Fan Fiction ❯ The Mirror Tells All ❯ Sixth ( Chapter 6 )

You Wish! Productions presents...

The Mirror Tells All

A Legend of Zelda fan fiction

By: Blue Taboo

Proud member of Darkscribes.org

Hmm...what else SHOULD I be doing now...oh yeah...cooking up a design for the newly registered you-wish.net. Yup, we finally have our own real domain, courtesy of a friend. Just gotta, you know, put a website there. Argh...and I just redesigned for my brinkster hosted site in June. Oh well. Time for some Zelda...

"Well, young man," Banon said cheerily as they approached the castle stables. "I think you'll do just fine at dinner tonight. If anyone asks you about the sword or the horse, you can certainly answer them!"

A stable boy, probably no more than ten or twelve years old came up to Link and offered to take Epona. The swordsman chose to ignore the Old Knight for just a moment and gave the boy instructions. "Her name is Epona," he told the boy softly, "And she's fine with others handling her, but tell everyone who you work with that they're not to ride her. If I have time, I'll come and exercise her, all right?"

The boy nodded.

Link then smiled, his usual warning out of the way. "She'll be a little more friendly towards you if you give her a few carrots," he advised. "Oh, let me take her saddle bags!" he added after a moment.

Link then proceeded to unhook the heavy bags from his horse, and then fished around in one of them. He pulled out a bridle that looked like it had barely been used, simply because he only used it for show. "Take this if you need it," he told the boy. "You should be able to lead her without it, but just in case she gets stubborn."

"I'll take good care of her, sir," the little boy said, stroking Epona's nose gently to further his statement.

"I'm sure you will. My name's Link, if you have a problem with her and need to tell me. Can I ask your name?"

"Chasel, Master Link."

"Nice to meet you, Chasel. I know you'll take good care of my girl," Link affirmed and delighted in the smile that finally found its way to the quiet boy's lips.

Link gave Epona one more affectionate pat on the neck, then grabbed his saddle bags and turned back to the Knights.

"No wonder you have so can claim to have so many friends," Damen exalted, "If you treat every stable boy and serving girl in the world like that, then you can build yourself an army just out of your own kindness."

"What do you mean? I've always done that. There's no harm in talking to people..." Link was slightly confused by Damen's observation.

"No," Damen mused, grinning, "None at all. Here," he offered his hand to Link, "Let us take the bags. You've still got all of your other things on you and we've nothing to carry."

Link looked at both saddle bags, wondering if he should relinquish them. They were both very heavy, since they did, in fact, contain a plethora of items, most of which were not at all light. Also, if one of them should open...well...it would be another hour's worth of questions to answer. He decided to let it go, and willingly gave one to Damen's outstretched arm. The green-eyed man visibly staggered under the weight, as did Banon, who had grabbed the other bag from Link's right hand.

"For such a thin boy," Banon observed, moving the heavy pack onto his shoulder to carry it better. "I would never have guessed your strength."

"I'm just used to it," Link offered as an excuse.

"You're used to everything!" Wrasten snorted playfully. "Well, back to the north wing we go, eh gentlemen?" He smirked at his burdened companions.

Sure enough, both saddle bags were back in Links arms before they'd even hit the first flight of stairs. Things were starting to look familiar now, and Link now thought that he could navigate his way around the general area of the stairs that lead up to the chambers where the nobility slept. Those stairs were growing ever-so-familiar to him now.

When they got to his room, Link gratefully set down his bags just inside the door that Damen opened for them.

"What have you got in those things that weighs them down so, lad?" Banon asked, still a little short from breath, as he wandered over to sit in one of the chairs.

"Well, the one you had was probably the heavier one. I think that has my war hammer in it," Link concluded.

"War hammer? By Din, boy! Is there any sort of weapon in this world you don't own?" Banon exclaimed, half joking.

"There are a few," Link said with a chuckle.

"Looks like you've had a visit from the tailor already," Damen, who was standing behind all the others and facing away from them, observed.

Link turned and looked where Damen's eyes were set. Upon the red quilt of his bed was another set of clothes. He couldn't help but wonder how the tailor had managed to turn them out in the few hours since he'd measured the young man. The tunic was a deep red, and it was trimmed with strips of gold fabric that had a pattern stitched in the same color red as the rest of the tunic. The trousers were a golden brown color, sort of like sand, and trimmed with the same strip of gold and red fabric. A long coat, too, was included, and made of a fabric that was a darker shade of the golden brown. It was not meant to be closed, but it had a high collar and was slit in the back to allow freedom of movement.

"Well, well," Wrasten commented as he strode up to feel the fine fabric of the ensemble. "Seems that the tailor has worked his magic once again. If there's any tradesman in this world I have the utmost respect for, it would be him."

"You're all set for dinner then," Damen remarked, eyeing Link as he stood silent, admiring the beautiful new set of clothes and the speed at which they'd been delivered to him.

"Speaking of which, lad," Banon remarked from his seat at the little table. "You'd best be finding your servant and getting ready. Dinner's in two hours, and we need to speak with you a little bit before. So why don't we all get dressed and meet in the Den when we're ready?"

"Good plan, Banon," the youngest Knight affirmed.

Damen just nodded, then left without another word. The other two Knights followed suit.

Before Link could even ask after them as to how he should go about finding Vesta again, she appeared in his doorway, as if on cue. In her small, thin arms, she held a package wrapped in thick brown paper. "Oh good!" she exclaimed when she caught sight of him. "You're here! I was just getting the last of the stuff that I was supposed to pick up from the tailor for you. He said to tell you not to wear what's in here tonight, even if it goes with the rest."

Link took the package was explaining and opened it. He grinned as he laid his eyes on a hat, the same dark red as the tunic, with the little cuff done in the same sandy golden brown as the trousers. He would heed the tailor's advice, but as soon as he was left to his own accord, Link would be grateful to have his head covered once again.

Vesta scurried over to the little table that held the basin and pitcher, then proceeded to fill the basin. "They say you're sitting by his Highness the Emperor tonight, so you have to look good, or something. I have to go work in the kitchens soon, but only after I've finished helping you, Master Link," she reported diligently.

Link didn't quite understand why he would need a little girl to help him get ready for dinner. If it were up to him, he could go right now, or even in his dusty green clothes, but of course, nothing around the castle was up to him. And even so, he was perfectly capable of washing his face and changing clothes.

"I'll leave you to change while I go get a towel. Are you going to leave you hair like that?" she inquired, stopping in her path towards the door.

"Yes. Does it look bad?" Link asked, knowing, of course, that her answer would be yes. Of course it did. He couldn't wear his hat, for some odd reason.

"No, but it doesn't look good either," she pointed out. "But I'm sure you're not up on Hyrule's high fashion, right Master Link?" Vesta didn't even give him time to respond. "I'll get a few other things and make it look better." Then she was gone, just as rapidly as she appeared.

Link closed his door and eyed the clothes set out on the bed suspiciously. If he ever had the time, he surmised, he should find out how the tailor could do such things. It intrigued him. With that he changed into the new ensemble, finding that his belt and boots matched perfectly with it. The trousers were a little strange, though. They were loose, and not meant to be tucked into the boots, but rather worn over them. Other than that, though, it fit him perfectly, even the coat, which was another garment Link wasn't used to. Winters in the forest had always been mild, and ever since then, he'd been traveling, and often found himself on islands in the sea that had never known winter. It was spring in Hyrule then, and nearly summer, so he wondered what exact purpose the coat was to function as.

"Probably just for show..." he said to himself as he tugged at the fabric.

There was a knock at the door, and Link opened it to find Vesta waiting, towel and an assortment of other items in her hands, one of them being a small mirror.

Mirrors had always fascinated Link, ever since he'd first opened the chest in the Spirit Temple and saw his own reflection staring back at him, glinting off the face of the Mirror Shield. Granted, it wasn't the first time he'd encountered a mirror, even coming from the sheltered life he'd led in the forest, nor was it the first time he'd seen his grown-up image. It was just something in the way the dim light bounced off the surface of the gleaming shield that spoke of a greater power. Mirrors were said, in ancient times, to be sacred and even magical. Link had a reverence for them that was somewhere around that level.

While he thought over the tiny mirror, Vesta had already pulled out one of the chairs from the table and began to set down the things she was carrying. "Master Link," she addressed him, "Could you go wash your face and get your hair a little wet too? Not soaked, but...you know."

He nodded and did so, not thinking it strange in the least for her to request something of him. The little girl then directed him to the chair and he sat down. Only then did she have a hope of reaching his golden locks. She quickly ran a comb through his damp hair and straightened out the part that ran down the middle. Link normally didn't care too much about his hair. He just made sure it didn't get too tangled and had it so that his bangs were long enough to be tucked behind his long ears. Simple, but not very effective if he didn't have a hat to cover it up. Vesta combed the hair bend his ears so that it was tame and relatively straight. Link could see in the mirror, which was placed on the table in front of him, that it curled out at the bottom, though, but it did, in fact look better.

"That works well enough," she said from behind him, sounding pleased at the ease of the task. "You have really nice hair, for a boy, Master Link."

"Um...Thank you," was all Link could think to say.

Vesta giggled and then asked, "Do you like it that way?"

"Yes," he affirmed, getting up, and looking in the mirror still out of the corner of his eye, "It looks better this way. I'm just used to wearing my hat all the time."

"Oh I see," Vesta replied and began to gather what she'd brought with her. "Well, you're all set to go, even if you're a little early. I probably won't see you until tomorrow, Master Link, so good luck until then!"

"Thank you, and the same to you," he wished her as the girl once again left his room.

Left alone and wondering if he should try to see if he could find his way to the Knight's Den without a guide, Link eventually thought of a better idea. He was already tired of the emptiness of the shelves over in the corner of his room. His gear and saddle bags were unceremoniously lying on the floor, and he supposed that some of the less questionable items among them could use a place of their own. He passed the time setting swords, instruments, weapons, and shields on the shelves and looking over the treasures he brought out. The light from the window was getting dim when he finally pulled out the Mirror Shield.

Instantly, he was reminded of the Spirit Temple and when he'd defeated the Iron Knuckles for the shield that he held, the dim light of evening reflecting off of it and intensifying as he first put it on while standing on the outstretched hand of the Goddess of the Sand. Or rather, in Termina, when all of his belongings had been stolen by the Skull Kid who had been possessed by Majora's Mask, when he was in a similarly dank and dim place, fighting off various forms of the living dead for a similar prize. Regardless of which of many Mirror Shields there were, they always came towards the end of the conflict. Once Link realized this, at some point along his adventuring, he had allowed his affinity for mirrors to truly grow. It got him to wonder when it was that he would see the Mirror Shield of this conflict. Even if he knew it was just the beginning, he still wondered at the end.

What would Zelda do once she was Queen...?

That was a strange thought, of her being a Queen and not a Princess.

They had really grown up, and this time, he had seen all seven years in-between. When he'd first been sent back to his time, he had questioned if it was really worth it for him to go back to the correct and peaceful version of history. He had always wanted to know if it was supposed to be this way, him being allowed the rest of his childhood, and being denied the future that had been cast into darkness. Link realized then, though, and many other times, that there was no other way. At least in this Hyrule, there was light to reflect off the mirror...

"It seems like each time you change clothes, you get closer to being a truth, rather than lie," Damen said wistfully, leaning in Link's doorway and startling the young swordsman out of his thoughts.

Link only responded with a little smile as he put the Mirror Shield up on the top shelf, reflecting the last rays of the red sun.

"Come on then, nephew," Damen directed, his grin widening. "My fellow Knights and the Princess are already down in the Den by now..."

The Knight was wearing more formal attire now. His black tunic and trousers were trimmed with burgundy. He wore shiny black boots, which were also mostly hidden by the trousers, and a long grey coat, which was quite similar to Link's, only different in the lower collar and the fact that it could probably be closed if need be, and had brass buttons to do so.

Link straightened his own coat, with a new sort of confidence in his veins. It was time for the first dungeon, he thought.

Damen led them back to the room with the great carved doors where Link had been introduced to the Old Knights on the previous evening. He shoved one of the heavy doors aside, providing a glimpse at the already familiar glow of the great hearth, and the four figures that stood around it. The Old Knights, now the with eldest, Cortain, among their ranks again, turned to greet them first.

"Well, well..." Wrasten's voice echoed from across the room.

"From the very image of a Red Lion to a pretty boy just like Damen," Banon said through a chuckle.

"Indeed," Cortain agreed from where he sat, closest to the fire.

Zelda, on the other hand, whom Link had assumed the female silhouette to be, took her time. Only after the Old Knights had made their remarks about Link did she turn to face him.

In the orange glow of the fire, Link could see a smile on the Princess' fair face that he'd seen only once before. It was a mischievous, but accomplished smile, one that she gave him a little over seven years ago in response to him agreeing to help her find the Spiritual Stones. He, in turn, could only think to respond as he did then, with a smile of his own. "You really do look like a Knight, Master Link," she eventually told him as he approached, her voice betraying almost none of the emotion on her face.

"Thank you, Milady," he replied with a little bow, still grinning.

"No offense, Milady," Wrasten said in warning, interrupting the little moment, "But we have no time for games. There's business at hand."

Zelda immediately set expression to a serious and sagely one. "You're right, Sir Wrasten," she said with a nod, her gaze still on Link, then said to the hero, "The Old Knights have been moved up towards the Emperor tonight, and you have been reserved the seat of the guest of honor. That means that you sit to Terinae's left. I'll be right across from you and Damen will sit next to you, just in case anything should come up."

Damen took off smoothly where the Princess left off, as if they had planned the briefing out before hand. "As far as family goes, you know that your supposed father is Sir Dorian of the House of Red Lions, right? Of course. Your mother, however, was Lady Elensa. She wasn't of noble blood, but rather the daughter of the leader of a village that has long since vanished from the map of Hyrule, as did many in the war. The village was called Fortanian and was just north of the Lost Woods. After you were orphaned by the war, you were sent to the wild kingdom of Hassentern. It is a very forested place to the east of Hyrule that is barely a kingdom. A rich great aunt, shall we say, raised you on her manor and you roamed the vast forests she owned, hunting and riding away your youth. I don't think that the Emperor will get past that. Other details can be worked out in due time."

Then Wrasten took over, looking determined and oddly impassioned. "You must never, ever, use the Emperor's name when addressing him. In his land, or so they say, that is considered a great form of disrespect for one so high and mighty as him. You'll notice that he will also refuse to use your name, even when you're introduced to him or he greets you. Anyone of noble blood is always to be addressed by their title only when around others in his Empire. Among friends, it is all right to use names, but titles are still attached. If you hear him say 'Master Squire', he's talking to you."

"Gentlemen, the hour draws near," old Cortain said from his seat.

"Then we'd best be off," Banon affirmed, adjusting his embroidered tunic a little.

The Knights then made for the door, but Zelda stood still, and in turn, commanded Link, without any use of her voice, to stay with her. "By the way," she added quietly. "You'll be escorting me tonight. The servant will open the door and announce us. We go in first. I rather like the idea, and it was Damen who thought it up. It should confuse Terinae, if nothing else." The mischievous smile appeared on her face again. Zelda's wit was in the works, and ready to work its magic. "Also, you and I played together as children long ago, when your 'aunt was well enough to bring you for visits to Hyrule'. It's no lie that Sir Dorian was one of my father's favorite Knights, so it's all very possible."

The Knights had already left the great doors and one stood open, allowing the brighter light of the hallway to fill the fire-lit room. "Shall we go then, Milady?"

Link could get used to this who nobility thing, he thought, as long as he got to see Zelda as he had that day. She looked very beautiful in her pale blue gown with its fancy golden stitching and elaborate patterns, but she always looked good to him. Something about her always brought him at ease, so long as she was safe. He was beginning to feel roguish himself. They were going to go start the game, to fool the Emperor Terinae and get him to believe the lie so that Link could save Hyrule again. He grinned and offered her his arm.

She laughed lightly, not at any sort of foolishness on his part, but at the whole situation. The little boy that had snuck into her garden, done her will, and had grown into a young man who saved her countless times in a dark and impossible future, had done well for himself when he'd been given back his lost years, and now was doing her will once more, only in a gentler, more cunning way. She took his arm, and prepared herself for the look on the greedy Emperor's face when she walked in with the man that had grown from the little boy from the forest who snuck into her garden, dressed like a Knight.

"Yes, Master Link," the words amused her, and they both knew it. "Let's go."

/_\ /_\

/_\ /_\ Blue Taboo /_\ /_\