Prologue – Part 1
-Kanyou, Country of Qin-
The day was bright and colourful. The king was on his death bed. The birds sung. The people mourned. The land was ravaged by war and loss. The prince eagerly waited for what would be his.
Impa stood by him, ever vigilant, ever silent. The king wheezed softly and though the doctors worked vigilantly, Impa knew the shade of death when she saw it.
The castle mourned silently as she did. The court gathered to discuss funeral arrangements and the process of succession. The people lit torches and mourned in open anguish in the streets, for the king was mysterious and rumoured to be a god among men. Not true of course, but an isolated monarch gains and encourages many myths. The prince... the heir. He did not mourn. What scared Impa to her core was not how he did not mourn, but the glee he had. She had watched him grow up... and the very thought that this... brat would be king.
Hyrule was in for dark days.
Impa left when the time was appropriate, but couldn't ignore the hunger in the prince's eyes as he watched his dying father. The anticipation. It sent chills down her spine.
Impa tried to calm herself. She walked the royal gardens, called for a harpist, even sparred. Nothing appeased the fear that festered like a living thing in her gut.
The generals were indifferent, the council looked on the young prince anticipating the opportunity they could exploit, and the prince most of all looked forward to the rod changing hands. Corruption. Power grabbing. That's all there was in the capital, and they were all too short-sighted to see what it was doing. The prince did not see he was no more than a pawn at his age, and with he lacked personal strength to resist his own advisors. And that would leave them with what? Qin faced war among seven nations of what once was Hyrule...
If Qin became weak and rotted from the inside, then Impa could say goodbye to her entire nation and the millions that called it home.
When sleep offered no comfort, Impa rose and sought the last place that just might offer her something.
Impa entered the temple. The priesthood had been long neglected, but there were still a few. One of them was the nightly caretaker and after exchanging short pleasantries with Impa, she offered a donation and requested to be left alone. The priest took the donation joyfully, and left her in peace. He seemed like a pleasant man that would have left her alone even without the donation, but Impa felt he at least be paid his due for his work. The temple was truly sparkling. The floor was polished marble, the red rug leading from the door to the pedestal was clean and without stain. The windows emitted an almost holy ray of light from the moon, and the statue of the three Goddesses sparkled. She was impressed.
It was as though time wasn't a factor here. Dust and decay and rot would not touch the domain of the Goddesses.
Impa was religious, in that she believed in them, but she was not… shall we say… holy. She did not actively worship in her day to day affairs. Perhaps it was a calling she had missed. The worldly affairs of politics was where she had been most of her life, and it entangled her every thought. The simplicity of casting her cares off and giving herself to a higher being… It was something she knew toward a king, but where a line was drawn between a king and goddess is that the king was infallible. The king needed officials to help run his day to day affairs of the kingdom. Goddesses and gods are not so mortal, and desire little more than a relationship. So simple.
This simplicity, Impa found, was a bit of a comfort of sorts. Here there was no politics. Or at least shouldn't be, as politics is a creation of man in their drive to complicate simple things by placing their personal touch upon it. Here there was no hiding who she was or what she had done over her life or what she wanted, as a Goddess saw all. And here Impa was coming not to hide herself, but to reveal.
Impa bowed before the statues. "Nayru, Din, Farore," She prayed. "Qin is in jeopardy. No… All of Hyrule, or what exists now of Hyrule, is in jeopardy. War ravages the countryside. Where once was a grand nation that reached to the ocean, there is now seven. For five hundred years there has been endless war. Thousands die every day. Peace is a lie, a mere illusion in our lives now. Monarchs last mere years, and even now the king dies. I… I fear what will happen when the heir takes the throne. The king, bless him, is a gentle soul. He is a good man. But he is a coward, foolish, and weak. He has not the wisdom to know what to do. He has not the power to do it. Nor does he have to courage to even try. This new king… is not gentle. The prince is spoiled and will think nothing of letting the kingdom pass away so long as he feasts!"
Impa paused, realizing there were tears in her eyes. But she also felt… better. So she continued praying. Her praying reached such a point she openly sobbed or laughed like a drunkard in disbelief. She simply prayed. Prayed as if she had never prayed before, and let out what had been festering in her for years. But most of all she prayed for hope, for salvation to Qin. Not just Qin, but to all of Hyrule.
At last, she was done. There was nothing more to say. Her emotions were spent and she was exhausted. Yet she felt… better. Impa lifted her head from the floor to look at the statues. They had not moved. There wasn't a sound. In a way, it was as if they hadn't heard. There were simply… statues.
Impa sighed, wondering if it was a waste of time. She felt better, and that was a comfort. But did it truly do any good?
Her thought was interrupted by the sound of a man entering into the temple. He was armoured and in a hurry. He slowed as he neared her to catch his breath.
"What is it?" She asked the soldier. She had been here to be alone, but the only person she had told was the priest. So no point in being exasperated with him.
"My lady Impa, I have searched for you! First your estate, then your usual places. It was only after being informed that you were seen here that I came."
"My apologies for sending you on a chase." Impa smirked in amusement and pity. He looked like he had spent hours running around. "What is so important that you have gone so far for?"
"The Chancellor, Ryo Fui, wishes to speak with you at a certain place. He would not say what it was about, but that it is extremely important and to be in secret."
"Ryo Fui?" Impa snarled. "That filthy, slimy, arrogant, PIECE OF SH-"
"Ryo, oh it's been far too long!" Impa greeted cheerfully.
He smiled widely. "My lady Impa, you look…" He paused briefly. Impa knew she looked like a woman who had spent long hours crying and that to say she looked lovely would be a flat out lie. "… like you are feeling the loss of the king greatly." He decided.
Ryo was intelligent, wise, charismatic, handsome, powerful, and most of all: ambitious. His power had grown greatly in the time of the king because the king was so weak, and owed Ryo so much in his ascension. The king was little more than a puppet to Ryo Fui.
Since the meeting was to be in secret, She found Ryo Fui looking out over the city from the upper palace. He was drinking tea and was unattended. He had a scroll his in his hands which he continuously beat into his palm like a timing device to a mental beat only he knew.
"I am." She agreed. The man was alone, unguarded, and unattended. It was moments like this he was perhaps his most dangerous. She was not afraid he would strike at her, but she kept her guard up none of the less. His weapons were not of the blade, but of the word and politics and connections and wealth. "I fear for how far Qin will fall in the days following his death before stability can be returned. The six kingdoms will seek to test the strength and resolve of the new king, in war and schemes."
"Then it is all the more important we provide a proper pillar for which the king to lay his head." Ryo replied smoothly.
"Indeed." Impa agreed.
Ryo motioned openly to the chair before him. "Share some tea with me? It has been a beautiful day, and a beautiful night, despite the latest events. It would be a waste to let it go by."
Impa spared the cup a glance. "That depends, is it poisoned?" She asked with a bluntness that defied the wide smile she wore.
Ryo laughed. He genuinely laughed. "You wound me, dear Impa! Straight as an arrow and just as lethal! What kind of a man do you take me for? No, I assure you! This is as honest a gesture as any other. But if it suits you, I shall drink it all for you." He reached across and drank from her cup just as well, and served himself more.
Impa decided he wasn't trying to poison her. She wouldn't put it past him, but he also wasn't rash. The court would soon be in chaos. His attention was better put on the rest of the court and stabilizing his foothold than one Sheikah. Besides, despite Impa utterly holding him in contempt, she wasn't for the idea of resisting him to the point of being ridicules, merely wary. His position served a purpose for good, and he ran it well to the benefit of the whole kingdom, such as the building of canals for farmland, trade routes, and other economic infrastructure. He merely benefited more from it than most.
So long as his requests were reasonable, Impa would simply be cautious. Impa sat down, but did not touch the cup.
Ryo shrugged and took one more gulp. "Impa, it is funny you would say you fear what will happen when the new king rises. I too share this fear. He is childish, foolish, and stupid. He may have an education, but he has no brains between his ears that uses it."
Impa raised an eyebrow. "It is all well and good to hold these opinions, but to say them out loud is treasonous."
"Not until he is king, it won't be. And if it were, then what I have planned is far far more treasonous, if only it weren't from the current king directly."
"You have orders from the king?"
"Of a sort." Ryo replied vaguely, gazing at the liquid in his cup swirl around. "You see… the king, Goddesses bless his soul, is not as ignorant as he pretends to be. He knows his fallacies, and so while his officials led much of the kingdom for him, he too feared what his son would do with the kingdom."
'You mean while you led the kingdom for him.' Impa thought. She said out loud, "So the king is afraid of his own son?"
"Of the potential the son holds, yes. It is something a parent holds when they look back. They will either be shamed… or proud… of their children. Of what they will do with their lives. In this case, it is anything if pride. With that, the king has decided to take up… an investment of sorts."
"Investment." Impa echoed.
"Indeed." Ryo looked heavily at Impa and extended the scroll he held. It was unopened and sealed with the king's stamp. Impa warily glanced between him and the scroll before reaching out and grasping it. Ryo did not let go, yet. His smile dropped, his cheery eye disappeared, and Impa felt she was looking at a powerful man who with nothing more than a look conveyed the importance of what this meeting was about. "If you choose to read it, your life is on the line. Reading it may bear the penalty of death, should the new king learn of this."
Impa glared at the Chancellor. "The scroll bears the signet of the current king. This is his will, yes?"
"It is."
"Then I accept reading it."
Ryo nodded, released his grip, and Impa opened the scroll. Ryo sipped his tea while she read. It was a short scroll, so before long her jaw dropped in utter shock. Ryo said nothing of her sudden lack of composure. He said, "It would appear our dear king has left another child in a neighboring country of Zhao, and my spy has found them in the city of Kantan. The king would like for you to retrieve her."
"The king has another child… an older one." Impa could barely grasp what she was reading. "A girl?"
Ryo nodded. "That is why the king has never had her presented before the court. A female monarch? Who has heard of such a thing! The woman would find herself at odds with everyone just for being a woman. None of the less, the king fears the dark potential his oldest son has so much, that he is willing to choose the one child that is older, even if that child is a daughter."
"What of the mother?" Impa asked.
Ryo hesitated. Emotions passed over his face Impa could not comprehend immediately, and he composed himself before she could. He said, "Retrieve her if possible, but the important one is the girl. The mother is of royalty, so she is important. Yet the girl is the heir, and that makes her the absolute priority. To help form some sort of peace in the king's reign, he had visited Zhao with them as honored guests. When the latest war broke out, he was able to escape, but not so much the mother and child, and it soon turned to them being little more than political hostages. They were assumed dead until recently, and my spy does not speak well of their situation. They are in danger."
"Then I should hurry." Impa rose. "I will leave at the first light after preparations are made."
"Indeed. The sooner the better." Ryo agreed. "Just remember. This has to be in absolute secret. If Zhao learns of it, they will stop you and kill you. If the prince learns, he will also stop you and kill you. Your mission is the find the girl and escape with her to the border. I believe… General Kanou is near the border of Qin-Zhao. I will send him a letter telling him to expect you with a child, possibly with pursuit. Race to him for retrieval."
"Thank you. I will be expecting him. What is the girl's name?" Impa inquired.
Ryo took a moment to think about it. "I believe her name is Zelda."
-Kantan, Country of Zhao-
"What the hell do you mean you are still thinking about it? Didn't you come here to accept the job?!" Impa asked.
Before her sat two black marketers of Zhao. The first said, "Nah, that isn't it. We came here so we could decide whether or not we'd take the job. So hurry up and tell us what it is."
"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? I will not divulge it just because you ask. It is too delicate a situation. If I were to tell you, and you refuse, I would have no choice but to kill you."
The black marketer met her glare head on. "Aren't you the one getting ahead of yourself, woman? You do realize this is Kantan, capital of Zhao, right? I need only yell out that you are of Qin, and every man for miles will run to tear you apart and rape the pieces."
The man leaned forward on the table. His temperament grew angry, yet controlled. "It has only been a decade since the battle of Chouhei… Every family has experienced some form of loss, and is filled with anger for what you dogs did. I promise you. We have not forgotten that pain."
Impa looked into his eyes and saw that he too suffered from that battle.
What could Impa say to appease the pain this Zhao man held in his heart? The anger and hate he kept contained? What of the whole country? She too had suffered from the endless wars. There was no one who hadn't. In her heart she wanted the wars to end, but to convey such an idealistic philosophy would fall on deaf ears. All that would satisfy in this cycle of vengeance was further vengeance.
The second black marketer said, "Don't do that, no need to hassle the lady. We are here to discuss business, not politics."
The first man grunted.
A third man approached, and from the greeting between the men, then Impa considered that they knew each other. She had been told by her contact there were a group of three. This must be the last of their party.
"Just relax, Dawn. She is just being cautious because it is an important matter." The third said as he sat down. "It is no small matter to 'smuggle a small person'."
"And how are we to know the importance of this person?" Dawn asked. "It could be some slave woman's newborn child all the way to the one of the king's children. Or a dwarf."
The third man sighed. "I apologize, my lady. He is just as cautious as you are. He tends to get heated up."
Impa did not know their names, but knew they wanted to go by the names Dawn, Midnight, and Twilight, respectively. In turn, they did not care about Impa's real name, and so she went by the name Yriel.
"No apologies necessary."
"Let me see if I can guess the importance of this." The third man (Twilight) said. "First, there is rumors down the trail that the king of Qin is dying."
Impa narrowed her eyes. Something this big would spread, but she had hoped the information wouldn't spread… this quickly.
"Second," Twilight smiled. "While it is believed that crown prince Lord Kyou will inherit the throne, I happen to know a man who knows there is still hidden in Zhao one who can contest the crown."
Impa gulped, but said nothing.
Midnight asked, "Who? The Qin king only had one child."
Dawn mused, "Actually, come to think of it… Didn't he leave behind one of his woman in Zhao as a hostage? And wasn't there a rumor she was with child?"
"That is correct." Twilight said.
Midnight gaped. "Wait, 'smuggling a person' right?! Could it be that you want-"
Impa interrupted, "Be careful what you say." She looked to the third black marketer. "You know a great deal."
Twilight simply smiled. He shrugged. "Then all that is left is to confirm the product we will be carrying. Once we see it, we can come to an agreement. I don't care that you are from Qin, but as a merchant that is the decision to be based on."
Impa replied, "I don't have it… yet."
"What?!" Dawn and Midnight yelled. Twilight shushed them, and after a moment they settled down.
"I have searched, but I have yet to find her." Impa explained. "I had hoped to acquire your services so that once the package is found, I can make haste. Because then my time may be very limited."
"A wise decision, yet also leaves us in the dark." Twilight said. He leaned back. The others fumed, but this man was calm and thoughtful. Clearly he was their leader. "Two thousand."
"Two thousand Rupee?"
"Extra. Each."
Impa's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. "What!?"
"This has gone from a smuggling mission to a 'find and extract' mission. It is extra work to find the kid, and it may even involve kidnapping if the kid is not in the loop. We will help you find her, in turn, we want two thousand bonus. Each."
Impa gulped, "I… I don't have that kind of money."
"I know, but I know your Chancellor does, and how much he likes to keep things like this… quiet."
Impa analyzed the man. He spoke as if he knew the Chancellor. It was not a statement without understanding, the man had connections across Hyrule. Yet... the information the man knew.
Was he Ryo's spy?
Impa could not come right out and ask, but her gut led her to believe it was so. She breathed out in relief. "I will make sure he pays."
The spy nodded in contentment. "Then we will do our part. I will need a day to make arrangements. I will also see if I can find the kid. We will meet here in two days."
"Two days is not enough time to find one child in a city this vast..." Impa argued.
"We don't even need that long... there are only three places a Qin child hostage can be. In the palace under prisoner, in the slums without any official protections, or..."
"Or?"
"The grave." Twilight said darkly. Dawn and Midnight showed no remorse for the idea.
-Later-
Impa used her training to blend in. She suspected Twilight was the spy of Ryo, and already knew where Zelda was, but Impa wanted to ensure this part of the mission was complete personally. He could search as well, but Impa did not wish to rely on them more than necessary.
She would search the palace that night, but first she would check the slums. The spies 'guess' made sense. Any Qin would be ostracized here and be unable to have a proper business.
There was a possibility the mother hid their Qin origins, but unlikely with them being hostages.
So Impa entered the seedier part of the capital. She prayed silently as she walked so that Farore might guide her feet. Impa felt that everything up to this day was their divine answer to her prayers.
A distant ruckus drew her attention. A thief had stolen bread. Child thieves were common, so she paid it mind only long enough to judge the child's gender. Thus far they had all been boys that she saw lurking.
Impa drew nearer and started to hear yells from the crowd that chased the child. "Qin shit! Still lurking like a dog are we!?" "Filthy thief!" "Get her! The brat stole some food!"
'Her'? Impa's nerves rose.
True enough, the child was a young girl. Or at the very least a tomboy. She had short blond hair. She had the clothes of a street urchin and no shoes. Her body was covered in bruises, cuts, bugs, and dirt. Her hair was blond and filthy, unlike the normal brown hair. But the most powerful thing were the blue eyes. They were not eyes of a person. They were utterly feral, wide, crazed, unfocused, and filled with instinctual fear and hateful defiance both.
The girl was soon surrounded. A man lunged at her, but recoiled when her knee broke his nose. "THE BITCH!"
It took several men to stop the child and hold her down to beat her. One pulled out an axe. "You took my brother... least you owe me is an arm, thief!" He lifted the axe to take her arm.
"Wait!" Impa yelled. She ran into their midst and grabbed the axe handle. "Do this and you are no better than the Qin that took your family!" Impa pretended to be one of them, yet did not lie.
"So what?!"
"She is a child!"
Some of the men came to their senses and had a change of heart. They released the girl. While the ones with the most hate turned their attention to Impa, the girl took the chance to break away and disappear. Impa watched the girl from the corner of her eye. The girl looked back once before running down an alley.
Without the thief for them to aim their anger towards, and punishment for thievery dished out through bruises, most of the crowd dissipated. Without a crowd to justify their actions or hate, the rest of them soon walked off scoffing at her.
Impa walked down the street the girl had gone down. Her skills as a Sheikah aided her in tracking her little target, and before long she found the girl sitting in a dark, damp corner nibbling on a mere scrap of the bread she had escaped with.
The girl stared at Impa like a wild animal, cautious and frightened. Impa gulped. She did not approach too close. The girl looked like she would flee at the slightest move.
"Are you named Zelda, by chance?" Impa asked.
The girl did not respond.
"Where is your mother? Your father? Are either of them here?" Impa asked.
No response. Did the girl even speak a common language? It would prove problematic if the girl didn't understand her.
"Do you understand me?"
Still no response. The girl simply stared at her with wide-eyes.
Impa sighed. It would appear she had been lead on a wild chase. Impa turned to leave, but as she took a step away she felt a small tug on her cloak. Impa paused.
"Im…pa…" The girl whispered.
Impa sucked in breath. She had not said what her name was. "How do you know that name?"
"Dream… You are Impa?"
"I am." The woman replied. "I am looking for someone named Zelda. Do you know anyone named that?"
The girl nodded. "I am Zelda."
Impa could have wept. Her mission was a success, but also her heart was torn from seeing her charge in the condition she was in. Zelda was barely clutching on to life, and was seemingly too frightened to speak much.
Impa slowly lowered herself to be at Zelda's height, and got a good look at her. The girl looked to be a pre-teen. She was covered in very small scars and was malnourished. Nothing that wasn't manageable with some proper care. The bigger problems would be in her mind. A need for confidence would have to be first and foremost, as well as an education, but Impa felt there were many problems deeper down she would be learning about over time.
"Well, Zelda." Impa smiled. "I'm here to take you home."
"I have a home." Zelda whispered.
Zelda probably didn't grasp what Impa meant. But all the same, if Zelda had a home, then her mother was possibly there. "Do you now? Can you show me?"
Zelda nodded, turned, and entered the alley. Impa took the girl's hand and let herself be led. The walk took them out of the city towards the outskirts. In the midst of trees was a broken hut, and near was a shallow river.
Zelda stopped. "Wait… here."
"Alright." Impa nodded. She let go of the girl's hand. Zelda walked to hut door and peered in. She left and sat by the river. Impa looked at her curiously and joined her.
"Mother has a man in there… doesn't let me near when working."
"I see." So the mother had to sell her body to survive… Impa felt for the woman. Unfortunately it was just how the world was.
Impa didn't say anything, and neither did Zelda. The girl simply watched the river and the moon with wide, unfocused eyes. Impa used the time to study her further. With further observation, she was able to distinguish between the bruises. Most were simple bruises on her arms or back, but there was one in the shape of large hands around her neck.
"I am sorry," Impa whispered. "If I had intervened sooner, then men wouldn't have choked you."
"Choked?"
"Where they put their hands around your neck."
Zelda stared at her in confusion. "Men? No. Mother. She say it's all my fault."
Impa could only stare in horror down at the river. Her hands clenched and dug her fingernails into her palms. Impa wanted to scream but did not want to frighten the girl. With each minute, her day was becoming more and more surreal. She was starting to feel like she was trapped in a horror tale.
"Zelda… has she done this before?"
Zelda nodded. "A few times."
Impa could not take it any longer. She wasn't going to tolerate this one second more. The woman shook in fury, and the knowledge of what she needed to do. She took Zelda by the hand, and left. The mother be damned. Zelda followed along as easily as sheep. Impa wasn't sure if it was due to trust, or a lack of caring. On one hand, the girl was defiant before men, but she would keep going back to the same violent woman. Her unfocused eyes scared the woman.
"Why don't you tell me about this dream of yours." Impa suggested. "The one that told you about me?"
"In my dream, I was watching the moon. The moon took the shape of a beautiful woman, and fell to the water. She stood on the river and said a dark-skinned woman, named Impa, would come to take me away."
"That's exactly what I am here for." Impa confirmed, smiling at the young girl.