It was late when Link interrupted Zelda's studies. 19 years after Barive's wife and son had disappeared, the Dassin family name was resurfacing. Zelda had discovered it, and summoned Link telepathically. When he came, he found her in her library, wide awake despite the late hour.
"Well, what do you want?" Link asked with a yawn. Next time she called him this late, he wasn't coming. Even if Ganon returned... well, maybe then.
"What do you know about your family?" she asked, ignoring his yawn and obvious exhaustion.
It was an unxepected question, to say the least. He answered cautiously, "I don't have a famliy. You know that. Why do you ask?"
"You don't know anything?" she sounded painfully disappointed.
"My mother gave me to the Deku Tree because she was injured and dying. I was raised as a Kokiri."
"What was her name? Who raised you? What about your father?"
"I don't know. I guess the Deku Tree raised me. I never asked." with a shrug, he added, "I got by without family, so I never cared about who they were. I still don't."
In truth, he didn't want to dredge up ancient memories. He didn't want to go through the possible pain that would come from finding out where he came from. He didn't want Zelda to know that, but both of them had their telepathy in tip-top shape. They were incapable of keeping secrets from each other. Inevitably, she knew what he really thought about his family.
Zelda nodded. "I was just curious about your background, so I did some research. Look at this." she tapped the name, "Dassin" in an ancient book. It was a list of all the people in Hyrule at the time of Link's birth. Lists like this had been kept since Hyrule had established a monarchy, and they were still made up annually to this day. Under "Dassin" in this volume, it said, "Barive (22) and Alea (21), husband and wife." Link had looked at enough of these texts to know that the numbers after their names were their ages, and after their names was their relationship to each other.
"What's your point?" asked Link suspiciously. He didn't even want to guess.
Zelda showed him how the Dassin family evolved. After Barive and Alea, it became Barive and Viel, then Barive, Viel and Chezdon, then Barive, Viel, Chezdon and Kiana. Finally, it turned into Viel, Chezdon and Kiana. The origanal two Dassin must have been deceased by this point.
"I'm still confused. Who are these people? Why couldn't this wait til morning? Let me sleep!"
Zelda rolled her eyes and answered his three questions in order, "These people are the Dassins, I don't have the Sun's Song to make it morning, and no! You can't sleep now!"
Link sat down with a sigh. "Zelda, I don't try to understand you. I don't even pretend to know why you do the things you do. I just smile and nod, and obey my queen. But this time, I'm worried. Why do you care about these people? Why invovle me? What do you want to know? I know it seems like I'm aksing a lot of questions, but that's because I don't really know what's going on. Leave well enough alone. Please, just try to be normal. He added the last comment with a good-natured grin. Zelda didn't smile back. She continued to inform him about the Dassins.
"19 years ago, Alea Dassin was killed. A Royal Guard said she was accidentally killed when he was chasing her for the theft of some food. But her husband didn't beleive that. Barive was backed up by the fact that no body was produced and the year-old baby that had been with Alea never turned up again. He managed to get the guard fired for refusing to disclose what had happened to Ala and her baby. But, almost a year after this whole escapade, Alea's body was found just outside Kokiri Forest, dead of an arrow wound, as the guard had said. Her baby wasn't with her, and many chose to beleive that Alea and Barive never had a child and were mentally ill, rather than try to figure where the boy was. The Dassins were judged insane. By this time, Barive had remarried to a woman named Viel, who was carrying a child. Barive firmly beleived he had a son, but Viel guided him back to sanity. She convinced him that his baby had never existed, though he still had the odd insane dream that his son was alive somewhere, and wanting his daddy. Anyway, Viel gave bith to Chezdon Dassin, who would be 17, nearly 18. Six years later, Barive insisted on adopting a street girl named Kiana. She would now be 10, 11 at the oldest. Two years after adopted Kian, Barive disappeared. That was 6 or 7 years ago, and no one's had any word of him since. Alea, Barive and any children they might have had have all been declared legally dead. But I don't beleive that, Link." She looked dead serious.
Link dared to ask, "What do you beleive? That Barive is hiding out somewhere with his imaginary child?"
Zelda shook her head. "No, Link. I beleive you are that imaginary child." he had a shocked expression on his face, but before he could react, she continued. "Oh, don't act so surprised! I mean, the numbers work out perfect. You're 19! Why did you think I called you over here? To gossip? Besides, what else could have happened to the kid? You know your mother was injured and dying when-"
"I don't care. I don't care if I am Link Dassin. My parents aren't alive anymore. My stepmother's probably dead, too."
"No, she's not. The town records say she's alive"
"Well, fine, she's alive. But I don't think Chezdon and Kiana, or Viel for that matter, want me strolling into their lives like there's never been a rift. I don't know who they are!"
"Blood is thicker than water, Link. Don't desert your family."
"Like they've been so supportive of me." he said sarcastically, "Yeah, blood is thicker than water. But blood pumps through the heart! What's in your heart is in your blood! The forest is in my heart! The Dassin family isn't! And I don't want them to be!"
"Look, I know what it's like to have your parents die. No matter what, they-"
"No, you don't! Unlike you, I never knew my parents, and I didn't kill them!"
"I hardly knew my parents because Impa - WHAT?! I did NOT kill my parents! Ganon killed them! Don't you remember? What is wrong with you?"
"You said yourself you let Ganon come to power, so it's your fault!" "I am not responsible for Ganon's actions! You're insane, Link! He has a mind of his own, and he's evil!"
"Well, when you're parents were dying, at Ganon's hands or not, what did you do? Did you try to save them? No, you ran away and went into hiding for seven years!"
"I had no choice! And at least I didn't kill my own god!
" "At least I know the difference between a god and a guardian spirit!"
"From a Kokiri point of view, there is no difference, and either way you killed him!"
"I HATE YOU!!!"
"I hate you more! Get out of my sight before I have you arrested!"
"Ha! You wouldn't dare!" Link quickly drew his sword and snarled, "I'd love to see you try!"
"And I'd like to see you get away with murdering me! Just try it!"
"Don't tempt me!"
"I would kill you with magic before you could touch me!"
Just then, Rabay, a royal servant, entered the library. She looked sheepishly at the angry queen and hero and said, "Forgive me, but it's late and you're making a lot of... sound. I don't mean any disrespect, of course, but..." she allowed them to finish off the sentence in their minds. Link sheathed his sword, and Zelda lowered her hands, which had been poised to cast a spell against Link.
"Thank you, Rabay." the queen suddenly put on her most official tone of voice. "You may show Link to the door. Do come again, Link. I would like to further research this topic." There was acid in her overly formal voice, and Link raised a skeptically eyebrow. He doubted she wanted to continue screaming at him, of continue getting screamed at. Still, he was as polite and formal as she was.
"Yes," he said stiffly, "if my schedule allows, I will be back again. Good day. Or rather, good night." He turned to leave, following Rabay out the door, though he knew his own way very well. The added formality made it clear there was no love lost bewteen Link and Zelda. He wondered vaguely what would happen next time they met to disscuss the Dassins. If they ever did.