Chapter Text
Ian Lightfoot gazed out the car window, watching the asphalt and buildings rushing by. Next to him, his mother excitedly chatted about Barley’s college campus and everything Ian could see while he was visiting. “I’ve heard they have a great library. And a nice study hall. And I hear the food isn’t too bad, either, although that’s coming from your brother, who’ll really eat anything you put in front of him…”
Ian was only half-listening. He kept his eyes on the skyline, trying not to think about their destination. He knew part of the reason Colt and Laurel were having him visit Barley on campus was so he could see if he liked the school enough to go there. He would be graduating high school next year, and he needed to think about applying to colleges. He’d already received offer letters from several schools, including Barley’s, based on his impressive grades.
Colt and Laurel always beamed with pride when these letters came, but they just made Ian feel a little sick to his stomach. All this talk of college did. He didn’t want things to change, not yet. He’d be leaving Laurel an empty-nester. He told himself it was a well-deserved break for her after years of being a single mother, but he imagined it would also be a lonely and worrisome time for her, even with Colt by her side. And his friend group—the only one he’d ever had—would be breaking up.
Sadalia was planning to go to college in New Mushroomton. Althea was staying in the town just to work for a year or two. Parthenope’s parents were taking her on a six-month road trip around the country. Gurge was going to stay with his mother several cities away and attend college near her. Ian was happy for them, that they were figuring out their next steps, but he also felt slightly weird about it, since it seemed like he was the only one who hadn’t planned anything out. He always stayed quiet during these discussions of college and the future, just shrugging noncommittally when they asked where he was going.
Part of him wanted to leave New Mushroomton. As Barley was always saying, it was a big world out there, ripe for exploring. But another part wanted to stay with his mother, childish as it was. He’d heard horror stories about college campuses, and he wanted nothing to do with any of that. He knew Laurel would support whatever he decided to do, so it was all up to him.
Maybe he should follow Barley’s lead and take a gap year. He clearly wasn’t ready to even think about these big, life-changing decisions. But then if he did attend Barley’s school, Barley would be one year closer to graduation, and that would be one less year they would get to spend together.
Laurel gently nudged him. “We’re here!” Ian hadn’t even realized they’d stopped.
His eyes widened as he looked out at the school. The campus was huge, spanning several miles. There were large marble buildings and marble statues everywhere. Hundreds of students lounged around in groups of four or five, casually chatting or studying together. He began to sweat at the sight of so many people.
Barley ran to the car, grinning from ear to ear. He hugged Ian as he stepped out of the car. “Ian! I’m glad you’re here!”
“I’ll come pick you up in a few hours,” Laurel said. “Have fun, boys.” She drove away.
Barley spread his arms wide. “Welcome to Woodvale University! What do you think?”
Ian nervously fiddled with his watch strap. “It’s…big.”
“Hell, yeah, it is! Here, let me show you around!” Barley started walking, pointing to various buildings. “That’s our stadium—go Chimeras! That’s the history department, that’s my favorite. And that’s the library. It’s huge! Oh, I think you’ll love it here!”
Ian quietly followed Barley, lost in his own thoughts. He knew his brother was hoping he’d choose Woodvale, although he’d never pressure him one way or the other. Ian wasn't sure if that’s what he wanted or not. On the one hand, it would be nice to be near Barley again. It was deeply comforting to imagine being able to just walk over to his room and knock when he needed something, just like old times. On the other hand, he’d spent his entire life in Barley’s shadow. In middle school and high school, his teachers all knew him as the younger Lightfoot brother, and had him on their watchlists because of Barley’s antics, until Ian proved himself to be nothing like his brother. It might be nice to get away from anyone who had ever known him and Barley, and have a fresh start.
Barley led him into the library. Ian’s mouth fell open. The roof seemed to be miles above them. The light streaming through the skylights gleamed off the polished wooden bookshelves. Thousands of books filled the shelves. It was beautiful, Ian had to admit. But like everything else on campus, it was too big. He felt like he would get lost here, swallowed up by the giant space.
Barley showed him the cafeteria next. Like the library, it was very spacious. Their plastic trays clacked against the metal tables, and the sound echoed through the room. They sat down, their chairs scraping on the floor.
The food was pretty good, which cheered Ian up a little. He looked around the room. He could maybe see himself here. But he still wasn’t sure. Shouldn’t he be sure by now? Why was making a decision so difficult?
Then Barley showed Ian the dorms. Students crowded the hallways, shoving and jostling the brothers as they pushed through. Ian felt like he couldn’t breathe. Could he bear to live in a place like this?
Loud music blared from several of the dorms. Ian grimaced. At least he had some experience with loud housemates, he thought, looking at Barley. Even when trying to be respectful of sleeping members of the household, Barley’s default volume was just plain loud.
Ian followed Barley into his room. Barley’s roommate, a centaur, barely looked up from his phone when they walked in.
Barley plopped down cross-legged on his bed, inviting Ian to join him. “So, what do you think so far?”
Ian just stared down at his shoes. He didn’t want to make any promises by seeming too enthusiastic, but he also didn’t want to disappoint Barley by seeming unenthusiastic.
Finally, he decided to just be honest. “I don’t know yet. It’s a really nice place, but…”
“But?” Barley prompted as Ian trailed off.
“It’s too big. I don’t think I’d fit in here.” Although if he was being honest, he wasn’t sure he’d fit in anywhere.
“I mean, yeah, it’ll be weird at first. It’s new. But I think you’d really like it here,” Barley said. “But also, don’t feel like you have to go here for me if you don’t want to. It’s your choice, Ian. And I’ll support whatever you choose.”
Ian nodded. He already knew that, but it was nice to hear Barley say it. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” Barley said. His tone was neutral, but Ian thought he detected disappointment. Or maybe he was just imagining it because he was so afraid of disappointing his brother.
Barley’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Our dorm has this cool game room I haven’t shown you yet. It’s where we play Quests of Yore and stuff.”
He led Ian out into the hallway and down a flight of stairs into a dimly-lit room.
“Behold!” Barley flicked on the light switch, revealing a large table covered with Quests of Yore pieces. There were several boards and dozens of figurines, a much bigger setup than Ian had ever seen. He had to admit it was neat, even if Quests of Yore wasn’t his thing.
Barley started telling Ian all the details of the campaign. Ian tried to pay attention, but he was distracted by two figurines that stood out from the rest. Two elves in armor, carrying a familiar sword and shield. The Master Sword and the Hylian Shield.
“Did you make these?” Ian asked, hoping it was a nod to their previous adventures.
“No,” Barley said. “And they weren’t here yesterday when we were playing Quests of Yore.”
Ian’s heart sank. That could only mean one thing: Princess Zelda of Hyrule was calling them back for another quest. He could tell Barley was thinking the same thing.
Ian’s mind flashed back to their other two adventures in her world. There was only a few months in between each one. When would it end? Would they just keep doing this forever, until they died?
Maybe they could just refuse the call. They could walk away right now and pretend they never saw the figurines. The quest wouldn’t start until they picked them up.
Except he knew Barley too well to think he’d ever turn down a quest. Especially knowing everyone in Hyrule was depending on them.
Ian sighed. They might as well get this over with. “Let’s do this, I guess.” At least it would give him more time to think about his decision.
Then he remembered he didn’t have his staff. “Wait, I—”
It was too late. Barley had already picked up the figurines. Magic energy was swirling around them. Ian began to feel lightheaded. He sat down on the floor and let himself pass out, knowing when he woke up, he’d be back in Hyrule.
The next thing he knew, he was waking up in an ornate bedroom. The same one he’d woken up in on their first quest. Barley was waking up in the bed next to his. They were back in Hyrule Castle.
Ian knew they should find Zelda and talk to her to get their quest. But he didn’t even want to think about what danger they would be in this time. Undoubtedly, it would involve the evil wizard king Ganondorf. He must have broken free from the Sages’ confinement again. You’d think by now they’d find a better solution than just locking him away.
Barley stood up. “Let’s go find Zelda.”
“Barley, I don’t have my staff,” Ian said. How were they going to do this without it?
“But we’ve got this,” Barley said, taking something out of his pocket and waving it at Ian. It took Ian a second to realize what it was: the ocarina Zelda had given them on their first quest. It allowed them to cast some spells, provided they knew the right song to play.
“You had that on you?” Ian asked. “Why?”
Barley shrugged. “I was just playing it earlier. Just because.” He looked down at the ground. Ian got the sense there was something Barley wasn’t telling him, but before he could ask, someone walked into the room.
It was Impa, Zelda’s advisor. She looked as tight-lipped and no-nonsense as Ian remembered.
“Heroes,” she said. “Thank goodness you’ve arrived. We must hurry. Hyrule is facing its greatest threat yet.”