Link didn't want to become the hero. In fact, he was scared and just wanted to go home with his new fairy partner, Navi. But things don't always work out that way for the heroes of Hyrule...
Danger lurks in his very shadow and heartbreak appears to...
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Link and Beetle worked at night, while everyone was asleep. They'd built things often with each other and were a skilled team, especially with Malon in on the secret and Navi there to support them and squeeze into small, hard-to-reach places to tighten bolts or attach screws. The project was tested on a broken table leg and adjusted to fit comfortably on a person. They added straps of leather so the leg could be tightened or loosened depending on the wearer's desire, and Beetle added a spring to the ankle area so it wouldn't be sheer pressure on the knee and thigh. Finally, it was finished after a whole week of building, adjusting, and falling asleep on the drawing board. The two boys wrapped it in cloth and snuck it out of the house at dawn on the morning of completion. Beetle had been able to mostly repair Link's chair, minus the crossbar and a couple of bolts. Link pressed his ear to the door and hear a quiet snuffling noise inside.
"He's a-a-awake," he whispered.
"I'll take it to him," Beetle offered firmly. "I don't want him to yell at you again."
"No, no. I w-w-w-want to g-g-give it to him." Link took the cloth in his hands and nodded resolvedly. Beetle consented and Link knocked softly on the door.
"What do you want?" Rusl's voice whipped from behind the door.
"I w-w-want to talk to y-y-y-you," Link called back. "I've g-g-g-got something for you."
"If it's another bowl of that atrocious soup, then no thank you! I think my eyeballs are going to float right out of my head if I have any more soup!"
Link flinched, but replied as steadily as he could. "No, it's n-n-n-not soup."
"You're the stutter boy, aren't you?" Rusl grumbled. Link opened the door slowly, expecting something else to be thrown at the door. He poked his head in and received a bowl to his face.
"OOF!" Link grunted, pulling back.
"What happened?" Navi whispered.
"He threw a b-b-b-bowl at my face," Link answered, rubbing his sore nose. Navi flickered red in anger, but had a little bit of an amused yellow mixed in. Link read her emotions perfectly.
"It's not funny!" he hissed. Navi snickered. Link cautiously peeked back in.
"Fighting w-w-w-won't solve a-a-anything," he called softly.
"Being nice won't get me my leg back!" Rusl retorted.
"Neither will hating everything! It'll just lose y-y-y-you friends!" Link replied readily. There was no reply and Link heard quiet sobbing from behind the door. He wheeled in and looked at the bundle that was Rusl. His face was buried in a pillow and his shoulders were shaking.
"I don't have any friends anyway. None of them came to see me. I know Uli's here, but she won't come. I thought at least little Ceicel would come. But no."
