Destiny of the Kingdom

Chapter 9: Starting to Heal the Mind

The sun had faded over the western mountain tops as the orange and purple hue of the evening sky dimmed into twilight. Inside a small house in Hateno Village, the rays of light that once showed through the textured glass windows at the front of the house vanished and the rooms of the house grew dark. Two Hylians entered the residence and looked around the large open room on the main floor of the house. One of them scanned the room with tight, squinted eyes, trying to make out the various objects in the distance at the back and sides of the house. As if by instinct, his eyes locked onto an object in the center of the room sitting on what appeared to be a table. Situated in the center of the table, the object was tall, round, and covered from top to bottom in white. At its top, was a small, black sliver of what appeared to be a wick; the object was a large candle used to illuminate the room.

The Hylian walked forward toward the table and pulled two objects from a pouch around his waist. He set a small piece of flint and a small knife on the table. He grabbed the flint and held it next to the candle; then proceeded to grab the knife and struck it against the flint. A yellow spark snapped to life, hitting the edge of the unlit wick, causing the wick to ignite into a small orange flame. Faint light began to brighten the dark room. Eventually, the flame grew in size, fully illuminating and covering every inch of the room in serene orange light.

"There, now we can actually see without tripping over any obstacles," the Hylian said with a slight chuckle. He then looked over at the other Hylian still standing in front of the closed door.

Her eyes had never stopped gazing at him as he lit the candle and was now staring directly at her. She marveled at how naturally he does things. With little instruction, he can quickly learn and become an expert at anything. The flatness of her soft, expressionless lips morphed into a round, warm smile as she looked onto him across the room.

With a laugh, she spoke, "Ha ha. Link, sometimes I wonder, given all your skills, if you can actually see in the dark."

"Unfortunately, Zelda, I cannot. I do not have night vision, but I have tuned my senses to be aware of objects in close proximity without actually being able to see them," Link said as has put the knife and what remained of the flint back into his pouch.

Before Zelda could comment, the state of the room caught her attention; it was immaculate. "Link, this place looks amazing! I cannot say I recall it ever being this clean and tidy," Zelda said with wide eyes.

"Well, I wanted you to come home to a clean house. Had you beaten me home, you might not be smiling. It was covered in dust, and cobwebs were all over the place. We have been gone quite longer than I thought," said Link.

"I see," Zelda said, slightly less marveled than she was just a moment ago. Not saying another word, she took in the moment, breathing a sigh of relief. Their adventure was over and they were home at last; it was time to relax and hopefully enjoy themselves. She gazed all around the room on the main floor.

The house itself was very old, well over 100 years old. It was built around the time Link's father was born some 150 years ago when Hateno was settled as an outlining village for more common folk looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the towns and villages in central Hyrule. During that time, Hylians sought more fertile lands to farm and bigger pastures to herd cows and sheep.

The village was settled at a higher elevation than most others in Hyrule. Located at the foothills of the Lanaryu Mountain range, the area surrounding the village features several lakes and ponds, such as Zelkoa Pond, located on the northwestern side of the village, and includes a good sized stream that runs through and along the western portion of the village. Then there is Lake Sumac, which resides on the northeastern side of the village, and provides a source of water for the village and the nearby cattle and sheep ranch.