AN: I apologize for the wait, readers! Recently, other things have been kind of overtaking my life, as well as the fact my laptop's power supply is failing (I have to put my battery in my sister's laptop to charge it XD), that will hopefully get fixed soon. I am headed to an anime convention this weekend and there are still lots of preparations (I'm cosplaying Red Link and I still have to make the Four Sword! D: Plus I have to find someone to go with me since my friend bailed.) In this chapter we get back to Chain(or Link, rather?) and learn more about the Zephyr. Hopefully it wasn't too long of a wait! I hope to get another chapter up pretty quickly, probably within the week. I know my writing is a tad confusing but hey, I'm a fanfiction writer, I'm not perfect .;; As always, enjoy and review, lots of love, Oniyuri
"It means a lot that you've come."
Vaati and Chain at across from each other in a small meeting room, sunlight filtering in through a wide window in the stone castle wall. Vaati clasped his hands, eyeing the man across from him with face was pockmarked with half-healed bruises, his nose bandaged. Vaati almost asked what happened, but he thought better of it when he saw Chain's scowl.
"I had thought your son and his friend would be joining us."
Chain gave the man a sour look. "Pardon?"
"Young Link and his friend Darc. He is your son, am I correct? You two bear a striking resemblance- is he not your son? Forgive me, I had just assumed-"
"Never mind that. They couldn't make it," Chain grumbled, his fist clenched tightly around a wooden glass of water that sat in front of him. Link was the last thing he wanted to think about. Shadows of guilt haunted his conscience. He had been so stupid...
There was a hint of disappointment in the lord's face. "I see. Well, at least you made it, Chain. Dark forces are gathering here in Hyrule. The Order of the Zephyr...I think I know what they are after."
"I've been having the same feeling," Chain replied. "The Zephyr...they are after the Master Sword, aren't they."
Chain cast his eyes towards the ceiling as a wave of nostalgia washed over him. The Master Sword- he had shared many an adventure with the blessed blade. But those days were gone. It had served its purpose, and so had he. He thought they were similar, in that way- once the gods were done with them both, they had been tossed aside. They were no longer needed, and thusly abandoned.
"The queen spoke the truth about you. Wit as sharp as your blade. They are indeed after the sword, but not for the reasons you may think. You of all people surely know where that blade is now."
"Indeed," Link said, tensing at the mention of the queen. "I take it she told you some other things about me. I had thought the condition of this meeting was that Zelda did not know I was here," Chain replied, his tone dangerous. Vaati chuckled good-naturedly. "She does not. However, the queen speaks of you often and I believe I've managed to ascertain you who are, Chain. I'm sure she would be delighted to see you."
"I'm sure she would," he agreed, his voice like acid. "But it is of no consequence. It looks like my charade has been compromised. I suppose there is no use hiding my identity any longer. Yes, I am indeed the fabled Hero of Twilight, the wielder of the Triforce of Courage, or at least I was. I am Link."
"What an honor, Link." Vaati smiled, putting a strange cadence on his name. "You certainly went off the grid since then, haven't you? But now, it is even more clear what the Zephyr are after. They took you prisoner because you are the chosen wielder of the Master Sword, and the only one who can move it from its resting place, correct?"
"I would think so," Link said, staring into his glass. "But they would be disappointed. The Master Sword is not something you can just grab because you want it to be moved. The gods will only choose someone to wield it in times of need. I couldn't move that sword from its resting place if I wanted to."
"Is that so?" Vaati said with slight surprise. "Well, we can use that to our advantage. Let them think you can move the sword- but we should keep you somewhere secure. So they don't have the chance to find out. They will surely exhaust their resources searching for you and we can lure the Zephyr into the open-"
"I won't consent to that," the ex-hero said sternly. "I agreed to come here to exchange information. I won't become a prisoner. I can protect myself."
"It seemed that way when I found you in a dungeon cell yesterday," Vaati shot back venemously. The lord returned to his jovial attitude quickly, however.
"I don't see a point in arguing with someone such as yourself. I would have to consult the queen in order to enact such an action, and I'm sure she wouldn't dare to disagree with you," he smiled. "Very well. I thank you for the information- it was most enlightening. I hope you will listen to what more I have learned about the Zephyr."
"I would be very interested to hear that."
Vaati leaned closer to his guest. "The Zephyr are not after the Master Sword for sentimental reasons, Link. They are planning to use it to destroy Hyrule."
"Destroy Hyrule? But...why the Master Sword? It's too pure for such dark hearts to wield, especially against Hyrule," the ex-hero noted, his gaze cold and fierce. It would never work. It was a silly plan.
"They plan to taint it with darkness. Imagine- such a powerful weapon, turned against the kingdom it has so long protected. We know very little about the Zephyr's leader- we do not know his motives nor even his name. But we do know that he is a powerful mage and will go to any lengths necessary to acheive his goals. He is trained in shadow magic- an ancient art that manipultes the world of shadows that coexists along with our own. If he thinks he is powerful enough to overcome the inherent purity of the Master Sword, then he must be formidable indeed..." Vaati seemed sincerely concerned and deeply troubled.
A messenger burst into the room. "Lord Vaati! Urgent message from the queen. She requests your presence immediately. She seemed angry," the messenger added. Vaati cast a sideways glance at Link. "Forgive me, Chain," the lord told him. "I will be back shortly. Please make yourself at home."
He sighed. "Very well," he answered. Vaati and the messenger left swiftly, leaving him staring into his glass of water, deep in thought.
It was irrelevant how powerful your magic was, he thought. He had held that sword against the darkest evil this world had ever known, and it was incorruptible. You couldn't overpower the Master Sword with darkness...could you?
No. He refused to believe it. They didn't know the kind of forces they were dealing with- either the Zephyr were terribly foolish, or Vaati has miscalculated.
He heard a shuffle, and before he could react, the ex-hero Link felt a thin, cold leather glove over his mouth. "Well, well, men, it seems we have caught ourselves a hero." a voice chuckled. Link struggled violently against his new captor's grasp, but it was a futile effort. His wrists and ankles were both tied faster than he could think. More men filed into the room through the window, each armed with bows or daggers and dressed in the uniformed Zephyr agent robes that he had seen before.
"Vaati!" he cried, but it was muffled by the rag that one of the men had deftly wrapped around his mouth, matching the blindfold that was now being placed over his eyes. Only his bandaged nose was left exposed.
He felt a breath in his ear. The same man that had spoke before spoke again. "Listen closely, Hero. The Zephyr has plans for you, and it is useless to try to hide. Our reach extends to every corner of Hyrule and even beyond. And you should know, before you try to escape, Hero..."
The man dealt a strong blow to his stomach. Conciousness slipping away, he heard the man's final words whispered in his ear.
"We have your son."
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Hero," he was greeted. His blindfold and other bonds had been removed, and he was lying on a remarkably soft cot. A man sat aside his bed in an unadorned chair. His brown hair was unkempt in a boyish way, tied loosley at the nape of his neck. His chin had sparse stubble, his green eyes bright and young. He looked about twenty, give or take maybe three years. It was hard to tell. He was dressed rather simply, but the emblem of the Zephyr was embroidered on his linen shirt. Link immediately tensed and reached for a weapon, but realized that all of his equipment and weapons were gone. He found himself dressed in a white cotton shirt and loose-fitting pants, both of which he did not recognize.
"I hope you rested well. I do have to wonder what you did to your face, though. I can't imagine anyone pummeling the Hero of Twilight like that."
"Shut up," Link yelled back at the calm and collected young man. "That's not your business. And I am no friend of yours. I am no friend of the Zephyr."
"Dangerous words to speak whilst in the Order of the Zephyr headquarters. If you are not our friend, I suppose we can cast you in the dungeon. But I don't particularly want to go that route, Hero, and I'm sure you don't either."
"This is your headquarters?" Link said, looking about. It was a fairly average guest room, polished instead of the usual layer of dust that covered unused rooms like these.
"I might remind you that we have young Link," the man smiled. "I believe I told you this before, but perhaps you've forgotten. It would be wise of you to cooperate."
"Dindamnit! Who are you!" Link yelled, slamming his fist against the wall.
He didn't flinch. "I am Kikuro, the leader of the Zephyr. I have brought you here because I am in need of your unique status. Not many can claim to have faced the great Ganondorf and survived."
"How do you know who I am?" he shouted angrily, standing up and grasping Kikuro by the cloth of his shirt. He lifted him off the ground. "What do you people want? What have you done with Link-"
"Calm down, Hero," the man grinned. "We don't have to be enemies. Your son is safe, for now. He's in the dungeon underneath our feet, right next to the dragon's hold. We have quite a lovely dragon, you see. But I can't vouch for what Volvagia will do to him if, perhaps, someone were to wake up the sleeping behemoth and, maybe, forgot to feed it. Dragons are creatures of instinct. Volvagia might just mistake young Link for a snack," the man grinned. "You understand?"
Link lowered the man, stepping back.
"I thought we would see eye to eye. Good. You see, it was foolhardy to go to Hyrule Castle- I have the castle wrapped around my finger, you see," he smiled. "Zephyr Agents are everywhere- remember hat messenger that came and whisked that pompous Vaati away just before we came to collect you? He was in my employ. And we took you from right under Vaati's nose- oh, he must be furious," the man grinned manically. "Wonderful. I'm giddy just thinking about it!" he cackled.
Kikuro placed a finger under Link's chin, looking pointedly into his eyes. "It's not often that you find someone like you. You shall make a satisfactory offering, I'm sure," Kikuro smirked. He turned away towards the door, uttering one last thing before making his exit.
"While I see no need for chains and bonds between friends like us, Hero- do remember...should you try to escape, you will find that young Link's life will hang in the balance. I would suggest for you not to try my patience."
Link scoffed. Them, friends? He wanted nothing more than to stab the man til he bled dry. But if they really had his son...what could he do?
The ex-hero sunk onto the bed, staring at his feet. He had messed things up, bad. But he couldn't face Link again, not after he had lied to him. Link and Darc, they would never forgive him, this he knew. Not after what he had done to him.
Perhaps the gods really had abandoned him.