Power of the Triforce: Sequel to The Princess and Her Knight

VII: Unexpected Visitor

Link roamed the castle all night. He could not sleep.

Early the next morning, he walked outside into the castle courtyard. He wasn't wearing his crown. He never really did, in fact.

Link stood among the common folk, observing the bustle of the town. He could hear voices and laughs as people scurried past. He saw women rushing back and forth from wells, collecting water. He saw boys pushing wheelbarrows and young girls holding flowers in their hands. There were men riding to and from on horses. They all seemed... happy. They were joyous hard-working folk recovering from years of chaos and torture. 

Link felt his spirits drop. Do I really.... he thought, want to put these people through that again?

He clenched his fists. These were his people. They were his because of Zelda... because he promised her he would look after her kingdom. He constantly fought himself- was he betraying her if he tried to bring her back?

Link kicked the ground, dust rising over his foot. He didn't want this, he didn't want any of this. He never wanted power. Link was content living in a small house in the country, let alone Hyrule castle. He was angry that this land could ask so much of him and take so much from him too. All he truly wanted was love, the love he found with Zelda. All he wanted was the one thing he could not have.

He stormed back into the castle. I will wait for nightfall, he thought, taking a deep breath. Then I will make my decision.

Link paced the castle all day. Evangeline came to check on him many times, clearly worried. He would calmly send her away, time and time again. Though, Evangeline did not seem angered since the previous night when Link apologized. He dismissed her because he simply could not bear her questioning. 

As he wandered, he unintentionally found his way into the basement of the castle, where he moved aside a bookcase to enter the docks. He always thought the sound of water lapping against the stone to be quite soothing. He took a few steps into the poorly-lit cave and was instantly frightened by a raspy voice. 

"Hello, Link."

"Who's there?" Link asked sharply, drawing his sword.

"Oh-ho your majesty! Do not bother drawing your sword on me, I could not hurt a fly if I tried."

"Show yourself," Link demanded.

A figure slowly shuffled into a torch-lit patch. He was a hunched-over old man. He leaned on a crooked stick, his legs skinny and wrinkled. The man's hair was long, grey, and tangled. One of his eyes seemed to be slightly bigger than the other, but Link hardly noticed because he was distracted by his eyes' haunting dark grey color. 

"Who are you," Link asked, "and what are you doing here?"

"My apologies, your majesty, but I should not like to tell you my name. However, I will tell you why I am here."

"State your name, I command you," Link snarled.

"You are eager, I see," the man said. His voice sent chills down Link's back. The man reached underneath his dirty cloak and pulled out a golden bracelet.

Link's breath halted. It was Zelda's triforce bracelet. "Where did you get that?" Link asked.

"Why, your majesty, I've had this. No matter how I got it. You will want to listen to what I have to say."

"...Go on," Link said.