The Assassins of Hyrule
**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, I do not own Legend of Zelda or Assassin's Creed. Those are owned by Nintendo and Ubisoft respectively.
Chapter 1: Red Stains and Blue Cloth
Blood covered his blades. Nothing unusual there. He and Link spent at least two hours keeping monsters from entering Kakariko. They might discuss it later on in the barracks. They'll definitely need to run this information with Mentor; the Assassin Brotherhood must know if any dangerous creatures are appearing in two of them then decided to split.
"Link, go ahead back to the barracks and inform Mentor about the attack, I'll go and inform Lord Vance about it and request reinforcements." Kev'n told his friend, almost shuddering at the mention of Vance.
"Be my guest to fall on the sword," Link joked. "Just be prepared for a meeting the princess may call for later tonight."
"I'll see you then." Kev'n replied before lowering his hood. The two of them have grown close enough over the past seven years that they were practically brothers. Link went along a path that led straight to the training grounds, while Kev'n went straight towards Castle Town's upper-class district.
Before reaching the city walls, Kev'n removed his pauldron, and replaced his dual-colored robes with a navy blue jacket, and then donned his pauldron and cape once again. Earlier today, he never imagined that a fat, rich man would be lecturing him. As it was, however, a distended stomach shook up and down in front of him as Vance seethed with anger like a child throwing a fit.
"Sir Kev'n, this is highly inappropriate!" All the contempt for Kev'n which the lord normally hid in front of others with kindly-worded insults was clearly visible on his face; Kev'n had invaded his sanctuary, one of the few places in Castle Town where the royal knight wasn't allowed. For his part, Kev'n was well aware of the numerous breaches in etiquette, but he hadn't wanted to provoke anyone.
"It's an emergency, my lord. The beasts you sent Sir Link and I to slay claim that a larger force will attack Kakariko tomorrow to avenge them." Several of the guests Lord Vance had been entertaining looked horrified by the news, but Vance himself was only further enraged.
"You come barging into my private quarters, hands covered in blood, without permission—in the presence of women, no less—to tell me about something that will happen tomorrow?" he growled out, having trouble controlling his volume.
"Kakariko is at least half a day's ride from here. Since you are in charge of maintaining eastern Hyrule's defense, I—"
"Let me tell you something, peasant." Though Kev'n's blood boiled at being regarded so poorly, after seven years he knew better than to further agitate a noble. He stood at attention and patiently waited for the diatribe to end. "I am gracious enough to tolerate you at our meetings, but you will not under any circumstances intrude on me here! I will deal with this problem later. Now go!"
"But—"
"Now." To not show any signs of aggression, Kev'n curled his toes into fists.
"I shall see you at the meeting, my lord." He said firmly before nodding and leaving. Outside Vance's home, he resisted the urge to take his frustration out on a nearby wall; Kakariko's protection was more important. With that in mind, he made his way toward one of the few nobles in the city who took him seriously. Princess Zelda, as expected, was in her garden, likely enjoying a break from tedious meetings, and contemplating about tonight's.
"Princess," he said breathlessly, still tired from running through town with his urgent message.
"Sir Kev'n!" She looked up in surprise, but her cool exterior was up the next moment. "What happened to you?"
"Pardon me your highness. If there is blood, it's not mine."
"There is none, but I would like to know the urgency of this visit."
"Moblins are attacking Kakariko tomorrow." He informed her, tired of the delays. Instantly Zelda was more on edge.
"Did you inform Lord Vance?"
"Yes your highness, he brushed me off."
"I see. Thank you for your haste, hero. I will make sure he dispatches soldiers there immediately." He was relieved at her icy tone. It was good to know he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand that man sometimes. Zelda could be as stuffy and underhanded as anyone, but she still cared more about Hyrule's safety than the wounded pride of one of her advisers. "In the meantime, please rest. There is an important subject that will be discussed tonight."
He did a slight bow before heading towards the barracks in Castle Town. Kev'n had at least an hour before the meeting, and made his way towards the bathing rooms.
First removing his his standard issued Hylian shield, his bow, then his quiver and sheaths, which hold his arrows, broadsword, and Biggoron sword respectively. He removed his jacket, as well as his pauldron with a navy blue cape attached to it. Looking at his dual-colored robes, Kev'n was surprised at the lack of bloodstains on it. He then removed the chainmail shirt he had on top of his thin black tunic, removing that as well.
Kev'n then removed his gauntlets, checking that the blades being safely locked up with a small deadbolt knob. He then removed his belt with his knife and potion pouch attached. He then moved onto removing his boots, pants, and undergarments.
After locking away his equipment in a wooden locker, Kev'n pressed a water pump up and down multiple times to get water, and pulled a lever to release the water upon his short, blonde hair. Washing himself quickly, Kev'n then dried himself off, dressed in his clothes and armor, once again donning his navy blue jacket, soon covered with his pauldron and cape. He took only his knightly sword, broadsword, shield, and pouches of medicine, locking away his remaining weapons for the time being.
Meetings. Everything, every decision, always had to be formalized. Kev'n forced down the urge to barge through the door and demand why soldiers had not already left. Sadly, his aggression would only make everything worse. He always had to rely on the princess to convince anyone of anything.
It didn't matter now, though, because he and she were sitting at the round table, along with Link (who was in his usual green tunic, chainmail, and cap), Mentor, or as other nobles knew him, Regol Axort, Lord Vance, and a few other nobles.
"Loyal vassals to Hyrule," Princess Zelda began as usual, "before we begin with our scheduled business, something urgent has come up. Sir Kev'n has informed me that a horde of moblins plan to attack Kakariko Village tomorrow. I expect you, Lord Vance, as head of defense in that area, to respond immediately."
"Yes, your highness." He said something to a young man attending him, and the boy left. "My messenger is on his way to tell the soldiers under my command to prepare for departure. I will speak with them in greater detail after this meeting has concluded."
"Thank you, my lord," she responded evenly. Kev'n and Link both hated the two-faced man. Though he was certainly glad the lord listened to Zelda, he was growing increasingly frustrated at how little anyone listened to either of the knights.
"For our next order of business, we must decide our next step in improving relations with the neighboring kingdoms. I have met with each of you individuals," she said acknowledging each of the nobles, "and we are all in agreement to form an alliance with the Gerudo, even though they gave birth to the demon who tried to take over Hyrule seven years ago. Thus we must send an envoy to them soon. They have already been informed ahead of time that someone will be sent to them. This situation is too delicate to send an ordinary messenger. Someone from this table must make the journey."
The council fell silent, and Kev'n knew none of the stuck up, physically weaker men were eager to go somewhere as harsh as the Gerudo Desert. For some reason, he gave it some thought. It would give him time away from the council, and he desperately needed to clear his head.
"If it pleases your highness, I volunteer to go to the Gerudo tribe as an ambassador."
"I'm not sure that would be wise, Sir Kev'n," Zelda informed him, frowning slightly. "You have many valuable skills, but you are also the least experienced person here in terms of diplomacy. Perhaps it would be better if someone else went."
"Begging your pardon, your highness, but perhaps Kev'n is more suited to the task than you might realize. Like the Gerudo, he has a propensity toward… simpler ways of living." Kev'n held is anger down as Vance continued. "And as a fellow warrior, he may be more likely to earn their respect and trust than anyone else."
"Wait," Link interrupted. "Kev'n, are you sure you want to do this? I can go in case of anything."
"No," Kev'n replied. "You are one of our greatest warriors, I trust that you will be able to keep our kingdom safe without my help."
"You make a convincing argument, Lord Vance. Very well. Sir Kev'n, you are to leave at dawn tomorrow."
"Very well, I shall take the proposed treaty to the leader of the Gerudo, and return with their response." Kev'n finished.
"You shall take this document, set with possible policies that their queen would agree on. Once this is taken care of, please return as soon as possible, and we shall vote on their proposed treaty. Once we come to a conclusion, you shall take it back to the tribe, and address to them our conclusion." Kev'n nodded his head, taking the document from Zelda's messenger.
He didn't pay much attention to the rest of the meeting. After the meeting, Mentor Axort stopped him and Link, pulling them to the side. With Axort overseeing the military district in Hyrule, no one questioned why the tall noble would be talking to knights alone.
"Kev'n, my student, do stay calm when traveling. The Brotherhood has a few members in the Gerudo tribe." Axort claimed.
"Thank you, Mentor" Kev'n said, bringing one hand over a fist raised at his own chest, bowing his head.
"Link, I will make sure some members will be sent to Kakariko. Tomorrow, you may join them if you wish, stay in the barracks and train with other soldiers, or take the day off and spend time with that rancher friend of yours." Axort concluded with a smirk under his salt-and-pepper mustache and beard.
"Uh, thank you, Mentor." Link said, trying to hide his blush about that last comment.
"And Kev'n, I don't think I need to remind you that the Gerudo are seductively dangerous, and some may escalate a misunderstanding into a crime against the tribe. So please, be on your best behavior. And be careful, as well as some people here, some Gerudo may not be in favor of peace between our people."
"I am two steps ahead of you Mentor, but thank you for your wisdom." Kev'n said, doing his bow again. Axort placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
"I know both of you shall do well. It looked like it was a tiring battle. Go on and rest, my sons." Sons. That's how he saw them. Not soldiers; not students. Sons. Him addressing them this way always reminds Kev'n of two great days in recent years: the day he and Link became best friends, and the day Regol picked them off the streets and offered them a life in the Order of the Assassin Brotherhood.
They both bowed their heads turned around, and left towards the barracks to make preparations. They made their way up to the top of the castle walls, sitting on a few supply crates while observing the sun starting to set. Link turned and asked.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go? I have had experience there before." This was true. In an alternate timeline, Link was unable to warn the king in time about Ganondorf, resulting in him and his quest to eventually go into the Gerudo Valley, where he learned more about the locals and their culture. It wasn't until later where he defeated Ganon and sent back in time to prevent his rule from happening.
"I'm sure, your stories of the other times will be enough to keep me safe," Kev'n answered. "Besides, Hyrule needs its best warrior here to defend the people."
"Kev'n that's not-" Link started.
"Yes, it's true and you know it. You're better in overall fighting with weapons and monster expert. I'm just the strategic crime fighter who just happens to be more handsome." Kev'n joked.
He wasn't wrong. When he wasn't fighting, training, or relaxing, Kev'n patrolled the streets on rooftops in his dual-colored cloak. Due to their training, the two of them were built like runners. He would stop the occasional mugger, or track down a robbery under his hood. He made it himself, The outside was white, worn during the day to blend with the white walls across the city. Past sunset, however, he would turn it inside out, revealing the black portion of his robes, and using shadows to their highest potential.
Whenever he had these robes on, he was no longer Sir Kev'n, for he gained two new titles in the eyes of Hyrule. During the day, he would be known as the Ghost, and during the night, he was a third individual, the Shadow.
"Besides, Regol is always keeping an eye on Miri and Gilad, they'll be in good hands, I mean, look how we turned out." Link then chuckled at his friend's remark. "And I have one, final reason for why I want you to stay," Kev'n told Link. Link replied by thinking of all possible reasons why he should be the one staying.
"Go grow a pair and spend some time with Malon, just as Mentor offered." Kev'n told him with smirk.
"What do you mea-"
"Come on man, I've seen how the two of you looked at each other for the past seven years. Just go to Lon Lon Ranch tomorrow, offer some help to speed some work along, then offer to take her to dinner in Castle Town, in fact, here." Kev'n then reached into his bag and pulled out a purple rupee.
"No, don-"
"Here,"
"No"
"Just tak-"
"Thank you, but I'll do it myself!" Link said with a raised and annoyed voice.
"Soooo, you are going to ask her out?" Kev'n asked with a cheeky grin.
"Huh. Yes, Kev'n, I'll going to ask Malon out on a date."
"Haha. Finally!" Kev'n yelled from the top of the wall, but quiet enough to not draw attention from the other guards.
"Dude, quiet down, please. You know how much the other guys will mess with me if they found." Link pleaded whipping his head left and right to see if any of the others heard.
"Alright, alright, I'll stay quiet, just tell me how it went when I get back." Kev'n said, having a short chuckle exit his mouth. "I'll go and check up on the kids and pack for the trip. I'll send you a letter in case I run into any trouble." Kev'n said, getting up off of his crate.
"Just make sure you come back in one piece." Link told him, extending his arm out to his best friend. Kev'n gladly took his hand, giving it a firm shake, then the both of them tried to squeeze each other's knuckles, a running joke for the past few years. With them leaving it at that, Kev'n went down towards the lower-class district in Castle Town. The sun was almost down when he reached a small inn, with a few rooms, each big enough to hold a small family. He unlocked one of the rooms, only to get tackled by a nine year-old girl and a seven year-old boy.
"Kev'n!" He heard from the two children as they each reached for his legs. He crouched down and squeezed them in his arms. Miri, the older sister, had her short brown hair messed up and unbrushed, her small brown eyes filled with joy. Gilad's own brown mop of hair had a few wet clumps for some reason and his eyes matched his sister's in both color and excitment.
"I came by to check on the three of you. By the way, where's-" Kev'n was interrupted by a puppy's bark. A white and tan cavachon came running around the corner, and began jumping up on Kev'n's knees.
"Ezio, look who's back? That's right. I'm back." Kev'n stated in a loving voice, crouching down to rub Ezio's back and scratch behind his ears. Ezio flailed around and rolled on his back to get a belly scratch. Kev'n looked back at the two kids who saw him as an older brother. "Did you two do your studies today?"
"Yes." They said in unison.
"Everything?" Kev'n pushed.
"Yes." they repeated.
"Alright then. For the next week or so, Lord Axort will be looking after you guys while I will be gone on a mission."
"What is it? Gilad asked.
"I'm not sure if I can tell you right now, maybe when I get back. I'll be back soon. Now off to to bed the both of you, it's getting late." Kev'n told them.
"Awww" the siblings said, and went to change into their sleepwear, eventually climbing into bed.
"Kev'n, can you please play a song so we can go to sleep?" Gilad asked with big pleading eyes.
"Alright." Kev'n reached into his magic bag, and pulled out his guitar. First checking if his instrument was in tune, he began to play to his foster siblings. Tune after tune, their eyes began to close, being lulled to sleep.
*Insert link to theme of The Last of Us*
When they finally fell asleep, Ezio walked up and curled up by the siblings' bed. Kev'n then slid his guitar back into his bag and left for the barracks, locking the door behind him, and took to the streets of the town.
Yes, this is a rewrite. I'm sorry but looking back there were some big things that I wanted to fix. The story is not forgotten, but classes, my job and The Witcher 3 are always taking most of my time. Hope you guys like the improvements. For the life of me I have no idea why I included the prequel quote the first time. I was sober when both brainstorming and publishing the chapter, so I have no excuse.
Don't worry, there is a lot more to come. The next update will come sooner than later.
Kev'n's lullaby song: (slash)watch?v=Y97u-U0nvJM