Shadow: Chapter Three: Chapter 3 The Autumn feast      The next morning Link was awakened by the sound of crackling thunder from the clouds, which hung like black demons in Hyrule's Autumn sky. Link groaned and sat up in bed, letting the cold, misty, swirling air in the room make him twitch and grab the blanket around his slender but strong shoulders. He clenched his forehead as it throbbed in pain, he realized he had only gotten two hours of restless sleep, and that same, creepy dream kept rolling over in his head.      Link walked across the room towards where his tunic, gauntlets, boots, and cloak dangled from an open wardrobe. Link looked out of the window, cursing the storm for all this. Link then sat on the edge of the large grooved out pane of glass, shivering as he pulled the blanket around him tighter.  Even with the tunic, he was still freezing in the old castle.      What had happened to him, Link thought, what had happened to make him feel so strange in Hyrule castle these last few days? Was it the fact that he had been seeming to travel nonstop for the last four and a half years? Link knew the answer was yes before he even thought of the painfully truthful question. The stubborn boy had become a man now, Link thought to himself. Link had grown up without having a mother, father, or any relatives, without choosing his path, without many friends, and still Link was wondering how he could have cheated death those many, many times in all his pointless adventures.      "I guess I'm just lucky." Link whispered. Then he sighed, trying to bring up all the quiet thoughts that he needed to go over since the last few days.      Sheik was the first person Link thought about. Link had wondered about the man ever since heÕd met him, five years before this day, but Link had been gone so long, traveling and making new discovering for Hyrule and for his personal self, he had never really seemed to talk to Sheik that much anymore.      The first time they met, well, Link felt him knew him like a brother, they looked alike and shared the same point of views on common grounds like fighting. Never fight unless it is for self-defense or protecting those who have no one to protect them, Link mouthed quietly. He slumped down on the window pane, hunching his back against the stone arc that held it in place.      Had Link really become this detached from Zelda and Sheik, and everyone else he used to know so well and be so close too? So much change has happened since Link was away.  Zelda barely spoke to him anymore. And the only time she did talk to him directly was for jobs as a messenger to Lon Lon Ranch or a peace treaty parchment to be delivered to the Gerudo.      "Damn it." Link growled, for no other apparent reason than frustration. He stood up and walked across the room, opening his door and slamming it shut again. He was going to do something about all this, and Zelda was the first person Link knew he should talk to. Link took in a deep breath and began to walk swiftly down the hall.      "Hello!" Came a cheery voice. Link whipped his head around so fast at how close and loud the voice was. Link smiled in relief to see Mayoree walking only three feet behind him, Link supposed he didn't here her because he was to focused on something else.      "You're wanted down at the stable, I think it was your cousin." Mayoree said in a soft voice, coming and sliding into step next to Link.      Link looked down on her, It was quiet for a long time right then, Link just thinking about the past years, and Mayoree cuddling up to him.      "I shouldn't have brought you here." Link sighed.      "Link, I choose to come with you." Mayoree countered, seeming somewhat confused.      "Yes, but I've already brought Sheik back here, and I'm not sure what he really thinks of Hyrule. He belongs in the desert with his tribe, this isn't the kind of place for him."      "You always talk about Sheik" Mayoree sighed, she lowered her eyes. Link's face went a little red and screwed up at that comment, not sure what to say back.      "I'm just worried about both of you, I feel responsible for your being brought here. Is that something to be sour over." Link said it a little harsher then he wanted to, Mayoree scowled at him fiercely, that pale beauty, fading into a fiery eyed threat.      "Lay off it Link, you're the one being stupid!" she said, raising her voice.      Link puffed out his breath and slowed down, frowning. She was right, they had both chosen to come back with him, and they where both here now.  Link knew that Mayoree was never going back. And in a way that hurt him, but it also brought him relief at the same time. Sheik could go back anytime, it was just that he didn't chose to go back yet, Link wasn't sure why still, but even after five years, that man was still a jumbled mystery to Link.      "I'd better go to the stable then." Link growled, feeling defeated. Mayoree pulled on his arm and he stumbled backwards after trying to walk to the door.      "I don't want to go back anyway Link, you're the reason why I came here in the first place." Mayoree whispered in his ear. Watching him close around the corner without a word, Mayoree realized that this Link was changing quickly, but even Mayoree with her quick wit and gift to read people, she wasn't sure why, and she knew she probably never would know         *                  *                  *                  *                  *           Sheik was sitting cross legged on the heap of straw, shuffling pebbles in his hands and throwing them at the wall. He had been waiting for over an hour, and Link still wasn't here. Though the tractable man wasn't surprised. Link was almost always late, it just was his goofy attitude about it that bugged the Sheikah.      Sheik turned his head around as he heard Lev give a slight rustle, dancing around excitedly and grunting, Link was close by.      Sheik stood up.  Wincing and gritting his teeth at the pain in his cracked bones, he walked slowly over to the horse. Sheik had a natural gift for communicating with animals.  They came to him and accepted his presents without complaint. Sheik softly stroked Lev's tangled, long and shaggy mane, matted and beautiful. "You are a true lion of the desert." Sheik smiled, whispering it in Lev's ear and scratching him hard on his neck. Lev tossed his head playfully, nudging and grunting at Sheik.      "I swear that horse is just like a small yippy dog, except he isn't small or yippy!" Link laughed as he came into the stable to see Lev enjoying his little scratch down as Sheik fluffed up his tangled mane, making it look like a big puffy mess atop his black, silken furred head.      "You are late!" Sheik said, raising his voice and clenching his hands at his back, scowling at Link as if he wasn't just chuckling over the horse.      Link shrugged and bowed to him. "Forgive me, I was busy with sleeping!" Link finished, smiling. Sheik raised his eye brow even higher.      "Sleeping?  Why would you want sleep when you can get bread?!" Sheik said in a strange voice, smiling. Link hadn't seen him do that in a long time, and he knew the cocky attitude and devilish smile and weird phrases meant only one thing.      "On guard, Sheikah!!" Link yelled playfully, crouching and wiggling his fingers in a warm up. SheikÕs visible smile wid      "Bread is good for fighting!" Sheik said, his strange joke and voice making Link grunt in laugher. He crouched also, setting his hands into fists and flexing his fingers.      "You are a weak little Deku stick!" Sheik growled.      "You're a fat Moblin! Link said back.      "You're as predictable as a Poe!"      "Keese!"      "Leever!"      "Like Like!" They both yelled playfully at each other.      Sheik came barreling into Link's stomach, sending him into the wall gasping for breath, but he only smiled and kneed the Sheikah in the chest. Link had fought like this with Sheik for a long time, and every time Link lost, but he didn't care, it had been four years without even talking to Sheik. Or even playing with him for no reason at all, it was all for well deserved fun.      "Your brain in the size of a Deku seed!" Sheik said, twirling to the right as Link jumped at him, sending the hero of time face down into the dirt and straw. Link got up in seconds, throwing a sweeping leg out to catch Sheik's feet and send him off balance, falling backwards the banging his head on the ground.      "You fight like a Redead with both it's arms cut off!" Link shot back, jumping into the air and catching a barn rail and swinging on top of it. Then hurling himself down, and landing squarely onÉ.nothing. Link caught himself enough as Sheik rolled his agile, slender body to the side and stood up without a care, smiling and snickering as Link frowned in frustration.      Link felt a shoe set on his neck and he lay still for a second, until he heard the two words that made him laugh.      "I WIN!" Sheik said airily, and they both laughed hard from their bellies. Sheik helped Link to his feet and patted him a couple of times on the back. "It is good to have you back Link, fours years has been a long time." Sheik sighed.      "I take it you boys don't want to help with the party preparations?" came a cool, almost motherly voice. Link and Sheik twirled about, both smiling and blushing as Zelda, her arms folded, stood with cool narrowed eyes in the doorway.      "Hello my queen, I am sorry for the trouble, I merely wanted to talk to Link for a while."      Zelda gave Sheik a look that a cow gives to an oncoming train, and Sheik straightened out his loose attitude, clearing his throat.      "Um, Zelda, how long have you been standing there?" Link asked, sounding nervous.      "Oh, long enough to witness to wonders of male bonding at work!" Zelda said, almost sounding like she was going to bite off both of their heads.      "My glorious queen of Hyrule, I feel it is my fault, do not punish Link!" Sheik said, going into a dramatic sweepingly goofy bow. Link stared at him, and his eyes went so wide, he thought they where going to fall from their sockets.      Link opened his mouth to argue. But he felt an elbow jab into his ribs, stealing his breath.      Zelda, still sitting like a hungry piranha in the doorway, narrowed her eyes, looking at Link as if, as usual, it was all his fault. Link shrugged, his eyes still very wide and confused. Sheik hadnÕt defended him like this before, ever. He was for justice, sort of, and he knew Zelda's yelling punishment well enough that Link wasn't sure why he was putting himself on the stand for it.      Sheik still held his sweeping bow, and then slowly rose up, Link saw him wince at the painful sting in his ribs. He had taken a couple of healing teas and potions this morning and was getting better. But it would be at least a month until he was fully healed.      "All right, now come on, both of you, the meeting this afternoon cannot wait, and Link," she said, particularly loud, "I don't want your little crusade about staying on watch with the lookouts to go on any longer.  You have disobeyed a direct order, and I will not tolerate it any longer," Zelda snapped at him, then turned briskly on her heels and stalked away. Sheik looked over at him, smiling and then began walking forward, following her.      Link knew exactly what he was thinking at that moment with the superior glint in his ruby colored eyes. Link blushed and clenched his fists running after them, feeling incredibly stupid and embarrassed.      As he walked next to Sheik, the man, acting so much like a boy at that moment chuckled and said. "It is good to have you back Link."                             *                  *                  *                  *                  *           Indeed the afternoon was sunnier in spirit then the other day.  People talked still about the attack in Hyrule market, and the sudden appearance of black demon creatures said to run the streets at night. But all of the old castle seemed to take a deep breath and let the celebration of the Autumn feast begin. It was nearing Din's festival, the festival of one of Hyrules praised goddesses that was held each year in thanks for her giving of life on the land.      Link sat eagerly in the huge kitchen in the lower levels of the castle, tasting the treats and sampling some of the bread and things like that. But still on his mind was the memory of the night before with Sheik horrible accident. But now his spirits where higher with the promise of a good harvest and, well, sort of good weather.      Link's instincts still told him to be on the alert, but he was to overwhelmed with the smell of tasty exotic food. Link peeped about the kitchen, being swatted away and cursed at for sticking his fingers in things that weren't even cooked or prepared.      "AYE, get ye away for the soup Link, it not be ready for cook'n yet!" yelled one of the rather round wenches, pushing him back and finally through the door, then locking it to keep the curious man out.      Link then went into the ballroom, which was also being prepared and looked around for Mayoree -- she should be here somewhere. But he didn't see her anywhere at all.  Shrugging and walking inside, he gazed at the lovely orange and brilliant red colored banners and tapestries lining the walls with the colors of Fall.                                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *      The milky white eyes swirled back and forth slowly over the scene, it's wicked claws and sharp little white teeth showing with the large maw that stretched to the back of the creatures skull. "Hef tova d'on." The Tanar'ri repeated, which translated from the language of the hell monsters roughly to, "find the child of the covenant."      The small demon was hanging from the gutter of the old castle's ballroom, looking inside undetected. It had the head and body of a bipedal dog, it's head had two long, ram horns where it's ears where supposed to be, and huge, reptilian, gripping and flesh tearing claws that could dig deeply into any animal -- even the hard scales of a great red dragon could be punctured and draw blood.      "Hef tova d'on." It repeated in whispers, it's high pitched, laugh like unnatural grin spreading to the corners of it's two, bulbous heat seeking eyes. It could wait, the creature decided, it was in no hurry. It had lived for millennia, and could live on for centuries to come.            "Oh, Link, I'm so glade you are here.  I thought you had duties at Lon Lon!"  Link's shoulders tensed visibly as he twitched at the voice. It was princess Rutos, not that Link had anything against the Zora princess, but he just thought about him being forced into an engagement to her when he was ten, but it was gratefully broken off since her becoming a sage intervened, Link thought then that her living in a different dimension was a good thing indeed.      "Hello princess, how are you?  I haven't seen you for over four years" Link smiled. Her wet, fishy smelling hand went out in front of her. Link took it and kissed it politely. Then grimaced at the oily coating of her scales.      "The sages have all finally come down for the meeting and feast tonight. I believe I saw Darunia a while ago in the hallway." She said in her snobby voice, retracting her hand the putting it on her hip.      "Isn't somebody going to be watching the triforce? I didn't bust my butt and almost get myself killed by an angry demon lord for nothing!" Link remarked, half sarcastically, half serious. Ruto giggled.      "Yes, yes darling, the triforce will be fine for one night, I've come down here to have fun and drink ale and wine, not sit in a boring chamber the watch three triangles spin around for the last six months." Then she shambled away, into the fast growing crowd.      Link was about to start looking for Mayoree when he was suddenly grabbed around his waist and heaved into the air by two, huge muscle bound arms.      "HEY HEY, me lad is back! Where've you been boy, good old Darunia has missed ye!" Came a husky, very loud voice. Link tried to say something, anything. But his stomach was being squeezed so tightly and he was being twirled around in the air so fast, he could barely get anything up his throat except gasps for breath. "Come now you scrawny Hylian, say something so ye'r good old pal Darunia can hear ye!!" Darunia cheered. Link could see people staring at the pair as Link was starting to feel sick from being spun around so fast.      "I think the boy would like to be put down," came a painfully familiar voice. Darunia stopped and stared at the young women. Link wheezed as Mayoree smiled at Darunia.      "Eh, who ye be girl?" Darunia asked, sounding a little deflated.      "I'm Mayoree, the women who followed Link back from the past, and I believe he would like to breathe in order to say something."      Darunia's little beady eyes, and dark, tan skinned Goron face widened in a great smile. He turned to Link and winked.  "That one be a cute girl!" he said, louder then Link wanted him to. Mayoree blushed at the comment.  "She just needs to darker her skin and turn her hair white and fatten up a bnit and she'd be a beautiful lady!" Link narrowed his eyes, he knew Darunia was referring to Goron females, and frankly for Link, he could never tell the difference between the male and female.      Darunia lightly put Link down and grunted, his huge shoulders and big belly laughing in joy. "I think you're even smaller then the last time I saw ye, boy" The Goron then brought his great broad hand around and slapped Link's back, heaving him forward, and almost knocking him over.      Mayoree giggled and began to walk away. Link recovered, and wanted to wonder after her, but for some reason, he was afraid to. Why was she walking away so quickly, didn't she want to talk to him? Link was then starting to remember that morning, and figured she needed to be away from him for a while.                                  *                  *                  *                  *               *      The evening became night, and the banquet was finally ready after almost a month of preparation. As more guests arrived, the ball room was filled with the sounds of laughter as many hundreds of people sat down at the readily prepared tables, sipping wine and ale and talking.      Link merely stirred his, leaning on his elbow and scratching his chin, he had never really liked wine that much, but if there were friends to drink it with, it became all the more sweetening to the tongue. Sheik slipped in beside Link at the table.      "I believe the feast will begin soon, it was good of Zelda to invite peasants in to eat as well.Ó Sheik smiled, looking around him.      Link nodded in agreement.  He could spot mostly Hylian, but a few Zoras and Gorons too, and a few Gerudo women as well wandering around. It was the time of celebration where spirits where high, and everyone wore fancy cloths with the colors of Autumn somewhere on the dresses or suits.      Link looked to the great wooden doors that led out of the enclosed room.  They opened slowly and the room went silent. In came the sounds of trumpets, followed by a barrage of Hyrule castle's ladies and knights, all dressed in fancy lace and cloth.      Link was glad he wasnÕt with them -- it would be terribly uncomfortable in the puffed up suits that most of the knights wore.      Cheers suddenly rose from the hundreds of people as Zelda walked into the room, her head held high. The crowd hurrahed her and the queen of the country made her way to the throne atop the company of stairs on the other side of the room.      She was dressed in the most magnificent clothes, with a long white cloak and dress flowing out behind her.  It was made of silk and lace, and heavily topped around her shoulders with white lace that hugged her slender neck. And her hair was waved and curled, with its brilliant blond tint coming through and seeming to shine in the well lit room. And there atop her head was the crown of Hyrule's leader, a great golden crest of wonderful jewels and silver lining. She looked wonderful, perfect even! Link thought, and he was glad today she could look so imposing in front of the people that she cared for so much.      Zelda eased into her uncomfortable seat and rested her head on the back of it, sitting up straight and looking over the crowd of people looking up and cheering along the eight long tables in the fabulous silver the golden colored hall.      Zelda could see Link, and Sheik looking at her from the far right corner of the seated crowd.  They were easy to spot from the forest green tunic of Links and dark blue under suit and white emblem of the Sheikah eye of true on Sheiks some what tattered over shirt. She quietly cleared her throat, ready to speak.      "My people of Hyrule," Zelda started in her strong clear voice, looking slowly over the many on turned eyes as she spoke. "I am honored so many of you could attend the great celebration on this cloudy and cold autumn day.I am sure you are all joyful that the celebration could be held.Ó      Link shifted uncomfortably in his chair, he wasnÕt sure why. But he felt like something was watching him.      "And now with great honor, I announce your one true Hero!" Link suddenly whipped his head back, his eyes wide. "Link!" Zelda shouted, cheers erupted from all sides of the room as Link stood up, nervous from being the center of attention. The cheers slowly died down again as Link bowed dramatically and sat down, letting go of the breath he was holding.      Sheik wasn't even smiling as Link sat down again, he had an odd look in his eye, apparently sensing something that was off set in the room. Ò Do you, feel that?" Sheik whispered, his eyes unsure. Link nodded and Sheik leaned away, looking up to Zelda again, concerned that he should be up there by her throne protecting her.      "And now, with out farther dismay, let the festivities, begin!" Zelda rose up in her chair and once more a great cheer rose into the air, followed by the sound of soothing flute and violin music as the talking and mumbling people conversed once again, paying no heed to their queen.      Link noticed the sages all grouped at one of the smaller edges of the far table and stood up to join them, Sheik with him.      "Do you think I should be up there with her?  Remember the last banquet that ended with her almost being executed?" Sheik frowned as Link looked at him, his eyes having that same worried fire as the other festival about a year ago in honor of Link's return.      Link shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling too. "I want to eat and drink tonight Sheik, not protect Zelda on a matter of duty, besides, she has over fifteen guards up there with her at the throne, many with crossbows and other weapons.  There's nothing to be worried about."      Sheik took in a look breath and smiled.  "I will take your word my cousin, let us drink and eat instead."      "Hello, Link." Came a close feminine voice. Link almost screamed  -- it was right next to his ear.      Sheik leaned forward to see what Link was twitching about, There stood Mayoree, dressed in a long sapphire-blue dress and her hair was pampered and curled, much Like Zelda's. Link grabbed his heart and smiled as she took his arm.      "Please, don't do that, I already get a good dose of it from Sheik!" Link panted, shaking his head out.      Sheik grunted, he didn't particularly like Mayoree, but he respected Link's decision to bring her back to Hyrule with him. But she seemed to become unattached around Link lately, although Sheik wasn't sure what Link felt for her, he was presuming that they had become less attached, but the Sheikah was sure that the two had stuck together because of love.      "Hello, Sheik." Mayoree's smile diminished a little as she said that, Sheik bowed low in respect to her.      "Lovely to see you my lady." He said politely, Mayoree smiled at the comment and the three continued on to the table, ready for the feast to begin. CONTINUED