The Link between a page and a knight - PSL for Link in Tortall

[chicklet]

 Passage into this world would not have been easy, and there would have been an odd sensation like ripping through the remains of a barrier that tried to keep him out, but was too tattered and torn to work properly. Thankfully, the gods were with him in one respect. He could have easily landed in a company of the King's Own, or the Queen's Riders, or the Palace Guard. Instead he dropped down just outside the palace in front of a youngster, all of eleven years old - though topping five feet already at that age, heading to the city proper. 

Kel stopped dead, seeing a boy with pointed ears appear out of nowhere, then drew her small knife, wishing she had her naginata, or even one of the horns the pages used on their field trips. She didn't even have her dog or the birds with her, all of whom had proven themselves this past year. But she was still a page of the kingdom, to the shock of all, and she was not going to let some immortal get past her. Even if this was the first time she'd ever seen an immortal that looked like a kid.

But with those ears, and appearing like that, he had to be an immortal? Right?

All of this was running through her mind, but none of it showed on her face. Her expression was blank, as though she were a carved statue of a person rather than flesh. Her stance was practiced, though she never thought to be fighting off an immortal with just a belt knife, no matter how fine the black handled blade was! Her brown hair was cut short above her ears, her hazal-green eyes watched him with no seeming concern. No seeming emotion at all, really. 

But Mithros' spear! She could at least have a weapon or back up or something!

<i>No, Kel. Stone</i> she reminded herself sharply. <i>No, not stone. A serene lake. </i> she needed to be able to flow into her motions, rather than stiffen up.

"Who are you and what business have you here?" she asked, and her voice - as emotionless as her face - was pretty much the first, last, and only hint that the person menacing him with a short blade was female. 

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[younghero]

Link kept silent, lost in his own thoughts about dragons and Gerudo kings. After a few moment, he sighed.

"I had to kill him."

[chicklet]

She misunderstood and nodded. "I had to kill Orzone."

[younghero]

Link sighed and shook his head, biting his lip.

"No, I had to kill Volvagia, the dragon," the boy corrected, already looking for an egress if he needed to leave quickly. He wasn't about to fight these people, after all.

"Ganondorf was feeding my friends the Gorons to him. His mind was too far gone for me to help. He wasn't himself again until he was already dying."

Just don't ask how this small child killed an adult dragon.

[chicklet]

She winced. "Then he probably was glad to have been stopped," she whispered. "Poor little one." She hugged her arms a bit as they drew close enough to the walls that he could hear soldiers ahead, just past the tree line.

[younghero]

"It was the only way to save them."

Gorons were not known for their courage, aside from Darunia. Despite being hulking individuals of incredible strength, bravery was not a common trait. They simply couldn't fight back.

But, then, even the best fighters had failed against Ganondorf. Skill had very little to do with it.

[chicklet]

She nodded softly. "War makes monsters of each of us," she whispered.

[younghero]

"Ganondorf was going to wipe out the Gorons and Zora completely. He was going to kill each and every one of them. He'd made a decent start on the Hylians as well."

Link paused. "I don't sleep great at night, but, I'm no monster."

[chicklet]

"And Orzone was bad enough even before the Goddess of Chaos got her hooks in him and fed him foul things like the skinners," Daine said softly. She almost never slept well at night anymore.

[younghero]

"Skinners?"

Link tilted his head at the unfamiliar word.

[chicklet]

Daine nodded, hsuddering. "Curst things of chaos. They were like rounds of flesh on two legs that shot out arms when they needed um, no face. They'd touch something with one of those shot out arms and... skin it, near as I can explain. In an instant. They touch a tree and it is stripped of all bark and leaves, left dead and raw, the pattern of bark and leaves would appear on the skinners a moment before being absorbed, leaving them hungry again. Pants, animals, people, didn't matter to them. They touched a thing, killing it and wore its outers for a moment then touched some more."

[younghero]

Link looked thoughtful. "Not like anything in Hyrule....unless you count redeads or gibdos. They're always trying to make more of them."

[chicklet]

"Skinners only reproduced when we cut them or blew them apart," Numair said. "Each severed part became another Skinner."

In other words, bombs as swords only would make them worse, Link.

[younghero]

Ice arrows. Or those handy ancient arrows his future incarnation had, that essentially unmade a target Possibly light. Link mulled over options he'd have had if such creatures came to Hyrule.

"What killed them?"

[chicklet]

"We had to get divine help, actually," Daine admitted. "We tried burying them, they borst through like all that stone was nothing, and nothing we were doing, not with my bow or Numair's spells were helping. One minute they're about to kill us, next thing we know we're in the realm of the gods, weak as newborn runt kittens. But since they were Usoe's creatures, the Gods could step in, and would. They took care of it while Ma nursed us back to health." She hesitated, then shrugged. "got to meet my Da finally, but he wasn't too thrilled that we wanted to go back and hep with the war. Neither was Ma when it came to it. But they let us go, and we get to see them on some of the holy days when the veil between the realms is thinnest. Da actually gave me my good bow, after I lost the last bow he gave me crashing down a ravine that by rights should have killed me if not for all the trees breaking my fall all the way down."

[younghero]

Hyrule's goddesses were more hands-off of their creations, than most, Link decided. Then again, killing monsters and sealing darkness was what he was for, so maybe they didn't have to step in?

He didn't really understand everything she had said, but, didn't want to pry. So, he merely nodded.

[chicklet]

Oh the gods here were fairly hands off as well, usually only allowed to work through mortal vessels, of which Daine was one. Alana was closer to being to their world what Link was to Hyrule, but Daine had also been chosen and used.

They came to the gate before a moat and the Guards looked them over once then nodded them in. The gate was open. Within was a moat followed by a high wall, then a deep gorge, with a bridge down over both the moat and the bridge. Guards stood posted at the wall and again at the innermost wall. Within that was what looked like a small town. A runner rushed over to bring them horses, and Numair slipped the lass a few coppers for her troubles while the horses crowded around Daine and sniffed at Link.

[younghero]

Link held his palm out flat for the horses to smell, talking to them softly. "Sorry, I don't have anything for you. My Epona finds any treats I carry pretty quickly." He'd pet any that allowed him, muttering soft praises with a small goofy smile.

[chicklet]

Daine grinned and slid an apple into one of his hands when she saw one free, talking to the horses as well. "Well behaved, I can tell yes. No, sorry, Cloud isn't with me this time." She laughed. "Neither are Kitten and Tkaa, don't worry." Then to the largest of the three. "You remember my two-legger friend Numair, right? You'll be careful with him? I thank you," she said taking another apple from a basket a lad was holding for her, and giving it to the large horse as a treat as she blew into his nostrils lightly. "There's a good lad. Thank you," she said when he finished. Then she patted another and smiled at it, with a look like she was having a conversation, but she said nothing. After a moment she laughed, patted its nose, then lifted herself easily into the saddle like she'd been raised there.

She smiled at Link. "I think they like you near about as much as you like them."

[younghero]

"Then you are much friendlier than my Epona," he laughed a little, letting a horse have the treat. "I had to play her a song on an ocarina before she'd be friends with me. And only Malon and me can ride her unassisted."

Link wasn't entirely sure, but, he thought that Shadow probably had a decent shot at it as well.

[chicklet]

"Any horses that get to know Daine become more intelligent and kinder," Numair said. "And better at dealing with silly mages like myself who used to fall out of the saddle as often as not until she came along."

"Just don't think the wolves are any kinder for my presence," she said with a voice that was half joking and half serious. "I think Brokefang would lose his tail if he thought someone was underestimating the pack that way. I understand why they did what they did when the valley was being ruined, but I think he and a few of the others got far too much of a taste for mischief and would not mind an excuse to start it up again. Maura has enough issues trying to rule as it is."

[younghero]

Horseback riding, like swordsmanship, seemed to be another innate trait of the hero. He supposed those were important enough they made a lasting impression on his soul---although, it too might have been a case where the goddesses needed him to be good at it and fast.

The talk about wolves made his ears perk slightly. "Wolves protect their own."

[chicklet]

"Yes, and some packs do it better than others," Numair said dryly.

"So long as Maura treats them right they'll be fine with her," she said, but she said it like she was trying to convince herself more than them.

[younghero]

"I spent a week as one. They're not as bad as Wolfos."

[chicklet]

"What is a Wolfo?" Numair asked as the horses made their way up a through a small town towards the keep at the top of the hill.

Daine was playing with the badger claw, lost in her own thoughts.

[younghero]

"Wolfos," Link corrected. "They're big monsters that look like wolves, howl like them, have nasty claws---but, they're kinda mindless."