***
The autumn sky
was grey and heavy with clouds as much of Hyrule gathered together in Mido
Cemetery for the solemn
memorial that was about to take place in memory of those lives lost in Catalia's recent invasion. Zelda was standing on the
temporary dais, watching as her loyal subjects filed into the lonely, lifeless
graveyard, sombre expressions on each of their faces, heads bowed and all
dressed in dark robes. Her hair whipped a little across her face in the fierce
breeze that seemed to rush through the cemetery every so often and she pushed
it back with her hand, shivering and at once drawing her grey cloak around
herself more tightly.
"So many
people are here," Link remarked, stood right beside her. Zelda nodded,
reaching over to slip her hand into his for comfort. Looking around she noted
her father stepping to the front of the platform, with Fenella
and Fayette respectfully stood to one side. Drake was nearby, as was Aaron and
several other important members of the Royal Council, including Impa.
"Oh Link, why
did all this have to happen?" she murmured sadly, gazing down at the brown
earth below. "I feel like it could have been avoided..." Link shook
his head and wrapped his other arm around her shoulders.
"Nothing
would have deterred Robert," he replied quietly. “Nothing in this world could have stopped his
blind ambition.”
“I should go and
help my father,” Zelda said, leaning forward to kiss him on the forehead.
“After all the work I did, it would be rather a waste not to,” she added, with
a small smile.
“You’ll do a great
job, I know it,” Link said, smiling back. She let go of his hand and stepped
gracefully along the platform, joining the king at the front. The crowd was
quiet and expectant, their heads bowed in respect; not only for their monarch
but for those who had bravely perished for their country.
King Harkinian spoke first, before Zelda stepped forward to say
her piece. Link watched his wife proudly, finding tears springing to his eyes
as she spoke. And for all her faults, Zelda would always be Hyrule’s
most beloved. He glanced around the crowd, noting that all of them stood in
rapt attention at Zelda’s speech. His heart gave a sudden lurch however, when
he suddenly noticed a familiar face, standing towards the back of the group. A
dark haired peasant was standing close to another face he recognised. Fayzie and
Damon. It seemed so long to Link since he had seen her, and indeed to
look upon her once again was a shock. She was looking over at Zelda, not him,
however and he had to turn away, attempting to stand closer to Drake in an
effort to save both of them from any grief or discomfort. But perhaps something
drew her gaze to him as he had to her, and for the briefest moment, her warm,
chocolate brown eyes met with his blue ones. She averted her gaze almost at
once, looking pained as she did. His own heart wrenched painfully, but at that
moment, Zelda had stepped towards him, her speech obviously over. The head sage
from Mido’s temple was beginning to perform the
ceremony and as Zelda came to stand beside him he gripped her hand tightly,
keeping his gaze on her as he did.
“Link... are you alright?” she whispered, looking concerned.
“It’s nothing,” he
managed to choke back, looking past her again at Fayzie
once more. She was stood so close to Damon, in fact, they too, were holding
hands. Then Damon reached down to tenderly brush her hair, obviously whispering
some words of comfort to the Kokiri. Zelda slowly
turned to see what he was looking at so agitatedly but the hero stopped her,
quickly putting his other hand up to her cheek.
“I love you Zel, I love you so much.” She
managed a faint smile, and was about to reply when they noticed both Fenella and Fayette glaring disapprovingly over in their
general direction. The pair both turned their attention dutifully towards the
sage, but not even the moving epitaph could deter Link from the emotions that
were beginning to stir up inside him at the sight of his previous love and
friend, looking so close and intimate. Was his imagination just running wild,
or had Fayzie found new love with Damon?
Drake approached
the grave of his cousin, his heart heavy with despair as he thought of young
Byron. Like so many of the recent
graves, it was marked by a simple white headstone, which was engraved with the
name of the fallen, as well as their date of birth and date of death. A legend was engraved just beneath the dates,
identical to every other that marked the grave of a fallen soldier in the recent
battle. ‘Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.’ Byron’s grave was already wreathed in flowers, the man had been a friend of many. Not least of all Drake. Blood bound them to one another, but it had
been their friendship that Drake had valued above all else. The knight got down to his knees, and laid
one wavering hand on top of the smooth grave stone, closing his eyes for a
moment.
“I’ll miss you, cuz,” he whispered hoarsely. After a few moments, Drake managed to find
the strength to stand, his head still bowed.
What he would have given, for his cousin to know how much he had meant
to the knight. With no son of his own,
Drake had almost regarded Byron as one, such was the
gap in their years. The knight had seen
many consigned to the grave over the years, including colleagues, family and
friends, but he had never expected to outlive his youngest cousin. He could loiter at the grave no longer, however, though he did not wish to forget Byron, he
certainly did not want to dwell on the young man’s death any more than he
wanted to accept it. Turning on his
heel, he began to walk away, his head bowed, his eyes on the well worn ground
beneath his feet.
Drake did not see
the young man standing a few graves down, paying his own tribute to a lost
loved one. It was only when the knight collided
with the youth that Drake’s attention was diverted from other, more sombre
thoughts.
“Din, sorry...I
wasn’t looking where I was going,” admitted Drake, a little flustered. The young man turned to him, and fixed his
blue eyes upon Drake’s, looking a little startled himself.
“No worries,
sir. I understand that in a place such
as this our minds tend to be elsewhere...” replied the mourner gracefully. When he turned to Drake, the knight felt a
shiver flash down his spine; it was like looking at his own reflection. He knew that the mourner felt it too, and for
a moment they both stood, quiet and surprised.
Frowning slightly, Drake looked away from the young man, whose sandy
blonde hair and watery
blue eyes were more than similar to his own.
He could also tell that the boy, for he looked no more than twenty
summers old, was clearly half Hylian from the
slightly pointed tips of his ears, to the graceful definition of his
features. His gaze averted, Drake’s eyes
found the grave at which the boy had been standing, and he knew immediately
that it was not the grave of a soldier.
The marker stone was new enough, but it was made from grey stone, and
the name that adorned it was the name of no man. Drake’s eyes widened in surprise as he
silently read the name, his heart suddenly wrenched in his chest.
“Rose Bladelaw?” he murmured, before turning to look back at the
youth before him. He looked back to the
inscription. It read: ‘Mother, daughter, sister and friend. She will be missed.’ A shaky sigh escaped Drake’s lips and he
stepped backwards, almost as if he were afraid.
“You knew her?”
inquired the youth curiously. Drake
looked to the boy, his heart suddenly pacing a few skips faster.
“Yes...yes I
did. A long time ago,” murmured the knight. It had to be close to quarter of a century
ago now, that he knew. The boy turned
back to the grave, his face solemn.
“She died of a
fever not two months back. The healer
could do nothing for her...” he remarked quietly.
“I’m sorry to hear
that,” said Drake quietly. He was more
than sorry. To learn that Rose, his
Rosie, had been in Hyrule and he had not known...it was too much to
contemplate. The young man turned back
to Drake and extended a hand.
“Griffin.
Griffin Bladelaw. I was her son,” he introduced. Drake gripped the boy’s hand and shook it
firmly.
“Drake Benowyc,” he murmured, feeling a little nauseous. As soon as Drake mentioned his name, Griffin withdrew his
hand, his eyes narrowed.
“Drake Benowyc?” echoed the young man. Drake nodded, their eyes never leaving one
another’s. Griffin looked back to his mother’s grave,
apparently deep in thought. Several
quiet moments passed, before he turned back to Drake.
“You don’t know,
do you?” inquired the young man, his tone almost accusatory.
“Know what?” asked
Drake dumbly. He could not look away
from the young man before him, he felt almost transfixed. For a moment, Griffin said nothing, his eyes looking deep
into Drake’s as if he were searching for something. Then he licked his lips, almost as if he were
nervous, and spoke, his tone soft and clipped.
“You are my
father.”
Fayette looked
down at the large bouquet of flowers she held in her hands with glistening
tears in her eyes. She had brought them for Kendar,
beautiful red and cream roses nestled between fine sprays of baby’s breath and
lush green leaves. She’d purchased them from Rauru as
they’d passed through on the way to Mido. Tenderly,
she laid them down on the ground before the simple marble headstone that bore
his name and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Kendar, I’ll never forget you,” she whispered to the silent
grave, brushing it gently with her begloved hand. Kendar’s body had never been found, but Fayette had
insisted that his memory should never be forgotten and spent much money in
purchasing a small spot in Mido’s graveyard in which
to remember him by. The marble marker simply read ‘The bravest and most loving
soul in the Demiari’. She dabbed her eyes once again,
attempting to regain her composure. Her mother could not seem to understand her
sadness, but then, she had never approved of Fayette’s relationship with the
man. Kendar had made Fayette realise that love didn’t
always come with riches and noble breeding. It came from within the heart. It
was why her sister loved Link, why King Nicolas of Dalsona
loved Selina Rowen. She
understood that now, although at the same time, she still deeply resented both
couples. She slowly rose from her position beside the grave, looking around to
see if she could spot her mother. At that moment, a couple slowly strolled past
her, and with a start, Fayette realised that it was Fayzie...
the girl that Link had been so taken by only a few weeks earlier. She was with
Damon Owen, who Fayette vaguely recognised as being a friend of the royal
family. She certainly wasted no time, Fayette thought to herself meanly,
watching the pair with interest as they approached her.
“Lady Faye,” Damon
said, with a small bow as they came to the spot where she stood.
“How nice to see
you again Damon,” Fayette trilled falsely. Fayzie
looked away shyly, not saying anything but Fayette wasn’t about to let her walk
away. “And Fayzie, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yes, my lady...” Fayzie said quietly, bowing her head she did so.
“How
lovely to meet you once more! You know, things haven’t quite been the
same since you left,” she remarked.
“Oh?” Fayzie asked, her face flushing as
she looked at Fayette warily.
“Yes, quite. But
of course, any mistress of Link’s
wouldn’t ever be forgotten by the likes of Zelda,” Fayette continued in the
same, false tone. Fayzie stared at the Sosarian in shock, her face a mixture of hurt and guilt.
“I wasn’t... I
didn’t mean...” she began, visibly flustered.
“It would
incredibly unfortunate if you happened to bump into them, wouldn’t it?” Fayette
stated maliciously. “Actually, why are you really here at all? It’s not like
you’re a true resident of Hyrule. Although you obviously wasted no time in
finding another naive lover to shack up here with,” she added cruelly. Fayzie didn’t answer, her eyes filling with tears at
Fayette’s callous words, but Damon looked simply furious.
“I should think,
Lady Fayette,” he began in a clipped tone, “in that case, you have no right to
be here either, considering you too, are not a Hyrulian native.” Fayette looked absolutely
infuriated by this, her eyes flashing angrily.
“How dare...” she
began, but Damon wasn’t finished.
“Not to mention
that any relationship we might have is certainly nothing to do with you, my
Lady!” Before Fayette could reply, he had given her another
bow and taken a visibly shaken Fayzie by the arm and
led her away quickly up the path, leaving a seething Fayette behind.
Drake didn’t know
how long he was stood there, facing Griffin Bladelaw,
his jaw hanging slightly open.
“My mother - she
spoke of you often...said you had gone on to better things,” murmured Griffin, his tone
noticeably bitter. Gulping slightly,
Drake shook his head, still awaiting for his senses to
return. “When my grandfather found out
that my mother was pregnant, he sent her to stay with relatives. Didn’t want her to ‘disgrace’ the family,”
continued the young man, turning his back on Drake.
“What?” cried
Drake, his voice full of indignation. He reached forward and grabbed Griffin by the shoulder,
forcing him to turn.
“You heard me...I
spent most of my early years in Catalia with my
mother – we stayed there until my grandfather deemed it acceptable for us to
return to Hyrule. It didn’t stop people
from talking though...so we moved to Latonia.
She stayed there til her death, not welcome in
her own home because of the malicious gossips who loved to discuss the scandal
of her bastard son.” As Griffin spoke, Drake dropped his hand from
the boy’s shoulder, and stood back, shaking his head.
“I...I never
knew,” admitted the knight, looking back to the grave. It was well tended enough; he might have
forgotten her, but others hadn’t.
“No? Even if you had, would it have mattered?”
“Of course it
would have done! It would have changed
everything!” growled Drake, casting his gaze from side to side, careful to keep
his voice low. This was supposed to be a
place of rest, after all. Griffin folded his
arms.
“Don’t think I
haven’t heard the tales of the infamous Sir Drake Benowyc. A girl in every town and more besides, so
I’ve heard. Hardly the family man,” he
began. Drake’s frown grew deeper.
“Rose disappeared
without a word. What was I supposed to
do? If I had known she was...with
child...” Drake trailed off. He didn’t
know what he would have done. But he
would not have abandoned her.
“You would’ve
what?” asked Griffin,
his stare level with Drake’s. Drake
threw up his arms in exasperation and turned away, casting his eyes about the
graveyard. Dotted about were pockets of
people, mourning their lost loved ones. Griffin did not move, but
merely stood, his arms folded, a scowl on his handsome face.
“I don’t
know.” Drake turned back to Griffin, shaking his
head. “I don’t know what I would have
done. But it would have been the right
thing. I loved your mother,” began the
knight, his tone earnest, his words honest.
Griffin
snorted and looked away, his arms still folded across his chest.
“If you loved her,
you wouldn’t have left her.” Griffin’s gaze was still
averted as he spoke, his eyes elsewhere.
Drake frowned.
“I never left
her. I left Nabooru. Did she ever tell you why?” asked the
knight. Griffin looked back to Drake, his lips set
into a tight line.
“She mentioned
something about your family...” began the young man vaguely. Drake nodded.
“Yes. Exactly. My family. They were killed. All of them. I left Nabooru to
seek the man who killed them and make sure he was brought to justice. By the time I found the...him, Rose was
gone. And your grandfather, in his
infinite wisdom, refused to tell me where she was. What could I have done? Tell me, because I’d like to hear it!” Griffin
stood silently as Drake spoke, the knight’s voice low and angry. Griffin
looked down at his boots, then back to Drake, slowly shaking his head.
“You could have
looked for her,” he began quietly. Drake
shook his head.
“I looked. I went to every town in Hyrule and asked if
anyone knew where she was. But no one
did. The one man who could have told me,
refused to. Your
grandfather.”
“He never liked
you...” admitted Griffin. Drake’s frown faded somewhat, and half a grin
touched his lips.
“That I do
know...” said the knight with a nostalgic sigh.
He looked to Griffin. “He said I’d never amount to anything. He said I didn’t have the discipline.” The two stood, regarding one another for a
moment, and Drake swore he saw a twinkle appear in Griffin’s blue eyes.
“Funny,” Griffin began, “He said
the same thing about me.” The two briefly
smiled at one another, albeit somewhat uneasily. “He always said I was my father’s son,” added
the young Bladelaw, with another brief smile. Drake shrugged.
“Mayhap he was
right for once,” mused the knight.
“Maybe,” admitted Griffin, extending his
hand to Drake. Drake looked down at his
son’s outstretched palm for a moment, then took it,
gripping it firmly and shaking it. Then
he paused, and pulled him into a hug.
“I’m sorry,” he
murmured as they parted, and Griffin
shook his head, smiling.
“It’s in the
past. I won’t dwell on it if you won’t,”
he began amiably. Drake smiled at him.
“Agreed,” he said
with a nod. He looked back to the
headstone that marked Rose’s grave. “I
just wish...things had been different,” he murmured sadly, bowing his
head.
“There are many
things I would change if I could...but there is no use in wishing for things
that can never be,” said Griffin
solemnly. Drake looked to Griffin, slightly
surprised at the young man’s wise words.
“Your mother used to
say that,” said the knight. Griffin nodded.
“Yes. Yes, she did.” The two turned back to the grave of Rose Bladelaw in silent respect.
As they stood in silence, Drake could not help but think that they had
both lost someone dear, only to discover one another. The Goddesses moved in mysterious ways
indeed. Drake looked to Griffin.
“Fancy a drink?”
he asked. Griffin sighed a little and nodded.
“I don’t think
there was a better time,” he conceded.
Fayette knew that
she had to move fast. She wasn’t about to let this opportunity of causing more
conflict between her step-sister and husband slip away quite so easily. How she
hated Zelda! Zelda had messed up more times than Fayette could remember, and
yet somehow, things always remained rosy for her. Link had come crawling back,
despite his misdemeanours, and Zelda had forgiven him. Their public
relationship was as perfect as ever, and although there were slight cracks in
their private one, it wasn’t enough to tear them apart for good. Fayette on the
other hand, had had her love cruelly snatched away by war. A war that Link, to
some degree, had helped cause. Fayette watched as Zelda and her father stood
talking to their various subjects, handing out flowers and wreathes to many, yet they had given no tribute to Kendar. Brave, noble Kendar Hartrend, who had done much for Hyrule, despite barely
knowing any of them. He had given his life for Hyrule.
Her eyes narrowed,
she looked around for Link, noting that Zelda and Harkinian
had disappeared from her current field of vision. Damon and Fayzie
had walked by not only a few minutes before, they couldn’t be that far away. As
she surveyed the cemetery, she noticed them standing with a group of people
near a small cluster of graves. Smiling at her good fortune she turned to seek
out Link again. The hero was seated on a
bench nearby, looking absolutely morose. The princess strode over to him, a
sweet smile pasted on her pretty face. He barely looked up at her approach.
“Oh Link, just
the person I was looking for,” she announced gaily.
“What do you
want?” Link asked her, suspicion immediately written across his handsome
features.
“Why aren’t you
with Zelda?” Fayette questioned innocently. Link shrugged.
“She and her
father are busy handing out the wreaths. I was with Drake... he lost his
cousin... but I don’t really like to intrude on other’s private moments,” he
remarked.
“It’s just,
well...” she paused, for dramatic effect, “I saw Zelda... she looked so upset.
I think she might need you, you know, for comfort. You know how she hates
coming here... Memories of her mother, and all.” At
Fayette’s words Link stood up, brushing down his tunic as he did so. For a
moment, she couldn’t help but admire his physique, her lips curving into an
appreciative smile. The hero certainly got markedly more handsome with each
passing year or so it seemed It was no small wonder he
had so many women falling at his feet, and no wonder Zelda was so insanely
jealous about it.
“Where is she?” he
asked, concern
in his deep blue eyes.
“Oh... I think she
went down there... near that group of graves,” Fayette pointed.
“I’d better go and
find her... she does get affected by this place, you’re right,” Link said.
“She’s not the
only one,” Fayette muttered, folding her arms as Link walked off along the
path. Smiling again to herself, she hoped that her plan would unfold exactly
the way she was planning it to. Now she just had to make Zelda somehow see Link
and Fayzie’s ‘accidental’ encounter and the rest
would be history.
Link wandered
down to the spot where Fayette had said she’d last seen Zelda, but he could see
no sign of his golden-haired wife amongst the small group. As he glanced around
he noticed that most of them appeared to be archers from the Hyrulian army, obviously mourning at the loss of their
fellow members. Zelda must have handed out some flowers here and obviously
moved on. He was about to keep walking when he heard a familiar voice speak his
name; and he couldn’t help but blanch as he heard it.
“Link,
so sad that we meet again on such a sorrowful day!” Damon said, smiling
warmly at his friend. Link didn’t know what to say, as he looked first from
Damon, and then to Fayzie, who seemed similarly at a
loss for words. Finally, he nodded dumbly, wanting to turn and dash away across
the graveyard, his heart pounding loudly, a physical sickness forming in his
stomach as he looked at the pair, distraught. It was Fayzie
who spoke first, her tone, although quiet, also amicable.
“It’s so nice to
finally see you again, although I too wish, it were
not such a sad day,” she stated. She
spoke calmly and normally, and as he looked into her deep brown eyes, he saw
nothing but sincerity and warmth. She
smiled at him hopefully, finally reaching out to brush his hand affectionately.
He pulled away as if he’d been burnt and hurt crossed her features for a
moment.
“Fayzie...” he managed to say, although his throat felt
tight as he spoke. He stepped back nervously, running a hand through his unruly
dark locks, not knowing what to do. “I hope... I hope you’re keeping well,” he
finally managed to say. “And little Aden...
how is he?” Fayzie looked relieved somewhat by his
question and smiled.
“Aaron’s sister,
Ashleigh... she’s keeping an eye on him today. I love Tarn...
and Damon has been very kind to me,” she said.
“Yes, you don’t
need to worry,” Damon said, with a wink. “I’m building her a house in Tarn.. Dion
was very disappointed that I didn’t consult him first!” he added, his eyes
twinkling. Link felt relieved at the change of subject and quickly spoke up.
“Speaking of,
where is that outrageous Dubation?”
“He was here but a moment ago... suppose he has dashed off to speak to
others,” Damon said, glancing around for his long-time friend.
“I’ve really missed
you Link, I’m glad we’ve finally been able to speak again,” Fayzie
suddenly said shyly. Link sighed, rubbing his chin nervously.
“Me too,” he
admitted. “But I see Damon is looking after you well,” he added, glancing over
at the ranger again. Damon and Fayzie looked at each
other, both smiling and it was then that he knew. They didn’t have to tell him
that it was true. They loved each other, it was evident. And I love Zelda, he said to himself firmly. On impulse he reached
over to hug his former love, keeping the embrace as innocuous as possible. “I’m
so happy for you,” he murmured.
“And so am I,” Fayzie replied, bringing a hand to caress his cheek
affectionately. For a moment he felt like he wanted to kiss her, but it passed
as they parted, still smiling at each other. As he stepped back however,
something made him turn. As he found himself staring into the furious green
eyes of his wife, he knew that he had just perhaps made the biggest mistake
ever. Zelda was stood, a gloating Fayette by her side, only a few feet away. He
looked back at Fayzie, who had paled herself at the
sight of Zelda, and then back at his wife once more. Her fury was more than
evident to those around them, and the next moment she had walked forward to
roughly grasp him by the hand.
“I think, perhaps,
we ought to leave,” she said shortly. He could only nod dumbly, following her
along the path in utter silence.