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.

Soul Secrets

Chapter 11

The rain continued relentlessly as the two figures shuffled their way towards the castle. Nikal kept expecting this Garrett-person to reveal his true colours and attempt to drill her for information...or turn out to be some sort of pervert and press advances. She was especially prepared for the latter, and kept setting her uninjured foot down in a certain way that would, if necessary, allow her to easily wrench him to the ground. However, no such thing occurred, and Garrett continued being an utter gentleman on their way through the streets, continually adjusting his grip on her when it became uncomfortable and asking if she was all right with it.

When they were about halfway to the castle, Nikal decided that she was most likely physically safe with the strange man with the melodious voice and the oddly sharp eyes. Sometimes it was as if they could look right through her, and...once she could have sworn that they changed colour very briefly. For a second, she believed he was a wizard, a warlock, or some other sort of magic-user, but he was showing no signs, nor was he exuding the static sort of energy that was a tell-tale sign of magic.

Knowing she was out of harm's way for the moment, she decided to see what she could learn about the man. It turned out to be quite a challenge.

"So...everything?" she said.

"Hm?" Garrett hummed, turning his head slightly to look at her, amusement apparent in his eyes. It almost made her groan. It was going to be one of those conversations, apparently.

"You said you do everything," she emphasised. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means exactly that," he replied. "I dabble in just about every business there is, and I have been on every level of society. I've languished with the lowly, mingled with the middles and hobnobbed with the nobs. If you can imagine a job, I have most likely done it at some point in my life. Everything, Miss. I do everything."

It was a good answer, Nikal had to admit, but utterly useless seeing as she was no closer to figuring out exactly what Garrett was about...or whose side he was on.

"But what you said to that guard—"

"Gren," he pointed out. "Captain Gren. A good man, if a bit rough around the edges and less-than-concerned with trampling on someone's dignity if it means he can protect the people of the city." Garrett's eyes seemed to shine briefly. "One of the few reliable men in this kingdom, really."

"Right," Nikal said slowly, unsure if she'd accidentally offended Garrett by calling Captain Gren 'that guard'. "But, what you said to tha—Captain Gren..."

"What about it?"

"You said your little birds...that's a term that shows up quite often in one particular business."

"And what business would that be, hm?"

The man was infuriating to talk to, but Nikal couldn't help but admit he had a certain charm to him. It was the smile, she told herself. It could light up the world if it grew any brighter.

"The spy business."

She said it bluntly and without hesitation. It was an effective way to get someone to practically vomit forth the information you wanted—especially if you radiated confidence and—at least in Master's case—the absolute assurance that should the interviewee decline to share what they knew, quite a bit of pain would be looming on the horizon, and not the good kind, either.

Garrett effortlessly deflected it, however.

"Is that so?" he said. "And what makes you so sure I don't train carrier pigeons? I would have plenty of little birds then, wouldn't I?"

"Would you be training them to talk, in that case?" Nikal said.

"Perhaps," Garrett said, nodding. "Did you know that far away, in lands of giant, humid forests, there are colourful birds that can mimic our speech perfectly? Imagine being able to train them to memorise and repeat proper messages—imagine the paper it'd save! Kings and queens from all over the world would be clamouring to acquire one or, indeed, several!"

Nikal paused.

"You're very good at changing the subject. Did you know that, Mister Garrett?"

"Just Garrett, please," he replied. "I've never liked titles very much, at least not when I'm the one being referred to. Makes me feel...wrong, somehow. So, just Garrett, please."

"No last name?"

"Who's to say Garrett isn't my last name?"

"Would you have a first name, then?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Or maybe it's Garrett."

Nikal felt a sudden urge to slam her forehead into the nearest lamppost, but Garrett's firm but gentle hold prevented her from making any deviations from their present course.

"Do you ever answer questions in a straight-forward manner?"

"It has been known to occur once in a blue moon," Garrett said, gazing up at the cloud-ridden sky. "Though seeing as the moon is neither blue nor even visible at the moment, I think you can guess what sort of answers I will give you."

"And you've changed the subject again," Nikal pointed out. "Well done."

"Thank you—I so enjoy a good conversation, don't you?"

"Sometimes," Nikal admitted. "I must admit, though, I find myself a bit stumped."

"Oh?" Garrett's mouth made a curious O-shape, like a small child. "And why is that, Miss?"

"Your accent," she said. "It is difficult to place."

"I have travelled so much that my speech has been properly garbled, I'm afraid," Garrett said, sounding embarrassed. And still bloody singing! "My pronunciation and enunciation have been hopelessly perverted and converted, time and time again, and now very little remains of my original dialect."

There was another lamppost—if only she could reach it! A headache would be preferable at this point!

Garrett's hood, which was drawn up to protect his head from the rain, prevented her from seeing any distinguishing features that could identify him as Hylian, human or any of the other races.

So far, Nikal reflected, she was not very good at gathering information.

And then they saw the castle gates, a few hundred yards in front of them. Garrett stopped at that, gently extricating himself from her, though still hovering close in case she would fall.

"And this is where we part ways, my dear," he said, still smiling, still singing. "I dare not go further than this."

"Why is that?" Nikal asked, seizing on the opportunity like a hungry wolf. "Trouble with royalty, eh? Wanted, perhaps?"

Garrett chuckled. "Hardly. I simply do not wish to repeat an ugly situation from last week, when I accidentally passed the castle by too close to its gates. Apparently, that counted as trespassing to the guards and they saw fit to attempt to knock a few lessons into me. I solved the conflict quickly enough, naturally, but there is a certain type of person who is attracted to such low positions of abusive power that...well, let us just say that they have a hard time learning new things. Give them plumes in their helmets, and this condition only worsens. I would rather not have to solve another situation like this, though if you do not believe you can make it on your own—"

"I can, do not worry," Nikal said, shaking her head. "Not sure if I should call the guards anyway, though."

"Whatever for? Do you so strongly desire to see me beaten to a pulp by the shameless peacocks that the palace guards are? How cruel of you." He did not look nearly as bothered by the idea as he said.

"It would make for an interesting spectacle," Nikal admitted, "but no. I would do so because I highly suspect that you're a spy, and not on our side."

He held a hand over his heart, looking stricken. "Oh, miss, you have no idea how much you accusation wounds me. It is like someone has torn out my heart and stomped on it!"

She laughed at that. He was a funny man, she had to give him that. "Then kindly explain what you meant by your little birds, if you please. Or I will have to have you arrested."

He stopped the theatrics, his eyes suddenly completely focused on hers, looking intense. "True, one of my businesses involve paying some unfortunates and fortunates to supply me with certain...facts, figures and, in some cases, fiction. But I can assure you that I am not involved in shady deals with foreign powers or greedy ingrates within our walls."

"And what is this business?" Nikal pressed, putting a hand on the handle of her sword. "Answer."

He pouted. "Miss Nikal, you disappoint me—I believed I had found a worthy sparring partner. Such a show of force...hardly befitting a lady of your status." He sighed. "I suppose I have no choice, however...very well, you shall have your answer, though it is with great displeasure that I shall give it."

"I can live with that," she said, smiling to cover her shock that he knew her name. She had never told him!

"I am an information broker, Miss Nikal, and a damn good one at that. I also dabble in private investigation, whenever a case catches my interest."

"Information broker? So...a spy—only a neutral one?" she asked.

"I only sell to the highest bidders," Garrett said, slowly stepping backwards until he was in the shadows of an alley, his smile back on his face. "I have no master but myself."

Nikal considered going after him, but decided not to. He'd easily outrun her in her current condition.

"Hyrule has little to fear from me, Miss Nikal, as do you," he said, now practically invisible, his voice growing more and more distant. "And I dare say you and I will see a lot more of each other in the future. Please, do not tell anyone about me."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because it is only you I am interested in helping."

And then he was gone, leaving Nikal alone in the street, staring at the spot he'd once stood. She took a minute to collect herself from the frustrating experience of speaking with the man, and then began hobbling towards the gate. Master needed to know what had happened. He had to know everything.

Except...

Sheik stared at the princess, wishing he was psychic. So far, every other attempt at coaxing Zelda into telling him what had happened had ended in utter failure. As far as he was concerned, trying to interrogate Zelda was like squeezing water out of a rock—impossible and a waste of time and strength. The only thing the princess had been willing to divulge was that an argument had erupted between her and Tira, and that because of this, they were no longer...an item, as it were.

Zelda remained impassive to Sheik's piercing gaze, looking directly up at the ceiling above the bed. They were all lying on top of the covers, which felt like the safer bet given what had been happening under them not too long ago. Link and Sheik had quickly realised that trying to comfort Zelda while they were both still naked had been...awkward at best, and had redressed soon after. It was a good thing the laundry had been finished early.

Link kept glancing between the two of them, biting his lip, as if there was something he wanted to say but either couldn't find the words or didn't dare speak them. Sheik didn't blame him, in either case. The Hero of Time had never been the strongest conversationalist, and Sheik knew he always felt most uncomfortable in situations like this.

"So...that's it?" Link finally said. Sheik almost groaned. He loved the Hero with all his heart, but sometimes he really wished Link would just be quiet—Zelda had made it quite clear she didn't wish to talk about it. "One argument, and you and Tira are done?" He sounded incredulous.

"It would seem that way," Zelda offered noncommittally, her tone flat. Her tears had dried up, but Sheik could see in her eyes that she was absolutely devastated.

"Me and Sheik argue all the time, but you don't see us leaving each other," Link said. "Not even after the serious ones—"

"You've left each other twice," Zelda pointed out. "Once during the war with Ganondorf, once in Lumina."

"Well...yeah..." Link said, hesitantly. "But those didn't take! We reconciled!"

"I don't see us reconciling after this."

"That's a very pessimistic attitude—you're like Sheik before he developed a sense of humour."

"Oi!" Sheik glared at him.

"Sorry, but it's true," Link said, shrugging. "Honestly, the first time I met you, I was sure you had a stick up your—"

"All right, that's enough!"

They refocused on the princess lying between them. She was clutching one hand from each with her own, refusing to let go.

"It doesn't matter, in the end," she said. "I've a duty to perform, and hopefully this will make it easier to do so."

Sheik made the connection right away, and he mentally cursed every rule and law that made it necessary. Of course the argument had to have been about that!

If Link understood what she meant, he didn't act like he did.

They'd hit another roadblock, and Sheik wasn't sure how to proceed. This was a first for him, having to comfort his adopted sister after a heartbreak—it had always been the other way around, in the past. Though he supposed he'd have to try. Drawing breath, he opened his mouth and said—

There was a knock at the chamber door, drawing them all out of their thoughts. They rearranged themselves so that things didn't look suspicious—Sheik on the bed, looking injured, Link by his side, looking concerned and Zelda standing at the foot of the bed with her back turned, looking serious.

"Enter," the princess said, wiping her face to remove all signs of having cried.

One of the stewards stepped inside and bowed deeply. "Your Grace, one of Lord Sheik's students have been injured."

Sheik was on his feet in less than a second, pushing away Link's hands that were trying to make him lie back down. "What?! Who?!" he demanded.

The steward didn't reply, only waved towards the door. One of the castle guards entered the chamber, supporting a bleeding and dirtied Nikal. The back of her head was matted with blood, her face a mess of developing bruises. Her wrist was bloody, with what looked like teeth marks having punctured her gloves. She was limping badly, and her clothes were covered in mud.

"Get her to the bed, and fetch me warm water, alcohol, red potion, linen, and towels!"

Zelda was in her element right away, slipping into her medical mode and issuing commands like a seasoned physician...which she was, having continued her training after returning to Hyrule seven years earlier.

Nikal looked a bit overwhelmed at the attention she was suddenly receiving from her sovereign, but allowed herself to be set down on the edge of the bed, her posture exhausted as Zelda began to look over her injuries. From what Sheik could see, none of the injuries seemed to be immediately life threatening, though her head-wound was worrying him. He tried to approach, but Zelda's look made it clear that he was to stay away until she was done.

"Nikal, what happened?" Link asked, sitting next to her. For some reason, he was allowed in the inner circle, fussing over her like a stricken mother. "Who did this to you? Where's Eren? Is he okay?"

"We...we were trying to find clues about the sun symbol in the city," she offered uncertainly as an explanation. "Things escalated...ow!"

"You got into a fight?" Zelda asked, gently removing Nikal's gloves, hissing at the teeth marks on her wrist. Sheik grimaced as well—they looked bad.

"Yes, your grace," Nikal replied, trying not to look at the punctures.

"Tell me what happened," Sheik said firmly, realising that his student was in a state of shock...or plain exhaustion from the lack of adrenaline. She was going to pass out soon, he recognised the signs, and he needed to know what had happened now, while the memory was still fresh. He forced his worry for her to the back of his mind. There was time for that later.

"Sheik—"Link began.

"Link, we need to know where Eren is," Sheik cut him off. "Nikal?"

It took another minute of coaxing, but his student finally began her explanation, finishing just as the warm water and other supplies arrived.

"...and then I limped my way here," Nikal finished, her face pale where it wasn't purple bad bruised. Her lip had been split, which made it painful for her to talk.

Sheik took a minute to digest what she had just said. On one hand, he was proud of both her and Eren for taking the initiative...on the other, he was angry with them both for taking such unnecessary risks without his permission. He was about to say this when he caught the look she was giving him...a glowing need for approval. Sighing, he shook his head and patted her uninjured shoulder. "Good work," he said. "We'll talk more about this later."

Zelda glared at him, and Link clearly didn't approve either. "If you're finished, Lord Sheik, I would like you and Link to leave the room. I need to examine her more closely."

Banished to the hallway outside the bedchambers, Sheik and Link found themselves heading for the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Link asked.

"To find Eren and get him to safety before whoever attacked Nikal tracks him down as well."

"Sheik, you're injured!"

"Only my right arm, I can still fight with my left." He lifted his pack for emphasis. He'd grabbed it on their way out of the bedchambers, like Link had grabbed his. "And don't think about following me."

"Why the hell not?" the Hero demanded.

"Because you're going to find this Captain Gren and find out what he knows about the attack on Nikal—and if he caught the guilty party."

Link paused, probably surprised that Sheik wasn't telling him to stay put. Then he nodded. "All right," he said. "Do we know where he's stationed?"

"No idea," Sheik replied. "Your best bet would be to go the main watch house on Thatcher Street and ask for him there. Tell them who you are and that you're on official Crown business. That'll get you the information you need pretty quickly."

They emerged into the rainy night, Sheik fumbling slightly with his cloak because of his arm, refusing any help from Link. "And keep an eye open for Eren or the attacker on the way," he added. "We don't know who or what we are dealing with here, or if they are connected with what happened at Blackbrook. Don't trust anyone." Sheik stopped when he realised Link wasn't following him. The Hero was staring at him with a slightly amused expression. "What?"

"I've missed you," was all the Hero said, giving him another one of those little smiles of his before they left the castle grounds and entered the city proper.

"And I you," Sheik replied as they parted ways and went about their business. Sheik began sprinting, aiming for the slums.

Be well, Eren, he thought. Please be well.

Nikal felt awkward as Zelda, the princess of Hyrule and one of three people she would be answering to in the future, fussed about her like a mother hen, cleaning her wounds and tutting whenever she found a bruise.

"Here, drink this," the princess aid, thrusting a flask of the vile concoction known throughout the world as red potion in her face. She drank it with a grimace. It was utterly vile-tasting. "It should take care of most of the bruises. Now, let me see to the ones on your front. Take off your shirt, please."

Nikal blushed. It was one thing to undress in front of the female physician back in Kakariko, the same physician that had tended to her and the other girls' injuries since they were children, but this was the bloody princess! "They're not that bad—"she tried.

"Oh, for Goddesses' sake, girl!" Zelda exclaimed. "You haven't got anything I haven't seen before, and I need to check for internal injuries. You suffered a blow to the middle, and I need to examine it."

"I didn't say—"

"No, but I could tell from the way you hunch slightly over, both sitting and standing." Zelda fixed her with a stern stare. "I was taught by one of the finest physicians in the world, and she showed me more than a few ways of making an unruly patient cooperate. Do you want to find out about them?"

Nikal gulped and began to remove her upper clothing, eventually needing help once moving around got too painful. "Is this the same physician Master keeps mentioning, Your Grace?" she asked, remembering the many times Eren had been threatened with losing his most precious of parts.

"If scalpels and castration is involved, then yes."

The next few minutes were spent in silence as the princess made her lie down on the bed. She stayed still as Zelda's fingers ghosted over her bruised skin, pressing down in certain places to elicit small gasps of pain when she found a particularly bad spot. Nikal's eyes roamed the ceiling above her and what little she could see of the rest of the bedchambers from this position, her gaze finally landing on the princess' face. Up close like this, she was even more beautiful than Nikal had seen her before...though her eyes were red-rimmed and, if one looked closely, slightly puffy. Had she been crying?

"Hm, there doesn't appear to be any internal damage or broken ribs," the princess finally said, allowing Nikal to sit up. "The potion will take care of those. How is your jaw? Does it hurt to move it, or talk?"

"No, Your Grace."

"Hm, you will probably develop an ache there in the next few days—it seems you took one hell of a pounding there."

Nikal's eyes widened slightly at the words the princess used, prompting a chuckle from Zelda.

"I fought a war for seven years," the princess said. "I've earned the right to swear when I want to."

"Of course, Your Grace, I just—"

"I'm sure Sheik tries to crack down on foul language among his students, but I highly doubt it's effective. I'm sure you've heard much worse." She moved to sit behind Nikal, parting her hair to examine the cut on the back of her head, where the rock had hit her. "Not much more than a cut here. Do you feel dizzy or nauseated?"

"No, Your Grace."

"Hm, good. Let me know if you start feeling either of those, though. And a simple 'no' will suffice," Zelda said. "At this moment, I am not your princess, but your doctor. I'll have to clean the cut and sew wound shut. Hand me those, will you?"

Nikal gave the princess what might as well have been called torture instruments for all the pain they caused. She hissed and huffed as Zelda went to work.

"So, tell me," the princess said as she worked. "How does Sheik treat you?"

"Your Grace?"

"Whenever I visit Kakariko, my every step is shadowed by him, and I rarely get the chance to speak with any of you in private. It's not like I suspect he is mistreating you, but he has never been...good with people. I suspected the task of raising and training the future Eyes would prove difficult for him, especially as he does not have much experience with children." She paused. "So far he seems to be doing well...but I am biased, given the affection I feel for him."

"He treats us well, Your Grace," Nikal said, meaning it.

She remembered the first few months in Kakariko, when Master had still been putting together the training program and organising everything. Things had been chaotic, certainly, and immensely frustrating for everyone involved, especially Master. But he had never let taken it out on his students. He corrected them with blunt words that sometimes stung, but he was never deliberately cruel. He was training them for a harsh life, but always made it clear that they could leave at any point before they graduated. He was far from a surrogate brother or father to anyone—that was Link's job, as far as everyone was concerned—but he was definitely not just a teacher or mentor, either.

Zelda finished her work on Nikal's head and bandaged the wound, gently fastening it around her head. Then she stood in front of Nikal and studied her eyes closely, as if searching for any sign of lies. "I'm glad to hear that," the princess said. "It's been good for him, I think, having responsibility of this nature." Her eyes fell on Nikal's wrist. "Right...I will not lie, this is going to hurt a lot. Bite wounds are always serious due to the risk of infection. I'll have to clean it...thoroughly."

Nikal nodded, steeling herself for the pain.

It was worse than she had imagined. Some of the punctures had gone deep, and the princess was merciless in her quest to remove any source of infection.

"Whatever bit you doesn't have human or hylian teeth," the princess noted as she worked. "The being that attacked you...did it speak with an accent or any sort of identifying characteristics?"

"No, Your Gra—no. They...barked the words out so loud that the words became a garbled mess."

"I see..."

Once all her wounds were taken care of, Nikal was given a set of clean clothes to wear while her dirtied outfit was taken to be laundered. She had expected to be shooed out of the princess' bedchambers, but all Zelda did was usher her into a comfortable chair by the window and offer her tea. Her foot was kept elevated, having been badly sprained but thankfully not broken by her attacker. She felt...uncomfortable. She had lived on the streets for such a long time, and her life at Kakariko was quite spartan. Being surrounded by all the finery and sheer wealth in the castle made her feel out of place...and for her, a former street-urchin to be having tea and speaking with the princess, as if she was high-born? It was such an unthinkable scenario!

The princess was a gracious host, especially when she wasn't covered in Nikal's blood, and provided several topics on which Nikal didn't feel too lost...and all pretences went flying once they began discussing fighting techniques. Master's aunt, the great Impa, had raised the princess—Nikal should have known better than to expect inane chatter from Hyrule's sovereign.

As they spoke, however, a growing sense of guilt was starting to bother her. She hadn't told Master, Link or the princess about Garrett. She had intended to—the man was far too suspicious to be left alone—but what he'd said about wanting to help her specifically had intrigued her. It had been a split-second decision during her debriefing not to mention him. She was going to investigate Garrett on her own. If that wasn't great initiative, she didn't know what was.

To be continued...

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