Rauner had been the Head Priest at the Temple of the Goddesses, colloquially known to most of Hyrule as the Sanctuary, for over twenty years now. Before that, he'd been a junior priest for 25 years. In 45 years, he thought he'd seen it all in terms of people seeking refuge here: people fleeing abusive families, criminals on the run, pilgrims, random people spooked by the poes in the cemetery taking refuge until the sun rose again…
All were welcomed to stay as long as they kept the peace. Even the criminals, for Hylia's mercy outweighed even the King's justice. Nobody stayed forever anyway, even fugitives eventually tired of hiding.
He wouldn't have thought anything could surprise him anymore. And yet, nothing could have prepared him for the Princess of Hyrule herself to literally come out of the woodwork behind the altar at the front of the chapel. Her Royal Highness was filthy and bruised, her eyes were red and haggard, and she was accompanied by a guard in training who was no more presentable than she was herself.
Rauner shook off the shock: clearly, the Princess was in need of a refuge, which meant something had happened at the Castle. Hyrule was under attack, and the Princess had just fallen unto his lap to protect.
His old and rather frail lap. Goddesses help Hyrule.
The Royal Highness looked as though she was about to collapse from exhaustion. She was stumbling, barely able to stand, while her eyes stared at nothing. Her breath was shallow, her lips were trembling, and she was shuddering in spite of the chapel being quite warm.
Her companion presented similar symptoms. His eyes were darting everywhere instead of staring at one empty spot, but his legs were shaking and his breath came in quick and shallow. His jaw was twitching and his whole body constantly tensed up before loosening again.
Rauner steered both of them first to his bedroom, then to the secret room that connected to it through a passage behind a large painting of the Four Goddesses.
The secret room was set up like a shelter, with two beds and shelves full of clothing, travel food and other essentials. It looked like your quintessential secret shelter, which was precisely what it was meant to do. Rauner slid the portrait back in place, closing himself and the two youths in.
"Please be patient, your Highness, we're almost there," he said.
She nodded, while the boy continued to scan his surroundings.
The High Priest carefully stepped on a specific pair of floor tiles, and then struck a Sheikah crystal as if to light it. The actions triggered part of the floor to slide away, revealing a secret basement lit by an antique Sheikah lamp and accessible through a rope ladder.
He urged the Princess and her guard in training down, following through after them.
The Princess was hyperventilating by the time Rauner's feet left the last rung of the ladder and met the basement's floor. Up above, the trap door they'd gone through closed behind them with a soft noise, like a cushion landing on another: another old Sheikah trick to dull what should have been a sharp thud to nearly nothing.
The Princess startled and stared at the ceiling trap in shock, and then at Rauner.
"Don't worry, Princess!" the young trainee said emphatically and just a bit louder than necessary. "It's just wood and ceramic, I'll break it if it doesn't open again when we're ready to leave!"
The Princess's eyes whipped to her companion and she nodded, but she was still breathing too fast.
Rauner cleared his throat.
"It will open automatically if you step on this switch," he said, pointing to a tile on the floor that was just a bit crooked and otherwise unremarkable. "Princess, you must have been through quite the ordeal. Please, allow me to get you some calming tea."
The tea, administered to someone in such a state of exhaustion as the Princess was, would act as a sleeping draught, which was precisely what Her Highness needed.
"Aghanim..." the Princess started. "He... my father! Ga... Ganon!"
The rest of her words were drowned in tears as she fell to her knees and sobbed helplessly. She tried to stop, tried to regain the sheer will that had kept her going until now, and utterly failed. The safety of the sanctuary was drowning the drive her desperation had afforded her, leaving nothing but the despair itself.
Link's heart started hammering and his eyes went wide. He couldn't just let her cry like that, he couldn't just leave her to her misery! She couldn't, shouldn't face all of this alone! But what was he to do? He remembered her crying against him earlier and suddenly realizing he was hugging her, but there was no way he could do that again, not intentionally. She was the Princess, he had no business touching her. Or did he? If it comforted her for a moment, did it matter if it got him in trouble later? He didn't know, it was too hard to think right now.
He kneeled next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She startled, then immediately threw herself against him, crying once more into his chest. His mind went blank and his heart hammered harder until it felt as though she would not only hear it, but feel it thumping right through his rib cage. Link forced his arms to stay down to his sides and turned his eyes to the priest, desperate for something to get his mind back in gear.
"Aghanim is working for Ganon and is trying to let his demonic master back into Hyrule," he said, his voice turning gradually turning to something close to a growl as he spoke. "The vile traitor was going to sacrifice Princess Zelda at dawn! He was going to... to... to kill her! HE will DIE!" he suddenly roared. "How DARE he! He...!"
"You need some tea as well," Rauner said. "Be quiet in the meantime, this hiding place is NOT that sound proof."
The young man snapped his mouth shut. Against him, Zelda's sobs became choked as she tried to contain them.
Rauner went to the cabinet located in one corner of the room and extracted two bottles of water and two vials filled with amber liquid.
"This is Sheikah made," he said. "It will dissolve in the water and warm it at the same time." He emptied the vials in the bottles of water. "What's your name, young man?" he asked.
"Link," the guard in training replied.
He'd clearly made up his mind to chance being admonished for touching the Princess because he was now holding her in a hug. The Princess was crying silently now, but she was still shaking in exhaustion. Link's legs were shaking too, the kneel he was in seemingly testing his strength.
Rauner knew the name: the boy's parents had been faithfuls here, in the sense that they attended major services if nothing else, and he'd presented the baby to Hylia himself. "Sir Gedion's nephew?" he asked, to confirm.
Link's eyes flooded, his lips turned downwards, and he nodded.
Rauner steeled his mind: judging by the boy's reaction, he was an orphan all over again, but there was no time to dwell on this now. Sympathy and pity would have to wait. He crouched in front of the pair and presented the bottles. "Drink," he said. "We'll figure out the rest after. Neither of you is in any condition to figure out a plan, much less enact it, right now. This will help you sleep. It's safe to do so and you need it. You really, really need it. Drink."
Link eyed the bottle hesitantly through a veil of tears. The priest mentioning Sir Gedion had wakened the image of his uncle dying right in front of him, and with no immediate danger to himself or to the princess to distract him, Link couldn't push the pain and shock aside anymore. Just the same, was it really a good idea to take a nap? Were they really, truly safe here? He wanted to sleep, he'd never wanted to sleep more in his life, but did the Priest's offer sound reasonable just because it was tempting?
The Princess took the bottle with no hesitation. Link pushed his doubts aside and followed suite. They both drank quickly, emptying their respective bottles in just a few swallows.
They collapsed on the floor in each other's arms within seconds, fast asleep.
Rauner pinched his lips, looking at them. The sleeping draught would grant them rest for a few hours, something they both clearly desperately needed.
He wasn't sure precisely what was going on, but from what little they had said, it was bad: the Princess had barely escaped with her life, and had found no better protector than a boy.
She was just a girl herself, too. Children, both of them! Pursued by the Demon King and his servant! And quite possibly the only thing standing between Ganon and Hyrule!
He shuddered violently, then took a deep breath to brace himself. What would be would be, his role was to do what he could to help, and panic was not helpful.
He stepped on the tile that opened the trap door and went back upstairs. He needed to be at his post in case someone showed up looking for the Princess. Considering she was on the run, it was probably vital that absolutely nobody find out she was here, so as the priest, he could not be suspiciously absent.
Rauner was about a third of the way through his late morning prayers, started over due to the interruption from the Princess and Link, when he was interrupted once again. The interruption this time was by Aghanim himself, accompanied by numerous guards.
Rauner stopped his prayers and bowed to the wizard, desperately trying to decide how surprised to act at the visit and at the presence of so many guards. He never got the chance to make up his mind: Aghanim was on him with inhuman speed and bodily lifted him from the floor by his collar.
"The Princess," the wizard growled. "I order you to tell the truth."
Rauner felt the spell within the words, but being a priest for 45 years had its perks: no mortal could switch his loyalty away from the Goddesses. The spell washed over him, leaving nothing but fear of the consequences were he to lie to Aghanim. That fear paled in comparison to the thought of Ganon invading Hyrule, and was therefore easily conquered.
"Have you seen her?" Aghanim demanded. "She would have been with a boy, a guard trainee. He kidnapped her. Where is she?"
Rauner improvised a horrified air. "The Princess is missing?" he asked. "Sweet Hylia… I haven't seen her, your grace," he added desolately. "Would that I had… the poor Princess… a trainee? Goddess... betrayed by one of our own!" He shook his head and curled his mouth downward, the picture of grief.
Aghanim's eyes narrowed but he put Rauner down.
"My apologies, High Priest," the wizard said. "In my distress, I am losing myself. Yes. The Princess was kidnapped by this guard in training… a heartbreaking betrayal, the boy is descended from Royal Knights! I had hoped he would seek sanctuary here from the King's justice. You must understand that if he does, the Princess will need your help to escape her captor. You MUST contact me if they do come here."
The injunction was another spell, but since Link and the Princess were here already, and since Rauner was already talking to Aghanim, the obedience it commanded had already been given. Rauner was surprised: even if Aghanim was confident his first command to tell the truth had worked, this new one was phrased clumsily. Was the wizard not at his best after being foiled by the Princess' escape? Aghanim, before he had betrayed the King, had shown far more skill and intelligence in solving several crisis around Hyrule.
Rauner pushed the idle wondering aside and gulped as hard as he could. "Nayru, Farore and Din…" he said softly. He was reasonably certain the Goddesses would forgive him for calling their names in pretense. "Of course, your Grace. I trust that in such a scenario, sanctuary would still be maintained for the boy? Hylia's mercy is infinite, after all."
Aghanim's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "I would not dream of harming even the worst criminals as long as they are within these walls."
Rauner nodded and bowed again, keeping his face neutral and pretending he didn't see the glaring loophole Aghanim was allowing himself: if the wizard or his men found Link here, they would simply drag the boy outside before killing him.
Aghanim grunted and turned on his heels, marching right out of the Sanctuary with the guards.
Rauner waited for several minutes after their departure before allowing himself to collapse on one of the pews, shaking.
Three hours later, estimating that the two fugitives would soon wake, Rauner affixed a sign on the Sanctuary's door begging visitors to allow an old man his midday nap and to be quiet during their visit. He locked the door to his bedroom and made his way back to the secret room and from there, to the doubly secret basement.
He sat cross legged on the floor in front of the kids. They had rolled away from each other slightly, and as predicted, were starting to stir.
The Princess was the first to open her eyes, doing so with a gasp. She sat up in alert, and the movement, or the noise, woke Link up. He was on his feet nearly instantly, scanning his surroundings again, hand on the pommel of his sword.
"Peace, Link," Rauner said. "You're both safe for now."
Link fixed his eyes on him and his stance relaxed slightly.
"Sit," Rauner said. "With her Highness' permission, of course?"
Zelda nodded and Link, after a quick bow to her, sat.
Rauner nodded, satisfied. "Before anything else, we'll chase a bit more of your exhaustion away and lift your spirits a bit."
He walked to a set of shelves to his right and pulled out two boxes, each about half the size of a bread loaf. "I'm afraid I can only offer emergency rations, but they're not bad until you become bored with them, and they will still restore you."
"High Priest, we can hardly afford the time," the Princess said.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not hungry," Link echoed.
Both their stomachs, as though in unified protest, immediately growled in unison. Rauner sighed. "Princess, exhaustion and famine will not serve you. Eating as we speak will not slow us down that much at all, so please allow it for both yourself and the young man."
Zelda swallowed. "Very well," she said. "Thank you, High Priest, both for this and your counsel."
Rauner passed them each a box and sat in front of them as they opened the emergency meals. It was nothing particularly exciting: dried meat, hard biscuits, dried fruits and sealed bottles of water, but it would serve.
They both started in, quickly enough to confirm what their stomachs had already betrayed: they had been famished.
The High Priest waited for a time where they'd both just swallowed and were at no risk of choking from shock to break the silence. "Aghanim was here," he said.
The Princess and Link gasped and stared at him wide eyed, the food forgotten.
"He's pretending that Link kidnapped Zelda," Rauner continued. "He knows exactly who you are, Link. I was able to steer him away, and he has no knowledge of this room, or of the room that leads to it. Nobody does. You are safe as long as you stay here. Princess… what do you need from me?"
Zelda pinched her lips. She opened her bottle of water and drank a couple of sips, giving herself time to decide where to start. "Did you feel it, High Priest?" she asked. "Aghanim's aura? Or does he hide it anew?"
Rauner licked his lips. "I felt it," he said. "It was nearly overwhelming. That he was able to hide it for so long speaks to his power. That he isn't bothering anymore speaks to his confidence. I can only hope he doesn't realize that I was able to detect it. Princess... What IS he doing?"
She started talking. She told him Aghanim's plan and how she was the last thing standing in the wizard's way and preventing him from releasing Ganon into Hyrule, and she told him of the King's death and of Link's efforts to save her, and of how more had died along the way.
By the time she was done, Rauner noticed he was chewing on the knuckle of his thumb hard enough that it was bleeding. He pulled his hand away from his mouth, his cheeks flaring in embarrassment: he hadn't done that in decades.
He couldn't say anything for a moment. Aghanim was well on his way to allowing Ganon, the King of Evil himself, back into Hyrule. The Princess had barely escaped with her life, six other descendants of the ancient sages had not and were lost, and the King himself was dead while seemingly every guard and knight in Hyrule was under a spell to serve the Dark Wizard.
"Your Majesty…" he started. "I am so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Zelda said softly. "But do not call me that," she added more firmly. "I will not claim my Father's throne until I've rescued it from Aghanim and Ganon."
"Very well, your Highness," Rauner said, bowing his head. "How can we assist you in that?"
Link sat up straighter. This was it, this was when he found out how to continue to help Princess Zelda. He didn't care if she asked him to do menial or boring stuff, it would still be an honor. He didn't care if she asked him to throw himself into a pool of lava, he would do it if that's what it took to save her and Hyrule. He would help, he would do anything at all she asked him, he would help her save Hyrule and he would give her, and everyone else, at least a chance at finding some happiness again.
"We must defeat Aghanim," Zelda said, "but the amount of dark magic at his disposal makes victory through conventional means impossible. Even if we were to somehow regain my Father's army, they would be powerless against the Wizard. I pray that the spell he used to take control of all our guards and knights is not one he can cast again anytime soon, but he hardly has any need to: his evil power is more than enough to protect him against us." She took a deep breath. "Our only hope is the Blade of Evil's Bane."
Rauner closed his eyes and felt ice wrap around his heart. The Princess was absolutely right, but wanting or needing the Sacred Blade and securing it were unfortunately two very different things. An old priest, a young Princess and a guard in training had no chance at all of even coming close.