Oh my - yesh the thread of this story is pulling at me rather relentlessly - so I decided it needed to get out of my head. The flashbacky sort of stuff here is actually needed to make some of the events that will happen later make sense - curse the character development team screaming in my head.

Reunion

by achitka

Lem's Education

Sitting at his kitchen table, Lem rolled the empty teacup in his hands as he mulled things over once the Princess and Toma left. Even after finding out just who the girl was, Lem was not inclined to volunteer any information. Lyeis already told him the recruiters had been in town for weeks and it just seemed odd that she would ask why his father would be headed to Hyrule, since it was common knowledge throughout the village. The Princess also did not ask any questions regarding Lunnaei, nor did she ask if anyone accompanied his father, so he decided it must be information that she already had. The hairs on his neck twitched with every question, as if trying to warn him that something about all this was not what it appeared to be so Lem stuck to facts. He told her about the letter and invitation to do some commission work, but instead of telling them he was headed for the Eastern Province; he said his father was headed for Castletown.

He learned the ‘situation at the border’ that the Princess referred to earlier actually involved the Goron and she suggested he join their party, if only for security’s sake. Still Lem got the feeling that her ‘suggestion’ was more of an indirect order. She went on to tell him that for the past few weeks the border crossings were closed so was curious as to how his father might have entered Hyrule. While Lem did have an idea or two, he kept them to himself and told the Princess that his father had actually left earlier than that, so most likely went through the pass before it was officially closed.

Though the Princess outwardly appeared to accept this answer, something in her demeanor left Lem wondering if perhaps she had a few of her own. She likely knew all the stories of the Hero of Time. She was the Princess of Hyrule after all, third in line to succession to the throne behind her older brothers. Now the Princess of Hyrule specifically named his father the Chosen Hero of Destiny. The Hero of Time, Bearer of the Triforce of Courage and wielder of the Sword of Evil’s bane, the Master Sword. A figure of legendary proportions no matter how you looked at it.

Lem always assumed he knew nothing very specific about his father’s past since his father’s only comments regarding it were often times vague and unhelpful. When Lem remembered the odd assortment of people who’d pass through the village from Hyrule that knew his father in the past, you’d think he’d have figured it out, since it was in fact his father that trained him to fight. If all the stories of the Hero he’d been told since childhood were true. He knew his father’s past in minute detail.

There was still a gap in that history of almost thirteen years. From the time the hero finished his quest, to the time he came to the tiny speck that was Durstin at the age of twenty-three, over forty years prior. The village was nothing more than an outpost and a much rougher place back then. His mother said Rinku drifted in from Hyrule like so many others and for whatever reason, stayed and though well past the age, he was apprenticed to and later adopted by the Master Potter Touji Namaki.

With him, his father learned a trade, got married, settled down and started a family. By the time he was eight years old, Lem was quite sure if his father wasn’t the military sort, but that did not stop Lem from nagging his father constantly to teach him how to fight. That’s what father’s were supposed to do. When his father initially refused, Lem didn’t really care since he was expecting that answer and fell in with a group of teenagers. They were a bit rough, but they at least taught him what he thought he wanted to learn. By age ten Lem thought himself a right proper warrior and challenged his father to a skirmish. Once again, his father refused. At the time Lem took this as sign of cowardice on his father’s part. He did not understand why his father was so afraid to fight him.

When the village found itself under attack later that same year by band of notorious outlaws, Lem was actually excited at the chance to show off his skills. It was a daring raid happening so close to sunrise they caught everyone unawares. Eleven of the outlaws that attacked that day were killed, most by arrows but Lem didn't know at the time it was his father that shot them. In the aftermath it was discovered that two of the Leyton girls were missing, Teresa and her older sister, Rose. Lem knew Teresa; she was a year younger and kinda annoying, being the village school's know-it-all. Her sister Rose was a few years older and very beautiful. A posse was formed to bring the girls back and they left the village just before sundown.

Lem was barely twelve at the time so was not allowed to join in. His father likewise did not join the posse but he did attend the meeting and listened to the then mayor John Durstin. Lem watching from balcony was surprised when his father told them flat out, they'd never catch the kidnappers going off half-cocked. After being shouted down by the more aggressive group, his father left the meeting hall. This only served to further cement Lem conclusion that his father was a coward. Embarrassed by his father’s behavior, Lem edged his way toward the exit in hopes he wouldn’t be seen and was confused by what he saw outside.

The missing girls’ mother, Trinia Leyton, stood before his father calmly pleading with him to find her daughters. Lem couldn't hear everything that was being said, but it sounded like she was reminding him that they'd met once a long time ago. His father’s expression was unreadable, but something changed as his father nodded and went home. Why she would think his father could help was a mystery to him.

After watching the riders leave, Lem went to talk to his mother. He found her in the kitchen and Lem wondered at the expression of worry on her face as she stared out the window. He could see his father now sat beneath that cherry tree, staring at the sword that was stuck in the ground in front of him. Where the hell did he get that, Lem wondered. He was about to ask when his mother said without turning, “Go with him, Lem. Make sure he remembers to come home.”

It was a strange thing for his mother to say but when Lem looked out again, he realized his father was up and moving in the opposite direction that the posse had taken. The sword was now strapped on his father’s back and Lem could tell his father was headed for the forest. A bit irritated, Lem followed his mother’s instructions and trailed after his father as he entered a nearby cornfield. He had no idea where his father was going or what he was up to, but Lem decided there was no point in stopping now and continued to follow as his father. Lem watched and wondered as his father kept his eyes on the ground, skirting the edge of the forest.

His father knelt down only once, touching something on the ground and abruptly turned into the woods. When Lem caught a moment or two later, he knelt in the same place and saw the lone hoof print, mixed with several deer tracks. Lem started down the deer path half lost in thought. There hadn't been much rain this year so the ground was pretty hard. Anybody would have missed that who wasn’t trained for it so it surprised him how easily his father picked up and was able to track the brigands through these dense woods.

If his father knew he was there he gave no sign but he never got far enough ahead that Lem lost sight of him. As they traveled silently and steadily through the night, Lem wondered how his father managed to keep moving, since he was already dead tired. He also knew that if he stopped to rest now, he’d be hopelessly lost.

The sounds of an encampment brought Lem to a halt and he realized he could no longer see his father and felt a moment of panic. A hand slipped quietly over his mouth from behind and the whispered voice of his father said, "It's just me, Lem."

Lem nodded and his father lowered his hand to his shoulder and asked, “Why are you here, son?”

“I can help, Pop.”

“Can you? You don’t have a weapon, what will you do?”

“I can…I don’t know.”

His father closed his eyes and went very still as the sounds of the camp flowed to them through the stillness of night. Lem noticed his father’s fingers were tapping on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, his father opened his eyes and sighed as if resigning himself to something unpleasant. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out an object that glinted in the waning moonlight and said, "Take this.”

His father handed him what was either a really long dagger or a truly short sword. The worn wooden hilt was smooth with leather strips wrapped around it, the top of which bore a single red gem. This was a way better sword than the one Lem used at home and it fit in his hand like it was supposed to be there…like this was what he was born to do and Lem got the weirdest sinking feeling that actually frightened him.

"There are more of them here than I was expecting, so maybe it’s good that you’re here. I’ll need you to do something for me.”

He was glad? Again Lem nodded.

“Cut the paddock and leads to all but two of the horses. Try not to startle them and-”

Lem’s hand tightened around the hilt of the small sword. This was his chance.

“Pop, I can fight you know.”

“Yes, I do know, I've seen you but there are too many of them and you lack experience.”

Lem blinked and said, “You saw me?” When his father nodded, Lem was at a loss.

“I know what you’re feeling, son, but now isn’t the time to test your strength, especially against men of this ilk. Even I'm going to be a bit pressed and I simply don’t have time to explain what’s about to happen. I had hoped...” His father never finished the thought instead he continued his instructions from earlier handing Lem a second object. This turned out to be a small red stone. “Once the shouting starts I want you to blow on this three times and toss it into the paddock then wait nearby until I find you. Ready?”

Lem again nodded in response.

“Remember, stay out of sight until I find you.”

“Yes, sir,” Lem replied and was a bit startled when his father melted into the landscape. That was weird, he thought. Still he didn’t understand that if his father knew he could fight, why wouldn't he let him? Lem did as he was told and after cutting the leads, he noticed the weird fog settling all about the camp. It left a slight damp tingly sensation on his skin and Lem decided this must be part of what his father was talking about so he took up a position in a nearby tree.

When chaos erupted in the camp, Lem climbed a little higher when two of the outlaws flew out of the fog and smashed into the tree he was sitting in. Remembering the stone, Lem blew on it three times before he sent it sailing in the direction of the horses. There was a bright flash and the horses scattered. Men were already shouting and running every which way in the swirling mist, Lem had no idea where his father even was.

A voice that was too high pitched to be one of the outlaws caught his attention and Lem was trapped in a moment of indecision that only ended when he saw three figures head off in that direction followed by a fourth. One of the girls must be free and if she got lost in the fog, that would be just as bad as being still tied up. Deciding he better try to help, Lem carefully climbed down and moved carefully from tree to tree in the direction he thought he'd heard the voice. He was about to give up when he smacked into Teresa who was moving in the opposite direction.

It was still pretty dark, but Teresa looked like she was about to let out a scream and Lem quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, which the girl promptly bit as she tried to run away.

“Damn it Teresa, it's me Lem,” he said in a hiss, grabbing her shirt. It tore a little as she continued to pull away from him. Lem tightened his grip on her shirt, he knew he'd lose her in the fog for sure. Swinging her around so she could see his face she stopped struggling and Lem let go.

“It really is you, isn't it?” the question came out as whispered disbelief. Lem noticed her clothes were a mess and there were a few splotches on her face he wasn't entirely sure was dirt. There were twigs and grass in her dark hair that and Lem felt himself getting very angry, what the hell did they do to her?

“Of course it's me, who else would it be?” Lem paused as he realized the ridiculousness of what he'd just said. “How'd you get out?” he asked and cut the rope that held the girls arms at her sides. Her face collapsed into an expression of despair.

“I don't know, one minute I was tethered with a chain to that pole in the middle of camp, then the fog came...there was a loud clang and a voice told me to run...so I did, then I ran into you.”

“Where is your sister?”

“I don't know that either, they kept us separate. They kept telling me they were going to sell me to...and they said...”

Lem really couldn't imagine what she'd been told, but from the way she was shaking it was probably nothing good and he said, “You don't gotta tell me Teresa. It'll be alright, my Pop's here too, I know he'll find her. Come on, we should wait over here.” Lem guided the girl toward the horses and helped her climb the tree. When the sounds of fighting no longer reached his ears, Lem noticed the fog was also dissipating and decided it was safe enough to come out of the tree.

This turned out to be a bad assumption and once he reached the ground he found the point of a sword against his chest and heard a voice that was not his father's ask, “What 'ave we 'ere boyo?”

The man was large and Lem gazed up into a face that already sported a number of scars. The outlaw looked unsteady. His right arm hung useless at his side with a nasty sword slice from shoulder to elbow that was bleeding heavily. The man pushed the sword a little harder into Lem's chest and repeated his question.

“Name yournself boyo,” this came out as a low growl and Lem winced as he was forced to take a step back, bumping into the tree. The man glanced up and saw Teresa still on one of the lower branches and shoved Lem aside. “Well, well, it looks like my lit'le kitten 'as taken to the trees.” Teresa flinched at the sound of the man's voice and scrambled higher.

“Leave her alone, you bastard!” Lem shouted and launched himself at the man. The outlaw returned his attention to the boy only long enough to grab Lem's shirt and give him a rough shake. He sneered at Lem, yanking him up into his face. “Think yersef a right proper hero, do you boyo?”

A moment later an arrow appeared through the man's throat that stopped barely short of Lem's left eye. Blood spilled out of the man’s mouth covering the front of him and this time Teresa did scream. Lem gaped at the man as his face went slack and he fell over dead, dragging the already terrified Lem along with him to the ground. He’d never seen someone die right before his eyes like that and Lem looked away from the sightless eyes that stared accusingly at him. Horrified Lem struggled to loose his shirt still caught in the dead man's grip.

“I told you to stay out of sight.”

Lem froze and blinked when something warm dripped past his eye briefly clouding his vision. Using his sleeve to clear it away he turned over to see his father slowly lowering a bow. Lem remembered then the outlaws that were killed the same way during the attack on the village. That meant his father was likely the one that shot them. It was then that the boy noticed the intensity in his father’s blue eyes, that prior to that moment, Lem would never have believed his father even capable of. Once Lem finally managed to untangle himself from the dead man, he struggled to his feet and replied, “I'm sorry Pop, it won't happen again.”

His father's words were calm and though he didn't shout, this wasn't the usual anger Lem would experience when he disobeyed him. It just didn't sound quite right...Lem couldn't put his finger on it, but it was different. The tone sounded dangerous and completely unforgiving. In short, it was downright frightening. For the first time in his whole life Lem felt genuinely afraid of the man who was his father. When his father's eyes narrowed slightly, Lem gulped sure that if he moved from that spot something really bad would happen.

“See that it doesn’t,” his father replied.

“Yes sir.”

A sharp pain on his scalp brought Lem's hand to his head and Lem felt a wet stickiness that he realized as he stared at his hand, was his own blood. The arrow must have nicked him. Reaching in his pocket Lem pulled out a small handkerchief and pressed against the wound. The fog was nearly gone now and he could see what was previously shrouded in the mist. Lem started when Teresa came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder whispering, “Lem, how did your dad do all this?”

It was an overwhelming sight. Every one of the outlaws in the camp was either dead or nearly so. As he looked around at the chaos strewn all around, Lem didn’t know how to answer that question and shrugged. His father hated fighting...it was then he realized just how very wrong he was about this man he’d always thought of as unremarkable. It was a discovery that Lem was totally unprepared for and it took a poke in his back from Teresa to prompt Lem to move again.

"Ask him," Teresa said. She remained behind him as unsure as he was of the man in front of them. "Please Lem..."

Lem nodded and asked in shaky voice, “Pop? Did you find Rose? ”

Ais father’s expression didn’t change much, but Lem thought he saw a moment of pain flicker across his features as he shouldered the bow and said quietly, “This way.”

Teresa pushed Lem forward and he reluctantly moved in the direction his father indicated. Why not just tell them? When they stopped at a half collapsed tent near the edge of the camp, Teresa called out, “Rosie, are you in there?”

“Teri? You're safe.”

The voice from inside the tent sounded relieved but very weak, not at all well and Teresa, who initially rushed ahead, stopped as if frozen in place. When she looked back, Lem could tell she didn't want to go inside as tears welled up and his father only nodded to her unspoken question. Turning back, Teresa wiped the tears from her face and pulling back the flap went inside.

“Brave girl,” his father said to no one in particular. Questions were piling up in his head all of which he was too afraid to ask. Lem wanted to ask what happened but instead decided to retrieve the horses. His father stopped him however and said, “We can't leave yet, Lem. There are a few things that need taking care of here. Since it's your wish to become a soldier, I’ll need to teach you the things that they usually forget to mention in training camp.”

“Yes sir,” Lem replied, but was surprised as for the next hour they collected the dead and all their weapons. They piled both up together near the pole that Teresa had been chained to, Lem spared a moment to examine what was left of it and noted the links were cut clean.

Once they accomplished that, Lem learned another thing about his father he never knew. His father could control magic, a lot of it. That really was a rare trait these days; few people outside of Hyrule's elite possessed the ability. His father pulled out that red stone again. Lem wasn’t sure when his father retrieved it but he supposed that didn't actually matter. With worried fascination he watched his father as he spoke words that Lem didn't understand, made a few hand gestures, blew on the stone once and cast his hand in the direction of the piled up corpses.

Lem's mouth dropped open as a huge fireball left his father's hand. It instantly engulfed the entire pile, sending up a plume of acrid smoke. The bodies were rapidly consumed by the magical fire that reduced them to ash in a matter of minutes. Visibly tired now his father knelt down and called him over. Lem approached with a feeling of dread and he started when his father put a hand on his shoulder. Lem knelt next to him and they remained in front of the still smoldering ashes for some time as his father stared at it and when Lem started to fidget, his father said, “I guess you're wondering why we are doing this.”

Lem didn't want to admit that he didn't know and before today, he thought himself ready for anything. The realization that he was not, embarrassed him. Those men attacked his home so as far a Lem was concerned; just got what they deserved. Still, he was determined to show his father that he was going to learn so quietly answered, “Yes sir.”

“It's actually very simple son. It's to help atone for the sin of killing them.”

“How can you say that?” Lem burst out, “They attacked us, Pop!”

“Yes, that was their bad luck but today these men lost more than just a battle. They lost everything I could take from them. Their futures, pasts, hopes, dreams..."

"So what?"

"Every life, no matter how poorly lived, is valuable to someone, Lem.”

He thought about that as he watched the smoke rise from the still hot ashes but it confused him and it made Lem wonder just what did his father did do before he came to Durstin. Curiosity finally overtook his hesitation and Lem asked “If that’s true, Pop, why did you kill them all. Why not just capture them?”

Lem noticed that look of pain was back when his father replied. “Because it is required of me. You've just had the misfortune of witnessing the one thing of my past life I'll never be able to fully shed.”

“What’s the thing?’”

“The reason why I exist.”

uploaded 7/25/08 (really late at nite...)