#casnor

The king shrugged, "Well it was worth a shot. Keep looking, dear."

"Okay, papa!" Orana replied and looked out again into the crowd.

Right next to them, Zelda held Tebanam, Covarog, and Kanisa next to her skirt. “Mama, how come we aren’t yelling Ralnor’s name?” the princess asked. “Isn’t that what we are supposed to do when we lose someone?”

“I can do that!” Orana declared. She took in a deep breath. However, her father clasped her mouth with his hand, silencing her yell.

“It is true. But we are royalty. That adds on other problems in finding.  People could panic if they found out that Ralnor is missing, running around and in searching they might not pay attention and accidentally hurt him. Or people might try to find him, but then hold him for ransom. We are trying to stay as quiet for as long as we can.”

“But I miss him, mama.” Kanisa sighed.

“Me too! We’ve got to get Ralnor back!” Covarog agreed.

“Ral!” Tebanam declared.

“I know darlings. I miss him too.”

“Is he going to be okay, Papa?” Orana asked.

“He will be,” Ganondorf stated, patting her. He then growled, “He will be.”

Zelda walked on over, patting her husband’s side. “Of course he will. We’ll make sure of it. I just can’t imagine what Ralnor is doing right now.

Indeed, with all the Wisdom she held, Zelda would have never imagined her son pulling on a piece of leather with all his might with a Gerudo girl pulling on the other end. All while, her mother narrated the events to a small crowd watching beyond the stall.

“See folks? Resists wear and tear!” Ukuri declared. There were some oohs and awes in the crowd. "You won't find high-quality leather anywhere else!" Then she smirked a bit. "Alright kids, now push!"

Ralnor took a step before straightening up. He looked up at the woman and asked her “What?” However, he failed to look back in time to see Cass ram into him, sending them both into the ground. Ukuri and crowd burst into laughter.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day!” The Gerudo woman chuckled. “So anyone interested in some leathers?”

As the merchant took in some orders, Ralnor watched the little triforce pieces swirling around his head.

“I’m sorry,” the girl lamented, still on the ground and eyes on the ground.

Ralnor shook his head, scattering the pieces away. He smiled, “It’s okay. I’m used to it. Sometimes my siblings and I get excited when it comes to group hugs.”

“What’s a sibling?” Cass asked.

“You know, it’s a brother or a sister.”

“Oh, you sure do know some fancy words Ralnor.”

“Just from books that I read.” The boy blushed, rubbing the back of his head. That is when his stomach gurgled, his cheeks pink. “Sorry.”

“Hey, when your tummy’s hungry its hungry.” Cass shrugged. “No need to blush.”

That is when Cass’s stomach roared, her own cheeks turning pink.

“Whoa is there a monster in your belly?" Ralnor asked.

“Shut up.” Cass mumbled.

“Well looks like I’ve got some hungry little kiddos on my hands.” Ukuri beamed, turning to the kids while filling her bag. She picked up a silver rupee and handed it to Cass. “How about you get us some grub?”

"Okay, mommy."

“Grub? Like bugs?” the boy flinched and twisted

“No, she means food." Cass giggled. "You may know the fancy words, but I guess I know some fun ones. She patted him on shoulder, “Don’t worry, I’ll teach you everything I know." She fidgeted with her belt, revealing a small pouch and slipped the rupee inside. "Any requests?"

“I’ll take some cuckoo. You kids get whatever you want.”

“Yeah!” The girl cheered and took the boy’s hand.

“At least something that resembles real food. Not too many sweets or candy. I will be checking all pockets when you too get back.”

“Ugh! Fine!” the girl groaned.

“Ralnor I think you need to keep an eye on her for me,” the mother commented with a smile.

“Don’t worry ma’am I will.” The boy replied.

Just as the two children slipped out the back, a knight appeared at the stall. Ukuri jumped a bit, then took a deep breath and straightened out her skirt.

“Good day my lord. How may I help you today?”

"Pardon me, ma'am. There is a slight emergency I must announce. There is a missing noble boy and his family is dreadfully worried about him. He has blonde hair and blue eyes and is wearing green clothes. Has anyone seen a child like that?"

The group of customers shook there or murmured no.

Ukuri huffed, “A boy with blonde hair? In this country? Sorry, I think you are looking for a needle in a haystack.”

“Well, keep your eyes open. Any and all information would be appreciated.” The man gave a slight bow and left.

When the crowd left, Ukuri grabbed a rag and rubbed the shelf a little too hard. “Typical. Some rich bastard’s brat goes missing and they’ll send out the guard. Meanwhile, a Gerudo girl goes missing and no one gives a damn.” She then glanced at the door. “Nah, couldn’t be.” She murmured, still scrubbing.

The kids glanced all around at the stalls. Food descriptions.

“See anything you like?” Cass asked.

“I’m not sure…” Ralnor admitted.

“Well, I think I found a stall with cuckoo for Mommy. Maybe there’s something for you here.”

The two children stood in line, glancing at the large black sign with all the foods and prices in white. “Aw sweet! They’ve got onion rings!” the girl declared. “Those are my favorites.”

“Okay…” the boy stared at the sign. His eyes scanning around, not settling on any of those words.

“Anything wrong?” Cass asked.

“Well…I don’t know what any of these things are,” Ralnor admitted.

Cass blinked at the boy and started to laugh her head off. “Aw man Ralnor. You are a riot!" She continued to laugh until she looked at the blank face of the boy. "You are actually serious, aren't you?"

“Yes.”

"Oh, Ralnor. I’m sorry. I mean, I thought you were a rich kid, but wow,” Cass pondered, hand now on her cheek.

“Mama usually only lets us have sweets at fairs or after dinner.” He admitted. “We sometimes can get Papa to give us snacks though when we are working on homework.

“Don’t you worry.” Cass pulled him in, arm around his shoulders. She patted her chest. “I am what you call a cuss-ne-sir of outdoor foods. Just ask me.”

“I think the word is connoisseur.”

Cass smirked, “ Okay smarty pants. Just read off some foods and tell you what they are. I’m sure there’s something you’ll like.”

“Okay…what is…a cheese frit-ter?”

“Oh, that's cheese covered in a batter and all fried up."

“Fried?”

“They take something like grease or fat or butter and boil it, and then they put food into it until gets all nice and crispy. Anything else?”

“What’s a Stuffed Spud?”

“That’s a potato that’s been baked and then put all kinds of good stuff in it. Sour cream, chives, cheese, bacon bits, butter-it’s really good.”

“Uh…I don’t eat bacon…”

“Me neither. Mom says it’s a Gerudo thing. You order your own fixings so it’s fine.”

“Maybe…what are fries?”

“Okay, now I’m starting to get worried about your lifestyle. Fries are potatoes cut up into strips and fried up. They make a great snack and usually come with a lot of meals.”

“So then what’s a grilled cheese?”

Cass sighed, “Let me ask you a question, you do know what a cheese sandwich is right?”

“Of course I do!”

"Just checking.” The girl stepped back, palms shielding her. “I was starting to think you came from like a different world or something. Well, grilled cheese is basically a cooked cheese sandwich. You just put in a pan until you burn the bread a bit and melted the cheese.”

“Well, I think I’ll take a grilled cheese then. With some fries too.”

“Excellent choice! Trust me, you’ll love it!”

The children ordered their food and weaved their way through the crowd. When the two children returned to the stall, Ukuri sighed. “Thank the goddesses! For a while there I thought I had two lost children on my hands.”

“Here you go Mommy, fried cuckoo wings!” the girl offered up the paper box overflowing with wings and fries.

"Thanks, kiddo. I'll go shut the stall and we’ll dine in the back.”

Right after the woman lowered the blind, closing them off to the word, a large stomping rattled the stall. “Yeesh, some customers," Ukuri grumbled. She then turned to see her daughter starting to take one of the hangings off the wall, food on one of the higher boxes, and Ralnor glancing around, checking the boxes.

“What are you looking for kiddo?” Ukuri asked.

“A napkin,” the boy responded.

“What for? We haven’t even started eating.” Cass stated giving the fabric one last tug before it fell on top of her.

“You can’t eat a meal without a napkin. Maybe a snack, but a not a meal.” Ralnor countered.

“Let me guess one of your mother’s rules?” Ukuri asked.

“Yes, ma'am. Plus I don’t want to get crumbs or stains on the hanging.”

“Kid let me tell you something, I learned when I lived with my mama.” The merchant knelt down, large arm wrapping the child close. “As long as your mama is not around, she won’t mind if you get a little messy. I’ll make sure you’re clean enough for her. Plus, Cass and I eat and sleep on these things all the time. I know how to get any stains out.”

Cass popped her head, hanging wrapped around her . “It’s true,” she declared.

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to make a mess.” He gazed up with wide, nervous eyes.

Ukuri sighed and smiled, “Well, I've got some rags upstairs that will do the job just fine if you want one.

"Yes, please. Thank you.”

“No worries hun. You are so sweet.”

As Ukuri left, Cass commented as she laid down the hanging, "Wow you got one of those strict fancy moms.” She then grabbed the boxes off the boxes and sat down.

The boy sat down next to her, he admitted.“She does kind of get mad when my siblings and I pull pranks or bring mud in the house or when we stay up late. But she always makes us feel better when we get bullied and really loves to help us with our homework.”

“She sounds nice, but I think I’ll take my mom any day of the week,” the girl said and then offered the boy his box.

The boy sat the box on his lap, cautiously took the sandwich with both hands. “I’ve never had anything so…wet and sticky…” He mentioned.

Cass chomped down on an onion ring as she spoke, “That’s called grease. It’s what the cook the food in. Just take a bite, it’s gonna not kill ya. Trust me. I’ve eaten this stuff plenty of times.” She then swallowed, a series of coughs following.  Cass pounded on her chest until she started breathing again.

“Okay…” Ralnor glanced at his friend nervously before looking at the dark sandwich in front of him, cheese slightly oozing out of the crust and took a small bite. The gooeyness of the warm cheese and the crunchiness of the bread filled his mouth. After swallowing, the boy said in awe, “This is good.”

"See, nothing to worry about," Cass stated. "Welcome to unhealthy-ish foods.”

“Ish?” Ralnor repeated.

“Because well cheese and bread are good for you, right? But, some people say all the healthy stuff gets lost when you fry foods like this. But I think still think there’s some left. Maybe not that much, but still some.”

Ralnor laughed. “I really like the way you think Cass.”

“Thanks.” The girl admitted, beaming.

As Ralnor continued to eat, he heard something hitting the ground repeatedly. That’s when he noticed the two dogs in the corner of the stall. The large white dog with almost green was wagging his tail, panting at the two of them. The black dog stared silently at them.

“Uh..what’s up with your dogs?”

“Oh, they always do that when it's meal time,” Cass shrugged. “Daddy used to let them have leftovers of their meals, just try looking away and you should be okay."

“Alright,” the prince stated as he turned around and tried to concentrate on his food. However, the sound of panting only got louder. He turned around slightly to see the larger dog right up in his face. "Hi, doggie," Ralnor greeted. Then the tog bit the crust out of his hand, tugging it away. He then sat down and started to chew on the leftover sandwich. “Hey!” the boy cried out.

“You gotta be careful around Noishe,” Cass commented. “He’ll take what he wants without warning. Gotta stay sharp.”

“What about that dog?” Ralnor pointed to the thin, black dog still in the corner.

“That’s Repede. He’s the quiet one. He doesn’t cause trouble much unless you have something you want.”

“Like what?”

Before Cass could reply, the dog slipped over, his head on the girl’s lap. Cass managed to grab her box of food before he could grab a piece.

“Fries for one thing.” The girl muttered as she patted his head. “Come one bro. Mommy doesn’t want you to have too much human food. You are not as young as you used to be.”

The dog growled a bit and started nuzzling her stomach.

The girl started to laugh, “Okay, just one more piece.” And she plucked off a fry and put it right in front of the dog’s mouth. The canine eagerly took the piece and started to eat.

Ukuri walked into the stall, some rags draped over her arm. “Cass, you better not be feeding the dogs cooked food again. You know its not good for them.”

“I’m just showing Ralnor what not to do around the dogs when they want food.”

“Really?” Ralnor asked.

Cass shushed him, “Come on Ralnor, just go along with it.”

“Sure you are, and that is not the sound of the dogs’ chewing.” Ukuri lamented as she sat down handing a rag to her guest. She then reached for her food still on the counter and joined the two children on the mat.

"Well, it's a lesson by trial and error." The girl shrugged.

The woman chuckled shaking her head. “You know Ralnor, I think I might have to save you from my girl. Who knows what kinds of things she’ll teach you if I left you two alone?”

“Like adult words?” Cass suggested.

“What are adult words?” Ralnor asked.

“You know the words that grownups say when they bang their heads on doorways or stub their toes on furniture.” The girl started to beam, “For example…”

Ukuri then picked up her daughter, spilling out onion ring and fry bits and crumbs everywhere, rubbing her hair with her knuckles. “That’s enough out of you!”

"Ack! Aw, come on Mommy! You said it's better to learn now than later! Besides I promised I’d teach him everything I know!"

“I’ll have to put an end to that lesson. For all I know, Ralnor’s mommy might pick me up, put me over her knee, and spank me for letting you teach Ralnor those words. And who knows what she’ll do to you.”

The two dogs eagerly attacked the pieces the food, licking up and chewing on everything they could find.

Ralnor couldn't help but laugh at the scene. He couldn’t help but think, "I still miss Mama, Papa, Covarog, Orana, Kanisa and Tebanam...but Cass and Ukuri they make me feel right at home. I'm really happy I met them. I can’t wait for my family to meet them."

With the sky starting to change into its usual evening red, orange, and yellow, the royal family still didn’t find their missing member. Tebanam napped inside his father’s arms, while the other children clung onto their parents' legs to support them, rubbing their eyes.

“Still no sign of him…” Zelda sighed, patting Kanisa’s bobbing head.

“We will find Ralnor, we can’t lose hope.” Ganondorf countered.

“But we’ve search all over,” the queen retorted. “The only thing left to do is go inside each stall and search.”

“If that’s we have to do, then so be it,” the king commented. “But first, we must take the children home.”

At the mention of them, Covarog, Kanisa, and Orana snapped up. “What?” They all screamed. Tebanam now wide awake by the noise, starting to whimper.

“But we can’t go home yet!” Orana declared. “We haven’t found Ralnor yet!”

“We can’t leave him behind! We just can’t!” Covarog declared.

“We can still help!” Kanisa interjected before a yawn cut her off.

The king smiled, sparing one hand to pat Kanisa’s head. Zelda stroked Orana's and Covarog’s heads. “Yes, but you are also very much exhausted. You need to go to sleep.”

“No, we don't!" Covarog objected with the stomp of his foot.

“Yes, you do." The king then lifted the boy's chin with his fingers. "Don't worry, your mother and I will not stop searching for your brother. We will bring him home. But we also care about you, and you need to get to bed."

“I don’t think that I can sleep…with Ralnor out there….somewhere without us…” Orana sighed, staving off a yawn.

“Well at least, we’ll get you ready and you can try for us? Okay?” Zelda asked.

The three older children glanced at each other frowning. Tebanam grumbled a bit as his father swayed him, calming him down. Covarog sighed, “Okay let’s go home.”

The queen smiled, “I know this is hard. But we will find him soon.”

Covarog took his father’s free hand and the girls took their mother’s. However, just as they started the walk, Kanisa cried out, “That’s it!” digging her heels in the ground.

“Kanisa what’s it?” Zelda asked.

“That’s the stall! The one that Ralnor left for! It’s that one!” She pointed her free hand, bouncing up and down.

“Are you sure Kani? Looks like all the other plant stalls. What makes this one so special?” Orana asked.

“It’s got the most plants! The others didn’t have that many! If Ralnor didn’t go to this stall, then I don’t know about Ralnor at all!” Kanisa beamed.

The parents looked at each other, “Well it is worth a look,” Zelda admitted and the group headed to the stall. A young man stood in the back, pulling down on the tarp while the old lady still sat in her chair dozing off.

Covarog, Orana, and Kanisa immediately dashed into the stall, calling out “Ralnor!" while going around every pot and ducking under every table.

“Children stop!” Zelda called out.

The young man stopped his motion, staring blankly at the commotion. “Something tells me that you are not here for a houseplant.” He chuckled. Then he saw who he was talking to and gave a small bow, “Uh sorry your majesties. What can I help you with?”

“We are searching for our son Ralnor, brown skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, green clothes. He wandered off earlier today and we haven’t seen him since. We think he might have been here for a while. Have you seen him?” Ganondorf replied.

“Ooh sorry to hear that. Hope you find him. What time of day do you think he left?” The man asked.

“This morning. Before noon,” Zelda answered.

“Shoot. I didn’t see him. Most people don’t want to carry a heavy plant all day, so we don’t do much busy in the morning. I left Ma with the stall while I looked around. She might have seen something. Just hope her working ear is working again.” The man walked toward the old lady and started to yell “HEY MA!”

The woman snapped open, drool slipping out. She glanced around, adjusting her glasses “Who said that?”

“HEY MA! DID YOU SEE A BLOND BOY TODAY?” the man asked.

“Oi tone it down, I’m deaf but I’m not dead. You might raise your father back being that loud,” the old lady gristled.

“Ma, these parents lost their boy. He might have been here. Seen him?” her son asked.

“Boy…boy…boy,” the woman wondered.

The adults continued to stare, leaning closer waiting for her next words. But then the woman's head slipped back and started to snore.

“Ma!” the man called out. However, his mother continued to slumber.  He sighed, “Sorry about this your majesties. I wish we could help out more.”

Just there was a loud clatter. The royal couple and merchant turned to see Orana, leaning forward with her hand's out wide inches away from a broken pot, laying on its side.  Clay pieces and soil scattered on the ground, while a scrub bush lay helplessly on its side, roots exposed. "Whoopsie…" The princess stated.

“Orana!” Zelda called out.

“I’m sorry! I swear I just bumped it!” Orana stated.

“It’s okay, I needed to replant that one anyway,” the man replied.

“We’ll pay for the damages.” The king declared.

“No your majesty, it’s fine,” the merchant insisted.

As the three adults haggled over the pot, the princess made her way over to the little old lady, staring into space. The girl placed her hand on her lap. “I’m sorry I broke your pot. I’ll pay for it with my allowance.” She then dug into a small bag at her side.

The woman turned towards the child and smiled. "Ah what a sweet child. How can I ask money from such a kind soul? After the way you help that little girl earlier too. Don't worry. My son broke many a pot when he was your age."

“Little girl?” Orana asked.

“You know that cute little blonde you ran into. She came in here and you two ran around chasing each other. Then when she was crying you comforted her and took her away. I bet you have been friends for a long time.”

“You don’t think…” Orana glanced at her siblings.

“Can you tell us about this blonde girl?” Kanisa asked.

“Of course! One of the cutest children I’ve seen. Silky blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, green clothes, and the loveliest brown skin. Really put my kid to shame.”

"Thanks, mom I feel loved,” the man sighed.

“Where did I…and the blonde girl go?” Orana asked.

“Not sure…just saw you going to the left.” The old woman shrugged.

“Mama, Papa do you think that if we find the other girl we might find Ralnor?” Covarog asked.

"Well, it's the best lead we've had all day," Ganondorf admitted.

“Hope you find your kid soon.” The merchant stated.

“Thank you. Come on kids, let’s find your brother!” Zelda declared.

As the royal family left, the woman adjusted her glasses, sighing “What a lovely family. Mother’s a bit hairy though…”

The merchant laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Ma don’t ever change.”

Ralnor and Cass watched out of the stall window, using their crossed arms as cushions as they rest their hands.

“Still nothing?” Cass asked.

“Yes,” Ralnor sighed.

“Sorry. I really thought we had a good spot and you’d find your family like that,” Cass stated with a snap.

“Well, I’m glad I’m here. If you hadn’t been at the stall, I probably just sat at the stall with that old lady, crying how my family left me. I’ve had a lot of fun today. Thanks for taking me in,” the boy leaned in.

“No problem, what are friends for?” Cass wrapped her arm around him, pulling him closer.

Ukuri stepped in, patting Ralnor on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find your folks. I’ve just a couple of things to pack away and the dogs to put upstairs, then we can look around. You two kids head outside.”

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Okay, mommy."

Just as the kid’s reached the outside of the stall, Cass stopped, “Huh…I just realized I never asked what your parents look like.”

"My parents tend to stand out in a crowd, especially my papa. You'd know them the moment you see them."

“Probably, but not all Gerudos look alike. Some are tall, some are really tall, some are thin or fat, but we are all Gerudo. So what do your daddy and mommy look like?"

"My papa…"

“Ralnor!”

The children turned to see Orana and Kanisa running at them, arms open wide.

“Orana! Kanisa!” the boy cheered, opening his arms wide as well.

The two princesses tackled their brother, almost hitting him to the ground, knocking off his hat.

“Oh Ral, we're sorry we left you behind. We thought Mama and Papa knew you were at that plant stall!" Orana explained.

“We’ve missed you so much!” Kanisa sniffled, clutching her brother tightly.

“I’ve missed you too!” the boy eagerly returned their embrace, a few sniffles coming out.

"Sweet! That's one part of your family down!"

The reunited trio turned to the Gerudo girl smiling at them, hands on her hips.

There was a moment of silence before Orana yelled, “It’s a Gerudo girl!”

"Yes." The boy stood up and displayed his hand out.  "This is my friend Cass. We met at the plant stall and she and her mama took me in so I can look for you.” He used his other hand to display his family. Cass these are my sisters, Orana and Kanisa.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Cass offered a hand.

Kanisa gaped for a bit, before hiding behing her brother. She still stared in awe of the girl as she sqeauked out a hello.

Orana beamed and grabbing Cass’s hand with both of her own, shaking it violently . "Hi, there! Thanks for taking care of our big bro!"

Cass, still shaking from the girl’s grasp, tilted her head,“ Bro?”

“Ralnor!”

Just then the group of children turned to see Zelda dashing towards them.

“Mama!” he yelled and ran towards her and jumped right into her arms. Now sobbing, he nuzzled his head against her chest. “I’ve missed you so much.”

The force from her son caused Zelda to sit down, cradling her boy, “I’ve missed you too! I’m sorry we left you behind.”

“It’s okay. Next time I’ll double check with Papa.” He raised his head, smiling.

She beamed and kissed his forehead, “You smart thing you.”

The queen set her son on the ground and stood up. He took her hand and led her to Cass. “Mama, this is my new friend Cass. She found me at the stall and let me stay with her mama until I can find you.”

"I am so happy that my son is making such wonderful friends. Thank you so much for helping him." She knelt down, looking the girl in the eyes, smiling.

The Gerudo girl’s jaw dropped. She tugged her hand out of Orana’s and pointed at Ralnor.  She yelled, “YOU LIED TO ME!”

Ralnor blinked and squeaked out, “What?”

“You said you were a Gerudo. But you are not!" Cass pointed at Zelda. "You can only be a Gerudo if your mama! And she’s not! She’s the exact opposite!”

“Yes, we are! We are just as Gerudo as you!” Orana declared.

“No, you are not! Besides he’s  a boy!” Cass pointed to Ralnor. “There’s no such thing as a boy Gerudo!”

“Nuh-huh there’s Ganondorf!” Kanisa stated.

“Children please calm down.” Zelda ushered.

“Ganondorf’s not a Gerudo! He’s just a monster!” Cass roared, stomping her foot.

“Ralnor!”

The arguing group stopped to see Ganondorf stomping towards them, Tebanam still on his chest and Covarog trailing behind. The king scooped up his son and started to kiss his face.

“Papa!” The boy eagerly wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Cass this is our Papa, Ganondorf.” Orana declared. “So we are just as Gerudo as you!” Orana folded her arms on her chest.

“Yeah!” Kanisa agreed with her hands on her hips.

At the mention of his name, he looked down and saw the Gerudo girl. His jaw dropped slightly and eye widened with joy.

The same couldn't be said for Cass. She started to turn as pale as a sheet. Then let out a blood-curdling scream. Once the royal family could hear again, she slumped over on the ground.

“Cass!” Ralnor cried out. He climbed down his father’s front and knelt next to the girl. He flipped her over and patted her cheek, but she still didn’t wake up.

“What’s wrong with her?” Orana asked.

“Cass!”

The group now saw Ukuri, standing a few feet away from them, holding her head in her hands. She dashed over and picked up her daughter. “Cass, monkey, sweetie. Please wake up!” She shook the girl slightly, but still no response.  The mother twisted towards Ralnor. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t know!” He replied anxiously.  “She just looked at my Papa and screamed and fell over!”

“Papa?” That’s when the Gerudo woman noticed the king standing before her. She, too, turned and slumped over, still holding her child.

“Mrs. Ukuri!” Ralnor cried out. He then looked up at his father, tears clouding his eyes. "Papa…did you kill them?

"What no!" The king declared but it was too late. Ralnor now bawled his head off.

"We can't leave them like this," Zelda commented. "We'll take them back to the castle."

Ganondorf picked up both Gerudo women in his arms. All along the way back to the carriage and in the carriage ride to the castle, Ralnor kept glancing at his new friends. Hoping they would be alright.

Someday, Someplace Chapter 1 Marketplace

Even though his mama told him not to, Ralnor stuck his head out the window of the carriage. All around him, Hylians, Gorons, Zorans, Ritos, even Goblins walked around looking at all the different stalls. Merchants yelled throughout the air, trying to compete over all the laughter and talking from the guests. Every year, Daourfel just got bigger and bigger with all new people coming in for the holiday, so much so that a new section of Castle Town was built just for traveling merchants to rent. The prince bounced a bit as he scanned around the stalls, seeing all the clothes, masks, toys, especially a few tables covered in stacks of books. Just as the carriage passed an alleyway, something caught the prince’s eyes. Or rather someone.

A person who was too tall to be a Hylian, but too thin to be a Goron or Goblin and not a fin or feather in sight. The person wore a white long-sleeved dress, heading down to the knees. The dress was covered by sky blue vest and skirt apron, highly embroidered with white clouds and wind trails blowing them around, a wrap of matching fabric connected the two parts. blue and highly embroidered brown boots covered the rest of their body. They fanned themselves with a blue hat with a white veil flowing out the back. However what surprised Ralnor was the person’s brown skin and a short red hair, barely reach the neck, clinging to their head.  

Ralnor knew why Papa and Klinge would try to include Gerudo traditions into the kid’s life from the clothes on their back, the stories before bed, to all the long language lessons they had to sit through. No one ever said it out loud, but there was always a bit of sadness when Papa and Klinge talked about life in the Gerudo kingdom. Like they would give anything to go back to those days. Because Papa and Klinge thought they, including the kids, were the last Gerudo in all the world. But they were wrong.

However, just as the woman slipped the hat back on, completely covering her hair, and headed towards the boy, the carriage rolled away from the alley. Ralnor started to lean out the window, hands propping him up, peering behind the way. The further away from the alley, the more the prince leaned out.  Ralnor could hear his mama call out to him but all his focus was watching the way. If he could just wait, he could see the Gerudo woman again…

One of the prince’s hands supporting him slipped and he fell face first out of the window. It happened so fast, he didn’t even get the chance to scream as he plummeted down. However, something caught his back, stopping him a few inches above the wheel. Then he felt the grasp drag him upwards, back into the cart, and into his father's arms.

“Ralnor are you alright?” Ganondorf asked, worry soaked into his tone.

"Yes, papa." The boy squeaked. He could now hear again and his heart pounded in his ears.

“Ralnor I’ve told you not to lean out the carriage window. You could have been seriously hurt,” Zelda scolded lightly, cupping her son’s head.

“I’m sorry mama, papa. I promise I won’t do it again.” The boy admitted and stretched his arms out wide over his father’s chest and enjoyed the embrace for a moment. However, he gasped and pushed himself up. “But you wouldn’t believe what I saw out there!”

“Okay Ralnor what was so important?” Zelda asked.

“A Gerudo! I saw a real Gerudo out there!” Ralnor pointed out carriage.

Gasps filled the air. Kanisa’s hands flew to her cheeks. Zelda's hand flew to her mouth. Orana’s jaw dropped. Covarog clutched his hair. Tebanam just tilted his head.

“Did you really?” Kanisa asked.

“Yeah, she had brown skin and red hair, really short though, but I know she was a Gerudo!” the boy beamed.

"Wow, another Gerudo! Isn't that amazing Papa?" Covarog asked.

All of the children looked up to their father, expecting a smile. However, their father wore a frown and a glassy look in eyes. Like as if he was looking for something far away, rather than his own kids.

“Papa?” Ralnor asked, tapping on the man’s face.

Ganondorf lifted his head, now wearing a sad smile. He set Ralnor on one of his knees and patted the boy’s head. “I’m sorry my boy, but I know you didn’t see a Gerudo.”

“What?” Ralnor asked. “But I did! If you outside, you can find her. She’s wearing a grey dress and hat and…”

“I’m sure you thought you saw a Gerudo.” The king affirmed. “But I have been all over the continent and I have never met another Gerudo.”

“I’ll look for you papa!” Orana offered, sticking her hand in the air. She then stood up and started to look out her own window. Tebanam wobbled to his own feet and leaned in next to her.

"Oh no, you don't!" Zelda declared and snatched the two children in her arms and sitting down. “One child endangering themselves is enough for one trip.”

“Aw mama,” Orana grumbled, crossing her arms. Tebanam just turned around and hugged his mama back.

“But I did see her Papa. I really really did,” Ralnor implored.

"I'm sorry son," Ganondorf replied. "But it's just not possible.

For a few moments, a heavy silence hung in the carriage. Only the squeaking of the wheels was the only sound.

“How about, while we are out and about, we keep an eye open for her?”

The family gazed at the queen and her suggestion.

“Zelda…” the king started.

“We’ll go throughout our day, looking at all the stalls just like we planned. We’ll just look around to see if we can find the woman Ralnor saw. If we don’t find her, then nothing is lost. And if we do find her, we’ll invite her over for dinner or something. Besides, Daourfel isn’t for another two months so we might see her sometime if not today.”

“Okay!” the children chirped.

Zelda briefly stuck her head out of the window and requested, “Ralu.  Stop the coach please.”

A wobble and a whoa later, the carriage completely stopped. The servant opened the door and the children spilled out, heading out to various stalls.

“Children, dears, please stay close to us!” Zelda yelled as she stepped out. However, something caught her shoulder. She turned to see her husband, a sad look in his eyes.

“Please,” he asked. “Don’t give them false hope.”

“You mean don't give you false hope," Zelda commented. “Don’t worry. He could have been wrong and we’ll have a fun day out, just like we planned. Just keep an open eye for a tall woman in blue to amuse the children all right?”

“All right,” the king agreed.

“Besides, you might be hoping he is wrong. Just so he doesn’t get to tell you, ‘I told you so,” Zelda let out a chuckle.

The king huffed, “Ralnor takes a lot after you dear, but I don’t think that much.”

At first, the children passionately looked for the Gerudo woman, but after seeing so many toys and clothes, the woman faded from their minds. They instead searched around for new things that they would use their cute smiles and wide eyes to convince their papa to buy them. The king indulged in quite a few whims, but he mainly satisfied his own desires by buying the finest fabrics he saw.

“Dear I wish you wouldn’t stress yourself about the children’s’ costumes. We do have a tailor who would be happy to work on a few.”

“They are my children, who deserve the best. What is better than their father’s handmade creations?”

“I’m sure the children won’t mind if you don’t make them all. Besides you ran yourself ragged making costumes last year, the year before that, and the year before…”

Ralnor tuned out the rest of his parent’s discussion, slowly turning into one of their little spats they had, in favor of scanning the different stalls. What caught his eye were several tall palm trees, their tops covered by a white cloth, with several lattice walls between them, covered in vines.

“Hey Mama, can I please look at that plant stall over there?” the prince asked.

“Yes dear,” Zelda called out before resuming her point with her husband that yes, he should delegate at least one outfit to the tailor.

Ralnor beamed and dashed over to the stall, taking it all in. It was the same size as the stores, but it felt bigger without traditional walls. The white cloth darkened the entire stall with the holes in the lattice letting light through. Four palm trees stood at each corner, connected by lattice walls, these covered in vines and flowers blooming from several plots at the bottom. The first half of the stall several large pots of various colored roses stood in five rows, spaces in between them for customers to walk in. The second half held five tables spaced out, covered in colorful pots with many plants. Many held flowers, some herbs, and Ralnor even spotted a few tiny cacti sprouting. At the very end back of the stall, sat an elderly woman, with giant glasses, head tilted, eyes closed, and a bit of drool coming out her mouth.

The prince paid the little old lady no mind and entered the stall, strolling amongst the newfound garden. He headed down to the rightmost row, gazing at all the vines. Some grew on the castle walls, but none of them had flowers. Some were small clusters of tiny flowers, some blue flowers that drooped open, and quite a few orange ones shaped like trumpets. He gazed at them, smiling and slowly strolling. Then he collided into something, causing him to stumble and fall on his butt.

“Ouch," he squeaked out.

“Ow!” Another voice called out.

As the prince rubbed his aching head, he gazed upon the other person he blinked and looked across the way. His mouth opened up a bit at the sight.

Before him stood a young girl in an outfit much like the Gerudo woman he saw earlier, but in a green vest and skirt with embroidery in the shape of blades of grass. She wore a round green hat that covered up much of her head, with a veil covering her neck. Green pants with vines peaked out of her skirt and embroidered boots covered her feet.  However, there was nothing to cover up her brown skin and the opened yellow eye open as she rubbed her head.

“Whoops! Sorry about that! I guess I didn’t see where I was going!” the young girl stated as she stood up and dusted herself off. She stepped over to the boy and offered him her hand. “Here let me help you up.”

Ralnor glanced between the hand and the girl’s face for a bit before taking it. She quickly pulled him up on his feet. “Nice to meet you.” The girl stated shaking their still holding hands.

He remained silent. His mind, however, raced out in a million directions, “Oh Nayru, Farore, Din it’s a real Gerudo girl! She’s my age! Maybe we can be friends? I bumped into her! Does she not like me now? Would she ever like me? Where did she come from? What do I say to her? How long have I been standing here? I don’t know what to do!!! AHHHHH!”

"Um…anyone home?" With her free hand, she made a fist and she pretended to knock against his head. "I wonder if I hit you harder than I thought…” and then she sighed. “Ah yes. Town folk manners, stranger danger. Well, my name is Cass, I am eight years old and I have two dogs and you?"

This snapped the boy out his mind and he started shaking her hand fiercely, “I’m Ralnor. I’m seven. I don’t have any pets. Sorry about bumping into you.”

“No, it’s alright I hit you too.” The girl stated. “So, what’s a townie kid doing here without your parents? I thought you folk never left your mama’s skirts.”

“My mama said it was alright if I looked at the plants by myself…” then a thought occurred to the boy. “If I really did see a Gerudo woman before and now I found a Gerudo girl so maybe…”  He decided to ask, “Where’s your mama? Is she walking around looking at the stalls too?”

“Nope. My mommy and me are merchants. We have our own stall lots of things to sell.”

“So, you two are here for Daourfel?”

"Duro-feel?" the girl attempted.

“It’s a Gerudo holiday, where everyone gets dressed up in costumes and goes around to different stalls to win candy and toys and lots of other fun things!” the boy explained.  “You’ve never heard of it?”

“Nah, my mommy and me don’t celebrate too many holidays ourselves, we just join in wherever we go.” Cass shrugged.

“Okay…” Ralnor stated. He wanted to know so much about the girl before him, but his words all stopped in his mouth, not sure how to get them out. He instead held his hands behind his back and started to shift his shoe into the ground.

“Do you have a question for me?”  

The prince stiffened up, “What makes you say that?”

“I’m a merchant," Cass stated, puffing up her chest and placing a fist over her heart. “I know how to read people’s faces. And you got these really big eyes saying to me that you want to ask me something.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Nah, I get a lot of questions. You can ask.”

“Thanks, okay,” Ralnor took a deep breath. He knew the answer but he just wanted to be sure, “Are you a Gerudo?”

Cass stiffened up, almost frozen. She started to glance around the stall. Then she dashed off.

“Wait!” the boy called out and charged after her.

Cass raced down the alleyways and spotted Ralnor following her. She then turned and continued down another path. Ralnor quickly followed. This continued on for several minutes. For a moment, Ralnor thought she had left the stall, but still heard footsteps. He decided to crouch down, underneath one of the tables and wait. After a few moments, Cass zipped by and Ralnor caught her by the leg, causing her to trip.

Cass turned to the boy, arms up, tears dewing up her eyes. “Please just let me go! I promise I won’t steal or hurt anyone!”

Ralnor asked, “What makes you think, I think you’ll do that?”

The girl sighed, “Because I am a Gerudo. And when people think of Gerudos they think of liars, thieves, and murderers."

“That’s not true,” the boy protested and then thought a moment. “While not so true. I mean we did do that stuff, but that was a long time ago.”

“But that’s what all the stories say about us. Wait…we?”

“Yeah. You see I’m a Gerudo too!”

The merchant girl put her hands on her hips. “No fooling?”

The prince started to rub the back of his head, "Well I know that I don't look like a traditional Gerudo, but I swear I am. And I know people say mean things about us. People are always mean to my siblings and me, calling us all lots of mean names. But I know they are wrong. My papa and mama said so. Please believe me.” He stretched out his hand, “If anything, I want to be your friend.”

Cass blinked, slowly rising up. She dusted her skirt off and crouched down. She stared at him right in the eyes for a few moments and then smiled. "Okay, I believe you."

“Really?!?” Ralnor exclaimed.

“Well I mean Zorans come in all kinds of colors and even Hylians can have brown skin. So, who’s to say Gerudos can’t be the same? Besides, if you were pretending you would have made yourself look like the rest of the Gerudos. And I’m always up to for making friends, especially in places where I probably can’t find any.” She took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, new friend.”

The prince beamed. “Nice to meet you too!” Once he stood on his feet, he asked, “You know, once the market place closes, would you and your mama like to come over to my place for dinner? My papa would love to have you over.”

“That sounds great! I bet your mama and mine will have lots to talk about!”

“Okay, let me just tell my parents first.” The boy dashed out of the manmade garden. “Papa! Mama! Look who I found!” he declared.

However, his family wasn’t there. Ralnor scanned all around the street, but he still didn’t see them. No brothers and sisters weaving into the alleyways. No papa standing about the crowd. No mama calling out and trying to get everyone to stay together. All around him were a group of strangers, paying him no mind and continuing on with their lives. The boy stared at the ground, tears dewing up in his eyes.

“Hey Ralnor, did you find your folks?” Cass called out. She walked into the street, stopping right next to the boy. She leaned down so she can look him in the eye. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“My family isn’t here. Mama said it was alright, but maybe she didn’t really hear me at all…” the boy sniffled, a few tears pooling at his eyes and sliding down to his cheeks. “They left me behind and now I’m alone.”

“Hey!” Cass declared, “What happened to me?”

“What?” the boy asked.

“I am here. And I am your friend. And friends are supposed to help other friends. I’ll help you find your Mommy and Daddy.” She tugged on her sleeve so that it covered one of her hands. Then she used that sleeve to wipe the boy’s tears away. “Okay?”

“Okay,” the boy agreed, sniffling and trying to suck back in his snot.

“Need a sleeve? I don’t mind,” she offered her sleeve.

“No, I’m good,” the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a light blue handkerchief. He quickly rubbed his face and blew into it. Then slipped it back inside his pocket.

“So, let’s think? Any idea where your family was going?”

“We were just looking around, not really heading anywhere.”

"Okay then…" the girl pondered and then snapped her fingers. "I've got an idea! How about you come and stay at our stall for a little while? Mommy and me got a great place, with lots of food stalls and people walking by. I’m sure that your family will walk by there soon.”

“I think my family brought our lunch.”

“And would that really stop you from begging your parents for snacks?” the girl asked.

"No, but that was Mama's plan. Not ours.” The boy shrugged.

The girl chuckled, "So what do you think? Wanna come over to my place?"

“Sounds good. Lead the way,” Ralnor stated.

Cass grinned and took his hand and started to drag him behind her. Just as they ran off, the elderly lady in the stall smiled at them. “What a nice couple,” she murmured before nodding back to sleep.

The two children weaved through the crowd, Cass leading with ease, Ralnor clinging to her hand to keep up.  After several minutes, the two stopped at the side of a large building, with stalls on either side of the first story. When Cass let go of his hand, the first thing Ralnor did was lean over, placing his hands on his knees, and panted-trying to catch his breath. “Your stall is in this building?” He asked between gasps.

“Yep!” She declared.

The boy straightened up, recovered a bit. He leaned around, looking all over the wall they stopped at. “But how do we get in? I’ve never seen a door to one of these places before.”

"That's because you don't know where to look," Cass replied. She walked over to the middle of the wall and gave it a few knocks. There was a creak and that part of the wall opened up, revealing a doorway.

“Woah…” the boy awed.

"They make buildings like this for us merchants so that way thieves can't break in so easily," Cass replied. "After you."

The boy walked into the building. On either side of him, there was a line of doors. Each had a number painted in black paint and a small window at the top. Some of them were shut, other open allowing all kinds of fragrances in. “So, all of these are traveling merchant shops?”

“Well some of them. There are a few chefs who travel around in the caravans and they use stops like this to get more business.”

“A caravan is a group of merchants traveling together right? Do you and your mama live in one?”

“That’s right and yeah. My mommy and me live with a few other ones. They got a different building than us so I’ll have to introduce you to them later.” The girl replied as she walked down the hall. She stopped at a door and knocked on it. Several barks and several shushes followed. Then the door’s little window was filled with a brown face with two yellow eyes looking down on the children. “Who’s there?”

“It’s-a-me!” Cass called out.

“I only know one me and that’s me.” The person replied, a twinkle in their eyes.

"Mommy, it's me, Cass. And a brought someone with me." The girl replied with a giggle.

The door opened and two balls of fur poured out and tackled Cass to the ground, knocking off her hat. Once they settled, Ralnor made them out to be two dogs-one white with almost green spots with large floppy ears that eagerly licked Cass’s face. The other was a slim black down with small pointed ears licking Cass’s round ones. Then Ralnor turned to see the woman in the doorway, his jaw dropping.

It was the same Gerudo Ralnor saw earlier-he was sure of it. Being closer, he could now see how tall she was, probably up to Papa or Klinge’s neck. She also had muscles, bumping through her sleeves. She just filled in the doorway and had to crouch down to get out. "All right you two mutts. Leave her alone now, she feels your love." She stated as she pushed the dogs away with her two hands. Cass rose up, quickly wiping her face with her sleeve. She then ran up and hugged the woman’s leg. The woman crouched down and wrapped her arms around the girl. “Hey there, little monkey. Did you have a good time exploring the market?”

“Yeah, I saw lots of cool things. And I met someone really cool!” She walked over next to Ralnor, stretch her arms out, and waved her fingers. “Ta-dah! Introducing Ralnor, my new friend.”

The group’s attention now turned on Ralnor, making him blush. He wrestled around with his shirt hem as he squeaked out a “Hi.”

The woman grinned, offering one of her large hands to the boy. “Nice to meet you Ralnor. I’m Cass’s mom. But you can call me by my real name Ukuri.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ukuri ma’am.” The boy stated, placing his palm in the middle of hers. She grasped around it and shook their hands.

“Well looks Cass is rubbing elbows with some fancy folk. And some really cute ones too.”

The boy blushed a bright pink turning away from the group, he stammered, "Thank you, ma'am."

“What’s wrong hun?”

“Well…no one outside my family has ever called me cute before.”

“Then you must be surrounded by a bunch of blind folks not to notice. Speaking of which where is your family? Don’t tell me Cass kidnapped you.”

“Hey!”

“No, I went to look at a stall and when I came out my family was gone. Cass was there and she offered to let me stay with you until I could find them. Is it okay?” He gazed up at her wide-eyed.

“Please Mommy, Ralnor’s my friend," Cass added her own big puppy dog eyes and even added a little pout.

The woman rolled her eyes, “Enough with the cuteness. I was going to say yes anyway. Any friend of Cass’s is a friend of mine.”

The prince sighed, “Thank you.”

Cass beamed, “That’s right! Ralnor is a really special friend to me." She looked at her friend, head tilting and bobbing towards her “Now you tell her.”

Ralnor asked, “What?”

“You know the thing you told me. About you and your family.” Cass stated. “It’s your thing so you gotta tell it.”

The boy blinked and then he let out an, “Oh!” He turned to Ukuri and started, “Well actually Mrs. Ukuri, I am a Gerudo. Just like you and Cass are. Well quite not like you. But I swear I am.”

“Well well, today’s just full of surprises.” The woman touched the child’s golden locks, gently rubbing. “Well, well I guess a couple of hundred years of having kids with Hylians, I guess it’s bound to show up sometime. I bet you’ve got some magic from the blonde side of the family too.”

“You can do magic?” Cass beamed, she clutched his hands. “What can you do? Can you make fires? Storms? Make people disappear? Can you show me? Please?”

Ralnor fumbled a bit, "Well I can do a bit of fire magic, but my mama said I'm not supposed to use it inside."

“A wise woman,” Ukuri commented. “How we head inside the store? We’ve got a family to find.”

“Thank you, ma'am," the boy agreed stepped into the doorway. The dogs followed him and then lied down near the wall, watching the door. While he followed Ukuri and Cass, he glanced at all the items around him.

All around him were highly colored fabric hanging on the walls. Everything, from animals to gods were depicted in the colored threads. Some were held on large giant squares that might even take up a wall in the castle others were pieces of clothing like Ukuri’s and Cass's. Lots of boots stood straight up on shelves, walking to just walk up. On the other shelves, several swathes of cloths, like the ones in the tailor’s office, piled up in a way the boy could tell the different colors and styles with just a glance. Lots of boxes piled up, some having words like earrings, necklaces, and other accessories.  Several pots littered near the front of the stall, where a curtain hung wide enough to hide all the wears from the public eye.

“What’s in these pots ma’am?” the boy asked.

“Some preserved food and spices.” The mother replied. “We keep them in pots to make sure they stay clean and fresh.”

The girl picked up one of the pots, plucked its lid off, and pointed it towards the boy’s face. “This one is full of pepper. See?”

The boy peeked into the pot, seeing it full of little black grains. However, some of the powder got into his nose, tickling his senses. “Ah Ah…” he started and then buried his nose into his elbow. “Choo!” he finished. “I can see it and smell it.” He said with a sniff.

The two Gerudo women laughed as Cass put the lid back on.

The group continued until they reached the very front, a large rectangular window, a couple of boxes stacked up with some cushions on top. The two women sat down. Cass scooched over and patted on the free area and the boy sat down next to her. He looked out and he saw all the people he had seen earlier, but it somehow different looking at them before they walked away from view.

“Any sight of your folks’ kid?”

"No, ma'am."

“It’s alright. It’s early still. I’m sure they’ll turn up eventually. And they’ll probably be easy to spot.”

“That’s true.” The boy smiled and then looked out of the window. He let out a sigh. That’s when he spotted a knight in armor and beamed. He pointed out to the man, “Look a knight! Maybe he can help me! Hey Lord knight!”

The two other Gerudo blanched. Cass grabbed him by the shoulders, “What are you doing?”

“Asking for help?” the boy innocently replied.

“He’s heading over!” Ukuri declared. “Cass take Ralnor in the back. Ralnor please stay there until the knight goes away please.”

“Wha-“but the boy couldn’t finish the word before being shoved into the back, past the curtain.

“Please Ralnor. Stay quiet for us please,” the girl pleaded.

The boy nodded, “Okay.”

The girl smiled and gave a boy a one-armed hug, wrapping him around the shoulders, before dashing back.

Ralnor heard the clang of metal armor as the knight walk up to the booth. A rather heavy voice asked, “I believe I heard someone call out to me.” That’s when he saw a stack of items, just ending where the gap between the curtain rod and ceiling. He quickly climbed up the boxes until he could peak over the rod. He could see the man's face, mainly covered in a bushy mustache. He couldn't see Cass's face, but at the angle, he could see part of Ukuri's.

“I’m sorry good sir. I know you have some important business, protecting the people and all that. It’s just that my daughter loves knights.” The woman patted her child on the head.

“Mommy look!” Cass pointed. “It’s a real knight! Like in the stories! Can I touch your armor Mr. knight please please?”

The man smiled, “I see no harm in that.” He set out his arm, laying it across the counter.

The girl squealed and started to pat the metal. “This is so cool!”

Ukuri sighed, “Sorry about her enthusiasm. She really likes men in shining armor. Takes after my side of the family.” And gave the soldier a wink and a smile.

Now Ralnor had seen this behavior before. Mainly from the ambassador men who came over every now and then. Mama just ignored them and Papa glared at him, causing them to shake. Occasionally he saw Vridi wink at his mama, but he always got a heel to the foot. She always claimed it was an accident, but Ralnor and his siblings he knew better.

So Ralnor was surprised when the man’s face lit up, turning bright red. He let out a slight chuckle, “Well, I guess there is something dashing about it. But I’m just a humble soldier, trying to protect the people.”

“And we should let you go back to do that. Come on Cass, let the man go.”

"Aw!" the girl sighed, taking her hand back. "Goodbye, Mr. Knight!"

"Goodbye to you sir." The merchant woman nodded her head.

“Good day to you ladies.” And the knight walked away.

The two women sighed.

“All right, Ralnor,” Ukuri declared. “It’s safe to come out.”

Ralnor climbed down the boxes and came out of the curtain. "Why did you make me hide like that?"

The two Gerudos looked at each other, long and sadly. Ukuri knelt down and taking his hands. "Sorry, hun. It is a bit selfish of us but we didn't want to get in trouble with the knight."

“Why? You two aren’t doing anything wrong.” Ralnor said.

Ukuri sighed, “You know that. We know that. But if we say we found you, there’s nothing stopping the knight thinking we kidnaped you and get us in trouble.”

“But that’s wrong!” the prince declared.

“Knights don’t care about what’s right and wrong for us Gerudos," Cass added, crossing her arms. “They hate us and think we are nothing but a bunch of criminals. They throw us in jail for anything they can think of, just because we are here.”

“I thought you liked knights?” the boy asked.

“No! I hate them! They are all bunch of meanies!” Cass stated, stomping her foot.

The prince thought for a moment and declared, “But my papa wouldn’t let that happen. Even if a knight tried to arrest you here, he’d help you. And my mama says knights help people.”

Ukuri placed a hand on his cheek sadly smiling. “Ralnor there isn’t a man, king, or god that can help us Gerudo. Not anymore. And while knights are supposed to help people, they also get to decide who are people too. But if you really wanted to see your mama and papa again, we can take you to a knight.”

Ralnor stared up at the two, Cass now clinging onto her mother. Although she still glared, he could just see her shake. And Ukuri suddenly looking a lot older than he thought, wearing a worried frown with a tight grip on his shoulder.

“No.”

The woman and girl stared at the boy, blinking in amazement.

"While I would like to see Mama and Papa again, I don't want to get you two in trouble," Ralnor admitted.  “I know that people will say Gerudo do bad things. A lot of kids pick fights with me and my siblings, and then if we try to fight back, they go crying to their parents about how we were mean. And then their parents yell at us and our parents about how we are like barbarians. Mama and Papa always believe us first though. And I believe you too. So, no knights, not unless I know they will believe you. I know a couple of really good knights and I’ll keep my eyes open for them, but only them.”

Ukuri smiled, “Thanks a lot kid." She rubbed his hair and hugged him. "Sorry, we are making it tricky to find your folks."

Ralnor eagerly returned the embrace. “It’s okay. Anything for a friend.”

Cass clamped down on the boy too, “Thank you Ralnor! I’ll make sure we find your mommy and daddy in no time! And then she brightened, “I’ve got an idea!” she then jumped out off the box and dashed away. She opened and slammed the door behind her.

“What’s she doing?” he asked.

Ukuri replied with a shrug, “Kid, I’ve known her before she was born and I still don’t know what goes through her head sometimes.”

The door opened quickly, Cass yelled, “I heard that!” and she slammed it again.

The two other Gerudo looked at each other and then started to laugh hard, clutching their stomach.

A few minutes later, Cass burst through the door, she held a hat very similar to her own. She dashed through the room, jumped back on the boxes, and plopped the hat down on Ralnor’s head at a rather tilted angle, covering one of his eyes.  “Ta-dah your very own hat! Now you match us!”

The boy adjusted it so he could see. “Thank you, but what’s it for?”

“So that way you can help us sell things and find your parents faster! Two birds with one stone!”

“What?” the boy asked.

“Again kid, I have no idea what goes on in her head.”

The girl groaned, “It’s simple. Ralnor can start hawking out to the customers, drawing them in. And what Mommy and Daddy don't know the sound of their kid yelling? They’ll come running when they hear your voice.”

“By goddesses, that’s brilliant!” The woman patted the girl on the shoulder. “You know, you get this from my side of the family.”

“Good thing, or else I’d get Daddy’s good looks and his brains, not the best combo.” She smirked up at her mother.

“Oh you,” the woman picked up the child and squeezed her tightly.

“So, I just have to yell out to the crowd out there?” Ralnor stared out to waves of people. Even though he knew they weren’t, he swore he saw them all staring at him. Giving reports to his teachers, siblings, and parents watching him was one thing. Yelling out loud to a bunch of strangers was another. His throat ran dry as he started to sweat. “I’m not sure I can do it.”

The girl gave him a pat on the back, “No worries. Just watch a pro in action,” she patted herself on the chest. She then spread her hips out wide and took a deep breath, hollering, “Hello people of Hyrule! We’ve got goods from all over the world! You want leather! we’ve got leather!  You want silk? We’ve got silks! You want spices? We’ve got that and more!. You don’t want to miss out on these amazing goods. Once they are gone, they will be gone! Hurry up and come on down!” The girl then turned her head, holding her hand out. “See really easy!”

The boy gulped and trembled, still staring out of the crowd. He jumped a bit when Ukuri placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sorry, she was born yelling. Trust me I know. Just start with something simple like pretty jewelry for sale.”

“Okay…” the boy sighed. He took a deep breath and yelled “Pretty jewelry for sale!”

This caught the attention of three maidens, a blonde, brunette, and a redhead, who walked by, and they headed over to the stall.

“Hello there, lovely ladies! What can I interest you in today?” Ukuri asked.

"Well, I just heard you had jewelry. Would you happen to have anything for my hair?" the blonde asked.

“I’ve got plenty of those! Just give me a moment!” The merchant requested and left to the back end of the store. She came back with three boxes. She slowly opened them all, revealing various combs, pins, clips, and other various items. Some came in the shape of animals, their eyes or spots shining jewels. Others looked like flowers dipped in gold or silver. Others came in twisted shapes that Ralnor didn’t know how they would be worn, but he still thought they were pretty. “Wow…” Ralnor stared, eyes shining. “I don’t think my Mama has nice jewelry like this.”

“Say Ralnor, how about you pick out something for the lady?” Ukrui asked.

“Me?” the boy jumped and glanced around the boxes. “Um…” he gazed up at the woman. “What would you like? Do you have a costume ready?”

“No. I can’t figure out what I want to wear. I am thinking about something blue though.” She replied.

“Okay,” the boy scanned the boxes, looking over every item. Then he saw what looked like a golden bracelet, the outside covered in pearl-like gems, the clasps two blue clam shells. He picked it up and offered this to the woman. "What do you think? Maybe you could be a mermaid this year?"

“A mermaid! That’s perfect!” the woman clapped her hands. She then took the hairpiece and let down her hair and set it into a high ponytail, the clasp now holding it in place.

“How about you take a look at yourself?” Ukuri offered the customer a mirror.

The woman took a look in the mirror and beamed. “It’s perfect! I’ll take it. Thank you so much, kid."

Ralnor blushed a bit, “Thank you. I just thought I’d pick something that would help make a good costume.”

Cass smiled, hugging her friend. "Way to go! Your first sale! You were amazing! I couldn't have done it any better."

"You've got a knack for this kid," Ukuri commented patting the boy on the shoulder. She offered her hand to the blonde, "I can take that hairpiece and wrap it up for you. Just to keep it safe."

“Thank you, do you have any blue fabric I could use?

“Do you happen to have any silk gloves?” the redhead asked.

“I would love to see your fans!” the brunette inquired.

“Alright. Ralnor, would you mind helping Cass bring out some items?”

Ralnor smiled, “No problem, ma’am.” Ralnor agreed and he headed into the back with Cass, still smiling.

Kanisa sat on the bench, contemplating the issue at hand. She looked over to her mother, trying to round Orana and Tebanam together. She took in a deep breath and called out, “Mama?”

“Orana please don’t mess with the bird cages. You might break them and release the birds,” Zelda commented.

“Mama?” Kanisa tried again.

“Tebanam don’t climb on that table!” Zelda yelled.

The youngest princess sighed as her mother dashed over to her baby brother, making sure he didn’t climb up one of the legs. She then spotted her father and eldest brother looking at some wooden swords and walked over to them.

“What do you think son?” Ganondorf asked.

Covarog paused in swinging the toy, “It feels like the ones at the castle, although the handle feels a bit softer.”

Ganondorf smiled about to turn to a merchant, standing a bit away and shaking just a bit, when a tugging at his leg caused him to look at his daughter Kanisa.

“What is it dear? You find a pretty cloth for your costume or a new book of fairytales?” He asked.

“No, I was wondering why we haven’t gone back for Ralnor yet? It’s been a while,” Kanisa replied.

The king blinked for a moment and then asked, “What?”

“Mama let Ralnor go off to a stall and then we just left him there," Covarog commented, giving his sword a few times. "Remember Papa?"

He then stood up and turned to his wife, holding a pouting Orana’s hand and trying to balance Tebanam on her hip. He took the toddler into his arms before asking, “Zelda have you seen Ralnor lately?”

“Of course, I have.” She stated. “He’s right…” she twisted her head around for a few moments, looking every which way to find her son and then she stopped. “He’s not here.”

“That is obvious.” The king huffed.

“What happened to him?” Zelda now started to scan all over the market for her boy.

“Well the kids say you let him go to a plant stall somewhere,” he replied. He then turned to his children, “Does anyone know where the stall is?”

The older three of the children shook their heads, but Tebanam stuck up his hand declaring, “I know!”

“Oh good, where is your brother darling?” the queen asked.

The boy pointed to his left hand and announced, “That way!” with a wide smile on his face.

Zelda’s face fell a little. She sighed, “All right, anything else?”

“I don’t know.” The youngest stated with a shrug.

Zelda felt a warmth on her shoulder. She looked up to see her husband smiling at her.

“Don’t fret,” Ganondorf said. “This is my fault as well. I should have been paying attention to him too. We’ll find him soon.”

"Thank you, dear, I do hope so." The queen touching the hand on his shoulder. She turned to her other children. “Alright kids, we need to go find your brother.”

Orana asked, “Is he alright?”

"He will be when we find him," Zelda commented.

The royal family set off in the direction of the youngest finger, hoping to find Ralnor soon.

Link to the previous chapter: Prologue A Prince’s Day, A Merchant’s Night

Someday, Someplace Prologue A Prince’s Day, A Merchant’s Night

The royal family of Hyrule was having a wonderful lunch together, sitting around a low table as they ate and talked. Until Zelda opened her mouth and said, “Alright children let’s go over your lessons for the rest of the day.”

The room filled with groans in high pitched tones.

"Aw, Mama do we have to?" Covarog asked.

“Can’t we stay with you and Papa and Tebanam?” Kanisa asked, clinging to her father’s side.

“While I do wish we could spend more time together, you do need to go to your lessons," Ganondorf stated, stroking her head.

“Are you sure we can’t stay with you a little longer?” Ralnor asked.

“I’m sorry dears, lessons come first,” Zelda responded.

“Then can we at least take Teb with us? He’s probably really lonely…” Orana stated.

Said four-year-old was currently grabbing bits of rice and stuffing into his mouth, at the mention of his name he stopped and looked at his sister, let out a squeak.

“Teb is a little too little to go to lessons yet. Next year he will and you can help him.” Zelda replied.

The princess pouted and crossed her arms.

“Now back to your lessons,” Zelda stated, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. “We have Science with Ms. Isley.”

“Yes!” Orana and Ralnor cheered.

“Combat Practice with Klinge.” Zelda continued.

“Yay!” All of the children exclaimed.

“And finally, your etiquette lessons with Mr. Corum.”

Now all the children groaned.

“Why Mama why?” Covarog moaned.

“Do we have to? He’s the worst!” Kanisa argued.

“His lessons are terrible!” Ralnor offered.

The queen sighed, “I know that Mr. Corum lessons may not be a fun class.”

“Mama, they are the opposite of fun. Like the opposite side of the world to fun.” Orana stated.

“Plus, he always makes us sit up so straight my back hurts,” Covarog whined.

“Well maybe if you always sat up straight it wouldn’t always feel so bad,” Zelda commented.

The children huffed all together in response.

“Trust me dears, I had to go through the same lessons when I was your age. It is important as royalty that we have the best manners so no one thinks we are rude. Once you learn all you need to know, then it will be easier and you won’t have any lessons like this,” Zelda replied.

Ralnor glanced at his father, now holding Tebanam trying to wipe the corners of his mouth, and stated, “Papa didn’t have to go through these lessons when he was little and he’s royalty.”

The king smiled, gazing at his son affectionately but when he caught his wife glaring, he stopped. “Well that is true, but I wasn’t born a royal. So, when I married your mother, she gave me all kinds of lessons about manners.”

“Were they boring?” Covarog asked.

“The absolute most boring things I sat through. But now I’m on the other side and no longer have to do those lessons.” He patted the children’s heads. “You will be too. Just smile, do as your teacher asked, practiced and soon no more manner lessons.”

All the children listened, wide-eyed. "Really?"

“Yes, but that won’t be today. So, get to your lessons. At least the sooner you get to lessons, the sooner they will be over.” The king stated. “Now off you go. Your escort is waiting for you outside the room.

“Okay!” They all cheered and gave their parents one hug before heading out.

“Why is it they always listen to you?” Zelda wondered.

Ganondorf beamed, puffing out his chest. “I just know what to say.”

“Besides lying about those lessons,” she mentioned.

“You did teach how to use silverware a couple of times. Longest dinners of my life. Of any life really. Same thing.”

Zelda rolled her eyes, "Yes dear. Of course, they were."

The children’s eyes followed as Professor Isley as walked in front of their desks, her green robes pooling around her body. Her emerald eyes shone brightly as she continued on her lesson. She flicked off one of her red curls from her face as she asked, “Okay, Prince Covarog please tell me about the food chain.” A young woman asked, a piece of chalk in

Covarog stared at Professor Isley. “Um…the food chain is who-eats-who in nature. Plants are eaten by animals and other animals eat them.”

“A rather good summarization, but I would like more details. Would anyone else like to expand on Covarog’s explanation?”

“Well the animals that eat other animals are called predators and the animals that get eaten are called prey,” Kanisa commented.

“That’s very good, your highness. Does anyone else have anything to add?”

Ralnor raised his hand and Isley called on him, “Plants in a food chain are also called producers because they can make their food from sunlight and water. Animals are consumers because they need to eat others for food.”

“Excellent as always Ralnor! Just what I was looking for!” The woman gushed.

“Thank you, ma’am.” The boy smiled.

The woman flipped over her chalkboard, now displaying a large number of animals and plants, connected to each other by a series of arrows. “Now food webs are an interconnected food chain. Take a good look at the chart and tell me what that means.”

The children stared. Covarog tilted and scratched his head. Orana’s head bobbed up and down. Kanisa continued to stare with a frown. Ralnor looked all over the board and then shot up his hand.

The teacher nodded and the boy spoke, “It means that some animals are eaten by more than one kind of animals. Like in the chart, bunnies are eaten by snakes and foxes.”

“Very good Ralnor.”

“But then why are all the arrows pointing up?” Covarog asked. “Shouldn’t they be pointing down to show who eats who?”

“Very good observation your highness. Does anybody have any ideas?”

Ralnor once again raised his hand and the professor called on him. “It’s because it shows how energy flows from producers to consumers and from one consumer to another.”

“Excellent!”

Orana sighed, “This class is sad.”

“What makes it say that?” the teacher asked.

“Well look at those poor birdies and bunnies! They get eaten up by so many other animals!”

“While it is sad that some animals are eaten, it is a part of life. If there were no predators, then all the birds and bunnies would eat all their food, and then they would get hungry. This way this keeps balance. And don’t worry, there will always be more birdies and bunnies then predators.”

“Why is that?” Orana asked.

“It’s just how nature balances out to make sure there are still animals,” responded Isley.

“What about plants? Will there always be plants?” Ralnor asked.

“Why yes,” the teacher smiled. “As long as they have soil and water, plants will always survive. Why do you ask?”

“Well birds and bunnies can run away from predators, but plants can’t move. They are just stuck in the ground by their roots. I just really like plants and I would hate to see them all go.”

Isley smiled, “You truly possess a wonderful mind. While it is true that many plants are defenseless to being eaten, there are some plants have defenses that stop animals from eating them.”

“There are plants can defend themselves?” Ralnor asked, incuriously.

"Yes, some plants will have certain attributes that make animals wary or incapable of eating them. Some plants produce spikes that hurt whoever tries to eat them."

“Is that why the roses in the garden have thorns?” Kanisa asked.

“Or why cacti have their sharp spines?” Orana asked.

“Indeed. Other plants produce liquids that will make animals sick or even kill them if they eat them. Those are known as poisonous plants.”

The prince let out a soft, “Whoa…”

“Whoa indeed. So, it very important to not eat any unfamiliar plants-whether they are berries, roots, or leaves unless an expert tells you it’s okay.

Orana raised her hand and asked, “Is it possible that broccoli is poisonous?”

“No why do you ask?” the teacher replied.

“Because it tastes so bad. How can something like that not make you sick?”

The whole classroom giggled.

“While some plants don’t have the best tastes, they are not poisonous.”

“Mama didn’t pay you to say that, did she?” Ralnor asked.

The teacher laughed again, wiping a tear from your eye. “No again. You little smart-alec you. Now it’s time for all of you to head to your other lessons.”

“Okay,” the children grabbed their books and papers.

Ralnor walked over to the teacher and tugged at her skirt. "Excuse me, Ms. Isley, could you teach us more about poisonous plants?”

“We’ll have to see, but I am very pleased about your curiosity. Never lose that." She stated, tapping his mind.

The boy stared a bit, eyes wide, a bit confused.

“Hey Ralnor, let’s go!” Covarog called out.

“Okay! Goodbye Ms. Isley,” the boy stated and ran off after his brother.

The children took several steps outside the classroom before Covarog paused. “Wait we forgot Del!”

The rest of the pack stopped a few steps before him.

“Who?” Orana asked.

“Our guard for the day, you know, the guy that follows us around the castle for our lessons,” the eldest prince explained.

“Oh yeah!” Orana said.

“Actually, I kind of forget about them after a while,” Ralnor admitted. “So, where is he?”

Kanisa dashed over to the room, peaked inside and giggled, “Found him.”

The rest of the children followed and started to laugh at the sight. Dell sat there at the back of the class in a chair, his tongue hanging out and head tilted, perched on his hand. His eyes followed the teacher as she rubbed to board clean.

Covarog walked over to the knight and knocked on his leg, “Mr. Dell, it’s time to go.”

The soldier didn’t even notice, just sighing and switching hands.

The rest of the siblings joined their brother, gathering around the man. “Oh boy, this one has got it bad,” Kanisa commented.

“I don’t know how we are going to get him out of it," Orana said.

“Me neither, but I do know one thing,” Ralnor said as he looked away from the man.

“What?” Covarog asked.

“Duck!” he hollered and lowered himself.

His siblings turned their heads and quickly ducked too. However, the knight just stared affectionately unaware until it was too late. A chalk eraser smacked him right in the head, causing him to fall over. After a few moments of watching the stars above his head, he quickly dashed off.

The children rose and stared at their teacher, some of her red locks out of the bun, arm stretched out in front of her.

“Sorry,” Ralnor stated.

“It’s not your fault, young prince,” The woman sighed, pulling her locks back into her bun. “Just once I wish your father would find one guard that wouldn’t drool over me.”

“It’ll get better once Ima comes back from her vacation,” Kanisa said.

The teacher sighed, “I do hope she comes back soon. Now I think it’s best for you to go to your next lesson. Especially, since your guard has probably already left the building.”

The kids agreed and left the room. As they walked out, Ralnor commented, “We lose a lot of guards this way.

Now outside, each with a wooden stool, the children waited. They all stood as straight as they could for the guard before them. As all as their papa, Klinge strolled back and forth, his armor gleaming in the sun. He watched with discerning eyes.

“So, tell me, children, what is one of the most important rules in fighting?" the guard asked.

"Keep your stance wide, body lowered," Covarog answered.

"Always protect your face," Ralnor replied.

“Strength comes from the breath not the muscles,” Orana declared.

“Um… That strength isn’t all that matters in a fight. If you just take a second look, then maybe you see there’s another way,” Kanisa squeaked out.

“All good ideas children,” he stated. “Why did you remember those lessons in particular?”

The children blinked for a bit. Ralnor answered first, “Because you said that if we get hit in the face, then we could be knock out and our opponent could really hurt us.”

“Excellent memory, young one.” The knight commented. “Now how about the rest of you?”

“I remember how you said that you have to keep breathing or else your muscles get tired more quickly and you lose strength,” Orana declared. “So, then you can’t hit your opponents hard.

Covarog replied, “I thought of it because if you stand like that, it’s harder for your opponent to knock us off your feet. It’s hard to fight while on the ground.”

Kanisa messed with her feet, “Um…you said that you didn’t have to be the strongest to win the fight. Sometimes thinking how you would hit your opponent could important as how hard you hit them. I really liked it that thought so I remembered it.”

The Darknut hummed, “All good answers. Now onto the lesson,” the man turned away from the children. The princes and princesses waited for the next words, but he remained silent. The heirs just stared at his back.

“Um…Uncle Klinge?” Kanisa squeaked out.

The man roared and swung his blade at the children. Covarog and Orana braced themselves with their swords, close to them.  Ralnor held the blade out in his outstretched arms. Kanisa held her blade with only one hand and shielded her face with the other.

Klinge just stopped a few inches away from the wood. Then he set the sword on his shoulder. “Pretty good response. But you will need to work on your guarding skills.”

“What?” Ralnor asked.

“Uncle Klinge you really scared us!” Kanisa stated, hands on hips as she stomped.

“Ha! I wasn’t scared!” Orana stated.

"Your knees are shaking," Covarog mentioned.

Orana pouted and gave her older brother a light punch.

“What was that for?” Ralnor asked.

"When learning how to fight, you must learn how to protect yourself from any attacks," Klinge stated.  “You could be attacked at any time. You must be prepared to defend yourselves. Covarog, Orana, good response. Just need to work angling your weapons for utmost protection. Ralnor you need to keep your weapon close to you for best defense. Kanisa you need to make sure to actually defend yourself. We will keep doing this until you have a proper defensive stance.” He then let out another roar.

After about two hours, the Darknut let down his sword, “Alright, that’s enough for today. Remember children that you need to always be alert. Always ready to strike.”

“Yes sir,” the kids agreed. Sweat covered all over their bodies, but their smiles streached across their faces. Klinge’s lessons were one of the toughest they had, but they were always exciting.

“Especially you Kanisa.”

The youngest princess flinched and nodded. "Yes, sir."

The man sighed, kneeling to the ground and patted her head. “Child, please know that I am tough on you only because I want to make sure that you are ready to fight.”

“I don’t really want to fight people…” the princess replied.

“I know, you don’t. But doesn’t mean there will not people or monster that want to fight you. And they won’t take no for answer.” The knight stood up tall. “I wish I could protect you, all of you, all the time. But I can’t. So, I want to make sure you can defend yourself.”

“I understand Uncle Klinge. I’m sorry I’m so scared,” Kanisa replied.

“It’s alright. It’s only natural to feel that way when attacked. However, you can’t let your emotions control you in a fight. I know you will be a great fighter someday.”

Kanisa let out a small smile before looking down at the ground again.

Covarog stood there for a moment and suggested, “Maybe there’s a different way to test our reflexes?”

“What?” Klinge asked.

“You want to be able to hit anyone that comes at us in any direction, right? So, what if there’s a way to do that without you scaring us so much?” Covarog offered.

"That is an interesting thought…What do you suggest prince?"

“Um…honestly that’s as far as I got,” The eldest admitted.

Ralnor glanced and asked, “How about you throw something at us, and we try to avoid it?”

“What?” Orana asked.

“Well I mean, if you could throw something at us, from all around, then we would get better at blocking something all around. I don’t know what, but I think that might work.” Ralnor offered.

“That sounds great!” Covarog stated.

“That does sound like a rather interesting concept.” The Darknut admitted. “But I’m not sure what we could use.”

“How about balls? I mean if they are small and not that hard.” Orana offered.

“That’s perfect!” Ralnor exclaimed. “Plus, we could try to hit the balls with our swords so we can better at those too.”

“That would be an ideal object,” the knight agreed. He then looked at Kanisa, “What do you think?”

The princess glanced up in her thoughts before replying, “It doesn’t sound so bad. As long as the balls are not too hard.”

“I’ll see what I can do, however, I may throw them as hard as you can," the dark nut stated. "You have to prepare for all kinds of attacks."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Orana stated.

“Why not?” Klinge suggested.

“Well if you hit us, you’d break a bone. And if you miss us, you’d break a window or wall or something. Do you really want Mama and Papa to yell at you for that?”

The children chuckled and after a few moments, the knight joined. “I suppose you are right. I’ll try going easy on you for now.”

"Thank you, Uncle Klinge," Kanisa smiled. And wrapped her arms around as much of the man as she could. Her siblings joined in and the knight returned the embrace.

“Alright children, now time for you to go to your next lesson,” Klinge commented.

All of the kids groaned.

“No Uncle Klinge can’t we stay with you?” Kanisa pleaded.

“We…wanna do more training!” Ralnor declared.

“Come on, just a few more minutes?” Covarog questioned.

All of the children’s eyes grew extremely wide, like a bunch of puppies looking up at hopeful owners.

The man rubbed his chin, “I’m assuming that this next lesson is with Mr. Corum.”

Orana groaned, “Yes! He is the worst!”

“While I do agree that Corum can be disagreeable, it is important for you to learn your manners too.”

“Even more important to defend ourselves?” Ralnor pondered, a light tone to his voice.

The knight smirked, “I see what you are doing and they are of equal importance. You have great intelligence Ralnor, you need to learn to use it all situations. Not just trying to flattering your teachers. Now children go.”

The children let out one last sigh and hug before heading to the last class.

When they approached an oak door, a sense of dread filled the air. Covarog swallowed. Ralnor glared. Kanisa shivered and Orana placed an arm around her, despite her shaking hands.

“It’s only for a few hours. Then we won’t have to see him for a few days.” Covarog stated.

"You always say that," Orana said.

“But it’s true.” The eldest prince stated.

“Remember what Mama said about meanies, just smile and agree until they leave?” Kanisa suggested.

"Good idea," Ralnor stated.

"But I bet he'll find something wrong with those too," Orana stated.

“Well, we can’t wait out here forever. He’ll yell at us for being late.” Covarog stated and knocked on the door, "It's us, Mr. Corum. We are here for our lesson.”

“Come on,” a deep voice boomed.

The eldest opened the door, revealing a short man with a thick black mustache and pointed ears waiting in front of a desk. His black robes swished as he walked to the kids. He stopped right before them, pointing his ruler right at Covarog's nose.  “None of you are on time,” he declared.

Ralnor glanced over his brother’s shoulders to the grandfather that ticked and tocked loud enough for the children to hear. “But sir we are two minutes early,” he argued.

“You must be on time, your highnesses. If you are late, you will appear sloppy to your hosts. If you are early then you are inconveniencing them by not giving them enough time. Now come, we are discussing ball etiquette today.

The children glanced at each, exasperated. Mr. Corum’s lessons were always long. This one would probably the longest yet.

After an eternity or about two hours, the children had droned into their heads all about proper attire, table manners, and almost everything and anything nobody really wanted to know about balls.

“Now as the ball commences, what will you be doing?” Corum asked, pointing at the crown prince with a ruler.

“I will be mingling with nobles and dancing with the young ladies?” the prince answered.

“While your confidence makes me worry about this kingdom, your answer is correct.”

The prince crouched down in his seat.

“Sit up straight!” He bellowed, rapping the desk with his ruler.

All of the children jumped as they sat up straighter than ever.

“Now as you hopefully know there are several dances performed in succession at the ball....”

Ralnor scratched feverously at his notes trying to get as much down. The teacher stopped for a moment and the boy took a moment to breathe. He glanced away for a moment to see what made the teacher stopped. His heart stopped when he saw Kanisa’s hand raised, shaking but her eyes looked determined.

Corum raised his brow. “Finally, some willing participation from you. What is it you would like to say, young lady?"

“I was wondering, if it would be alright, I dance for people at the ball?” the princess wondered.

“What?” the teacher asked.

“Papa told me that when Gerudo have guests, especially foreign ones, often a princess would dance for them. I mean, it won't happen until I'm all grown up, but do you think it would be alright?" Kanisa wondered.

The man sneered, “While I do appreciate you trying to be involved, your…dancing would never be suitable for a ball.”

“Not even if I practiced really hard?” she asked, eyes watering.

“It is not your technique the people would find vulgar, it is the dancing yourself. Twirling around in revealing clothing, it is unseemly for a Hylian princess. Everyone would laugh at you and your family. It would be best to keep your Gerudo customs as far away from the court as you can.”

Kanisa eyes now filled with tears, but she looked up at the teacher, “Alright sire. Thank you for answering my question.

“Yes, well back to the lesson,” the man stated and turned his back on his students.

Orana stood there, mouth opened wide. Covarog glared at him, fists clenched. For a moment, it looked like they would yell at their teacher. With a screech on the tile, one chair parted as its owner stood up. But no one could believe who it was. Ralnor, completely red in the face, hollered, “Why can’t she dance?”

The man turned around, “What?”

The boy stomped, “Kanisa said the Gerudo used to this for all foreign visitors. That includes Hylians too. And they liked it then. Why wouldn’t they like it now?”

“Because that kind of dancing is not proper for a Hylian princess, as I’ve said.” The teacher reiterated.

“But Kanisa is also a Gerudo princess too. So, shouldn’t she also follow Gerudo traditions too? Why should act like she’s not Gerudo when she is?”

“Ralnor I always thought you were the most…civil of your siblings. Please don’t break that thought.”

“I don’t care about what you think about me! You shouldn’t be mean to my little sister, or anyone because they are Gerudo.”

The man squared his shoulders and pointed at the prince, “You boy, should be a good prince and be quiet and content that you have the life you have. As nothing more than a second-born prince, you won’t be much use to the kingdom so at least learn to behave as to not embarrass Hyrule.

The boy slumped his shoulders, dropping his jaw. He squeaked out a soft, “What?”

"Hey, you can't talk to my little brother that way!" Covarog roared

“Stop picking on my family!’ Orana bellowed.

“Now see here you-” The man retorted before loud gonging cut him off. Everyone glanced to see the clock tower, longhand at twelve. He let out a huff, “Well looks like class is over for the day. But don’t think I won’t remember this. I’ll alert your parents of this unruly behavior. And you will receive extra homework, not only do I want a three-page paper on the dos and don’ts of proper ball behavior, I want a four-page paper of what one should expect at a ball's meal, along with complete coverage of manners of the ball, which utensil to use when, how to excuse yourself, proper points of discussion and more.”

“Aw!” the children grumbled.

“Silence. Or else I’ll give you an extra assignment on the proper dress and I will want to you detail every piece down to the stitching on the socks and every button. Now out!”

The children quickly scurried out of the room. The man turned his back out of the room, grumbling. Orana made a quick trip back and stuck her tongue, complete with raspberry sound. However, Ralnor pulled her out of the doorway before the man whipped around to see an empty frame.

Once they made their way to their parent’s office, Zelda stood there before her desk giving one of her famous glares to the children, arms crossed. Ganondorf knelt to the side with Tebanam as he played with some blocks in the corner. Zelda started, “While I do know that you don’t care much for Mr. Corum’s lessons, your behavior today was inexcusable. Disrupting a lesson, talking back to a teacher, I know you are all young but you really need to learn how to behave.”

Ganondorf walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, “Now dear. It’s true its not their favorite class, but our children wouldn’t do anything like this without reason. The rest of the tutors give glowing praises about the children’s actions” he gave a quick glance at Orana, “Most of the time.”

“Hey!” Orana shouted.

There was a slight giggle in the room but Zelda’s glare stopped it.

“It wouldn’t be like them if all of them were acted up. There has to be a reason. Let the children speak,” Ganondorf explained.

Ralnor took a deep breath and opened his mouth but Kanisa declared, “It’s all my fault!”

Everyone stared at the little princess. “Kanisa?” Zelda asked.

“I asked Mr. Corum if I could dance at the ball when I’m older Gerudo style like Papa said his daughters used to for his guests. But Mr. Corum said it wouldn't be appropriate for a Hylian princess. I accepted it, but Ralnor didn’t and got mad at him. And the two of them started fighting. And then Covarog and Cass got mad and yelled too.  And that’s when Corum got angry and gave us homework. It’s all my fault, I should never have asked my question. I’m sorry.”

"No!" Ralnor yelled. "I'm the one who got into a fight with Mr. Corum. I couldn't understand why he didn't want Kanisa to dance Gerudo style because she was a Hylian  princess. I mean she's a Gerudo princess too, and Corum is supposed to teach us all about traditions, right? Why shouldn’t she dance like a Gerudo if she’s Gerudo too.”

“And when Ralnor asked these questions,” Covarog interjected, “He said some weird things to Ralnor, so I got mad.”

“So, did I-we couldn’t take what he said anymore!” Orana declared.

“Wait wait wait a moment-what did Corum say to you Ralnor?” the mother asked.

Ralnor took a deep breath and answered, “Well he said I was nothing more than a second-born prince, that I won’t be useful to Hyrule, and I should work hard to not embarrass it.” He looked up to his parents, his big teal eyes wider than ever and asked, “What did he mean?

Zelda knelt down and hugged him tightly for a moment before looking him in the eye. “Ralnor none of that is true. Well, you are second born prince. But you are more than that. You are smart, kind, curious, and your papa and I love you so very much. We wouldn’t change”

The boy returned the hug and then let go. He smiled for a moment, “But what about me being useful?”

“Uh well…you see…” Zelda started.

Now Ganondorf joined his wife on his knees, now taking his hands. “My son,” he started. "What Corum say is true to a point. Because Covarog will be king, lots of people will want to talk with him: the nobles, foreign visitors, the commoners. So much that they might ignore you in order to be with him. And there will be a time when Mama and I will be focused on your brother so we can teach him how to be king.” He squeezed the little hands, “However, let me tell you this, your mama is right. We love you just as much as we love Covarog. Perhaps the court may not see it, but the people who truly love you will and love you for it.”

Ralnor stared wide-eyed at his papa, “Uh…”

The king smiled, “It is alright you don’t understand now. Just know that Mama, Papa, Ima, Klinge, and your siblings love you and that’s all that matters.”

“Okay,” the boy said brightly. He hugged his father who eagerly returned the embrace. Zelda, Covarog, Orana, and Kanisa joined in. Tebanam noticed the group and wrapped as much as his little arm could on the family group.

Zelda broke up the hug, stood up and cleared her throat, “Well now that I understand why you acted up in class. This time it’s excusable, but I do hope you will try to refrain from yelling at your teachers from now on.”

“Yes mama,” Covarog, Ralnor, and Kanisa agreed.

“Unless they start it?” Orana asked.

Zelda put her hands on her hips, “Under any circumstances, young lady.”

Orana nervously smiled, “Okay mama.”

“And now that’s settled,” Ganondorf stated as he rose up, “We can start discussing important things.”

“Like what?” Ralnor asked.

“Like which stalls you really want to see when we go out tomorrow to look over preparations for Daourfel,” Ganondorf announced.

The children cheered and squealed. Tebanam clapped his hands and yelled along with his siblings.

“I wanna look at the animal stalls!” Orana declared.

“Can we please go to the book stalls?” Ralnor said.

“Please? Please? Please, Papa, we've got to see books!” Kanisa asked.

“Toys too please!” Covarog asked.

“Toys please!” Tebanam repeated.

“Alright! Alright!” the king chuckled. “We will talk about it and make a plan. Now go and wash up for dinner.”

The kids scrambled over to the washroom, Kanisa leading Tebanam by holding his hand. Just as Ganondorf was about to follow, Zelda caught him by the hand. She leaned into his large figure, wrapping her arms around as much of his waist as she could. “Thank you. You really do know what to say to make the kids feel better.”

“I do my best.” He stated, wrapping an arm around his wife. “You too said the truth. I just hope that when the time comes, he really understands what I am saying.”

“It’s just a matter of time before he grasps it. He’s a smart kid. They all are,” Zelda stated.

“That they get from you dear,” Ganondorf beamed.

“Flatterer,” she smirked.

The king bent leaned into each other when there was a loud splash and a series of "Uh-ohs.” And the parents sighed.

“Never a calm moment with the children around,” Zelda sighed.

“At least it’s not dull,” he stated.

The parents smiled at each other, gave a quick laugh, and rushed to settle an overflow of soap, water spilled all over the floor, and several wet children.

After everything was settled in the bathroom, the royal family ate dinner, planning their next day. Then it was time for bed. But just as Ralnor pulled the sheets over himself, he sat up and he asked, “What will I be when I grow up?”

Zelda and Ganondorf turned towards their son. “What dear?” the mother asked.

"Well, I'm not going to be the king like you said. So, what will I be?”

"You'll be a prince, you will always be a prince," Zelda replied. “You can help your brother run the kingdom, go on trips, help him with the plans all kinds of things.”

“And you can be something else,” Ganondorf interjected. “Rinku is a princess and she goes out on adventures and fights monsters. You can travel all you want or stay at home, just do what you like.”

“What I like?” the prince asked

“Exactly-you can write books since you love to read. Or you can travel around learning about all the different plants in the world.” The king commented.

“Can I learn about the poisonous plants in the world too?” the prince asked.

Zelda winched a bit, “Where…did you learn about them from?”

“Ms. Isley told us in class about plants that defend themselves by making liquid so that when animals eat them, they can get sick or even die. Doesn’t that sound amazing?” The boy said awestruck.

“Ah yes, but those are very dangerous Ralnor. You have to be really careful or else you could get hurt too,” Zelda warned.

“I will be Mama, I promise,” Ralnor said.

Ganondorf sat down on the bed, creaking and slumping underneath his weight, “You know, Ralnor. I wager no matter what you choose. I know you are going to be great at it, even famous for it.”

“Really?” the boy smiled, pushing himself up.

“Yep, I bet someday there will be a day where there’ll be a crowd cheering your name.” The king picked up the boy, holding him up in the air. “I can just hear them now! ‘Ralnor!’ ‘Ralnor!’” he chanted as he bobbed the boy, now laughing.

“Ganondorf, it's bedtime," Zelda warned lightly. “No sense in winding him up.”

“Yes. Right.” The king slipped the boy back into the sheets and gave him a kiss on the head. “Goodnight Ralnor. I love you.”

"I love you too Papa. I love you, Mama. Night."

“Goodnight my love.” The queen cooed and kissed him on the forehead, patted his head.

The parents watched as their boy slowly dropped into his dreams. The king noticed the forlorn look in his wife’s eyes. “What?”

Zelda lamented, “It’s just…while I don’t have as many memories as you, I once do recall having an older brother. We got along well until my father confided in me about my relation to the goddess and how it would be my duty to keep the Triforce safe. When my father died and my brother assumed the throne, he wanted to know where it was, but I was hesitant to tell him. He persisted, even hiring a magician to torture me. Out of anger at my resistance, he cursed me into a deep sleep. The next thing, I know the hero was standing by my bed, smiling. That’s really all I remember from that life. I don’t recall if my brother and I ever made up or even met again, given how long I was asleep. I know that the duties between our sons won’t be like this, but I can imagine how Ralnor may become envious of the power and influence Covarog will have someday.”

Ganondorf let out a snort, “Well at least you didn’t have mothers, aunts, sisters, and cousins try to dump all political responsibility from the trade, guard, to visiting on you the moment you became of age so they could have fun. And while I did have a first-born daughter that eventually took my place, none of their sisters were pressured to be as like them.” He turned his wife towards him, hands in hers.  “I know this uncertain ground for us, but I’m sure that we can raise Ralnor with all the love and attention he'll need. Eventually, he'll find something that will capture his attention, like Orana with animals or Kanisa with music, and any envy he'll have for his brother will fade in favor for passion in life pursuit.”

Zelda sighed and smiled, “Again you know what to say. Thank you so much, dear." She stood on her tip toes and reached around her husband’s neck. He eagerly bent down to close the distance and they kissed. After the embrace, the queen glanced between her husband and child.

“What?”

“Is just that…poisonous plants? That is what he finds interesting? I always wondered what side effects marrying a demon king could have and now I think I’m seeing the side effects.”

“Well I think I’ve seen some books on the subject in the library, so he can’t be the only one. Besides, I can’t take full responsibility here, there are some pretty shady teaching in Sheikah training."

Ralnor continued to sleep, oblivious to his parents’ chuckles and quips. Instead, he stood, as tall and big as his papa, in front of a huge crowd, spreading as far as he could see. And just like his papa said, they were all cheering his name. And Ralnor loved every moment of it.

Several miles away from the castle, a guard in armor yawned as he glanced at the papers in front of him. He glanced at the man in front of him. A short chubby, black-haired Hylian, dressed in a nice clean shirt, a leather vest embroidered with golden vines, and pants with boots. And then he glanced at the line of four carts trailing out behind this first man. “Seems like everything is in order,” he mumbled.

The merchant smiled, “Great! Thank you, sir, and hope you can get some sleep soon.” The man bowed and jumped up back into the cart behind him. He cracked the reins and his two horses pulled the cart slowly away.

The guard idly watched the next three carts: the first a thin man with blonde hair who smiled broadly, the second man muscular with brown hair who gave a nod, and finally a red-haired who barely looked older than a teenager who glanced but quickly turned back to the road in front of him. “Just a normal caravan,” the knight thought and headed into the station when the last cart caught his eye. Rather the large robed figure sitting at its bench, face obscured their hood, even in the low burning lamplight. The robe even covered their hands “Oi who are you?” he yelled out.

The figure flinched, halting the cart. “Me sir?” A deep woman’s voice answered.

“What are you hiding underneath that hood? Let me see.” The man stepped forward and started to reach for the fabric. The woman turned her head but didn't object or run.

“Hey why are you touching my sister!” the man leading the group hollered, just before the guard reached the hood.

“Sister?” the knight stated, glancing between the two. “What-”

“She’s got burns on her face! Check the papers, she’s with me!”

The knight grumbled, taking back his hand. He started to shift through the papers until he stopped at one. He squinted and read, “O-ko-wi?”

“Ukuri,” the woman replied. “Exotic name from an exotic mother.”

“See? Now let her go!” he hollered.

“Okay…okay yeesh! Sorry if hoods are suspicious!” the knight hollered and waved them away.

The woman sighed and cracked her reigns. For a while the group just traveled, the wheels squeaking and a few horses’ huffing the only sounds between the group. However, the first man turned around just in time for the lamp at the station to go dark. He called out, “Hey Ukuri! It’s safe now!”

The whole group let out a huge sigh. The woman flipped her hood back, revealing her brown skin, yellow eyes and a short crop of red hair. "Thanks, Mabal. You saved my life back there.”

“Finally go out with me on a date and we’ll call ourselves even,” the man yelled. Even with the distance, Ukuri could see the cheeky grin on the man’s face.

The blonde commented, "And afterward, the rest of us will have to pitch in for the doctor’s bills after she drives you crazy.”

"I agree with Jabok," the brunette laughed. “However, I think that the bills will be to fix his legs.”

"Well if she keeps turning me down, Kino, I'll end up at the doctor's with a broken heart!" Mabal exclaimed.

The three men laughed their heads off. The fourth man continued to shake and stare ahead.

Ukuri called out, “Hey Lobo, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m in now so relax.

The redhead sighed, "Sorry ma'am. I just didn't want anything to happen to you or Cass."

The woman smiled, “Aw! Aren’t you sweet? Good to see a few months on the road, you haven’t been completely corrupted.”

“Give us some more time!” Mabal called out. “You’ve been cuddling him under your wing, you’d think you were the boy’s mother. Speaking of kids, how’s our little mascot?”

"Well, she's…” Ukuri started as she turned to her cart. However, she spotted at the very end, a small red bump peeked out from underneath the tarp.

The Gerudo woman gave out a small chuckle. She turned away, and stated loudly, “Don’t worry. Cass is fast asleep like she should be since we have a big day setting up our booth tomorrow and not staying up late. And if she isn’t, she’s got to beat to all the rugs for everyone when we hit the road again.”

There was a small gasp and the bump retreated underneath the trap, slithering around. The sound of snoring quickly filled the air. However, just as the bump reached the end of the cart, right behind the woman, she pulled it up reveal a Gerudo girl, dressed in white pajamas on her hands and knees right above a small pile of furs.

“Whoopsie…” the girl let out with an awkward grin. “So…rug duty in like two months??”

“No…but don’t tempt me,” the woman scolded lightly. She offered a hand and the girl took it, helping herself up and into the seat.

“Sorry, mommy. I couldn’t sleep. I mean, we are here! In Hyrule!” Cass stated, arms out wide.

“So, what were you expecting staying up late-dragons and fairies flying overhead?” Kino asked.

"No…but that would be really cool," Cass admitted.

“True, especially with the profits we could make on all those scales," Mabal answered. “However, I think that Hyrule can be just like any other country we’ve been too. It’s got grass, trees, roads-nice ones I’ve got to admit, and plenty of customers.”

“Are you sure sir? I’ve heard stories,” Lobo started.

"About the golden goddess, the demon king, and the Hero of Time? Please, you think we'd be that lucky to be born in such a time?" Jabok commented.

“More like unlucky,” Ukuri huffed. She sighed then said loudly. “Let’s just keep our noses clean and our hands off the barmaids and this venture should be a nice profit for all of us.”

“We will if you will!” Jabok declared.

The whole group burst into laughter, clutching their sides and wiping some tears falling tears. The men soon continued on various conversations, mainly talking about various goods and hopeful customers.

As she tried to follow the talks, Cass leaned into her mother. She clung onto the woman’s body. She asked, looking down, “Do you think we’ll be safe here?”

The woman pulled the child closer, keeping her large hand on her shoulder. “We will be. Just keep smiling and keep out of trouble and we should be okay.” Ukuri moved Cass’s head to so she could look the child in the eye. “Okay?” The woman smiled.

Cass smiled and nodded, “Okay.”

Ukuri rubbed Cass’s head, “Come on, be confident! We’ve got the caravan and you’ve got me. And You’ll always have me, monkey.”

Cass yawned, rubbing her eyes. Ukuri moved the child so now she lay on her lap. “Sleep tight kiddo, we’ve got a long day tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you too, mommy,” the little girl mumbled before snuggling into her mother’s thighs. After the child’s breathing slowed, Ukuri gazed turned to the horizon, a town with a large castle silhouetted by the moonlight, slowly coming into view. “We’ll be okay,” she mumbled to herself. She brushed the girl’s hair. “We’ll be okay.”