#lotus!!

When Link got to the bakery, he didn’t immediately notice anything wrong. The backdoor was unlocked. Nothing was broken or out of place. There were dishes drying next to the synch and containers of ingredients on the clean counter ready to prepare tomorrow’s doughs. He could see some already on their first rise, and assumed that there could even be some already in the ice box. It was as if Rowan had merely stepped outside or upstairs to take a short break, and would return any moment. But when he called out Rowan’s name, there was no response. The front of the bakery was just as empty, the room dim as the sun was already going down for the evening. The display cases were empty, the linens that lined the baskets replaced with clean ones. Link took the stairs two at a time, sure he would find Rowan in their apartment. Perhaps taking a break to make a snack or check on some notes or paperwork in their shared office.  The apartment was dark and cold, no lanterns or fireplaces lit for the evening. It was as if Rowan hadn’t been up here since he went down to the bakery in the early hours of the morning. Link tried to tamp down the worry. Just because Rowan wasn’t in the bakery doesn’t mean something bad had happened. Maybe he stepped out to visit one of the neighbors. But he always locked the door in that case. Rowan never left the doors unlocked when no one was inside. It didn’t matter how safe their neighborhood was, it was a chance Rowan had never been willing to take. Which meant that the day Rowan had given him a key to the bakery and the apartment had been even more special. Link placed a hand over his chest, above where the key hung on a sturdy chain alongside his ring. It was a comforting weight against his chest no matter where he found himself. It was only when he came back in the kitchen that he saw it. A folded piece of parchment tucked under the canister of sugar. He hadn’t noticed it before, too hidden by the things on the counter to see until he got this close. Link reached for the note, eyebrows furrowed. Would Rowan have left a note like this? And why leave the door unlocked? But the writing on the parchment wasn’t Rowan’s neat script or even the messier scrawl he used when in a hurry. No, the words were bold and heavy, the letters pressed so hard into the parchment that it was a wonder it hadn’t ripped. And the message sent a jolt of horror through Link. If you ever want to see the red-head again, come to the abandoned fort west of Castle Town. Alone and unarmed. If you breathe a word to anyone, well, I can’t imagine a baker is as used to pain as a soldier like you. -V

Or he thought that would be the case until he heard the back door open. “Link?” When he received no answer, Rowan frowned. He slid the bowl of flour away from the edge of the counter and hung the dish towel he’d been holding on a nearby hook. He walked towards the door. Maybe Link had his hands full and was too distracted to answer. But when he caught sight of the backdoor, it wasn’t Link walking in. There was a thick fog rolling in through the door, too thick and quick to be natural. And then through the fog stepped one of the largest men that Rowan had ever seen. He had shining red armor, too sharp and spiked to be a the armor of a knight from the Hyrulean army. A helmet with protruding metal horns shadowed his face and a long plume of orange hair streamed from the back. Rowan took a step back. He recognized the man — the disgraced knight Volga, traitor to the kingdom and presumed dead after the war. Volga stepped towards him with a speed and confidence that only made Rowan’s heart beat faster. He glanced behind him, trying to find a weapon or an escape route. He wasn’t sure he could reach either in time. “Mr. Hawthorne. How nice to meet you.” Rowan didn’t respond. His back hit the kitchen counter, and he grasped behind himself, hoping to find a kitchen utensil or something. The fog rolled into the kitchen, swirling at his feet and beginning to rise around him. “Speechless, hmm? I suppose I do have that effect on people. Link certainly couldn’t speak around me.” Volga stepped forward towards Rowan. His looming presence made the kitchen shrink around Rowan. As he came closer, Rowan could see the light glinting against Volga’s teeth as his grin turned sharp. “Now, I hope you’ll come quietly. We need to have words with Captain Link.” Rowan opened his mouth — to protest or scream or question, he wasn’t even sure. Before he could make a sound, something grabbed his head at the temples. The grip was cold as ice. The fingers were tight and bony against his skin, and from where they touched, a shockwave of ice cold pain shot through him. Rowan gasped and his knees buckled as his connection to his limbs seemed to be severed. The fog rose up around him as his vision went spotty. The last thing he heard was a cackling laughter and Volga scolding someone before his vision went black and he knew no more.

Thank you ❤️

Hmmm, definitely not yet at the current point in Through Fire We Soar. I have toyed with the idea for a future story though! There's a scrapped idea where they meet, but that story was based on some world building and character detail things I decided to rework. I might write it out some time as a deleted scene though!

so then i am 90% sure it was the pineapple