Prologue:
Simple questions
"...Nayru have mercy," Raiha sighed, feeling a ping of magic skitter across her hips. "If it's Oron or Casren, I swear..."
The summons crystal was only glowing in the one color this time, at least, and Raiha grabbed the perambulator that held the twins, pulling it behind her as she headed out of her office. Honestly, while she appreciated making the crystals, she was right there in her office.
Sometimes the solicitous nature of people annoyed her to no end. But since they no doubt had been attempting to not disturb the twins—only three months old and still prone to waking and sleeping on their own schedule—she tried not to let it get to her. They had only just fallen back asleep again. Oh, she could have left them to a nanny in the nursery, but that had never felt right to her.
Fortunately, no one with any sense had tried to argue that she shouldn't be bringing Bel and Naila with her everywhere.
There was a small crowd about midway through the shelves, though when they saw her coming, they parted quickly; it wasn't, fortunately, either of her two Academia problem children. Nor was is Sheik, for which she allowed herself a faintly relieved breath. Instead, it was two of the other new librarians in training, Kamil Oroson and Tolyn Cooper. Toyln was on the bottom, and both looked rather dazed, and were surrounded by books.
"So... what happened?" Raiha asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight.
"As far as anyone can tell, Scholar Oroson was putting books up on that shelf, and slipped," Muriel said, sighing a little. "Scholar Cooper... broke his fall."
Raiha stifled a smirk; it wouldn't do to laugh at her librarians in training, even if she was amused.
"All right. Let's see now..."
Leaving the pram, she crouched down by the two groaning scholars and held out a hand that glimmered faintly with golden light. After a moment she leaned back a little.
"We need a stretcher for Oroson. His ankle's broken. If I had to guess, he caught it briefly in the ladder on his way down. Cooper looks like he's fine, just dazed and with a few bruises from the books."
"Broken?" Kamil grimaced a little.
"Indeed. That will teach you care on the ladder," she said, raising an eyebrow.
Kamil had the decency to flush; in the three months he'd been learning the library, she had gotten many reports of his reckless behavior on the ladders. She had warned him that it would hurt eventually. Hopefully this would teach him some caution.
"Can't you... heal it?" he asked plaintively.
"I could, if I desired," she said. A sharp smile crossed her face. "But I would have to be convinced that you'd learned your lesson. We don't play on these ladders, Scholar Oroson. The library may not be as fragile as the archives, but it is a place of learning, where others like yourself expect things to be where they belong. Understand?"
"...Yes, Lady Raiha."
"Then I will heal the injury this once. If you gain another from playing about on the ladders, you will have to suffer the price... now do shift off poor Scholar Cooper. He can't breathe with you sprawled on him like that."
Kamil hastily moved himself off his fellow librarian-in-training, muttering a sheepish apology. Tolyn, for his part, sat up woozily, and waved a hand slightly. Raiha smiled faintly, this time in pleasure; when they had all started three months ago, the scholars of the Academia and the Collegia hadn't mingled easily or well. After being rid of two of the Collegia fools—keeping the Academia fools only because they seemed to have learned to keep their egos to a minimum around her—the lines between scholars had blurred some as her archivists-in-training had bonded over being taught how to clean up the overwrought archives, and her librarians-in-training had learned just how many books they were in charge of helping the regular populace find.
As a result, most of them had become quite friendly with one another.
She flexed her fingers lightly, humming the Song of Healing quietly; it wasn't a requirement, but the music had always made the magic go smoother. In a few short minutes, Kamil's ankle was back to normal,and Tolyn's head no longer ached, his breath returning to an even keel.
"All right, show's over, back to work," Muriel informed everyone, shooing them on their way as Kamil hopped to his feet and started helping pick up the books he'd made Tolyn drop.
"Lady Raiha?"
Raiha glanced up, and felt warmth flicker through her; Sheik stood there, not quite offering a hand up from her crouch, but being in close proximity anyways. Just in case. Then her eyes dropped to the books he held in his arms, and one eyebrow went up. She recognized the feel of her magic well enough, and those looked like... yes, she had given him permission to read those, hadn't she?
"You've finished?"
"Well... not precisely, my lady," he admitted, shuffling slightly; a movement indicating his discomfort. "I finished the ones Lord Ganon translated, but..."
She took a closer look at the books as she straightened from her crouch, then sighed.
"Ah. Those journals. The Twilight Debacle."
She couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice, but tried to soften it enough so that he didn't think she was mad at him. He was still new to the polyamorous grouping that was herself, Zelda, Link, and Ganon, and very unsure of how he'd fit into all of it. But he was trying, both to understand, and to fit in.
"Did... were these ones..?"
She waved a hand lightly, almost dismissively.
"No, it's fine. You can get Ganon to read them to you, if you'd like. Just... do understand that I won't be present for the readings."
Hesitantly, he touched her shoulder lightly. After a moment, she just sighed.
"I live life as it comes," she said after a long minute, feeling, for a moment, far older than she looked. Feeling the age that she was, even if she couldn't really put a number to that. "If I spent too much time in the past, it would only hurt me. So I try to not think about times long gone. Not unless I have to."
"Aren't you always the one who says we have to remember the past to plot the course of the future?"
She snorted a little.
"When I need to remember, I can. But for my life as it is now, it... hurts much less if I only take what I have, and concentrate on that. So."
He looked down at her, his visible eye showing uncertainty, concern. Raiha made herself smile, even knowing it was a dry smile, and patted his arm lightly.
"Truly, it's fine if you want to read them. The history books gloss over that period now; not enough people understood what happened, how, or why. In truth..." she sighed a little. "In truth, I foolishly set the wheels in motion for what happened long ago. And I suppose it would not hurt you lot to know that."
"As long as we don't involve you?"
"I would try to edit, and that wouldn't... help. So."
After a moment he nodded, cautiously hugging the books to his chest.
"Now, as Muriel did say, it's time to get back to work; I'll be in my office if anyone needs me. And... next time? Someone just knock."
He chuckled a little, and she smiled wryly, then turned back to the pram and her babies.
The two journals rested on the low table, then the four young adults looked at them in a mix of curiosity and trepidation.
"I wanted to ask way back when we finished reading the first one," Ganon said after a minute. "But now I'm not so sure..."
Link just nodded a little, his expression uneasy.
"I did consider asking myself," Zelda admitted. "She is right, there is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Twilight Era,as it came to be called. Many people who were called upon for testimony could give no coherent accounts for the start of it, and once the twilight was dismissed, only my ancestor knew what happened next. But... she kept no record of it."
"Makes you wonder if Rai asked her not to," Link put in after a moment.
"What purpose would that serve?" Ganon protested.
"Keeping history unmuddled in her own mind, perhaps," Sheik said after a long,thoughtful minute. "At least until she could put it down for herself..."
"Whatever the reason, we have here, a chance to read the firsthand account of someone that went through it," Zelda replied. "And her permission to do so. Ganon, are both books... words?"
The former Gerudo king picked up the top journal and rifled quickly through it, then the second.
"Some pictures," he said after a moment,feeling a little like his head had been hit by a wooden sword. Trying not to get good looks didn't stop the memories that came careening in with no warning at even the glimpses. "But mostly words."
Zelda glanced at the three young men, lips pursed.
"Why don't we let it sit for a few days," she suggested. "Not that I disbelieve you, Sheik, the only way we can hear these stories is if Ganon reads them, but I would... feel more at ease if we each got our own permission."
Link nodded quickly; he hadn't been comfortable with hearing the Ocarina Tale, nor the image book that had come with it. He,personally, would feel much better if he got to ask Raiha first. And, judging by the concern in Zelda's eyes, and the wary way Ganon held himself, he wasn't the only one who felt cautious about such a thing.
Sheik nodded a little in understanding.
"I can wait," he said. "In truth, with my punishment now complete, I was hoping to return to my archivist training, and if Adriane is any indication, it is very wearying. But... if she does...?"
"We'll let you know," Ganon said, though his tone was just a touch grumpy; of all of them, he was the least pleased about Sheik upsetting Raiha's balanced life. While he had accepted that she wanted the Sheikah male there, he still wasn't entirely happy about it.
Zelda's and Link's nods were more comforting, and Sheik stood, bowing politely.
"In that case, I will see you all later."
"Don't forget training tomorrow morning," Ganon said, a smirk crossing his face. "Raiha might be the one who can teach you Sheikah skills, but you're not going to get better by hauling books around."
Link reached over and jabbed Ganon's shoulder lightly.
"Be nice," the blond Hero said firmly. "You know she'll smack you if she hears about you being too rough."
Sheik stifled a smile; Link had seemed to take to him right away, which had been a comfort. It helped even more when he took Sheik's side over Ganon's, regardless of their relationship.
Before Sheik could get more than a few steps out the door, Link had caught up to him, leaving Zelda and Ganon behind.
"Have you asked Rai to take a chance at fix your eye?" he asked as Sheik glanced over curiously.
"Ah... no," Sheik admitted after a moment. "The twins seem to keep her quite busy, and... well, I am used to this. Suddenly having full sight again would be a bit... strange. Difficult, I suppose. Do you think Lady Raiha will give everyone permission?"
"Probably..." Link looked uneasy for a moment. "I wish she could just tell us herself, though. It feels kind of like... spying. When we do this."
"Why?"
"I dunno..." the Hero shook his head a little. "I mean, I like learning about things that we've all supposedly done in the past, but at the same time... It just makes me feel strange, I guess."
"Stranger than a former enemy becoming an ally?" Sheik asked dryly.
"Well, that sort of thing happens all the time, in all sorts of military histories. But it feels... I guess it feels sort of like prying. But if we didn't, we'd never know anything." After a moment, Link ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up. "I don't know, it's hard to find the right words to explain it."
"I doubt she'd be insulted if you decided you didn't want to know."
"But I do want to know..."
Sheik chuckled a little, sympathetically patting Link on the shoulder.
"If she didn't want us to read them, she would have said as much; Lady Raiha is nothing if not forthright about such things. Why not talk to her about it, though? It may help to clear your head some."
After a moment, Link nodded.
"Okay. And, ah.. about Gan..."
"It's all right," Sheik interrupted. "It's only been a few months. We are mostly easy with one another, but he still has to needle. It is, I think, his way. I am not offended. Though," and he half-smiled, "if he thinks hauling books around is not strength training, he obviously has no idea how large some of the books are."
Raiha was chewing absently on the end of her pen as she walked, occasionally making a note or two in the book that floated alongside. It was, perhaps, a showy display of magic, but it also help to keep her hands free for what she was working with. Categorizing the books only went so far, they needed a proper cataloging system, especially as it concerned the division of fictional stories and true deeds.
She had some small help at the moment, at least; not long after the noon hour, Link had come seeking her, and offered to look after the twins for a bit. It wasn't hard to guess that he wanted to talk, and she had a shrewd notion about what it was; of all of them, he was the least comfortable hearing about the past. It fascinated him, there was no denying that, but at the same time, he always seemed uneasy about it. She recalled quite vividly the constant worrying he'd done during and after they'd read Ocarina Tale.
It made her smile a little; he was such a fussy puppy. More mature now, but still so prone to looking up to her.
She made a few more notes, and reordered a couple of shelves that were mixed around—some of her trainees, no doubt—before she headed back to her office, where Link was on Daddy Duty. She paused briefly in the doorway, feeling softness and warmth slide through her. Link had younger siblings; a sister in Aryyl, and two brothers, whom he saw as often as he could get away. The Queen's Champion was a busy duty some days... His experience showed in how relaxed and at ease he was with both of them.
Bel and Naila were laid on the thick rug, the ornate coffee table pushed to one side, and Link was talking at them cheerfully, telling them about the letter he'd just received from his parents about life in Kakariko. They seemed to be listening with rapt attention, but first Naila, then Bel, looked past him and waved their arms gleefully at her, Bel making a gurgling, happy sound that made Link turn.
He smiled brightly at her as she meandered over to join them, flopping down on the floor with a faintly relieved sigh.
"They're really smart, huh?" he asked as she reached over to let the tins grab her hands.
"Of course they are," she smiled wryly. "They're ours."
Naila blinked solemn blue eyes at her mother, while Bel flailed wildly in delight at being talked too. Raiha smiled at both of them, and leaned in to give them both little kisses on the forehead before she glanced at Link. He looked pleased too, both by the praise,and by how she was acting; there had indeed been some uncertainty about how she would react to the babies once they were born...
"So, what's on your mind, puppy?" she teased gently.
His pleased look faded into discomfort.
"It's..." he hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you really... okay with us reading those journals?"
"If I wasn't, you'd never find them," she pointed out. "I wrote them to be a record. They just ended up being a lot more personal than they were supposed to; I am not exactly the impartial observer a historian is supposed to be. Why?"
"I just... it feels... odd?" he offered. "I mean, they're... your stories. So it feels weird to have Gan read them."
"If I tried to read you my stories, you'd never get the full tale," she sighed a little, lightly waving a toy over Naila's head; she swatted at it with a giggle. "I would self-censor at the very best... and at the worst, all those memories would come rushing to the fore. I do not like having a sudden memory swamp, Link. They are accompanied by pain more than pleasure, and in truth, I function better letting the past remain where it lies. But I understand that everyone would like to know, and it's perfectly fine.
"If it helps," she continued after a moment, "try to think of the author of the Tale as my ancestor. I am not necessarily the same person who wrote the Twilight Tale any more than I am the girl who wrote the Ocarina Tale. I have moved on from both of them, and while they were me, I am not them."
"I...I'll try," he said after a moment, a thoughtful look crossing over his face. "But..."
She leaned over, kissed his cheek lightly. He blushed, making her chuckle a little.
"Don't worry. It's in the past, both mistakes and successes. And there are... some things too big to forget. But truly, you lot can read the journals. Just... don't push Gan too hard, all right? Ocarina Tale was ancient, but this one is a bit more recent. Zelda's getting really good at reading Gelda, so if he starts... you know. Get her to read some for awhile and make him go take a walk."
Link nodded quickly; Ganon was not necessarily the type to backslide to evil—none of the evil had been his conscious decision—but he could be pummeled by memories, as she so often was. It was never fun, and usually took several days for recovery. He also brooded while he was recovering, and the nightmares that had been a downward trend would kick back into high gear.
Naturally, Raiha wanted this to not happen; she loved Ganon, and while she occasionally enjoyed kicking his ass, she much preferred him amicable. Plus, her sleep was shot enough with the twins. Selfish though it was, she would rather he stay in his own bed—or one of the others, if that was where he was.
"Feel better now?"
After a moment Link nodded a little.
"Good. Because if that clock tells me anything, it's that you're going to be late in training recruits again."
He glanced up. Yelped. Jumped to his feet, and ran out the door. Raiha grinned after him, then down at the twins.
"Your daddy is so silly."
They both gurgled happily and waved arms and feet.
"Ready to go see Mommy?"
More waving and kicking, and Raiha scooped them up one at a time to set them in the pram,then headed out; there was a meeting with Zelda that needed her presence as Royal Sage, and the twins were not being left out.
"Nayru bless, but they sure do use a lot of words to say pretty much nothing," Raiha muttered, shaking her head after the last of the norther diplomats had filed out the door. "You sure this was a good idea, Zellie?"
Hyrule's queen smiled a little.
"It may be difficult, but allying ourselves with other kingdoms beyond our borders is a good way to hold off potential invasions. Which, I believe, you told me yourself."
Raiha grimaced, absently rolling the pram back and forth as Naila and Bel napped.
"Yeah yeah, yeah yeah... Me and my big mouth. Did you get anything useful out of that? Because the Gerudo were more forthcoming than that passel of stuff-shirts."
"The Gerudo were also more willing to enter a proper trade agreement when they met you, and eventually Ganon too,"Zelda replied serenely. "That one was made simpler without much effort. These will be more difficult, as Hyrule is a difficult country to reach. While we are amazingly self-sufficient, and surrounded by mountains on all sides, it would not harm us to look to our nearby neighbors and see what we can trade to improve lives."
Raiha had to shake her head a little.
"That said, they were indeed much more long-winded than necessary. Even the courtiers aren't that bad," Zelda added, a touch of wry humor entering her voice. "Hopefully, once they realize our efforts are sincere, they will be able to relax some."
"No kidding. This place is more than big enough, and hard to both get into and out of. We'd do no one any favors by trying for a war of expansion like what's-his-face in Faron province wants. Least of all us," Raiha snorted a little.
"Did any of them notice...?"
"The magic?" And Raiha snorted again, this time derisively. "I doubt they even believe there is such a thing. And it wasn't much anyways; just a light touch encouraging truthfulness, like I promised."
"It seems..."
"Zel, in the early stages, no one trusts anyone's sincerity. You've just got a bit of luck on your side in the form of me," Raiha shrugged a little. "Honestly, I'd do it anyways. My life has been spent protecting this country, and if anyone's paranoid, it's definitely me."
"Dear..."
Raiha smiled faintly, dryly. After a moment, Zelda only sighed and shook her head a little.
"Just don't go overboard."
"As long as no one proves to present a threat, it's all good,"
"If that was meant to be comforting, it was not."
Zelda tried for a reproving look; Raiha only grinned. After a moment, the queen just shook her head again.
"About your journals-"
"Are you and Red going to take turns?" Raiha interrupted. "You're good enough that you ought to be able to read them without much effort."
"I had hoped that we might, honestly. Sometimes, during the reading of Ocarina Tale, he looked so disturbed and overwhelmed that we had to make him stop, even though he wasn't inclined towards that."
"Stubborn is not purely a Gerudo trait, but he does take it to extremes, doesn't he?"
"Sometimes, yes," Zelda frowned a little. "Hopefully this time he will be willing to listen. Would you... talk to him about it?"
"Well, I've talked to everyone else," Raiha rolled her eyes a little. "Really, one would think you lot would be able to take me at my word about this..."
"The Ocarina Tale detailed... your inner thoughts and motivations," Zelda said after a moment. "We just want to make sure it's not impinging upon your privacy."
"I know, I know, and I get that, but if I give permission, I give permission. The fussing seems a bit... Much. Like I told Link, those journals aren't me. They are who I was, and I'm not her any more."
"Parts of you are, though."
Raiha's grin was lopsided and wry.
"Zellie, of all of them, you should get that the past isn't the present. What was, is not what is. I can no more be those women than if I had been reincarnated. So really. It's fine. And it'll probably give you a much needed insight to what happened during the Twilight Debacle anyways. I know history falls woefully short on that era thanks to how the magic of Twilight worked."
"You'll... at least remain in the palace, yes?"
Now Raiha laughed.
"I have too much to do right now to go gallivanting off to the lake! Even if it would be nice. We should all go down at some point, though; Tetra would probably like the break, and I'd like to see the Zora diplomats, show them Bel and Naila."
"You're right... it would be nice to go for a few days..." A pause. "Will you go talk to Ganon now?"
"Might as well," Raiha shrugged a little.
"Would you like me to watch the twins for a while? We'll go up to my study so I can go over some of the reports."
Raiha thought about it for a moment, then glanced into the pram; as far as she could tell, they were sleeping soundly enough, and Zelda certainly knew what to do when they woke. Plus, Zelda was also their mother, even if she hadn't carried them to term. So she nodded.
"Sure. Shouldn't be too long. Theoretically."
Zelda laughed softly.
"'Theoretically.'"
He had, at least, hired the secretaries like she'd told him to. True, it had taken several years to find those who weren't easily intimidated by the almost seven feet tall Gerudo male, but the effort had paid off. Most of the paperwork was actually getting done these days,with only the most important documents making it to his desk.
And since she was known by sight and reputation, no one tried to stop her as she walked through the house of the Master of the Guard, and up the stairs to Ganon's office. She had already checked the practice yards—and waved to Link, though she had not stopped—and since he was not there, or in the arena with the horses, this was the place he would be.
It was funny, she reflected as she stood in the doorway of his office, how years of peace and love could change a person. True, he was giving the paperwork a vile look, but it wasn't half as heated as it might have been once. As it had been, even five years ago.
"Keep making faces like that, and yours will get stuck," she said lightly. "You already look grumpy enough to scare recruits; we certainly don't want to terrify them."
"Ha ha," he grunted, glancing up at her. "Very funny."
"Well, I thought it was."
"Are you coming in, or just lurking because you're bored?" he asked.
"Please. I don't have the time to be bored," she retorted, stepping in and draping herself across a chair. "I wanted to clarify a thing with you, though."
"What about? Where's...?"
"Zelda's watching them, and the Twilight Tale."
He looked up properly now, then leaned back a little in his chair, setting the pen aside for the moment, with undisguised relief. It made her smile; she knew that feeling all too well.
"I thought you called it the Twilight Debacle," he said after a moment, studying her with sharp yellow eyes.
Raiha shrugged.
"I refer to it as the Twilight Debacle. But Tale makes for a better alliteration, and matches with the previous set. Yes?"
"...hn. All right, so...?"
"So, I want you and Zelda to take turns reading it. Maybe even let Link have a go, even though he's still not that good at it."
"What, why?"
Raiha sighed a little, and picked her words carefully; she didn't want to provoke him into trying to prove her wrong, which he still did every now and again. Most of the time, she did that on purpose, but this time, the idea caused profound concern.
"Because being pummeled by memories, even unspecific ones, will hurt you. I'd like you to promise me that you won't try and read it all yourself. You've suffered enough... and I don't want to add to it. Also, it will give Zelda some practical practice. Link too, even if he needs help."
Ganon's scowl was softer than usual; she knew he didn't like being thought of as weak, but the memories were not something to laugh, or joke about. Absently he drummed his fingers on the desk and the anger drained away into a sort of grumpy resignation.
"All right. But you really think Link's good enough?"
She snorted a little.
"He's well behind Zelda, and I doubt he'll be able to manage a lot, but between the two of them, they are libel to be able to give you a break. And really, he needs the practice. I'd say let Sheik read some too, but he hasn't even really started learning yet; he only just finished the last of the book sorting that came about from his little accident a few months ago."
Ganon snickered a little at the memory; Raiha just shook her head lightly.
"Will you?"
"All right, all right. I promise I'll let Zel and the kid spell me on the reading."
Though he rolled his eyes in annoyance, she knew it was feigned; while Ganon hadn't had a nightmare recently, they both knew these journals were likely to stir them up again. But they both had appearances to keep up, even for one another.
Still, when he made a promise, he kept it. She she knew he would let Zelda, at least,take the journals away and take over for him when it became too much.
"Good. How much more of that do you have to fuss with?"
And she pointed at the paperwork.
"...not much. Why?"
"Finish up, and we can show off for the newbies, of course!"
He snorted. Grinned at her.
"All right. Let's do it."
A late night soak was just what the healer ordered, and Raiha half-dozed in the comfortably warm water, while keeping an ear out for one of the babies turning fussy. She had, as far as she could tell, managed to convince everyone that she really was fine with them reading the journals that held the Twilight Tale. She didn't doubt that Link would need some extra care while the story was being told, but the other three were made of sterner stuff, and would maybe learn the lessons she had not.
After all, even though she had been returned to the world by the goddesses, she had still made plenty of mistakes. And one of the biggest was detailed in those pages.
She sighed a little; the Mirror of Twilight... Din but she hated how that had turned out. She should have broken it herself, long ago. But there had always been the hope that she could fix things, could make it better. Could atone...
Raiha swept her wet hair out of her face and muttered a few choice words; it was well out of her hands now, and they already had plenty of proof that she wasn't this perfect idol of a person. This would hardly change that fact. And since dwelling on it was not going to help her any, she firmly pulled her thoughts away from the Mirror, and the mess that it had led to.