The visit at the blacksmith’s had been worth it, though it had taken its time. For a deposit of threehundred and a remaining sum of fivehundred Rupees, he had the sword, even ready for action at a certain rate, on the morning of the opening together with the other things. The pieces cost twohundred. As of dividing matters, he had paid them in advance. Now that he was content, he wanted to make a short detour to the Goron Village. But when he saw the position of the sun, he decided to return to town for not coming too late for lunch. To make sure, he went straight through the Eastgate. Though his feet forced him to the Town Hall instead of the Inn then. Just in there he saw that he had little more than an hour left. As a Goron he was indeed a lot faster. He already headed to Kafei’s door when the secretary stopped him.
“I am sorry. The Mayor is having an important meeting and does not want to be disturbed by anything or anybody.”, slightly disappointed Link let his arms sink, went to the bench and took a seat. For a few minutes he just sat there and stared at the wall on the opposite of him.
“I think, this was all.”, he heard a strangely sweet voice of a woman from the left, out of Kafei’s office and jumped up expectantly.
As he stepped closer, he saw that Kafei was holding the door open for someone. Out came three women in darkgrey, slightly bluegreen shimmering, with white ornaments decorated hooded cloaks that reached the floor. They were different from all beings Link had ever seen. Their red, partly orange shining, at the outside pointly led up eyes seemed magical. The colour of their skin had a delicate greyish-turquoise tone and partly showed black elements on their hands, as if they were painted. Peculiar though were the turquoise glowing ornaments on them. The inside of the cloaks seemed to glow turquoise as well.
On their lips lay a waft of lilac. The women were more than one head taller than Kafei, very slim, even almost too slim. In addition, they were barefoot. Only one of the three women hadn’t pulled her hood completely over her head. That one was decorated by a strange, filigree tiara that covered almost her entire forehead and ended shortly before reaching the tip of her nose. Her long, flaming red hair was pinned up artistically and parts; each side one bundle; led into a massive brooch on her neckline.
Link wasn’t sure whether their upper bodies were naked or if they just wore a very skintight, black, provocatively cut fabric. For finding it out, he hadn’t enough time. With by Kafei returned bows they said goodbye and walked gracile past Link, exchanging words in a language that Link neither understood nor had ever heard any alike. The less veiled lady threw a brief smile at him before she went back to staring straight on with an empty expression. The door outside opened even before one of the ladies had touched it and closed in the same way.
“Who – who were they?”, asked the secretary nosy.
“That doesn’t need to bother you, Lori.”, said Kafei neither forceful nor despiteful, but his choice of words was clear. “They just had an important message. And yes, it is secret. Link – I hope it isn’t urgent?”
“I – er – no – why?”
“The meeting just now – let’s say, the topic was very hard. I need to take my mind off things a bit and come to terms with it. And my hair would need a wash.”
“Don’t let yourself be kept up.”, sang Link almost indifferently shrugging.
With only two steps he had disappeared on the staircase in front of him. Link heard him running upwards and entering a room. Then it quietened down. Who had they been? Where did they come from? He knew that Lori shared this questions with him, nevertheless he tried to ignore the secretary. His hands behind his back, he started marching around in the entrance hall indiscriminately. He was so deeply in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice that the door to Anju’s office was opened, said person went to the other office and found it empty of course. He stumbled startled as he was spoken to.
“Link? Are you waiting for Kafei?”
“He said he’d take a shower.”
“Oh – thanks.”, she had turned around already and went back in direction of her office when she suddenly stopped in the middle of the open door.
“What’s wrong?”, Link watched her closely.
“That’s fortunate.”, he heard her giggling. “I think, I should show you a secret.”, wondering, he stared on her back. “Follow me, don’t make any noise and watch. Can you do that?”
“I – I think so – ”
He had no idea at all what would come now though, but as she took a certain direction up on the first floor, a slight assumption filled his thoughts. She meant him to be quiet once more and very slowly opened the door to the bathroom. Just a few noises came out of it. Carefully Anju tiptoed to the basin. Link followed her, trying to make no sound. According to the silhouette on the curtain around the shower, Kafei had something to do with his headlong dangling hair. Link guessed that he put shampoo on them.
In front of the shower a towel laid flat on the floor and Kafei’s clothes were thrown carelessly next to the bathtub. Very carefully Anju turned on the tap just enough that neither the pouring of the water, nor its clash with the basin could be heard. Kafei straightened; winding the hair onto the head; Anju turned the tap off again, Kafei shook something off his hands and she toddled broad grinning back, meaning Link with waving hands to leave the bathroom. Just as she had closed the door behind herself, Link heard briefly how another tap was turned on. This was followed a shrill, though of the closed door almost deafening, gigantically feminine shriek. Then –
“ANJU!!!!!”
That one grabbed Link’s arm and pulled him giggling like a little child back downstairs. He heard how a door was torn open and flopping wet feet angrily came closer. A towel just about bound around the hip, the soaking wet foam cowered hair already sliding down, a cup in his hand and with a furious expression on the face, Kafei stormed across the staircase. At Kafei’s expression, Link somehow felt ashamed of having let himself be dragged into this. He was already searching for an escape route, but somehow suddenly a number of people had gathered in the entrance hall.
Giggling, Anju stepped back into their sight, as she hadn’t noticed the audience so far. Kafei went towards her and poured the whole content of the cup; obviously ice cold water; into her face, whereupon a laughing squeal escaped her. Link only put his hands fascinated on his hips. And he got the meaningless assumption confirmed, which he had had seven years ago. Kafei was actually a bit muscular. It bothered and confused him enormously why he was preoccupied with this fact now as well. Kafei noticed him.
“Oh – Link – I’m sorry that you had to watch this, but my wife – ”
“I know what she did.”
“Oh then you at least know that she deserved it.”, Kafei laughed, but his laughter died at once when he saw what was going on behind Link. “Sosh kiritrega!”, he aspirated, blushing slightly.
Link raised one eyebrow. He had a quite good idea what Kafei had said, but it intrigued him, what exactly it meant. The question about it however, he couldn’t ask anymore, as Kafei suddenly fled upstairs, carefully trying to hold the towel around his hips. Just by now Anju noticed too, what had driven him away and she clapped her hands on her mouth. Hasty she wiped the water out of her face and, instead of facing the problem, she disappeared in her office, leaving Link and Lori alone with the befuddled crowd. But Link found these people being none of his business and, briefly fighting with the choice of a direction, followed Kafei quickly. Dumbfounded Lori sank into the chair behind the counter.
Kafei wasn’t in the corridor. He heard the roaring of water. Arriving at the bathroom he opened the door timid, stepped in and closed it again. The towel laid in in the middle of the room. Kafei, Link could see a blurred silhouette through the curtain, sat in the shower, leant to the wall.
“Please tell me that it’s you, Link.”, why?
“Please don’t drown yourself.”, he hesitated.
“For a moment I intended to. But I think, I like to live too much. Besides, there are too many people whom I don’t want to do that to. I feel stupid – and naked.”
“Er – you are naked.”
“Yeah. Actually.”, laughed Kafei shortly. “I meant it rather rhetorical. I am Mayor! I can’t effort, soaking wet, dressed in just a very short towel, watering my wife in a foyer crammed with people!”
“But you did.”
“Can’t you turn back the time and stop me? Or better – Anju, so it won’t even come to it?”
“I’m sorry.”, laughed Link. „But you have to cope with this yourself.“
“Swine.”, sighed Kafei slightly giggling.
“Oink.”
“Oh shut your mouth.”, Link heard how Kafei turned off the water.
“Why did you say that?”
“What?”, he peeked between the wall and the curtain showing nothing but his head.
“That I shall say it’s me.”, he went to him into the corner and sat down on the floor in front of him.
“Because I’d probably have strangled Anju for that.”
For about a minute they just said nothing to each other. Then they started giggling almost simultaneously. Kafei knelt down, moved his arm out beneath the curtain and reached for Link’s hand. Not knowing what to think of it, he nevertheless let it happen, as he knew from before that it was Kafei’s way to thank somebody sincerely.
“Thanks for following me. In such an abject situation I really need someone like you.”
“No problem.”, replied Link and completed the gesture with a smile.
“Good gracious.”, aspirated Kafei. “If somebody saw us here like this – ”
“If it isn’t Anju, I think they’d for sure knock.”
“That’s what you think!”, he pulled back his hand. “Something against laying me the towel in front of the shower?”, Kafei stood up and began doing some strange gymnastics behind the curtain, every now and then the sound of water hitting something was to be heard.
“No.”, Link raised, did what Kafei had asked him to and sat back where he had sat before.
“You don’t have any troubles seeing naked men, do you?”
“Why? You assume I’d get a shock when you come out of the shower?”
“One never knows. There are men that just have a problem with seeing other men naked.”
“Do they exist?”
“Yes.”
“You know some?”
“Oh yes.”, sighed Kafei.
“No worries. I don’t mind. Everyone should know for themselves whether they show or not.”
“Good attitude.”
“If you don’t mind – I don’t assume you to have something I haven’t – except maybe, that you had considerably more time to devote yourself to this thing.”, smirked Link.
“Ask Zelda.”, giggled Kafei.
“She’s a girl.”
“Exactly.”
“Think about it. I’m fifteen, she nineteen and we spent most of our lives saving the world and its parallelities. I don’t think that she herself, though she likes to wear jewellery and long pink dresses, is aware of the fact that she’s a girl. Yes – I won’t deny that she’s pretty. But this doesn’t mean – what are you doing there anyway?”
“I’m drying the tiles.”
“Oh. I wasn’t quite sure.”, now he wiped the curtain with the cleaning cloth.
“What did you think?”
“I don’t know.”
Kafei pulled the curtain aside and got out of the shower. He turned around, knelt on the towel and wiped the water carefully down the plughole, squeezing the cloth several times during it. Link started to feel questionable. Was he just going through puberty or why did his brain come up with such hair-raising ascertainments? But he had to admit, if he’d been a girl himself, he would have found Kafei’s behind luscious. The owner of this piece of flesh fortunately raised in time before Link could slap himself in the face. Nevertheless he stared at him. Kafei noticed it.
“Yes?“, he giggled, went for getting a previously forgotten big towel out of the cupboard, shook his hair wildly and wiped it dry. “What? Oh. Yes. I know. They’re blue down there as well. If you look closely, you will see that even my eyelashes are blue – though dark blue.”
“Fascinating.”, aspirated Link half laughing, marvelling at Kafei’s suddenly dry mane. “Shall I get you something clean?”
“Do you know where it is?”
“No.”, chuckled Link, gotten aware of his unnecessary will of helping and gazed at a small, long, pointed, blue, in silver set crystal on Kafei’s chest.
“Exactly. I just put on the old stuff. What time is it?”
“I don’t know, but I suppose it’s time for lunch.”, Kafei snorted.
“The only meal which Anidja attends whether she likes or not. She does it for Anju. And because there are always more guests present these days, she needs to keep her mouth shut.”, Link wondered once again how fast Kafei was dressed. “Where’s Anju?”
“Fled into her office.”
“Good. If the pack down there doesn’t keep us up, we’d maybe manage in time. And if not, you’re my witness that it’s Anju’s fault.”
“Any time. One question – what kind of light is this?”, he pointed on the milky glass bowls on the walls that were used as subduing mountings.
“A very special light.”
“I noticed that. You switched to them in the Inn too. Also – in the rest of the town. At least excepting the big torches.”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“You know that I can.”
“The Great Fairy gave them to us over night.”
“How – she just buzzed through the streets under cover and – ”
“It was the Great Fairy, alright?”, smiled Kafei and closed the last button of his waistcoat. “She takes care that the town never falls into darkness. Yes, she made it possible for us to control these little lights with our willpower. But it never becomes dark completely. And also the wind is no danger to the torches anymore. She gave us the light as a present because she saw how much we suffer when in darkness. As long as Light exists, there is Hope. It is a well kept secret. Though a few more know about it now.”, with these words he turned around, opened the door and left the room for waiting outside for Link who went past him.
“And what else can you do?”, turned Link around to him, just to find an empty corridor.
“You’d be surprised.”, Link rushed around and didn’t believe his eyes as he saw Kafei at the stairs.
“How did you – ”, he had just blinked once and Kafei was gone already.
“Don’t ask for things you know.”
Link shuddered at the soft whisper in his ear and the warm breath. When he looked around, there was nobody. He turned hasty, but couldn’t see Kafei anywhere. At last his look stopped at the staircase again.
“Link?”, he rushed around once more – Kafei stood where he had passed him, seeming very worried. “Anything wrong?”
“Y-y-you – that’s not funny, right?”
“What’s not funny?”, asked Kafei with unchanged expression.
“Don’t fool me!”, spat Link.
“Come on. I’m sure, lunch’s ready.”, giggled Kafei and went past him now himself, whereas he accepted a clap on the back of his head laughing.
During the mealtimes of the Inn, the Town Hall was closed, so they all could eat together. To the discomfort of all guests, Anidja ate with them. Even Triri sat by them, now that her grandchild didn’t try to cook for her anymore. Since Link had saved Termina, they always had to take on an additional assistant in the kitchen over the time of the Carnival. Kari was the roommaid that also deputised Anidja at the reception. She always ate after them. It might have seemed disparaging, but she had insisted on arranging it like this herself, as Link had gotten to know from Anju when they had gone down together. Now the dining room was a bit fuller and partly crowded multiculturally.
There was mixed cooking again. Link had liked the varied breakfast without exception, so that he was excited for another meal like that. Zelda insisted on helping him with one of his few lacks again and carried, though a bit tetchy, his plates to the table. This time they had taken up a large table for everyone to have a seat.
All went fine. Anidja didn’t deign to look at Kafei though, but at least she didn’t put in any harsh word against him. Tatl had turned out to be an encyclopaedia thirsty for knowledge and the little Link had finally accepted a nickname: Juro. It was the word of the Sheikah for `successor´.
Concerning the sitting order, Tatl had insisted on besieging Link. So he sat between two blue-heads now. Also Esra and Dotour had joined the table. Dotour sat next to his granddaughter, his wife on the other side and Triri’s wheelchair found hardly enough space between her and Anidja who sat almost next to Anju. Zelda was the buffer. Juro sat of course between his parents. As said, they talked about this and that and everything went fine. Until –
“Your way of dining is quite genteel.”, noticed Kafei with an unmistakable hint of feigned arrogance.
„I may be a country bumpkin and a butcher, yet I am well acquainted with the mores at royal court. In short, I was condemned to sit straight, don’t shovel with hands and feet and refrain from champing.“
“And I may be the Mayor of this noble lands, but honestly, Link, it looks like we’re all in the wrong place?”
“And what do you suggest, my – dining – should look like?”
“I don’t. It’s just strange, watching the two of you.”
“I mean, would it be better – ”, Link lifted his nearly empty little bowl of honey sauce, “This way?”
Very slow, his eyes piercing into Kafei’s and elbows on the table, he dipped his right index finger and, even slower and with the most seductive expression he could come up with, brought it towards his mouth. However, Kafei dreamily bit his own lips and struck back with a look that hit him hard in a region of his brain that was unable to resist.
Yet only when Kafei burst into warm laughter, Link began to realise that he had accidentally poured the rest of the sauce all over his plate.
„Nice to see that I could sweeten your meal.“, grinned Kafei.
“Oh shut it. Er Zelda, could you please give me the jug with the water?”, Link chuckled without thinking.
“I must have misheard!”, faltered Anidja.
“Leunija.”, Link had realized what he had caused.
Silence fell over the room. Link knew that he was far too red as for Anidja to believe the letter-changing-story anymore. The rest of the room looked up too. Not because of the name, but of Anidja’s loud ascertainment. She wanted to open her mouth again but something happened that nobody had expected. With widely opened eyes Anidja reached hastily for her glass and took a not less impulsive gulp.
“I think I have actually misheard.”
On her and Zelda’s look he understood that she had threatened the woman via telepathy. With what, he should never get to acknowledge, but he had some ideas of what Zelda was able to.
“Kafei?”, asked Link when Zelda gave him the jug, just to get off topic.
“No, thanks. I still have – oh you – wanted something else, right?”
“Yes.”, chuckled Link. “Can you all do that?”, Kafei understood immediately but Dotour took the words out of his mouth.
“Yes. Usually.”
“Father!”, warned Kafei.
“Oh?”, laughed Link. “Rust eliminated?”
“Now that I have the time to devote myself to the important things of life – but I haven’t helped the – Great Fairy.”
“About just that, Link – if I scared you then I’m sorry.”
“No harm done. The experience was worth it.”, now Kafei blushed slightly.
“I couldn’t agree more.”, he said hardly hearable. “And – I’ve kept my promise. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes. You just followed your intuition.”
“Exactly. Thanks. And you lot should follow my promise too.”
“Like me.”, said Link, though in a different context.
“Yes. And I thank you for it. With my whole heart.”
“What does it mean?”, asked Tatl. “I mean, except eternal friendship.”
“Tatl – what?”, Kafei put back down his cutlery plus picked up last piece of meat on his plate.
Though Link couldn’t read her thoughts, he knew which ones of his she had discovered. He undid the button of his shirt at the right wrist. Just lightly he pulled back the sleeve and smiled as he saw Kafei’s eyes glazed over.
“You – ”, he breathed.
“You guessed right. I’ve never loosened the knot even just a little. It are the small scars, that accompany us forever. But the small signs, make these scars of minor importance, as they manage to ease the greatest pain. They are the Lights in the Darkness. As long as Light exists, there is Hope. Not forgotten, no. Just a well kept secret. Though a few more know about it now. The things that really mean something to us, always return to us. How much time will pass, none of us knows. But they return.“
All looks at the table were silently focused on Link. Most of all Kafei, Dotour and Zelda stared at him with disbelief.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve got it from Impa. She told me these lines when I left the castle for the first time. I had no clue back then what she meant, but now that I have heard the fragments again and again and have gone through so much, I know about the meaning and can tell, these lines are true. They are ancient and true for all time.”
“You know what it means?”, asked Tatl. “Can you tell me? Daddy doesn’t.”
“No, Tatl. You need to find out on your own. And believe me, if I think of all I know about you so far, you will; partly unfortunately; find out earlier than you’d like to. You should just never forget these lines. They’re part of you as they’re part of your forefathers. Not forgotten, no. Just a well kept secret. And it lives on, as long as those are there, who know about it.”
“What are you talking about there? What does this all mean?”, asked Anju, but got no answer.
Link laid his right hand flat and encouraging on the table. A bit hesitating, Kafei took it. They just looked into each other’s eyes, as if they had already spent every single day of an eternity together. Some at the table didn’t understand this bond. The others didn’t understand it as much as they probably should have. But their opinion didn’t count.
“Not forgotten.”, breathed Kafei.
“Never.”, appeased Link and they loosened their grip.
“If you excuse me, I have to do something.”, without further explanations, Kafei stood up and left the dining room.
“What’s this here? What does this mean?”, asked Esra.
“Link – ”, lilted Zelda. “Would you mind showing me the town?”
“No. With pleasure.“, conciliated said and accompanied her out.
“I need to. Silra waits for me.”, said Tatl short, jumped off her chair and followed them.
“And I know now, how I can help Naturi.”, hopped Juro after.
“I have a slight idea but I’m not really sure.”, sighed Anju and stood up.
“Me too, dear.”, said Triri. “Would you take me with you?”
“Of course, Grandmother.”
“Is this for real?”, moaned Anidja and began to clear the table.
“Somehow it is.”, conciliated Esra. “This does make sense after all.”
“What?”
“Have a nice day, Anidja.”
“Tz.”, she stared after her and her smiling husband.
~o~0~O~0~o~
The hours between lunch and dinner had just flown by. Link had shown Zelda what had been possible in this time. Picking out the details, he would leave to her. The difference between the two meals was just in the amount, a bit of selection and the fact that conversations of higher meanings were spared out totally. The group split up as usual. As the Town Hall wouldn’t open after dinner, Anju and Zelda decided to take a little walk.
The princess and Link had actually achieved that Anidja didn’t treat Kafei like a piece of dung anymore. At dinner she had even looked at him directly a few times. Dotour and Esra retired with the children and Anidja finished what was to be done in the kitchen. As the Inn was officially closed for night now, Kari had disappeared in her room too.
Only Kafei stayed in the entrance hall with Link. They had decided to wait for the two women to return. Outrageously they both sat on the counter and dangled their legs, Link at Kafei’s right and therefore closer to the door. As most of the guests were already on their rooms, there was total peace, broken only by the ticking of the clock.
“When do you normally go to bed?”
“Anju goes at ten. I usually stay up a bit longer. If I don’t have any work to do, then for reading. Mostly I go at about eleven then.”
Link nodded. Was this possible? They had no topic? Bored he took his cap off his head and examined it without any reason. Doing so, his long, dark blond hair fell down his back as he usually hid it beneath his cap. He just couldn’t stand it. When it had been shorter, it had done what it wanted to and, except for the bundles near his face, stood in every direction. He had hoped that it would become less wilful with length. But he had hoped in vain. It reached his elbows by now. Nevertheless it never lay on his head as wonderful as he would want it to be for showing in public. Therefore he had kept the parts that listened to him, always in the same length.
The falling of the long mass caught Kafei’s attention though. Fascinated he reached out his right arm for it and let his hand glide through. Link raised his head and watched him staring like paralysed at the hair.
“Wow.”, he aspirated.
“Now don’t act like this. They’re horrible.”
“What? That’s not true.”
“I’ve tried letting them grow in hope that they’d finally do what I want. But it didn’t help.”
“Considering that you find them horrible, they’re extremely soft.”, smirked Kafei.
“Yours not?”, asked Link, reached out himself and carefully went through Kafei’s blue mane. “My goodness! They’re totally – fluffy!”, Kafei giggled. “But it’s true! Would you lend me some?”
“Pardon?”, laughed Kafei.
“Sorry.”, Link woke from his trance as well, though he didn’t let go of the other’s hair either. “But they’re so beautiful.”
“Well, I haven’t chosen them.”
“Nor have I.”, moaned Link.
“Yours are equally beautiful. They’d just need some care.”, smiled Kafei and glided beneath the hair that was directly at his head.
“You mean so?”
“Yes. What do you wash them with?”
“I don’t know what it contains. I’ve bought it at the Market. But I’ve tried so much already and that stuff’s been the best so far.”
“Hm.”
“What’s your secret?”
“What is going on here?”, abruptly both arms were caught by gravity and the two heads rushed in direction of the door. “Link?”, Zelda was amazed. “Since when is your hair that long?”
“That’s exactly what’s going on here.”, giggled Kafei. “He wants a wig.”, Link gave him a warning hit on the upper arm. “Of my hair.”, still giggling he got another blow.
“And I always thought men are different from us.”, Anju sighed, shaking her head. “There one thinks you’d talk about women or weapons when you’re among yourselves, but no, you’re comparing your hair and give each other tips for hair care.“, none of the four could prevent laughing. “Come, you hair fetishist. Time for your beauty sleep.”, he stuck out his tongue. “Yes? Anything you want to tell me?”
“No.”, he giggled. “Goodnight, you two.”
The other tree wished each other goodnight too and the married couple left the Inn, locking the door behind them again. Link and Zelda went up to their room. Link made it clear to her that he was the one to use the bathroom first. Zelda thereupon made it clear to him that it didn’t matter at all – there was one per floor. Nevertheless, Link was faster.
Zelda entered the room and locked, Link was already in his bed. When she went past him for climbing into the by her chosen bed next to the window, he stared after her. He also turned towards her when she already laid.
“What is the matter?”
“You are actually a girl.”, he aspirated.
“W- what?“, she hissed. “Of course I am a girl. What put that into your head?”
“Oh nothing.”, sighed Link, turned around and closed his eyes. “Goodnight.”
“Hm.”, faltered Zelda. “Good night.”
~o~0~O~0~o~
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