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. 

Comments

[younghero]

"There aren't many. They were wiped out almost entirely."

And Link wasn't at all sure this world connected with Hyrule.

[chicklet]

She winced a bit. "Sorry," she said, meaning it.

[younghero]

"Oh, that happened....either before I was born, or in the same war that killed my parents. Probably that last one. Impa and Sheik are the only two I've met."

And only one of the pair was legit.

"Hyrule's pretty diverse. We have Hyulians, humans, Sheikah, Gorons, Zora--there's a tribe of bird people who migrate through---lots of types of people. We do have the Gerudo too, but, aside from their no-good-King, they're alright, considering they're a tribe of thieves."

He made a vague gesture. "Which is why it's always so weird to have people freak out because you look different. Sure, sometimes there's a situation where you run into 'Oh, you're Hylian you wouldn't understand Goron issues' or whatever, but, mostly it's---nice."

[chicklet]

"We have a lot of different peoples here, two-legger and otherwise, but this close to the palace, we tend to know each race on sight, at the least. It isn't that you didn't look like Kel that probably alarmed her, but that you didn't look like any known race, and arrived the way the immortals have. Most immortals have powers or qualities that make it dangerous for someone to face alone, especially someone so early in her training, as Keladry."

She considered. "Among the two leggers, there are Tortallians, Bahzir, Yamani, Copper Islanders who have two main races, the Lurian and the Raka, Carthakis, Gallans, Sacrans, Tyraians.... countless others. Then you have the Immortals. Some who are by nature inimical, like Spindrins and Hurrocks, and Coldfangs. Some that are mostly inimical to humans with a rare few who can change that choice, like the Stormwings. Then there are those who would rather have nothing at all to do with humans, like Griffins and Nierads, and then there are those friendly with humans, though those tend to be more individuals, than whole races. Like the Flying horses of the Copper Isles, or Kitten, her real name is Skysong, who is the baby Dragon I've been raising, or Ikouji who speaks for her tribe of Ogres and have made peace with Maura and her fief. Or Tkaa, the Basalisk, who is one of my dearest friends and teaches the young pages about Immortals."

Cloud tossed her head. "Hush," Daine chided her.

[younghero]

"I'm not immortal. I already told her. "

Link scratched his left ear.

[chicklet]

"Neither do you seem to be People or a typical two-legger. Can you really blame her for being unsure?"

[younghero]

"Since no one is letting me leave?" Link nodded. "A little bit, yeah."

[chicklet]

"No one is letting you wander the woods alone, there is a difference," she said with her brows raised. "Numair and I did offer to keep you company to the border."

[younghero]

"Not much of one. Either you guys don't trust me, or you think I'm delicate or something."

Neither of which Link was willing to accept. The former, if they had actually needed help, he would have been willing to prove his trustworthiness. He'd done that enough times.

The latter, on the other hand, was just plain frustrating.

"Besides, I grew up in a forest that had a woods joining it, and if you got lost in those woods, you either turned into an imp if you were a kid, or a cursed skeleton warrior if you were a grown-up. Not to mention the predators, and monsters that cropped up later on."

Link checked monsters off on his fingers. "Deku-babas--plants that eat people, wolfos--demon wolves, stalchildren---small skeletons, moblins---big old pig-monsters, skulltullas---giant spiders."

He tapped his ears and then tapped his sword and shield. "I'm pretty good at listening for things sneaking up on me," (Unless it was his brother...) "and I'm really good at fighting."

[chicklet]

She rubbed her face. "It isn't that... or at least... not just that. It is a lot the dominion jewel, but if you want to know more about that you'll have to ask Numair. I tune out sometimes when he goes too deep into magical theory and dissecting spells and ancient legends about magics. And the Dominion Jewel always inspires that. But what it comes down to is that the forest here is... different... than other forests. Though I suppose the animals are my fault."

[younghero]

"So, either way, I'm basically a prisoner."

Link was less than thrilled. There was something about that, that absolutely bothered him. He'd been imprisoned by the Gerudo and immediately broke out of his cell within five minutes. Heck, even being grounded by Clef he'd immediately created an escape network.

This was trickier since all eyes were upon him. He scowled to himself and wished he still had the Stone Mask, so he could just slip past everyone and leave this world behind. How in the world could he get past this crew?

The Oni mask was out of the question. An eight-foot-blank-eyed-tattooed version of himself with snow white hair---that would negate the 'not a threat' and 'not an immortal' argument right there.

Turning into a wolf---that still had merit, but, people had few qualms about killing wolves. If he timed it wrong.....

His scowl deepened, fists clenched slightly. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid--- he berated himself for getting into this situation in the first place. What kind of world was it where you couldn't even trust another kid??

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Link decided he'd just wait until everyone was asleep and bail then.

[chicklet]

She shook her head, then considered. "How about this, we have a border not far from here that opens into free waters. Those that would fight us from those directions are busy licking their wounds. We can get you a boat small enough you can sail it yourself. Accept our escort to the port, and our gift of the ship, and once you cast off from Tortallian soil and leave our waters, if you wish us to leave you be, we shall."

She chewed her lip, considering. "If that isn't good enough, I s'ppose I could ask the gods..." she toyed with something she wore under her shirt like a pendant. "I know they'd answer, I just don't know if they'd help, and sometimes the gods' attention isn't exactly pleasant, and their answers aren't always what we'd want them to be...."

[younghero]

Link still looked rather listless at both suggestions. "I doubt your gods would like me, considering I bear the mark of our goddesses."

He sighed. Best to play along and flee while they slept. Link hated to be dishonest, but, he couldn't see any other options. And teleporting right in front of them just wasn't feasible.

"I'll sail," he muttered unhappily. "Since I'm apparently a criminal or something."

[chicklet]

"Why would out gods not like you just because other gods have touched you?" she asked, confused. "Unless your god is Usoe, I don't understand." And she frowned, like someone who was talking about real people, not the distant way many spoke of gods.

"And you are not a criminal," she said with a sigh. "At least, not that I know."

[younghero]

"Their names are: Farore, Din, and Nayru. I'd imagine god and goddesses from other realms aren't friends, if people can't even visit here."

Link shrugged. "Not a criminal, but, sure treated like one."

[chicklet]

She frowned. "I don't know any of those names. Do you, Badger?"

There was a flash of silver light beside her pony and a large badger stood on its hind legs where the flash had been when it faded. The badger studied her, then him. Then he used a paw to wash his whiskers. "Know which names now, kit?"

"Farore, Din, and Naryu," she repeated dutifully. "He says they're the Goddesses that touch his life, and he thinks that the great gods and the lesser ones wouldn't want anything to do with him, because of them for some reason. But I figured you'd know better than I would."

He made a bit of a snort. "That much you'd be right about kitt, but can't I leave you be a single year without you getting tangled up in the gods own messes?"

She tried to look sheepish and failed miserably. "You'd miss me if I didn't call on you sometimes."

"I'd knock you on your head if you weren't mounted. Oh hush, Cloud," he said to the pony, then he waddled over towards Link, sticking to a two legged stance. "So your a chosen for Gods from another realm are you? Let me get a good sniff of you, get down here." then a mutter "great tall plodding things, humans are."

[younghero]

Link watched this entire exchange intently. And he quite willingly sat on the ground when asked. "I've heard stories of gods and goddesses not getting along, and those ones were family. I figure if family can't get along, there's no way gods and goddesses from other worlds would get along."

Luckily, Link was fairly used to being sniffed, thanks in a large part to Skullkid. Link knew he had a distinctive scent, based on that conversation, but, had no way to know the particulars. He suspected he reeked of magic, especially with a third of the Triforce affixed to his soul. It was possible that there was a faint scent of the three (or....four) goddesses, based on that as well. And he was someone who spent a fair amount of time around shadow magic, for some reason.

On a more mundane level, Link was a fairly clean kid, who obviously spent a lot of time outdoors, and around animals.

[chicklet]

Badger made his way over and gave a good sniffing, as he talked. "Not all our Gods get along, and most of the human ones are family. But that doesn't mean there are none that would be willing to help. And for Daine, even if the Great Gods won't sometimes the animal gods will."

He backed off, thinking. "None of the gods scents on him are ours," he said to Daine. With the likes of the Trickster, the GraveYard Hag and Usoue, one never knows till they get a good sniff. Get a feeling so far you'd most appeal to Mythros and the Goddess, but not sure yet, and I'd still have to ask. And I'd like some info to take to them when they ask if you please," he said plopping down to sit. "How is it you came to this realm from a place that smells both like and unlike Usoe's chaos?"

Daine startled, paling.

Badger, his back to her, waved a claw back at her to settle down. Even the pony seemed nervous.

[younghero]

"Occasionally I visit other worlds. One world was suspended above chaos by chains."

That was the truth, if not much detail.

"Another world had a falling moon that I had to stop."

[chicklet]

"Harumph," he grumped. "Well so long as that other world keeps its chains strong and its chaos to itself, that's none of my nevermind. Though a Goddess that lets her moon fall..." he shook his head, not thinking much of these other gods. But to each their own. "So. right, what is it you want then, kit?"

[younghero]

"A demonic mask was making the moon fall. I'm not sure Termina's goddess had much say. I know it's beyond Hyrule and her goddesses, anyway."

Link sighed.

"I originally wanted to see if I could train with a swordsman for a bit, to learn new skills. But, everyone is sure I'm a bad guy, so I was just gonna go home."

[chicklet]

"I never said you were a bad guy," Daine protested.

"Mithros rarely trains mortals," the Badger said. Weryin is more about bow hunting, than swordsmanship, and he's restricted to his lands for most of a century still," he said, giving a small sympathetic look back to the girl before focusing on Link again. "Learning from mortals is so bad?"

"I thought he was looking for a way home or to prove himself or something, Badger," the girl said. "If he just wants to train with a fighter... I could see if we can get a message to the Lioness, see if she's willing to take a student."

"Isn't that a bit mean to do to a lad?" Badger asked, scratching an ear.

"She's not THAT bad..." she considered. "Well, maybe in the mornings, but sos Ouna."

[younghero]

"I can't stay too long. My dad and brother and princess will worry if I'm gone for very long."

Link paused. "See...I surpassed all the teachers in my world, so, any bit of extra instruction helps."

[chicklet]

"How long is not long?" Badger asked, scratching his ear again.

[younghero]

"No more than a few days. A week at most."