Hey! Hope you liked the little bit about Link's dad in the last chapter! Now for a bit about his mum, which is a little less lighthearted I'm afriad. Hope you're all have great summer holidays! (And if you haven't finished yet, I feel sorry for you :/ ) Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 2: Missing You

I was 11 when my mother died. She was a weaver for a living, crafting everything from baskets to dream catchers. Of course, having a father in a high rank in the army meant that we could get along fine without her earning as well, she just took it up as a hobby one day, then later on, decided to make it her trade. There weren't many craftsmen/women in castle town, anyone with an ounce of creativity usually moved to the Kakariko village or the Field, which was where my mother had lived before marrying my father. Barely a basket locally had not been crafted by her delicate hand, my father was fond of saying; he was very proud of mother for taking a leap and earning her own money as, although technically men and women have the same rights when it comes to jobs, even those highly educated in law tend to frown upon working women. My parents, along with many other people, took pleasure in breaking this stereotype (it is for this reason that Mari is in the Hyrule Army Cadets). Due to the lack of fellow crafters, my mother often went to fairs and visits to the Field. This would be once every three months or so that she would catch the coach that goes all around Hyrule, a pile of baskets next to her, and wave to me until she was out of sight. She was always gone for three days or multiples of three, because it takes the coach three days to drop her off, do it's cycle, then come back in the direction of Hyrule castle town.

On one of these trips, she didn't come after the expected three days, nor was there a letter saying she'd be longer. My father left me in the care of one of his army friends and followed after her. It took six days for him to return, most of which I spent crying in the arms of Sargent Menachem's wife. When my father did return, it was in a state of utter shock, and with a large, wooden box.

No one knew exactly what had happened to her, some passer-bys had just found her in a ditch. My father never gave me details about the manner of her death. The only clue I ever got was on one scary night soon after, when he got very drunk. He screamed, threw things, smashed things while I was crying under my bed out of pure terror. Luckily, Sargent Menachem and his wife came to the rescue once more. Once my father had been calmed down a little, he began to cry hysterically, which was when I heard him say "Torn to pieces! Torn to pieces! What kind of sentient creature could do that!?" I wasn't the only one scarred by this event, but let's just say that, no matter what I did, Dad has never raised his voice to me since.

Mum's funeral was horrible occasion. Of course, funerals are never brilliant, but they should have an element of remembering the deceased fondly and wishing them luck in whatever came next, but everyone was just shocked and heartbroken and scared. I remember it like yesterday, the entire ceremony. The Castle church interior was bright and colourful as always, but seemed much duller on that day. Lady Impa, head adviser for the king, General of the Army and royal governess, always took care of funerals and marriages in the castle town, so she was there blessing Mum's soul and laying protection over the body, but the mood was so low that even the noble herself seemed eager to leave the miserable event.

It is custom at Hyrulian Funerals that the deceased's youngest relative must read out the Resting Script, the final and argued to be the most important part of the ceremony. For Mum, I had to read it, which is why I still remember every word.