~Chapter Three
August 26th, 648.
Marth refused to leave his room, but Roy and Elice Caeda came to the throne room around midday, to wait for the King of Hyrule's arrival.
They were talking quietly in the corner when Kieran entered the room. "Second-in-command Royal Knight Kieran reporting!"
"What is it, Kieran?" Elincia asked tiredly.
"I believe your visitor is arriving!" He gestured to the balcony that led into the throne room. "He should be here in a moment!" Then he retreated to stand near the door.
Elincia sat up straighter. "Time to see who the Shadow is," she murmured.
A moment later, there was a huge roar that caused everyone in the room to start. Then the light from the balcony was cut off as a mighty dragon landed on the balcony, huge red-black reptilian wings setting it down smoothly and blowing great gusts of wind into the room, blood-red pupil-less eyes glowing with an inner feral light. Geoffrey's hand went to his spear, and Lucia's to her sword.
"Steady," Elincia muttered.
Then the dragon lowered its wings and the young queen realized that it bore a rider, though it had no saddle or reins she could see.
The rider swung off smoothly and stepped forward, stroking the dragon briefly before entering the room.
A boy. That's what he was. He appeared to be barely sixteen years old, yet he stood with a regal bearing, and his eyes—those remarkable blank red eyes that Ike had described—were slightly narrowed, his expression calculating. He wore a black tunic and dark red cape, and a long sword with an elegant blue-violet winged hilt was sheathed on his back. But nothing on him was as dark as the utter blackness of his skin—it seemed to draw out all the light of the room when it came to him, leaving him a shadow. His hair, barely a very dark gray against his skin, fell to his shoulders and over his eyes. He was a perfect compliment to the dark dragon that stood majestically behind him.
"The Shadow," Roy spat, and his identity was confirmed.
The boy walked forward and bowed eloquently to the queen. "Your Majesty," he said pleasantly, the syllables rolling off his tongue. "Well met. I am Dark Link, King of Hyrule."
"Conqueror of Akaneia," Roy added sharply, gripping his sword. Elice Caeda put a hand on his arm. "Murderer of innocents."
"Ah." Dark Link said, and Elincia couldn't tell who he was looking at. "The young prince of Altea. My greetings."
"You—" Roy began, but Elice Caeda hushed him.
"Well met, King Dark Link of Hyrule." Elincia said cautiously. "I am Elincia, Queen of Crimea... but you already know my name."
"And it is an honor to meet you in person, your Majesty. I have heard much about you." he replied smoothly.
"Strange words from one who claims to have never seen Tellius before." the queen countered.
He laughed—a cold, heartless sound that she hoped not to hear again. "Of course... I have not come to your country before, but there are many who would speak of Queen Elincia to a wandering traveler. Libraries are quite easy to access, for one who tries. My... subjects have been in your country for some time. They are most informative."
"Spies?" Geoffrey questioned.
"Informants, Royal Knight Commander Geoffrey." the Shadow replied. "Queen's... consort."
Geoffrey stiffened. "Your information is misplaced." Elincia said darkly.
"Ah." Dark Link smiled. "My apologies. I only know what one may hear from the various rumors and gossip, so please forgive my... insolence."
"I would not forgive you for anything, you craven son of a—" Again, Elice Caeda stopped Roy with a hand.
"What brings you to Tellius?" Elincia asked.
"Mere curiosity." Dark Link replied cordially. "A year previously, I believed all land to have been destroyed, save Hyrule. Now that I learned that that is not the case, I am... curious as to how the people evolved on the different... lands. I understand Tellius is the resting place of... of the Goddess?"
"Yes..." the young queen said. "The goddess Ashera rests in Begnion, according to legend."
"In Hyrule, the goddess is called Hylia." the shadow said contemplatively. "And she was succeeded by the Three, who created the land, our laws, and the... inhabitants. As you see, our lands do not have much common, other than language. I am... fascinated by Tellius."
"You say the languages are the same, yet you speak with a foreign accent." Lucia commented. "And your words are off, slightly..."
Another cold, heartless laugh. "Forgive my manner of speech, Lady Lucia, but I admit that language is a bit... foreign to me. I was not a person of... great learning, previously. My station was won by deed, not birthright."
"You killed Hyrule's king, too?" Roy spat.
A cold, calculating smile. "No, young Roy of Altea... The king died, and in the resulting power struggle I gained victory. A simple truth."
Roy started to speak again, but his sister silenced him. "Why are you here?" Elice Caeda demanded.
"At the moment, there is only one thing that concerns you, Princess Elice Caeda." Dark Link replied, looking her way. "To recover something that I... lost." He turned back to Elincia and stepped forward. "Tell me, young queen. Have you seen a mark like this?" He held up his left hand. The glove was cut to reveal the back, and a familiar triple triangle marked it—a pale gray against the ever-black of his skin. The top triangle pulsed red with a heartbeat—Dark Link's heartbeat.
"Perhaps I have." Elincia said cautiously. "Why do you ask?"
"This mark represents something of mine." he replied. Elincia noticed that the pulsing red flashed brighter when he spoke. "It brands the... the unwitting carrier of the object. It is in three pieces. I have one. The other two... were lost. Prince Marth carries one piece."
"You aren't getting anywhere near Marth, you bastard!" Roy snarled. "You killed ourparents!You destroyed Altea!And you think we would consent to hand him over toyou!?Youmustbe insane! You are insane!You're a demon!"
"Calm yourself." Dark Link said, lowering his hand. "I have no intention of hurting your brother, or any of you."
"Too late!"
"Roy," Elice Caeda said soothingly. "Calm down..."
"I have no intention of hurting Prince Marth," Dark Link repeated. "I simply need to retrieve the... object he carries. Once I have done, I shan't trouble them again."
"If it is as simple as you say," Elincia questioned, "then why did you destroy Akaneia for it? How can you answer the crime of the destruction of an entire continent?"
"A foolish mistake." the shadow agreed. "One that I do not intend to repeat... I do apologize for that. I was... angry, and I exacted my own... personal vengeance upon innocents."
"Exacted personal—? How can you throw aside innocent people's lives so carelessly!?" Roy shouted.
"I apologize. I regret my past actions, and I wish to end the issue, now." Dark Link said firmly. "But I need all three shards of the object. I have one. The Prince has another. I would prefer to keep the Alteans in my custody until I have obtained the location of the third. When I have found it... then I'll take the Prince's shard, and then they will be free to go. If I cannot find it... well..." He shrugged helplessly. "What comes after remains to be seen. What say you, Queen Crimea?"
"It is not my decision to make." Elincia replied. "I shall ask Prince Marth, but I cannot guarantee an answer. From him, or the other refugees."
The shadow nodded understandingly. "As you wish. I shall depart. For now, I will be in the mountains bordering your country with Begnion... I trust that does not offend?"
"Not at all, so long as you do not disturb our border posts." she replied.
His eyes flashed. "Very well. I shall return in a week for your answer. Good fortune follow you." He nodded respectfully, then spun about, sweeping the cape out behind him, and easily swung up on the dragon. "(Fly for the mountains.)" he called in the ancient tongue—a language Elincia was surprised he knew.
The dragon roared and reared back, then leapt sideways off the balcony and glided for a moment before flapping hard to clear the walls. After a minute, the dragon and its rider were already disappearing into the distance.
Elincia let out a long breath. "That went... well." she said tentatively.
Roy was fuming. "That... that bastard... of all the... f-!"
Elice Caeda slapped him. "Watch your language!" she scolded, dragging him out of the room. "Let's go talk to Marth."
Elincia waited for them to leave. "What about his request?" Lucia asked, letting go of her sword hilt. "Would you actually consider handing the Alteans over?"
She shook her head firmly. "No. Not against their will."
"What if he tries to kidnap them?" Geoffrey asked. "I believe that one is capable of anything. He may try something."
Elincia nodded grimly. "They'll be safe from him. I'll make sure of that."
In the library of Melior, the dead of night. A shadow slips off of the dragon and lands lightly, his boots not making a sound.
"(Wait for me here.)" he whispers, in an ancient tongue that is common to him. Then he pads into the back of the library, his glowing eyes needing no light to see by.
He has heard tales... of dark magic created in Begnion, that none would dare speak of. The dark magic that could control the life of a country...
He finds the historical tomes and scans them. He alights on one; a thick, dusty tome without a visible title or author. He pulls it out and flips to the index, scanning the words quickly.
He smiles. Perfect.
Five minutes later he is out of the library, and there is no sign that anyone ever was there, other than a gap between books and a few lonely footprints in the dust.
"No."
"But Marth..."
"No!" the young prince shouted, his fist clenching in anger. "I never want to see that... that creature again! You can tell your 'Dark Link' that I reject his offer."
Elincia sighed in frustration. "But Marth, you hate that mark. He gives you a chance to get rid of it..."
"Elincia! Do you honestly think that I would ever want to do anything to help that demon after what he's done to me!?" Marth demanded.
"It wouldn't take long! And then he won't ever bother you again!"
"How do you know that?" the prince questioned. "For all we know, he just wants us so he can kill us! And who knows what he would do with this 'object' if he got all the pieces? What if he destroys Crimea?"
The young queen narrowed her eyes. "We don't know that."
Marth stared at her incredulously. "Don't know!? After everything he's done..."
"You have until Friday to decide." Elincia said decidedly. "Come to me with your final answer then."
"You can have my final answer now. No!"
"I'll come back when you've calmed down," the queen said, before turning and sweeping out of the room.
Marth sat down on his bed and looked at his hand. He suddenly cried out in anger, raking his fingernails against the back of his right hand, drawing four jagged lines of blood across the black triangles. The bottom left one flashed a dark blue against the blood, and he almost screamed in agony. Then he fell back and held his head in his hands, ignoring the thick red drops that ran off his wrist and onto his face. "Damn it!" he moaned. "Damn it all!"
He tasted something odd. He wasn't sure if it was tears or blood.
Elice Caeda and Roy left Marth to his sleep and went to speak to the rest of the Alteans. The two royals stood on the edge of the fountain in the gardens, their knights gathered around them, long after the sun had set. "The Shadow came." Elice Caeda announced, and there was a collective gasp. "He's asked Queen Elincia to hand us over to him."
"Surely she wouldn't?" William demanded. "Surely she would refuse him?"
"I don't know, Will." Elice Caeda said regretfully. "I—It pains me to say it, but I believe she was actually considering it."
Jak swore under his breath. "Well, then I guess we're homeless again." he spat.
"Jak." Luna said, taking his hand. "We don't know that."
"I agree with the rogue." Dustin said. "If the Shadow is here, we'll have to run again, lest he kill us as well and take what he claims to be his."
"But Dustin!" Kester protested, "Surely you don't want to run from a fight?"
"Well, no. But a good knight knows when a... a tactical retreat is best."
"We can't leave!" Roy shouted. "He'll just hunt us down, wherever we flee! We have to kill him, now, before the rest of his army appears! This is our only chance!"
"But we cannot kill him." Deirdre said softly. "He takes the wounds, but... he cares not for pain."
"I agree with her." Elwyn said. "We can't fight someone whose wounds fix themselves, even as he takes on new ones!"
Mark stepped forward and looked up at Elice Caeda. "We—do we have to run again, my lady?" he asked.
Roy jumped down from the fountain and patted the boy's reddish hair comfortingly. "Don't worry, Mark. We'll figure it out. You and Lucina should get some rest."
Lucina stepped up to her brother and shook her head firmly. "No. We want to know what's going to happen to us this time."
"Lucina..." Tiki said sadly.
"Mother!" Mark answered for his sister. "We're three hundred and forty-eight years old. You don't have to treat us like children."
"Ah... I know, Mark." Tiki replied, taking his hand. "I'm sorry."
"I don't want to run." Lucina said, taking her mother's other hand. "I don't want to have to run anymore."
"We may have no choice." her mother said.
"So what will we do?" Deirdre asked. "Flee, or fight?"
"Or stay, and hope that Queen Elincia will not hand us over?" William added.
"We'll put it to vote." Elice Caeda decided. "All in favor of staying, whether to fight or hope, say aye."
There was a chorus of ayes from Mark, Lucina, Kester, Roy, and William.
"All in favor of leaving?"
Another chorus of ayes. Tiki, Elwyn, Deirdre, Dustin, Luna, and Jak. Roy looked at Elice Caeda expectantly, waiting for her decision.
"...Aye." she said, not meeting his eyes. "It is decided. We leave."
"Are you sure of that?" Tiki asked. Everybody's eyes turned her way. "Perhaps, since he wants all of us, we should split up—make it harder for him to find the Prince, for if he gets ahold of Marth's mark, who knows what damage he could incur. Perhaps if we all go separate ways, he will give up his pursuit."
"I don't want to leave Crimea." Mark said firmly. "Queen Elincia has been good to us."
"But I agree with Lady Tiki." William said. "The Shadow to give up the chase is what we all want, no? If this is the easiest way, then so be it!"
"It may also be the easiest way for him to kill us, one by one." Elwyn chided.
"If there is any chance that we can drive him off the trail, then I will take it!" Kester proclaimed, his eyes shining. "I would see that bastard fail for all the lives he's taken!"
"If necessary, I would gladly give my life for Prince Marth." Dustin said. "I'll agree to Tiki's plan."
"As will I." Deirdre added.
There was another chorus of ayes. Elice Caeda nodded, pleased. "Alright, good. Has anyone got a map?"
Jak produced one, as well as a candle. Elwyn had a pen. Elice Caeda hopped off the fountain and they put the map and candle on the stone rim, huddling around it.
After a long discussion, they decided on their destinations. Each of them would go to a different country, in small groups ranging from one to three people.
Jak was going to Kilvas; he hoped to get lucky and hide out among the Ravens for a while, if he could get there.
Tiki and her children would go to Goldoa, the land of dragons, in the hopes of meeting their Tellius kin.
William was going southwards, towards Phoenicis, though he expected to stop around the south edge of Begnion rather than actually get to the Hawk country.
Elwyn and Luna were heading for Gallia, to join one of the small beorc villages that resided there.
As for the nobles... Elice Caeda decided to send Marth to Daein with Kester as bodyguard. She would set out to cross the mountains into Begnion with Dustin, in the hopes that she would distract Dark Link's attention by passing so close to him. They would travel with Deirdre, then split up, Elice Caeda and Dustin going south around Graan to Sienne while Deirdre skirted north past the desert and towards Daein. Roy decided to stay in Crimea, under Queen Elincia's protection. How he planned to explain everybody else disappearing, he didn't know.
They wrote it all down, drew out their routes, and memorized them. Then Elice Caeda ripped the map to pieces, so no one would discover their destinations.
"We'll make preparations to leave in secret." the princess announced. "Be ready to go in two days. Pack only what you need, and don't steal anything. Now go to your rooms, and rest; and let no one else know of what has been said here tonight, lest the Shadow's spies learn of our plans." The Altean group dissipated, leaving for their various rooms.
Behind a tree, not so far away, Soren closed his eyes and shook his head slightly in disbelief. He'd heard the whole thing. Do they fear this Shadow so much that they would flee from him? he wondered. Or are they simply overly paranoid? Destruction of one's home can do that to a person. And there is no denying the King's power, if what they say is true...
He wondered if he should tell anyone about it. He decided not to. This is the path they've chosen. I'll let them follow along it, for now...
"What?" Marth asked incredulously when Elice Caeda told him.
"You're going to Daein." she repeated. "We voted. Majority decision. We're splitting up."
"Why?"
"The Shadow found us, Marth. We have to leave, before he tries to kill us—or kidnap you and take whatever it is you have, and gain even more power."
Marth clenched his right fist, then winced. The cuts he'd inflicted on the back still stung, as he'd refused to allow Luna to heal them. "Can't we trust in Queen Elincia's protection?" he asked.
"I don't trust that she won't just hand us over without our consent." Elice Caeda said bluntly. "We can't take the chance."
"But... why do we have to run again?" Marth asked tiredly. "We're always running... shouldn't we just stand and fight?"
"That isn't an option, and you know it, brother." she said firmly.
"What about you and Roy?"
"I'm going to Begnion. He's staying here."
"If we're running from the Shadow, then why is he staying?"
"It was his own decision."
"Then let me make mine. I want to stay in Crimea."
Elice Caeda frowned. "Is this about the queen?"
Marth shook his head. "No... but Daein just freed itself from Begnion occupation, so I'm told. Would it really be wise—"
"We don't have the leniency to travel wherever we wish to, Marth." Elice Caeda said. "And besides, the whole point of this is to get you away from the Shadow, not everybody else split up while you remain in danger!"
He started to speak again, but she held up a finger to shush him. "It's for the best, Marth." she said soothingly. "You'll be safer in Daein than you will here."
"Best for me, or best for Altea?" Marth asked flatly.
"For both, brother." she replied, her eyes flashing. "You are Altea now."
"Am I?" he challenged. "I thought Altea was dead." Then he turned and left her room.
"I don't usually take a job whilst in the middle of another."
"I believe the pay is worth it, assassin."
"You will speak of this to no one."
"Agreed. You have the pact?"
"My fee."
"One hundred thousand gold, as promised."
"..." The assassin is gone.
The shadow smiles. "A lot of money for a piece of paper...But it will be worth it. Come, Shard. Courage is still missing, and I intend to find it."