Beyond the Ashes: Chapter One -- Letters of Importance

The Legend of Zelda
Beyond the Ashes



Chapter One: Letters of Importance


The postman of Clock Town leaned up against a tree that was stationed at the border between Termina and the Kokiri Forest in Hyrule. He was tired, shaken, and quite possibly about to step into a strange land and not be able to return home. He had heard of a few from Termina not being able to pass back through to their native home, but that hadn't happened since the four months after the bloody Mask had tried to....

No, he couldn't think of that right now. That wasn't important, what was important were the letters in the satchel he carried. There were instructions he had been left with by the current Mayor of Clock Town when he had been given the sealed letters. He was not to go out of the boundries of Termina Field unless it was going straight to Hyrule itself. If he knew anyone that was strong inside Termina -- of which he heard of gossip of those inside the land -- then he had to use trusted persons to do so.

But he didn't trust people to do his job, no he trusted animals more then he did the two-legged beings he delt with on a daily basis. Rabbits were the most trusted and he had given several letters to these creatures so that they could give them to those that looked strong. A rabbit was a better judge of character then Hylain or Zora or even a Goron.

He knew what the letter contained, he knew what was written on the note card inside, he could recall it vividly:

To Whom it Concerns:

I have written you this letter for I need your strengths of any forms you may have, be it by magic, strength, mind smarts, or by book smarts. I need your abilties to help my town in it's dire need.

As soon as you recieve and read this letter by my trusted friend, please make all haste to the Clock Town Center in Termina, where I personally will be waiting. Please be there by no later then two days after the full moon by noon. Take what you need with you and only what you need.

Truly,
Clock Town Mayor

The postman shuddered and looked up at the moon, by tommorrow night it would be full and he had to hurry. He had no recolection of the endless loop that had played out to get rid of Majora's Mask, few in Termina would remember it, but what he did remember was the moon. The face of the moon was still vivid in his mind. For a split second he thought he saw the damned face again, his eyes moving away quickly and he turned his attention to the woods in front of him.

He did remember the Mayor's warning, that he quite possibly wouldn't be coming back. Some people from the lands had trouble like this before, where they couldn't leave nor return. It took a special kind of person to do that and a special kind of person he was, the postman just didn't realize it at the time that he would never step foot in Termina again.

Some said it had to do with a greater destiny then others, that once one person's time with Termina was over then they could no longer return. The logical postman scoffed at the idea, the only way no one could return to Termina was through death itself. And he still scoffed now, although it was more out of habit then what he thought was impossible.

He took one last behind him and walked as calmly as he could into the land of Hyrule. There was a silent gust of wind, the postman didn't even feel it as he now broke out into a run and into the Kokiri Forest. That wind sealed the man outside of his home forever, his duty to Termina complete. There would be no return trip home this time.

Now it was up to a bunch of strangers to save Termina....again.

Chapter Objectives:

--Get letter from postman by any means nessacary
--Introduce Character to storyline
--Get needed things for journey to Termina, whatever your character believes is needed
--Travel to Termina and to Clock Town by any way that your character knows how
--Find place to stay in Clock Town
--Meet other characters and Mayor will tell what's going on, what place to look for, etc.
--Learn about the other playable characters

Markus stepped out from behind the tree, watching the postman enter the kingdom of Hyrule. He had followed him without his knowledge since he left Clock Town, and hadn't given it a second thought since. He couldn't. He'd already left home, what purpose would giving up serve? Besides, he seriously doubted his ability to make it back. As the postman made his way out of the forest, Markus followed, and when Markus had made it into the vast field, he allowed the postman to escape his view for the first time in days, slumped down against a tree, and slept.

He dreamed of all that he had left; his home and friends. He wondered how his band would fare without him for a while. He wondered what the Zoras of Hyrule would be like. And he once again wondered about who he was, why he had no parents, and if he could find some clue here.

Then his dream began to warp and change. He now stood in a misty area, all that was visible a dead tree and two doors standing alone. A boy in a green tunic faced him, sword and shield at the ready. Before he could react, the sword was flying towards him-

Markus woke with a start. The sun had moved across the sky and he figured a few hours had passed. He wiped his brow and stood, stretching. He looked out at the fields, and wondered where to begin.

“Have mercy, you rampaging hammerhead!”

A slim female zora casually glanced over her shoulder, then promptly turned her attention back to the crate she was sorting through. A small assortment of various goods already lay tumbled about her knees, slowly accumulating as more objects from the wooden box were tossed on the floor. It had been a rather diverse shipment this time, ranging from deku nuts and bottled fairies to Hylian shields and specially packaged bombs.

“Honestly, Alina, can't you at least wait for me to finish inventory? Not everything can run on chaos.” The scrawny zora standing behind the girl had to lunge sideways to catch a bottle of blue fire before it crashed on the dark stone floor. His brow quickly furrowed with frustration as he carefully set the fine glass on a nearby counter, pinching the bridge of his nose with a silver scaled hand.

“I've already waited too long, Mael. My mushrooms will be useless if they aren't fresh!” A few more nuts and arrows were cast onto the floor before Alina triumphantly grasped a small brown box from the crate. She brought the package to her nose and gave it a thoughtful sniff before abruptly standing and striding into the inner chambers of the shop. There was a long sigh directly following her departure, but no further remarks as Mael stooped down to gather his fallen goods.

The small shop of Zora's Domain had expanded quite nicely since Mael had become its exacting owner. His perfectionist personality kept the products in perfect condition and the shop itself immaculate; no speck of dust was left to disturb the sheen of the floor, and each delivery was counted, inspected, and dated for accurate records and efficient tracking. Sales were given the same love and attention, affectionately stacked, stored, and numbered in the back office. Nothing went in or out of that place without Mael having written it down.

The other back room was a different story. Behind the neatly stacked store room of the shop, another small cavern wafted strange and exotic scents. Cutting into the rock had not been an inexpensive enterprise, but Mael could think of no other solution to his sister's incessant experiments. Unlike many of the common stores of Hyrule, The Blue Salmon had its very own custom laboratory, which produced potions of such unique quality that it found little need to buy from other potion procurers. This tucked away room was Alina's world, a major source of mischief for Zora's Domain and a constant worry to Mael, no matter how many times Alina protested that her rainbowed explosions were harmless.

Alina's laboratory was comfortably spacious, though cramped due to the copious amount of clutter scattered on the floor. One wall of the room housed a large bookcase made of dark blue coral, which was dwarfed in books of every size, shape, and color. Papers with various pictures and formulas were tossed in front of it, and a good number of the books still on the shelf were nigh to toppling off. In the dead center of the room, a large, semi-clean rock table stood, stained with bright purple and green, along with vivid burn marks. A good number flasks and bowls had been set on its sturdy surface, some bottled, some open, and all in various stages of emptiness. The main object of attention on it was a glossy eyeglass connected to a wire tied to a base—Alina's microscope for examining a rough and spongy pink material beneath it.

The rest of the wall space was taken up with stone desks and counters of various heights, all at least a uniform color of dark grey. These were lined with a ridiculously large array of bottles, flasks, and tubes, along with all the scalpels, tongs, pipets, beakers, clamps, stands, and every other piece of equipment an alchemist might need. Of all the cluttered metal and glass, there was only one critical absence: flame. There was no obvious source of heat in the room, save for a neglected set of flint and steel. Alina's main source of heat in her chemistry was enchanted rooks, stones that could heat to the temperature of burning coal. These colorful stones were kept in large beaker, dangerously close to the edge of a shelf.

Even the ceiling was by no means bare. Plants and pots hung by string and wire, some needing the height of a stool to be gathered, and others low enough to bump the head of an unwary intruder. The walls were covered in intricate patterns of swirls and letters, all in a bright, glittering blue. This was both a means of experimentation and warding; the stone door had been enchanted to open for none but Alina. It also lit the room with a dull glow, the only source of light when the zora wasn't burning something.

The strewn seaweed, books, and spilled potions lay scattered everywhere on the perfectly flat floor, offering hurdles to both the clumsy and the graceful. In her many long hours in the lab, Alina had acquired an unnatural grace around the clutter—her feet never accidentally came upon anything, and she could select and grab any needed object with hardly a glance. Mael had never dared to enter the room.

Alina hummed as she walked into her lab, already having unwrapped her package. Her lips puckered slightly when she noticed the slight crushing of her precious produce—she'd have to ask Mael to have her fragile materials handled with more delicacy. Glass was such a hassle to ship around, especially when meat headed Hylains didn't have the sense to refrain from throwing crates labeled “FRAGILE” around. Mael was usually good at that sort of thing; his reputation for pristine merchandise demanded more expensive shipping costs to keep his goods coming in fine and fast.

But alas, nothing could be done for her bruised mushrooms now. With a sigh, she set the package on the table, bending over to examine the contents of a steaming beaker already set upon it. Her blue marlin wand was already in her hand, her other appendage reaching for a set of tweezers. A pinch of white powder went into the boiling green liquid, soon followed by the juicy package of purple mushrooms. Alina barely managed to give the liquid a single gentle stir before she heard Mael's sharp voice picked up.

“What's this? I didn't order a rabbit!”

“That river over there could be a hint...” Markus mumbled, looking out at a flowing river leading directly into a large castle. “Maybe if I followed it to its source...” He detached himself from the fence bordering the ranch, and dashed down to the river. He was about to jump in, when he saw the pathway that ran parallel to it.

“Oh well, I guess that works too.” He said as he walked down the pathway.
________

“Now what?” He said, looking at the roaring waterfall in his path. He then turned his gaze toward the marking on the ground. “That was on the castle gate, wasn’t it?” He looked back to the waterfall, and for the first time, noticed the ledge sitting just behind it.

I could probably make that jump... He thought. He nodded and turned around, walking as far as he could without turning or falling. It wasn’t far, but Markus figured it would be enough. He braced himself and ran forward as fast as he could, and jumped. The water instantly moved him downwards, but he was able to grab the ledge by the fingertips of his right hand.

I’m not done yet... He thought, grimacing, as he pulled himself up to grab the ledge with his other hand. With some effort, he swung his leg over, then grabbed hold of a small outcropping and climbed onto the rock. That was more difficult than necessary... He thought, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.

When he had recovered, he walked further into the cave, and looked around. It was a great deal different than the Zora hall, but there were some similarities.

“Uh... how did you get in here?” Markus turned to see the Zora who had spoken. “No Hylians except for the royal family should be able to get through.”

“To be honest, I just jumped and climbed up the ledge.”

“Huh... only Zoras should be able to do that...”

“Well, at this point I think I should be an honorary zora or something. By the way, there isn’t anyone that looks like me around, is there?”

“Er... no...”

“Hrm... alright then. I’ll just be looking around if you need me.” He walked away, leaving the Zora stunned and confused. I’m already here, may as well rest up for a while. And while I’m at it...

He looked around and saw a small rocky platform jutting out from the ground, big enough that he could stand on it. In one movement, he jumped up, whipped out his guitar, landed, and played a single, ringing note. it hung in the air for a moment, then more Zoras began to appear, to see what was going on.

Markus grinned, enjoying the thrill of doing what he did best, then began playing.

Alina gently set her wand down, turning away from her heated mixture to see what was amiss in the shop. Her potion would have to boil for another hour before it was all evaporated, leaving her with specially coated mushrooms that wouldn't spoil for another good year. The fumes of her work still lingered on her moist scales, but she didn't mind. Mael had always warned her that all those 'dastardly chemicals' would ruin her sense of smell, but the thick cabbage scent clinging to her was perfectly potent to her nose. In fact, she always complimented herself on her particular sense of smell. How else would she have known that those mushrooms had been picked exactly fifteen hours ago?

"No need to get feisty, little furball!" A small white rabbit was caught in the shopkeeper's hands, flailing about with a cream colored letter in its mouth. They were both clearly visible from the back door of the storage room, as well as the clutter that must have occurred just prior to the capture.

"Be careful with the creature. He looks like a man on a mission." Alina walked into the front room with her hands on her hips, smirking at the two of them. When Mael rolled his eyes in reply, the chemist slowly approached the rabbit, noting the sheen of its fur and the scent of its skin. "Hmm... definitely Kokiri breed."

Mael merely shook his head. "I'm not even going to ask how. Just get my invoice out of its mouth, will you?"

"You know... I don't think that's your invoice." Alina reached for the letter, somewhat perplexed when the rabbit stopped struggling and simply dropped the paper into her hand. She smiled down at the little creature, patting its head before turning the letter in her hands to see its address. "Odd... there's no specific name or location on here... oh my."

The impatient strain was obvious in Mael's voice. "What?"

Alina's expression hardened, perplexed and concerned as she examined the simple paper. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Mayor's seal—the mayor from Clocktown."

"Clocktown? But that's in Termina... and you're no ambassador."

The chemist's lips turned into a frown, and she took a deep breath, preparing to explain that she knew that place well enough to be an ambassador, and that she had in fact been asked to carry letters from the mayor before. However, a very foreign sound echoed against the stone walls just before her string of words came out, and both of the zoras were instead peering at the door of the shop.

"Weird. That sounded almost like a—" Mael's observation was cut short as a song started from somewhere outside, bouncing strung notes across the vast cavern. Both him and his sister shared a confused glance before walking outside, rabbit and letter still in hand.

It was a strange sight to behold. There were other zoras around as well, all startled and confused at an object standing on a rock ledge. Some murmurs had already started, most curious, but others clearly annoyed. This wouldn't be the first time a creature other than a zora had infiltrated their domain, but...

“He's just a kid. Exactly what does he think he's doing?” Mael's glare was just as disapproving as his tone, his arms stubbornly folded against his chest.

Alina merely shrugged. “He has bearable music, at least. That waterfall's more of a precaution, anyways. Like I've said before, if you guys really want to keep em' out, that entrance should be warded.”

“That's beside the point. However this kid got in, he needs to get back out.”

Both siblings started at the large zora that had suddenly appeared beside them. Alina already knew him as her other brother, Jaru. His post was in the throne room; having heard the racket, he had likely been sent down to the lower cavern to check it out.

One almost had to feel bad for the kid now that Jaru had arrived on the scene. This zora was nearly six and a half feet tall and very muscular, having the full presence of a man and the sternness required for his position as a royal guard. Furthermore, he was a special kind of zora, having inherited the powers of a warrior. His fins were distinctly sharper than Alina's or Mael's, actually capable of being detached for throwing and sharp as a blade. That fin flexibility came right along with incredible defensive magic, the ability to create a bodily shield out of pure energy. Along with his brandished metal spear and steely green gaze, it was clear why he had been chosen to serve the royal family.

That fierce appearance was reinforced with extensive black tattoos patterned all along his right side, sharks and brazen symbols shining starkly against his perfectly silver scales. He even wore a helmet, gold plated and formed in the shape of a shark's head. It wasn't entirely large, simply extending from his forehead to the top of his head tail, but it made his status clear. He was the enforcer of peace, and in this case, quiet.

“Halt! Disturber of the peace, identify yourself!” And there Jaru went, striding firmly over to the boy. Mael sighed and Alina cocked her head as she watched, curious to see why the boy was there.

Note: No, Jaru's not about to attack Markus. But he might get rough if Markus is difficult.

“Halt! Disturber of the peace, identify yourself!”

Markus turned, the music stopping abruptly. This guy sounds like he means business. He then found the source of the voice- a muscular, important looking Zora wielding a large spear. Looks like it too. Gotta play this carefully.

“Markus.” He said, then as an afterthought, added “Sir.”

The Zora had reached his perch by now. “And exactly why are you here, playing guitar?”

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even think about them. “I am here searching for... someone close to me personally, and I’m playing guitar because I figured that it would draw the majority of the population to one place, and this person would likely be there, too.” He glanced around quickly. “Seems as though it didn’t work.”

“If it’s a Hylian you’re looking for, I can confidently say you’re the only one for miles. The only Hylian’s who’ve been here for decades are members of the royal family, and of course Link.”

“Well, that basically answers my question. I did hope to do a bit of research, but I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t get me anywhere.”

“Then you have no more business here.” The Zora said with an air of finality. The message was clear enough, so Markus walked back toward the waterfall and turned around. He let his gaze travel over all the Zora who had gathered, then they abruptly settled on one with paler than usual skin and dark blue eyes, which were trained on his. He gave a small grin and jumped backwards, straight through the waterfall.
_______

Markus sat up against the wall of the canyon, not far from it’s entrance in the field. No luck to speak of... He thought. If he’s here, he must be somewhere else. Odd, though, considering he’s supposed to be my double...

He then became aware of a small rabbit standing near him, holding a letter. “Is that for me?” He asked. It hopped toward him, so he guessed that was as good as a yes. He scratched it on the head, grabbing the letter and reading it. Finishing, he mumbled: “Dangit, why didn’t he ask me that before I left?”

Kia Farren stood up from a knelling position at the back of her home in Hyrule Castle-Town, a head stone sitting in front of her. There were flowers, a black hematite bowl with blue and yellow flames dancing around, and a few other things that surrounded the small “yard” with the headstone -- if it could be called even a yard in the first place. It was about a foot and a half wider then she was tall and sat about seven feet from the house to the wall behind the headstone.

The headstone itself wasn’t very big, either, made out of black granite and was about two feet by two feet, carved rather nicely. There were words etched on the front of the headstone, all lettering in the Sheikan language, which told any person knowing the language itself who the person was that was buried underneath, the day of death, and the lineage left behind.

Unfortunately Kia’s younger brother wasn’t engraved on there, so she had done it herself with ink. Her handwriting wasn’t all that neat but at least it was legible and she still remembered which letters of the Sheikah language went where. It was enough for the moment.

She had done her prayers for the morning, bowing one last time to the grave before turning around and walking through the already opened door of her home that she shared with her father and younger brother. Closing the door behind her, she locked it and walked through the small vestibule that sat between the “yard” and the kitchen. A green curtain shielded her view of the kitchen, when she went to draw the cloth back she listened.

There was someone moving about in the other room, the only person who was in the house at this hour. Her brother had gone off to school -- Kia had seen to that, although she hadn’t come straight home -- so her father must have been up already. That was the last person whom she wanted to have a conversation with.

“Just don’t talk to me,” she muttered to herself as she pushed through the curtain and walked into the kitchen. Her father was by the big copper basin near the fireplace where he did the skinning of animals from the butchers, hunched over the bowl and staring down at the bowl. Kia crept around the table, her eyes on him as she watch him hesitate, her eyes going down to the bowl itself. It was low enough to see that there was an animal inside and it was still alive, but what kind of animal it was she didn’t know.

“You didn’t spend even five minutes out there,” he said coolly as Kia headed for the stairs that would lead down to the basement rooms. She stopped in the doorway, not even turning around has her father just barely turned his head to stare at her. His long graying, silver hair was falling down around his neck and face, shielding some of his features -- he hadn’t even bathed in three days, she could tell just by the way his hair looked. His bed clothes were from the week before, if not longer. “You aren’t saying much to her, you know.”

“What’s there to tell her? Not like anything interesting has happened,” Kai said with a shrug of her shoulders. “ ‘Hey, mom, your daughter nearly caused a couple of the merchant’s to go after her with pitchforks yesterday!’”

“Don’t, then.” Her father turned back to the basin. “I’ll have this thing skinned soon, you should get it cooked before that….”

His voice trailed off, as Kai turned around with fire in her eyes and about to say something rather nasty to him. The man had quickly shut up even before she had turned around, looking back down at the basin where the creature that was in it stood up on it’s hind legs, put it’s front paws on the edge of the basin, and sniffed the air. Kia looked at the creature, an eyebrow raised, then looked back at her father.

“Aren’t the rabbits already dead when you get them?” She asked. It was her father’s turn to shrug.

“I didn’t get this from the butcher, found him at the front steps when I woke up this morning. Found that sticking in his mouth.” Her father jerked a thumb in the direction of the table where something sat. Kia walked to the kitchen table and looked down, it was a sealed envelope with bite marks where the rabbit had it in it’s mouth. Picking it up the Sheikah moved the envelope in her hands, taking note of the seal that kept it closed.

“Who’s it from?” She asked, picking at the seal until the envelope opened up so that she could pull the flap open. Her father turned around to watch her, a weird expression coming over his face as Kia pulled a folded letter out.

“Strange, it wouldn’t stay open for me,” he said as he walked to the table and as his daughter unfolded the letter. “Every time I’d break the seal, it would seal itself back again.”

“Oh by the Goddesses,” Kia muttered, showing her father the letter but then lowered it. She had forgotten, her father could speak and understand Hylian but couldn’t read it, he had never bothered to since he had his daughter do that. “It’s nothing, probably just a prank.”

“Serves you right,” he said with a frown, glancing at the letter before returning to the basin. The rabbit probably knew what was going to happen to him but he didn’t even attempt to get out. This was his greater destiny and looked at it with no fear. “As soon as this creature is skinned, make lunch or whatever. I won’t be back for a couple of days, have business to take care of.”

Kia didn’t respond, putting the letter down from someone in a land she hadn’t even been to before and walked out of the kitchen. If her father was leaving for a few days then she’d have to get his things ready for him to go and plan what to do with her brother.

The letter was so tempting, so tempting indeed.

Alina watched as Jaru finally turned away from the entrance, satisfied with his work. He gave no one a second glance as he marched right back up to the royal chambers, his eyes still flashing like green steel. The emptiness that followed caused a strange silence between the onlookers, who quickly went back to their former business.

"I like him." The chemist stood perfectly content where she was, still gazing at the hole where the boy had disappeared. Her right hand was curled thoughtfully beneath her chin, as if rethinking an analysis.

"That's because you're crazy." Mael gave his sister a nudge before turning back to head to his shop, the rabbit still firmly in his hands. Alina stared at the entrance a moment longer before following, hesitant to focus her attention back on their previous interruption. The strange letter was still in her hand, but she simply slid it into her fish bag as she walked back into The Blue Salmon.

"Didn't you hear him, Mael? He said he was looking for someone, doing some research."

Mael merely snorted as he stuffed the rabbit into a cage, turning his back to the door as he set it beside the front counter. "Obviously, he was doing it in the wrong place."

"Never miss an opportunity, eh?" Alina smirked at the caged creature, already guessing what her brother intended to do with it. He was an honest Zora, but a frugal one. Besides, who had ever heard of a mail rabbit? The idea was absurd, even if it was an intelligent creature. Mael wasn't cruel enough to simply dump it outside into the river, but his sympathy didn't surpass finding it a home via customers.

The difference in stature between Mael and Jaru was almost comical. One could hardly believe they were even brothers. Where Jaru had muscle, Mael had lankiness; the shopkeeper barely stood at five feet and three inches. His fins were wide and delicate with dark blue patterns and an almost greenish hue to his scales. The only distinct similarity with his brother was their simple honesty and deftness in their work. Mael had his own fierceness with bargaining and suppliers, taking pride in his store and the solid goodness of his merchandise. He was only two years Alina's younger, and his clever ways had provided a very convenient stream of supplies for her work. Like his brother, Mael's eyes were sharp and green, thoughtful and watchful for potent opportunities.

When Mael simply went back to his work of picking up his delivered items and checking them off, Alina began to pout. "I think I should go after him."

That got his attention. He looked up from the paper in his hand, holding a bottled fairy in the other. "Don't be silly; he's gone now. Besides, don't you have a potion of your own to look after?" With a smug smile of his own, he bobbed his head in the storeroom's direction.

"Well..." Alina thoughtfully tapped the leathery skin of her bag, eyes searching the ceiling. "I still have plenty of time before the mushrooms are finished. It'll only take a minute to swim downstream and find the guy. He couldn't have gone too far on his own two feet."

"Alina..."

"Hey, it's not like he's a criminal. I could just take him to Lake Hylia. There's plenty of Zoras and Hylians there. Very good fishermen, actually."

The shopkeeper shook his head as he plunged deeper into the crate. "Did it ever cross your mind that the kid was just messing around? Plenty of Hylians are curious about the mysterious Zoras. That brat was just looking for attention. I wouldn't be surprised if his friends are still wandering around outside."

"Your optimism is utterly inspiring. It's no wonder your Hylian tradesmen adore you."

"Hey, business is business. It's a wonder we're trading at all, what with all this seclusion. Our scales and bait is their siren's song, and I've made quite a profit for us."

Alina gave a distinct cough then, trying hard to hide her smile.

"Yes, yes, and your potions." Mael waved dismissively as he began stocking the fairies on the shelf, taking care to adjust each bottle to catch the light as attractively as possible. The whole back wall of the store was neatly lined with shelves, each three tiers high. Each block of merchandise was labeled and carefully stacked with each section ordered by category. Bottled goods had their own sub-categories; miscellaneous items such as bugs and blue fire had their own shelf, faeries kept their own space, and drinkables such as milk and common potions were separate. Alina's special liquids, such as protective polishes and bug repellents, were kept on the highest shelf, especially out of reach for young Zoras. Her enchanted fish hooks and scale creams had been selling especially well among the Zoras, but requests from Castle Town and even Death Mountain were starting to appear. With Alina's magic and Mael's charm, The Blue Salmon was starting to make itself well known among shopkeepers even so far as Termina.

All this new stock had also served to make the store attractive. The left wall of the store has its own impressively large aquarium, where fish of every shape and color mindlessly swam about. The tank itself was taller even than Mael, who had to use a stool just to feed and catch the fish inside. This made for plenty of space, as well as theft prevention—nothing is so tasty to a Zora as fresh fish. Inhabitants in that aquarium must have been well satisfied, for it was well stocked with bright shells and waving green lake plants.

The other wall housed a number of barrels, some full of spices and fresh fruit, which was quite a rarity among Zoras. Mael himself purchased the spears used by the guards, specially ordered from the Gorons, whose quality was unmatched. The gleaming silver weapons were perfectly sharp and light-weight for swimming, some even specially tailored for notable warriors. Jaru's weapon had a particularly large spearhead with serrated edges, plated with gold for a startlingly fine appearance; merely one example of Mael's fine trading skills. He even had Alina put a special coating on the floor to keep it shiny and repellent of muck and dirt. For light, Alina's bright blue patterns had been painted on the ceiling, giving the illusion of daylight streaming through the rock.

"Well... I guess I'm headed off, then." Alina took only one more glance of the store before she turned to leave.

"And what about your letter?"

The chemist hesitated for a moment, her hand digging inside of her bag. "Why don't you take care of it, Immaculate One? I don't even know who it's for, anyways. I'll be back before you can say carp!"

Mael groaned. "And what's Jaru going to say when he sees you with that kid? Just—"

Alina let the letter fly, not glancing back to see whether or not it had reached his hands. She was out the door before Mael could continue his protest, smiling and nodding at the Zoras she passed. Even as she walked, the chemist was peppered with questions regarding the store's closed state, and had to answer time and time again that Mael was doing inventory and couldn't be bothered. Some of the females she passed caused her to wonder if it was merely the store they were curious to see. Then it was down into the river with her.

There was someone running. Karick was flying high over Hyrule field, and still he could hear the thud of a naive traveler running around as though all the danger in the world wouldn't dare touch him. That traveler had a lot to learn, and that of course meant he was ripe for the picking. New travelers were either obnoxiously loud or unnervingly quiet. They would either be so reckless that they got themselves hurt, or so prepared they weighed themselves down with useless items.

Whatever scenario, Karick new he was going to make a sale very soon. There was a peahat a short distance from the traveler, and the loud running was sure to startle it. It would fly into the air, it would go towards the traveler, and the traveler would plunge into battle. Of course, having never fought a peahat before, the traveler would be injured within an inch of his life. Then Karick would come to the 'rescue', feigning sympathy and brandishing a bottle of Red Potion. The traveler would buy the red potion, and Karick would go along his merry way.

Karick was in the ground by the time the traveler startled the peahat. Karick's predictions about the battle all came true, and Karick had to suppress a chuckle while walking up to the battered and weary traveler.

"Good day, sir. Oh, my, it looks as though you've been hurt pretty badly! Don't you know not to get so close to a peahat's resting grounds? Well you're in luck sir! See this here?" he said, spitting out a bottle of Red Potion. "This is Red Potion! It's a magical potion that will restore your energy in an instant! You can have it for a price of only 20 Rupees!"

"I don't... have any money," said the man painfully. Karick could hear some of the despair in his voice. He definitely wasn't going to give away a free Red Potion. Karick was just about to open his mouth to say "how sorry he was for the inconvenience" and leave before a strange creature hopped up to the traveler, carrying a letter in its mouth.

"Is that... for me?" the man asked the creature. The creature nodded and gave him the letter. Karick read over the man's shoulder.

Termina? I've never heard of this place before. Maybe it has rare items! They'd surely garner a high price here in Hyrule.

"Excuse me, sir? I might be able to give you a much better offer," Karick said.

"What is it then?" said the man, obviously very irritable.

"One red potion for that letter and the strange hopping creature." The offer was partly an excuse for him to help the man. As much as he wanted to appear a careless businessman, he didn't want to see the gravely injured man have to fare on his own. Might as well get an interesting new animal too. Maybe it was something that someone, somewhere, desired with all their heart? Or he could simply sell it to a scientist for study. Whatever the case, it could possibly get him some money.

"Deal," said the man. He took the potion, drank it, and handed the letter to Karick. Without another word, Karick snatched the animal and hovered into the sky, towards Castle Town. He would need to collect supplies and inquire about this odd creature before he left for this new land of Termina.

When he reached Castle Town, Karick went to the grassy area in front of the Temple of Time, the place where he had made his home. In a thicket of bushes, there were various bags of assorted items buried under the ground. Karick landed, and plucked out all of the bags. He took all of the items he was sure wouldn't be rare anywhere, and put them all in the bag. After burying the rest of his things, he took off around town, to ask about the odd creature he had, if anyone else had gotten a letter. Most of all, though, he was going on a business spree.

OoC: Sorry about the incredible shortness of this post, I'm short on time.

“Two days after the full moon by noon…” Markus said thoughtfully. “I’ve still got time, then. It took me three days travel to get here, and considering it’ll probably take longer for me to get back on my own, at max two more days, that gives me…. at least a week to mess around here. Let’s see now… I need to be near the temple… maybe it’s not at the rivers source, but at its end…”

He stood, thinking. “But the river cuts through the castle before anything else… I guess I should head there first.” He turned to leave, but then heard something upstream. “Hm?… Oh, great, what do they want now?” He watched as a single Zora approached. Wait, that’s that one I saw earlier. Heh. This ought to be interesting…

Kia stared at the full bag of clothing and a few dried food items on her father's bed, sitting on the floor near the bed. It had been a at least an hour since she had left the kitchen and gone into her father's room on the same floor, taking a quarter of that time to pack her father's belongings. There were few things that her father really took with him on "business trips" along Hyrule. These trips, whatever their true nature, was what gave them a roof over their heads.

The rest of the time had been spent just watching the bag, thinking about the letter on the table. It had been addressed to no one in perticular but the creature, the rabbit, seemed to have picked her home out of all in the Castle-Town. Perhaps it was for her father, who was much better with his own strengths then his daughter and son were. All Kia could do was barely hit things with a sling shot and use a small dagger.

His son was far too young to do anything, not like their father would acknowledge that. Kia grunted, having decided to ignore the letter as she stood up and walked out of her father's bedroom. She couldn't exactly leave her brother by himself with their father, she'd never forgive herself if she did. On the bright side, at least some stranger thought she was worthy of something, anything.

"Or it's just a prank," she said outloud, not intending to speak the words. Kia sighed, runnning a hand through her silver and black hair. Outside a chime sounded the time as it always did on the hour: 1 o'clock. She would have to get her brother soon from school, lunch would have to wait.

"I'm going to go out and get Ryi, you know your son," Kia said purposely as she stuck her head into the kitchen. Her father just grunted, having halfway skinned the rabbit. That was odd, her father usually didn't take so long to skin animals, caught in the wild or bought nearly fresh from the butchers. Oh well, it wasn't her responisblity.

"Don't annoy the townfolk, don't want any trouble!" Her father shouted from the kitchen as Kia headed out the front door, grabbing her belt on the way out the door. On the belt a black pouch that was halfway filled with wooden bullets hung on one side with a wooden sling shot tied next to the pouch. On the other side a small dagger laid in an old cloth sheath.

"How to annoy everyone on the way back," she said with a smile, fastening the belt around her waist as she ran towards the Market. She would go through it to the other side and around, where she would get her brother and head home, the letter far out of her mind now.

"I don't want any nuts, I don't want any seeds, I don't need any milk, and I don't care about your letter!" the man yelled at Karick. Karick knew he should've moved on a while ago, but this man was so rude. For ten minutes Karick had been trying to sell him anything, but he refused. Karick had even gone all the way down to four rupees for a Deku Nut! Obviously Karick was serious about getting all of his merchandise sold.

"Well if you're going to be like that, sir-"

"You'll leave me alone!?" the man asked. There was relief concealed in his exasperation, and this immensely annoyed Karick. He could at least politely refuse to buy anything!

"I was going to bring my Deku Nuts down to three rupees for you, sir. If you don't want to buy them then please ask me politely to leave you alone." Karick wouldn't normally give up on a sale so easily, but the man was so persistent even Karick wasn't sure he could sell him anything.

The man sighed. "Fine, I'll take three Deku Nuts." He held his hand out, and in the palm was nine green rupees.

"Thank you for your business, sir," said Karick. "I promise you that purchase was not made in vain." Karick gave the man three Deku Nuts, took the rupees, and flew to one of the few 'empty' areas of the Market to examine his bags. He still had a few bottles of Lon Lon Milk left, and plenty of his Deku items. Particularly the sticks. Unfortunately, few people had use for those things. They'd occasionally take the nuts to eat, but the sticks and seeds were worthless for most townsfolk. It seemed as though he might have to give up on selling those for now. If he was going to go to this 'Termina' place, he didn't have time to fly around looking for travelers in need.

There was also the animal and the letter. According to the (few) cooperative customers he'd had, it was called a rabbit, and was rarely seen in Hyrule. Unfortunately, he didn't find anyone else who had received a letter, and no one seemed interesing in buying the rabbit...

Karick's eye caught a slingshot.

There was a girl walking through the Market. She had a slingshot. When someone was carrying a slingshot, it was almost guaranteed that they would pay for quite a few Deku Nuts and Deku seeds to use as ammo. They were the best slingshot ammo in Hyrule, and slingshot owners loved them.

As Karick started to collect his bags, the rabbit wriggled away. Karick could honestly care less by this point, and when he managed to get all his bags, the rabbit was hopping towards the girl with a piece of paper in its mouth...

The rabbit stole the letter!

This infuriated Karick. No matter how small it was, he would never actually steal something from someone else. He would charge a hefty fee for it, yes, but he would never steal something. The fact that an animal would do something to him was irritating to say the least. He didn't even care that he had already memorized the letter and didn't need it, or that the letter hadn't originally been meant for him, he just wanted to get back what was his.

He ran towards the rabbit, which was already trying to catch the girl's attention.

The market wasn’t busy, one of the rushes of the day was over with and another one would soon come again in about a half hour. Kia timed it so that she would be able to catch that rush and hopefully do something that the persons there would take notice and remember. ‘It’s not that no one will remember it, they won’t. They’ll just roll their eyes and go about their business,’ one of her few friends kept telling her. Kia laughed out loud, which drew several alarmed stares and merchants and townsfolk alike skirting away from her.

“Oh, I’m not going to do anything! Yet, anyways,” Kia said with a devious smile to those that were nearest to her. There were a few shakes of the head, groans, and rolling of the eyes, snarls on several merchants faces as Kia made her way to the other side without bringing any other attention to herself.

It was then that she nearly tripped over something in her path, the Sheikah stumbling a bit before turning around quickly and looking down at the ground to see a…rabbit? This rabbit was holding something in it’s mouth, standing on it’s hind legs as it looked up at her with wide eyes. Kia knelt down as far as she could, reaching out slowly and petted the rabbit on the head.

“Sorry, rabbit. You’re an hour or so too late, I’ve already got one--” Footsteps made her stop as she looked up and blinked. A Business Scrub was running towards her and the rabbit, not looking particularly happy, if she could read it’s facial expression correctly. She knew what the creature was, she had seen other variants before in old textbooks when she had gone to school but had not seen one up close. What was it that her Hylian teacher told the class to watch out for with Business Scrubs?

“I can make you a deal for that letter,” the Scrub said once it had stopped almost right behind the rabbit. The creature -- the rabbit -- looked from the Scrub back to Kia, impatiently holding the letter to the girl again. “A very good bargain, I’m sure.”

“Sorry, I have one of those already,” she said, standing up as she pointed down to the rabbit and the letter. “Besides I…”

“You can never have enough of them!” The Scrub insisted, going on about a “decent” price for both the rabbit and the letter. Kia raised an eyebrow at how much he -- she determined it was a he just by it’s, his, persistence -- wanted her to buy the thing. She supposed if she had any money on her she’d give him a sale just to shut him up but she had none and she wasn’t going to buy anything from him. “And I see you have a sling shot, very good. I think that…”

“Oh, look at the time!” Kia interrupted quickly before the Scrub could go any further. “Gotta run, bye Mr. Scrub.”

With that Kia quickly snatched up the rabbit with the letter and ran in the direction she was intending on going in. The Scrub let out what she thought was a strangled sigh, the Sheikah laughing the entire time. She had her little attention grabber in her arms, but first she had other things to do.

Markus waited for the Zora to catch up, then when she did, said simply “Hey.”

“Hey,” She said, pulling herself to the shore. “You said you wanted to do some research, right? I was wondering, have you searched Lake Hylia yet?”

“Hm. No, I haven’t. There isn’t a temple of any kind there, is there?”

“Yes, actually, there’s one at the bottom of the lake.”

“Awesome. Can you lead me there?”

“Sure. I’ll have to leave pretty soon after getting there, though. I’ve got a potion cooking.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s fine. Lead the way.” She did, moving somewhat awkwardly on land. Markus followed casually into the field and in the direction of the other side of the castle.

“So, do rabbits usually deliver mail here?”

"No, actually, rabbits are really rare here. Why, did you get a letter from one, too?”

“Yeah. Here.” He handed her his letter. She took and examined it.

“I didn’t get a chance to read mine yet...”

“You can look over that one. I’m pretty sure they’re all the same.

“Oh, thanks! But, it looks like we’re already here.”

He looked around. They were in a sandy canyon, surrounded by nothing but rocks and a bridge. “I thought we were going to a lake?”

“You can swim well, right?”

“Sure. I can swim better than some Zora’s back home.”

“Alright, then. Follow me.” She walked up to the ledge that the bridge ran across, and jumped. Markus followed, thinking it was just a river. Only then did he realize that it was a good forty feet off the ground.

OoC: Remember, he’s afraid of heights.

Mael wouldn't be happy about the detour. Jaru would be furious just to know she was helping the Hylian. At the moment, however, she didn't care. Too many zoras simply clung to the lake, entertained by the small watery world so comfortable to them. Of course, Lake Hylia was a huge body of water and its surrounding wilderness far surpassed the acres of Castle Town, but... like any fixed climate, it was limited in specimens. And that simply wouldn't do for a potion master who dreamed of finding the perfect brew.

The heat wasn't doing much for Alina's scales, but she felt no need to start whipping out moisturizing cream. To walk from Zora's Domain to Lake Hylia was quite a hike and a good distance, but it would take them through the long grass of Hyrule's vast field and perhaps create an opportunity to catch some insects. She had, in fact, stopped abruptly the middle of a dirt road to overturn a promising rock, and happily snatched two small red bugs into a bottle. Offering no explanation for the capture, Alina had simply winked at the boy and went right along on her way as she slid the bottle back into her bag.

The boy obviously had to be a newcomer, for he seemed neither confused or upset that Alina had chosen to hike to the Gerudo canyons rather than simply walk to the lake. Her potion would be well dried up by now, but that was no inconvenience. Without liquid, her pebble would loose its heat and the mushrooms wouldn't be decomposing any time soon. Those special fungi she planned to pair with a formidable ingredient—Chateau Romani. Unfortunately, the latter was rare and expensive, exclusively made in Termina alone. It would take a special trip of her own to start that experiment, but the results could be well worthwhile. Combining the powers of blue potion and Chateau Romani effectively together had the potential to create temporary invincibility. Such a feat had not yet been successful, but the one who could accomplish it was sure to become very, very rich.

That was what Alina pondered as she had stood upon the Gerudo's bridge, ignoring the suspicious and incredulous looks from a small group of onlookers on the other side. It wasn't the money, it was the challenge that drove her now, calling upon the greater abilities of her mind and body. She didn't even bother to look at the child following her, forgetting to scoff at the notion of a Hylian swimming better than a Zora. With a smile and a deep breath, Alina leaped in a graceful arc down into the depths below.

Alina struck the quickly flowing river like an arrow, arcing up from her dive to swim along its surface. Her thoughtful eyes scanned over the rich red rock of the canyon's river bed as she swam, wondering what she might grow or mix such soil with. It did have the potential for good clay, at least. When she found a good clot prime to be picked, the hand sized clump also went straight into the bag.

When the red-orange hues of rock began to change into paler pebbled ground, Alina could smell the lake ahead. The river widened and slowed, more green beginning to protrude from the river bed. Alina smiled at the few fish she passed, noting their color, size, and species and which ones Mael currently had in his shop. River fishing was considerably more difficult than lake fishing for swimming zoras, but the challenge of the current could make it all the more fun... if one had the muscles and patience for it.

Soon, a thrumming vibration tingled Alina's scales, and she looked up to glance at the nearby surface. The shadows of dark green reeds cast patterned shadows over her as she passed, concealing a good portion of the afternoon sun. There were a few dragonflies up there as well, and the stirring of leaves indicated wind. It was the perfect day to be outside instead of cramped up in the cavern of the domain.

Ahead, the sound of crashing water came nearer. She couldn't help but smile as she sped up, her sleek body twisting gracefully through the water. Instead of falling, she flew out of the water, diving seamlessly into the lake. In the next moment, she was floating on the surface of the lake, scattering rainbowed droplets of water when her head emerged.

That was when she remembered there was supposed to be a Hylian behind her.

Karick shook with anger as the girl ran gleefully away with the rabbit and the letter. The nerve! He was just a businessman, desperately wanting to make some money before leaving to find some things to sell. The fact that she didn't accept any of his (wonderful) offers was overshadowed greatly by her theft. She had just gotten finished telling him she didn't need either the rabbit or the letter, but she took them anyway! He had half a mind to run after her, but an angry Deku Scrub Chasing a child would attract attention. He might find himself killed.

Karick sighed and continued to sell his merchandise. He was able to get a young boy to buy A bag of Deku Nuts and some Deku Sticks with his allowance money, and he sold a few Deku Sticks to a man who was going on a journey to Zora's Domain (Karick was able to trick him into believing that he would be able to get into Zora's Domain, that it would take at least one night, and that he would need the Deku Sticks to set a fire for warmth because there was no other kindling around where he would have to camp). Almost everything Karick wanted to sell, he had sold. There were a few Deku Items left, as well as some potions, but Karick was keeping them just in case he had to fight, or more importantly, if he found a traveler who was willing to buy them.

So his supplies were simple and light. Some red potion, a bottle or two of green potion, a sole bottle of blue potion, Deku items, some Lon Lon Milk, and several rupees, because sometimes, sadly, you did have to spend money to make it.

As the Business Scrub returned to his 'home' and started to stuff his hollow with supplies and collect a few empty bags, he realized something. He had no clue where this 'Termina' place was. He had no clue how to get there, how far away it was, or even what direction he had to go. Yes, he had the letter's contents memorized, so he new when he needed to get there, but there were no directions as to how.

The girl he ran into in the streets said she had a letter already, and if the rabbit was supposed to guide them there, well, then she had two rabbits. It seemed to him the only way to get to Termina would be to find her and follow her there. He didn't feel good about having to rely on someone else to lead him somewhere, and was sure he would have to run away quickly if he were caught, but the promise of an exotic land filled with rare, expensive things to buy and sell was too hard to give up.

So Karick took to the sky to search out the girl.

Markus hit the water with a crash, but took off swimming afterwards. I can swim better than some Zoras... I hope she didn’t see me just then...

Markus was fine for the rest of the trip, he even managed to keep a straight face when he dived off the waterfall and into the lake. He rose to the surface, where he saw his Zora companion floating a few feet away.

“There you are!” She said, sounding annoyed, though he detected just a hint of relief in her tone.

“Sorry.” He said, scratching the back of his head. “Rough entry. I’m good at swimming, not so good at falling.”

“So, you wanted to check out the temple? What’s that got to do with this person, anyway?”

I was found as a baby near the temple. “If he’s here, he probably will be on the surface. I doubt he’s in the temple.”

“I might have seen him. I come here a lot. What does he look like?”

“Well, he’s supposed to look something like me- I’ve never actually seen him.”

“Hm... Neither have I. Though I’m sure I haven’t seen everyone here...”

“Then it’s still worth taking a look around, I suppose.” He pulled himself onto shore, and looked around. There were a few buildings dotted around the shoreline, as well as some Zoras and fishing vessels out on the lake. Once again, he thought, Where to begin...

"Hoi! Not bad, Alina!"

The chemist turned herself in the water, looking for the source of noise. A bright-eyed Zora was waving at her a good distance away, its wet scales shimmering in the sun. Before Alina could reply, the Zora dipped back into the water, turning into a blur as it swam towards her.

"I knew you would be here, but I didn't suspect you'd be waiting, Kari." Alina smiled playfully at the glistening creature that had resurfaced. She didn't have to ask why her sister was there; Kari was almost always in the lake, and her curious nature had probably prompted her to bother Mael over his new delivery, where Alina's absence would be obvious. There was little of any Zora's business that Kari didn't know about.

Kari had always been an inquisitive soul, but few things ever held her interest for long. She was the baby of the family, being nineteen years old, but she had all the concerns of a child. Her favorite hobby was collecting bones and shells, from which she made a copious amount of jewelry. Much of it she wore, much of it she sold, and much of it she made while flirting with both fishermen and Zoras. If it was politics someone wanted to talk about, Kari would change the subject to cockle shells; should someone mention her making a profession out of her crafting abilities, she would laugh and brag about her wonderful swimming speed, asking why she shouldn't make a job out of that instead; anything of a serious, business-like, or solemn nature would simply wash over her like water over rock and crash into bubbling laughter.

This Zora also knew she was beautiful. Kari had her mother's graceful fins and her father's sparkling blue eyes, along with an athletically toned form acquired from long swimming exercises. Her scales were a glistening silver, the intricate blue patterns traced about her fins, head, and legs like delicate lace. She had all the curves of a female woman and all the carelessness of a child, resulting in many boyfriends and many ex-boyfriends. Her bubbling friendliness bought her a good number of friends who were always quite willing to take her advice on "complimenting your natural features with the right style."

At the moment, Kari wore a band of pearly pink shells tied at the top of her head tail, complimented by further strands of pink and white shells strewn around her neck and shoulders like a necklace. The creamy white shell anklet on her left foot was one Alina had enchanted to draw fish, much like her own coral bracelet. The whole combination created a delicate tinkle of shells wherever Kari swam, a playful sound quite similar to her voice.

"That wasn't very nice, Alina." Kari pulled a mournful expression onto her delicate face, clasping her hands together. "Poor Mael worried when you didn't return for hours. What's so special about your Hylian? I guess what they say about troublemakers must be true."

"And what is that?"

"They're irresistible!"

Alina scoffed, her laugh more of a snort. "Then the two of you will be hard to separate. You wouldn't mind looking after the guy while I head back to the shop, would you? There's still a few things I have to take care of. I'm fairly sure he's just searching for someone... who apparently looks like himself."

"Well..." Kari looked up to the shore, examining the boy for the first time. Her gaze was optimistically curious, then delighted as she took him in. "Oooh, black is such a mysterious color! And he plays guitar, right? He's a little young, but fairly handsome for a Hylian. They always look so vulnerable when they're all wet."

"Kari! Just get over there before I change my mind."

The playful Zora giggled, offering only a reassuring wink before she swam for the shore. Rolling her eyes, Alina dived underwater, heading for the tunnel that would lead her back to Zora's Domain.

The rabbit didn't squirm in her arms, as Kia walked rather then run the rest of the way to the school where her brother went to. She had stopped twice to see if the Business Scrub was following her and, to her amazement, it wasn't. Of course she was only looking behind her on the ground and not to the air where Business Scrubs could find easy targets for their next sale.

"Why are these things so important?" She asked the rabbit as she held up the letter and walked to where the school was. There were a few lingering parents there, talking to their children's parents. Kia reconized one of her last teachers she had, quickly walking past them and the two parents that he was talking to, not the least bit interested in being in a conversation with him.

It was too late for her to not be noticed, the teacher seeing his former student out of the corner of his eye. He said his goodbyes to the two parents, turned and walked hastily to Kia, who was preocupied in trying to head into the school. He reached out and took her by the upper arm, startling the young girl as she turned around quickly, eyes wide.

"It wasn't me this time, I didn't put the knickers of the librarian on the roof!" She said automatically. The teacher raised an eyebrow, sighing and shaking his head.

"That's not why I stopped you, but regardless I suppose that'll be our little secret then." He let go of Kia's arm, while motioning for her to follow him. "I need to talk to you about your brother, come."

"Wait, what's wrong with Ryi?" Kia panicked, her face going pale as the teacher walked towards the school. "Wait, where is he? What happened to him?"

"He's safe and sound in the school, don't worry. We just need to have a little chat with you and your father about your brother. Where is your father anyways?" The teacher turned around to look back at Kia, who was walking quickly behind him with a determined yet still panicked look.

"He's going on a business trip, won't be back for a few days," she answered. "Besides, he..."

"Kia!" A small voice shouted from the steps of the school. Kia and the teacher turned as a small boy no older then five came bounding towards the two, smiling. He didn't have his school books with him as he ran up to Kia, her kneeling down to his level. "Guess what, Kia? Miss Lucia said I could live with her!"

"Ryi, you know it's bad to lie," his sister said, looking up at the teacher for back-up. The only thing in all of Hyrule that Kia Farren would not joke around with nor try to skirt around with was her job of raising her younger brother. However, the grim face of her former teacher did not help matters. "Please tell my brother it's very, very bad to lie."

"Kia, that's what I want to talk to you about," the teacher said very slowly as she stood up slowly. "I know that your mother passed away not long after your brother was born and that your father isn't taking responisblity with you or your brother. It isn't right that a girl your age to have stopped going to school."

"If I didn't then who would've taken care of Ryi? I had to!" Kia said through gritted teeth. The teacher motioned for Ryi to go back to the school, a middle aged Sheikah woman walking down the steps of the school. Ryi hugged Kia's leg before running to the woman who held her hand out. "I suppose that's the "Miss Lucia" he's talking about."

"Yes it is. Ryi can get a proper Sheikah upbringing, which is more then what I can say about yourself." The teacher stared hard at Kia, who's lower lip was quivering. "You left your studies behind despite all the help from other Sheikah, teachers and non-teachers alike. Ryi is much better off with Lucia then he is with you and your father."

"How do you know that?" She whispered, struggling not to cry. "He's my brother, I just can't...."

"It's already been settled and become official, Kia. There's nothing you can do, even if you could prove that you and your father could take care of your brother. You'll have to live with this." With that the teacher walked away, leaving a shaking, crying, and angry Kia behind.

Markus was beginning to run out of options. There was no trace of his grand goal here either. He had been searching around the lake for a good half-hour, and had found no leads to speak of. He glanced back at the Zora who, since Alina, the first Zora he had traveled with, had to return to Zora’s domain, had been helping him around here and, he had noticed, had been eyeing him a few times.

He didn’t mind, of course, but he didn’t have the time to acknowledge it much.

“Let’s see...” He mumbled. “Odds are a Zora brought him up from the temple, asked around to see if he belonged to anyone... If he wasn’t at Zora’s domain, that means someone must have claimed him... Hey, Kari!” He called over to her. She reached him quickly. “Where do most of the fishermen around here actually live?”

“Most? Castle Town. Though a few are from Kakariko village.”

“I seem to be oddly drawn to Castle Town...” He looked up at the general direction of the sun. “I should be able to make it there before they close the bridge and find a place to stay today. Which way?”

“Just hop over that fence and head towards the lonlon ranch. You can’t miss the castle from there.”

Markus had been to the ranch in question before, so he pretty much knew where to go from there. “Thanks. For everything, I mean. Tell Alina thanks too. Though, I’m pretty sure I’ll see her again anyway.”

“See ya!” Markus hopped the fence, saw the ranch in the distance, and set off for it.
____________

Around two hours later, he was at the gate. “Alright, let’s see what I can find here.” He wandered into the marketplace, with no particular goal in mind. He soon saw a Hylian shield on display at one of the windows. “This is a real shield, right?” He asked the shop owner. “Not just a replica?”

“You tell me.” He said, holding one up. Markus whipped out his sword and hit it quickly with three swipes. It left barely a scratch.

“Okay, I’m impressed. I’ll take one.”

“Dang right you will. You’ll take this one!” He said, holding up the slightly scratched shield. “I can’t sell a less than perfect shield and claim it’s the same quality as a Hylian knight’s!”

“Okay, sure, I’ll take that one.” He said, handing over a purple rupee.