"Rise and shine saddletramp," the voice said before a torrent of ice cold water hit Colin's face.
Sputtering he shot up from the jailhouse cot, "Bastard, what the hell was that for?"
"Your free to go, and if you know what's good for you, you'd get the hell out of town."
Colin Starblade shook as much of the water from his face as he could as the deputy opened the door. Walking out he picked his gunbelt up off the desk in the front room and strapped it on. Drawing the revolver from it's holster he broke it open and checked the cylinder. Closing it he replaced it and waited for the deputy to come release his shotgun and rifle.
"You Martalians ain't worth much anymore. Three hundred years ago you were powerful enough to help the Hero of Fallen Light push out the Emperor's army, and now the most of you are mercenaries and gunfighters. What makes it worse is that you are a Hylian. Makes me sick," the deputy said as handed the two firearms over.
He didn't even look back at the man as he left. Stepping into the dusty street of Kakariko he looked at a break in the cliff wall. Turning the other way he walked to the Saloon. In front a strong looking chestnut mare stood waiting. Slipping the weapons into their sleeves he tied the flaps closed and went inside.
"Oh no, you tore this place up bad enough last night, you ain't getten anotha chance," the bartender, a man who probably drank as much as he sold stopped him before the doors swung shut.
"Relax, rummie, I just want to find out what happened last night, get my saddlebags, and leave before the deputy decides I'm worth shooting," he said easily, watching where the other man's hand disappeared behind the bar.
"Bags are in your room, and next time somon tell you yar in thair chair, getout and don bust thair jaw."
Nodding Colin headed up the stairs. Shaking his head as he deciphered the man's horribly mangled Hylian he decided he needed to stop drinking. He also needed to watch his left hook more. Fishing the key out of his pocket he went to open the door only to notice that it wasn't fully shut like he had left it. Putting the key back he drew his gun and cocked the hammer. Stepping back he kicked the door open and stepped in low to the ground with the weapon pointed .
"I take it the barman did not tell you I was in here, Sir Starblade," said a woman dressed in a drab brown cloak.
Standing and lowering, but not holstering, his gun he tried to see inside the hood, "Only a few people know me by that name, and all most all of them bring me trouble. So that must mean you are from Hyrule castle. Spit it out, what do you want."
Standing up the woman withdrew her hood, revealing hair the same exact shade of blonde his was, "I have been looking for you brother."
"Zelly, what the hell are you doing here. Last I saw, you were with Uncle Sarid in Martal. And just what are you doing in this saloon," he asked.
"I've been looking for you. I want to come with you to find him. He might need both of our help. Ain't I big enough," Zelda, Princess of Hyrule asked.
"Aren't or are not. Ain't is not a proper contraction, and is fit only for rural dialects, not someone from the royal line of Hyrule. Nevermind that, how did you even make it past the guards I had uncle put on you."
"You think that Prince Colin is the only one that can order Uncle Sarid around, Aunt Tera is quite adept at it, and she can't deny me anything."
"Prince Colin Starblade. Guess I should feel honored to have my clock cleaned by royalty. I shouldn't be rude and not return the favor now should I boys," Link heard someone say by the still open door.
Dropping low as he spun, Colin fired three time, striking each man once in the right shoulder, "Get."
The men didn't even think they just ran, "You should have killed them for even thinking of harming a prince."
Colin gave his sister a hard look, "Taking a life for a thought is wrong. You should never have been exposed to Uncle Sarid. He made a mess of Martal, and now he seems to have given you the idea that nobles are above everyone else."
Zelda gave him a curious look, "Aren't we? Our father is the ruler of Hyrule."
"Zelda, we are meant to protect and guide the people of Hyrule, not oppress them. Remember what our name is. Starblade, the name given to the Hero of Fallen Light. Our ancestor is considered probably the second greatest hero to ever grace this earth. And I swear to the Goddesses that I will not sully this name. And if you ever say anything like that I will turn you over my knee, you understand that."
"You wouldn't," the younger girl said, already knowing full well that he would.
"Let's get you to the castle, and then I need to set off for the desert. I found what I needed from here," Colin said as he holstered his gun and slung his saddlebags over his shoulder, "And don't say another word about me being a prince. I am trying not to attract anymore attention to myself than I already have."
Hyrule field was one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that Colin knew of. Ever since the Hyrule army and the Brotherhood of Heroes had started regular armed patrols monsters had become a thing of the past. Deer and other animals were plentiful if a traveler needed to take meat, the streams ran clear as the air, and the Crown had funded a stage line and several waystations that a person could stop at for the night or to trade. Eight military forts also dotted the field, one at each of the compass points, ensuring that if a detachment needed reinforcements that they could arrive quickly to flank.
Castle Town, the seat of power in Hyrule, sat in the center of the field, its great spires visible from almost anywhere. You could find almost anything you wanted in the town. Though in some sections blood flowed as free as alcohol, it was the most peaceful city one would find in the present day. The walls surrounding the town were possibly second only to the actual castle in how impressive they were. Two and a half feet thick, they had been rebuilt by the Gorons after what had been called the Hylian Revolution, when Link Starblade, Hero of Hyrule, and Princess Zelda Harkinian, retook the throne from Emperor Ganon Dragmire, and were guaranteed to be able to withstand the might of a dragon without falling, thanks to their iron core.
The castle was the most beautiful part to him though. He had grown up there. He knew it as well as anyone could, even the people tasked with defending it. The four grand towers, the smooth white stones, the lush gardens, and the bright banners. He just stared at it as his horse found its way to the stable, the white gelding his sister was literally bound to tied to the saddle following. He never could get over the sight of the walls
"COLIN! WHY IN THE NAME OF THE SACRED REALM IS YOUR SISTER BOUND TO THAT HORSE," a powerful booming voice yelled out before softening, "And why are you back in Hyrule?"
He dismounted and turned to the source, his father, "I am going to find him, and she decided to tag along. I had to tie her to the horse after she threatened to go off on her own."
King Dallas Stormblade looked at the way his daughter was bound, "Couldn't you have tied her in a bit more dignified manner at least?"
"Every other way she managed to get out of. I at least tied her dress closed around her ankles to keep her modest," he said flatly.
The king frowned. Out of the three children he had he didn't know who was the most understandable. His eldest son was only the eldest by a few minutes, and was obsessed with history. Colin was extremely level-headed, by often acted rashly even if he didn't think it was rash. Zelda was the youngest, and a wild child. She was undoubtedly the smartest of the three, but she didn't act like it.
"Colin, I want to believe he is alive as much as you do, but he has been missing for three years. The desert is just too vast to search, and that is the Gerudo's words, not mine. They know the desert, it is born in to them. The Arbiter's Grounds have been lost for five generations, the effort to find them was greater than reason would allow anyone to search," Dallas said to dissuade his son.
"I found the map he had. He hid it in the tree by grandfather's grave, just like he said he would. I can follow it. I will follow it. I know that he found the grounds. The only reason that he wouldn't have returned is that the Twilight Realm can still be accessed. If so, we might be able to find it," The young man said passionately.
"If you plan to do this, then you will need something better than that Labrynnian piece you carry," the king said seeing that he had lost.
Colin drew his gun to look at it. It was a Colbaine .41. They weren't the most common weapon in Hyrule due to the distance between the two kingdoms. Martalian Pickfords and Hyrulean Phoenixes made up the bulk of the weapons. The Gorons were known to make a few pieces every now and then, but they rarely sold them outside of Death Mountain.
"Its served me well so far. I don't see why I would need anything else," he said.
"Cut your sister down and find me in my study before you go."
After dealing with Zelda he strode down the corridors. He barely spared a glance to any of the tapestries, he knew them all by heart. The images of his ancestors stared down at those who passed them, almost as if they were in judgment. He held his head high and squared his shoulders. Swords hung crossed behind shields bearing different versions of the Hylian Royal Crest, some going back to the Hero of Time. In the lower corridors firearms started replacing the more martial weapons.
Stopping at a large brass-bound door he took a breath. Colin Starblade was known to the kingdom as being fearless. In reality being fearless meant doing stupid things before you had time to think about what you were doing. He was afraid of what his father was going to try to say. He knew that his brother was still alive, he was too tough for the desert to kill.
"I am here," he said as he pushed the door open and stepped in.
The king looked up, "Please close the door and sit down."
As Colin took a seat neither spoke. It remained that way for minutes, the only sound the hiss of the gas light as it burned. Colin had never been the most brilliant conversationalist, or even very social. Beyond his siblings he rarely talked to anyone he didn't really need to. Though to be honest his twin never spoke at all, which made what Colin said that he told him hard to believe.
"I think this gun may serve you better in this endeavor," the king finally spoke as he withdrew a box from his desk, "It served me well during the Holodrum war."
Lifting the weapon from its case he presented it butt first to Colin. The younger man took it in awe. It was Goron made. An open top design. The Royal Crest was engraved into the whalebone grips. Images of the Master Sword was inlaid in copper, silver, and gold around the cylinder. The bore was .44. He had only seen pictures of work this fine, and only on blades. Guns were intricate weapons true, but this one was perfect. Pulling the hammer back each click was precise and crisp. Barely a twitch of the finger was necessary for it to fall. Pulling it back to second click he spun the cylinder, the clutch making a small noise every time a pawl caught.
"I can't take this. This is a gunfighter's weapon. My Colbaine is better suited to where I will be," he said with awe in his eyes.
"Colbaines have always been finicky in sandy conditions. I would barely trust one myself. This was given to your grandfather when he became king, and he passed it on to me when I went to war. Now I am giving it to you to find your brother. If you have this gun with you, you might just do it. Your grandfather told me that it had a certain magic to it, that would always help noble intentions to succeed, blessed by Din herself."
Colin took a deep breath before removing the break over from his holster and looking at the two side by side. The Colbaine was bulkier and had to be almost forced closed no matter the conditions due to how they locked closed. The .44 had a simple loading gate, took a little longer to reload, but almost never failed. The Colbaine was a short gun meant for poker tables and fights in taverns. The .44 was a workhorse, made for working cattle, or fighting outside with its long barrel. The Colbaine was hard to grip, and very loose. The .44 was comfortable, with tolerances so tight dust couldn't get in between.
"Gorons know how to make a gun, don't they," he said to his father.
"I was told that it was the only one of its kind. The maker started it when open tops first appeared, which were the first revolvers, and he worked on it for twenty years getting it perfect. The rifling alone took him five years to design and perform. I have made shots out to eighty yards with it."
"What, the closest weapon to it would be an old Tenorile, and you couldn't get better than forty five with them," Colin said in disbelief.
"It will never fail you," producing a gunbelt he smiled, "I love you more than anything in this world, and I give you my blessing along with this gun. Bring him back if you can, and return yourself even if you cannot find him. Make sure to see your mother before you leave."
"I will," he stood and walked to the door then stopped, "Thank you for believing in me enough to give me this. It gives me even more hope than I had before."
A/N: This is another for fun fic. I found the idea of LoZ in a western setting interested, and noticed that my personal universe was uniquely suited to such a thing. So choosing a period three hundred years after Ganon's death, I have created a new conflict, one that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with an over arching evil, just someone looking for their brother. I can't wait to see the complexities that emerge over time. Have as much fun reading it as I will writing it.