The Hero of Time Festival… as the sun peeked over Death Mountain in the distance, the snug little homes of Kakariko Village basked in the golden morning light. Further in the distance, one could easily spot Hyrule castle; standing tall and proud with it’s purple flags whipping in the wind. From atop Kakariko’s beautiful windmill, one could just barely glimpse the ocean of trees that made up the Lost Woods and Kokiri Forests. As always, those mystical woodlands remained timeless and green, but for the rest of Hyrule, a warm, glorious array of colors flooded the land during this time of year as a humble reminder that spring was coming to an end.

The crunching of autumn leaves under small, young feet echoed about in the empty alleyway. A young boy, garbed in a green tunic and leather boots stepped into the sunlight at the end of the shady alleyway, squinting his blue eyes and shielding them with the most fantastic looking of shields—only ever seen on the forearms of knights these days. In his other hand, the boy gripped a beautifully crafted sword with a purple hilt. He rose it above his head, allowing it to catch the light as he filled his lungs with air, prepared to say something, it seemed….

Before he could do any such thing, however, the hand of a spindly old woman, also garbed in a seemingly unnecessary amount of green, grasped the boy’s sword arm and gave him a hard jerk, causing the thin, poorly crafted sheet of metal to fall out of his hand. “What did I say about reflecting the sun into people’s eyes, Jun-Roberto?!” she scolded. The young boy simply frowned in a rather indignant manner, brushing a strand of his long brown hair out of his eyes. “Don’t think I won’t take it away if you don’t behave!”

The streets of Kakariko were crowded with merchants hustling to and fro, ensuring that all their wares were in place and properly priced. Banners of green and gold overlooked the more congested parts of the town near the entrance and the well. The sweet sound of various instruments also wafted over the crowds along with the many scents radiating from many of the vendor’s stalls. The bakeries were teeming with all sorts of goods for the Hero of Time feast that afternoon. Entertainers swarmed near the well with empty hats, eager to fill them and earn some quick rupees.Young children weaved excitedly through the throng—most of them dressed very similarly to how the Hero of Time was said to have looked while others simply wore green. They chattered amongst themselves, acting out daring adventures and eagerly discussing the games and activities that would soon begin.

“The money is really going to help out my family. Thanks for letting me come along with you to the HOT Festival, Ms. Felicia.”

“The “Hot” Festival? Is that what the kids are calling it now? …heh…,” Felicia stifled a yawn as she glanced over the booth—several fish were laid out to sell as well as a few of her specialty lures. The fish prices were so high… normally Felicia would be ashamed, but with the major supply and demand problem that had been going on at Lake Hylia lately… she had little choice. She’d already been verbally attacked for closing her fishing pond to the public due to so many people taking advantage of it. If she’d kept it open one more week, Felicia was certain it would have become nothing more than a large, barren, oversized puddle. She stifled yet another yawn.

Linda, the enthusiastic young teen she’d hired to help, gave her a concerned backwards glance as she fixed the sign advertising fishing equipment rentals, “Are you alright? You look crazy tired. Are you tired?”

The answer was yes without a doubt. The luxury of a good night’s sleep had once again abandoned her and been replaced by nerves and nightmares. As if that weren’t enough, Felicia felt certain that her mind was really coming undone now. Every night for the last month—the same voice. The same message. And the same unexplainable feeling in her gut that told her to listen to it.

“I’m fine,” Felicia muttered, absentmindedly scratching her shoulder. Linda shot her a doubtful look, to which Felicia attempted to reassuringly smile—something she really appeared to be getting rusty at doing. The disturbed creasing of Linda’s brow only seemed to confirm this.
“I really am fine. I’m serious!” she shrugged, “Anyways… why don’t you go ahead and take a look around before it gets really busy and prices start to go up. I’ll take the first shift…. Hey Kamo!”

Felicia called to a young, skinny, dark haired man staring up at the sky and leaning up against her cart, which was a ways behind all the stalls where most of the vendors were instructed to leave them. “Do you want to check out the booths with Linda?” The boy glanced at his pretty blue-haired coworker before quickly shaking his head no and turning away. Felicia noticed the slightest trace of red in the boy’s ears, but said nothing, simply turning back to Linda. “Go ahead,” she shrugged, to which Linda thanked her gleefully and absconded to see the many wares.

Felicia took a seat in the shade behind her booth, drumming her fingernails on the counter just behind the sign that read “FRESH FISH! Only 50 rupees for a small!” Kamo soon joined her, sitting as still and quiet as ever, as they watched the crowd begin to thicken

“A lot of people collect things as a hobby,” Kamo commented suddenly as he and Felicia observed a spindly woman towing a resentful young green-clad lad behind her whilst she attempted to purchase what looked a very expensive plate. “Me, I just like to sit and gaze up at the night sky. That's all the hobby I need."

“I can’t wait for this day to end either,” Felicia responded, well accustomed to her employee’s cryptic manner of speech. With the setting of the sun, perhaps Felicia would finally be able to sleep through the night undisturbed by any strange voices-- not that she didn’t need the business. Her nightmares were already an ongoing problem and she didn’t need anything else enhancing the dark circles underneath her eyes.

Atop the windmill, a child cloaked not in the green of the celebrated hero of time but in the black of long forgotten shades sat tensely. Her legs were seated restlessly, ready to move. As each turn of the blades of the windmill inexorably took place, a shadow was cast across the child. Each time, the child faded away, save for amber eyes that glared down on the village with malice. And then she appeared again as the sun shone again on her, naught but an isolated child atop a sunny roof.

This was her home. Every nook and cranny she had explored, or so she thought. She had left it to seek out her Father and the secrets of his disappearance. But now, some crone pretending familiarity to her had haunted her dreams. Hounding her for thirty days. That voice spoke of a secret to save the world, or perhaps break it, that would be here, in her home, today. This town knew something that she didn't. And Veitaru hated that thought. So she glared at the city all the harder, for her home was keeping secrets.

She didn't trust this voice, but she would follow where it lead, and find the man, woman, or monster behind it. For her Father.

Takuma was about to shoot an arrow at an unsuspecting squirrel. Out of nowhere, a rooster call happened that made him move his bow, just a little bit, right before he shot it. It missed him, and the squirrel ran away from the noise. Well, whatever. There will be more he said to himself, as he went to retrieve the arrow from the ground. Besides, there are more pressing issues to worry about. Like, what is with that voice? It has been whispering for about a month now. Why do I have to go to the hero of time festival? Also, how does the fate of all life on Hyrule depend on it? I can't really do whatever it is on my own. Hopefully, there are more people it has been summoning there. Well, I better start going there now. It will start soon He started to walk out of the woods, quickly stopping to eat a few berries he found on the way.

Let's get this over with he thought to himself once he got near Kakariko Village. Even from where he was, he could smell all kinds of food. He saw the castle in the distance, as big as ever. He was tempted to buy something, but he had all the food he needed for the moment. While pretty much everyone was happy, he felt somewhat uneasy, though he didn't let it show. He decided to walk around a bit until he found out what that voice was talking about. He saw a sign that small fish were being sold for 'just' fifty rupees. He remembered when he could get it for free. But, fish had been running out, and accusations were flying about who was hoarding the fish. He didn't really care that much about it though.

A few hundred feet from the hustle and bustle of the village proper loomed Kakariko's windmill, situated on the top of a small cliff. Between the stony edge and the bricks of the structure sat a cloaked figure, legs hanging over the precipice. The slowly revolving blades of the structure hid this individual from the spiteful gaze of the Gerudo child above—clearly, whether they knew it or not, outcasts thought alike. From this shrouded position the Chilfos watched the proceedings, taking in the sea of lively, grinning faces sailing a sea of green cloth. The ceremonies of Hylians were an alien concept to Frore; in fact, the notion of celebration at all escaped him. Despite this total lack of understanding, however, the icy warrior felt oddly drawn to the festival preparations. It was more than the voice whispering in his head over the course of the last few days, which his companion had assured wasn't his voice. Perhaps it was simply the joy omnipresent in the sacred day's activities, bright enough to warm even Frore's frozen heart. Naturally he couldn't walk among men without causing a fuss, though, so on the edge of the cliff by the windmill he sat.

The shadow cast behind Frore by the cheery late morning sun watched the villagers as well. No ordinary umbra, this spot of darkness was home to the Chilfos' trusted companion. Few in this world of light had ever seen the being within that shadow, and of them only one had the privilage of knowing Cain. The Hero of Time festival reminded Cain bitterly of similar joyful events back within the Twilight Realm. For months now memory of his home had been steadily slipping away, like water in a cupped hand, but several weeks ago a voice had pleaded with him in the depths of night to attend this very festival. Cain had experienced stranger things in his day, but even this was new to him. The incessant, nightly nature of the pleas had made them hard to ignore. Having been in Lake Hylia at the time, working as a mercenary for a few Zoras seeking to exterminate a sudden mass hatching of Gohma larvae, Kakariko had been quite far away. Neither Frore nor Cain had even originally known about the festival's existence, but luckily their Zora employers had been able to fill them in. Well, they did the best they could. Communicating was a tricky process for the pair; Cain had a voice but was bodiless, while Frore had a body and couldn't talk. Unable to ignore the pleas any longer, and faced with an increasingly consternation Chilfos, Cain had decided to steer his host toward Kakariko Village in hopes of finding out who -or what- was messing with their minds.

And now they were here. Here were the morning rays, gleeful villagers, the fateful day, and a brooding spy from another world hiding in the shadow of a monster endowed with sentience. Neither belonged in this place, and yet they were here. Frore candidly watched the people, satisfied enough to observe them going about their chores and business, but Cain, not so easily entertained, grew restless. After the windmill broke the general peace of the moment with an especially loud creak, Cain decided to find something else to occupy him. “Stay around here; keep a low profile,” he murmured to his partner in his signature lilting, ethereal accent. “I am going to browse the markets.” Slowly, not really paying attention, Frore inclined his Y-shaped head in what passed for a nod. If a shadow could roll its eyes, Cain did so, and he leaped from the shadow of Frore into that of the windmill's, from which he could reach the village itself.

Kaiver slowly started to wake up as he began to rub his face to wake himself up, beginning to stretch himself as soon as he got out of bed. Not eager to wake his wife up from the exhausting work from last night, he got out of bed quietly. He then made his way down the stairs silently to the bathroom just so he could clean up his face. For a brief moment, he could remember the voices in his dream and the dreams before during the past month just before he woke up. Am I imagining things or did some divine voice spoke to me…. He thought to himself as he looked in the mirror, only to be interrupted by the banging of the bathroom door that his train of thought was broken.

“Dad! I need to use the washroom! When will you be done?” The female voice was young, making it one of his young girls that was awake already.

“Just a second…” he said though the door and took a washcloth to wipe his face off of the water. He opened the door and looked down to see Krya for a moment as she passed him giggling as she took the door and shut it behind him. With a thought, he headed for the cupboard to see what she done, only to find a toad jump out onto his nightshirt as he opened it. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed the toad before it jumped off.

“Krya… What did I tell you about grabbing animals from the outside without my permission?”

“Sorry dad. I thought it would be funny prank for mom!” She said softly as she gave a pout on her face.

“It’s alright. Let me handle this.” He softly said as he hid the toad in the breadbox, shut the side door of the box, and washed his hands at the sink. The sound of the water splashing covered the sound of Haliyan’s and Mariha’s steps as he was distracted, only for his wife’s hands briefly cover his eyes.

“You’re up already? I thought you’d still be in bed with me after you’ve been placed on Town Watch.” His wife smiled and kissed him as he turned around to kiss her back on the lips.

“I’ve been having weird dreams lately. But don’t worry; it’s nothing to worry about.” He said, speaking back to her as he finished drying his hands.

“Still, I’m worried that you’re not getting enough sleep.” She spoke back as she was next in line to wash her hands.

“I said don’t worry. I’ve gotten less sleep and I was perfectly fine.” He told her as he rushed upstairs towards the bedroom to get dressed in his proper Ranger clothing and armor. Just as Mariha’s hands were just about dry, a few knocks on the door turned his wife’s attention to see who it was as she opened the front door to reveal Elder Lyontus.

“Elder Lyontus! It’s nice to see you today!” She said with a happy tone.

“Oh, the pleasure is mine, Mrs. Greisen. Perhaps your husband can assist me guiding my wares and me to the Festival?” The old man said at the door. “Um, also, may I come in, just for a moment?”

She smiled as she nodded and stood out of the way to let him in. “Come… Make yourself at home. Kaiver should be almost ready to go, so you can wait anywhere you like.”
Elder Lyontus sat down at the head of the table, looked at the breadbox, and gotten curious: wondering if any spare bread was left in it. Focusing his telekinesis on it, he made it levitate towards him so he could see inside. But as soon as the box gotten off the surface of the table, the flap of the breadbox opened and the toad jumped right out of it, landing in front of Haliyan’s sight, making her freak out of her half-asleep stupor.

“Ew… Get it away from me!” She cried out as Kyra giggled in the background. “Mom! Sis just put a toad in the beadbox?”

Elder Lyontus looked at the toad and grew curious and eager to catch it as his attention was taken away from the bread and to the toad, thinking it could be useful in a potion. He began reaching for it as it croaked and hopped away from his grasp every time he reached for it, making Mariha try to grab it and help him as it hopped across the table, until Kaiver got back down in his outfit and grabbed the toad that was just about to land on Haliyan.

“Don’t worry, its harmless.” He said to his eldest and smiled as he held the croaking toad in his hand.

“I don’t want to touch it! It’s gross!”

“No it’s not!” Kyra retorted

“Yes it is!”

“Children, we don’t want to be late for the Festival. Now get ready and dressed. You’ll have plenty of time to argue there.” Kaiver said to his children as he gave the toad to Lyontus and headed towards his wife to give her a kiss.

“Yes dad.” They both said unanimously.

He then took his attention to the three of them and gave the toad to Lyontus as the old man gleefully headed outside to store the toad in one of his empty jars. “I’ll see you at the Festival and I’ll meet you at Elder Lyontus’ potion stall.”

“Yes dear. Be safe…” She said as kissed him and started to get the kids ready as he headed out with his equipment.
He walked outside and shut the door to his home, as waved goodbye to them, hoping that they would be at the festival. He looked up and sighed at the sunrise in the sky and somehow his earthly duties were connected to the divine somehow, but he was willing to get to the bottom of this.

“Is there something wrong, Kaiver?” Elder Lyontus asked him with a curious voice as he got on the head of his cart being drawn by Kaiver’s horse that he borrowed from him.

“No, just been having troubling dreams that I’ve been having lately.”

“Really? Tell me, because I think I could help you somehow.”

“Not right now, maybe when we get to the Festival we could talk.”

Standing just before the steps leading up to Kakariko Village stood a shrouded figure not of this land. Around him walked many, young and old, dressed in green garb and looking excited. The unique markings on his robes caused him to both be inconspicuous and stand out at the same time, but only to those who would give him more than a passing glance. Whether anyone would even recognize him for what he was, and wasn’t, would remain unseen for the moment.

Roruuk gazed up at the steps, the words from the ominous phantom voice still echoing in the back of his head like distant music in a dream. The Garo let out a short huff of a sigh before looking down at his feet and the dirt just beneath them.

Crouching down slightly, Roruuk reached his bony hand from within the sleeve of his robe and touched the dirt with two fingers, bringing the slightly moist soil to his lips. The tip of his tongue took in some of the earth, the taste revealing its quality. It was good for root vegetables. Potatoes. Carrots. Ginger and the like. But it lacked what Roruuk liked for leafy sprouts.

Even if only temporarily distracting himself from the seemingly divine tether that was pulling him in the form of an urging whisper, Roruuk found solace in the soil. It made him feel less like an outsider and more like a simple observer. With a small sprig of confidence in him now, Roruuk began to ascend the steps steadily, careful not to bump into anyone who would rattle his fragile frame.

After all, who knew? Maybe going crazy wouldn’t be so terrible, and he could always purchase some seeds while he was at it.

---

Seven figures, one tall and six small, moved across the fields of Hyrule. The tall form was unusually tall today, but only due to the stolen steed she sat atop. Lady Peregrina peered over the plain, judging both the distance to Kakariko as well as the potential presence of attackers waiting in ambush. Attack did not seem imminent and so she let her eyes rest for a moment as one of her followers lead the horse by rein down on the ground. Tuk. Sweet, stupid Tuk. He was always the most eager of the six Bulblins to impress her. Not that anyone would recognize them as Bulblins unless standing directly before them. From more than a few feet, their tiny toupes and face pain made them appear wholly as harmless youths albeit hunched over and sickly ones.

The other five members of the ABC Troupe scampered along in their tailored dress clothes and tiny bowties as if they had been raised as such. Peregrina could not deny the pride she took in having transformed the miniscule monstrosities into viable performers. Kakariko would be their first stage since regaining their confidence after a disastrous encounter with several overly zealous, anti-fun humans attacked them for no reason other than being Bulblins. It was ignorance. And Peregrina refused to have any of it. So what if she had had to sic the troupe on them with a righteous anger. Bumpkins need not be entertained anyway. At least that was how Peregrina saw it.

As the summit of Death Mountain appeared just over the horizon, Peregrina’s hand moved to her hip and took her flask in delicate hand, flipping open the small canister and tilting the pumpkin brew to flow past her lips. It was not liquid courage she needed, but liquid patience. Liquid patience and something to make her forget about the voices. Originally she had thought it to be Ergonimus or Ironymus having finally learned to speak. It was only to her horror that she had quickly realized they were still their oafish selves and she was likely haunted.

Still, the reminder of such a gathering was nice. Maybe, just maybe, she had been hearing that “conscience” thing everyone seemed so interested in following.

It did not take long for the both of them to reach the entrance to Kakariko Village, despite the light crowds. He remember attending The Festival of Time some years ago, but the village right now was nowhere near as packed as it was the last time he attended. Perhaps they were early as it was still morning, but soon the shopkeepers will be ready and most of the people will start to come fast, packing the village to the brim with citizens, as the festival would begin to attract all the residents throughout Hyrule and beyond. But Kaiver worried something terrible would happen as his mind drifted into worry. Sure, he was brave, but not stupid enough to let his guard down if something did go wrong.

“Kaiver? Kaiver… You look dazed out. Are you sure you have gotten enough sleep? You look tired.” Elder Lyontus said as he grabbed the reins from his hands, leading into the direction of the shop stalls where they would soon put his cart of goods next to the merchant stands.

“Sorry. I keep thinking about those dreams I have been having. I still worry what might happen this day.”
“Understandable, perhaps the Goddesses have intervened and played a hand in our fates, so that they may test us for the times to come.”

Kaiver looked surprised as Lyontus’s words calmly came to him, even if they were with a hint of worry as almost if he knew what he was talking about the voices in his dreams.

“Did… How did you know? Did the voices come to you?”

Elder Lyontus nodded, as he looked at him and started to set up his potions and put the price stands up in front. “I have; otherwise I would not have started to believe that Gannon’s return was imminent. For now, we must remain vigilant to whatever evil is prepared to stand against what is holy and just in the Sacred Realm.”

“You don’t suppose that the Goddesses had anything to do with this? Why at this time? The Hero of Time should appear any moment, Elder. Why call us? How are we supposed to stand against the wrath of a wicked and powerful sorcerer?” Kaiver spoke to him with worried voice. He was not afraid of Gannon’s wrath, he was no fool and knew the horrors he might unleash upon Hyrule.

“I do not know. Perhaps, the Goddesses sent us because we are worthy of the task they have put us on. For now, we just need to remain vigilant, regardless of what happens.” Elder Lyontus looked to him and said to give him comfort.

As they got set up, he detached the cart to let his horse loose so that he would take Jade to the stables nearby that was a quick walk, only to let his attention gave way to something very out of the ordinary. A black ranger with red decals headed towards the gate and rode on a white wolfos the size of a horse or larger it seemed. Three spear-men kept the thing back as the ranger tried to calm it down to prevent trouble. Kaiver rushed to the scene,
drew his bow, and headed to speak to the black ranger.

“Halt! In the Name of King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, I order you stop. As Ranger of the Royal Guard, I shall deal
with this.” Kaiver spoke in a demanding voice to the spear-men.

“But sir, we don’t know who this is! Are you allowing this shadowy figure in?” spoke one of the spear-men.

“No, I’m asking you to stand down and head back to the entrance. I will deal with this matter myself.”

“As you wish. We won’t hesitate to report you if you simply allow this character in.”

The spear-men backed down to the gate and still kept their spears pointed at the rider’s beast. Kaiver looked at the figure with a glare, but knew that whatever this person wanted, he hoped he would not cause trouble at least give him a good chance to prove that he was a worthy opponent if he did.

“What business do you have here, Wolf-rider? The citizens won’t take kindly to both you and your pet.” Kaiver said in a bold tone, tilting his bow and moved his fingers to make ready to grab an arrow from his quiver.

“What does it matter, stable boy? Perhaps you should know that I’m here for the festivals, as well as a doctor in this sorry name of a town.” the black ranger spoke in a gruff voice.

“It does matter, regardless if you have much ill to say of Kakariko Village. Perhaps you should show yourself or I will deny you passage and chase you out myself!”

“With pleasure…” the black rider spoke to him, as he began to take down his hood to show his face. He was of fair skin and had a well-kept goatee, but the man looked as if he had seen plenty of combat firsthand as the scars on his face were evidence of that. His red eyes gave away his distinctive feature of being a Shiekah, but one eye had been partly grayed, giving the distinction of being partly blind. Both he and the black ranger glared back at each other as they both had daggers in their eyes, both having feelings of loathing of one other.

Kaiver briefly looked at the black ranger’s arm as it was wrapped in bloody bandages, looking like it could barely move. Kaiver was taking a risk, but he believed that it was a good enough to let him pass, and nodded at the guards to let him to the stables, provided he keep beast under control.

“One last thing… Wolf-Rider. What is your name?” Kaiver said to the dark rider.

The man stopped ahead of him, giving pause, and allowing Kaiver to see the crimson Shiekah symbol on his black cloak, surrounded by a crimson border.

“Izzaz… that is all I’m saying, whelp…” the black ranger said as he put his hood back up and put his Wolfos into the stables.

In the throng of people, flitting unseen from shadow to shadow was child's play. Cain moved between hosts quickly, stopping only to listen a moment to see if they had anything interesting to say. So far, it was nothing but the ordinary drivel: food, family, activities, how lovely the morning was, and so forth. This tirade of boredom persisted until Cain, not really paying attention at this point, happened to leap into the shadow of a slender figure totally shrouded in a hooded cloak. Instantly he became aware of something new and interesting; having spent practically all of his time in the World of Light in one shadow or another, he had grown accustomed to the feeling of different races, like putting on different sorts of shoes. This one, however, was unknown. From the Garo's shadow he quickly surveyed him, and quickly discovered that this being was, indeed, a novelty. With the emaciated pallid skin of the dead, blank blue eyes hidden beneath the hood from all but those who could see through the dark, and no flesh to spare, this individual seemed more like an animated carcass than a living being.

Though neither knew the other's name, the Garo puzzled the Twili. Was he a ReDead, maybe? On one occasion he and Frore had fought ReDead, but they were blindly aggressive, seldom clothed, and confined to dark places far beneath the surface of the earth. After a few, distracted moments, Cain decided to let it go. He couldn't risk making contact when there were so many others nearby; a strange, disembodied voice from the shadows would probably draw attention and certainly sour the festive mood. Sighing quietly, he resumed his trek.

It didn't take long before he found the mercantile section of the town. Here, a variety of vendors hawked their wares, from family-run food stands to more elaborate stalls manned by a representative of some chain. As he watched from the shadow of a portly greengrocer, he noticed a shock of red hair among the crowd. Instantly, his attention fixated on the orange braid. Though his knowledge of such matters was incomplete and unsubstantiated, only two races had dominantly red hair: Gerudo and Twili. In the back of his mind he knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, he raced toward the red hair, diving through a dozen shadows in only a few seconds, only to find that the braid belonged to a Hylian woman. Still, he had to be sure. Cain discretely moved into her own shadow, waiting a few moments for a potential customer to grow disgusted with her high fish prices and leave. When the other woman was gone, and her dark-haired assistant's attention elsewhere, Cain cast himself onto her fish stand in front of Felicia and quickly leaned in front of her to check her face. It was unlikely that she would notice him unless she looked directly at the shadow, and even then she would likely assume that what she was looking at was the shadow of someone standing directly behind her. This world had never seen a Twili before; she had no reason to assume otherwise. Only his eyes, yellow with red pupils, might betray him.

Concluding that this girl was, sadly, nothing more than a Hylian, Cain mumbled to himself, "Another disappointment." Only after he said it did he realize that he had spoken out loud, and Felicia would almost certainly hear it, even above the general drone of the village crowd. Quickly he vanished, hiding once more in her shadow, desperately hoping he hadn't compromised himself.

-=-=-

Meanwhile, Frore was beginning to grow bored as well. Watching the villagers drew less and less interest from him. He wanted to join them, to walk among them, and perhaps better understand why they were so...joyful. Cain had asked that he stay here, though, so here he would stay. Frore exhaled softly, expelling a cloud of frosty breath into the warm air.

In the distance, a man ran.

He did not run to save his hide, nor to spread messages of good or bad, but ran to get this damn voice out of his head. It was worse than ticks, and he had suffered from those too. He'd learned to run fast in his days, whether it was away or to danger. Even so, with the wind blowing him back he nearly lost his hat, which he kept prominently tucked against his head with a gloved hand. At last, it came into view, the Kakariko village. Or... was it? He didn't see any signs but he had the feeling he was supposed to be here.

He stopped running and plopped down on the ground, thinking for a moment. Hmm... Perhaps it would be wise to ask a local? He scratched his chin beneath his mask. His eyes just happened to be drifting, when he caught sight of a sign, stating that fresh fish was for sale. His belly churned at the thought that his last fish had spoiled before he had the chance to eat it, and now he was only left with bread and roots for his personal item. Yes, a man requires MEAT!

He dashed over in a flash to the stand which sold fresh fish, not even bothering to notice how much green everyone was in, nor the festivities. His mouth watered at the idea of having fish once more. He went to ask the person working at the counter for some, but then he noticed her.

A beautiful Hylian girl with red hair so fine it caressed her olive skin like she were a statue, resting in the shade. With hearts in his eyes, he leaped over the counter and scooped her up bridal style into his arms, moving his mask up to show his own face... he romantically said to her:

"Eeeeyyy Giiirl~
Lookin so hot
Ya don't even know
Stole me out right on the spot

I'ma be honest
You makin' me trip
With them perky breasts
and chunky hips~

Ya don't even know
How much I wan' show
Make my heart go
Click-clack-boom
Yeah?"

Damn he was good.

Across the blazing morning skyline of Kakariko Village flitted the tiniest sliver of indigo light—unnatural in both movement and color. Upon closer inspection and through squinted eyes, the small orb of white and indigo light housed what appeared to be a small woman no larger than one’s little finger. If you were willing to risk overexposing your eyes you might even notice a pair of shining gold irises betwixt her indigo bangs, long, pointed ears, and translucent, insect-like wings.

She was much more natural than the bustling multitudes below, however… filled with fat, sticky children wearing traditional Kokiri garb; most of them rotten little creatures with a never-ending sense of self-entitlement to every single little thing that catches their fancy. Lethe knew this only because she had experienced it first hand—literally. Well, perhaps she was a little bias, but after searching for almost two years (all the while being grabbed, jarred, and nearly squashed) you probably would be a little bias, too.

“Stupid… little… why did I even fly down there in the first place…,” she grumbled, cursing herself with words she knew she ought never say aloud. She had spotted a young child crouching in an alleyway—seemingly in distress, or so Lethe had supposed. Playing hide and seek and giggling quietly to oneself could convincingly make someone look as though they were sobbing from so high up and far away. It’d taken her a good half an hour just to get the sticky sugar out of her long indigo hair and the fine threads of her tea length dress….

As for her reason for being in town at all during such a dreadfully crowded day….

Lethe perched herself atop the look out tower where a languid guard snoozed with his head in his hands. It was her favorite place to rest whenever she was in town. As one of the smallest persons in Hyrule, she found it amusing to look down on everyone. Not to mention, it was particularly helpful when it came to people finding. Today, however, she was looking for quite a few people rather than just one—some of which she wasn’t sure she really wanted to find at all. Nursing her long indigo tresses, she released an indignant snort. I’m not even sure I would consider some of these ‘people’ people at all, she thought wryly to herself.

In spite of her feelings, however, these were orders from the Goddess herself and after being exiled for such a long time, Lethe knew she oughtn’t pass up this opportunity to redeem herself. Diving from the wooden railing of the tower, a tail of disjointed fragments of light trailed behind her. Difficult to spot for anyone that wasn’t looking up or over the village from a higher vantage point, Lethe flew steadily past the windmill and towards the entrance to the graveyard—deciding to begin a more thorough sweep there. Those who did spot her would very likely wonder at the rare, unusual site of a fairy so far from the Lost Woods or a fairy fountain.

“She said they’d be easy to find,” Lethe grumbled, “but the least she could have done is give me a better description of what they looked like… the cold one… the old one… the loud one... the fish one... the noble one... the sly one...." There were so many and all she had was the vague silhouette of an image in her mind. She released a sigh, glancing left and right for anyone that might fit into the descriptions she had. If she was to be fully honest with herself, however, she was a bit bias in her search-- hoping to find one individual in particular.

The green one.... her eyes focused on the many children running past. They were all garbed in green, but she felt certain that the green one was a real Kokiri child. Looking down at shins and knees, Lethe was soon scarcely paying any attention to her other surroundings. Namely the lurking figure in the shadows-- a lanky being in a deep purple cloak with a long wooden staff and pale legs and bare feet protruding from a long, dingy looking tunic. The dark mouth of the figure's hood followed the fairy from an alleyway for some time before, with the passing of a festival-goer, it completely vanished-- the memory of it's presence like no more that ghostly vision....

“Another disappointment.”

Felicia quickly sucked in a breath of air and jerked away from the stall counter. Oh by Farore, the Goddess of Courage, she truly was going mad! That voice had sounded like it came from someone talking right in her face-- and she could have sworn she’d seen a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye! Blinking she turned hesitantly to face Kamo who was staring at her—his expression blank as always, but evidently concerned.

“I thought I saw a bean beetle… th-that’s all,” she muttered, clearing her throat and returning her attention to the crowd. No sooner had she done so than a tall, bulky man literally sprinted up to her stall (evidently very excited about fish… perhaps too excited.) While she herself wasn’t exactly wearing the right shade of green nor an adequate amount of it, the man stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the other folks—part of it most likely due to his extremely concealed face.

“Uhm… hello, sir. Caaan I… help you?” she said slowly. She was wary right from the start, but soon warning beacons were going off in her head left and right. Upon noticing that his round, reflective goggles were no longer pointed at the fish, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. Was he… staring at her? Suddenly, without warning, the man leapt over the counter—attempting to scoop her up into his arms.

“What the—“ Felicia was almost too surprised to move, but her anxious, jumpy nature quickly kicked in. She twisted herself away and kicked out frantically, trying to get away—but she wasn’t quite fast enough and, being stuck between her chair and the stall, she didn’t have much room to escape. The heel of her foot, amidst her kicking frenzy, smashed down on the stall counter, causing it to teeter back with a powerful jolt. This sent fish sailing through the air and onto Felicia and the stranger, who was still managing to keep a hold on her.

He seemed to completely ignore Felicia’s reaction and continue on with some obscene sort of rhyme about her hips and breasts, which only caused Felicia’s face to burn a darker shade of red—a combination of embarrassment and confused rage. As the psychopath finished his rap, Felicia discreetly reached towards the counter to wrap her hand around the tail of a large 12 inch Reekfish, which was then sent careening into the side of the man’s head.

Kamo watched in a combination of shock, horror, and confusion, frozen in his position on the ground after his seat had been knocked over in the tussle. “Kamo! Grab the fish!” Felicia shouted, urging him to pick up the copious amount of merchandise that was now all over the ground.

“A-and you!” Felicia pushed against the man’s chest, straightening out her elbows, “P-put me down or else I’ll call the guards! I’m serious!” Several members of the crowd had already stopped to see what was going on. In the distance, a guard, patrolling the streets for troublemakers, glanced at where the crowd seemed to be forming-- growing more and more suspicious by the second. It seemed unlikely that the crowd would disperse unless the man set her down—and soon.

From the mountains a chorus sang, deep and throaty, to the tune of an upbeat tune of the forest. It sounded as if thunder rolled in the daytime, with the anthem of the Gorons marching down from Goron City along the path to death mountain. Nearly two dozen in number, they came bringing packs and satchels of bombs and gems, carts of goods to trade at the Hero of Time Festival, lumbering down the rocky path like a stampede of Ordon goats with their heavy footfalls and their ballad of singing in unison. But one could not question that their cadence was a happy and joyous one, even with their baritone bellows of song, as they happily marched down to Kakariko Village to partake in the festivities. Among the throng of browns and tans of the Goron people, a green speck cast itself out clear as the sunny day from on high, a leaf floating upon the living landslide. A small, Kokiri girl of rusty red hair sat upon the shoulders of one of the massive Gorons, clad in the emerald attire of her people, playing jovial notes into her pan flute as the troupe descended upon the gates, crushing Tektite easily underfoot in their gait.

"Here we are, here we are, here we are to-day at Kakariko~!
...Village Festival~!
We will sell, goods and wares, Rupees hand and fist, in the name of Link~!
...Hero of Time ~!
Rocks and gems, bombs and blades, we will trade~!
...Jars and pots, steel ingots, we will buy~!
...Dance and sing, joy we'll bring, fun we'll have~!
Drinking and merrymaking at the Hero of Time Grand Festival~!"

The words to the Goron's anthem could be heard more clearly as they approached the mountain gates, laughing and singing to a celebrated song of the forest, although their singing could be heard in Kakariko since their outset from Goron City. The large band lumbered through the gates, barrels and sacks of precious valuables overshoulder, the rumbling of the carts and stomping of weighted feet nearly drowning out their friendly passing greetings to the brave men at the gate... who must feel quite sore in the morning from so many slaps on the back. Mila could not help but feel the excitement as well as she continued to play, her eyes smiling and head bobbing back and forth from upon one of the Goron's shoulders as her golden fairy swayed about her head. She eagerly stuffed her flute into her travel pack and hopped gracefully from the gigantic creature's shoulders, taking swift steps to keep pace with their long legs.
"Thank you for the passage down here, Gongoro!" she shouted to be heard over the din of the Goron's cheering and hollering as they stepped foot into Kakariko Village.
"It was my pleasure, Little Sister!" he triumphantly boomed in response, "Thank you for those fiery forest songs you play so well!" Mila simply giggled and smiled at him as she bounced down the steps. The mass of Gorons, commotion coming to an end, dispersed among the crowd to join the festival, setting up their booths, inspecting the curiosities and exotic wares the other races were peddling, and joining in a game or two. Mila toddled by Gongoro's side as he lolled toward the booths, her eyes peeled for the one she had reserved two weeks in advanced.
"This one! It's this one, Brother!" she said ecstatically, pointing at an empty wooden stand and tugging on his loincloth. The giant strode over to where she had pointed, and set down the burlap sack he had been carrying over his other shoulder.
"Fair winds and smooth roads!" he called with a simple wave as he stomped away to find another booth of his own.
"Fair winds and smooth roads!" Mila called back. She looked over the bustling village for a moment. The excited faces of children, rushing around fighting with wooden swords. The mingling merchants, haggling for more Rupees on a sale. The gossiping ladies standing in circles, and the men joking and drinking pints of ale. It was nice to see this kind of joy in times like this. Rare, almost.

Hardship was everywhere, she had seen it, especially within Zora's Domain, which she had been two years before. It wasn't apparent, at least not, yet, and not to everyone else who didn't have as long of life spans as the Kokiri. The Kokiri children were nothing if but patient and quite good at seeing things coming in advance. The fire may be a long ways down the road, but Mila could already see the smoke. The overfishing at Lake Hylia and food shortage at Zora's domain would affect the sales of fish, which would affect the market. The market would affect the prosperity of Hyrule Castle Town, which would affect how much the Gerudo bandits are able to swindle. Less Rupees for the Gerudo would make them desperate, increasing the bandit attacks, increasing the castle guard, but no Rupees means less pay and eventually, within a decade or so, Hyrule Castle would enter a depression. That is, if no one were to find a solution. And such were her life's work already. Mila, being gifted with longevity, was given the boon of foresight. She would often speak to the Hyrule council on such matters, and they never really listened, but sometimes she could solve these problems before they really did become real tragedies. But today was not a day for such worries. Today was a mystical, magical day in celebration of the Hero of Time! Mila hummed a tune to herself as she set to work building her booth, beginning by opening the sack that Gongoro had been kind enough to carry down with him.
"So what has Farore spoken to you of last night?" her sprite fairy, Shila, piped up as she pulled out various items from the sack. Iron cauldron, a stand, some rope, charcoal, paints.
"The same thing she has spoken of every night for the past moon cycle," Mila said simply, tying the rope around the cauldron using simple knots.
"Does it not worry you in the slightest what it could mean?" Shila questioned cautiously.
"No." Mila threw one end of the rope over the booth, taking to work on the stand for the cauldron, standing it up with care.
"Well, it worries me. How can you be so accepting of this great responsibility you know nothing of?" Mila scurried to the other end of the booth, grunting as she hefted the cauldron up on her makeshift pulley.
"I trust that Farore is cognizant of what she does and that she speaks of what she must. Have faith, Shila. The Goddesses are watching over us today. I don't believe that Farore would ever steer me toward danger if I were unprepared to handle the task." The cauldron in place, Mila shuffled back over to it to begin spreading out the charcoal.
"You know I worry for the both of us because you never seem to. Faith is foolish if it is unfounded, after all," she warned as she flitted about the lonely wooden booth. With a few flicks of her fire starter, the embers began to take beneath the iron cauldron, and Mila dug into her pack for her bag of Deku Seeds.
"My faith is founded, Shila. It is founded in my trust and belief in the divinity of the Goddess of Courage, Giver of Life and Oracle of Secrets." Cupping a few seeds in her hands, she took one in her thumb and forefinger and pressed it against the wood.

A green, glowing mist wafted over her hands as the seed began to grow and take root, spreading a healthy ivy over the frame of the booth. Mila's eyes gleamed a brighter emerald green as she muttered inaudibly under her breath, the roots and greenery wrapping around the booth like wisteria. She continued to do this with each seed until soon her booth had taken on the appearance of a bushy hedge, providing a canopy of shade over the wooden booth, touching all but the front sign attached to the counter. Mila looked up to her fairy and smiled.
"Let's just try to enjoy ourselves today, okay? It's a day of celebration, not misgivings! Just have fun!" Mila took a brush from the sack and dipped it into some red paint, sure to pop out against the fantastical green her booth was now covered in.
Kokiri Potions
~~~~~~~~~~~
Mila was quite pleased with her cleanly painted font, even drawing the sleek design of the Kokiri Emerald on the sign to stand out. She hopped back behind her booth and set on a cauldron of hot ChuChu jelly, prepared to take orders and make people smile. A strange scent of mushrooms, berries, onions, and herbs began to fill the air along with the violet colored smoke that arose from the cauldron. The Kokiri girl took a step stool and began to lean against the counter, giving her sales pitch.
"Come one, come all! Freshly brewed potions for your delight! Everyone needs something to keep them going when the going gets rough! A magic brew to lift your spirits, heal your heart, recharge your body, come one, come all! Straight from the home of Link and into your bottles! Cure your ills, heal what ails ya! Good enough for the Hero of Time, good enough for anyone! Come one, come all! Magic potions, right here!"

Relief washed over Cain as Felicia, after initially recoiling at the bodiless voice, dismissed the brief ordeal as nothing more than a fright by some sort of insect. At least, that was what she told her dull-eyed assistant. Perhaps she had unusual problems of her own, to dismiss so quickly an event that most people would panic and make a fuss about, at least if Cain's understanding of how people acted was anything to go on.

Barely had one commotion passed, however, than was the poor woman beset by another—and one far more physical. From the Hylian's shadow Cain got a first-hand account of the whole thing. He briefly considered intervening against his better judgment, as he would have to briefly assume full-bodied form to do so and risk the lovely morning sunlight mercilessly bleaching the very life out of him, but the whole thing became moot when Felicia dealt a hefty smack to the offending man with a convenient fish. Clearly she was able to take care of herself. However, even a sound walloping with a Reekfish didn't seem to be enough to persuade the lovestruck idiot to drop her at once.

Cain couldn't help but wonder if this masked man had some sort of malicious intent. Why else would someone to barge into such a cheerful, harmless place clothed in cloak, hat, and mask and seize a young woman in his arms? Yet, the sheer goofiness and impulsiveness of the act made Cain suspect that his actions weren't criminal, merely impulsive, improper, and incredibly stupid. Not everyone who appeared evil lived up to appearances; Cain and Frore were living proof. Still, he decided he had better remain here in case the man attempt something more dire. A crowd had formed, both out of concern and interest, but none of them seemed like the type to be a hero. Of course, neither did Cain, but sometimes someone had to.

-=-=-

Pushing himself from the side of the cliff, Frore landed on the hard-packed village earth with a muffled [i]thurk[i]. His spear remained where he had been sitting, destined to melt now that it was deprived of its wielder's cold aura. Though he knew that he was disobeying Cain's wishes and was somewhat bothered by this knowledge, Cain dimly thought that there was no harm in looking around. Walking slowly and steadily, expelling a cloud of white mist every few moments, he made his way into the village proper. He heard hearty singing in the distance, so he went in that direction.

From the very first moment it was obvious that he made people uneasy. Without the stealth abilities of his partner or a natural talent for concealment like the Garo his partner had briefly met, Frore stuck out like a sore thumb. He towered above any of the townspeople, who shied away as they met the chill emanating from him, even through the mud-colored, Nayru-emblazoned cloak. People stared as he lumbered past, some fascinated, some worried. He wondered why. One little girl, whose mother was distracted by an intimate conversation with a friend, giggled when she saw the huge, slender Chilfos and ran up to greet him. Frore froze when the Hylian girl approached, unsure of what to do. Slowly and very methodically, he knelt down and extended a bony hand to her. Frore was dimly aware of a few other villagers watching, and, unbeknownst to him, prepared to judge him from the outcome of this encounter. Seeing his bright, glistening, icy skin, he grabbed two of his four fingers with her hands. After a moment, the Hylian's face changed from joy to pain, and both child and Chilfos suddenly recoiled. The girl, with bare fingers throbbing from sudden exposure to his extreme cold, began to cry. Frore brushed droplets of water from his slightly steaming hand where her body heat had made contact.

A second later the girl was swept up into her mother's arms, who, after being stirred from her gossiping, rushed forward in a panic. Cradling her head, the villager shouted up at the Chilfos, “You hurt my Ava! What have you got to say for yourself?” Frore took a step back, totally baffled and slightly annoyed.

Even walking down a crowded street, some people are more then able to get the crowd to part for them without a word. Sometimes its because of social protocol, others because the figure is that well known and beloved that no one wants to get in their way. Magus could walk down a given street and be ensured a clear path simply because he was damn right terrifying to behold. Having caught his reflection in a river once, even a being of the Twilight such as himself had to admit that he looked like he was the sort of being that would make whomever crossed its path on a dark night vanish to never be seen or heard from again. It only got worse when you knew the whole story...

With a strange clanking sound that accompanied his movements, the figure bathed in the shadows of his cloak scrolled through the festival at his own pace, his glowing blue eyes moving as he took in the world around him in silence, ignoring the fact that the towns people around him were going to great lengths to get out of his way. He had things in which to think about... such as the 'divine' voice that had been whispering to him for the last few days. He had simply spent the first few days seething at the fact that one of the beings that had sealed his people away in the twilight realm and cursed them so that they couldn't survive in the world of light was asking HIM to save the very same world that his kind had been banished from. However after some thought he had responded in a somewhat positive manner... but making it quite clear that he would make what he wanted from her in return for his services quite clear once he met up with her agent.

The cloaked figures clanking movements came to a stop as he paused in front of one of the festival stalls. Almost completely covered in green hedges, Magus took a moment to read the sign on the stall:

Kokiri Potions

There was even a picture drawn on the sign but what it was or what it meant were completely unknown to the shadowy figure. Turning his gaze away from the sign slowly and with some more ominous creaking, Magus turned his attention to the stall owner; A seemingly young child wearing green and followed by a flying ball of light... On closer inspection, the ball of light seemed to be a tiny flying woman. How droll...

After a few moments of silence, Magus spoke. "Good Morning.". His voice sounded strange... as if his words were coming from a long way away like a deep echo. "I am curious in what kind of potions you have for sale, little one." He continued in his strange manner of speaking, falling back into silence as he awaited a response.

Before Vei's eyes passed a multitude of strange occurrences, a long fairy flitted by her, within arm's reach if she had longer arms. A cloaked being of quite incredible stature left the base of the windmill and took to the streets. That being's presence cut a wide path through crowd, as though some aura prevented their approach. From the vantage point Vei gazed from, the figure was practically a landmark in how much it stood out. The Gorons came, dancing their way to the tune of a forest girl. But eventually, each thing passed from her sight, and Vei's eyes merely glanced over her Kakariko once more.

Her feet began to ache beneath her, one could not sit at readiness for forever. Begrudgingly, Vei let herself fall backwards slowly, laying down on the roof, her hood falling down and unveiling her face as gazed at the sky. She had to admit she preferred it right now over... Well, she didn't quite feel like calling it home today. Normally, Kakariko was a lazy town she understood the pace of. She could tell what was going on, she knew where to go. Every building she had honed the craft of scaling. Every ledge, window, and crate her house, safety was always just a hop, skip, and a mantle away.

But today? It didn't feel like home. It was a strange town of stalls and tents, filled with strangers and strange circuses of strangers. In other words, Vei felt small against the backdrop of that enormous town. And she didn't like feeling small. She closed her eyes to look at the sky no more, and then, after a short while, she turned her head and raised a hand over her eyes so that she might rest a bit.

But then Vei's amber eyes opened. The voices would only return again, unless she did something.

Though the merchant did see the fish coming for his cheek, he chose not to avoid it and to take the slap of his newfound darling. Though, when he was slapped, he fell back in an almost comedic way. He still held her but gently set her down, rubbing his cheek over his mask and letting out an impish giggle.

"Love hurts, monami~
But I take this chance to
Ask if you are free

I~~~
Gave ya' a start
Yet that ain't my harm
Ya' see girl you just stole my heart."

He lifted up his mask just enough to expose his lips, from which he blew her a kiss with his gloved hand. Then he reached his hand into his pocket inside his coat and dramatically removed.... A Hero of Time Bobblehead.

"BOBBLEHEADS."

He gave it to Felicia.

"For you it's free
Mon chere~"

And with that, the strange, masked rapper pulled his mask back down, leapt back over the counter, and brandished his craft to the gathered crowd. Though they were nervous, they did happen to like his Hero of Time paraphernalia. He was quickly selling them and a few other wares just standing around in front of the fish stand, of which for now he had forgotten his desire for fish.

Elder Lytous set up the final items in preparation for his shop stall and stood them out for the customers lined up as they were eager to buy and trade for them in exchange for ingredients and Rupies. He was hopeful of that this year he was able to save enough for a branch in Kakariko to expand his business. Quite the capitalist as he was, he knew that money just hoarded up would mostly do nothing, allowing whatever excess wealth be put back into whatever services the kingdom needed, and paid his fair share of taxes. His eye turned to a rather friendly competitor, Kokiri Potions, run by the “The Witch of the Forest" as she was known in Castle Town that ran a similar shop albeit she was a lot more mobile than he was.

He got up on a stool and told one of his assistants, Raivo, to watch over the stall as he decided to take a visit to her stall. With his cane, he walked through the crowd that towered over him as he was the size of a child compared to the others, but then, he and Mila were almost the same height compared to each other. As it took little time to get to her stall, he waited in line behind the children to look at the wares out of curiosity, over a stool placed on the side of it. As it was his turn to walk up he fixed a bit of his beard and climbed up with his cane as he happily smiled at the Korkiri running the stall.

“Ah, Kokiri Child! How goes the sale of your wares? I happen to be nearby selling my own as we make friendly competition for good sales.” He said as he gotten up and looked at her with a friendly smile. “Also, I do remember that I came across a toad of sorts, and I wonder if it’s native to the Forest, because I believe it can be useful in catching a good fish, or at least be able to trade for one.”

As the creaking and shadowy cloaked figure walked up to the counter next to him, he heard the voice from the figure. He felt a very dark energy radiating from the figure that made it a bit uncomforting for him.

_-_-_

Kaiver kept watch of the person at a distance, hoping that he would catch him off guard and be able to arrest him, but perhaps the Shiekah knew better than to simply cause a ruckus, and after all, he did end up waiting at a bench next to the surgeon’s office where he waited, glancing back at Kaiver, as if he was watching him back. Still, he did not trust the man even if he acknowledged his bias against his kind. He figured simply to let him be, as he kept the dark ranger within his sight. He started to watch the first caravan of carts from Castle Town arriving with their passengers, as the townsfolk were guided off the carts.
Watching from the cliff, he noticed the passengers eventually gave him sight of his two daughters dressed in the Hero’s clothes for the festivities rush out to play with the other children. A masked teenage man in what looked like a crude Gannon costume came out of the cart and started to playfully roar and snort in attempt to scare the children, became the victim of his hijinks, being chased by the children with their wooden swords and shields. Kaiver let out a playful laugh. Perhaps all is not doom and gloom awaiting Hyrule, even during these dark days.



It didn’t take long for him to see his wife, Mariha, was beautifully dressed in what seemed like a faux-twin of Princess Zelda. However, the distinction was obvious due to her middle-class, yet, tasteful attire. Colored in Forest green, sage, emerald, decals with hints of brown, topped with a silver tiara with an emerald embedded in it caught his attention. He did not expect her to dress up like this, however beautiful she was in casual clothing. He walked down from the stairs and headed towards his wife as he put away his bow, moving in close to grab her attention.

“Ma’am. Do you require assistance, or shall one our ‘heroes’ guide you throughout this fine town?” He jokingly spoke to his wife as he held her hand.

She blushed and smiled at his gesture, accepting her husband’s offer lovingly. “I most certainly do require assistance, perhaps to the one that has given me such an offer!”

Kaiver smiled back and looked in his loving wife’s eyes as he wrapped his hands around her.“Then, shall we be off, or is there anything you request from your chivalrous hero?”

She giggled, knowing fully well that he was now being silly, but she would grab something out of a messenger bag she had with her and opened it to grab a green cap from it in response to his playful gestures. “Perhaps. Here, this a token of my gratitude.” She told him as she reached up and topped his head with a green cap that matched his ranger garment. She now considered him worthy of letting him being her ‘hero’ as they walked throughout the town and enjoyed the Festival together. As they went through the town, they talked for a bit, browsed the shops, and enjoyed the various entertainment in the festival, ending up sitting at a bench in a market plaza.

“I didn’t expect you to dress up like this. Why the fancy attire? Perhaps you did know you would get my attention, or impress me on a day like this?” Kaiver said to his wife.

“I think for both of those reasons...” She said with a smile on her face, but then her smile soon faded to a frown, stopping for a moment as she turned to him and looked up.

“Kaiver…But for so long, I have been waiting for you to come to your senses, in which your life does not revolve around hunting beasts and bandits. I fear for your life most of the time when your daughters have a father figure that is gone for days on end, but your time in the Town Watch has helped, but… I still worry about you being hurt, or worse, killed by a senseless thug.” She said to him in a concerned voice. Innocence and concern could be felt in those words she spoke to him.

Kaiver looked into her and held his hands on her cheeks. “I know you worry about me. But what I do is for your protection, and for your safety. I sacrifice my own in order to do things that would seem impossible to comprehend. I do this not out of some mere mission that the Goddesses set forth to test me. I do this out of love…so we may have a future together, so we may cherish the times, both good and ill, together. Someday, you can understand that I will sacrifice even my own life… for this love we have.”

Mariha started to tear as he finished his speech with her, as Kaiver wiped the tears away as to not ruin his wife’s makeup. “Don’t cry my love…as much as I will lay down my life for you, I am no fool, and won’t simply throw my life away.” He said to her to cheer her up.

“Perhaps that is why you’re so stubborn…” She remarked as a smile came across her tearing face.

“Oh please…” Kaiver chuckled as he held her in his arms. His head turned to the cries of the fish stall where the fisherwoman was being harassed by the masked man, only to have a reekfish planted in his face and to have him back off in response, saving him the moment to intervene. “Perhaps when we met, did you think we could be such odd pair such as those two?” he asked as he pointed to the fisher and the masked man.

She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think that your words would mean anything if that were true.”

Kaiver smiled at her words and kissed her on the lips, but broke it as he heard a child’s cry out form the crowd, giving him reason to abandon his wife at the bench for a moment and took off the cap he was wearing. “Stay here, this shouldn't take long.”



He went to where the scene was and saw the child embraced by her mother, with the crowd standing clear of the large figure yet slender figure of the Chilfos, and felt the cold aura of the entity radiating from him. This can’t be good, thought Kaiver as he headed towards the woman holding her child as he kept his eye on what seemed to be the main cause of the problem. "Is this creature giving you any problems, ma'am?" he said to her as he looked at the child's hand, as it was quite red and a bit frosty, giving evidence of the child's curiosity of the figure caused such a shock.

Utterly perplexed, Felicia stared at the toy in her hand, lips curled and forehead creased.

“Ms. Felicia,” Kamo said, restoring the last fallen fish to it’s proper place, and breaking her out of her trance, “What… just happened?”

“I… I really don’t know,” Felicia frowned, a slight whimper of remorse evident in her tone as she dropped her hands to her side. She set the bobble head down on the counter and folded her arms, observing the stranger as Kamo set the chairs back up and brushed the leaves and dirt from his pants.

Those that weren’t drawn in by the vagrant’s merchandise dispersed, chuckling as they went and most likely assuming the two had known each other. Not exactly a far-fetched assumption judging by how casually the loon had continued about his business. She suppressed a sigh and scratched her shoulder. He was clearly crazy... but for a crazy person who was hearing voices to accuse someone else of being crazy. The last thing she wanted to be was a hypocrite as well.... Where on earth was Linda? She really needed to take a break and soon....

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“Kaiver Greison.”



The crowd parted behind Kaiver as a tall, well-groomed and sturdy man, flanked by two guards, stepped briskly forward. He wore eloquent gold armor from head to foot and, atop his head, a golden helmet of intricate design. Set into dark, tanned skin, were a pair of intense forest green eyes and two long, parallel scars wrapping around his cheek and chiseled jaw. Kaiver would immediately recognize the knight as none other than Sir Orca Halbert, a renowned hero among the people as well as a personal favorite of the Royal Family. His title did not precede his skills with a blade, however. He was undoubtedly one of the most skilled warriors in all of Hyrule… if not, perhaps, also one of the most pretentious.

“Sticking your nose into matters that don’t concern you again, are we?” Sir Halbert frowned, his voice sleek and disdainful. The two spear-men at his flanks, who also happened to be the same spear-men at the gate whom Kaiver had ordered away, looked sheepish and uncomfortable, obviously having been chewed out quite thoroughly.

Although Sir Halbert's rank as a Hyrulian Knight was far beyond that of a simple guard, the Royal Family had been appointing him as the official overseer of the Hero of Time festival for many years. With so many different races gathering in one place, the King wanted to absolutely ensure it would be an event celebrating peace and unity-- that meant petty squabbles and mischief needed to be kept to a minimum and handled with the utmost care. Sir Halbert stepped forward between the Chilfos and the child. As he passed Kaiver, he paused and leaned forward so as to keep the rest of the apprehensive crowd from hearing.

“You caused quite a stir in the stables, you know. Allowing that freak to store his monstrosity with everyone’s horses. Everyone was in a panic and now I have to keep three of my best spear-men there on watch to ensure the thing doesn’t devour anyone’s horse.” His shaded eyes from beneath his helmet glared at Kaiver for a moment before continuing.

“Should I really have to remind you that you cannot pull your “Ranger” title anymore? Don't let me catch you ordering my men around again. You’ve been demoted to Town Watch and, last I checked-- this isn’t your town.” The two spear-men began to move in behind him, standing on either side of the strange cloaked being and urging people to get back.

“Why don’t you go enjoy the festival with your woman and children, Greison,” Sir Halbert smirked before turning to face the matter at hand.

Fortunately for the Chilfos, his encounter with the young girl had drawn quite a fair bit of attention—most importantly, the attention of a certain, small, glowing individual whose keen golden eyes and sharp ears had a knack for noticing when children, in particular, were in distress. Weaving carefully behind and around ankles, the small orb of indigo light quickly slipped, unnoticed by the crowd, beneath Frore’s robes.

The cold one….



“You there!” one of the spearman shouted, “What did you do to the child? What have you to say for yourself?” Vehemently wary voices in the crowd began to rise in volume as the voiceless being failed to respond. The second guard, brandishing his long spear, barked, “Lower your hood!”

A tall, sturdy looking knight in shining gold armor stepped forward, golden Hylian shield and gold hilted broadsword in hand, “We wish to resolve this peacefully, but if you do not do as we command, we will be forced to remove you from the premise. What say you?!”

Still within her mother’s arms, the young girl seemed to have already recovered from the pain of her ice burn, but the damage had been done. From behind the guards, she stared with wide eyes at Frore and the men whilst her mother mutter angrily to her friend standing at her side. The voices of the festival-goers swelled as the crowd of observers started to thicken. The situation seemed bleak....

It was at this moment that a small voice spoke to Frore from within his hood.

“Hey Cold One… Gee, you sure shook things up around here, didn’t you? Hold still. Don’t move. I’m going to get you out of here, but you have to do as I say, got it?"