Chapter Text
Princess Zelda stood on the roof of Hyrule Castle, staring up at the dark sky. It was growing darker by the second as Ganondorf’s influence spread through the land. It was coming closer to the castle every day.
Her plan to stop Ganondorf had failed horribly. The Hero of Hyrule, Link, had died after touching the Master Sword. Because of a quest she had sent him on. She should have known he was too young.
It had been years since his death, but her heart still ached over the loss. A bright, brave young man, his flame permanently extinguished. Because of her.
She looked down at the kingdom below her. She knew what she had to do, but she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to do it. What if she made another mistake? She couldn’t bear it if she got any more innocent people killed.
Many, many more innocent people would die at Ganondorf’s hands if she didn’t try everything to stop him, she reminded herself.
Impa walked over to her. “Your Majesty, we should leave. Before Ganondorf gets here.”
Zelda shook her head slowly. She couldn’t leave, not yet.
She looked back up at the sky. A hero from another realm. That was Hyrule’s last hope.
She clutched the green pendant around her neck. She closed her eyes and sent out a magical beacon, reaching out across time and space.
She opened her eyes as gentle winds began to swirl around her. They shone as they caught the light, reflecting strands of light blue and emerald green. They slowly grew stronger, whipping her hair and dress. Then they shot up toward the sky, ready to find the hero she desperately needed.
Zelda turned to Impa. “We need to wait for them to arrive.” She hoped Impa couldn’t detect the uncertainty in her voice.
Impa looked at her for a few moments, then relented. She nodded, almost imperceptibly, and went back inside the castle.
Zelda stayed on the roof, keeping her eyes on the gloomy skies. Hyrule’s fate was out of her hands now. It was in the hands of whoever the winds brought back to them.
She had to have faith. The spell would only choose someone with the bravery and skill to save them. Someone strong, confident, intelligent.
All would be well.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ian Lightfoot opened his eyes. He sat up and glanced at his phone. His alarm hadn’t gone off yet; it was only 7:30.
There was a loud crash from the kitchen, probably similar to the one that had woken him up.
He went downstairs. Laurel walked by, carrying a huge moving box. Colt and Barley were packing up Barley’s things in the living room. Blazey ran around excitedly, weaving around everyone’s legs and almost tripping them.
“Do you really need to take all these editions of the Quests of Yore handbook?” Colt asked.
Barley grabbed them. “Yes! What if I want to play an older version of the game?”
“I just don’t see where you’re gonna put everything,” Colt said, scratching his head as he looked around at all the boxes surrounding them. “You have too many boxes already. You know you’re sharing the dorm with a roommate, right?”
“I know,” Barley said, cramming the books into an already overfilled box. He looked up and saw Ian. “Ian! You’re up. Come on, I’ll drive you to school.”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Colt said. “You’re staying here and helping us pack. There’s still so much to do.”
“Are you gonna be okay walking, Ian?” Laurel asked as she passed by.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Ian said. He didn’t mind. It gave him time alone to be with his thoughts.
At school, he got a certificate for getting the highest grade in his math class for the third time. It wasn’t a huge achievement, but he was proud of it, and he wanted to share it with his family. He thought Laurel and Colt could use some good news during this hectic time. And Barley, of course, would be ecstatic over his success.
When he got home, it looked like no progress had been made. In fact, it was more messy and chaotic than before.
“Laurel? Where’s the packing tape?” Colt asked.
“Oh, I packed it,” Barley said.
“You did WHAT?!”
“In case I had to tape something while I was over there.”
“That’s nice, Barley, but it could have waited until we were done using it. Which box is it in?”
“I don’t remember,” Barley said.
They were clearly busy, and didn’t need to be interrupted. Ian went into the hallway to go to his room. He should get started on his homework.
Barley walked in with a box. “Hey, Ian!”
He dropped the box to give Ian a big hug. There was the distinct sound of glass breaking as the box hit the floor. Ian flinched. Barley didn’t seem bothered.
“How was school?” Barley asked.
“Well, I—”
“Barley!” Colt shouted from the other room.
“Coming!” Barley called. He released Ian and rushed back to the other room.
Ian went to his room and sat down at his desk. A few moments later, Laurel walked in.
“Phew,” she said, wiping her brow. “Packing is a beast. We’re almost done, I promise.” She sat down on his bed. “Listen. I know Barley’s been taking up all of our time lately, and I just want to say, thanks for being a trooper about this.” Jokingly, she added, “And hey, after he leaves in a few days, ALL the attention will be on you!”
Ian forced a smile. He didn’t tell her that that was what he was afraid of.
He really didn’t mind not being the center of attention. He’d always been comforted by the fact that Barley’s presence was so big and exuberant that it distracted from him. He didn’t know what he would do when he was the only one in the house to focus on.
His silence during dinner and other conversations would be amplified. Colt’s awkward jokes would all be directed at him. All the probing questions about school and life would be about him, and only him. And none of them would be from Barley.
That was the worst part of all. He’d miss talking to Barley about the things going on in his life. He’d miss his voice, his enthusiasm, his words of encouragement. Barley had always been there, a friend just down the hallway he could talk to, someone he could go to for help whenever he needed it. As much as his brother could annoy him sometimes, life without him seemed sad and strange.
He’d had months to prepare himself for Barley’s departure, but he didn’t think he’d ever be ready.
Laurel left. She returned a couple of hours later to announce that by some miracle, they had finally finished packing. “We need to celebrate!”
~~~~~~~~~~
The family gathered outside the Lightfoot house. Ian, dressed up as a Quests of Yore wizard, pointed his staff at the sky. “Boom bastia!”
Fireworks went off. The others cheered.
Laurel and Colt were dressed as a King and Queen, with flowing robes and plastic crowns. Barley was dressed as a warrior knight.
Laurel raised her glass. “Barley, this is your first time away from home. You’ve never even been to summer camp.”
Barley laughed. “Yeah. Remember when I was gonna go to that fantasy camp when I was like 9, and Ian cried when I tried to leave? You’re not gonna do that now, are you, Ian?”
Ian grimaced, embarrassed.
“You’ve always been here for this family,” Laurel continued. “And now you’re leaving!” She wiped her eyes. “I knew this day would come, but now it’s here!”
“Don’t cry, Mom,” Barley said.
“They’re happy tears,” Laurel assured him. “Oh, you’re all grown up! Your dad would be so proud!”
She grabbed Barley and kissed his face.
“Thanks, Mom,” Barley said, smiling.
Ian took out his notebook and looked over his speech. He’d written three pages, and it still wasn’t enough to really express everything he wanted to tell his brother. How Barley had always been there for him, how he had challenged him and shaped his life, how lost Ian was going to feel without him…
“You’re gonna be an only child in a few days, eh, Ian?” Colt said conversationally. “Excited?”
“I mean…I don’t know. I guess…”
“All the responsibility and chores are gonna be on you now,” Colt said. “Think you can handle it?” He chuckled.
Ian felt a stab of annoyance. He didn’t even know if he could handle it. He didn’t need Colt’s comments.
He looked over his speech again, and it suddenly felt…wrong. He closed the notebook and put it away. He couldn’t say any of this. He’d come across as so needy and childish, and those days were long behind him.
And he couldn’t let Barley know how much he’d miss him. Barley would probably feel guilty about abandoning Ian, and Ian didn’t want him to feel that way. Barley was always putting his own needs aside to protect Ian. Now it was Ian’s turn to do the same.
Ian walked over to Barley and held his hand out for him to shake. “Good luck, Barley. Take care of yourself, man. I’ll come visit you sometime.”
Barley shook his hand, looking slightly bemused by this speech.
“So, you’re leaving on Sunday?” Colt said.
“Or you could go tonight,” Ian said.
Barley looked taken aback. “I mean, orientation’s not until Monday.”
“Yeah, but you’ll want to have time to get settled in,” Ian said, trying to sound casual. “And you don’t want to hit weekend traffic, and…”
Barley shook his head. “You’re not getting rid of me THAT easily. I have two days, and we are going to spend that time together, having an adventure. So, what should we do first?” He thought for a second. “Ooh! We could have a driving lesson.”
“No, that’s okay,” Ian said.
“C’mon,” Barley said. “I mean, I already know you’ll nail your driving test, but just for old times’ sake?”
He jingled the keys at Ian.
“No, I’d really rather not,” Ian said. They could get in an accident, or get a flat tire, or something else could delay Barley’s departure. Barley had worked too hard to get here. The whole family had. He couldn’t risk messing it all up now.
He went inside. After a second, Barley followed.
Ian nervously just stood there in the kitchen, not facing Barley. He knew he was being weird, and he didn’t want Barley to ask why. But knowing Barley, he would probe. And Ian wasn’t sure what to say.
Barley looked at the back of Ian’s head. He wanted to ask what was going on, but something told him he might not like the answer.
Both elves looked around the room, desperately pretending they hadn’t noticed the awkwardness hanging in the air. Then something caught Barley’s eye. A Quests of Yore figurine on the table. Somehow, they’d missed it while packing.
He picked it up and examined it. It was a small elf, with a green tunic, a large sword, and a magnificent blue shield. He knew all his figurines by heart, and this was not one of them. Had one of his friends left it here?
The figurine began to glow.
“Whoa,” Barley said.
Ian turned. “What?” He stared at the glowing figurine. “Barley, what is THAT?”
“You didn’t cast a spell on it or anything?” Barley asked.
“No! I didn’t do anything!”
Gusts of wind swirled around the room, pulling Ian and Barley closer together. Bursts of vibrant blues and greens flashed around them.
Ian panicked. This reminded him too much of their disastrous attempt with the first phoenix gem. “Barley, put it down!” He reached for the figurine.
As soon as his hand touched it, it emitted a burst of blue magic. Panicked, he released it immediately. He took a step back, then stumbled, suddenly lightheaded.
He didn’t even realize he was falling over until he was on the floor.
“Ian!” Barley said, before crashing down next to him.
Ian’s last thought before he passed out was, What did we just do?