Chapter 3
The doorbell rang. Kiana's ears perked up. As she was about to ask her mother if it was okay to answer the door, Viel called, "Answer the door, Kiana. But see who it is first."
As always, Kian felt that nervous excitment in her stomach that maybe this time was the time Dad had finally come home. The law said that Barive Dassin was dead. Gone forever. Still, she asked excitedly through the door, "Who is it?"
The voice sounded similar to Dad's, but younger, and a bit different. She was puzzled when the answer to her question was, "It's Link. May I come in?"
Link? The Hero of Time? Kiana doubted it. "No, really. Who is it? Tell me, or I'm not opening this door!" as an afterthought, she added, "I know you're not the Hero of Time."
"I am! Look out the window! What proof do you want? I'll give it to you."
Kiana looked out the window and saw Link looking back. She was dumbfounded. He smiled and waved, but she couldn't react. Finally, she darted away from the door and told her mother. Viel answered the door, not looking as shocked as Kiana had looked, but very shocked nonetheless.
"Hello, Mr...Link. I'm sorry, I don't know your last name. Do come in." her voice was quiet. Link thought it was because shewas surprised, but he would learn that she was always shy and quiet.
"Thank you." he said as he entered. He hoped his voice wasn't trembling from nerves. "As for my name, that's what brings me here. Mrs. Dassin...did your husband have any children from his first marriage?" he felt his legs go weak as he did what he had come to do-confront his past. He asked, "May I sit?"
Viel's jaw dropped slightly. "Yes! Sit, I mean. As far as his having children," she smiled a little and blushed with embarassment, "I always thought he was crazy. I finally convinced him that his only biological child was Chezdon, and now this comes up. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't know."
Link laughed nervously. "Neither did I. It isn't really written in stone yet. The only way to tell if I really am would be magic. Zelda can cast a spell to see if Chezdon is my half-brother. It'd be no trouble." Mentally, he asked Zelda if such a spell would be possible. Her reply came quickly that it would be, and he was enormously releived. So far, this wasn't so hard.
Kiana's eyes were wide. "We can meet the queen? I've always wanted to meet her! I never actually thought I could. But I never actually imagined you were my brother." with a smile she said, "Chezdon will so so happy. He wants to be just like you."
Link smiled at his sister, a smile of relieve and satisfaction. That was what he had been hoping. He knew that every teenage boy in Hyrule wanted to be the next Hero of Time. And his brother was one of them. "You know, the queen really wants to meet all of you. We can go now if you'd like."
Just then, the door opened and a voice called, "I'm home, everybody!"
A boy who looked only a few years younger than Link stepped into the room. As soon as he saw the Hero of Time sitting on his couch, a look of shock and confusion crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was sound. "Wha...ah...oh." he said weakly.
Link rose and extended his hand to the one person here who was actually related to him by blood. He felt those nerves coming back to haunt him, but he banished them away to wait until the next time he was nervous. "I'm Link. I'm sure you know me." with a warm smile he added, "I'm your brother."
Chezdon turned sheet white and leaned against the wall next to him. "Oh." was all he could manage. He proceeded to go limp and collapse to the floor, having fainted dead away.
* * * * *
Chezdon didn't know how long he remained unconscious. When he awoke, nothing seemed to have changed. He hadn't been moved from the floor, and his sister and mother (now divided into about ten family members by his confused vision) swam into view. When they stopped spinning, he was pleased to see there was only two of them, and neither was Link. Good. He wsn't insane.
Suddenly, Kiana called, "He's okay! You did it, you guys, he's awake! Come see!" turning to Chezdon, she said, "Look who woke you up."
The Hero of Time and the Queen of Hyrule appeared above him. Oh, no. He was insane. Wait a minute. No he wasn't. If he thought that Link had told him they were related, but that had never happened, he was crazy. But if it had...he wasn't? He stopped trying to measure his own sanity. Too hard. He devoted his energy to sitting up, then looked at Link. "You're not my brother, are you?" When Link nodded, Chezdon quickly grasped the wall to keep himself upright and conscious. "I don't think I'm okay."
"Don't you want him to be your brother? I would think you'd be happy." the Queen was speaking now. She smiled and added. "If not for him, our magic couldn't have woken you up."
"If not for him, I never would have passed out."
Everyone laughed a little. Even Chezdon allowed himself a smile... a bit.
"Come on," Link said, "smile! Laugh! What's the matter?" he grabbed Chezdon's arm and hoisted him to his feet. "Have a little fun!"
Chezdon felt a bubble of irritation swelling and rising inside him. What gave this man the right to stroll in here a become the more fun, more popular brother immediatly? As long as Link had been famous, Chezdon had idolized him. Wanted to be like him, to meet him. But this didn't feel like his dream come true, and he couldn't place why. It occured to Chezdon that nothing in his life had been going well recently, while everyone else's life was just fabulous. It wasn't fair.
Of course, no one else knew what was going through Chezdon's mind. So it made no sense to them when he shot an icy glare at Link and darted out the door.
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