The Value of Life

   He hated waking up like this. Though he laid in Kafei’s guarding arms and was stroked by him in addition, they were being watched nevertheless. Kafei noticed it too, but ignored it. Who was watching them this time? It wasn’t Anju. She didn’t lie next to them either. It were two, that much he knew. Also that they weren’t tall at all. But how tall? Impatient, Link opened his eyes but still got a slight shock. At the foot of the bed sat Juro and Tatl, both grinning broadly. Also Kafei startled up as Link had.

 

   “Good morning!”, the children chorused lilting.

   “What the – ?”, aspirated Kafei, Link smiled when he saw their happy faces though.

   “We are here to deliver a message.”, Juro grinned. „It comes from Mummy, Romani, Cremia, Rim, Vaati, Grandpa, Grandma, Ydin, Frano, Franin, but most of all from Mummy.”

   “And it is?”, asked Link.

   “Breakfast’s ready.”, Tatl giggled and Kafei let himself fall back sighing, pulling Link with him.

   “Then deliver her, we’re coming already.”, mumbled Kafei and the children jumped off the bed as happy as they could be, stormed out and slammed the door shut.

   “Damn.”, grumbled Link, turned himself on the back askew across Kafei and stretched a bit. “Any way to do that quiet?”

   “No.”, meant Kafei, lightly pushed up Link’s shirt and stroked his belly „Well? Everything fine again?”

   “It couldn’t be better.”, Link smiled with closed eyes and moved his fingers through Kafei’s messy mane.

   “No?”, smirked Kafei, lead his hand further up and lured a quiet moan out of Link.

   “Maybe yes.”, he turned his head aside and kissed Kafei’s Adam’s apple. “Could you please clarify what you babbled between all your groaning yesterday?”

   “Pardon?”, Kafei chuckled.

   “You drifted into Sheikjiarnjinjú many times.”

   “Oh. But for asking me to translate words I probably don’t even know that I said them, you understood quite well what I wanted.”

   “In the end you emphasized it enough. And I remembered from back then what `srinja´ means.”

   “Well then – fancy some morning workout?”

   “May I go to the loo first? And take a shower perhaps?”

   “Do what you wish.”, sighed Kafei and let Link go to the bathroom.

 

   Meanwhile he locked the door to the overlarge royal chamber, pushed a cabinet in front of it as usual and then silently went to Link into the bathroom, who already was in the shower. Carefully he locked this door too, undressed and slowly sneaked to Link. This one let out a surprised scream when two arms were laid around his belly.

 

   “Kafei!”, laughed Link.

   “Would you mind killing two birds with one stone?”, said Kafei barely hearable into his ear.

   “Here?”

   “Would it be two birds otherwise?”

   “You think that works?”

   “You were sceptical towards the table as well. Besides, I know that it works in the shower. Yes, also in this shower. Don’t worry. I’ll hold you, I promise.”, he kissed down from his neck to his shoulder.

   “And how do you picture that?”, giggled Link, whereupon Kafei turned him around and pressed him gently with the back to the tiled wall.

   “A bit more twisted than in the rift.”, Kafei smiled.

   “What? You mean – really?”

   “I said morning workout, didn’t I?”, Link wanted to turn off the water but Kafei hindered him by lifting his right leg and robbing against him with a deep but short kiss. “Let that on, will you? Or do you want us to be heard for sure?”

   “You’re really mad.”, Link put his arms over Kafei’s shoulders.

   “Yes. And I’m proud of it.”, Kafei grinned and heaved Link fully onto his hips.

 

 

~o~0~O~0~o~

 

 

   “Where the heck are they?”, Franin looked questioning at the door.

   “They need to find each other.”, meant Romani. “Where did Link sleep anyway? Anybody knows?”

   “Nobody needs to find each other here.”, giggled Anju.

   “Yes. Rather find apart from each other.”, grinned Dotour and ate on with relish.

   “You didn’t – ”, began Cremia and Ydin almost sank into her plate for not grinning more obvious than Dotour did already.

   “Yes, we shared our marriage bed.”, said Anju as if it was the most normal thing in the world for a married couple to let the lover of the husband share their bed. “What?”

   “But – “, aspirated Cremia doubtfully, “I mean – that yesterday – is one thing – but – don’t you think that you give them a bit too many liberties?”

   “I’d just give them too many liberties if I went short.”, said Anju stern. “And I don’t. They love each other and I love Kafei. Besides, I like Link a lot. I grant them their peace, as I know how hard it is for him. May I remember that I’ve been loving Kafei for a long time already and that I’ve been separated from him for three years and not one like Link?”, the door opened. “Ah – there you are. Good morning.”, Anju smiled again.

   “Sorry we’re late.”, sang Kafei.

   “No problem. We’re almost done, but take your time. We’ll stay if you want.”, with this, Anju more or less confined them all to the large table in the big dining hall above the kitchen.

   “Ah!”, came from Rim, who suddenly flew back with his chair, catching all attention.

   “What the – “, aspirated Esra.

   “What’s the point of that?”, Rim stared dumbfounded on Vaati’s back, that one however, ate on with a cold expression. “What was that for?”, he picked himself up and sat to him again. “Vaati?”, silence. “What’s the matter with you?”, he wanted to put a hand on his shoulder and flew again. “Damn! Have you gone nuts? What’s that supposed to achieve?”

   “You know exactly what this is supposed to achieve.”, Vaati snorted and ate more vigorous.

   “Oh no.”, aspirated Anju unnoticed, as all others were too fixed on the two men.

   “Can you please explain what’s wrong?”

   “You know exactly what’s wrong!”, Vaati banged his cutlery down on the table and turned around to him, inflamed with rage.

   “No, I don’t know.”, Rim raised and went to him once again, this time without the chair.

   “You don’t know?”, Vaati jumped up. “You don’t know?”, he became louder, Rim however stepped towards him again. “If you’re interested, I’m capable of telpathy as well.”

   “What are you insinuating?”, he reached out his arm for the mage one more time, but that one raised both hands with disgust and made one step aside.

   “Don’t you touch me, you foul, rotting carcass.”

   “What?”, chuckled Rim in disbelief.

   “Even if I trusted you for some minutes and Anju wanted to go easy on me and therefore didn’t tell me the whole truth, I know quite well what’s going on in your sick brain. Also do I know what you did to Kafei. So don’t. You. Dare. To. Touch me. Understand?”

   “Vaati.”, laughed Rim. “What – ”

   “Shut your mouth.”

   “V- ”

   “Shut your mouth!”, he shouted furious and a gust of wind came from him, whirling through everybody’s hair and clothes. “With whomsoever, but not with me, yes?”, he hissed and his own hair and wide clothes settled down slowly. „I’m no toy and the way you play like – ”

   “Vaati. Please calm down.”, came it from Anju but he ignored her.

   “And I’m not a fish either, you sick arsehole! If you want to have a fling, then go to your fucking-cronies! I’m none of your whores, understand? I won’t let myself be raped, got it?”, he spat, turned on the heels and stormed out of the hall.

   “Damn.”, Kafei moaned and wanted to run after him, but Anju held him back.

   “Stay here. Eat something. I’ll take care of that.”, she said simply and left the hall swiftly.

   “Rim.”, aspirated Cremia. “What does this mean? What does he mean with it?”, he ignored her, but looked at Kafei who looked back not less angry as Vaati. “Rim?”, suddenly he was gone and Dotour buried his face in his hands.

   “What was that really?”, Link asked quietly into the silence.

   “Ora?”, Kafei addressed the designer, still staring at where Rim had stood. „Please take the children outside. Somewhere, where you’re alone. Play something nice. You can take your food with you.”

   “Daddy!”, protested the little ones.

   “Please.”, Ora raised, did what he had asked for and he waited until they were out of earshot. „I’ll kill him.”, he whispered.

   “What?”, came it from more than one.

   “If he harmed Vaati, I’ll kill him with my own hands. And if we’d been best friends a hundred times.”

   “Kafei. Please.”, Link begged. “What’s going on here? Yesterday – ”

   “Yesterday – was imagination. That wasn’t real.”

   “How – what do you mean?”, Kafei looked at Link and the anger vanished from his face, though his look stayed serious.

   “He uses him. The way he always does. You ask yourself where he got this scar in his face from? It was a warning. I thought he would take it serious. You remember when he fell to his knees and asked me to punish him for his wrong? That was no remorse. He was just looking for a pretence. It would have been the biggest satisfaction for him if I had tortured him in front of everybody.”

   “What are you saying there, Kafei?”, Cremia’s voice became wobbly.

   “He sometimes asks you for doing certain things, right?”, he turned to her. “You know what I’m talking about. You try to ignore it because you think he’s just making crude jokes. Did it ever cross your mind that he could actually mean it this way?”

   “What?”

   “That he actually wants this? Cremia. Vaati’s right. Nérimlath is sick. He needs help. From somebody who knows how to deal with such people. If we don’t find anyone who can help him, we need to lock him away before he can ever hurt someone again or kill him so he can’t harm neither someone else nore himself. What did he tell you about all the other scars on his entire body?”

   “He – he meant that he’s very clumsy and that he’s got them from creatures in the field.”, answered Cremia.

   “What would you say if I told you that he brought them on himself?”

   “I’d say you’re mad.”, she chuckled. “Or – ”

   “Don’t you think that they’re too regular for this? And just at specific spots?”

   “Er – ”

   “If he believes in having made a mistake, he castigates himself. If he’s sad, he takes a knife and presses it into his forearms until it doesn’t stop bleeding anymore. He’s a masochist. Yes, that’s his problem, but he’s extremely sadistic on top. He loves it to be tortured and to torture others. He loves it to force others brutally to hurt him. Punishment doesn’t lecture him. It makes him happy. He’s had a terrible childhood. His own father had raped him almost every day. Rim didn’t know anything else. His mother had watched laughing. He killed them both. Quite understandable, if you ask me. But it has rubbed off on him. He became the same, because he didn’t know different.”

   “Kafei – “, aspirated Cremia.

   “What are you saying?”, moaned Romani, totally pale.

   “What has Vaati meant with `fish´?”, asked Link.

   “When he was younger, he had spent a lot of time in front of the fish stand on the market. In the meantime we abolished it, but back then the fish was butchered and disembowelled on-site. Father and I shared the opinion that we had to prohibit this. Not only for hygienic reasons. Rim had watched always. He had studied everything in detail. Once I’d found him on the beach. He had caught a fish and laid it on a big stone. Each fisherman kills the fish with a well-aimed hit on the head. Rim hadn’t. He had cut the fish open alive, disembowelled it partly and watched it asphyxiate and exsanguinate at once, while suffering huge pain. When I addressed him, he attacked me. I could overmaster him though. At that he just cried and told me about his parents.”

   “We’ve tried to help him.”, said Dotour with lowered head. “It worked for a while. But slowly everything is coming up again.”

   “Is that true?”, Esra asked bewildered. “You never told me.”

   “We wanted it this way.”, said Kafei. “The less people knew about it, the better. There was only Anju we had to let in on it as she had become suspicious. Rim himself has told us to kill him before he finally goes mad. He really has a split personality and can’t do anything against his dark side. If it takes over, he becomes an animal.”

   “Slowly I’m really beginning to be afraid, Kafei.”, said Link.

   “What?”

   “The nightmare I had. Rim wasn’t part if it. We all were. Just everyone, but Rim not. He wasn’t there.”

   “Now don’t bluster into it.”, Kafei tried to calm him. “We’ll sort it out. He needs a while for coming down. Some minutes for himself. Then he goes to Father anyway and wants to talk about it. We could teach him thus far. I just hope that Anju manages to calm down Vaa-”

 

   Suddenly a muffled shriek came through the walls from outside. All heads rushed to the door. As fast as this, they all ran out of the dining hall and followed another scream. Several guards and other people rushed in the same direction. The screams came form outside the castle. All that had heard it, had hurried to the origin of the source of horror. Anju and Vaati had arrived as well. Ora pulled Kafei’s children close, so they wouldn’t have to see it. Kafei pulled out a dagger, threw it into the air and caught it before Rim could hit the ground. He caught him as well and took the the noose off his neck. Link desperately rummaged for his locket and pushed a bottle into Rim’s hands. The fairy broke free and did her best. Nevertheless Rim didn’t start breathing again. If close, they were too late. He only kept lying limply in Kafei’s arms and didn’t move, never again. As limp as he, Link sat there and stared at the dead man in Kafei’s arms.

 

   “Do you believe me now?”, he just aspirated.

 

~o~0~O~0~o~

 

 

   In silence, Link and Vaati helped Kafei preparing the funeral banquet. They had decided to take the mage with them as he had kept blaming himself for Rim’s suicide during the whole funeral and they wanted to prevent him from following this desperate deed. The family and their friends had burried him quietly on the graveyard of Ikana, which they had entered through a secret passage way. Nevertheless many others had been standing apart, as almost all of the refugees and Ikana’ns had known him or had had to do with him every now and then. When Kafei had struck up a dirge with shaking voice, thick tears had went into even the last, bravely dry eyes, not letting themselves be kept from overflowing.

   Also they had decided to move up the banquet to twelve o’clock and the dinner one our earlier as they had to sleep more for the following day. Between the two meals they would discuss their strategy. The next day was Kafei’s birthday. The only presents he wished for was that they could reconquer Termina and that Link’s nightmare remained a nightmare. He hadn’t breathed these wishes though, as he wanted to spare them for the candles on the next day, like Link had told him. So he only had made the decision to initiate a new attack with the argument, if nobody followed him, he would head out alone.

   But now he only told off Vaati and Link to little work like cutting ingredients or getting diverse utensils. At first he had played with the thought of cooking Rim’s favourite dish. But as it had seemed too macabre to him, he made what he liked best. The thought behind it, which drifted into his mind every now and then, was macabre too, but he wouldn’t tell it. Because if the following day would really be his last day, he wanted to enjoy a last meal. Once again thinking of it when he asked Link to give him a pottery plate for holding under when tasting, this slid off his hand and hit the hard stone floor, breaking into uncountable pieces with a clash. Kafei looked at the pile of shards and broke out in tears. Link reacted fast and pulled him into his arms before he could collapse. Vaati just stood there and watched the couple sadly.

 

   “I take back everything.”, whispered Link. “You won’t be dead by the end of tomorrow. You know why?”, Kafei looked up. “Because tomorrow’s your birthday and most of all, because I love you more than anything in this kinky universe. That makes you immortal.”, Kafei laughed timid, but visibly touched.

   “What would I do without you?”

   “Getting the plates yourself and deluge Vaati with work.”, said Link shortly.

   “Yes. Something like that.”, Kafei sniffed and Link pulled him into a tender kiss.

   “You excuse me?”, said Vaati after some seconds and separated the two by it.

   “Yes?”, Vaati let his hands swing and the shards lifted, for then flying like by themselves to the dustbin.

   “Sorry that I disturbed. I just didn’t want you to hurt yourselves unnecessarily.”

   “Oh. Thanks.”, Kafei smiled. “Such cuts aren’t the world.”

   “And I already thought you’re still jealous of me.”, chuckled Link subdued.

   “What? Oh – no. Don’t worry. Anju opened my ey- er – she told me what’s important in life. You have my blessing. And please don’t understand it wrong. You really have my blessing. That of my current self, not of my former disturbed ego.”

   “Thanks.”, both said at once.

   “Oh and – it’s time for stirring.”

   “Why did you change the wording?”, asked Link, when Kafei hectically devoted to the meal again.

   “You noticed it.”, sighed Vaati.

   “Of course I noticed it. You wanted to say that she opened your eyes, right?”

   “Yes.”

   “And? Didn’t she?”

   “Tell him.”, meant Kafei only.

   “Alright. I know I can trust you.”, he wiped the covering hair behind his ear.

   “For Heaven’s sake! Was that me?”

   “No. That’s the result of kissing your best friend when being a Minish.”, Vaati said shortly. “And yes, I changed the wording because I’m blind on my right eye since that little accident.”

   “That makes sense.”, considered Link. “A lot makes sense by that.”

   “Fine. Then we’re over with.”, Vaati smiled, though slightly gloomy.

   “Vaati!”, the door had opened and Romani stood shocked in the frame.

   “Yes?”, he desperately tried to toss the hair back but she had already seen the scars.

   “What happened to your face?”

   “Long story.”, Vaati answered simply.

   “Will you tell me nevertheless?”, the young woman urged.

   “No.”, came it from all three men.

   “He just told me and it was already hard for him.”, Link explained to her and she let her shoulders sink. “What are you doing here anyway?”

   “I wanted to know whether I can help.”, Romani said trivial.

   “Did you ask upstairs?”, this came from Kafei, who didn’t turn away from the meal though.

   “I’m not a child anymore. And yes, I asked.”

   “And? Who said what?”

   “Only your father said something. He meant, if needs must. So – ”, Kafei sighed. “What?”

   “Ouch.”, whispered Vaati, turned away from her and helped Kafei stirring.

   “Romani?”, Dotour’s voice came form behind her.

   “Yes?”

   “What are you doing down here? Get back upstairs.”

   “But – I – alright.”, she waddled outside bored and closed the door behind her, Kafei waited for her steps to be out of earshot.

   “I’m not a child anymore.”, the other two burst into roaring laughter as he had sounded exactly like her.

   “Whow!”, Vaati slowly calmed down. „Can you do that again?”, Kafei dipped a finger into the gravy and pressed it on Vaati’s free cheek.

   “Vaati! What happened to your face?”, he gaped his eyes the same way Romani had done.

   “Divine.”, laughed Vaati and wiped off the gravy. “Simply divine. Where did you learn this?”

   “There needs to be a way to kill time when sitting bored in an office, not?”, giggled Kafei, normal again.

   “Fascinating. Can you imitate others as well?”

   “Ya!”

   “Damn!”, laughed Link. “That was the postman! I knew that you’re a convincing woman, but you always surprise anew.”

   “Really?”

   “Kafei!”, laughed Link with disbelief as he had heard himself.

   “Who?”

   “Stop it.”, Link laughed on.

   “He can’t.”, Vaati shook just shook his head with a grin. “We confused him.”

   “I’m not confused!”, he now said with Vaati’s voice.

   “Hey! Thief! Help! Kafei stole my voice!”

   “But you still quite have it.”, Anju had entered the room unnoticed. “What are you doing here? What’s so funny? Your laughter can be heard upstairs.”

   “That’s a bit complicated.”, said a second Anju in front of the stove and reduced all fire so nothing could scorch but was still kept warm because everything was finished.

   “Kafei! Not again.”, she rolled her eyes.

   “Anybody help me?”, he was himself again.

   “With what? With finding yourself again?”, giggled Link.

   “No, cumber. With getting everything upstairs.”

   “I’ll help.”, meant Vaati. “What shall I do?”

   “I take the soup, you lay the table.”

   “Alright.”

 

   Vaati let his hands swing and the necessary cutlery, plates and napkins, as well as a big table mat whirred from their respective cupboards. They piled meticulously on his hands and he was gone. Kafei followed with the big pot which he held with two towels.

 

   “Yes, now you see that too.”, sighed Anju, when seeing Link’s expression.

   “Honestly? I’m speechless.”, he chuckled.

   “You said something.”, she stuck out her tongue.

   “Oh come on.”

   “You know, Kafei knew it. He’d had a dream. Half a year before the attack. And he knew that it hadn’t been just a dream. He got up the morning after and drafted informing. Each inhabitant of Termina should note down immediately their name, favourite colour and other important personal things and pass the note on.”

   “Er – ”, began Link, but decided to listen.

   “He collected each and brought them to the smith. The latter created an individual locket for every inhabitant of Termina. One like you have. They were taught about the function and most of all, that nobody had need to panic. They were told as well, that they should flee to Ikana when the moment had come. He had ordered the leaders to watch everyone closely and note who tended to panic. He went to them personally for calming them down. Kafei took care of Termina being warned and prepared for this catastrophe the best it could. He also took care that if we really should be attacked, none of the survivors would have to start completely anew.”

 

   Link was fascinated by this quick-wittedness, but now he understood why Kafei was being accepted as the leader.

 

   “I don’t know what was worse – the months we spent living from the lockets or the ones we spent in Ikana. But Kafei’s materialistic act brought him Termina’s full trust. He has given them hope on being prepared for the worst. And besides, he had paid the smith from his own money, though the smith had insisted to do it for free. And you know how he became king?”

 

   Of course he didn’t, yet assumed a connection. Nevertheless he replied with the logic of shaking his head.

 

   “Even before the lockets were finished, the smith had started collecting signatures in Ikana. Each person in Ikana able of making decision should sign with a yes or no. They voted him for their king with a majority of seventynine percent. He had brought these papers together with the boxes of lockets, bowed wordless but with a smile and left. His only comment was on the last page, beneath his signature: ``Because Thou are different from Thy great-granduncle, who had lead us due to his blood. Now it is Thy heart that leads us, my and our King.´´ He admittedly had to accept and did it in awe of his folk.”, the other two appeared again.

   “You’re still here.”, startled Kafei and Vaati filled a tray with various kinds of glasses in his own special way while Kafei went to the cooling chamber and got several different bottles in coolers, before they disappeared again.

   “Come, Link.”, said Anju and he followed her upstairs. “Why did he call you cucumber? Wait – haven’t you been – his salad cucumber once, or so? At the breakfast after the Carnival’s Eve.”

   “Yes. That – er – ”

   “Same story as Romani’s Grasshopper?”

   “A bit deeper – truthfully. He’d already called me like this in the night before, namely, shortly before our first time. I hope that helps.”

   “Oh. Yes.”, giggled Anju after short time considering.

 

 

~o~0~O~0~o~

 

 

   At the banquet, their mood had marred immediately. The washing was done by the women, without having been asked for it at any rate and Ora was sent away with the children. So the male rest sat together for a while and didn’t talk a word until –

 

   “And he is really dead?”, came it quietly from Vaati.

   “He hung himself.”, answered Kafei. “The fairy surrendered. How much more dead can anyo– ”

   “Not Rim. And the question wasn’t meant for you.”

   “Then don’t put it on the table so randomly.”

   “Yes, yes. I meant Onnoru.”, though he turned more brisk, Link had the impression that the question itself had had a slightly sad undertone – but –

   “Who?”, he asked to make sure.

   “What?”

   “Who’s that?”

   “Pardon?”, murmured Vaati.

   “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anybody called – Onnoru.”

   “Did – I – did I? Oh. Sorry. Force of habit. Ganondorf.”

   “Oh! You lot call him so.”

   “Er – we lot?”

   “The Minish?“

   “Oh. No. They call him Thrani. That means `monster´. And by the way, I am Thrani-nakú. The small monster. Onnoru was his real name. Why the heck do I wonder that none of you knows.”, he slightly shook his head.

   “Real name?”

   “Not that terrifying, is it?”

   “Tz. Well, `Vaati´ isn’t that terrifying either.“, noticed Franin.

   “Thanks.“, his slightly angry tone became a bit gloomy. „If you all think this way, you are quite alone with your opinion. And actually it is Ganon’d orf. Ganon’s shell. He just accepted this term because he detested himself for having to be the host of a parasitic demon. But anyway. How did he die?”

   “I stabbed him to death. That hasn’t killed him though, but it has wrenched the remaining stolen power from him. In the end it was Zant who took vengeance. There’s no proof, but I felt it clearly. Also he didn’t die from the injury. Zant broke his neck. And it was Zant for sure. When it cracked, Zelda was a bit too shocked. So it wasn’t her. What I don’t understand though, she granted this murderous soul eternal peace. I would have let him burn.”

   “She did this as she knew his reasons. She looked into his heart and saw the good in him.”

   “Ganondorf? Good?”, what wanted Vaati to achieve with this defence?

   “You didn’t trust me until today either.”

   “Hello?”, snarled Link.

   “He might have manipulated me probably, but he never controlled me. Yes, this doesn’t defend me now, but I just like to mention that I spent enough time at his side to get to know him in all his facets.”, he hoped that the warmth that just rushed into his face did’t create a colour that differed too much from his skin.

   “Fine. I got to know many of his facets as well. Mostly through him launching them at me.”

   “Link.”, aspirated Kafei admonishingly.

   “What?”, he hissed back. “It’s true.”

   “I thought you – ”, his eyes were on Vaati again, who just wagged his head and stared at the table, but couldn’t properly hide a little smirk.

   “Wait – “, Franin raised his indexfinger, unsure. “Did I draw this conclusion right now?”

   “You should have drawn this conclusion a month ago already.”, laughed Kafei. “Everyone’s been knowing for ages that Vaati isn’t less bi as I am, as it seems. And you really had – ? You and Ganondorf?”

   “In the end it was a one-off, actually. I couldn’t do this to him. He felt so miserable for having been unfaithful to his wife.”

   “Wife?”, for all that was sacred to Link, now Vaati really exaggerated – or not? “He was married?”

   “Not exactly. Who would have wedded him? But they gave each other the promise. Unfortunately they lost sight of each other. I couldn’t get to know her, but Zelda had wrote about her in a letter. About how she delivered the message to her. She collapsed in the doorway. Zelda meant, it had been horrible. The two have a six year old son. Onnoru had to die without knowing.”

   “I thought, men are rare among them?”, asked Dotour.

   “She’s no Gerudo. And the peewee reputedly has more from her. But he has his size. He is said to be extremely big for his age. Also Zelda meant, his eyes and hair shimmer slightly red. But the rest looks like her. Zelda wrote that she didn’t have the heart to tell her, how he died. Nor did she tell me. She only said that everything went relatively fast and that he didn’t suffer much. He wouldn’t have deserved it either. Yes, a part of him had done horrible things. But this was the part of him that had been possessed by this demon. The other part hadn’t deserved sharing this body with a beast.”

   “So I’m the only one here who never had something with another man? Oh – yes. You’re here as well.”, sighed Franin casually to his father, who slightly turned away, not unnoticed. “Er – what now – are you here?”

   “No, he isn’t.”, giggled Dotour subdued.

   “Oh come on.”, moaned Frano to his son. “Back then I hadn’t even known about the existence of your mother.”, Dotour giggled again.

   “That’s so not true. You bought cheese from her.”

   “What?”

   “You know – the one you liked so much although it reeked to the mountains.”

   “That was – ”

   “That was Ydin.”, startled Dotour. “I thought you noticed. That’s why I didn’t say a thing. What a new haircut can do, hm?”

   “So you know with whom?”, Franin addressed him now.

   “Oh yes.”, Dotour chuckled.

   “With whom?”, asked Kafei.

   “Stones.”, Dotour said short.

   “Stones?”, asked Franin confused.

   “Stones.”, sighed Frano.

   “Stones.”, grinned Link.

   “Which stones, ruddy?”, moaned Franin.

   “Now I know why I never asked.”, snorted Kafei.

   “The stones?”, Vaati wasn’t entirely sure. “The forerunners of the cards?”

   “Exactly these stones.”, Dotour grinned even more than Link.

   “Which stones? And which cards?”

   “That’s not so important.”, smiled Link. “Welcome to the club, right?”

   “If we’re still on the same topic – which club then?”

   “The club of rarities.”

   “What rarity are you in this case?”

   “Now listen.”, meant Link with played indignation. “I’m the only individual here that’s gay through and through, yes? I’m as one-sided as you.”

   “But you’ve been kissed by a girl as well.”, Kafei noticed.

   “Exactly. I have been kissed. She me, not I her.”

   “You didn’t struggle.”

   “What would you have done? I was sure only afterwards that this was absolutely not my cup of tea. She kissed me crisscross through the whole Canyon. Salivary-flood, that’s what I say.”

   “We drown them.”, sighed Vaati, his arms crossed on the table and his head resting on them.

   “What?”, Dotour pricked his ears.

   “We damn up the river until the entire Canyon is filled and release it on the Field. That should be enough to flood almost all of Termina. Those in the mountains won’t be difficult to deal with then.”

   “Tz.”

   “That’s not even a bad idea.”, considered Kafei “If they couldn’t swim and dive, if you forgot about that.”, he added snarling.

   “What’s this now?”, came it from Franin.

   “Thanks.”, aspirated Vaati.

   “No. Really. Not the river though, but something like it. We muster them. You, actually. You round them up in the Field with aid of the wind. There we’ll burn them.”

   “That – yes – ”, considered Link seriously too now. “That could work. How many barrels of alcohol and oil can we get?”

   “A lot.”, meant Frano.

   “Do we have a big cart?”

   “For sure more than one. The farmers in the Hinterlands have some.”, said Kafei.

   “Good. So that’s how we make it. Vaati, you seem to have the most work. You bring the cart to the Field and spread the barrels evenly – er – you steer, we spread. Then you try to get on top of the Clock Tower. The ball fell, so we have enough space to stand on. The horses hopefully can return without problems. Well. Up there, you order the wind to shoo the shadow beasts into the Field. Kafei, you hopefully can create enough of these light strands so they stay there. Then we inflame the barrels with flaming arrows. What doesn’t burn this way, will be set in flames by the others. The rest we can burn down magically, if necessary. Unfortunately I used up my bomb arrows and forgot to buy new ones. But it should work, shouldn’t it?”

   “Yes. Good point.”, said Dotour.

   “I’m sorry, I’m drawing blank on that one.”, Frano smiled askew. “I’d never get onto that tower. But I want to do something nevertheless. Nor will the others let themselves be kept from fighting with us.”

   “I can’t climb either.”, confessed his son. “We could kill them with swords, on horseback.”

   “I don’t know whether that’s advisable.”, said Link. “But it can’t hurt. Hopefully. So we stick to this plan?”, everyone agreed and Link disappeared to the kitchen for explaining everything to the women, while the others went for getting the barrels.

 

 

~o~0~O~0~o~

 

 

   It had been a sleepless night for them all. Though they had managed to get everything they needed until dawn. Breakfast hadn’t been livelier than the funeral banquet, with exception that Kafei got a cake and nothing else, like he had wanted. Also he had sent his real two wishes with strong belief to the theotechny. Afraid, were he and Link still. For case of emergency, he had bound the notorious linen sheets to him and Link. Link had bound two fairy-bottles on the belt of every of the fighters. Unfortunately there were twelve of them and he just had twentythree fairies remaining. He and Kafei had quarrelled about that Kafei better took two and Link one. Kafei had wanted that Link took two and he only one fairy, but somewhen Vaati had been sick of it. He had grabbed a bottle, thrown against the castle wall and the fairy had disappeared. Now both just had half of the survival chance compared to the others and, if they had to be so childish as Vaati had said, had to cope with it.

   Nevertheless, Vaati was scared then, when he gazed into the with grey clouds covered sky, before he climbed onto the crammed, thrice consolidated cart that was pulled by seven horses. Kafei created a light ramp which lead them as close to the Field as possible. Many people had gathered behind the protective shield for giving them the best wishes they could bring up. Link, Kafei and Dotour, adjusted with arrows and bows, climbed up to Vaati and the others mounted as well, armed to their teeth. They would wait for Kafei’s light-signal before they stormed into the Field.

   Below them, the shadow beasts patrolled, watching curiously what was going on behind the shield. Vaati took one more deep breath and grabbed the reins. Kafei shortly opened a doorway and the bumpy ride began. Until they reached the ground, they had nothing to fear. Even then the beasts backed away from them at first. Everything went great. The barrels weren’t minded. The second round became hairy then. They ignored Vaati’s power and began to chase the cart. Vaati drove the horses to their limits. The last barrel fell exactly in front of the Southgate. Link cut the belts and the reins and the horses were on there own now. To their luck, the shadow beasts were more fixed on the men who hurried into the town.

   Almost effortless, they ran through between the the creatures that weren’t alarmed yet and climbed onto the Clock Tower. Vaati simply flew up, carried by the wind and waited for them. He stayed floating a bit above the tower and started to speak strangely echoing incantations. His clothes and hair blew up. The wind around the tower became heavier and steadily turned into a whirl, which fell down into the alleys and squares of the town and chased everything that crawled there, out into the Field. Meanwhile Kafei concentrated on his inner forces. Light streamed from his palms and laid itself around the town wall like a high fence of strands. The wind faded, but Vaati didn’t stop his incantations. His ancient sounding language became more and more demanding. One after another more beasts came from the other regions of Termina, more falling than hounding. When none more came, Kafei entrapped them as well. Then he sent a well visible lightball into the sky and Dotour inflamed their first arrows.

 

   Then the first accident happened. He tripped backwards and slid off. Both his bottles broke. Kafei couldn’t catch him, but slid off as well. He could hold himself though, but Dotour fell. Vaati rushed after him, caught him and flew back on top. Landed safely, the four tried to compose themselves again, while the riders from Ikana already arrived. Dotour inflamed new arrows and Kafei created a passage for his riding family. The first barrels burnt and also the first beasts caught fire. Dotour had broken his ankle though and could hardly stand. Kafei’s powers were at their end. He couldn’t help his father once more. So Vaati flew him down with the last bit of power that was still in him and landed on Sruna with him, who had followed the riders alone.

   Nobody had thought that it would be so exhausting. Not even half of the barrels were burning and Kafei wasn’t able to create even a spark of magic. Link had been way too stupid and had forgotten his lantern in Ordon. And why had he been even more stupid and forgotten to let the witches refill the empty bottles of the earlier used fairies? Had he really been so angry with them when they refused to join in the battle?

   Whatever. The plan had backfired. They could only hope that the already burning beasts, which simply didn’t want to burn down completely, would burn all the others and that there would be the moment when they finally fell. The two men looked deeply into each other’s eyes, knowing that they shared the same hope. A last kiss and they lunged themselves down to the others for supporting them with courage and blades. Not enough of the bad luck, Kafei was caught by one of the creatures while landing and was thrown against one of the pillars outside the Eastgate, on which also his bottle broke. At least the fairy healed the injuries he had taken from it. Link landed better. As good as he could he ran towards him, his bedsheet filling with air and helped him up just in time to pull him away from the pillar before another paw could strike at him. Hastily Kafei cut off the sheets and they joined the battle, careful of just killing the monsters that weren’t in flames yet.

   The whole situation was an utter, loud chaos. Everyone fought on their own and against almost everything around them. The chances for a victory died away with every minute. Again and again a fairy was needed. Horses perished and let their riders afoot and by themselves. Link was so glad that he had left Epona in Ikana. Each second of the battle sapped their mental and physical strength. Solely Vaati, occupied with a long, entirely golden sword, could keep the beings at distance. So the brave fighters had gathered around him to escape from certain death. Only Link and Kafei fought far offside.

   Now it hit Link. One of the shadow beasts had seized him by the collar and slung him away. By this, the chain of his locket broke and the piece of jewellery remained lying in the hand of the creature which examined it with interest. Link’s only chance of survival was in this locket. He had to get it back. He picked himself up, cut down four beasts with a spin attack and ran towards the thief. Right in this moment Kafei hurtled through the air again. It seemed to Link as if the whole flow of time slowed down, himself included. While still running, Link’s head followed Kafei. Shortly before he reached the beast, Kafei was flung against a fallen piece of the town wall at full tilt, from which a broken wooden post protruded. The splintered wood downright impaled him. Not even covered in blood yet, the wood gored his stomach, breaking his spine with a hearable crack. He didn’t even have time for breathing in. The sword slid out of his hand and the strands of light faded.

   Incapable of acting, everyone watched Link desperately trying to react. He took his eyes from Kafei, cut off the shadow beast’s hand with one stroke, caught the locket and hurried to Kafei. Vaati, grabbed by his instinct, rode after him for blocking them off new attacks with the panting group in tow. Desperately Link pulled the lifeless body that was bathed in blood down and laid him into the dry, partly burnt grass. He opened the locket and pushed the bottle with the fairy, which immediately freed herself, into Kafei’s hands. Praying to all good forces, the others fell to the ground around him, while they were encircled by the creatures. The fairy slumped to the ground and crumbled into dust, but Kafei didn’t move. Frantically Vaati and Dotour, who could only crawl forward, grabbed Kafei’s hands and tried to bring up every single bit of power they had left inside. Also Tatl and Juro did everything in their not yet big power. Nothing. The shadow beasts backed away with fear when Link’s wrathful scream ascended to Heaven. Then he collapsed over Kafei, crying.

 

 

   Silence.

 

 

   Only the blazing of some fires, the bitter weeping of the fellowship, the tapping of the creatures crawling around and the whisper of the soft remaining wind broke the emptiness. Vaati dragged Link up into his arms and held him as tight as he could.

   It wasn’t possible. Every moment he would wake from the nightmare he was having again. This time it only lasted a bit longer. He wanted to wake up, nothing else. He thought that he felt Kafei’s warmth draining. It was just a draft of air that cooled the blanket. He would wake up every moment. But the more he cried, the louder the tapping of the shadow beasts became. He wouldn’t wake. He himself not from the dream that was no dream and Kafei – he was not to be gone. They wanted to grow old together. Love was stronger than death. He was just unconscious for sure and the fairy had been a loser. Kafei wasn’t gone. He wasn’t allowed to be. That would be unfair. More than unfair. Towards everyone. What were all the years of living on if he wouldn’t share in them? They were nothing to Link. He wanted to follow him. But would it be possible? Wouldn’t he have to die the same way to guarantee meeting him on the other side, which side ever it was? He wanted to stand up and deliver himself to the beasts. He wanted himself to be thrown around as long as it would take them to smash him to the same wooden post. His body didn’t listen to him. It just trembled and wasted saltwater instead of just standing up and letting itself be annihilated. It was unfair. Everything was so unfair. Luck was just a momentary phenomenon – a visualisation of a never accessible ideality. It was just pictures projected onto a veil before it was burnt. Why were those who harmed others so difficult to strike down and those who simply were there for others, only a grain of sand in the winds of time?

   Nobody noticed the coloured hazes falling down from Heaven, coming to stand in a circle between the group and the cursed Twili. Nobody except Vaati, who was so shocked all of a sudden that he forgot any upcoming emotions. Hectically he shook Link’s shoulder, which made the latter to look up and also caught the attention of the others. Link wiped the tears off his eyes, though he didn’t stop shaking heavily. He recognised them. He recognised the wraithlike faces in the differently coloured hazes. Another haze, silvergrey, fell down and gently landed at Dotour’s right side, who held the right hand of his dead son. Carefully she loosened his grip and now held Kafei’s hand herself, before she lowered her head and closed her eyes. The others raised their hands and coloured rays of light laid themselves like a cupola over the grievers. Exactly above Kafei’s heart the light broke in as a golden shimmer. It went through Kafei’s entire body. The blood vanished and the wound healed as if nothing had happened. Only the clothes kept being torn. Something glowed on his hand. Zelda smiled to Link as well as Vaati and the Sages returned back up into their heavenly kingdom, while Zelda moved away backwards and vanished into thin air as well. When the sign on Kafei’s hand faded, he slowly opened his eyes.

 

   “Link.”, he aspirated with a cheerful smile when he saw him. “I’ve seen Din. I think, she made me a present. For sure.”

 

   He raised on his own and gazed at the back of his right hand in which the sign had burnt in. Everyone was too shocked for doing anything. Two black shadows that took in Zelda’s former place, attracted the attention of everyone, even of the shadow beasts. With every step, something billowed from their feet as if they swirled up sand in water. More and more shadows came out of nowhere and let the monsters draw back when lining up behind the first two. Link recognised them too. The voice of the woman echoed eerie.

 

   “Hello, Link.”, she eyed his bewildered gaze with amusement. “What? Say something! Sparing with words as always, right? Haven’t I said we’ll meet again?”

 

   She nodded to her host which spread out in all directions at an incredible pace and went through the uncaught shadow beasts. One after another they dispersed and their souls moved over to the Twilight when their particles combined in a huge whirl over Clock Town and disappeared. The Twili followed them declining. Midna gave Link a smile, barely visible in her form and left the World of Light with the breaking of the heavy cloud cover together with Zant into their Shadow Realm.

 

 

 ~o~0~O~0~o~