Ocarina of Time II: Parallel Symphony
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Part One: Boy
Chapter Two: Eleven -- Respite
Link played what he called 'Epona's Song,' happily keeping his Ocarina in time with Malon's singing. The song's magnificent namesake raced around the ranch, bringing the herd through the gate without need of any more help than the music. Talon bobbed happily as well, directing his beloved cuccos back to their nests to the beat. Every once in a while, he scooped up an egg with uncharacteristic grace. (So that's how he earns his keep around here, Link thought, eyes sparkling.) Navi danced happily around him, bobbing in perfect time. Even Ingo was smiling -- a little -- and tossing hay to the rhythm.
This is the life. Malon picked up the pace, and Link kept up effortlessly. They'd been at this for a while now, Link guessing from the sun's progress it had been half an hour. All the same, Link wasn't in any hurry to stop. That, of course, meant it was time for Malon to wrap up their jam session, which she did with a touch of a coda. Link trailed off afterwards, then stood slowly with a long, languorous stretch. Malon grinned with friendly mischief. "Okay, that's enough lollygagging, fairy boy," she teased.
"Lollygagging?" Link objected with feigned shock. "We brought in the herd, sped up Ingo, and even got your dad to do some work -- HEY!" he blurted, dodging a thrown cucco. Navi dove into his hat with a shriek and a peal of laughter as the Hero grabbed another cucco and returned fire. Neither of the children could quite stop laughing long enough to steady their aim, though, leaving in their wake a slow rain of feathers, a handful of outraged cuccos, and two winded musicians.
"You realize," Malon noted once she'd regained her breath, "we got four cuccos to round up now."
"Three," Link replied. "One followed your dad back as soon as it got out of your range." He grinned at the sound of Navi snoring. Honestly, that fairy could sleep through Ganon's Tower collapsing. Y'know, I'm starting to like being a kid again.
"MY range?!" Malon blurted, sitting up instantly. "You threw two cuccos for my one!"
"Only because you were spending so much time cucco-gliding," Link said saucily.
Malon gaped at him for another few seconds, then they laughed again. "You are so weird, fairy boy!" She grinned at him. "I think that's why I like you." Still chuckling, she started nudging cuccos after her father. "Like the first couple of times we met."
"Uh..." Link shuffled his feet. Uh-oh.
The rancher winked at him. "Sneaking into the palace like that. I figured you were up to something, but you helped wake up my dad anyway, so I knew you had to be nice." She shook her head. "Then when you came by the ranch that first time, it was like you didn't know if I remembered you! And you knew the place better than Ingo!"
"Don't let him hear you say that," Link replied, trying to keep his voice light. "You know how touchy Ingo can be." And he'd better stop at touchy. I'm glad I got sent back after I met Malon, though. I feel more...connected, I guess, this way. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to talk with Ingo. His good humor returned, and his smile strengthened. I don't think he'll try anything with the ranch this time around.
"Yeah," Malon said, rubbing the back of her head. "Funny, though, Ingo's always kinda skittish around you, like a colt around a wolf."
Link grinned. "I can't imagine why." They glanced at Ingo, who immediately vanished into the storage room. Well, it's not imagining if I know why, is it? They laughed again.
"Okay, okay, seriously," she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, "we got a delivery for you." The ranch mistress grinned at him. "Since you're so all-fired stubborn about 'earning your keep.' I guess saving kings and protecting princesses don't pay too well."
"Malon..." Link's own smile slipped. Why does she always have to do this? "I can't take money for that. It...it wouldn't be right."
"Whatever," she said with a shrug, still grinning. "Works out pretty nice for us. Epona's the fastest horse in Hyrule, and she won't take no other rider but you." She got up and headed for the stables. "It so happens that your delivery is for the Castle. That's another advantage to having a big shot Hero working for us -- no worries about guards holding you up for a week."
Link nodded. The run to Hyrule Castle was becoming almost routine. "What's the package this time? You told off the idiot who wanted Epona to carry that big metal chest, right?"
Malon's eyes narrowed for a moment. "You bet." Then they flickered to Link, her expression becoming more amused and sly. "This one's nice and small. A present for the royal family."
"That's fine, I guess..." Link grimaced. Malon's really milking this one. He winced, remembering the cow she'd gotten into his house -- again. Even Saria still wouldn't tell him how they did it. 'Let a girl have her secrets.' Pheh. "Any idea who it's from?"
"Yeah, some country called Altea. They want to get a jump on the whole suitor thing." Malon busied herself with brushing one of the horses.
Link's mind locked up. A suitor? ALREADY?! Din, Nayru and Farore, she's only eleven! He briefly considered playing it cool, then dropped the notion immediately as absurd. Not only was he never going to pull it off, this was Malon he was talking with. "Isn't that a bit...premature?"
"Pre...you mean early? Some days, fairy boy, I think you got hit with a dictionary as a baby," Malon quipped.
"When I was ten, actually," Link retorted with a chuckle. His good humor vanished when he remembered Altea. "How far is it?"
"Oh, the package is already here," Malon replied innocently. "They thought it'd help if the big-shot Hero delivered it himself."
I'm going to kill her, Link thought in annoyance. "I take it Altea's not far?" he asked as casually as he could manage.
"Not far north of the Gerudo desert, just across the mountains from Castle Town, really," Malon explained smoothly. "Of course, those mountains are crazy to get across. Much easier to go through the valley. A Gerudo in white and pink, believe it or not, brought the package here. Thought it was real funny," the ranch girl finished with a giggle.
"Yeah, Nabooru's sense of humor's...really something," Link said dryly. "Where's the package?"
Malon gestured with her head for Link to follow, then led him to the ranch house. Going behind the desk and shooing the cucoos, she pulled out a long, fairly thin box wrapped in some glittery substance that looked more like metal than cloth. It reminded Link a little of paper, but why someone would wrap a present in paper was beyond him.
The young Hero scowled slightly. What in the name of the gods did they send her? Suddenly suspicious, he whipped out the Lens of Truth. "Link!" Malon objected immediately.
"I just want to make sure it's safe," Link replied, peering at the package. "Huh." He glanced at Malon, who had folded her arms and was impatiently tapping her foot. "It's a sword."
"Well, good," Malon said darkly. "It means they're showing Princess Zelda some respect. What gives you the right--"
"I've been charged with the princess' safety by Impa and the king himself," Link shot back hotly. "It's my duty." He glanced back at the package, an image appearing in the back of his mind suddenly. He saw a small flat stone that matched the image. "And I'm glad I did it. There's something else in here."
Malon's thunderous expression melted like morning mist. "There -- there is?"
Link frowned. "It looks like a warp stone, like the ones at each of the temples. I bring this into the castle, you could get half a dozen assassins in before anyone knew what was happening."
"But...but Altea's friendly with Hyrule." Malon looked up at Link. "Isn't it?"
Link shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who knows where they are." He glanced back at the package again as he replaced the Lens, watching it as warily as he would a Wasteland rattler. "It could be innocent. I'll ask for Impa at the gate." He grinned, and Malon's eyes went wide. "If the Alteans have a surprise planned for Zelda, we'll set up a little surprise of our own."
"You're scary sometimes, you know that, fairy boy?" Malon asked quietly. Link glanced at her in confusion for a moment, then looked away, grin vanishing.
"Part of the job, I guess," he replied softly.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"Din burn me!" Impa swore as she thrust past soldiers. Sir Ashei gaped at her as the Sheikah rushed past -- Impa couldn't remember the last time she'd used such an oath -- but for once, she didn't care.
Link had requested her presence at the town gate. He had a package he wanted her to examine. The guards had reported to her that the pup had been calm and polite. Apparently, they weren't alarmed. Impa mercilessly throttled a desire to thump every last one of them on their gods-forsaken helmets. Link is refusing to enter the castle with a package, and not one of them finds that cause for alarm? Peace has made them soft. She shuddered to think what Hyrule's warriors would be like after a century of this.
On the other hand, she doubted Ganondorf was that patient. Though he has been patient enough to wait in his accursed desert for over a year. That worried her. Hyrule had time to plan, surely, to prepare its defenses, but they were operating blind. Nabooru had left a few Gerudo loyal to her behind in Ganondorf's camp; the heads of all save one had been sent back to the Sage of Spirit, looks of utter terror on their faces. Impa had seen more horrors in her time than most entire nations did in three generations, but the Gerudo King worried her like no enemy before. Zelda is all I have left, she thought, amazed at her own calm when she considered what little future remained to her ancient tribe. I will not let the Gerudo harm her again.
Once she was close enough to clearly see the agitated pup handling the box as if it held a poisonous serpent, Impa performed the necessary kuji-in and warped across space. While not as powerful as Farore's Wind, it was far quicker and easier to use -- once mastered. Link jumped a bit when she appeared beside him. Navi squealed and dove beneath his hat. "Do you have to do that?" he blurted, the tiny fairy peeking out nervously. Link's eyes flickered up briefly, and his companion disappeared again.
Impa did not smile. She had spent over a century mastering her self-expression. Nevertheless, the boy's reaction elicited that now-familiar feeling of a smile forming in her heart. "It was more efficient. At eleven, it is unlikely that you will suffer any detriment to your health from your heart beating more quickly." Link scowled at her, and the Sheikah had the distinct impression that the boy was swallowing an expression as well, namely the urge to stick out his tongue. "What have you found?" she asked. Humor had its place and time, and that time had passed quickly.
Link became serious immediately. "See for yourself," he said, holding the Lens out for her.
"Hm." Impa regarded the pup for a moment. It was time to trust him a little more. "I do not need it. The Lens is -- was -- a Sheikah training tool. It is useful for the young, and for Heroes in great need of course, but the Eye of Truth is the true art." She touched the legendary Sheikah Eye below her neck as Link's real eyes widened. "It is the pinnacle of Sheikah focus -- the power to see through all illusion and deception and know Truth." She regarded her charge's Hero carefully. "Perhaps, if we have time, I will teach you one day." Link simply nodded and held the package out to her.
Impa took the box and focused, opening the Eye of the Brow. There was an exquisite, slender sword inside, its crossguard plated in gold and hilt wrapped in royal purple silk. A magnificent gift, indeed, she thought coolly. Now where is the suspect...ah. Truth revealed the stone and its purpose to her, though what the Alteans intended with it, she could not say. The magic was Altean, making it unlikely that Ganondorf had placed it, but it seemed an odd thing to include if their intentions were noble. "Come," she said simply, walking across the drawbridge into the city.
Link followed obediently, if clearly with some confusion. "Um, Miss Impa, is this a good idea?"
Impa did allow herself a smile this time, cool and sharp. "Fear not, pup. I know a place to open this with safety. Rest assured that the princess will not be the one receiving the unpleasant surprise." Link smiled back, his own expression almost wolfish in its predatory gleam. You do have charm, Impa added to herself. I wonder if your talent for seeping into the hearts of others is born of your status as Hero, or one of the reasons you were Chosen.
She sighed inwardly, though her self-control remained; no trace of the emotion reached the surface. It seems that my own heart is not as impervious as I thought. You seep well, pup. Her own son would have been barely a year older than Link...
No. A flicker of will, and the Sheikah brought all wandering thoughts to heel. Impa came up to the vines that Link still used to bypass the gate -- she had long since sealed that gap in the castle's defenses, but those she had hand-picked to watch the route had specific instructions to let Link pass -- and took three steps to the right of them. There, she performed another Sheikah hand gesture. The familiar opening appeared before them. Link gaped. "Gods! Eight years, and I had no idea..."
"Hush," Impa replied quietly. "It was not eight years for you, it would have done you no good with the castle grounds shattered, and even the Lens does not reveal simple trickery." She glanced down at him. "Sheikah craftsmanship is particularly resistant to such methods."
Link nodded. "Yeah, I'll bet," he whispered. "Is this how you and Zelda escaped?" Impa nodded as she led the boy forward. He examined the passage with a strange air as the entry sealed behind them. It's almost as if he's...grateful to it. The notion was absurd, of course.
"There are more passageways down here than merely a secret castle entrance, of course," Impa explained. "Once, the Sheikah used these tunnels to protect the castle and Nohansen family." She turned right. Link hesitated, clearly aware that she was moving away from the castle, but quickly caught up. "Good lad. Stay close." Link obeyed as they threaded through what, to the boy, must have been a maze to rival the temples Ganondorf had twisted. Finally, they came to the room Impa sought. She stepped in and gestured for Link to do the same. He obeyed immediately. Impa performed the same kuji-in she'd used to open the passage, and the chamber door closed. "Now." She placed the package on the bare wooden table, the room's only furnishing aside from small torches enchanted to burn eternally. "Let us see what the Alteans have in mind."
Link frowned. "I don't mean to doubt you, Impa, but there's only the two of us. If it is an invasion force..."
"Then we teleport outside." Impa's eyes glittered like the heads of Ice Arrows. "They will find that their magics are not as effective as ours once they arrive." She tore the wrapping perfunctorily and opened the box. When nothing happened, she snorted faintly, then tossed the stone to the ground, sure to leave enough room around it for a person to appear. Link nonchalantly placed his hand on his sword hilt. Navi reappeared, hovering above his head.
There was a whuff of air displacement, and a handsome boy clad almost entirely in blue appeared. He was about three years older than Link, at Impa's guess, with hair almost the same color as his garb. His ears were stubby and round, even shorter than a Gerudo's, and he wore a long saber-like blade that was designed to be used either one- or two-handed. He was smiling with quiet triumph when he appeared, but the look vanished quickly at the sight of the Sheikah glowering at him, arms folded, and the 'Kokiri' boy holding his sword hilt. Navi shot into place above the youth's head, glowing yellow ferociously. The boy very slowly and very carefully raised his hands above his head. Again he smiled, but it was a weak, nervous thing this time. "I surrender?" he asked quietly.
"Yes," Impa drawled, allowing the slightest tinge of amusement to creep into her voice. "You do."
Link huffed and released his sword. "You're the suitor, aren't you?" Navi returned to Link's shoulder, her color flickering back to normal, but Impa could tell that she was watching the newcomer like a falcon.
The boy nodded slowly. "I am Marth il'Anri, Crown Prince of Altea. I was hoping to impress the royal family with our nation's cunning and magical talent." He chuckled. "I take it that I have failed rather miserably on that count."
"You will find that deception will not impress the princess in the least," Impa replied coolly, eyes still locked on the supposed prince's.
"Oh, I'm not really trying to woo an eleven year old girl," Marth objected quickly, waving his hands in denial. Impa was not surprised to hear Link release a tiny exhalation of relief. "This is really more of a diplomatic mission than anything else." He glanced wryly at his arms, then back at Impa. "May I lower my hands, Lady Sheikah?"
Impa regarded him briefly, and Link's attention returned to the princeling, redoubled. "You may," she replied, and Marth let his hands drop in palpable relief. "You are well informed. Sheikah are rather scarcer than we were, and we were never common."
"Actually," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck in a very Link-like manner, "your fame has spread a fair amount, my lady, albeit primarily by catenative assemblage."
The young Hero blinked. "By primary assembly of what?" he asked.
Marth cleared his throat nervously. "Her connection to you, Master Link," he said, and Link's eyes went wide. The Hero blushed furiously, and this time Impa let her tiny smile show. "Your exploits across Hyrule and in the strange Realm of Termina are renowned throughout the continent. You defeated Ganondorf's monsters, saved the High King of Hyrule from the villain himself, then resurrected the forest god Deku."
Link shook his head sadly. "Not resurrected. I, well, I planted the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, kind of like a seed, and...there's a Great Deku Sprout now. He's good and kind, and his powers have renewed the Kokiri, but he's the Great Deku Tree's heir, not the Tree himself."
Marth lowered his head briefly. "You have my sympathies, Hero." He looked up again, expression smoothing over. "More recently, according to the tales, you destroyed the legendary demon-god Majora while questing for your diminutive friend." He nodded a bow to Navi.
The fairy's gaze did not waver in the least. "He rescued me from a stubbly little lunatic who..." She grimaced. "He locked me in a cold iron cage. You don't want to know the rest." Navi landed on Link's shoulder, gave his neck a grateful caress with her microscopic hand, then glared at Marth again. "He went through a nightmare of warped Time I can't even begin to describe to save me and Termina. What was three days for the rest of us was more like three months for him. So trust me, Your Highness, you don't know a tenth of it."
"I will take your word for it, fair Navi," Marth said, bowing to her, "yet even the tenth we know from the minstrels' tales is heroic enough."
Link glanced at his azure companion. "Gee, I wonder how those got started," he said wryly. Impa sensed the fairy smiling with faux-innocence. Indeed.
"However they did," the prince said with a friendly air, "I daresay you've become a legend yourself."
"Me?" Link squeaked. "A legend?"
"Indeed. In fact, I was hoping you would return with me to Altea after my, ah, 'suiting' was complete. Ganondorf has retreated to his desert stronghold for the moment, and my nation is facing some danger of its own." Marth's eyes went distant, and he looked away. "Our neighbor, Dolua, is preparing for war, and I believe they mean to invade. Our agents fear they might even intend to resurrect the terrible dragon Medeus."
Impa hissed through an intake of breath. Medeus. The Black Hand of Mandrag. Gods be good. Link glanced between Marth and Impa, then back. "Of course I'll help," he replied immediately. The Sheikah had to actually apply her will to suppress a groan. Reckless boy! she thought with exasperation, but neither could she deny the pride that swelled within her. "On one condition, though -- next time, use the front door, okay?"
Marth gaped at the Hero. Then he laughed. "Agreed, my friend."
The last Sheikah shook her head. "Come. We must find the princess." She gestured, and a Sheikah headband appeared. "You," she said forcefully to Marth, "will remain blindfolded until I say otherwise. Once we are in the castle proper, I will present you to the royal family. There, you can present your gift and explain your plight to the king. The princess will speak with you later."
Marth's eyes flickered from Impa to Link. "I see," he said simply.
The Hero raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Come," Impa repeated. Thank Nayru for the boy's innocence. Facing away from the pair, she could both perform the gesture secretly and permit herself a more genuine smile. I will have to teach Link this secret.
"What?" Link insisted. Marth chuckled softly, though it seemed fond enough. Navi's giggles rang like tiny bells as she flew back into the Hero's distinctive cap. "What!? Someone tell me what's going on!"
"I do not think," Marth said quietly as the door opened, "that you want to know." Link grumbled to himself in annoyance, repacking the box sans stone, while Impa turned to the young prince. Marth accepted the blindfold without resistance.
Well, no one ever said that service to the royal family would be a simple task.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
"You're famous!" Zelda exulted, beaming. To Link, her smile was brighter than the sunlight streaming through the stained glass window. A nearby door beckoned to the fields just outside.
That's it. I'm going to be stuck like this, Link thought as his blush deepened, embarrassed beyond words. When they make a Link mask, it'll just be solid red with eye holes. "It's no big deal, really," he replied in almost a whisper.
"No big deal?" Zelda asked incredulously, an impish grin glowing at him. "A prince came to ask you to save his kingdom! I think that's a pretty big deal!" The grin vanished. "You are going to be careful, right?"
It was as if she'd handed him the grin. "Don't worry, Zel. This won't be my first dragon by a long shot." He gestured, and the Megaton Hammer appeared in his hands. He staggered for a moment, then stood upright. "It's still a little big, but I'll manage. And," he added, eyes flickering, "if it gets really bad...I guess I have the Fierce Deity Mask."
Zelda's smile returned, this time kind and encouraging. "You can handle that mask. I know you can." All at once, she grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the door. "I've made a royal decision. We're done worrying for the day."
"Wh-wha-Zelda-" Link stammered as he allowed her to tow him outside. The sky was crystal blue in its clarity, Din's radiance shining on Hyrule with the sun at its zenith. Butterflies flitted from flower to flower, and the guards stood stoically around the field, nearly as still as the trees.
"Sh," Zelda insisted gently. Link went still. "Listen."
Shoving unfair thoughts of the sleeping Navi into the back of his mind, Link obeyed, leaning forward and cocking his head to one side slightly. "I hear the wind. Birds. Castle Town at midday."
"That's right," Zelda said, smile growing. "No rampaging giants, no damsels being distressed, no Stalchildren climbing out of the ground or Moblins marching or Poes haunting the skies." The princess winked. "Not even Lenzo chasing you to get his hands on your Hover Boots."
"Well, I did lend them to him for his experim--" Link began.
"Hush," Zelda insisted. The Hero obeyed with a small, indulgent grin. "Now." She folded her hands in front of her and gazed at him warmly. "Do you have a Deku Stick?"
"A what?" Link asked, flabbergasted. Those eyes...
"A Deku...Stick," Zelda repeated slowly, the eyes in question sparkling with glee. "You know, like the ones you carry around all the time? My best friend told me they're easy to find in the Kokiri Forest."
Link's throat seized up. Her best friend... "Wow. I mean..." He shook his head quickly, then obediently summoned a Deku Stick from his fairy pouch. "Okay."
Zelda gently directed him to a small patch of flowers. Two butterflies fluttered around them. "Now hold very still." She put her hands on his arms, helping him carefully lower the stick. Then she let go, standing there by his side and waiting.
One of the butterflies fluttered around the pair, then flew around the Deku Stick, landing at its tip. As Link watched in amazement, a swirl of golden light swallowed both the butterfly and the stick, leaving a large fairy hovering before them, her impressive glow obscuring even her wings. "wow," he whispered.
Zelda's smile was as bright as the sun again, with a faint air of cream on her metaphorical whiskers. "Uh-huh." Then she raced to the slope, laughing as she jumped over and slid down it on her royal dress. "Can't catch me!" she laughed.
"Wh-ZELDA!" Link cried, chasing after her. The moment's panic vanished, though, when he realized the only danger she was in was from her father scolding her over the dress. What the heck. He laughed and slid after her, giving chase. "No one escapes the mighty Link, vanquisher of--" Link gaped as he flew past the edge of the slope, beginning an unintended arc over the path. Zelda was leaning against the hillside, arms folded and smiling serenely up at him. "WAAAAAH!" he cried (as he always did when he fell), then landed with a meaty thump on the opposite side of the path from the princess. Navi burst from his hat, spinning around dizzily and darting from side to side to look for danger.
Zelda waved to them with a relaxed, friendly air. Then she darted up the path, laughing musically. "Don't just sit there!" Navi shouted, appearing over Zelda with a deeper blue glow. "After her!"
"No fair!" Zelda gasped between laughs. Link grinned and gave chase. The guards sighed and smiled indulgently as the two children giggled madly and raced through the flowers, between trees, and around the soldiers.
It's good to be alive, Link decided.