Bandit Attack

Summary: (Pre Tp) Bandits attack the small outlying village of Ordon and lay siege to the small town, but what can a mere orphaned child do about any of it, and how far would he go if he is looking for acceptance.

A/N: HI everyone! Sorry you all have not heard from me in a while. I have been on a bit of a temporary hiatus because of family trouble, switching schools, and lastly, finals. But I have returned XD I have had this idea for a while now and thought it was finally time to put it down on paper. SO this fic is general my idea of Link's early years in Ordon—taking the steps to set things up for how we see them in Twilight Princess. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

Disclamer: I own absolutely nothing, not even my pencil XD. I merely enjoy telling tales.

Apprentices, Herbs, and Goats

The woods were quiet that morning. The only sound was the gentle whisper of wind through the beech grove he stood in and the sound of various woodland animals. Link bent down, his small fingers encircling themselves around the base stem of a plant growing in the trees' shade. The calm quiet of the early morning that he had been enjoying was suddenly shattered by a yell.

"No! Not that one! Put it down," Uli said urgently.

The sharp tone in her voice made him drop the plant he had been holding in about the same manner he would drop a poisonous snake. He looked up at her, startled, wondering what he had done so wrong. Her five year old son, Colin, started and burst into tears at the frantic tone in his usually soft-spoken mother's voice.

Uli had taken the pair of them out for one of her typical early morning walks through the woods to look for herbs. She was an herbalist and the village's only healer. She was an excellent woodswife and her knowledge of plants never ceased to amaze him. As soon as she had deemed him old enough, she had taken him and sometimes his friend Ilia, the village mayor's daughter, to learn what she knew. He loved spending his mornings in the woods, especially when it was with her.

As of now, however, he recalled hearing her tone like that only once before. That had been when he had tried to touch a poison ivy bush on one of their first trips.

"Poisonous?" he whispered wide eyed.

"Yes," she told him solemnly as she eyed the discarded plant. "It's an easy mistake to make. Matrimony vine, when it is young, does look a lot like sweet marjoram," she gestured to the bundle of green stems and leafs in her basket. "But look closely at the leaves." She pulled one from the woven container and held it up for him to see. "The leaves are about the same size and shape and they cluster on the sprigs similarly, it's true. But the leaves of the matrimony vine have this glossy tint to them. It is important not to mix them. Marjoram is a great herb for seasoning, but matrimony vine causes all manner of trouble such as vomiting and dysentery. Very skilled herbalists can use it for some medicinal purposes but, if eaten carelessly or used without the proper knowledge, it can easily take down a full grown man for a day, or even two. So, it is important not to mix them up."

"So, putting it in the soup would be a bad idea then?" he asked her innocently, unable to hide a grin.

She raised both eyebrows at him then shook her head.

"Very," she said finally, a small smile lighting up her own features.

He nodded his understanding solemnly,

"I'll try to remember that."

He flashed a smile at Uli and then went back to work. When next he picked up a bundle of the herbs, he made sure that they were the right ones. He followed after Uli as she passed near soundlessly through the tree shadowed woods. He mimicked the way she stepped, trying to make his footfalls as silent as hers.

The sun was about three quarters of the way towards the middle of the sky when they reached the edge of the forest that surrounded the hollow like clearing where the village of Ordon was situated. Link heard the village long before he saw it though. The sound of livestock and men and women working in the fields, going about their daily tasks, was hard to miss. He trotted to keep pace with Uli as she wove her way through the last trees and onto the dirt path that meandered through the settlement.

Link readjusted his grip on the heavy basket he carried as he followed her soft footed strides into the daub and waddle house situated near the rise in the little valley. It was near the village's goat pasture and backed by a wall of granite rock that made up the high-rise along the hollow's border and the woods.

The door gave its usual squeak as she opened it and it settled, protesting, on well worn hinges. Uli put Colin down and he scampered off to play with his carved wooden soldiers. Link hurried to place the basket down, intent upon finishing his chores early so he could sneak off into the woods before he would meet up with Ilia at lunch as he had promised.

Uli must have noticed his hurry for she smiled at him.

"What's the grand haste for?"

He paused for a moment, feeling the sudden desire to let her in on his secret, but decided against it. He did not want anyone knowing about it quite yet.

"I want to finish my chores early so I can meet with Ilia," he told her hopefully.

"Alright," she said, her smile widening. Then she looked towards the pile of fresh herbs before continuing.

"Do you think you could lend a hand in hanging these up before you go? I want this chore out of the way so I can get started on that pie I am going to be making in honor of Rusl's return. If all goes well on his journey back, he should be here by sunset. I wanted to make something special for him."

Link suddenly felt his stomach drop in a sudden twinge of nervousness. Not even the promise of pie could bring back the light excited mood he had harbored only seconds ago—so quickly snatched by her passing mention. How could he have forgotten? It had only been four days ago when the mailman had ridden to Ordon with the news. Even if he had not known this, he probably could have guessed something of the kind, just by Uli's mood today. It was that and the happy, almost longing, look in eyes and gentle smile. She was beyond ecstatic at the prospect of her husband's return... but all he could feel was that gnawing sense of apprehension.

Link was an orphan. His parents had died when he was very young and he had been taken in by Rusl and his wife Uli and basically all the other villagers when he had been around five years old. The village of Ordon was small and so everyone there was nearly as close a family. Uli though, had always been the closest thing he had to a mother. So, logically, that could, or should, almost mean that Rusl was the closest thing he had to a father.

Although that fact should have made him feel more at ease, it did not. Link hardly knew him. He had left Ordon several months after the village of Ordon had taken Link in. It was then that Rusl had accepted his commission as one of Hyrule's soldiers and each tour of duty lasted about seven years. It was only when those seven years were up that he would finally be free of his commission.

Link had, of course, seen Rusl a few times during his seven year military commission, when he came home to visit his wife. But that was hardly enough time to actually get to know him.

It went a little deeper than that for him also. Link had the annoying hindrance of being a little uneasy and tongue tied around strangers—and Rusl was almost exactly that. Rusl had always come off as grim and forbidding. To add to all of this, Rusl was a warrior, a soldier; in the eyes of common folk, they commanded respect. To say that Link felt a little nervous around him would be an understatement. Consequently, when Rusl had come for his infrequent visits with Uli during his short military leave periods, Link had always managed to find an excuse to sleep over at his friend Ilia's house. It was not really something he was proud of, but there it was.

Now that Rusl was returning to Ordon for good, it was likely that he would be returning to his usual job as the village blacksmith. It was this which brought on the sinking feeling that resided in the pit of Link's stomach. It was a Hyrulian custom, in the more rural areas of the kingdom, that when a boy, or sometimes a girl, reached thirteen years of age they were considered and chosen for apprenticeships. They would be trained by the village craft masters to inherit the skills needed to become a master themselves. It was important to choose wisely for whatever occupation they trained in would generally serve as their occupation for life.

He could be trained under Jaggle as a carpenter, or under Hanch as a miller, or under Sera as a shopkeeper. He could be trained as a farmer, or even an apprentice goatherd. Though Link did not remember much before the blacksmith's military commission, he still dearly wanted to go under Rusl's tutelage. The blacksmith's trade interested him more than anything else in the village.

Also, Rusl was a soldier, a warrior, and those would be skills that he would pass down as well. And, for some reason he could not explain, he felt and odd connection to the idea of learning those skills—an odd sense that it was or should be a part of him. It was true, however, that his desire also sprang from the knowledge that Rusl was Uli's husband. Link wanted almost nothing more than to have someone he could consider a father, or, at the very least, a craft's master.

What would Rusl think of him when he returned that night? What did he think of him already? How would Rusl see him now that he had an actual son of his own? It was painful to think it, but Link had never actually been a son to anyone in the traditional sense. He was almost like a ward of the village. Even Ilia's father, the mayor, was like a sort of surrogate uncle... but he could not help but want something more.

His mouth furrowed into a small frown as he thought onward. What if Rusl wanted his own son to succeed him the blacksmith business? It was a common enough occurrence to keep skills within the family. There was also another risk; Link was not the only young one coming of apprentice age in the village. He tried to shake his head clear of the thoughts, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

Uli seemed not to notice his sudden change of mood, so happy was she with the prospect of her husband's impending return. Consequently, Link soon found himself volunteered into various other extra tasks he had not intended to partake in before he managed to slip away. By that time, he was already late in meeting Ilia.

~x~X~x~

Link sat on the edge of the goat pasture, leaning against a fence post. The soft scent of sun touched grass and earth stirred gently in the late summer breeze to mingle with the scent of the meat pie that Ilia had brought for a late lunch, turned afternoon snack.

Ilia, with her blond hair and pretty green eyes, sat in front of him smiling, as friendly as ever. To her immediate left sat Fado, a village boy only a few months older than Link, and Link's self proclaimed rival. They were the only kids around their age in the entire village—but that did not mean that they all were on the best of terms. Well, Ilia was on the best of terms with both of them and often had to play the part of peacekeeper when Link and Fado were concerned. The two boys had never quite gotten off well with each other.

Ilia was akin to a sister to Link, and he felt her concerned gaze upon him as he picked distractedly at the second helping of food in front of him. He had never been one to pass up seconds, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what was bothering him.

"Are you nervous about Rusl's return?" she asked softly.

He had thought about denying it, but resigned himself to nodding ascent when she asked. It was hardly more than two weeks ago when he expressed a desire to be taken on as Rusl's apprentice.

"It's alright if you are," she said encouragingly.

Fado snorted suddenly, his still childish face breaking into a grin.

"I think he should be a bit more than nervous. I mean Link, getting picked first as a blacksmith's apprentice," he scoffed lightly and then turned directly to Link. "You're a little weak and small for that."

"I'm not," Link protested, flushing.

Fado was already half as tall as the adults and half as muscular. He had already been gifted with broad strong shoulders and a sturdy frame. With his curly light brown hair and strong face, he cut the perfect figure of a youth in a rural village. This meant that, when harvest day came and the day apprentices were chosen dawned, practically every door would be opened to him. There was no doubt that he would be first choice of any craft's masters seeking an apprentice. To the people of the village, he would be the prime choice. Whereas Link, slight of figure and comparatively small of stature, knew he would probably be stuck with second pick in any circumstance. Link knew this and so, unfortunately, did Fado.

"I can just picture you now, wielding a blacksmith's hammer," Fado continued smugly, "or at least trying to." He mimed lifting a heavy hammer and then falling backwards because of its staggering weight.

It was Fado's latest favorite taunt, ever since he had overheard Link privately confessing his wish to Ilia. It had even taken precedence over 'pointy ears,' and all other jibes along the same subject, which Fado had taken up when he realized that Link was the only one in Ordon with a Hylain's pointed ears. It had been this way as long as he could remember; the both of them nursing malice that sprang from remembered slights against each other.

Though Link was rather lanky, he was not by any means weak, farm work had made sure of that. However, when compared to Fado… Link scowled as Fado laughed at his witticism and Link's own feeble comeback.

"Maybe you'll grow someday, but it won't be fast enough—you're too short and too scrawny."

"Well at least a lack of height and muscles is an improvement on a lack of brains," Link shot back with a smirk.

It took a moment but, within the span of a second, the full import of Link's jibe hit Fado and the bigger boy flushed with anger. His brows came down heavily over his eyes in a scowl. His wide eyes narrowed and for a tense moment there was silence.

Ilia watched the byplay between them silently, and seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable with the direction all this seemed to be going. She stared at the two of them, the dread she felt evidenced upon her face. Link noticed this, and normally he might have felt a little ashamed but, as it was now, he was far too angry.

"You know what I think?" Fado asked, finally ending the potent quiet that had grown between them.

There was a small grin forming on his lips as he finally thought of what to say.

"I think that maybe you want more than just to be his apprentice. I think you want to be like his son, or at least close to it. It won't happen. Because, in case you haven't noticed, he has his own son now and he means a whole lot more to Rusl than you ever could."

Link's mouth dropped open and he stared dumbstruck at Fado. For a moment he could hardly think. He felt as if he had been hit. He would never admit it to Fado how much what he had said hurt. The closeness of the remark to his own insecurities played on his fears and emotions. That was what made it so truly painful—painful to have someone stomp on his secret dream. He did not deny what Fado had said, it was far too close. The pain of it all built until he could hold it in little better than, and with the same lack of poise as, his tongue. He stiffened and stood.

"Maybe that's what you want, because I don't see you having a father either."

That was too much for Fado to take and he leaped to his feet also. He had lost his father around the same time that Link had lost his own parents. Fado's face was beyond flushed with rage now and he lunged at Link amidst the sound of Ilia's cry for them to stop.

This was how things usually went between them. Link had a bit of a quicker wit and a hint of snark that Fado could not dream to match. Fado may have been bigger and a little stronger, but Link was as quick as his tongue and he usually found his agility enough to even out Fado's advantage when it came to strength. Their battles could go either way and very often ended it a draw.

Link's agility also gave him another advantage: the added option of a quick retreat. If by the off chance things were going badly for him, or he didn't feel like fighting, he could usually make it to the forest before Fado could even think to catch him. Once in the woods, it was easy enough to lose him, thanks to Uli's lessons in woodcraft, and the fact that Fado was fairly clumsy in the woods.

Now, however, retreat was the last thing on Link's mind. Link jumped to the side to gracefully dodge Fado but his foot caught on a stiff clump of grass. The milliseconds it took to regain his footing was all the time it took for Fado to finish his charging leap and catch him by the ankle.

Link tumbled to the ground and Fado threw himself on top of him. His fist slammed hard into the side of Link's face. Link twisted furiously underneath him and managed to free a foot, which he promptly used to kick Fado in the jaw. Fado reeled backwards and Link scampered to his feet. Everything went downhill from there as both boys threw themselves at each other.

This time around, Fado took the brunt of the hit and the pair of them flew hard into the gate of the goat's holding pen. The impact cracked the well-worn latch, causing the gate to swing inwards. They both fell into the pen. Their fight continued on in a furious barrage, similar to the way two tom cats would brawl over territory—with far more frenzy than actual skill or prowess.

Ilia could take no more of this and her motherly, bossy, nature came out with a vengeance as she ran after them, yelling for them to stop for all she was worth. Looking back, Link thought she might even have tried to physically pry them apart from each other—despite the fact she was smaller than both of them. But she never got the chance.

In the midst of their furious fight, Link and Fado rolled into the herd's lead goat, catching the large peacefully grazing animal in the crossfire of their petty brawl.

Ordon goats were different from their smaller milder mannered cousins. They were at least twice as large as a typical goat and they could get twice as mean if provoked. They were rather similar to an enraged bull when angry. And, with their large horns, they could nearly be as deadly.

The large shaggy animal reared up in surprise and then charged forward, narrowly missing the two brawling youngsters and the girl. The spooked, furious goat hurtled towards the now open gate and headed full tilt towards the villager's houses. Because this was the lead animal, several other of the herd followed suit.

Still, Link and Fado did not stop their fight, so lost were they in their own bruised feelings. So intent were they on avenging themselves upon each other, they missed the stampeded they started, Ilia's desperate shouts, and even the cries of the villagers below as they tried to save their gardens, fields and livestock.

They only snapped back into reality when a strong pair of hands grabbed each of them by the backs of their tunics and pulled them roughly apart.

Link felt all the fury that had been driving him fade instantly as he finally became aware of his surroundings. He felt his eyes widen and a feeling of dread worm its way into his chest as he took in the carnage he had had a hand in causing. That small feeling of dread was nothing compared to the horror that completely overtook him when he caught sight of the person who had pulled them apart. The man set the pair of them down, none to gently.

The man was neither tall nor short and, for a former blacksmith, his muscles were certainly not overly large or excessively built. But for all that, his from was lithe and gave off the impression of ready strength.

Link gulped and forced himself to look into Rusl's face, for it was none other than he. His face was as stern as Link remembered it usually being. He had short dark golden hair, and a cropped beard that framed a disapproving mouth set in a grim line that offset a strong jaw. The effect was to make him look all together foreboding and ominous.

Rusl's cold eyes fixed themselves onto the pair of them and Link could just feel the disappointment emanating off the man. Link felt himself slinking backwards under the penetrating gaze. He had no idea how Rusl had come to be there. He was not supposed to have come back until around sunset. He must have doubled his pace to reach the village so much earlier than anticipated.

Not that any of that really mattered in the grand scheme of things, Link realized suddenly. The problem was that he was here now. He had caught him in the act of fighting, disturbing, and quite possibly losing the village's precious livestock. That in turn meant the end to all of Link's hopes of making a good impression. It dashed his dreams of somehow proving that he was worth notice as something more than a pathetic clinging orphan with nothing. His wish of somehow endearing himself to this man was as shriveled now as a weed perishing without water. He had utterly blown it.

Rusl straightened, and for the first time Link became aware of the sword strapped to the man's waist and his soldier's uniform. He stood as tall and immovable as the soldier he was, which made him look even more forbidding, if that was at all possible.

Link took another backwards step and felt himself deflate completely. He hung his head, practically cringing with the shame and embarrassment of his actions.

Rusl did not say anything, he did not have to. It was obvious he was disappointed. So was Ilia—probably the whole village as well. But none of their disappointment could rival the disappointment he felt in himself. The broken fence, the missing goats, the bruise on Fado's cheek and the ones on his own, the yelling of the villagers below, the gentle reproachful shake of Ilia's head, all compounded themselves in a welling rush of humiliation and regret that could not be quelled. He had ruined everything in a single act of anger and lack of self control.

A/N: I would very much love to get some reviews, I love getting feedback! (as I am practicing my short story writing skills) XD Apologies for any mistakes I might have missed in my proof read, I try really hard to get them all but that never seems to quite cover it. Also I apologize if things seem to tend towards OOC at the moment, but I am rather enjoying telling my idea about how the characters come to be what they are by the time Twilight Princess takes place. It gives me some room for character development and a story without character development is often so very flat and uninteresting. I hope you will bear with me, and hope that the characters don't seem unreasonably far off. Thanks again for reading! I wish you all the most blessed of weeks until next time!