Chapter Three
Link waited at the back of the ballroom, nerves going haywire. He had fought the Evil King twice without ever doubting himself, but now, it was as if all that doubt he had avoided had come swooping down into his brain. Liam was upset as well, which wasn’t very helpful. He would say something like, “What if they figure it out on the first night? What will they do? What will we do?” This had an amazing effect on Link. The day before the ball, he lay on his bed with a romance novel. He hated romance novels. Liam actually dumped a bucket of water on him to snap him out of it. Link was furious, his mattress and bedclothes had to be completely replaced, and the book got very soggy and unreadable. Therefore, this action produced the desired effect. Link stopped thinking about the ball, and Liam got revenge for when Link did that to him last year.
And now the ball had begun. People had already begun to file into the room, producing one of the tickets they had been given along with the invitation and costume assignment. The King didn’t want to have five people dressed up as cuccos, so he had Link, Liam, and Zelda come up with a list of costumes for men and for women, and each person was randomly assigned to one of the costumes based on gender. They were not even given the actual guest list. The King didn’t want Link to know who was coming at all, so they were just given the number of men and women. Therefore, there was no official list of who was who, and there were no repeats at all. And everyone wore a mask.
Liam looked perfect in his phoenix costume. Not only was it a nice costume, but he also looked like Link. He wore crimson britches, shirt, tunic, and cloak, and he wore normal boots. He had a crimson mask over the top half of his face like everyone else, but he also wore a phoenix hat that covered his hair and shadowed his face with a giant beak. He looked like a real phoenix. The cloak also had a golden Triforce on the back of it.
Link had decided to be a hawk. He could think of nothing else to be, except perhaps a dog, but that would have been goofy, not serious. Also, since Liam was a bird, he should be one, too. His costume was similar to Liam’s except that the costume was in steel-grey, and the hawk-head was different. His cloak was also more like a hawk’s wings.
The two agreed to stay far enough away from each other during the event so no one noticed how similar their costumes were. Link did not know how he would survive now that he was alone again. Alone, just like in the Forest, just like in the dungeons, just like when the time came to face the Evil King…
He shook his head. This was no time for a breakdown. He had to be strong. He half-hid behind a column along the side of the room so that people sort of knew he was there, but they didn’t take much notice of him. Such is the beauty of half-hiding.
Within fifteen minutes, the entire room was full. A dais at the head of the room had been set up, and upon it sat the King, Zelda, and Prince Daniel. None of them were in costume at all, but they were well dressed for this occasion.
The King stood and cleared his throat. The ballroom fell silent. “Welcome to Hyrule Castle,” he declared. “Tonight is the first of five nights here. Tomorrow, the ball will begin at ten o’clock and end at three o’clock. However, let’s focus on the present. I’m sure most of you have heard of the young Hero Link. He is currently single, and he wishes to find a bride. These parties are a way for Link to meet a young lady. However, there is a catch. No one is to reveal their identities until the final night at a set time. In fact, if this were a normal ball, Link would be standing here upon the dais for all to see right now. However, he is among you right now. Ladies, he may be the man next to you. Maybe he is not. This is a chance for everyone to reveal their true selves, metaphorically speaking, even if they wear a mask. Just remember, everyone is to call everyone else by their costume name. For example, this young man here might be named Donald, but we will call him ‘Phoenix.’” He motioned to Liam. This was all part of their game. Everyone’s attention would be on Liam now, and people would speculate as to why the King pointed him out at the start. The King finished. “Just remember, you aren’t supposed to know who everyone is. So, don’t bother trying. The evening after the final night, everyone is invited back, in costume, and we will reveal Link and his chosen bride to everyone! And now, let the ball begin!”
And with a flourish from the conductor, the orchestra began, and so did the Costume Ball.
