Legend of Zelda: The Lost Queen

Kakariko Village

Although the Hylian was trying to hide it, Tarlien could see the joy seeping from him as the pair rode into Kakariko village. The Hylian's ears twitched every so often, causing 'Lien to snicker. Link turned to her with a confused look to which she pointed to her own ears and saw the males face redden as he realised what she was meaning. This only caused the Zycopian to laugh harder as the pair came upon a Goron standing guard. Link passed him with Tarlien following. The Goron nodded simply, although it did seem to raise an eyebrow at 'Lien.

The woman watched as a Link stopped Epona besides a sandy coloured building. When the Hylian turned to her and nodded, Tarlien dismounted Arowe, patting the mare gently as she looped the reins around a short wooden pole that stuck out from the ground. 

"Link! You have returned," someone greeted the green clad Hylian with a laugh, "and you've brought friend."

Tarlien turned then, smiling kindly at the dark haired man who, she assumed, had greeted Link.

"Renado, this is Tarlien. Tarlien, this is my friend Renado, he's a shaman who lives with his daughter Luda," Link introduced as 'Lien shook the mans hand.

"Lovely to meet you," the Zycopian glanced around Kakariko village," this is a lovely place although I would have expected to have seen more people around. But, I don't exactly know whats happened this past decade."

Renado glanced to Link with one eyebrow raised only for the Hylian to give him an 'I'll-explain-later' look. The shaman nodded before his daughter exited the sanctuary.

"Link!"

Tarlien watched the Hylian greet the younger female with a hug. The Zycopian smiled at the interaction before looking up at the sky, noting the fact that she could not see the sun for the valley. Kakariko village was being bathed in the soft golden light of a setting sun and Tarlien admitted to herself that it looked a lot more interesting than any of the small villages in Zyconia. Someone tugged on her shirt sleeve and 'Lien looked down to see the young girl whom she suspected was Renado's daughter.

"Hmm?" the Zycopian hummed.

"So you're one of Link's friends huh? I'm Luda, Renado's daughter."

'Called it' Tarlien smiled. She crouched, resting most of her weight on the balls of her feet and nodded to Luda.

"I guess you could say that. It's lovely to meet you, my name is Tarlien."

"Same to you. I wanted to say that your hair is very long. How'd you get it to grow like that?" the girl questioned. 

Tarlien winked, "I slept for ten years. You've just reminded me I need to cut it anyway. Long hair gets in the way a lot. I like your hair though."

Luda smiled, "thank you. I could cut it for you if you want. I just have to finish cooking-oh wait! Are you and Link going to stay for supper? It's been so long since Link's been here, I want to hear the stories hes got to tell."

"I suppose they could stay if they wanted to," Renado smiled, returning from where he'd been talking to Link quietly," Barnes will be joining us later too. Link's gone off to get him."

Tarlien looked back out across the village and sure enough, she saw Link heading into one of the other buildings. 

She felt a hand be placed on her shoulder before Renado spoke, "Link explained to me the basics of your quest. Please, stay here for supper before you continue on your way, you'll need all your strength if you're going through that mountain pass and Luda's soup does wonders for the soul."

Tarlien nodded at the man, allowing him to lead her inside. She smiled, watching Luda stirring a pleasant smelling liquid in a pot whilst Renado gestured for the woman to sit down.

"Thank you Renado for welcoming us into your home," 'Lien took a seat, moments before Link returned.

Renado waved off her thank you with a smile, "you are quite welcome, all who require aid and a safe place to stay are welcome here. This is The Sanctuary after all."

The Hylian paused as his gaze swept the room. Tarlien could see the surprise  in his eyes so she figured the room must have changed since he had last been here. Link noticed her, sitting calmly at a chair. She smiled when he finally caught her eye, before she turned to answer Luda. Link watched her stand and walk over to the youth. Renado had taken over cooking from his daughter. Tarlien nodded to whatever Luda had said before the latter took her by the hand and led her to a different room in the sanctuary. Link raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

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The sun had almost fully gone down when Luda re-emerged, leading Tarlien by the hand. The Zycopian chuckled at Link's comical double take when he realised that her hair, which had once curled down to her lower back, was now cut just above shoulder length, courtesy of Luda. The sides had been plaited back from her face but a few stray wisps had managed to wriggle free of the braid and were now tucked behind her ears. Tarlien liked her hair short: it was less likely to get caught in anything and took little time to tame. It certainly made fighting easier.

Renado introduced Tarlien to Barnes before serving the soup Luda had been concocting. It warmed 'Lien up as well as tasted delicious. The Zycopian could tell that Link and Barnes agreed as they both had several more bowls each.

Although both Tarlien and Link were itching to get moving again, not wanting to waste any time, Renado insisted that it was too dangerous to continue at night, telling them that they could always 'continue at dawn'. The Zycopian had agreed to stay rather easily when Luda asked about Zyconia's late ruler, asking for 'Lien to tell her some Zyconia hystory. The girl was smart and quite mature for her age, Tarlien decided she liked talking to the shaman's daughter. Link had taken a bit longer to convince but finally gave in with the promise of a warm bed and that the quest could be continued tomorrow.

Tarlien couldn't sleep. Something in her mind had clicked as she slowly realised that the usurper would be sending people out to find her. He knew that she knew that, even though she was not the heir to the throne, people would still rally behind her if she needed an army. 'Lien knew her uncle wasn't stupid and that he must have realised that she would also be looking to free her sister. Unfortunately for 'Lien, Adolmond had had a ten year head start on finding the pieces of her mother's key. And if Hyrule's forces couldn't hold off the Zycopian army then there was little hope. A slight churning in her stomach told her she was panicking. With a deep breath, the Zycopian closed her eyes, reaching out across Hyrule and then stretching her mind even further until she reached her mother's throne room. She could feel the steady beat of her sister's heart, encased in her crystal tomb, and let her breathing slow to match. It calmed her, bringing her back to the plan she had created with Zelda and Link. It was comforting to know that the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom had helped to come up with the strategy. She supposed it was also reassuring that the Hero of Hyrule and bearer of the Triforce of Courage had joined her on the quest.

Tarlien opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. She smiled slightly, taking a deep breath to ground herself before closing her eyes and allowing herself to dream.