Except for the travellers.

            Donalbain led the way of the small party, tracing a path that he had traversed for many years toward the nearest village where the much anticipated Mid-winter Festival was to be held in two days time.

            Next in line came the horses, Silvermane and Winter, brought to the land by Link and Vincent on their quest to find their friend and princess. Atop the horses rode Zelda and Hecuba along with the many supplies and goods they would need both on their trip and stay at the distant village.

            Last came Link with Vincent, the walking comatose being led by Link’s careful hand. Link had decided to bring his sword despite the assurances by Hecuba that it would find no use. Her argument had fallen on deaf ears as the tool of a warrior is seldom far from his grasp, just as the tools of any tradesman are always at hand to their masters. She had not been pleased.

            “How much farther is it?” asked Zelda from atop Silvermane.

            Donalbain sighed and did not even bother turning his head to answer. “Still about a day’s travel. Please stop asking- we get there when we get there!”

            Zelda sniffed loudly to show her displeasure at the attitude of her host but said nothing. Behind her, Link and Hecuba were busy trying to mask their laughs as coughs at the princess’s behaviour and the resulting reactions from the old man. They immediately masked their faces when the girl turned angrily at glare at them.

            “And just what is so funny?” she demanded.

            Link shook his head. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He coughed briefly and turned to Hecuba, wishing to change the subject. “So Hecuba, tell us more about the festival.”

            Zelda’s mood immediately changed and she turned upon the old woman in excitement.

            “Yes, Hecuba! Please!”

            The old hostess nodded and held up a hand. “Of course, children. There is no need to beg so loudly.” She paused for dramatic effect and began.

            “Many, many years ago, before anyone lived in this forest, there lived the sprites. There little fellows inhabited the trees and the earth and all living things. One day they were playing in a field when all of a sudden a man fell out of the surrounding brush. Startled, the sprites vanished, but one of them stayed behind. This sprite was Needle. Needle was a sprite of the pine trees and had never seen a human before, so naturally she was curious.

            “She moved closer to the man and discovered him wounded for he had been in a battle several days before not far from the fringes of the great forest. This man was the great Lord Cuthbert who had so bravely defended Forhas from the tyrannical Nobles and their armies. Wounded during battle, his faithful steed carried him deep within the trees until the poor thing had died of exhaustion. Cuthbert had crawled the rest of the way. As soon as her eyes fell upon the wound, Needle promised to save the man.

            “For three days and three nights little Needle cared for Cuthbert tirelessly. The other sprites called her wasteful and stupid for tending to a human, but Needle did not care, for her heart had gone out to the lord. On the night of the third day, Cuthbert finally opened his eyes and gazed at the little sprite next to him. He smiled and gave his thanks to the creature. Seeing his eyes and hearing his thanks made Needle all the more dedicated to aiding the lord but it was futile- That night, Lord Cuthbert died from his wounds and poor Needle buried him.

            “The other sprites were furious that a human should be buried within their sacred forest and tried again and again to exhume the body, but Needle stood bravely atop the grave, still crying from her loss and refusing the sprites their anger. Where the little thing’s tears fell, they carpeted the land with pine needles, hiding the grave from the sight of the evil sprites. This is why the pine trees cry every autumn in a ring beneath their boughs- to protect the grave of the sprite’s lost love from those who would see it destroyed.”

            Hecuba sighed. “And from that day, there has always been a celebration to commemorate the death of a great man and the pure sprite who helped him. A festival of three days and three nights in the middle of winter attended by everyone within the forest boarders.”

            “How many people are usually there?” asked Link.

            Hecuba thought for a minute before responding. “I would say about forty or fifty. Of course, every year there are new additions to the families and a few less on some. It is always a time of great fun for everyone. If you hadn’t noticed, there isn’t a lot to do to amuse yourself in the middle of a forest. Just work and sleep.”

            “And you only have one festival a year?” asked Zelda, shocked.

            The old woman smiled at the girl. “Of course. We wouldn’t want to spoil ourselves, now would we?”

            Zelda groaned and looked back to where Link was walking. She rolled her eyes and frowned. Link smiled in return. He knew exactly what she was saying. As princess, Zelda had gone to hundreds of parties and festivals in Hyrule- such things happened all the time among royalty. After all, they had neither fields to plough nor livestock to feed. They only had time and money. The past few weeks in the home of Donalbain and Hecuba have probably been the most that the girl had ever worked before in her life.

            The small party continued in silence for many minutes before the sharp sounds of movement caught their ears from nearby within the woods. Link immediately placed his hand protectively on the hilt of his sword, ready within a moment to strike at danger. The movement continued for a few seconds before a shout was raised, immediately ending the tension that had been building in Link’s shoulders. A tall man appeared from behind a thick group of trees and yelled happily, waving his arms frantically at Donalbain.

            “Hello there, old man!” the stranger called, strolling up to the travellers, adjusting the massive pack on his shoulders as he extended his arm to grasp Donalbain’s. The old man grinned widely.

            “Hello, Jagger!” laughed the old man. “Has it really been a year since we saw each other?”

            The tall man nodded, his neatly cut hair shaking snow like an avalanche as he did so. “Almost to the day! And Hecuba, lovely as ever, I see.”

            The portly woman smiled warmly at the man from her horse, reaching up to hug the man. “It’s wonderful to see you, too, Jagger.” She said happily.

            “I’ll ask again, my dear woman: come away with me and leave the old man behind! Embrace your hidden love!”

            Hecuba blushed deeply and laughed. “You know perfectly well that Donalbain is the only man for me, despite your asking me to run off with you every year. Ask again next year!”

            The three old friends laughed together and hugged many more times before the stranger, Jagger, finally turned to the new guests from Hyrule.

            “And I notice a few new faces here, and unless Nature has started birthing children fully grown, I’d say that the forest has some new hands to work it.” He turned to Donalbain expectantly. “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

            Donalbain coughed lightly and began introducing the newcomers to his old friend.

            “This is Jagger, an old friend of mine, who lives a good two day’s journey to the south of us, harvesting the wild jelly from the trees to sell to the nearby town. Makes a fortune.” He paused. “Jagger, this is Zelda, Link, and Vincent. They are spending the winter with us.”

            The tall man shook hands with the two travellers (Vincent only looking blankly at the offer) and immediately joined the small caravan on their way to the festival.

            “So what are Hylians doing in this part of the world?” asked Jagger after a while.

            Link and Zelda exchanged glances and Link explained. “Zelda here was banished from Hyrule for a crime she didn’t commit. She came here, and I followed along with Vincent here.”

            The tall man looked to the Calatian. “Doesn’t speak much, does he?”   

            “The boy has had a very rough couple of weeks. Some very nasty surprises, from what I can tell,” explained Donalbain. “That’ll do something horrible to a young man’s mind.”

            Jagger nodded thoughtfully. “That it will.” He paused. “Strange seeing a pair of Hylians travelling with a Calatian these days.”

            “How do you know he’s Calatian?” asked Zelda.

            “That is the uniform of a Calatian guardsman, isn’t it?” asked the newcomer.

            Link nodded. “So?”

            “Haven’t you heard? Calatia was invaded by Hyrule. They’re at war.”

            This news hit everyone in the company by surprise. Even Hecuba and Donalbain looked shocked for a moment.

            “When did this happen?” asked Zelda, her voice barely a whisper, her face drained of all colour in shock.

            “About a few weeks back. From what I hear from the villagers I deal with, war was declared just out of the blue. That’s not even the surprising part- everyone knew a war was brewing. No, the surprise was that Calatia fell within a week!”

            There was a stunned silence as they walked on, each thinking about this new turn of events. Open warfare was rare in the Seven Lands. The last war had been the better part of a century ago, involving every nation in the known world against the invading Sunians in the south. Both Zelda’s father, the late King Gerrik, and the Calatian King, Eridanus, had fought in that war, and so had their fathers and brothers. Even today, so many years after the war, there were still tales of the horror the Sunians had brought upon the Seven Lands- whole tracts of lands were destroyed by the mighty magic of the Sunians which Hylian magic was only just able to defend against. Much of the Southern nation of Arkhas had been obliterated and turned to wasteland from the warfare and disease following it.

            To have the two most powerful nations of the Seven Lands fighting each other seemed unthinkable. And for Calatia to just roll over within a week to Hyrule was mind-boggling.

            “Trine,” Zelda whispered after a while.

            All eyes looked to her in confusion and expectation. She continued.

            “When Trine became king of Hyrule and of Delabor, he must have thought he had enough power to take on Calatia.”

            Hecuba added her thoughts. “But to tackle Calatia in such a short time… Hyrule must have had very powerful magic on it’s side. Very powerful magic.”

            Link and Zelda again exchanged glances, and both knew what must have happened.

            It was not until hours later, when they band of travellers had stopped for the night, and dinner had been finished, that the two Hylians found enough solitude and time to talk with each other.

            Suddenly everything made sense.         

            The last few months had been set into motion by the escape of the wizard Ashir from Hylian custody. A follower of the evil wizard, Aghanim, Ashir was undoubtedly the most likely wizard to help Trine accomplish whatever goal he was after.

            Trine helped Ashir escape from Hyrule. With such a high profile prisoner escaping, it was to be expected that Link, the royal protector would be hot on his trail. With a fake trail leading off into Calatia, Link would be gone for weeks tracking down a wizard in a land notorious for its hatred of magic. With Link out of the way, all sorts of underhanded dealings could be accomplished. The death of King Torvus could be pulled off, and with Sir Rampt- very likely a conspirator with Trine- heading the investigation into the death, no evidence would be found. Under the eye of Ashir, Trine could control Queen Mira and then his own mother, Queen Julia, until he was ready to take the throne, making sure along the way to remove any potential problems, such as Zelda and Link and Auldric.

            Zelda was furious. “How could we be so stupid!?” she screamed. “We let him just walk in and grab power! We may as well have given him the throne!”

            Link barely said a word to vent his anger and frustration. All this time he had thought of Trine as nothing more than a strange noble, with a morbid fixation on being able to inflict pain in others. Now Link knew the truth. He was a smart and cunning mastermind to have thought up a plan so complicated and subtle, that no one in the entire world had seen it. Coincidences suddenly made sense, and personal choices now seemed expected and planned by others.

            “So should we head back to Hyrule?”

            Link snapped himself out of his brooding thoughts at Zelda’s sudden question.

            “No,” he replied. “We can’t just walk in and ask Trine to leave. We would be arrested as soon as we set foot inside the castle.”

            Zelda looked solemnly at the glowing campfire around which she and Link now sat, the others sleeping soundly only a few feet off. “What about going to the people of Hyrule? If we tell them what has happened, surely they would join us against Trine. He wouldn’t-“

            “No,” Link said sharply.

            “Why not?” asked the princess indignantly. “It’s not as if everyone in Hyrule is stupid and just follows the orders of the king!”

            Link just shook his head. “Not everyone is that stupid, but too many are. Have you ever been outside of the castle walls? And not just to journey around the country, but just remained inside of the city? The orders of the king and lives of the nobility don’t really apply to the average person- the average person just wants to be left alone to do what he wants and to feed his family. Even in war, it is the same thing. People who sign up for the army are doing it not for the king, but for their friends and maybe even for their country; they could care less about the whims of the royals and the politics of the world.”

            “But is we told them the truth…!”

            “They wouldn’t believe us. A few would demand proof, but most would just say ‘we didn’t go to war to fight for a corrupt king, we went to war to fight for our country and its honour!’, or even more likely, ‘I could care less, as long as there is still food on the table and money in my pocket.’ Besides, who would believe a banished princess and her lackey? I’m sure that not just a few would think that we just wanted revenge against Trine for giving you the boot. The truth would not apply to such an argument- you of all people should realize that politics and wars like this one are all about the façade and the impression. Reasons don’t matter; as soon as someone influential claims that the nation’s pride has been slighted, people are queuing up to join the army and avenge their nation, regardless of the truth in the claim.”

            Zelda said nothing but stared at the fire for minutes as Link’s words sank into her head. “Do my people really think like that?” she asked quietly.

            Link nodded. “All except for a few, such as the Court and some merchants. The populace doesn’t care about royal feuds or politics, just personal safety and national pride.”

            “Do none of them care about the injustice that has been done to me and my family?!” Tears began freely streaming down the girl’s face and she began to visibly shake from the realization.

            Link moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, comforting his friend. “Most people don’t know what really happened. What goes on in the court is never truthfully told to the people. The world of the court and the world of the people are two different worlds, only slightly overlapping. The cares of the royals are not the cares of the people and vice versa.”

            The former princess suddenly glared at her protector.

            “Do you feel that way? That the cares of the royalty are nothing to the people?”

            Link shook his head. “I’m just saying how I see it, and as a commoner who rose up to join the ranks of nobility, I can see it much more clearly than anyone else at the court.”

            Zelda sighed in resignation. She knew he was right, despite how much it hurt to admit how little her own subjects actually cared about her life’s current devastation and humiliation.

            “So as a commoner,” she said, “what would you do to fix this situation?”

            Link was silent for a while, thinking her question over. “Going back to Hyrule right now would be suicide. We need to be able to take on not only Trine and his supporters, but also the Hylian army.”

            “So we need an army,” Zelda said quietly. “A large army.”

            Link nodded. “The only question is where to find one.”

            The princess shrugged. Link smiled slightly and said, “Wherever we find one, it will not be here and now. Get some sleep.”

            Zelda, her mind obviously heavy in thought, merely nodded and stretched herself out on the ground, covering herself with a blanket as she did so.

            Link sighed at his friend’s worries, but found himself very tired from the day’s journey. Despite his own mind’s frantic searches for a solution to their problems, he fell asleep almost as soon as he covered himself with his own blanket.

The Midwinter Festival had begun!

            When the travellers finally arrived at the small clearing in the middle of the forest, they found tents and lights and people all intermingled together and making a massive rumble of sensory bombardment between them.

            There was a tent for each family, most with small carpets set just outside the opening flap filled with goods and wares of all kinds. On each side of the massive pine tree in the middle of the clearing were huge fire pits, plenty of warmth for the possible 50 people to gather around at night. Nearby the pits were long tables filled with foods and dishes of all kinds. Children ran around the clearing in scurrying bands; mothers and wives mostly seemed to gather near the long tables and fires, their husbands and male relatives mostly dispersed among the camp admiring goods and a few of the older men just sitting comfortably and having a good smoke with life-long friends.

            As soon as Link and Zelda arrived in the clearing, their hearts gave massive leaps at all the commotion, neither having seen such crowds in many months. Jagger immediately bid his farewell and went off to set up his own tent complete with market rug to sell his many jars of jelly. Hecuba and Donalbain entered the camp all smiles and promptly began reacquainting themselves with old friends, leaving the two Hylians and their comatose Calatian friend alone to stand and stare at the bustling activity with the reigns of the horses tightly held in their hands.

            It was only after a few moments of stunned and glorious silence, that Donalbain came back to the two teens and broke their trance.

            “Come on you two, don’t be standing like a couple of gawking maypoles! We have a tent to pitch!”

            Glancing at each other and smiling, Link and Zelda hurried after the old man, brining Vincent, the horses, and camping gear along. With the help of a few of the neighbouring men, they erected the small, low tent in an open space of the clearing, securing their possessions within and a small ragged rug on the ground in front of the flap. Despite its meagre appearance, inside was dry and warm, easily fitting the five people it needed to. Vincent was given a spot in one corner of the tent where he just sat and stared off into space.

            “Great Gods!” came a cry from behind the two Hylians, making them jump in shock. They spun to see a small man with a large red nose and a thick moustache staring wide-eyed at them. “More Hylians! Is there some Hylian exodus that I missed hearing about?”            

            “What do you mean?” asked Zelda of the little man, politely ignoring his crude welcome.

            The man grinned broadly. “You two make now three Hylians I’ve seen today, bringing the total number of Hylians I’ve seen in my life up to five! Are you hiding out from the war or something?”

            Link shook his head. “No. In fact we only just heard about the war two days ago.”

            “Where did you see this other Hylian?” asked Zelda.

            The man pointed over his shoulder to the other side of the camp. “There was a young lad down over that-a-way with the funny ears and accent. Sullen sort of lad. He was tagging along with the young orphan girl, Helen.”

            Link threw a startled look over to Zelda and thanked the man. Together the two ran off in the direction where this Helen and her Hylian companion were supposed to be. Both princess and protector felt the icy prickle on the back of their necks as the possibility of this strange Hylian’s identity loomed in their minds: Auldric.

            Onve on the opposite side of the camp from their own tent, Link asked a nearby woman. “Excuse me, but have you seen a Hylian and a girl around here?”

            The woman nodded slightly,  pointing to a run-down tent with an equally run down rug in front of it.

            Walking over to the tent, the Hylians noticed the pitiable goods on the rug- old cups, a worn tablecloth, an old rag doll, and equally sad items.

            “Can I help you?” came a small voice from within the tent.

            Looking inside, Link noticed a young girl kneeling on a blanket just inside the flap.

            “Are you Helen?” asked Link.

            The girl nodded and then noticed the faces of her visitors.

            “Oh! You’re Hylian, aren’t you?” she cried out, a smile upon her lips. Getting up, she exited the tent and looked in wonder at her guests. “I thought so! You look so much like him, it’s amazing!”

            Zelda asked, “Who do we look like?”

            The girl took an awed moment to stare at the former princess before replying. “Auldric, of course. He’s why you came here, right?”

            The Hylians nodded glumly, sharing a worried glance.

            “I’m sorry but he went out walking a little while ago. He wasn’t very happy to come with me here, but I convinced him in the end.”

            “He’s living with you?” asked Link in surprise.

            The girl blushed slightly at the implication. “Well, yes. You see, I found him washed up along the river that runs by my house. I took him in and healed him, while he in turn promised to help me with whatever I needed help with. He’s come in handy over the past few weeks, I can tell you! I hadn’t had meat in ages! And the wood box is always full now!”

            “What about your family?” asked Zelda. “Do they know about him?”

            The moment the worlds left Zelda’s lips, she regretted them, for the girl’s face fell and she held back some tears.

            “My parents are dead. I’ve lived alone for the past few years. That’s why I’m having to sell these old things; I have nothing of real value to barter with and no talents with which to make anything. But at least with Auldric around for the past few weeks, I have had someone to talk to and share in the work.” As the girl said these last words, her eyes seemed almost to sparkle.

            “How was he when you found him?” Link asked quietly.

            “Oh, almost dead! He was unconscious for the better part of a week! And then he had a very high fever, always talking to himself and acting strangely. He still seems to have some effects of the fever; I still sometimes hear him talking to the thin air.”

            Link nodded and thanked the girl and, taking Zelda by the elbow, left Helen and her pitiful tent.

            “So Auldric is still alive,” the princess said sadly.

            Link nodded. “And that girl seems to have some sort of crush on him from the look of it.”

            Zelda nodded her head slowly. “It’s no surprise, really. A lonely girl barely surviving cares for a wounded foreigner. She falls for him because he’s the only man she has really become close to in a very long time.”

            Link took a quick look behind him to where he had left the young girl. Hopefully she wasn’t so attached to his former friend as to become an obstacle when he and Auldric eventually meet, as inevitably they would.

            Auldric was too busy skulking around the camp of foresters to really notice the arrival of his former comrade and princess. He had quickly bought a cap from one of the locals with which he could easily hide his tell-tale ears from prying people. If Link was still in the forest, he would eventually come to the festival; and two Hylians at a small festival would be hard to explain or ignore. So incognito it was.

            He wandered aimlessly around the fringes of the gathering for hours until dusk began to settle upon the towering trees and the huge bonfires became massive beacons of habitation against the horrors of a winter forest night.

            The pervasive feeling of joviality that seeped from the camp had no effect upon the solemn Hylian, whose own inner horrors vastly outweighed those of the competing forest’s.

            The visions and ethereal sounds from his many delusions while feverish still pestered him, not only while asleep, but exceedingly while awake as well. Despite telling himself again and again that they were nothing more than dreams, they still occurred.

            “Why are you dead? Why are you here?”  The chorus of disembodied voices constantly asked him. He had no idea why he was in this accursed forest and even less of an idea as to why (and how) he was dead.

            “Something is calling to you,” said another voice from within his head. This voice was no choir of sirens, but a deep and resonating voice that spoke of volumes of intelligence and insurmountable logic. Unlike the others, Auldric was certain this voice was real.

            “What is calling me?” He asked the voice quietly.

            There was a kind of mental shrug. “It could be anything; ancestors, loved ones, victims,” a pause. “maybe fate…”

            The boy nearly screamed in sudden rage. It was all he could do to maintain his silence.

            “How many times do I have to tell you, Voice?! Nothing is controlling me and nothing will ever control me again! I do what I want!”

            “No one does what they want,” the voice shot back. “How many times do I have to tell you that? There is always something else guiding you, something higher than you.”

            Auldric sighed. “Don’t give me that god crap. No gods control me, and they never have.”

            The voice gasped. “Only a complete idiot goes around denouncing something that he has no concept of. You may as well stand on the top of a mountain in full metal armour screaming that all gods are bastards! There are powers out there that are far beyond any of our comprehension.”

            The Hylian sneered. “If these powers are so incomprehensible, then how do you know of them?”

            There was a moment of silence before the voice answered.

            “I have… seen things,” it said simply.

            Auldric merely grunted at this, deciding to drop the subject for the sake of the both of them.

            Suddenly, a distant sound caught the boy’s sensitive ears: the sound of singing. The thing that made his heart leap into his throat was that the singing was coming from outside of his head.

            Immediately quickening to a sprint, he ran over to the other side of the camp, nearing a small campfire surrounded by a half dozen small tents and many listeners. In the centre of the circle of listeners, were three women who were singing a disturbingly familiar song.

            Keeping out of the light of the fire, Auldric listened intently to the song, his mind and heart both racing at dangerous speeds. The ever talkative voice seemed to be in stunned silence as the song played.

Why are you here, little dove?

Why are you here?

Your life turns and rolls along

Yet your heart bleeds and mind tears

Why are you here?

Why are you ill, little dove?

Why are you ill?

You lie in bed fevered and still

Yet you are not sick at all

Why are you ill?

Why are you blind, little dove?

Why are you blind?

Your eyes are perfect and there’s no fog

Yet you roam wasting your Time

Why are you blind?

Why are you dead, little dove?

Why are you dead?

Your blood pumps and body moves

Yet you live with your mind gone

Why are you dead?

            The song ended amidst a scattering of applause from the surrounding listeners, but Auldric did not hear it. Over and over the song was repeating in his head, as it had done so many times before, but this time it was different; this time his ears were still humming with the tune and his eyes were still locked on the source of that tune.

            Without any warning, something snapped. The Voice knew it and Auldric knew it the moment it happened.

            Before either knowing just what was happening, Auldric had stormed into the crowd and drew the Master Sword before the singers, causing them and many in the crowd to cry out in surprise and horror.

            “What do you want from me?!” he screamed to the three women, his voice rising to a fevered pitch, making him sound like a screaming demon. When the singers did not answer, Auldric pulled one by the hair and laid his blade across her throat, ignoring her struggles and renewed screams.

            “Where did you learn that song!?” he screamed again to the woman under his sword.

            Eyes fixed fearfully on the now glowing sword, the woman answered quickly.

            “Our… our mother!” Auldric looked to the other women and they quickly nodded.

            “Where is you mother?” he asked.

            The woman in his hand whimpered. “She died years ago!”

            Auldric paused, his whole body going stiff. His mind had gone blank, as if it had just shut down from all of the confusion. He just stood still amidst the commotion he had caused.

            “Auldric?” came a voice from behind him. Glancing behind his shoulder, the Hylian saw Helen standing a few feet into the light of the fire. She looked worried.

            “What are you doing, Auldric?” she asked timidly, her eyes full of fear.

            Dropping the singer, the boy turned on his saviour, sword aimed at her heart.

            “You! You witch! You did this to me!”

            Before the words were fully out of his lips, he lunged at the girl who shrieked and dodged, the surrounding crowd scattering into the shadows, with only a few of the older men remaining, cautiously trying to grab the attacker’s arms while his back was turned.

            “Auldric!”

            Everyone in the camp froze and became silent. Heads turned to the source of the booming voice that had roared through the fray. Auldric turned to the other side of the firelight, his sword held loosely at his side.

            There, with his sword drawn, stood Link, barely visible in the darkness with his grey tunic, but there nonetheless. Slightly behind him stood Zelda, a dagger in her hands.

            The three Hylians stared each other down for minutes before Link spoke up.

            “Auldric, I’m sick and tired of having you around! I don’t know what happened to you to make you this way, but I do know that you are a threat to me, Zelda, and to these people. I cannot let you hurt them!”

            Auldric grinned, his face seemingly bathed in the blood red glow in the fires, a death’s head hovering above the evil glow of the Master Sword.

            “Then we end this here and now.”

            The camp was deathly silent as the two warriors assumed fighting stances and squared off against each other. A slight snow began to fall.

            It was Auldric who charged first, and the fight began.

            Coming in with a sweeping swing, Auldric’s sword met Link’s parry and then defended against the counter attack to his ribs. Quickly blocking the blow, Link held his friend’s blade and elbowed him in the jaw, sending the boy stumbling back, stunned.

            Back and forth, the clanging and ringing reverberated through the arena, numbing the ears of all around. The two fighters seemed evenly matched both swinging and parrying and dodging each other’s attacks, trampling the ground and sending horrific shadows playing upon the audience.

            Trying desperately to break the stalemate, Link came at Auldric with a risky overhead strike but his opponent easily dodged the attack and kicked at Link’s thigh, hitting just between the muscles, sending Link crashing to the ground in pain. Auldric quickly stepped upon Link’s hand, trapping his sword. Link looked painfully and fearfully into the eyes of his former friend, seeing nothing of the fondness and love that had once been there; replaced now with hatred of an unbelievable kind and an arrogance that was shocking in one who had always been fairly timid.

            “I always knew I was better than you, Link,” said Auldric triumphantly. He raised his sword for the final kill. He grinned again. “I just never had the chance to show it before.”

            “No!” came a cry from the surrounding crowd. Zelda came running out into the firelight, a bright blue glow in her hands. Suddenly the glow shot from her hands and hit Auldric full in the chest, sending him flying backwards several feet, sending him brushing against the bonfire. He hit the snowy ground and shrieked in pain

            Zelda kneeled next to Link, helping him get up. “Are you all right?”

            Quickly massaging his wrist, Link nodded. “Just bruised. Nothing serious.” He limped over to where his adversary was still writhing on the ground, shovelling snow onto his side and face.

            “Get on your knees!” Link ordered.

            Auldric stopped moved and peeked up at Link, a slight smile upon his now-charred face. “Will you really kill me, Link?”

            Link hesitated at the question. The grin grew wider.

            “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” Auldric said gleefully. “This fight is one sided- I want to kill you but you don’t want to hurt me. You have to hold back, and that makes you weak. You almost died because of it! You always seem to get yourself into these problems of unrequittal, don’t you? With me; with Zelda; the list goes on. What kind of pathetic soul gets himself into relationships that he can never end?”

            “Shut up!” screamed Zelda suddenly, startling both the fighters. “The only pathetic soul here is you, Auldric! You used to be best friends with Link and now look at you! Wriggling around in the mud of a strange land, with half your face burned off and about to be executed! If Link gets himself into endless relationships, you seem to continually get yourself into situations where your own weakness ends up mounting against you! You’re too weak to deserve to live!”

            A look of uncertainty crossed Auldric’s face for a moment but it disappeared instantly. He grunted.

            “Say what you want, princess,” he said. “It still doesn’t change the fact that while I may be too weak to live, Link can only live with the help of his friends- he is wholly dependent upon you for his own peace of mind. What would happen if you were killed?”

            Zelda fell quiet and it was Link who spoke next.

            “You are in no place to be talking psychology, Auldric. Now get on your knees and prepare for the afterlife.”

            Auldric did so, slowly, speaking as he did.

            “When was the last time you killed someone in cold blood, Link? Wasn’t it Gannon?” He smirked. “Maybe I should feel honoured to be treated in the same way by you as that creature was.” Suddenly, his voice and expression changed; changing from near insanity and the knee-jerk reaction of prolonging death, to composure and a timeless ancientness.

            “You forget, hero, that it was Gannondorf who was the cause of everything that you are. It was he who set everything in motion- the kidnapping of Zelda; the assassination of the royal family; the death of your uncle; your meeting Zelda. Your whole life since that stormy night has been because of Gannondorf. It is no wonder that you can’t help your life revolving around his memory.”

            Link shook his head and pressed the blade against Auldric’s neck.

            “Stop talking stupidity.” Auldric nodded and the look of fear dimly returned to his eyes.  Link raised the sword and…

            “Stop!”

            The sword stopped.

            From out of nowhere, the girl, Helen, had rushed in between Link and Auldric to halt the execution.

            “Get out of the way!” Growled Link, lowering the blade. Zelda grabbed hold of the girl’s wrist and tried to move her, but Helen stood her ground.

            “Don’t kill him!” the human pleaded. “He hasn’t done anything to you! He’s a kind and gentle person who would never harm a fly! Leave him alone!”

            In a flash, taking advantage of the distraction, Auldric seized his sword and spun around, the blade aimed just behind where he was just kneeling. Link jumped back, sword raised; Zelda threw herself to the ground; and Helen looked blankly on, shocked by what she was seeing: a sword coming directly at her head.

            Clang!

            The Master Sword stuck metal and the sound resounded like a thunderclap throughout the camp. Everyone was again startled at another sudden turn of events.      

            There, in the middle of the arena, his arm around Helen and his sword deftly holding Auldric’s swing, stood Vincent, apparently having come out of nowhere as quick as lightning.

            He glared down at the Hylian.

            “Don’t you dare harm this girl,” he said softly, throat muscles hoarse from lack of use.

            The three Hylians were dumbstruck by the red knight’s sudden appearance and even the crowd of locals seemed to be unsure as to whether this battle was less of a fight and more of some sort of play, with new characters showing up every couple of minutes.

            Taking advantage of the pause in battle and the uncertainty of the exact outcome, a tall man detached himself from the crowd, a large stick in his hands. Walking up behind Auldric, he slammed the stick down on the back of the boy’s skull, knocking him out.

            The tension in the air only lessened when Link sheathed his sword and kicked Auldric in the ribs. He thanked Jagger for the help taking care of Auldric and picked up the fallen Master Sword., whose blade slowly faded from bright red-orange to a pale blue. Link grinned at the familiar feel of his sword. He then turned to the Calatian.        

            “Glad you decided to come back to us, Vincent,” he said, shaking his companion’s hand.

            The knight smiled slightly, obviously confused. “It’s… good to be back?”

            Zelda came over and hugged Vincent tightly. “You’re talking again! What happened to you?”

            Vincent shrugged and looked down at Helen, who was still under his arm, fearfully shivering and holding tightly to his waist. “That,” he said slowly, “is a very good question.”

Zelda watched grimly as the unconscious body of Auldric was dragged away from the scene of the fight, and secured in a tent on the outskirts of the camp; soon after, the crowd of onlookers dispersed, all going away to go back about their business. She saw Vincent took Helen away and back to her own tent, to calm the girl down from the fight and the horror of learning that her lodger was a lunatic.

            The princess sighed and hugged herself against the chill night air. The sudden appearance of the Calatian knight was a shock to everyone, most of all to Link. To have the man just snap out of his closed state was remarkable, and his timing could not have been better to save Helen. It surely must have been some sort of miracle that saved that girl. Deep down in her heart, Zelda had the feeling that those two would now have a bond with each other that would soon make them long-time friends. Again she sighed. From the look of how she lived before she came here, Helen could certainly use the companionship and attention. Poor lonely girl.

            Looking away from the camp and into the snowy darkness, Zelda looked to a fresh set of tracks leading awkwardly off into the distance. As soon as everything had calmed back down to normal standards, Link had hobbled off quietly to be by himself. In all the years she had known him, Zelda had never seen the hero act so caught up in a battle. The emotional turmoil of having to fight off and then attempt to execute a good friend must have been horrific for the boy to live through.

            Pulling her cloak closer around herself and trying to catch sight of Link through the blackness, Zelda hardly noticed the appearance of someone beside her.

            “How are you holding up, dear?” asked Hecuba softly.

            Startled, Zelda answered, “I could be better. Everything happened so fast, it seems almost like a dream.”

            The woman nodded sagely. “The most important things in life seem like dreams when they happen- how else would we deal with them?”

            Zelda just nodded, not quite understanding the meaning of the woman, but sometimes silent acceptance was better than beginning an endless explanation.

            “Where did Link go off to?” asked the old woman, following Zelda’s gaze into the dark woods.

            “Off that way into the forest. What’s over there?”

            Hecuba nodded slightly. “A hot spring. Good for the joints, those are.” She paused. “You should go after him.”

            The princess nearly jumped at the unexpected suggestion.

            “Why? He went off to be alone.”

            The old woman put an arm around the girl. ‘Sometimes it is when friends want to be alone, that they need company the most.” With that, ignoring the debating look on Zelda’s face, Hecuba gently pushed the girl in the direction of the springs.

            Wordlessly and not looking back, Zelda started walking toward the forest.

            As soon as the girl had disappeared into the gloom of night, Hecuba waddled back to her tent where she found Donalbain making a small dinner. When she sat down beside him, her husband said, without looking up form the pot, “You didn’t need to do that, dear.”

            Hecuba just waved the comment aside. “Those two were fated to fall in love.”

            “So why do you try so hard to make them fall in love?”

            Shrug. “Sometimes fate isn’t fast enough and needs a little prod now and then.”

            “And you’re the one to prod fate, are you?”

            Another shrug. “Why not? I know what’s best for those two. The sooner Fate knows that, the better of they will be.”

            The old man chuckled. “That’s true, I suppose, my know-all-and-see-all wife.” He reached over from his stew and lightly patted his wife’s hand. “You always did know what was best.”

            “Of course I did.”

            Zelda walked slowly through the dark trees, trying hard to follow the tracks left by her friend. The warmth and light of the camp had quickly fallen away as she walked farther and farther into the woods making her shiver beneath her cloak, growing steadily fearful at the unknown darkness.

            Just as she was about to give up on finding the springs, Zelda caught sight of the faint flickering of torches and the sound- distantly- of trickling water. Approaching nearer and nearer, the princess caught the faint scents of incense and smoke and water wafting through the chill air.

            Suddenly the trees gave way to a small misty clearing with an equally small pool- hardly more than a crack in the ground- where a tiny spring emptied its water. Around the pool stood a ring of torches on pikes, straight and tall, like bright and flickering soldiers standing guard and protecting the pool from the dangers and horrors of the real world. All around the pool hung a fog of cool air wandering and swaying in the slight breeze that managed to find this ethereal grotto through the forest. Looking up, Zelda noticed the clear dark night and the shiny brightness of the moon coming out from the horizon of branches, the stars looking downward from the cosmos in silent vigil of their children. As she walking into the clearing, the breath was stolen from the princess by its sheer beauty and fantastic juxtaposition upon the cold, dark forest around it. She nearly cried from the intense sense of emotion that swept over her.

            Looking into the pool, Zelda saw Link up to his shoulders in the water with only his head leaning back over the cusp of the liquid. Beside him on the rocks from where the spring tumbled, lay his clothes in a neat pile. She smiled at the sight. Even in pain and misery, Link was always careful of his clothes when he could be, a throwback to his days as a commoner when he only owned one set of clothing and a trait that he had doggedly persisted on keeping despite his promotion to the royal family and the castle.

            “Link?” she spoke softly.

            His head came up in a flash, arm snaked out of the water and resting on the hilt of his sword. He relaxed instantly and grunted, sliding back into the warm water.

            “How are you feeling?” she asked, walking closer to the pool and kneeling beside it, staring into the disturbingly peaceful face of her friend.

            He shrugged under the water but said nothing.

            “Are you ok? Do you want to talk?”

            He opened his brilliant blue eyes and stared at her for a moment before tilting his head away from her, motioning into the pool.

            “The water is very warm,” he said. “You should come in and get out of the cold air.”

            She stood up and glared at him. “Promise.”

            He nodded and closed his eyes again, a humoured smile on his lips. “I promise. Now get in.”

            Turning away from the pool, Zelda quickly undressed and slipped into the spring, gasping at its warmth and how all of her body instantly seemed to relax as it touched the water. She slid in as Link had- up to her shoulders- and sighed.

            “Oh, this feels so wonderful!”

            Link nodded. “I’m glad you decided to stop being a prude for a few minutes in order to get in. You should know by now that of all the people in the world, I’m the least likely to take advantage of you.”

            Zelda giggled lightly. “I can never tell with you. One day you’re a typical boy, and the next you’re an uptight soldier who doesn’t know the meaning of fun.”

            He nodded, smiling. “And sometimes you’re a fun, caring, loving and tender girl; while other times being a princess.”

            She gasped at the insult and splashed water at him, which he promptly returned to her, causing them both to soakingly laugh. 

            After a minute, the laughing stopped and the two friends calmed down, Link returning to his previously quiet mood.

            Zelda turned to look at him. “There was nothing else you could do,” she said.

            His eyes snapped open and glared at her, his eyes filled with the closest emotion to hatred that Zelda had ever seen in them. Fortunately for her, they quickly gave way to a look of simple sadness and pain. He looked away again, closing his eyes to help keep the welling tears back. He sighed such a deep and heartfelt sigh that it made Zelda’s eyes water and chest break in pity and helplessness at her friend’s pain.

            “Did I ever tell you,” he said quietly, “about the time Auldric and I went hunting in the Preserve and found a giant bee’s nest? We had been walking for ages without seeing any game and suddenly I come out of a thicket and step on the nest accidentally.” He smiled and chuckled. “Those bees were so pissed off at me that every single one in that nest came out and attacked me! I was covered from head to toe in welts and could barely move. It was only through Auldric grabbing my arm and pulling me off into a nearby river that I survived those bees. I lost consciousness after that, but Auldric told me later that he had put poultices on my stings and carried on his back all the way to the castle where I recovered. I was unconscious for over a week and unable to get out of bed for another month.” His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered the adventure. “The two of us were always together going off on adventures all over the land- even a few times in other lands.” His face suddenly hardened. “We were always there for each other and now whatever Trine did to him has caused my best friend to become obsessed with my death! Trine destroyed the Auldric I knew; making him just another tool for whatever… plans… he-he has…”

            Link’s voice broke and he trembled, tears rolling freely from his eyes. Zelda put her arm around her friend’s shoulders and hugged him tightly.

            “It’s alright,” she said, hushing him. “It’s alright. Let it all out.” He shivered again and then turned fully into the hug and moaned in pain, his fingers clawing at Zelda’s back and his face digging into her shoulder.

            “I nearly killed my best friend!” his muffled voice came, over and over. “I tried to kill him…”

            Zelda soothed him quietly and stroked his hair calmly, letting her friend unload all of his pent up emotions onto her, his tears falling onto her shoulder, gliding down to mix with the warm whirling water.

            As crimson and fluffy dawn swept over the dozens of tents surrounding the massive great pine, movement crept back into the quiet camp. Women woke and fires were lit; breakfasts were prepared and animals fed. A new day had begun.

            Hecuba and Donalbain were quietly nibbling on their simple breakfasts when Link and Zelda walked side-by-side up to their tent. The Hylians stopped before the old couple who had taken them in.

            “Yes?” asked Donalbain, squinting up to his young lodgers.      

            “We have decided to leave the forest,” Link said simply.

            The old man and the young man stared silently at each other, both seeming to judge the intentions of the other. Zelda almost spoke up, but a quick and quiet noise from Hecuba stopped the words in her mouth.

            Donalbain spoke next.

            “Very well” he said. “There are packs and supplies inside waiting for you both.”

            The teenagers were taken aback by the simple acceptance and forethought given by the old man, but quietly retrieved their belongings.               

            “Donalbain,” said Zelda, pointing back into the tent, “There are two extra packs. Who are they for?”

            The old man smiled and pointed down the makeshift road to a couple who were slowly making their way toward the small group.

            “Of course they will wish to go with you,” said Hecuba, beaming at the Hylians, especially at Zelda.

            When the two stopped before the assembled group, Vincent spoke up.

            “We are going with you,” he said. Link nodded and handed him a pack, handing the other to Helen. Both humans looked baffled.

            “You can thank Donalbain and Hecuba for the packs,” said Zelda.

            Donalbain waved to the four teens. “So that you lot don’t get yourselves lost out in the forest, pay attention. Link, there is a map of the area in your pack. It’s easy to get lost in these woods, so pay attention to it. Now, if you lot go directly north of here, you will soon come to the highway that passes through the forest, linking Calatia with Forhas. Go east on the road until you find the fork in the road and take the left route. It will take you to the Great Waterhall and there you can find expert help on how to finish this quest of yours.”

            “Who’s at this Waterhall?” asked Zelda.

            “A very wise ruler who knows every inch of the world,” said the old man. “The people of Waterhall collect knowledge as a gambler collects debts- they know everything about everything. If you have a problem, take it to them to solve.”   

            The old couple stood up and hugged each of their guests in turn, giving quick advice to them all.

            “What about your package?” asked Hecuba of Link. Noting his questioning look, she pointed to the tent set apart from the rest of the camp. “You can’t just leave him, can you?”

            Link bit his lip and stared at the tent. Zelda placed her hand on his shoulder, seeming to startle him.

            “No,” he said. “He should stay here with people who have the time to care for him.”

            The old couple nodded solemnly. “A wise choice, I suppose,” said Donalbain. “We shall do what we can for him, you can rest assured.”

            Another round of goodbyes was shared and then the four travellers mounted Winter and Silvermane and left the camp behind them on their trek north to the forest highway and the city of Waterhall.

            Waving until the four had long passed from sight, the old couple sat down again beside their fire, leaning lightly against each other.

            “Are you sure about what you saw?” asked Donalbain of his wife.

            She nodded, staring into the crackling fire before them. “As sure as I am of everything else.” She sighed. “Those poor children, they have no idea what’s in store for them.” She picked up a stick and poked the fire slightly.

            “A long, long road is ahead of them.”