Children of the Hero

Chapter 9

The next day, they didn't see Time much. He slept in, so the five of them were on their way to school by the time he woke up. Uther had school that day, so he rode with them, muttering quietly to himself as they rode across Hyrule Field. "Why is your brother always talking to himself?" asked Hyrule, giving the boy an odd look and then turning back to Saria. "Don't know, he's always doing that. But I suppose I can't blame him... Nabby left a month ago, it really hit him hard" Four looked between the two siblings. "If you don't mind me asking... why did your sister run away?"

Saria shook her head. "We got into a fight... it's a long story..." Four nodded, realizing that, even if it wasn't a long story, she didn't want to talk about it. "Well, I hope she comes back" said Wind, who was riding on the same horse Four was (he didn't know how to ride). "Oh... I'm sure she will eventually..." Saria's voice cracked, and she sped ahead of them, towards Hyrule Castle Town. The gates were already wide open, and the guards were standing, one on each side of the opening, at full attention. 

"Good Morning Lady Saria" said one, nodding at her. It was one of the many guards she recognized from the palace... Grayson was his name. "Good morning Grayson!" Saria chirped happily, stepping down from the saddle and leading the horse into Hyrule Castle Town. "The queen wanted us to tell you" said the other, who she couldn't remember the name of. "She wanted to talk with your father" Grayson finished as Saria froze, turning from one to the other. "Aunt Zel... I mean, the queen? Why does she want to talk to him"

"Well, he is the First Night... but she didn't say. But she personally told us this morning, so it must be important" said the second guard, gripping his spear a bit tighter. "Alright then... I'll tell my father when I get home, thank you" The two guards nodded stoutly and allowed her and the others to pass. "What do you think Aunt Zelda wants?" Uther asked, morely talking to himself. But Saria just shrugged and looked up at the castle towering above them. "Meh, probably the usual, a small demon army off the coast or something. Nothing that we haven't seen before"

The three heroes looked at each other, still walking side by side, as if something was going to come out and bite them. "I doubt it" Wind whispered to Four, who nodded. "It could have something to do with... with that lizafoes thing. You know, the one with red eyes" Hyrule nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should stay on the ranch for to much longer... if that's what it's about... and it's after Sky, then perhaps we put anyone we're near in danger. Time would be devastated if anything happened to Malon or his kids"

"Maybe he'll let us all come with him" said Wind, pulling at his shirt. It wasn't the usual flowey fashion of Outset Island, no, instead it was a scratchy fabric with little to no color that everyone in the school wore. How did Saria and Uther put up with this everyday? "I'm sure the Captain and Ranch Hand could talk him into it" Four added, his eyes flashing green in the light. "I bet... it seems that Twilight is his favorite now... I wonder why that is?" asked Hyrule, looking around at the shops they were passing. "Maybe Twilight's his grandson" Wind said, still tugging at his shirt.

"Were'd you get that idea from?" asked Four, looking up in surprise. "Well, Saria and Uther called him Sobrino, I might not have had as much education as you guys, but sailing the seven seas means you need to learn at least a few different languages. One of these was a language called Spanish. Sobrino means Nephew, and I saw Saria in Spanish class yesterday, she's even better than Tetra! There's no way that was a mistake. So, if Twilight is say... Nabooru's child, then Uther and Saria would be his uncle and aunt. Meaning that he would be the Old Man's grandson. If they both knew this... it might explain quite a few things. The fact that they're always talking to each other in private, the fact that Twilight tries to be him, and the fact that Time always asks him for advice, even when he's not the best at whatever it is we're doing. Doesn't it all make sense when you put it together?"

"That makes... some sense actually" said Four, his eyes flashing purple. "We should ask them when we get back" Hyrule said, as they stopped in front of the school house. "Have a good day little Kokiri" said Uther, giving Saria a hug before running to some of his friends and making his way inside. "Y'all ready for school?" she looked at each of them, and they nodded, following her closely as they entered the building. 

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Malon pushed her red hair out of her face as she paced the floor, a roll of parchment and an ink pen sitting on her desk. She could write and send the letter, beg her mother (Nabooru, the Sage of Spirits) to bring her daughter back. But the very idea of talking to her mother in any way terrified her. Of course, when she'd been younger, as a Gerudo, she'd been offered the same life. The life of a Gerudo. Whether she became a fighter or a dancer or a merchant. But that meant that she'd never see her father again... she'd never see Link again. And that thought alone had scared her sixteen year old self so much that she'd refused.

But Nabooru... Nabby, hadn't.

Why had she ever desided to name her own daughter after the mother that had left her all those years ago, only coming back to ask her to leave the life she knew behind forever? She wasn't sure. She wasn't really sure why Link had named Uther after his father, who had died before he was born. Sure, Saria made sense, she was a friend of Link's, and in turn, a friend of Malon's. But why Nabooru? Why had she decided on that name? Had it been a little voice, telling her, that someday, her daughter would want to be a Gerudo?

In that case, would Uther become a night, like his father... like his grandfather? 

Would Saria give her life for the people she loved?

She hoped not. 

She couldn't imagine any of her children dying in battle.

"What do I do?" she asked no one, still pacing the room as she looked at the parchment one last time. What if Nabby wouldn't come back? What if something happened to her? What if.... She shook her head fearcly. There was no use in thinking about the what if's of the world. All she could do was hope that her daughter would come back to her. So, sitting down at the desk, she picked up the pen, and began to write.