[EDITING] The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Overworld Chapter 10 - Rouge Red Spirit

...that they figured was the owner's house. The door already hung ajar, several ranchhands coming in and out for work, so Link pushed the door just enough open to be able to stick his head through, and wrapped on the door. A warm, welcoming smell filled his nose. There was a lot of hooting and hollering from further back in the house. Link heard a woman's voice as Endeavor came into the house call up over the din, "Now, y'all settle down. There's someone that the door."

With a cloth in her hands, a woman walked into the main room, her red hair bouncing as she walked up. Link glanced back, a bit of red coming to his face as he said, "Sorry if we're bothering you...the door was open."

"Nah, you boys are fine," the woman replied. Endeavor's eyes narrowed at the comment. The woman jumped back at step at the look, before chuckling. "Oh, pardon me dear. Oh, that's mighty embarrassing that. But with your hair so short, you had me mighty confused.

"But that's no excuse, folks come in all kinds," the woman said. "Why, my own daughter cut her hair so short and ran off to join the army. Why...that Rana, bless her. Got her first letter from the Academy yesterday. Said she wouldn't have gotten in if it hadn't been for a grasshopper dressed lad she met on the road."

She stopped, noticing Link's clothing. "Why...I'll be, I don't think there'd be but one feller dressed like such, so you must me him, mustn't you?" Link nodded. "Well then, why are you still standing here? You ought to be back here in the dining hall. I'll treat you proper for helping my daughter." With that, she gripped Link by the wrist, and pulled him along into the back of the house.

As they came into the dining hall, one of the other men looked up. "Mattaline, who could be at the door at this hour?"

Mattaline replied, "Why, the nice young fellow who got Rana into the Academy. I invited him and his friend in for dinner, Horace, and he's going to stay for dinner."

"There's no dinner for him, Mattaline," Horace answered. "Or for any of us, for that matter."

"Set yourself down, and I'll get it," Mattaline said. "Colette, come help me with it, doll." A red-brown haired girl got up and followed Mattaline off into another room. Link guessed by the hair that Mattaline and Horace were married, and that Colette was their daughter. It was a fairly reasonable guess.

"Quit standing there, boy." Horace's voice snapped Link back to reality. "Set down, son, the both of you. You're making me uncomfortable." Link pulled his sword and shield off his shoulder, and sat down on the long wooden benches that spanned along the table, Endeavor sitting next to him.

Horace asked, "What's your name, son?"

"Link, sir," he answered.

"I'm not a knight," Horace replied. "You don't need to call me sir."

Link rubbed the back of his neck as Mattaline and Colette came in with food. "Well, neither am I, actually."

Endeavor gave Link a sideways look as Horace looked him the eyes. A few ranchhands looked down the table at Link as Horace asked, "Then what are you?"

Rubbing his hands together, Link answered, "Techincally speaking, I'm nameless. I haven't rights to much of anything...your daughter confused me for a knight because my outfit, I suppose, but she never out right asked me if I was, so I never brought it up."

Horace asked, "Then what are you doing here? And not back where you came from?"

Link opened his mouth to answer, but Endeavor jumped in. "I hired him. He is my escort. Whether or not your country is willing to accept him for the skill he has, I will. What is a name but a word one goes by? It has not importance to his character, and therefore he has every right to be here.