Act 3: Magicians and Their Secrets
Mihari immediately got into King Gengo's ear when he saw the princess befriending a servant. The king, of course, wasn't pleased by the revelation. Thinking that his daughter was hanging around the wrong sort, he wanted Zelda to be barred from the servants. Mihari suggested something else.
"Why don't you invite the boy to bring you your meals for a while, then you can make a real evaluation of him. He's the only servant I've seen your daughter around, and I think she's interested in him." Mihari's seductive voice chuckled at the king's despair. "You know, interested, like how you want her to be interested in young Lord Tobias, Lord Quinn, Prince Heri, Prince Kayo, Duke Sala or Count Yan, among many others."
Gengo gripped the arm of his chair at thought of his daughter being romantically linked to a pauper. No, lower than a pauper, a servant boy. Over a lord or a duke from a far off land, she would choose the scum from the bowels of the castle? The thought was giving him a headache. "I want him hung from the gallows! No servant is going to even get the chance to think about making a pass at the Crown Princess, my daughter!"
Mihari covered his mouth, trying to hide his evil smile. He found the king's sudden outrage and overreaction to be quite humourous. "Your majesty, do you not think that is a little... harsh? At least give the boy the benefit of the doubt, try to see what's going on in that head of his, hm?"
"Why are you trying to push this interaction, Mihari?" Gengo looked up from his fireplace to see his magician standing loyally at the side of the chair.
"Well, your majesty. The people of Castle Town do not like seeing their tax dollars being wasted on senseless executions, especially if it's nothing more than one of the king's personal vendettas." Mihari flipped his hair. "It will make people furious! Outraged! Sick with anger!"
"Yeah, well not as much as I am!" Gengo growled. "The nerve of my daughter! I bring her perfectly good men to consider for marriage, and here she is going behind my back and flirting with... with... the help!"
Gengo's face was red with rage, as if he had consumed too much whiskey. His age had not eased his temper, if anything he was even quicker to anger than he was when he was middle aged. It wasn't out of character for the king to have these sorts of sudden tantrums, they became more frequent when he had a lot of stress, and Mihari knew this.
"Ah, but your majesty. I insist that you meet with the boy. I wasn't wrong about Deidre all those years ago, and she sure was not some princess or lady from a faraway land. Perhaps you are just doing the same thing to your daughter that the firm did to you? You were also presented with a bunch of blue bloods and none of them interested you. You too fell in love with a diamond in the rough." Mihari bowed humbly and placed cold hand on his master's shoulder. "I'm sure something can be arranged, hm?"
The old king stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking. "I suppose you are right, Mihari. You're rarely wrong. I don't know where I'd be without you. Please, arrange something."
"But of course, anything for the sovereign." Mihari smirked and licked his lips as he turned around and left the old man to his own devices.
The very next morning, Link woke up early and got ready to suit up for the tournament. Link's three teammates; Algar, Nale and Finn all shared stories of their mornings in the servant mess hall, even though they slept in the same quarters and were around each other all the time.
The mess hall was also in the castle basement, it was a large cafeteria like facility with picnic tables as far as the eye could see. The sleeping quarters for all three servant houses branched into the hall. There were several staircases that lead to the first floor of the castle, but they were guarded by knights to stop any unruly servants from trying to sneak upstairs when it wasn't their shift.
Algar, was in his late 20's, making him the eldest member on the Farore House team. He was a tall man, but not so tall that one would comment on his height. He was also quite thin, but he held a lot of strength in his arms. He had short ginger hair, pale skin and dark green eyes. His face was covered in freckles, so much so that some feared that he had caught some sort of strange disease. He was the number three polo position, a position often given to a powerful hitter and one of most experienced players on the team.
Nale was roughly 23 years old; this made him the second eldest teammate. He was fairly short and skinny, but had the vengeful temper of a Bulblin who had just been knocked off of his Bullbo. He was also accomplished in cussing and spitting. Nale had cold blue eyes and long crow black hair that he tied in a loose ponytail. Nale was number one, a position given to disciplined players who have fairly good accuracy.
Finn was 20, making him the third eldest team member. He was about as tall and as lean as Link was. He was a polite and quiet man who liked to read old religious texts. Why he did this really was anyone's guess. He worked in the royal gardens. Finn had a purple pompadour and strange yet lonely red eyes. Finn played number four, a more defence oriented position.
This left Link, 17, the youngest and newest member of the Farore House polo team and the player in the number two spot. The number two spot usually goes to the second best player who works between offense and defence. Messy dark blond hair and icy blue eyes, that was him alright. Link was quite witty when he had to be but he was also dutiful.
Every morning Link would look around the team's usual table in the servant mess hall and felt like he was among family. Algar would often be talking about his girl troubles and wanting to find a rich wife, Nale would be cursing about someone he wanted to beat up for no real reason, Finn would sit quietly next to Link with his hands folded near his mouth and looking down at some old book. This left Link in the middle of it all, who was often laughing at Algar's poor luck with women, and Nale's unfathomable anger towards total strangers. Together they were a team that just somehow worked. Did they think they could win the King's Plate? No. Did they think they could have fun? Yes. Fun was the main reason they played polo in the first place.
The busy chatter of servants that boomed through the hall soon fell silent as the knights near the north staircase stood at attention and saluted. The first few tables to witness this irregular event fell quiet, and soon like a wild fire or a bad disease, the silence spread. Link's table was the very last one to quiet down. It was quite embarrassing for them, as Nale was the very last person in the hall talking. It was his loud, scrappy and obnoxious voice that carried and bounced off the stone walls. It did not help that he was using some colourful language as well.
"Nale... I think you should shut up now." Algar swallowed hard as he looked at the hundreds of eyes staring back at him.
"Ah, what da bloody 'ell do I care!" Nale burped. "By this evening, all these people here will be kissing the ground we walk on! We're gonna win that goddess damn plate this year! I don't care what kind of mother heffing snobs we go against! They're gonna remember the green caps!"
Finn grabbed a leftover bean off of his plate and threw it at Nale. He then raised his index finger to his lips and gave his teammate a firm glare before nodding in the direction of the northern staircase.
The four looked on with the rest of the servants as the shadow of the king's magician crept down the stairs.
"Mihari? Now what da 'ell does he want with the likes of us?" Nale whispered.
"Probably came down here to steal our souls." Algar rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You know, in place of the one he doesn't have."
"Ay, don't cha need a way to carry your soul? His whole being is like one big black hole, sucks all the spirit out of everything. How do you reckon he'll carry the soul he don't 'ave if his existence consumes everything?" Nale scoffed.
Link was shaking nervously when he saw the dark magician appear before the castle servants.
"I am looking for a man." Mihari sighed in his usual seductive tone.
Nale stood up and shouted bluntly. "AH! Aye! I knew it! He's not a he at all! He's a she! And she be looking for a groom!"
There was a sudden roar of laughter from everyone in the hall. Even the knights couldn't help but smirk at the magician's expense. Mihari just scowled at the crowd with his arms crossed until they silenced again. Once they did, Mihari began to laugh hysterically.
"Oh, ahahahaha! You're so funny!" Mihari held his sides while laughing. There was a bit of nervous laughter in the crowd at that point.
Nale remained standing, despite Algar, Link and Finn trying to push him back into his seat. Link could hear the people behind him commenting on how Nale was a dead man if he didn't sit down.
When Mihari stopped laughing he narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, making a single diamond shaped projectile appear out of thin air. This alone amazed everyone in the room. "Anyone standing, other than myself and the knights will be hit."
It was obvious he was talking about Nale, who refused to sit down. "Oh, bring it on ya old feeble broad! You'll only confirm what everyone here thinks of ya!"
"Oh, what's that?" Mihari said quite calmly.
"That you're responsible for all the disappearances! That you killed all those missing people on a whim! That you killed Queen Deidre! That you're just a lowly snake that can do a few simple party tricks! You're nothing but a villain who took advantage of a weak minded man, the king!"
"Nale!" Link, Algar and Finn grabbed at Nale's shirt, trying to pull him to his seat. He still stood firmly, no matter what his teammates did.
"Party tricks, hm?" Mihari chuckled and watched the diamond projectile spin in midair. "Well then... is this what you call a party trick!?" Mihari snapped his fingers again and made more projectiles appear. With a flick of his wrist they were sent flying towards Nale.
Link quickly grabbed his metal breakfast tray and dumped its contents onto the table and then jumped in front of his friend at the last second, protecting him from the strange bullets. The bullets hit the tray hard and made loud clashing sounds as the dented the cheap metal.
Mihari raised his eyebrows as a sudden gasp echoed through the room. "Well, then. It seems you are the man I am looking for. No need for bloodshed or senseless hunting. You came to me." Mihari licked his lips and whispered. "That's what all the smart prey do."
Link dropped the tray on the floor and scowled at the magician. "You could have killed somebody."
"Oh, who cares about a few servants? Everyone is replaceable." Mihari shrugged. "307, or should I say... Link, could you kindly come with me? Not that I'll give you much choice."
Nale was having trouble trying to shut his eyes, but he had taken his seat. "Oy, t-thanks mate. I didn't expect him to actually do that. I thought he was bluffing. I didn't think he'd try to kill someone with so many witnesses around, ya."
"It's fine." Link smiled at his foulmouthed friend. "It's not the first time your mouthing off go you in trouble. It won't be the last time either I bet."
"Well, Link, are you coming? Or are you going to make me come and get you?" Mihari yelled and then licked his lips.
"Oh he'd like that I bet." Nale whispered.
"Don't go Link." Algar shook his head violently. "He'll butcher ya."
"Yeah, look what he did to that poor tray. That coulda been me!" Nale pointed at the dented tray at Link's feet.
Finn sighed and closed his book. "He wouldn't kill Link, not today anyway. It's the tournament today, and wouldn't it be odd if one of our players didn't show up after being called to come away with Mihari? He's got enough speculation circling him as it is. In killing Link, he would only confirm it. If he wants to kill you, it'll be at a later date."
"Gee, thanks." Link groaned as he looked towards the scowling magician on the other side of the hall. He then raised his voice, this time addressing Mihari. "Okay, I'll go with you!"
And with that, Mihari's scowl turned into a beaming smile. "Smart choice."
Link began his trek through the aisles to the northern stairs. He could see that almost every set of eyes at the passing tables were fixed on him. It was like having hundreds upon hundreds of small pins being stabbed into his sides. He really didn't want the attention.
When he reached Mihari, he looked back to see his teammates trying to meet his eye. This made him smile a bit.
"Let's go, I have much to tell you." Mihari turned quickly to the stairwell and began to climb.
Link slowly followed, doing as the magician said. He wasn't sure what Mihari wanted to say to him, but he knew whatever it was, was somehow going to change the course of his life forever.
When they reached the first floor, Mihari began to make small talk with the servant boy, though he never looked back to face him directly. "How long have you been here?"
"Since I was born..." Link answered carefully as the magician led him through strange, winding corridors.
"Oh, so you've never known anything else?" Mihari nodded. "You wouldn't fair well in the outside world."
"Well, actually I get to leave the grounds once a week and go into Castle Town."
"And what do you do there?"
"I dunno. Eat different food. Play some games. Go sightseeing. Window shopping."
"Window shopping?"
"Yeah, when you don't intend to buy anything but instead look intently at it. I can't afford any of the stuff I look at in the shops."
"Like what?"
"Well, there was this neat horse call, it was 100 rupees. Oh, and there was this bow, it was 300 rupees."
"Things are expensive nowadays in Castle Town. Hyrule has been having a rough time with their trading partners. You have your king to thank for that, for being so difficult to work with. Well, that and those rascals in the southeastern colonies who have been intercepting trade routes." Mihari shook his head. "It's a whole lot of grief over a bunch of fairy tales."
Mihari's last statement struck Link as odd. Mihari was one of the first people Link had ever heard bash Hyrule's religion.
"Fairy tales?" Link questioned.
"Mhm. When you were young you heard stories of goddesses who built the world, but can you prove their existence?"
"I-I think the goddesses are everywhere we look and they're always with us."
"Hm, yet another brainwashed sheep."
And with that the conversation dropped. Mihari had lead Link to a secluded, dead end hallway. "We're here."
"This is it?" Link looked around the darkened hallway. He had never been in this part of the castle before.
Mihari then raised his hand to a particular brick in the wall. He then tapped it gently and it sank into the wall. The wall then opened like a door. There was a bright and mysterious yellow glow coming from the new corridor. "Follow me."
Link couldn't believe it. He followed the magician with caution. I wonder if the king even knows about this...
Link had stepped onto an iron staircase and the door, that was the wall closed behind him with a loud bang. The clinks and clanks of his and the magician's feet reverberated through the yellow chamber. The spiral stairway shook unstably as the two hustled down.
When Link reached the bottom the whole room was an eerie yellow. The cobblestone floor and the ice cold stone walls all illuminated the yellow hue. The room was no bigger than your average apartment. There was a fireplace that had a smokeless blue flame crackling within it. In front of the fireplace were two puce coloured arm chairs with a small circular table between them. There appeared to be some sort of perch for a bird sitting on top of this table. There were work benches and tables around the room that had strange elixirs and books stack on top of them. The one that caught Link's eye was this strange liquid that changed colour while it bubbled and boiled over a burner. Next to it were several open texts that appeared to have been violently searched through for facts.
"Welcome to my cozy little abode." Mihari bowed and pointed towards the arm chairs. "Please take a seat."
Link nervous obliged. The whole room gave him the creeps. He wondered where Mihari slept at night. Did Mihari even sleep? Perhaps he was a creature of the night like many of the other servants had proclaimed.
He tried to keep his composure on the outside, but on the inside Link was secretly screaming in terror. Fear kicked in when a strange little red bird with a big beak swooped over Link's head and landed on the perch on the table.
"W-what kind of bird is that?" Link jumped.
Mihari chuckled at Link's reaction. "Oh, it's a Loftwing. They're very rare birds. This is the only one in existence."
"How do you know it's the only one in existence?" Link teased as he sat down in one of the chairs. He realized that his chair was incredibly hard and uncomfortable.
"Trust me. I know." Mihari smirked as he walked over to one of his work benches. "Would you like some tea?"
"Uhm..."
"Oh, I will simply not take no for an answer. Besides, this is very special tea. I'm sure you know what it is, you work in the kitchen after all."
"It's royal family tea?"
"Oh yes indeed. Only those with blue blood get to drink it. I'm sure it'll give you the extra kick you need to win the tournament today."
"I don't care about winning."
"You don't?" Mihari faked a gasp as he began pouring tea into two separate mugs. He slipped a strange green powder into the one mug after the tea had been poured. "Why don't you know my boy?"
"Know what?" Link glanced at the loftwing curiously.
"My, my you don't know." Mihari shook his head.
"Know what?"
"The princess is awarding the plate to the winning team this year. The king wants his daughter to be more involved in the games, so this is his idea."
Link was quiet for a moment. "Why does that matter?"
"Well, one lucky member from the winning team will be promised to the princess. Meaning, said person will be her prince."
Link turned around in his chair to look at Mihari's back. Mihari was trying not to laugh at the young man's envy.
"She doesn't want to get married though. I realize this." Mihari continued as he turned around with a grin. He walked forward with a mug in both hands and eventually gave Link his tea. "That is why..."
Link look down at the hot brown beverage in his cup, trying to reflect on the conversation he had had with the princess the night before.
Mihari sat down in the other chair and continued. "That is why... I think it would be most beneficial if your team won. One of you can sneak her out of the castle."
"Why should I care about this anyway?" Link shook his head viciously. "Why would we sneak her out of the castle?"
"You do not have to get married. I know how the princess yearns for a life outside the castle walls. You could give it to her."
"She would be abandoning the throne she is promised to. Then what would happen after that? Pure turmoil?" Link took a few sips from his mug. "This is good tea by the way."
"Oh, I will take care of the throne. Don't you know that we can just get one of her cousins to come in and take her place?"
"But I thought."
"No, no, no. We plan ahead. They just don't want everyone to know that. If anything were to happen to our dearest, beloved princess, we have a list of successors to take her place. Worry not. We screen every single one of them." Mihari smiled and took a sip of his tea. "Why, if everyone knew that we had a list of successors on hand, every great monarch would have dropped their title and ran away well before their coronation."
Link realized how miserable Zelda was, especially after how much she vented to him. Somewhere deep in his mind, he was starting to come around to the idea of freeing the princess from her prison. Link hated seeing people who were upset with their lives, and so he always wanted to try to make things better for them. It did not help that Mihari had dumped a special powdered potion into Link's tea that made him easily believe everything the magician said.
"Okay... we'll try to win it." Link nodded and took another sip of tea.
"Oh good boy!" Mihari exclaimed in happiness. "Now I have something else to tell you."
"Okay." Link placed his mug on the table between them. The little loftwing squawked.
"The king has requested you serve him dinner in his office from now on." Mihari sighed as he stood up. "This is not a question, this is an order. You will receive more pay this way as well. Perhaps you'll be able to buy that bow you liked so much in Castle Town."
Mihari then snapped his fingers and Link found himself sitting on an old, wooden, and rotted out bench in the polo dressing room. Mihari had teleported him. Link slapped his hand to his forehead and slid it down his face in disbelief. There was no more time for confusion. Link could hear his teammates noisily approaching the door. It was time to suit up, the competition was about to begin.
The three men came crashing through the door laughing and shouting. Well, Nale and Algar were. Finn on the other hand was following behind quietly, trying to find his focus. When they saw Link sitting on the dressing room bench they couldn't believe it.
"Link, how the 'ell did you get down here?" Nale blurted out.
"Forget that! How did the meeting with the dark magician himself go?" Algar added.
"Forget both of your questions. We need to get ready. The tournament starts in fifteen minutes." Finn scolded. "Get ready. There's no time to waste."
The men all nodded before going to their respected cubby and grabbing their belongings.
They quickly stripped down and dressed back up in their uniforms. They all glanced at each other, green tunics with long sleeved white shirts and chainmail underneath, pure white pants, and tall brown boots that rose just below the knee. They also wore strong brown gloves that stopped just before the elbow and long, pointed green hats. The last pieces to their outfits were the brown belts that ran around their waists.
"Looking sharp boys." Algar smiled at his teammates.
"Yeah yeah. What kind of monkey suits do you guys think the nobles are wearing?" Nale scoffed and pulled on his tunic.
"Probably something made out of the finest Skulltula silk money can buy." Algar laughed. "They won't want to get it dirty."
"So let's make a pact. If we make it to the end of this tournament, we'll dirty up their uniforms." Nale smiled.
"We have to make it to the end..." Link nodded to his teammates. "We just gotta."
"Listen, Link, buddy. We probably won't. You'll get your ears pierced anyway, it's club tradition. Once the new kid takes part in the tournament, we pierce his ears, it doesn't matter how well we do." Algar explained as he tugged on the small silver hoop in his right ear, as if Link even cared about it. "We'll do our best. We'll go out there and have some fun, we may not win, but at least we tried."
"My money is on Din this year." Nale nodded. "Ya'll seen how powerful and accurate of a shot they all are?"
"Nah, Nayru will take it this year for sure." Finn shook his head. "They have such well thought out strategies. What use is power and accuracy if you don't have the wisdom to create a plan that will utilize them?"
"Well I think Farore can win this one." Link added. "I mean, we're courageous, right? We pull some really brave moves, and it usually benefits us."
"I dunno Link." Algar scratched his chin. "I just don't know."
