“It is my fault he is late, Elder,” Vitanre said, bowing her head.

“He is no later than I expected him. All is well, child. Both of you now, stop lingering in my doorway and come in ” the elder chuckled as she moved back into the house, her cane tapping loudly upon the wooden floor.

Link and Vitanre followed, Vitanre pausing to pull the door shut behind them. They walked down a short hall into a room lit by a single fire in a fireplace. Cushions littered the floor before the fireplace, and a single armchair was pulled next to the warming flames. It was in this the elder settled herself, sighing as she shifted, then she gestured for Link to have a seat upon the cushions in the floor.

“This old crone has but one chair to her name,” she chuckled. “I’ve never had any need for a second.”

Link smiled as he sat crosslegged in the floor on one of the larger cushions. “I am just as happy in the floor as in a chair.”

“Such a polite young man. Vitanre,” the elder turned to face the young woman. “There is stew upon the kitchen fire and water, if you would attend us.”

Vitanre bowed her head and left the room. Link watched her go.

“Now, Link.”

At those words, Link turned his attention back to the elder. She had pulled something from beside the chair and had it laying across her lap. Link’s eyes widened when he recognized the sheath of the Master Sword.

“Yes, this is indeed the Master Sword, that only the true hero of Hyrule may wield,” the elder said, nodding slowly. “Are you he, then?”

Link slowly nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you have seen much of this world...though obviously, not enough of it if you’ve never been around here,” she cackled. She stroked the sheath reverently, before handing it back to Link. “In my old age, I would have never suspected that I would meet the hero wielding the sword, much less hold the sword myself.”

Link started to strap the sword onto his back once more, but then paused and laid the sword across his lap. “You don’t look so old.”

THAT certainly raised a cackling storm from the elder. “Oh, would thy be so kind as to tell me how you became the hero of Hyrule when obviously you are blinder than I! ” She wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

Link smiled and shook his head as the elder gazed at him.“So, Link, why don’t you tell me about those dreams you’ve been having?”

Link made a noise of surprise and glanced up sharply at her. “How did you know about my dreams?”

“Well, obviously you aren’t here on vacation, m’dear,” she chuckled. “And I too see things that tell of the future. I forsaw your arrival here, though WHY you are here I don’t know.”

“Neither do I, in truth,” Link said slowly. “A few weeks ago, I began dreaming...it must be of this place, of that I am sure of.”

“And what did you see?” the elder asked quietly, leaning forward.

“A...a flash of blue light, and I hear screams, female screams. And there’s feelings...of despair, helplessness, and sometimes I even feel determination. But, throughout the dreams there is...a feeling of great love,” Link said, brow furrowing. “I see a small boy, but I can’t make out any facial features or anything else that I might use to tell who he is. And...there may be another person there, for I think I see blonde hair...long.”

The elder clicked her tongue against her teeth and leaned back. “Indeed...it would seem you have yourself a mystery to solve, Link.”

Link sighed and nodded. “I wish I knew what it meant...”

“All will become clear when the time comes,” she assured him, nodding sagely. “Vitanre, child, it is impolite to linger in doorways.”

Vitanre, who was indeed standing in the doorway with a tray, jumped slightly, then bowed her head. “I am sorry, Elder.” She came into the room and sat the tray on a small table. On it were two bowls of a steaming stew and two large mugs of fresh water. She served both Link and the elder, and then stood back respectively.

“Ah, it is too bad most my teeth are gone...I did so enjoy chewing the things that are found in stew,” the elder said mournfully. “I’m afraid it will mainly be mush for my sake, though that will not make it any less filling or tasty.”

Link chuckled. “I’m sure it will be just fine, Elder.”

The elder sniffed at her bowl and sighed happily. “Now, Vitanre, you may wait outside for Link. When he is finished, you will take him to the inn and see that he is settled in properly.”

“Yes, Elder,” Vitanre said, bowing her head once more and retreating from the room.

The woman watched her go before turning back to her supper. “Such a good child...”

Link didn’t know how to respond to that, so he too went to his supper. The stew was thick and hearty, with potatoes and tender vegetables in it. As his stomach growled, he realized that he hadn’t eaten all day, except for that sweet cake he’d had while with Vitanre.
“You should get to know her,” the elder said suddenly. “You two have more in common than you think.”

He paused, spoon poised halfway to his lips, and looked up at her. “What?”

The woman sat her bowl upon a knee and sighed heavily. “Vitanre is different from all those here in this village. Her father is scared of what might happen should anyone take too close an interest in her, and so he sends her away to dwell in the Shrine for weeks at a time.”

“Weeks? You mean the two weeks at a time?” Link asked, returning the spoon to the bowl without taking the bite.

“No,” the elder shook her head sadly. “I mean for weeks, uncountable weeks, at a time. If her father knew she was out of the Shrine and walking around the village, he would beat her and send her right back into the Shrine. Vitanre’s family lives in the woods outside the village, and so Vitanre can sometimes get away with visits to the village without her father knowing.” She sighed and returned to her food. “If it weren’t for the caring of the villagers, who never tell when she leaves the Shrine, I suspect Vitanre’s father would lock her there permanently.”

Link was staring at the elder, a look of disbelief upon his face. “But...why? Why lock her away? She does not seem so different to me.”

“Of course she doesn’t, not to you.”

“What does that mean?” Link asked, shaking his head. “There is so much I don’t understand.”

“You will in time, m’boy, in time. As it is, she’s worked out a few simple precautions with the village folk here. When her father is in town, the gallery owner nails up a list of fake standings without her name upon them. If ever she is out in the open, and her father comes calling, nearly everyone here has hidden her in their homes atleast once...she has a sad existance, that one, but her heart has remained unbitter these long years. She is as sunny a spirit now as she ever was...and you know,” the elder added thoughtfully. “Besides her brother, you are the only person she’s ever truly talked to.”

Link, all interest in eating now lost, sat his bowl on the floor next to him and shook his head slowly. “I cannot understand why someone would do that to such a nice girl...”

The old woman smiled. “You shall see soon enough, I suspect. Eat, and then go join her, she will make sure you are treated well. We don’t get many heroes down this way,” she chuckled, tucking into her food with relish.

When Link had finished, he started to stand with his dishes in hand, but the elder waved a hand dismissively. “Leave them, they will be seen to.”

Link nodded and sat them back onto the tray. “I thank you, for your hospitality.” He bowed to her formally, and made his way back outside. As he stepped out the door, Vitanre rose from where she’d been sitting in the shadows against the side of the house.

“I’m supposed to take you to the inn now. Is there anything you think you’ll need?” she asked, walking up to him.

“No, none that I can think of...oh, wait. What happened to my horse?” Link asked, looking worried.

“She is in the stables behind the inn, do not worry for her. Instead, worry for all the stable boys she’s nipped,” she laughed, leading him down the street.

The village was strangely quiet, now that the market area was closed for the night. As they passed the shooting gallery, Vitanre’s arm was seized by a man standing in the open doorway.

“Vitanre kid Howabout you show the newcomer a few rounds, eh eh?” the man roared good naturedly.

“I have to take him to the-yah! ” Vitanre started to protest, but the man yanked her inside and energetically waved Link in after her. Seeing no other option, Link followed.

A whole crowd, men and women both, all cheered when Vitanre was pulled inside. She sighed, and walked up to a wooden counter just inside the door.

“I guess just only one round...he may pick, swordsmanship or archery,” she said, as Link joined her.

“Well boy, what’ll it be?” Behind the counter stood a bear of a man, who looked like he could pick Link up and break him in two over his knee.

“Uh...”Link glanced at Vitanre, who shrugged. “I guess, swordsmanship then.”

The man nodded choppily, and began pulling up long, thin boxes from behind the counter. “’ere’s yers, Vitanre,” he said, handing her a box that was wider than the rest of them.

Link looked at the boxes curiously. “What are those?”

“Yer weapins,” the man answered. “Pick one.”

“These are special wooden weapons,” Vitanre explained. She opened her box to reveal a blunted wooden scimitar resting on what appeared to be blue fluff. “Instead of real weapons here, we fight with wooden swords and such that are kept in colored powders.” To demonstrate, she picked up the scimitar carefully and tapped it against her palm. A puff of blue floated up into the air, and left behind on her palm was a bright blue smear. “This way, we can see where hits are landed, and no one gets hurt. The powder washes off in plain water.”

Link nodded. “I see now...” He scrutinized the boxes. Apparently, the shape of the box was a clue to the size and shape of the weapon within it. He found a box that appeared to be able to hold a sword the size of the Master Sword and carefully opened it. Inside was a wooden sword resting on bright red fluff.
“Now, we go to the floor,” Vitanre said, leading the way. Link followed, giving his wooden sword a few carefully controlled swipes, to get a feel for the weapon.

The walked past the counter and arrived in a room that was alike to a small amplitheater, with seats all around on three walls that formed a ‘U’ shape around a rectangular-shaped open floor area. Men hurriedly removed the remains of what had been an archery contest and then everyone hurried to find seats close to the floor.

Vitanre lead Link down a set of stairs and out onto the floor.

“The rules of engagement are this: you need oly to land a killing blow. Shino shall be our judge.”

At the sound of his name, the bear-man rose from his seat and stepped down to the floor, nodding at both contestants.

“Fighters, on my mark,” he growled, raising an arm. “Bow.”

Vitanre bowed at the waist, Link mimicking her.

“Ready yerselves.”

Vitanre swirled her wood scimitar high around her and up above her head where it stopped, pointing in Link’s direction. She brought her empty hand up to touch the elbow of her weapon arm. Between her arms, she winked at Link.

Link, not one for fancy salutes, brought his sword up into a comfortable ready position and waited.

Shino dropped his arm and quickly lumbered away from them. “And engage! ”

Link stayed where he was, intending to let Vitanre make the first move. But she too stayed where she was, staring at him from between her arms.

The two stayed like that for a moment, when finally Vitanre dropped her scimitar point-down in the dirt and rested her wrists upon the guard. “Well? You’re boring me, Link.”

Link blinked, then sighed. Alright then, he’d make the first move. He took a step forward, and immediately Vitanre’s weapon was back up above her head.

‘She’s left herself wide open...she must want me to attack her,’ he thought. He might as well oblidge her, then. He lunged forward, sword leading the way and leaving a faint mist of red in it's wake.

Vitanre waited until the tip had nearly touched her stomach before her empty hand seized Link’s weapon arm and she rolled up that, until her back was against his chest.
Link’s eyes widened in surprise and he broke her hold and leapt backwards, leaving her uncoming backwards jab with the scimitar slashing into open air.
“You’re a bit faster than I expected,” he said. As the crowd around them cheered them on, the two began to circle.

“Don’t underestimate me, just because I am a female,” she said, grinning.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Link said, also now beginning to smile. He watched as Vitanre came in with a few experimental slashes and jabs, all of which he easily turned away with his own sword.

Suddenly, Vitanre broke her pattern and came lunging in hard. Link side- stepped and brought his weapon down to tap it against the back of her spine, but just as quickly as she’d lunged she reversed her weapon and parried over her shoulder, throwing Link off-balance and forcing his sword arm out wide. The scimitar reversed again and came in for what would have been a killing blow across his neck had Link not ducked low under the slash.

Bringing his sword to bear on her, he slapped away a series of jabs and managed to tap her across the forearm of the arm that held her scimitar.

“HOLD! Change weapon hand! ” Shino called out.

Vitanre shrugged and tossed the scimitar to her other hand.

Now sensing that he may have an advantage, Link began to press his attack, coming in with strong sweeps and quick jabs meant to put Vitanre on the defensive and force her to give ground. She took it all in stride, although she seemed shaky and a bit unused to fighting with the wrong hand.

Link lunged forward, meaning to make her hop backwards, when he stepped to meet his lunge and leapt over him. Turning in midair, she gave him a swift smack across the backside that sent him tottering off balance and blushing to the tips of his pointy ears.

He turned to face her again as the crowd roared in laughter. She grinned michieviously and whirled that scimitar in a mirror-image routine that she had done with the other hand.

Link saw now; she’d been pretending to be unused to fighting with that hand, to lull him into an attack.

It was time to end this, Link saw. He wasn’t fighting like he normally would...he didn’t want to hurt her on accident, and he thought that she, too, was not fighting like normal. If this play-acting kept on, they’d be here all evening.

Link exploded into action then. He came at Vitanre in an attack frenzy, forcing her into the defensive role as the wooden weapons struck again and again. Vitanre bit her lower lip, at times hard pressed to turn away his attacks. She kept backing up until she had her back mere inches from the wall. After a particularily strong slash, she bent down and threw herself into a roll that took her past Link and back into the open floor.
‘She fights well,’ Link thought, ‘although her style with the scimitar is a bit different from one with a sword.’The two fighters, now in the middle of the floor once more, were now more evenly matched and continued to trade blows for a few minutes, when the door upstairs burst open and another man burst in, shouting wildly.

“Vitanre! Hide! Your father-! ”

He was shoved aside by a taller man with a shock of black curly hair and a look of annoyance upon his face. His cold gaze stopped on the scene of the two young persons fighting.

“Vitanre.”

Vitanre stopped fighting immediately, her scimitar dropping to the floor and Link barely turning aside his own lunge that would have struck her across the face.

“Father...” she gulped, turning very pale.

The man slowly clomped down the stairs. “What are you doing outside of the Shrine?”

“I was just-“

“You are away from your post at the Shrine,” he said harshly. Vitanre seemed to shrink away from him.

“The Elder charged me with the task of guiding Link around the village,” she said timidly.

Shino stepped forward. “Now now, Hiram, she was just oblidging us here with a little demonstration-“

The man now identified as Hiram waved him silent, eyes only for his daughter. He stalked forward and raised an arm. Vitanre steeled herself for the slap, and took it without making a sound. Hiram reached out to seize her by the hair but she ducked down and away and he instead grabbed ahold of her head wrap and tore it free.

As Vitanre scrambled back from her enraged father, a long mane of blonde hair fell free, and poking out from underneath the hair were pointy ears.

Link stifled a gasp...Vitanre was Hylian, just like he was!

Hiram stared around as those in the crowd averted their eyes. They, of course, already knew that Vitanre was indeed a Hylian, but prefered to humor Hiram and pretend that they knew nothing of it.

“Get yourself back to the Shrine, girl! ” he roared, throwing the wrap at her as she sprinted past him and nimbly ran up the steps without a backward glance. The door slammed shut behind her, and there was utter silence in the room. Hiram glared at all around.
“Come now Hiram, you can’t keep her locked in there forever,” Shino said, shaking his head.
“The hell I can’t,” Hiram growled. “And YOU,” he suddenly turned on Link, who was still standing in complete shock over the sudden revealing of Vitanre’s heritage. Link gave his head a quick shake and turned his gaze to regard the man standing before him.

“You, boy, you stay away from my daughter or I’ll have you publicly beaten. Have I made myself clear?” he growled, now coming towards Link.

Shino stepped between. “This man is in the elder’s favor, and so long as he’s in my gallery ye shant touch him Hiram! ”

Hiram glared at the big man as Shino crossed his arms over his chest and growled. “Very well then. But if I catch him with my daughter again, you can do nothing to stop me,” he threatened, before giving Link one last look and retreating from the room.

Link stared after him, his sword dropping from his hand to the floor. He looked down, and just a few feet from him was Vitanre’s wooden scimitar abandoned on the floor. He looked up when Shino gave him a pat on the back that nearly sent him sprawling.

“Don’t ye take it personally, lad. Hiram’s just overprotective of his daughter...he fears what may happen if word ever got out that Vitanre’s a Hylian child.”

“But, isn’t Hiram human?” Link asked.

“Ay...Vitanre came to us by the sea as an infant, floating into our docks tied to a bit of wood; Hiram was the one who fished her from the waves and discovered what she truly was. That entire month, bits and pieces of wreckage from what must have been a mighty ship once continued to float into our cove...we can only guess how she survived...” Shino said, sighing heavily.

“Jarom?” Link guessed, and Shino nodded.

“There’s always been something special about that girl...we all love her here in Merilarmes, never have we all seen a more loving person...I just wish her Pa wasn’t so harsh with her. It’s amazing that she’s turned out the way she has with Hiram around,” Shino sighed. “So, you’ll be heading to the inn, right?”

Link nodded...it was the only thing he could do, he didn’t trust himself to speak.

“Ye tell Demi at the front that Shino’ll vouch for yer board, alright?”

“Uh, thank you sir,” Link bowed and hurriedly left. His feet began to lead him towards the inn, but then he stopped and glanced around. Hiram was nowhere to be seen, and so Link walked carefully through the dark village to the steps leading down to the Shrine.
He climbed down them and listened at the mouth of the cave. Soft music, like that of an ocarina, met his ears. It sounded sad and remorseful, and got louder as Link entered the cave and headed for the Shrine. When he reached the iron door he found it open a crack, so he peered inside. Through the narrow opening he spied Vitanre sitting on the edge of the fountain, a roughly hewn wooden flute at her lips.

Link pushed the door open and Vitanre jumped at the grating noise, the lovely music stopping as she allowed the flute drop to her lap. “Oh, it is you, Link.” She reached her hands up to her hair and combed it forward, hiding her ears.

Link came in and sat beside her. “You don’t have to hide from me...I saw that you are Hylian, in the shooting gallery,” he said softly.

“But I’m not...I’m just a disfigured human, not Hylian,” she said hurriedly, averting her eyes from his.

“Is that Vitanre talking, or is that Hiram?” Link asked gently, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

“It...is hard...” she said after a few moments. “I know that I am different...but Hiram will not let me show myself. I am forced to hide my ears and speak in the dialect of the villagers when he is around...” Vitanre sighed heavily. “And I’m not supposed to leave this Shrine unless accompanied by Hiram...but you've seen how well I follow that rule...”

“You call Hiram by his real name...you do not call him father?”

Vitanre shook her head. “No...I have not considered him my father ever since he began shutting me up inside this cave...and I,” she paused. “I...know in my heart, that he is not my true father. I look nothing like him, nor my mother really. I am blonde-headed, and so is my supposed mother, but that is the end of all resemblances.”

“Being different is nothing to be ashamed of,” Link told her. “I myself grew up among the Kokiri. I was growing up while they remained children. Then, the Deku Tree summoned me and revealed that I was in fact a Hylian...we just have to face our fate when the time comes.”

“I sometimes...I sometimes imagine, on dreary days, what it would have been like to live with my actual parents,” Vitanre said, laughing weakly. “They never would have forced me to hide myself away, for they would be the same as I. And they’d accept me for who I am, and not try to pretend I am what I’m not.”

“Child, fret not over the actions of your father.”

Both Hylians looked up to see the form of the Elder standing in the doorway. She made her way slowly over to them, cane tapping a repetitive rhythm on the stone floor. Sighing tiredly as she settled herself on the other side of Vitanre, the Elder turned to them both.

“He does what he believes is right, and though he may not show it he loves you as though you were of his own blood.”

“He sure has an odd way of showing it, then,” Vitanre responded bitterly.
The elder raised up a claw-like hand and stroked Vitanre’s long hair. “M’dear, you are destined for far more than the life you lead now in this little fishing village. The time will come when you must prove yourself, and then what Hiram thinks or does will not matter one way or the other.” She smiled toothily, and patted Vitanre’s hand.

Vitanre smiled faintly. “Thank you, elder. I- what is that?” Vitanre stood quickly and looked towards the door. Reflecting down into the Shrine was flickering orange light.

“It is not sunrise...no where near sunri-the village! The village burns! ” Vitanre bolted for the cave opening.

Shouts and screams carried on the wind reached Link’s ears and beside him, the elder stared straight at the wall. “And so it begins...” she murmured softly.

“Bandits attack the village! Elder, stay here in the Shrine! ” Vitanre started to run out the door, but Link leapt to his feet and in two steps grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?”

“To help my village in any way I can, to hell with Hiram,” she snapped, yanking her arm from his grasp and sprinting up the stairs and into the darkness.

Link threw one final glance at the elder behind him, who hadn’t moved at all, before running up the stairs and after Vitanre, Master Sword drawn and ready to defend the village that had shown him so much kindness.