Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.


Divergent Souls
IX


The message arrived by way of a falcon Iana had never seen before, though it seemed to know her by the way it swooped down and perched on the balcony railing in front of her, looking expectantly up at her. She looked around, not failing to notice that it had chosen to come to her on one of the few occasions she was alone, having just delivered a report to Rhys. He'd been having tea on the balcony, overlooking the gardens, and had just left to deal with an economic emergency of some sort (though Guilden had a tendency to exaggerate).

She turned her attention back to the falcon, and saw the piece of paper tied to its leg. Reaching it, she was surprised at how well trained it was when it stuck said leg out, allowing her to easily untie it. It did not leave afterwards, either, so it was clearly expecting some sort of reply. Suspicious, she took a close look at her surroundings once more, wary of any watchers. Satisfied there were none, she delicately unrolled the piece of paper, immediately recognising the handwriting within. It was written in cipher, of course, but one she was very familiar with. Within minutes, she'd decoded the message in her head.

I,

I am breaking the silence to inform you of a worrying development in Lumina. The king's advisor, a man named Rehm, has begun taking actions that, while seemingly benign, will have far-reaching repercussions if my suspicions are correct. The civil war some years ago will seem like child's play compared to what I fear Rehm has planned - and the first target will most likely be the king himself. Robar is King Rhys' friend, so I am leaving this decision up to you, as clan leader:

Should we interfere? We stand ready at your command.

P.S. And since I know you worry (even though you will never admit it), he is fine and happy as can be. We all are.

M.

Iana had to stifle the smile that threatened to touch her lips. She hadn't expected this. Truly, she'd never expected to hear from them ever again. She'd given them her blessing, breaking numerous tenets while doing so, but even then there'd been an...undercurrent of finality, that it would be the last time she ever saw them. And yet, here she stood, the silence finally broken. True, it could have been a forgery, but it was a damn good one, if so. The handwriting could easily be faked, but the cipher was not known outside the clan, and the contents...

Specifically mentioning him...well, that was all she needed as proof of the message's authenticity.

She did allow herself to smile for a moment, before looking gravely at the falcon, holding out her arm. "Come, I will write the reply in secret." The falcon didn't give any indication that it understood her words, but it silently hopped onto her arm, carefully gripping it with its talons so it didn't draw blood.

Quickly moving to her quarters, she allowed the bird to perch itself on her desk as she quickly wrote a coded message on a similar piece of paper. It was quick and dirty work, and she tried to convince herself it wasn't because she was excited to hear from them after so long.

M,

Glad to hear you are all fine, though I wish you would not put yourself in danger like this.

Nevertheless, I appreciate your warning. I am not overly familiar with King Robar's court, but even during the civil war I found this Rehm fellow suspicious based on what I heard of him. If he is indeed plotting against Robar, it is in everyone's best interests that his plans to not come to fruition.

You are hereby authorised to take whatever action you see fit to ensure they do not. My only requirement is that you keep yourselves out of direct danger and do not do anything reckless. If you require assistance, contact me once more and I will render whatever services I can.

P.S. Please give him my best, as well as my son's.

I.

She wouldn't tell Sheik about the letter. He didn't need to know about it, and she wanted to keep this piece of correspondence under wraps for now. Her son had grown exceptionally close to the princess and the Rinir siblings, and she couldn't risk him accidentally telling them.

She triple-checked the message to ensure the cipher would be recognisable to the recipients and then tied it to the falcon's leg. Carrying it to the window, she opened it. "You know where to go, don't you?" she asked it, receiving a surprisingly intelligent look back. It almost looked annoyed, like her question was offensive. "Of course you do," she said. "Now go." It took off silently, disappearing from view quickly.

She remained at the window for a while, observing the sky as it began to turn red as the sun set. Lumina was far away. Hopefully her message would arrive before it was too late. This advisor, this Rehm, was a thinker. A planner. Patience was probably his biggest virtue, and that was probably her best hope of being able to foil his plans before they had even begun.

"Stay safe," she whispered before closing the window and returning to her duties. Or lack thereof for the moment. She had a stealth lesson to give.


ONE YEAR LATER - SHEIK IS THIRTEEN, LINK AND ZELDA ARE FOURTEEN


"You're improving."

"You've noticed only just now?"

"Certainly takes you long enough to get to the point."

"Mistress Iana said a good feint requires time."

"Time, not ages."

"That's it!"

Kerran's blade met nothing but air as Sheik twisted out of the way, a smirk on his face. He kept dodging and weaving the youngest Rinir's attacks in a wide circle, leading him around the practice yard like a dog on a leash. His own sword was kept in a loose grip, but its use had not yet been necessary. When possible, dodging blows was far more preferable to parrying them. It conserved energy while at the same time tiring one's opponent out, and served to demoralise their spirit. Plus, it pissed off Kerran to no end, and that was always worth it.

"Stop moving!" the Hylian shouted, jaw clenched and breaths coming in quick puffs. "Stand and fight!"

"I don't think I will, Link," Sheik replied, using the nickname that had practically replaced Kerran's real name at this point (they all felt it suited him more), giving a little flourish as he danced out of a wide swing's way. "This is far more entertaining. Besides, you need the exercise. Been having far too many lemon cakes lately, you have. Just listen to that breathing!"

That got a pair of chuckles from somewhere to his left, and he grinned. Akia and Zelda were watching them spar, sitting on the training yard's fence.

"You just know you can't take me in a straight fight," Link countered, suddenly jumping forward and aiming a devastating over-head blow at him. It would have cleaved him in two vertically if it had hit (and if the sparring blade had actually been sharp), but Sheik simply twisted away, his own blade coming up to smack Link across the rump, prompting the two observers to giggle loudly. Flushing, Link growled and charged at Sheik.

The Hylian moved too fast for Sheik to simply move out of the way, and he quickly found himself on the defensive, finally forced to block his attacks properly. Link was certainly not Sheikah when it came to combat movement, but his strength, even now, more than made up for it. Every strike made his arms go a little number, and Sheik knew he could never hope to win if he allowed this to continue.

Soon, both fighters were breathing heavily and sweating, trying to gain the upper hand. Their blades met, and they each tried to push against the other. Sheik knew that was a lost cause—Link was heavier than him and wouldn't budge. Instead, he made it so it appeared he was giving it his all, waiting for that tell-tale flicker of triumph in Link's ocean-blue eyes that signalled when he would push his advantage. The Hylian tensed, readying to put all his weight behind his sword...which Sheik was waiting for. Just as Link began to push, Sheik disengaged and stepped aside, sending Link stumbling forward at the sudden lack of resistance.

He almost felt guilty for the way Link ate dirt, sprawled on the ground in a comical fashion, but the indignant look on his face when he looked back at the Sheikah was too much. He roared with laughter, joined by Link's sister and Princess Zelda. Link gave a roar of his own, this one of rage, and charged at Sheik once more, sans weapon. Sheik had barely even seen him to get to his feet through the haze of tears in his eyes, but the sudden impact forced the air from his lungs, and he found himself wrestling with Link on the ground.

In a prepared scenario, Sheik could have thought of several ways to turn Link's attack on himself, but now, out of breath and disoriented, the Hylian had the advantage. He tried to shift Link's weight in several different ways, but it was no use, and soon he found himself being straddled, Link's hands on his wrists to keep him from moving. He'd been defeated. And this way, of all things.

"Hah!" Link exclaimed, chuckling. "So much for agility, huh? Pin you down and there's nothing you can do!"

Snarling, Sheik tried to buck him off, but he had absolutely no chance of doing that. His mother had taught them all the best way of keeping someone pinned, and Link had clearly been paying attention. It was a pity his mother had never bothered to show them a way to break this lock...

"Come on, admit it," Link continued. "I beat you."

"Never," Sheik growled, struggling even more, throwing his head back and forth.

"Say it," Link repeated, lowering his face so they were inches apart. "I want to see defeat in your eyes!"

He wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly Sheik found himself keenly aware of how close Link's face was to his own, how their breaths mingled, Link's flushed red cheeks, the excitement and joy in the blues meeting his reds, the bead of sweat running down the length of Link's nose...

Link's eyes widened slightly, and his head dipped lower.

Unfortunately, Sheik was about to raise his, and his forehead collided with the bridge of Link's nose. The Hylian yelped and launched himself away, landing on his back and cradling his face as he groaned. Sheik saw stars for a few seconds, but his pain was nothing compared to Link's, he imagined, and guilt welled up within him when he saw that blood was dripping from between the youngest Rinir's fingers.

"Right, I think that concludes the spar," Akia said, suddenly beside Sheik and pulling him to his feet. She was smiling, but he could see the slight worry in her eyes. "I think you'd best take him to Doctor Kaura, Sheik."

The very thought struck a chord of fear in him, but Sheik nodded. Kaura would not be happy about this. She never was. Sheik was thirteen, almost an adult, practically, but one look from the doctor was enough to have him feel like a little boy who wanted to hide under his blankets after a nightmare.

"Here, stop the blood with this," Zelda said by Link's side, gently pressing a handkerchief against his bruised nose. "I hope it's not broken..."

Sheik almost wanted to laugh at the change in Zelda's attitude when, a few years before, she'd hoped Sheik had broken Link's nose.

"All right, come on," he said, helping Link to his feet. "Let's see Kaura."

"I dod wadt to," Link said. "I'b fide."

"You're bleeding, you're not fine," Sheik said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed Link's arm and began dragging him towards the castle, trying to ignore the building dread in his stomach. The last time one of them had accidentally gotten hurt during training, she'd given them a verbal lashing that still made him shiver whenever he saw her office door. Outside of that office, Kaura wasn't scary at all, even though she clearly wanted to be, but when she was Doctor Kaura...brrrr...

He didn't notice how Link's eyes kept focusing on Sheik's hand, wrapped securely around his forearm, the whole way there.


"You saw it, didn't you?"

"I'm not blind."

"So what do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think." Akia glared at Zelda. "And neither does it matter what you think."

Zelda glared back at the older girl. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's not for us to judge," Akia elaborated, hoping the princess would take the hint. To emphasise, she swung her blade, which Zelda easily parried. The two combatants circled each other. "We may disagree on a lot of things, but Li—Kerran is my brother, and so is Sheik!"

Zelda scowled, aiming a thrust at Akia's middle, which she sidestepped. "I still don't know what you're talking about," she said. "What judgement? And of course they're your brothers, just like they're mine, and I want to help them."

Akia paused, confused, allowing Zelda to capitalise and quickly disarm her. Akia had gotten a lot better since Iana had started training her privately, and Zelda considered herself and Akia to be about evenly matched now, despite the age difference of three years. It was a remarkable progression, Iana herself had said, probably owed to the natural talent both Akia and her brother had for the sword. It made for fun sparring, in Zelda's opinion...except when Sheik decided to be a smarmy git and humiliate them all as he had with Link.

Pointing her blade at Akia in triumph, she frowned. "You don't want to help them?" she asked, confused.

"Help them with what?" Akia asked, suddenly not understanding the conversation at all.

"Did your brain fall out, or something? That!" Zelda exclaimed. "The blushing and, and...and the almost..."

"Right, right," Akia said, wondering how they'd managed to go full circle without actually meeting at some point here. "I meant I don't want you to judge them for that," she clarified. "I heard enough talk from Father's business associates about it back then...I don't care what they say—they're my brothers and I love them."

"Right, so what are we going to do about it?" Zelda asked. "They're too stupid to realise it themselves."

"They're boys, of course they're stupid," Akia said, rolling her eyes. "And yes, they certainly won't understand it on their own, even with...whatever it was that just happened." She paused, a plan forming. Slowly, a grin began to grow on her mouth. "I have an idea..."


"You wanted to see me, Your Grace?"

Rhys glowered from his chair by the fireplace, gesturing to the identical chair beside it. "Don't call me that when we're alone," he said. "Makes me feel old."

"Well, you're not young," Iana replied, elegantly seating herself with no indication that she'd just been immensely rude to her king.

"Unlike you?" he countered with a slight grin.

"I've never claimed to be spry enough to wrestle a Goron," she said innocently, more than aware that she was not as young as she had once been. Not that that had any bearing whatsoever on how well she could perform her duties.

"No," Rhys agreed with a shrug. "You'd just do it without any grandstanding. And you would win."

"Well, I am quite impressive," she said without any humility whatsoever.

Rhys laughed. "Yes, yes you are," he agreed. Then his smile faded slowly, and his gaze went back to the fireplace. It was a sobering moment, and Iana straightened up in her seat. It was rare for the king to become so serious, and it usually only happened when there was something...unpleasant to discuss. "How long have the Rinir siblings been in our care, now?" he asked.

She didn't miss that he'd said our instead of my, and filed that away for later. "About three years, now, I believe," she said. "Young Akia turns seventeen tomorrow, and was fourteen when she arrived here."

"Growing up so fast," Rhys said, and Iana found herself nodding in agreement. "One more year, and she will be of age to take control of her family's estate. Do you think she will be ready?"

"I'm sure she will," Iana said. "She's a clever girl, and has learned much from you about governing. And it is not like she will be leaving the castle the moment she comes of age," she continued, wondering if Rhys was afraid he'd lose Akia. He'd come to love her like a second daughter, Iana knew. "After all, she won't want to separate Kerran and the others so soon. I believe she will ask you to be allowed to stay until Kerran, too, has come of age. That is, if you'd be willing—"

"Of course," Rhys interrupted. "They will always be welcome here."

"Then I believe she will stay."

"I see..." Rhys sighed. "Then, I suppose the truth will have to be told sooner or later."

Iana raised an eyebrow. "The truth?"

Rhys looked at her then, his eyes oddly focused. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Tell you what?"

"Don't play dumb, Iana," he said, shaking his head. "We both know you can't act the part."

She had inkling as to what he was on about, now, but there was clearly some buried frustration here, and she wanted him to have an outlet. The peace talks with the Gerudo were becoming stressful these days, she knew. So she kept quiet, wanting him to actually say it before she came clean.

"The investigation came up with nothing," Rhys continued. "Which I thought strange, because you were leading it. Only later did I realise it was because you were leading it. That was sloppy work, and I wonder why I did not see it before." He gazed back into the fire, jaw working as he clearly struggled with the words. "I know you killed Lord Kolvar," he finally muttered.

Iana took a second to breathe. She'd known it would come up some day, either through her or Rhys. She'd been so angry back then, that her handling of the fake investigation had been rushed. To anyone who didn't know Iana very well (which was just about everyone except her small circle here in the castle), the report looked absolutely fine, if entirely inconclusive. Rhys, though...Rhys would have seen the discrepancies, the way things didn't entirely fit together. She'd claimed it was an accident, that the Rinir patriarch had perished in a fire that had started in his office. Why he couldn't have escaped, she had not elaborated on. The fact that none of the servants had been able to enter his study because the door was locked...she really shouldn't have mentioned it. But then...maybe she'd wanted to get caught. She felt guilty every time she looked at Akia and Kerran, but she did not regret having done it. Their lives were better for it.

"Yes," she said. "I killed him. I snuck into his office, cut his throat, and started the fire to cover up the evidence. I made sure that everyone else made it out of the mansion before I left."

It was good to finally get it off her chest, even if she hadn't felt its weight in a particularly obstructive manner. Rhys didn't look happy, however.

"Why?" he asked. "Why would you kill one of the few nobles I ever considered a friend?" He must have felt betrayed, at that moment. Hurt. Iana didn't like that. She'd never wanted to make him feel like this. And now she had to make him feel even worse.

"He was never your friend," she spoke levelly, realising that employing such a neutral tone must have been like twisting the knife in his wound, but she had to...or she feared she'd never make it through the story. "Lord Kolvar and a close circle of his fellow nobles were actively working against Hyrule, undermining you at every turn by colluding with the Gerudo. They leaked troop movements, supply routes, military intelligence...they had us on the ropes for a while, all thanks to him and his cronies."

"Do...do you have proof of this?" Rhys asked, eyes wide and unbelieving. It was one thing to realise that his friend had been a less-than-stellar parent (downright abusive, in fact), but to have that friend accused of treason? That was...unthinkable. "Kolvar was a patriot—he hated the Gerudo. He never would have worked with—"

"His dislike of the Gerudo was not stronger than his desire for power," she cut him off. "And yes, I have proof. I collected several letters from his study—correspondence between him and a Gerudo individual who identified herself as Twinrova. I don't even think King Ganondorf was aware of their cooperation. I can show you the letters, if you want."

"I..."

"But I would be lying if I told you that I killed him purely out of duty," she continued. "If his treason was my only grievance, I would have had him dragged before you in chains, awaiting your judgement. His assassination was...personal."

"You'd never spoken more than two words with Kolvar," Rhys said weakly, gripping the armrests of his chair. "What personal reason could you possible have had to kill him?"

"He leaked transport routes," she said. "Including those used for... escorting the king."

Realisation dawned upon him, then. "The ambush," he said breathlessly.

"Yes," she said, nodding, feeling the cold chill of that night like she was there right now. The rain had been pounding, turning the road into a muddy mess, undoubtedly helped by the ambushing Gerudo. "They knew we were coming. They had ambushed our convoys before, but their forces were always small and flexible, easy to pull out if they were overwhelmed. Their strength was not small that night. Someone warned them that the king of Hyrule would be on the road that night, told them where we would be passing. They knew how many soldiers and Sheikah warriors were with you. They knew where to sabotage the road so the carriage would get stuck in the mud."

She looked down at her hands, folding them in her lap as she tried not to let herself be assailed by the images of her dead kin lying in the mud, their bodies littering the road alongside those of Gerudo and Hylian soldiers.

"We were broken, that night," she said quietly. "My sister...Impa always knew what to do. She never faltered, even when the weight became too much. I tried to be like her, but we kept dwindling, and now..." She took a deep breath, blinking away the tears that were gathering. "If I had been killed that night, instead of her, then maybe—"

"Don't say that," Rhys interrupted, crouching in front of her, his hands suddenly on hers, gripping tightly. "Please...never say that."

This was bad, she knew, but she let him do it anyway. "Nevertheless...we as a people were finished by that ambush. Everything that followed was just a...slow death. I couldn't let that go unpunished. This," she said, freeing one of her hands and pointing to the orange tear tattoo under her eye, "is more than a mark of mourning for my people. It was a promise. I knew that ambush couldn't have been a fluke, and I investigated it on my own.

"At first, I thought the Gerudo had simply gotten lucky and come across the intelligence by way of a dead officer or something similar, which meant I had a group of Gerudo to kill. But when I captured one of their officers and interrogated her, she revealed that they'd gotten the information from a Hylian noble. She didn't know which noble it was, so I killed her. Then, I moved my focus to the nobles. It took me years to track him down, for Kolvar knew how to hide his tracks exceptionally well.

"It was a letter from one of his household staff, which I intercepted during the investigation, that finally led me to conclude that Kolvar was involved, if not responsible. I broke into his estate one night and found the letters. I stole them, and after reading them I contemplated informing you...but then I looked in a mirror, and knew what I had to do. I had to avenge my sister, and everyone else I lost that night. It was wrong of me, I know. Sheikah do not kill for anything but duty... I lied to my son that day, after he nearly broke Lord Kerran's nose."

She stood, forcing Rhys backwards and disengaging her hands from his. Kneeling in front of him, she bowed her head as low as she could. "I have betrayed you, Your Grace," she said. "I murdered one of your vassals without your knowledge or approval, burdening your household with his children. I have gone against my people's tenets, and broken my oath to your family. I have disgraced myself, and made a mockery of the covenant between the Sheikah race and your House. I freely admit these crimes, and I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary. I only beg that you do not let my son suffer for my actions. He knows nothing of this, and is innocent."

The king did not say anything for several minutes, and Iana dared not look up. She'd expected all this to come to light one day...she just wished she'd have more time to prepare. Time to smuggle Sheik out of Hyrule to keep him safe in case Rhys decided not to heed her plea. She'd probably never be allowed to see him again—she'd be locked away for life, if Rhys didn't simply have her executed on immediately. He'd be right to do so. It would do wonders for his reputation among the nobles—he would finally have broken the wicked Sheikah witch's hold on him...

"The covenant," Rhys suddenly said, his voice low. "It's broken."

"Yes," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor. "Centuries of allegiance and loyalty...broken."

Rhys sighed. "No, you don't understand," he said. "It was broken already."

"Three years ago," she agreed.

Strong arms pulled her to her feet, then, and the annoyed Rhys' eyes bored into her own. "Iana, look at the wall."

She did. Among the many hunting trophies and paintings that decorated the walls of the king's study, an ancient tapestry had always accompanied one particularly large spot. It had depicted the Sheikah and Hylian peoples, the former bowing to the latter, as the covenant between them had been entered. Shelter had been offered, in exchange for service. Shelter from what, Iana had never known—that knowledge was lost to the ages. All she knew was that the Sheikah had been wandering, driven from their ancestral birthplace, and were on the brink of destruction. The king of Hyrule, Rhys' forefather, had offered them a home. In return, the Sheikah would serve his family and bloodline for as long as they both existed.

It was a beautiful tapestry, though marred by age. She had rarely looked upon it, however. It was a bitter reminder of why her son would never be truly accepted even in his own home. Still, it was beautiful...and missing.

She blinked. The spot it had occupied on the wall for so long was empty.

"The covenant," she said. "It's...where is it?"

"In there," Rhys said, pointing to the fireplace. "I burned it."

"What?"

"Quite some time ago, too," he said, a small smile gracing his lips just then. "I'm surprised you never noticed...but then, you never looked at it, did you?"

"I don't understand," she said, a headache rapidly forming as the night's events kept changing too fast for her to keep up.

"I haven't been a good friend to you, Iana," Rhys said, stepping back and leaning against the wall in a most un-kingly manner. "To you, or your son. Or your people. Whatever debt the Sheikah once owed my family, I believe that it has been repaid a thousand fold over the centuries. When my father died, I intended to free your people from the oath immediately...but I feared you would all leave the second I announced it. I...I was afraid of losing you. And then I kept putting it off, convinced it was the only way I could guarantee that you would stay. It was selfish and cowardly of me—but it took me too long to realise it. I burned the tapestry the night you returned after destroying the Butcher Boys gang. I intended to tell you after your consultation with Doctor Kaura, but then the teasing started and..." Now it was he who looked at the floor. "There was never a good time."

"Why are you telling me this?" Iana asked hesitantly. What difference did this make? She had still gone rogue...and the covenant...the tapestry...

"You wronged me by killing Lord Kolvar," he said, looking up at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "But I wronged you first by not releasing you from the oath when I should have long ago. If, as you say, Lord Kolvar truly was a traitor and you can show me these letters of his...then...then you have done me a favour, despite how the situation looks. True, I would have wanted the treason to be made known, but doing so would not only have disgraced Kolvar, but also his entire House, including young Akia and Kerran. They don't deserve that. Three years ago, I would have been outraged...but now...now I only feel a little bitter that you kept it from me for so long. But then, I've been keeping you as a slave for much longer...which makes me far worse." He hesitated. "Can...can you forgive me?"

She wasn't sure what possessed her to step forward and take his hands with her own, as he had minutes before, but she did. Her eyes met his, and she made her face as unreadable as his. Whatever this meant...her head was spinning from the effort of trying to figure it out. "I...forgive you," she said. She was free. Sheik was free. They were free! "But...I don't know what to do with freedom. Where would we go?"

"I would have you stay," Rhys said immediately, his guard slipping momentarily, his eyes betraying his true feelings. And in them, Iana saw what she had been fighting against for so long, what would ruin Rhys' reputation and lose him the respect of his subjects if she ever allowed him to act on it. The thing about which she'd been fighting herself.

Rhys always said she was unreadable, her face a stony mask. There had been a reason for that. It wasn't proper. It wasn't allowed. But in the wake of it all...perhaps...just once...

She took a step forward, looking into Rhys' eyes. Blue, like his daughter's.

It was a bad idea. The repercussions were unthinkable. And yet...

No words were exchanged, no gestures were made, and only the crackling fire could be heard as their lips met.

The covenant really was broken.

To be continued…


This whole AU really wasn't intended to be so Iana-centric, but her character is just too much fun to let go. Typical me, huh? At least the kids got a little dialogue in this time!

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