Silent Echoes: Betrayal of Blood: Chapter 1 -- Tournament of Champions

Merloth followed the instructions and soon came upon a tent. He entered and found that no one else was here yet, although there were some possessions on one of the beds. Out of respect he did not inspect them, but there was a round shield and a curved shortsword laying there. "Must be a Stalfos," he muttered. An interesting combination considering that they were both "monsters" and would in all likelihood not participate in the same competitions. As Merloth thought it over he placed his things at the foot of the bed. His staff he laid on the bed itself.

Grabbing the ingredients for a vegetable stew, he went outside the tent and found a spot set aside for a fire. He used the nearby flint and steel to start up a fire. He sat on a tree stump next to the fire and prepared his dinner in a kettle he'd brought.

"I wouldn't," Lilja said, watching Cantos eat one of the pieces of meats. She had gone into the tent a few minutes prior after digesting what he had told her, brining out two glass jars of water -- one for her and one for him -- and a piece of bread and cheese. She had about seventy-five rupees with her in various colors, most of what she had was saved from allowance and odd jobs; whatever other rations she had would do oer would be bartered with. Or she would hunt for it, if it were allowed.

"What?" He asked, gulping down. "Oh, what I said earlier."

"Yea. I mean, you only had to do what you needed to do. Your father would have been proud regardless." She smiled down at her half-eaten food and sighed. "In the end it was alright, I guess. I was born a year after everything had settled down, actually Soba is not my birth village. Kakariko is, I was just raised in Soba since I was a baby."

"Really?" Cantos looked at her for a moment.

"I don't have any grand stories to tell or anything of the like, just a girl that left home with the only permission from her village leader. Father probably followed Governor Talis here." Lilja laughed nervously. That thought had been considered extensively but she didn't dwell on it, her father -- like others in Soba -- listened to the governor when he spoke. Most of the time anyways. "That or he's trying to talk some sense into the queen."

"So you basically ran away?" Cantos chuckled. "Home that bad?"

"No, not really. Just bored." Lilja shook her head. "There's little to do around Soba, outside of farming and hunting and fishing. Explored what was left of the Eastern Palace by the time I was seven, at least the stuff that had been accessable."

That had been fun, the elders in the village had not been too happy when they found out that rumors were going around that there was secret entrances down into what was left of the palace. She had heard about it long after the elders had it sealed up shut again. It had been done by some order of the queen or something of that nature, if only she had a chance to go down there. That would have been fun.

xxxx

Queen Zelda had walked along the walls of the outside walkway of the castle, watching the ground below as fires lit up around the grounds. There were areas further east that were being set up for the Tournament, there was still time to put what was left up. There were a surprisingly large number of people from all over Hyrule that had already taken the tents, it was estimated at least another hundred and fifty to two hundred and thirty more would come in the next few days.

Some of those would probably be turned away as there was simply no room to house that many people of different backgrounds, talents, and from Hyrule and beyond. She had looked at the early registery and saw a staggering amount of different skills from those she had least expected from. It was unfortunate that only a few select would remain at the end, but not all would go home empty-handed -- if she could employ some of the mercenaries to be her eyes and ears, she could get information faster than the bandits of Woodshire.

Zelda laughed quietly to herself at that thought as she stopped at the western wall and gazed over the tents. It was a cool beginning to a already long day, she was not looking forwards to having this many persons confined to so small of a place. There would be guards stationed around the tents for the safety of not only herself, her staff, and any guests she invited to watch this Tournament, but also for those who entered as well. Several of the participants were already in the dungeons for the night, to cool off their tempers.

"Are the rations packaged and ready to hand out in the morning?" Zelda asked a passing guard as he walked past her.

"Yes my Queen. They'll be handed out each morning until the tournament, as your orders." The guard bowed his head as he walked away to finish his hourly walk. Zelda nodded in response but did not expect the guard to see it; she took one last look over the wall and headed back from the direction she came.

It would start soon, so very soon.

Blaze stumbled into his tent, one eye barely open through the bruise that had encompassed it. He knew better than to get involved in other people’s fights, but couldn’t seem to help himself this time. He slumped down on the makeshift bed and stared up at the point above his head. He lay there for a while until he heard a voice at the entrance to the small fabric house.

“Hey, did you want something to eat?” Blaze glanced up to see a blue cloaked being looking in his direction.

Merloth watched the Hylian enter the same tent and assumed he was his tent-mate. Rising, he poked his head into the tent and asked him if he wanted dinner. Blaze grumbled, stood, and followed him outside. Merloth sat on the tree stump while Blaze used a log as a seat.

As Merloth sat the large necklace he wore slapped against his chest. In the darkness his face was obscured into the hood, only to be briefly lit up with the flicker of the fire. He glanced up and noticed that the Hylian had a bruise on his eye. "That's a rather nasty bruise you have. Here, lets put some ice on it. It'll help." Merloth reached into his bag and pulled out a cloth. He held it in his hand and a chilled it. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Blaze took it and put it over his eye. "You must be a Wizzrobe."

Merloth nodded, "yes. I was young when the, uh... whole thing with the dark lord happened. I can assure you I'm not a heartless monster."

"I see," Blaze responded. "What are you here for?"

"Magic," he stirred the vegetable soup and then poured it into two bowls. "And culinary. I'm hoping to win at least one of them. Oh, and my name is Merloth," he said as he handed him the bowl of soup.

"I'm Blaze, and I'm here for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat."

Merloth brought the spoon to his lips and blew on it to cool it off. "Then we shall not face each other in an arena. That's good."

Lilja had gone inside when it had become too dark for her to see past the fire Cantos had made, he had opted to stay outside for a while longer. This at least gave her a bit of privacy to change into her bed clothes, the only pair she had brought with her, and she changed quickly and quietly. She made sure that all of her supplies was still there, just a quick look through and counted the number of arrows that she had.

The cot-beds weren't exactly comfortable and the pillows and blanket were decent enough. Lilja didn't expect to have the choice in quality as when she was at home -- she learned that early on -- but it was better then sleeping on the hard ground. At least that made up for the stiffness of the cot.

She drifted in and out of sleep for the next couple of hours, Cantos must have come in at some point as she heard him shuffle into the tent they would be sharing. She only looked up long enough towards him from her cot to see him blow out a candle and settle into his part of the tent. A few guards made their rounds on the outside, they knew of that only because one guard poke his head in and looked around with a dimly-lit lantern before moving on to the next tent.

At least we're somewhat guarded, Lilja thought before drifting off into a light sleep.

[ If you guys want to jump into the next day or into the next several days, it's up to you -- maybe have some more minor character interactions between now and the tournament. You all have free reign as to when you want to start the actual tournament, it's up to you ]

“I suppose.” Blaze raised the spoon of hot soup to his mouth. The taste was sensational, the vegetables were neither too hard or too soft. The liquid carried the taste of every single ingredient, without one of them overpowering the other. It had to be one of the best meals Blaze had ever eaten in his life. Even though he enjoyed the food the hylian felt a little bit awkward with the wizzrobe. He didn’t like feeling this way but, as Merloth had said himself, the wizzrobes had helped the dark lord. No matter how nice he seemed there was always going to be a form of mistrust there. For now at least.

“This soup is amazing!” Blaze said as he ate the last few spoonfuls. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“Gerald’s.” Came the reply and Blaze’s spoon sank into his bowl.

“In Kakariko?”

“Yes.” Blaze was sure that Merloth wore a confused expression “Have I said something wrong?”

“No.” Blaze shook his head. “It’s just that Kakariko brings back a lot of memories for me. Memories I have tried to forget.” Merloth nodded his head. Darkness began to fall, the fire giving limited light and heat. The pair sat in silence for a while as the sun sank below the horizon.

“Why do you want to forget?” Merloth asked

“Because they are too painful.” Blaze replied “My father died about ten years ago, and I haven’t stepped foot in the town since. Anyway,” Blaze immediately brightened “I know a little magic. Only basic stuff. Fireballs and the like. Do you think after the tournament you could teach me a bit more?” The wizzrobe nodded.

“I think that would be nice.” The pair continued to sit together in the darkness as the stars appeared, twinkling and shining like a thousand eyes.

Barnabus removed his chestplate fist, laying it carefully and reverentially on the cloth he had spread on the ground. His vambraces and armguards were next, unbuckled and spread in position next to the chestplate with the same care. His greaves received similar treatment, and steadily all his armour was removed until he was left in only his crimson tunic and chainmail, total armour set spread and before him along with his rapier and flamberge.

He produced a small brush from his pocket, and began to work through the stylised grooves in his breastplate, removing all the excess dirt, before doing the same to the other components. He then proceeded to wipe the blood and filth from the whole suit and both weapons, before quickly drying both to prevent rust from occurring via his own actions.

The total process took little less than an hour, and he had just finished and packed it diligently in a silk-lined sack when his Moblin roommate stumbled into the tent, evidently heavily inebriated and carrying a ball hammer lightly spattered with blood, which he chucked under his two-metre long bunk.

“If the guards turn up, I’ve been here all night.” The Moblin slurred, crashing onto the bed.

“Do my actions today and the pain in your nose suggest I like you enough to lie to the guards for you?” Barnabus carefully tied up the string of his sack before stowing it under his own bunk with a lot more care than his roommate had taken.

“Uh…”

“You should face your punishment like a man. Not cower like a dog.” He sat on his bed. “Or a Pig.”

The Moblin snarled. “Shut your face, Scrapheap.”

Barnabus nodded towards the poorly-concealed hammer. “You should take more care with that weapon. It’s so badly damaged it could potentially shatter.”

“That’s not gonna happen, Tincan.” The Moblin was quite angry now.

“I’d say that given the condition, it’s got a good chance of breaking if someone breathes near it.”

The Moblin stood up. “I said shut up, or I’ll…!” he roared.

“OR WHAT?” Barnabus was up now, and whilst he stood a head shorter than the Moblin, something about him exuded lethality, not to mention that he could shout louder.

“…” The Moblin paused, sitting back down. Barnabus did likewise, settling down for sleep.

“You’ll regret not taking my advice, Pig.”

“Up yours, Tincan.”

A cool wind blew through the few dirt lanes that ran through Woodshire Village, the lonely woodsmans' settlement deep in the Lost Woods. The settlement was small, constituting half a dozen dirt roads and a maybe two dozen wooden houses, depending on whether or not you counted wood sheds as houses. The population was equally small: only a dozen hardy men and their families lived here, along with a shopkeeper and a few traders. It was a harder, lonelier life than one lived in Kakariko, but it was also peaceful and honest.

A rudimentary market was set up in the middle of the village, a couple simple stalls the only proof that any trade went on in the little town at all. Rupees, while used here and there, had mostly been eschewed in favour of the barter system. The main export of Woodshire was its lumber, which traders sold across Hyrule. In return for the toppled trees, the woodsmen were given food and supplies. As such, currency was hardly needed.

One stall in the market was simply a board laid across two stumps, various bits and pieces piled on it with abandon. There was a dead squirrel, a handful of acorns and berries, two robins' eggs, a sky-blue feather, and an assortment of shiny stones. Sitting cross-legged behind this makeshift stall was, by all accounts, a rather startling creature.

The creature was short, but his specific height was difficult to determine due to an enormous, broad-brimmed hat that cast his face into shadow, out of which shone two glowing orange eyes. He was dressed in ragged orange and green garments, a mix of cloth and leaves sewn together. His shoes were pointed, and he wore gloves, and he was softly playing a wooden flute as he watched the townsfolk go about their business.

A shadow fell across the small creature, and he looked up to see a heavy-browed man standing in front of the stall. He was enormous, a perfect specimen of physical strength, but his face was honest.

"Hello, Teak," he rumbled, his voice low and gravelly. "What're you selling today?"

Teak lowered his flute and stood to his feet, but this hardly made a difference; in comparison to the big man standing before him, he still looked like a mouse standing next to a tree.

"The same things I was selling yesterday," Teak said, his voice high and innocent, not unlike a child's. "The feather is still here -I got it from a blue jay, you know-, and the acorns are here too, but look! I found these pretty stones! And some berries, and these pretty eggs, and I killed a squirrel too."

Teak giggled and shook his head. "He wasn't very smart, I don't think, but he's fat. Fat, fat, fat."

The man laughed along with the enthusiastic salesman, his deep chuckle running under Teaks' chittery giggles.

"Well, I like the look of those eggs, Teak. I think the missus might be able to make something out of them. What do you want for them?"

Teak shrugged.

"Let's see... I wonder what I have." The woodsman searched his pockets, then came up a handful of green rupees. Teak eyed the shining stones with slack-jawed wonder. "How about four rupees for the two of them?"

The orange figure nodded, and snatched the rupees from the broad hand, replacing them with the two eggs before you could blink.

The woodsman smiled and placed the eggs in the basket at his side. He turned to leave, then stopped, as if remembering something. "Say, Teak, have you heard about Princess Zelda's tournament?"

The imp looked up at him curiously. "No. What's that?"

"Well, it's a contest to see who're the best warriors in all of Hyrule. Not just warriors though; there're wizards and strongmen and stuff too."

Teak didn't look particularly interested. "That's nice."

"Well, y'see, I'm planning on going. I couldn't do any of it myself, but I'd like to see it. And I was thinking: you don't get out much, an' I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

Teak's expression went from bored to interested to vaguely frightened. "Outside the woods?"

"Yeah."

The orange imp idly dragged his foot through the dirt. "I've never been outside the woods before. Not for a long time."

Lilja felt cold, even under her short sleeved shirt, long pants, and the blanket provided by whoever had done most of the organizing of the tournament. Granted she had no socks on and the blanket wasn't much better, but she still felt cold. It wasn't like it was cold or windy out either, hardly even; maybe it was just that she should've packed something a bit heavier then what she was wearing.

She had gotten about four and a half hours of sleep, maybe five -- she didn't know, since she wasn't out in the open nor did she have her time-keeping devices from home with her. The compound of tents was mostly quiet, save for a few voices randomly piping up and the movement of the changing of the palace/tournament guards. That wasn't what woke her up and kept her awake for the last hour, nor was it Cantos's movements in his own part of the tent.

It wasn't even the known reality that she was, in essence, a runaway -- even if she DID have Governor Talis's permission -- or even the cold that woke her. Lilja layed in her bed for that hour, listening to the sounds of the tournament camp and let the fear of what she had actually done sink in. She had not defied her father like this before, sure she had done the typical things most of the others in the village had done when they were her age, but they had not run away to join a tournament despite protests from their parents.

Knowing that she would not be able to sleep with this worry on her mind, Lilja got out of bed, put on her socks and boots, and grabbed her bow and arrow. Glancing over to Cantos's sleeping form, she made a mental note that she would come back from practicing before he woke up. Walking out of the tent, Lilja looked around to get a sense of where her tent was before making way towards the western part of the palace compound.

On her way she passed a few of the guards, all of whom nodded when they saw her -- two questioned her but were satisifed when she gave them her name and where she was going. There were a few others that were still awake at this hour and she gave a few greetings to them, a couple of conversations, and more goodnights then she would count. She set her sights on one part of the compound where she would be able to think and practice, at least until morning came.

The morning sun lanced through the trees that surrounded Woodshire Village, casting long shadows. It was early enough that no one was awake yet, and a light mist hung over the forest, obscuring the tops of the taller pines.

The early morning was quiet and completely still, save for a pair of beings walking out of the village, following the dirt road that wound through the Lost woods, eventually emerging in Hyrule field. They were an odd pair: a huge, hulking woodcutter, and a small, slight imp dressed in orange and green.

"Well, Teak, we're on our way," the woodsman said, an honest smile filling his face. "I'm sure glad you decided to come."

His companion nodded, clearly uneasy about the concept of leaving the Lost Woods. It had been difficult convincing the Skull Kid to abandon his home, even for a few days, but, in the end, Teak's curiosity had won out over his fear. He tramped along beside his friend, taking three steps for every one of his companion's. His wooden flute was slung over his shoulder, a bundle of items in a handkerchief tied to the end.

They walked in silence for a long while, when finally Teak's shrill voice broke through the quiet morning.

"Burm, what's Hyrule like?"

The woodsman looked at the Skull Kid and smiled. "It's big, Teak. Bigger'n you can imagine, and full of people. Men like me, but Gorons too, and Zoras, and Gerudo... there must be hundreds of different people in Hyrule, and we're going t'see them at the tournament in a few days.

Teak was quiet for the next mile or so, then asked, "Are there any Skull Kids in Hyrule?"

Burm shook his head. "I don't know. I've only ever seen 'em in the Lost Woods."

The orange imp looked thoughtful. "Maybe I'm the only one who'll ever have been to Hyrule. Maybe I'll be the first to see the castle, or the big town, or maybe... Princess Zelda."

His companion laughed. "Maybe! And maybe you'll be the first one any number of folks've ever seen before."

The odd pair continued down the road. Hyrule Castle was still far off; the horizon wasn't even visible through the trees yet. They were still deep in the Lost woods, and there was a long day's journey ahead of them.

"Of course," Merloth began, "I am an Ice Wizzrobe. I won't be able to help you much with the fireballs and whatnot, but I could help with ice magic!" Merloth put his hand out, palm-down, and raised it suddenly. As he did, a wall of ice about three feet high sprung up from the ground.

Blaze watched in fascination. "It's easy," Merloth said. "Well, I mean... for me. Performing ice magic is like breathing to me. Everything else is a bit more difficult. I've been trying to learn how to move water and vegetation, but I'm not having much luck."

"Perhaps we can teach each when we have the time?" Blaze asked.

Merloth took a sip of his soup. "It would be nice," he replied.

Eventually, they cleaned up and retired for the evening.

Blaze lay staring up at the top of the tent as the sun began to rise. He had slept for a few hours but no more than that. The thought of what he was doing was now sinking in. He had entered a tournament, a tournament that he wasn’t entirely sure he could win. The hylian had heard tales about these competitions, the tales of people who hadn’t survived from a sword in the wrong place.

His hands twitched. He needed to practice. Unable to go back to sleep he rose from the bed, out what few clothes he needed and made his way outside. The huge campsite was almost beautiful in appearance. The tents that littered the area stretched as far as the eye could see. They certainly expected plenty of people to enter this thing. Making sure his swords were strapped to his back he walked towards the only clear area in the entire grounds. An area that had been set up as a training area for the combatants. On his way he was stopped by several guards and when he told them his name and showed his medals they left him alone.

He headed straight for the section set up for sword practice and squared up to a wooden mock up of an enemy. Drawing his swords he charged forwards and slashed at the target, both swords stroked past the outer cloth, cutting long gashes into it. Blaze spun on the spot slicing with both swords simultaneously in a cross. The thing was cut into four parts and they fell to the ground. The swordsman spun and struck another wooden foe, slicing it from the left shoulder down to the right of the waist.

Blaze practised like this for about an hour, when all the mock ups were laying in pieces on the ground. He looked around himself, the guards were going to be busy today. He noticed that he seemed to be alone and decided now as the best time to practise some of his magic. The hylian clapped his hands together and slowly pulled them apart. A small fireball appeared between them and stayed there, flickering. Blaze concentrated on the fireball in his hands and tried to expand it. He was fine until the ball became about the half the size of him. It began flickering and spluttering more violently the bigger it got. It also became harder to concentrate and keep it in control. Blaze let it drop, the last flame almost singing his hair.

“You’ll burn yourself like that.” A female voice behind him said. Blaze spun to find a young girl, no older than fourteen standing in front of him.

“Who are you?” He asked calmly, as if he hadn’t been training at all. “And how long have you been standing there?”

“My name is Lilja. And I have been standing here for long enough.” She didn’t take her gaze off the him while she spoke. “That was quite interesting what you did there. And all this,” She gestured, indicating the fallen statues “I take it that was you?”

“Indeed it was.” Blaze replied “I needed to practice before the tournament starts. Although I need an actual opponent to train in hand to hand combat.” The hylian tilted his head to one side “Are you game?” Blaze placed his words to one side. He didn’t like picking on little girls; but she was here for the contest after all, and if everyone felt the same as him then she would never be able to practise at all. The young girl smiled.

“I never thought you’d ask.”

"And who are you? If I may ask," Lilja asked as she raised her hands and placed her body into a defensive stance. She had put her bow and quiver to one side, away from their potental area of combat; there was still enough time left to practice her shot more then she had later. Besides, with the combat area the way it was looking now, it wouldn't do her any good to hit already destroyed targets.

"Blaze," came the reply before his fist came towards her head. Lilja barely dodged it, ducking low and going for his chest. Her own punch didn't do much good, slapped away as Blaze came after her again. She didn't have much experiance in close-combat with other Hylians, whatever she had learned had come from general training with other young archers. The archers, along with her father, had taught her the basics in case she wasn't able to use her preferred weapon but they, too, weren't much better.

The pair fought for an hour and a half, Blaze making more hits then Lilja did, the bruises and bumps to show for it. The older Hylian seemed put out and annoyed that his opponant wasn't as good as he was, but didn't complain outwardly; Lilja did what she could to make the practice seem worthwhile to him. Although what she lacked in actual hand-to-hand skills, she made up for it in determination -- she did land a few punches and kicks on him and kept going when the last one hit her on the left shoulder.

"You're not bad," he mumbled, taking a few steps back to indicate he was done. Lilja rolled her eyes, rubbing the area where he had hit her.

"I could do better." She half smiled, then gestured to her bow and arrows. "I'm better with those things."

"An archer?" He asked as he picked up his swords, Lilja doing the same with her bow and quiver. The sun had moved into the sky more, she swore to herself as she had hoped to get back to her tent well before the sun had come up. She'd explain it to Cantos when she arrived back, it wasn't like she had run off or anything -- her stuff was still in her tent.

"Yes. Young ones in Soba have a choice if they want to pick up a weapon or not, male or female." Lilja laughed, walking backwards before turning around. She waved her hand behind her. "Thanks for the practice, Mr. Blaze. It's breakfast time, so maybe we can walk back to the tents. If you're finished with training?"

The sun was setting on Hyrule Castle when Burm and Teak finally reached their destination. The Skull Kid gazed in open-mouthed wonder at the gargantuan structure of white stone, painted peach and orange by the light of the setting sun. The tournament itself was held some distance from the castle, but the home of the Royal Family could still be seen, glowing in the twilight.

Not entering in the tournament themselves, Burm and Teak checked into a small inn close to the tournament camp. It was full of visitors from all over Hyrule, but the woodsman managed to procure a small back room, one of the few places left in the whole town. The tournament had attracted a lot of attention from all over Hyrule, from competitors and spectators alike.

At first, Burm was surprised when Teak was reluctant to enter the inn, but then he remembered that he had never actually seen the Skull Kid inside a building. Instead of trying to convince the imp to sleep in a bed, he briefly cautioned his companion against letting his curiosity get the better of him, then waved good night.

Teak was left alone outside in the dusk. He wasted no time in finding a tree, which he scurried up with little trouble. The rough bark and softly swishing leaves reminded him of home.

Unpacking his few belongings, the Skull Kid took his flute and began to play softly, filling the still night air with a sweet, melancholy melody.

But this activity could only occupy Teak for so long when there was so much exploring to do. After a few minutes of music, he jumped down from the tree and began to make his silent way towards the tournament's camp.

It was easy enough for the small imp to evade the few guards; he stuck to the shadows and moved swiftly and without noise. He peeked in a few tents, and slipped into one dark green tent, where he found a rock man snoring. Finding little of interest, he turned to leave, then noticed a few shiny tokens lying on a small table. Teak scooped them up and stuffed them in one of his pockets to look at later.

The rest of the night passed with little excitement, and the sun had risen before Teak finally found something interesting: two people fighting. The Skull Kid didn't understand why they would fight now when they could just fight in the tournament, but that didn't stop it from being interesting. He settled into the cradling branches of a nearby tree to watch.

After a while, it became apparent that the two combatants weren't really fighting. Even Teak's untrained eye could tell that there times when one would hold back instead of pressing his opponent to the ground, and both seemed to avoid being vicious. This perplexed the imp. There were plenty of straw men around; why didn't these people train with them instead of bruising each othe, especially with the tournament so close?

Teak watched as the two combatants finally stopped and began to collect their things, conversing with a friendliness that belied their earlier aggression. He scratched his head. Hylians were an odd lot.

Merloth slept in, and by the time he awoke he was alone in the tent. Blaze was gone, as were some of his things. He assumed he went off to train and thought nothing more of it. The first thing he did was venture outside the tent and inquire a nearby guard about the schedule for the tournaments. His first tournament would be tomorrow afternoon, the culinary competition. The day afterwards would be the first round of the magic tournament.

Once back at the tent, Merloth grabbed his staff and stepped outside. He found a small clearing right by the tent where no one else was present. He stretched for a moment and then pointed his staff in front of him. He made a single circular motion, turned it upright, and then slammed it on the ground. Roughly thirty feet in front of him there sprung from the ground a human-sized ice figure. Merloth followed this up by forming an ice ball above his right hand. It was the size of a tennis ball. Merloth leaned back and threw it directly at the statue. It collided with the figure's head and knocked it right off its shoulders.

Satisfied, he wandered about until he found some shops. Being a Wizzrobe, his magic was likely one of the most powerful here amongst all the Hylians. They were not innately magical as he was. So he decided to focus on practicing culinary for the competition. He bought eggs, some meat, various spices, and some vegetables. He payed for each of these at the market and then made his way back to the tent. Blaze had still not returned.

Merloth did, however, figure he would come back after some training and would be hungry. So he went to work with preparing the meal: scrambled eggs, bacon, steak, pico de gallo for the eggs, chopped onions, and a few apples that he would cut up and wrap the steak in.

Lilja and Blaze walked back to the tent area, Lilja looking around her with wonder at the amount of people up at this hour for breakfast. Guards were making their morning rounds, breaking up any fights that weren't confined to the training areas and making sure that the participants were fairing well. She was used to crowds and the like; although Soba wasn't as big as it's sister town, Kakariko, there still could get crowded at times. Especally during the festival season.

Food was being cooked near each tent, Lilja's stomach growling. She hadn't expected to be gone for so long at the training area and hadn't even started making her own breakfast yet. She remembered where her tent was, keeping an eye out for the ugly color even though each tent she considered to be just as ugly.

"Where your tent?" She asked. Blaze pointed to a tent they were nearing, a small fire and apparently his tent-mate sitting not far from the tent's entrance.

"Right there," he grunted, giving her a quick look. "Yours?"

"Not too much further away," she said with a bob of the head as they stopped at his tent. "Training was interesting, and I hope to see you again. Maybe later we can train with our tent-mates?"

The sun had risen, but Teak's mind was far from Burm, who was likely waking up now and would soon be wondering where in the blazes his companion was. The Skull Kid's curiosity was only whetted by the new sights and smells that began to fill the camp as its occupants awoke. Beings of all shapes and sizes were exiting their tents, yawning and beginning to make breakfast.

Teak slid down the tree without a second thought, and carefully made his way after the two people he had seen training. He stuck to the shadows cast by the early morning sun, moving quickly and trying to keep out of the way. He caught a few odd glances from people, but, for the most part, he was ignored. There was simply such a plethora of strange beings here for the tournament that one couldn't afford to wonder at each one, which was lucky for Teak. On a regular day, it was likely he wouldn't have been able to go two steps without drawing attention; Skull Kids were, after all, an extremely rare and mysterious species that few people even knew existed. As it was, he tried his best to keep out of sight.

Before long, Teak saw one of the people he was following point to one tent, in front of which someone was cooking over a small fire. The imp's stomach gurgled. He slipped around the tent and crouched by the side, hoping that he might be able to sneak something to eat while the chef's back was turned. It smelled really good.

Merloth looked up from the food and saw Blaze standing at the mouth of the tent, accompanied by a teenaged girl dressed for the outdoors. He raised a hand and gave a short wave. "Hey, I'm making some breakfast, if you'd care for some."

Blaze's growling stomach answered. Merloth grinned slightly as Blaze nodded his head. "That is kind of you," he began, "will there be enough for her?" He gestured towards Lilja.

"For me?" Lilja asked. "Oh, I don't want to be a bother. I have my own food."

"No, no, I insist," Blaze said. "Consider it a thank you for sparring with me this morning." Blaze wished that he had found a more suitable opponent to help him train, but he was glad to at least have found someone. And Lilja refused to give in even when it was clear she would lose, and thus Blaze was impressed by the young girl's determination.

Meanwhile, Merloth shifted uneasily. He did not know the newcomer and Blaze was offering her the food he was preparing. Not that the amount of food was an issue for him, as they had plenty, but he was shy and wanted to keep to himself.

Lilja shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I could stay for a quick bite."

"Excellent!" Blaze took a seat and Lilja followed. Merloth remained quiet as he kept an eye on the food. The eggs were finished, while the steak and bacon were nearing completion. He began to cut the apples.

"So what's your name, stranger?" Lilja asked.

Merloth kept silent for a few moments before glancing up. "Er, Merloth."

Lilja nodded, "Nice name. What are you cooking?"

"Scrambled eggs, and uh, bacon, and steak. And I'm going to wrap some steak around these apples, so the steak absorbs the flavor."

Lilja watched as Merloth wrapped the steak bits around the apple slices, shifting where she sat. She hadn’t expected Blaze to offer breakfast to her, especially since it appeared that his tent-mate didn’t seem too thrilled about it. She didn’t want to be rude by backing out of her acceptance but she also didn’t feel right for taking food not meant for herself; she made a mental note that least she would find a way to compensate Merloth for this later.

Studying Merloth as she took a drink out of the cup of juice Blaze had gotten for her,she took in his pale features. Right away she had known he wasn’t exactly Hylian but had limited contact with other races outside of the occasional Zora from the Domain or a Deku Scrub from the woods. It mattered little to her regardless of his lineage, but it bugged her that she couldn’t immediately place Merloth in her mind. She wondered what her father would say about her taking breakfast with two total strangers and being tent-mates with an equally strange stranger. She pulled her cup to her lips to hide her smile but it did her no good as Blaze reached for the two plates Merloth was offering to them.

“What’s so funny?” He asked as he handed her a plate. Lilja put her cup down and took a plate, nodding her thanks to the two of them.

“Nothing, it’s just that I wonder what my father would say if he saw me here.” Taking a bite of egg, she closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. “By the Light, this is good.”

Merloth mumbled something as he ate in silence, Blaze and Lilja doing the same. Lilja took bites of everything that was on her plate, slowly eating to savor every bite. It was true in what she said: this was good food and now understood why Blaze had offered breakfast to her. Whatever Merloth had done to the food, it tasted nothing like what she could find in Soba – none of the cooks, oreven herself, could make something taste this great. After fifteen minutes of eating, Lilja put her fork down and sighed. The others seemed to be done as well, so she stood up to gather the plates but Blaze waved her back down and got the plates himself.

“I’ll get them,” he said before disappearing into the tent. Lilja blinked, glancing over to Merloth as he began to clean up around the fire.

“Is there anything I can help with?” She asked, standing up to at least help with the clean-up so she wouldn’t feel like she was useless.

“No,” came the muffled reply. Lilja stopped short of going over to him, tugging on her shirt as she looked around. Other people were up and about, most having their breakfast over and done with; some were practicing with their tent-mates, others were walking around to talk to the others who came. A few waved at Lilja, she waved back in return as she gathered her bow and quiver.

“Um, if there’s nothing I can help the two of you with…” Her voice trailed off, the realization that she still had not returned to her tent and had left Cantos without a note or hadn’t returned yet hit her. “Um, thanks for breakfast, Mr. Merloth.”

She said her thanks really fast and turned around, jogging away from their tent and in thedirection of hers. Lilja didn’t wait for Blaze to come back out, she would remember where their tent was in conjunction to hers as she moved quicklytowards the tent she shared with Cantos; she found the older Hylian up and outside, sitting on the grass and having finished a conversation with a pair of passing Hylian’s.

“So sorry,”she mumbled as she went into the tent without another word.

Merloth finished cleaning up just as Blaze came back outside. Merloth saw him out of the corner of his eye. "Who was that?" he asked.

"I left before you woke to go spar and I met her. She's nice, isn't she? Decent fighter, too."

"I suppose... but still, do you think it's wise to bring a stranger here? She could have tried to sabotage us, or been sent by someone who doesn't want us to win. You can never be too careful."

Blaze shook his head. "You worry too much, Merloth. I think she's just a young girl looking to compete in a tournament. She is no different from you or I save for her age. Besides, I'm on guard as well. If I didn't trust her than I wouldn't have brought her to our tent, let alone spar with her."

Merloth sighed, "I suppose you're right. She seemed nice at any rate... didn't seem to mind me for what I am."

"Or she is unaware, my friend, but at any rate your bashfulness made you seem awkward. Lighten it up a bit more! Just because you're all about ice doesn't mean you need be so cold to strangers." Merloth nodded his head, but otherwise remained silent.