren't going to follow the example.

The lesson soon continued as planned by the sage. And as the day dragged on for both Link and Maron, eventually, the lesson ended and the children were all dismissed.

"I'll take you to the castle now," Maron whispered to Link, trying to lead him away from the crowd of children.

Link looked back at the thornbush Navi was sitting in.
She was surrounded by a few kids who'd kept an eye on the strange fairy.
She could easily fly over them but with so much distance between her and safe hands, Navi feared the owl coming for her.

"One second," Link pulled on Maron's grasp and began towing her back towards the bush, going against the flow of children wanting to exit temple grounds.

"Hey you, what's your name again?" Asked one of the taller boys as he approached.

"Link," Upon extending his reach to her, Navi arched up and over the children before landing on his palm, where he quickly shielded the small fairy beneath his fingers.
Then Link got surrounded, everyone asking to see, but Navi was tightening up in a small ball, shaking her head at Link, silently pleading for him to keep her protected.

"She's scared of people," Maron stated. "leave her alone-whoa…" Like before, Link led her away at full speed.

"Is this the right way?"

"Yes!" Maron looked back. As she suspected, they were being followed. "I can't get us to the castle with them behind us… And they won't stop until they take Navi from you."

Link looked back.
Some of the nine children were bigger than him, but he did have a weapon.
"Could I scare them with the sword?"

"No no, you can't!" Maron warned about the guards in town. Some young people are allowed to carry weapons for protection against monsters outside the walls, but only if they're never used in the city.

Navi let out a deep breath, but sprouted her wings and flew up onto Link's head. She could see brightly coloured stalls in the market area just across from the temple steps.
"I'll meet you both there," She pointed out their meeting location before jumping off and flying towards the pursuing children.
"Hi, everyone!" She greeted, keeping herself out of their reach.

They all gasped in amazement, reaching their hands out like Link had done, hoping to get her to come to them.
Everyone knows about fairies, but none of them had heard one speak before. Everyone who claims fairies talked to them are called mad and often ignored.
Now these elusive but often ignored creatures just became the centre of all the children's attention.

Navi flew over them before dipping lower to the ground, giving them the false idea that she could be caught.
They took the bait and followed after her just as she planned.

After a few minutes of luring all eight of them in circles around temple grounds and evading their coordinated capture attempts, Navi flew into the trees where the line of sight was quickly broken.
All that was left to do was regroup with Link and Maron.

"wait…" Navi counted them all one more time from behind the leaves. "Where's the tall one?"

As Link and Maron made their way to the stalls in the market, they had no idea that they'd been followed by someone more interested in Link's sword than a fairy. After all, being nearly three years older, surely he would be better suited to own a sword than some kid who plays with fairies.
All he needed was the right moment to take it from him.

"behind you…"

The boy froze in place and spun around.
People were walking by and ignoring him, but someone just whispered in his ear.
Who?
Where?

As Link and Maron arrived at the meetup point, Navi descended from the sky and hovered in front of them both.
"You were being followed, but I think I took care of it for now."

Maron very quickly recognised the boy from her lessons and led Link and Navi to a back street where they could lose him before making their way to the castle.

"Hey, Maron… I forgot to ask, how do you even know how to get in the castle?" Navi asked.

"It's a secret!" The girl called back with a grin.