A/N: This story is intended to be set somewhere between OoT and WW. There are spoilers for WW, so if you haven't played it yet, be warned. This story will be very long, and follows many different characters. Enjoy, and please review. I'll need all the encouragement I can get for this project.
Part I
Chapter 1: Ambassador of Peace
The girl flung her body into the air, bringing her two sai down on Ailke's head, her red eyes narrowed with focused determination. Ailke grinned, raising his sword above his face and blocking her with ease. She jumped again, landing nimbly a few feet behind him, but he read her movements, whipping around to face her, he swung his sword. She moved to block with her sai, but too late, the blade pressed against her throat.
Ailke smiled again, withdrawing the blade from her neck and sliding it into its sheath. The girl leaned her hands on her knees, her breath coming in hard gasps. "Again!" she sighed with frustration, raising her face to look at him.
He smiled, swinging his sheath off of his shoulder and turning to set it on a rock near the back of the courtyard. "You're improving, though," he said, as he proceeded to sit on the rock beside his sword.
She smiled as well, coming over to stand near him, dropping her sai into the black bands around her thighs and crossing her arms over her chest. "Not enough to beat you, though," she said. "I didn't even land one blow."
Ailke smirked at her, running his hand through his black hair, damp with sweat from their battle. "Don't worry, little Mana. No one can beat me," he said.
She raised her eyebrows, placing her hands on her hips. "You're right. In fact, you hardly even need your Royal Guard. And don't call me little."
"You're right, little Mana," Ailke said, ignoring her last statement. He placed his hand on his chin in an imitation of thoughtfulness. "In fact, I may very well just get rid of all of you."
Mana grinned. "Even if you did mean that, as if His Majesty would even consider it," she said.
"Oh, yes," Ailke agreed, nodding his head gravely. "The goddesses forbid his precious heir go inside his own chambers without the 'proper protection'."
Mana laughed, and Ailke joined in. The two laughed for a moment before stopping to catch their breath, and he raised his mirthful blue eyes to meet hers. He smiled at her, patting the empty space on the rock beside him. "Why don't you sit?"
Her smile faded, and she bowed hastily. "With all due respect, my lord, it would be improper," she said.
He frowned, his eyebrow raising. "It is improper for two companions to sit together?"
Mana kept her eyes lowered to the ground. "No, my lord, but it would be improper for a servant such as myself to sit with the Crown Prince."
Ailke smiled, and crossed his arms. "Very well. Then I command you to sit beside me."
A smile twitched at the corners of Mana's mouth. "Yes, my lord," she said, obediently taking a seat beside him, sitting at the very edge of the rock as far away from him as possible.
Ailke shook his head. "Little Mana, I must insist you stop calling me lord," he said.
She glanced at him, tilting her head to the side. "Fine. Then you stop calling me little Mana."
He laughed. "Unfortunately, little Mana, I don't have to do what you say. You on the other hand, must obey me."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Alright, Your Highness."
Ailke grinned again. "Okay, truce."
She smiled, nodding satisfactorily. "See? I always win at word battles."
"That you do," Ailke said. "Even if that is all you can win at."
She glared at him. "You're mean," she said, and he laughed.
Mana laughed as well. She flung her hair to the side, reaching up to adjust her long white ponytail. Ailke's face softened as he watched her. When she finished retying the black string holding up her hair, he grabbed her upper arm, pulling her closer to him. She jumped and cried out, flailing her arms to keep from losing her balance as she almost tumbled backwards off the rock.
Ailke grinned and helped her steady before releasing her arm. "Sit closer," he said simply.
A blush tinged Mana's cheeks, and she stared down at her lap. A sudden crash came from the southeastern part of the courtyard, and Mana jumped up, stepping in front of Ailke and pulling out her sai, holding them at the ready. Ailke also became alert, his hand reaching for his sword as his eyes rested upon the figure of a person standing up off of the stone floor of the corridor running past the courtyard entrance. The person wore a brown cloak with a hood pulled low over their eyes, so that it shadowed their face, and a piece of cloth running over the nose and mouth, so the person's face was almost completely hidden.
"Who are you?" Mana demanded, her eyes also watching the cloaked person.
The person startled, turning to face Ailke and Mana, as if only just realizing they were there. Seeing Mana with her weapons drawn, the person bowed quickly. "Please excuse me," a light, female sounding voice said. "I did not mean to startle you."
"What is your business here?" Mana asked, the stern tone of her voice unfaltering.
"I have come as an ambassador of peace from the Gerudo to deliver a letter to His Majesty, but it seems I've lost my way," the girl said.
"If you are an ambassador from the Gerudo, why were you not escorted to the throne room by the guards?" Mana asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Ailke stood up, placing a hand on Mana's shoulders. "That's enough, Mana. I will handle this," he said. Mana nodded, and lowered her weapons, but kept her eyes fixed on the girl.
Ailke turned to the girl. "Would you please answer her question?"
"Well, the guards were escorting me, but I dropped the scroll containing Lady Kacela's letter, and it rolled down one of the corridors, so I ran to chase after it. By the time I returned with the scroll, the guards had disappeared, and I was unsure of which way to go," the girl explained. She held up her left hand, which held a scroll of parchment tied shut with a red cord.
Ailke nodded. "Why do you hide your face?"
"Oh!" the girl said. She reached up, unfastening the piece of cloth from its attachment to the hood, and lowered the hood, revealing a youthful face, tanned, yet pale for a Gerudo, a long, dark brown braid, and long, pointed ears.
The girl smiled apologetically. "Please excuse me," she said. "The climate here is much different from ours. I'm not used to it being so cool during the day, so I put up the hood to help keep myself warm and forgot about it."
"I see," Ailke said. "You say you come from the Gerudo, and yet you are a Hylian."
"Yes," the girl said. "I was orphaned as a child, so Lady Kacela took me in and raised me as a Gerudo. Lady Nabila thought it would be more appropriate to send me as the ambassador, since I am Hylian as well."
Ailke nodded. "We welcome you to Hyrule. Unfortunately, His Majesty King Ferdinand is currently away on business."
The girl's face fell. "I see. I was not told this. Should I leave until His Majesty's return?"
"That will not be necessary," Ailke said. "I am Ailke, Crown Prince of Hyrule. My father has left me in charge of all of his affairs while he is away."
The girl's eyes widened and she quickly knelt on the ground. "Please forgive my rudeness, Your Highness," she said, her eyes lowered. "Had I known your identity, I would have shown the proper respect."
"It is fine. You may rise," Ailke said.
The girl stood to her feet, keeping her eyes lowered.
"Now, shall we proceed to the meeting room? I shall escort you," Ailke said.
"Yes, thank you," the girl said.
Ailke led the way out of the courtyard, Mana behind him, and the girl followed. As they proceeded through the entryway, the sound of feet running across the stone reached them, and two guards dashed around the corner, running up to Ailke.
"Your Highness!" they said, saluting to Ailke, who nodded.
"Thank goodness we found you," one of them continued. "An ambassador has come to the castle from the Gerudo, but we fear she has gotten lost in the corridors."
"Indeed," Ailke said. He indicated to the girl behind him. "This is the ambassador from the Gerudo. It seems she stopped to pick up something she dropped, and the guards escorting her left her behind." He crossed his arms, his face stern as he surveyed the guards. "She has traveled far to come to our land in peace, and already she has been treated poorly. I expect much better performance out of my guards."
The guards bowed respectfully. "Yes, Your Highness. Forgive us."
"I am now escorting the ambassador to the meeting room, that we may discuss matters more officially," Ailke said. "Please return to your duties."
"Yes, Your Highness," the guards said, hurrying away.
Ailke glanced at the girl behind him as they continued through the corridors. "I hope you can forgive the rudeness of my guards. They will be punished accordingly."
"It's fine," the girl said. "I took no offense."
"Nonetheless," Ailke said. He stopped in front of a door, and the guards standing outside of it bowed and pushed open the door.
"Here we are," Ailke said, entering the room. A long table stood in the center of the room, and an image of the three golden triangles of the Triforce hung on a tapestry on the wall.
Ailke took the seat at the head of the table, and nodded for the girl to sit across from him. Mana stood silently a few feet away from Ailke, slightly behind him. The girl took her seat as well, and glanced around the room nervously.
Ailke smiled. "Now then, shall we start over?" he suggested. "I am Ailke, Crown Prince of Hyrule. This is Mana, a member of my Royal Guard." He indicated to Mana.
The girl bowed her head. "I am Catali, ward of Lady Kacela, leader of the Gerudo. I have come as an ambassador of peace to the Gerudo." She pulled out the scroll, and presented it to Ailke. "This is a letter from Lady Kacela."
Ailke glanced at Mana, and she crossed over to Catali, bowing and taking the scroll, which she gave to Ailke. Catali waited while Ailke opened the scroll and read over the letter.
Finally, Ailke reclosed the scroll and turned his attention to Catali. "I see. I will arrange for you to stay the night in the castle, and tomorrow an escort will accompany you to Gerudo Valley, along with a return letter expressing our gratitude for your offer of peace, and to request your return that we may discuss things with my father."
Catali nodded. "I thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness," she said.
"I will begin making the arrangements," Ailke said. "Mana, would you please escort Lady Catali to a suitable room?"
"Yes, my lord," Mana said, bowing and approaching Catali, who stood. "If you will follow me, Lady Catali."
Catali nodded, and followed Mana out of the room.
They walked in silence for a few moments. "Um, is it okay for you to leave His Highness?" Catali asked tentatively.
Mana glanced back at Catali and smiled. She nodded. "Prince Ailke's Royal Guard is always around him, even if you can't see them, and even at that, he is stronger than all of us."
"Oh," Catali said. She fell into silence again.
"How long have you lived with the Gerudo?" Mana asked, glancing at Catali again.
"Almost twelve years now. Since I was three," Catali replied.
"Do you miss your parents?"
Catali shrugged. "I don't really remember them. The Gerudo are my family."
Mana nodded, and they fell into silence again. Mana stopped outside of a room, pushing the door open and holding it for Catali. "These will be your rooms for tonight," she said.
"Rooms?" Catali walked into the room, and her eyes widened at the vast, luxurious looking bedroom. "This is mine?" she gasped, gaping at the giant, soft looking bed, draped with a blue coverlet embroidered with elaborate designs of deep red and yellow. The polished wooden floor gleamed beneath her feet, and long, drape-like curtains hung over the windows far across the room.
"There are two more rooms adjoining, in case this one isn't to your liking, and a personal bathroom as well, so you may bathe in private," Mana said. "Some servants will be sent later this evening, to help you bathe and make sure you are comfortable."
"Servants? Two more rooms?" Catali repeated, her soft green eyes wide. "I really don't need all this!" she said, turning to Mana.
"It is Prince Ailke's pleasure to provide you with these comforts," Mana said. She smiled reassuringly at Catali. "I must go now. The servants will bring you dinner at about sixteen o' clock."
Catali nodded. "Yes, thank you."
Mana left the room, shutting the door behind her. Her thoughts traveled to the young ambassador as she walked through the wide, familiar corridors. She smiled and shook her head. The girl seemed too young to be carrying such a heavy duty as an ambassador, though she was only about a year younger than Mana herself. She was too innocent, too naïve.
A shadow dropped down onto the floor in front of Mana, causing her to jump backwards and cry out as her hands flew to her weapons.
"Your guard was down. You should know better," the middle-aged man said, watching her through fierce, glowing red eyes. Dark black hair hung in his face, lined with streaks of gray.
Mana's own red eyes narrowed at the man as she relaxed, though her body remained tense and alert. "Akav, what are you doing here?" she demanded.
"I want to talk to you about your relationship with Prince Ailke," the man said, moving closer to her.
Mana took a step back, her heart rate quickening. "What about it?"
"You are too close to him," Akav said. "It is not good for one of His Highness's personal guards."
"I thought it was good for me to be close to him. That way I can fulfill my duty more wholly," Mana said.
"And you are more likely to have your heart broken by him," Akav said. His eyes fell onto her chest and he placed a bandaged hand there, over the symbol of the crying red eye on her dark purple shirt. "Do not forget the meaning of these tears."
Mana sucked her breath in, and grabbed his wrist, throwing his hand off of her. "Don't touch me!" she seethed, stepping back from him again. "Perhaps you should rethink the meaning of forgiveness."
Akav sighed, dropping his hand down so the folds of the single long sleeve on his dark skin tight shirt covered it, hiding it completely from view. "Forgive but do not forget," he said. He caught her gaze again. "You are the weakest of Prince Ailke's Royal Guard. You bring shame to our family."
Mana crossed her arms over her chest. "Ailke has been training me," she said.
Mana saw Akav's eyes narrow at her use of the name so casually, and cringed, but he ignored it beyond that. "Yes, I know, and you are improving. However, you must learn faster. Manasa fears a darkness may soon be spreading over Hyrule, and your strength will be needed if you wish to protect the prince."
"My mother?" Mana said. "What do you mean?"
Akav shook his head. "That is all I know, but her condition worsens every day."
Mana bit her lip, and nodded. "I will train harder," she promised.
"Good," Akav said. "Stay alert."
Mana nodded, and he disappeared once again into the shadows.