Zant's War – Part 2

-Before-

-Sheikah Estate, Kanyou-

Before the Sheikah's disappearance, Reida was still a prisoner in their mansion. There was a great deal of activity outside her door, and this awoke her from her droll stupor. "What is happening?" She asked through the door. No one answered. Men hurried by with scrolls and weapons and clothes and sacks of goods, but no one paid her any mind. Her guards were still there, so it was not because they had forgotten entirely about her.

Words of evacuation reached her ears and she feared, not understanding what was happening and desiring to.

Everything went quiet after a time where men no longer rushed by or yelled excitedly. The torches blew, the hall dimmed into darkness, and all sound ceased. In the quiet a voice whispered, "Step back, Lady Reida."

Reida backed away from the door. A key entered the lock, turned loudly with such force it shook the door, and the door opened. A number of Sheikah stood on the other side with the guards were on the ground bleeding and gagged. One Sheikah in particular stepped forward. He was one she recognized from his build, how he walked, his clothes were slightly distinctive, and his eyes. These were all she had to go on with his body concealed behind many clothes. He was the one to watch over her all this time and check on her frequently. He extended his hand.

"Lady Reida, the Shadowmaster means to commit high treason against the throne. I do not know what she has planned for you, but we do not believe it is good. We are here to help you escape."

Reida didn't need to know more. She pulled up her skirt and rushed into their midst. They threw the guards in, shut and locked the door, and made their way down the passage. Reida did not know where they were going, but she could do no more than trust in her would-be rescuers.

"What shall I call you?" Reida wondered.

"Zant." The Sheikah leader answered.

"Very well, Sheikah Zant. You have my thanks. Take me home safely and I will reward you however I can."

"The only reward I seek is to serve my king." The man whispered back. Guilt flashed in his eyes and weighed his countenance down like a physical weight.

They hurried down the passage ways and ascended upstairs until they reached the surface again. The mansion was stripped bare seemingly, and the group pulled her down a hall. Someone yelled from behind them, and Zant cursed under his breath.

"We've been caught." He whispered. "Hurry!"

But they did not make it without incident. More yells were heard, and in their hurried pace they made a great deal of noise. The group entered the courtyard leaving the mansion, but were ambushed by dozens of other Sheikah. The two groups did not engage in blows, but Zant's group was surrounded and could move no further.

"Zant, what is the meaning of this!?" A woman yelled from their midst. Lady Impa stepped forward, fully armed in Sheikah garb wielding two short blades.

"I should be asking you that!" Zant countered. "We exist to serve the king and you mean to commit treason! Sheikah devote themselves to serving the throne, but today we are betraying it! We are betraying ourselves!"

"I told you-"

"You gave me nothing!" Zant exclaimed. "Nothing on which I can put my guilt! To what am I supposed to be a shadow when I am choking the very flame I am to shadow! What am I to tell the voices that haunt me, and demand an accountability of my actions? I cannot cast aside it to the Sheikah mask, not when it has forsaken us! If my mask is to serve the throne, but you tell me to defy the throne, then what is my mask? You? Are you my new mask, Shadowmaster?"

His exclamation sent a stir through the group, and they whispered amongst themselves.

"Enough!" Impa barked. "I know your pain, and I am telling you it is not for naught! You want the truth you seek? You want to force me into this? Then know this, we serve the throne! The princess still lives! It is not Kyou that is the throne, but Zelda! Cast your mask on her again, and let that be your purpose!"

Zant laughed at this, and it was not a pleasant laugh. The sound of it sent chills down Reida's back, like he was a man laughing without restraint, dark, and full of intention. "You mock us, Shadowmaster? We saw the body of Zelda with our own eyes! What you claim is not just doubtful, it is pathetic and makes us out to be dumb!"

Zant stopped and scoffed. "Or perhaps you really do serve Zelda… but not in present but in memory. You serve her memory and want to avenge her death. That is a good thing to do with a princess, but… it is not your purpose as Sheikah. You have failed as Sheikah. You have failed your king… I have nothing more to say to you. I banish you to the abyss."

"You cannot do that. You are not Shadowmaster." Impa reprimanded.

"Am I not? Truly am I not?" Zant looked around. "I see the assembly is not as inclined toward your way of thinking as you perceive. You do not have me surrounded, Impa. It is I that have you surrounded."

Impa looked around her to see that most of the Sheikah had listened to Zant's words, and faced towards her with weapon drawn. Those most loyal to her shielded her, but the situation has shifted against her. Most of the Sheikah were not present, but were at the palace and out of her reach.

"Take Reida out of the capital." Zant whispered. "I shall catch up."

With that Zant lunged at Impa, and the Sheikah scattered in all directions. For a brief moment with everyone moving in different directions, Reida could not make out who was who, and it very well may be that even the Sheikah could not tell who followed Zant or who followed Impa amidst the chaos. The only two that were distinguishable were Zant and Impa. Impa fled the complex and Zant gave chase. A number of Sheikah grabbed Reida and pulled her into running.

They ran out of the capital and in the distance she could see the palace was in flames as small explosions riddled it. The flames were matched by the explosions and flames of the Sheikah manor. The Sheikah guided Reida to a hidden alcove outside the capital, and in the night they were practically invisible. She could not perceive the moon in the night, as the smoke of the flames covered her surface. It was as though in the chaos of the night even Nayru's gaze was dimmed and refused to watch as her people turned on themselves in all manners of ways.

The smoke lasted till morning. It was the second hour of the day that there was movement outside the hideout and Zant entered their midst. The men and women were relieved to see him. He cradled his arm and had blood on him. He collapsed on a rock and leaned back against the wall surface. A few other Sheikah stood outside the alcove.

"What happened?" Reida asked.

"Impa escaped us." Zant said. "We tried to stop the traitors from sabotaging the palace. We killed a number of them and forced them to scatter, and we stopped them from destroying the throne room… but the palace is still damaged."

"Could be worse." A man said.

Zant nodded. "Yes, it could have been much worse. Thankfully it was containable."

"How many are dead?" Another asked.

Zant hesitated, his hesitation giving enough of an answer, "Enough. My loyalists were able to turn or ambush many of Impa's traitors, but she had most of our handpicked elite on her team. The causalities are high. Plus the Royal Guard are hunting us all down. The loyalists and the traitors are indistinguishable right now, so it is best we all stay in hiding until we can approach Prince Kyou with Impa's head."

"What are we going to do?" The group wondered.

"The pieces are moving against Prince Kyou… but we are in a position to influence it." Zant looked to Reida. "We need to get you home. That will prove our loyalty and ease the prince's mind. Then there is the matter of Chancellor Ryo."

"He will make a move against Kyou." The group determined.

"You are right. He will. He has already started. He will march on Genyuu Pass if he hasn't already. Ketsu will have his army move to stop him. Until we know the position of both armies we cannot move lest we be caught in it."

Zant continued, "The third matter is that of the traitors. We cannot return without Impa's head. That is a fact."

After some discussion, Zant sent out a number of Sheikah to find clues of Impa's whereabouts with orders to not engage. None of them could handle Impa. Zant and their strongest would have to kill her when she is found.

Others were sent to scout out Ryo and Ketsu's armies.

The rest were sent to establish a safe house in a coded region. This left Zant alone to watch Reida.

It was several days that passed before any scouts returned. They were the ones from the second group. Ryo was marching on Genyuu Pass and Ketsu was personally leading the opposing army meet him. Ouki had already stationed himself on the gate.

"Ouki…" Zant whispered. "He is a volatile one. I don't know his desires or where his loyalty lies. I think no one truly does. Despite it all, best to leave him be. Too risky to try and take him out, and he is most likely to do nothing and side with no one. Do you believe we can sneak Reida through?"

The scouts reported it would be impossible. Ryo's army was efficient and watchful. The mountain was steep and they were unprepared to take her over. The only way around would take weeks on foot.

"Why don't you hand me to Ketsu?" Reida asked. "Ketsu is a slimy bastard, but he has Kyou's ear. He will pass on your token of loyalty and will want me kept safe."

Zant was begrudged the idea for a reason beyond Reida, but accepted it. He motioned to those present, "I will assassinate Ryo tonight. You all take her to Ketsu when I return. This way we can bring him both Ryo's head and Reida's."

"With mine more intact…" Reida gulped.

"Right, yes. That is what I meant." Zant chuckled.

Zant left. Understandably it was a great deal of time he was gone, having gone on foot to traverse a great distance, sneak into a heavily armed camp, kill a high profile target, and escape. Reida feared he wouldn't make it at all.

He returned. Physically, he was well. Mentally… something was very wrong.

Zant did not respond when talked to. He did not say anything. His eyes had a far off gaze look, and to their amazement the cloth around his head was loose. No Sheikah ever revealed their faces, but he did not have the capacity to notice it was unraveling itself from his head.

Zant started mumbling and rambling, and what he said made no sense. He went on in his own broken speech about how Impa was a traitor, and it was all a conspiracy. The only proper sentence Zant could string together was, "If Kyou hadn't killed Zelda… I would do it myself." A thought that startled Reida and disturbed the other Sheikah greatly.

The morning sun rose, and Zant had disappeared. The other Sheikah could not make an account of him. With no other option they safeguarded Reida to Ketsu's army, who welcomed them with open arms and promised to keep her safe in his carriage.

Ketsu was a pervert. His eyes roved her, but he was wise enough to keep his hands to himself. Reida was a little fearful to be witnessing a conflict, and was more terrified that Ouki was seemingly not doing anything to stop Ryo, and that Ryo was winning the battle.

Her entire reality changed when a great explosion rippled through the earth, a wall of vines erupted from the ground, and Zelda stood in plain view yelling loud enough for the hushed crowds to hear that the war was over. It was as if she had returned from the dead.

The carriage coming alive was also terrifying.

-Present, Kanyou Dungeon-

Zelda listened to Reida's words patiently. It was a lengthy tale, much more detailed and long than described here, so Zelda took up a chair.

"Why did you tell me this?" Zelda inquired. "Why speak against your very rescuer? I do not believe it false to say we are rivals, so why throw your allies at the feet of your enemy? Do you think to save yourself?"

"Princess. I admit I am unsure myself what to believe. Impa, your ally, captured me. Her rival, Zant, rescued me. In light of this I cannot say to myself 'all Sheikah are this way' or 'all Sheikah are that way'. It may sound traitorous and scheming to tell you that your ally is in danger and my ally is your enemy, when you had no knowledge and was left unaware… but I believe in the end it is because Zant is my ally that I want you to know all these things and because Impa has committed crimes against me that I want you to know."

Zelda turned her head to the side in thought. Reida continued, "Princess… I know how you must see me. Fiancé to Prince Kyou, the brother who tried to kill you, surely Lady Reida desires the throne and would scheme against you to become Queen. Is that not what you think?"

Zelda nodded. "You do stand to become Queen when Kyou comes of age, if he holds the throne and marries you. You have everything to gain."

"And everything to lose," Reida explained. "I think… princess… that being Queen is not all it is thought to be. I think of home and feel joy and people I know, people who smile when they see me, people who listen when I talk and hear my words. When I think of the throne I feel a cage, where men constrain me and label me and hold me to an entrapping ideal of perfection I have no desire to have. Princess, I am content to be what I am. What I gain I want to be by my own hand, not by my birthright. It is partially why I argued vehemently with Kyou about his coup, for what would be gained from it? Would it make him a better person? Would it make me a better person?

"I tell you these things because without information you would not know how to act. You would be caught in surprise by the politics that have entrapped the Sheikah, and I fear you would act rashly. I want Impa held accountable for involving me when I had actually tried to defend you in my own way, but to do that she must live. I tell you of Zant because I want you to help him, princess. He is most loyal to the throne above all else, and in these recent days he has lost sight of who sits on it. Something has inflicted his mind and if anyone can help him… it's you."

"You put a great deal of faith in me." Zelda whispered. She squeezed her hands together. It was a burden she did not desire. She already had so much on her mind, and now she had this mess to clean. Perhaps Reida had the right mind of it, in saying she did not desire being Queen as much as Zelda thought she did.

"I think… perhaps. That putting faith in people is essential. You want to know why Kyou respects me and no other woman?"

"Now this is an answer I am curious of." Zelda smiled. "What is it?"

"Because people lack faith in him. They said they had faith, but faith in what? Faith in him sitting there? Faith in him being a figurehead or statue? They have faith in his inaction, in nothing more than his status. They do not have faith he will do anything or desire anything of him or hold him accountable of his abilities. I have faith he can do things on his own without a silver spoon in his mouth. I hold him to standards and expectations, and when he fails them I hold him accountable for them. I tell him 'do not sit in your carriage to my home, but walk with your own feet.' or 'do not send out servants to find what you want, but seek it out yourself.' I have even begun to teach him to cook simple things, things no other has expected of him."

Zelda blinked in surprise. "I did not know he had ever stepped foot in a kitchen."

"Hates it, but has come to like me more than he dislikes being there. When no one is around he will allow it."

"I see…" Zelda murmured. Quickly returning to subject, she said, "and so you will hold me accountable for what happens to the Sheikah because you have faith in me."

"My point is, princess, that what are we without faith? Would you prefer I have no faith in you?"

"No."

Reida smiled, "Then we are at an impasse. I am not saying you have to do as I want you to. You do not have to rescue Impa or rescue Zant. I merely have faith in you to do the wise thing, whatever you decide that is, because... I would guess all I truly want is for you to consider and decide rationally. That is all one should desire of a leader, no?"

Not sure what to say, Zelda politely left after giving her goodbye. Reida most likely knew it, but Zelda felt more burdened then ever since Reida's words struck a chord in Zelda. Zelda knew she was responsible, but to be held accountable? To whom? To her people? To her ministers and subjects? To her Goddesses? It was a great many eyes to be held accountable by, to be observed by, to be judged by. It was a burdening, entrapping feeling. A feeling that made Zelda feel she had to be perfect in everything lest she fail, but then was that not the price of being monarch? Zelda was in a position now to have the power to realize her ambition, but her power was based on how others judged her. She was also in a position to be judged by the Goddesses and by history.

"Zelda?" Zelda's dress whispered nervously. "You are very tense."

"I am fine." Zelda replied. "Did you touch her?"

"I did, I entered her clothing."

"Was she lying?"

"She seemed to hold back on her opinion of some matters, but no… I think that is just part of politics."

"Of course, no one would dare say to my face what they really think of me." Zelda scoffed.

"She did not lie about having faith in you."

"… regardless it is good to know my observations were astute. She did not lie. The Sheikah are in trouble."

The Sheikah had fallen into a small civil war of their own, and Impa was missing and being hunted down. Impa could very well be wounded or dead too. It made Zelda's gut squirm in fear and guilt, for she wanted to have less than polite words with the woman before… how could she consider it now with the thought that she was in mortal danger?

Zelda's head pounded painfully. Now Zelda had to consider what to do with Reida, with Zant, with Impa. She already had discussed with the ministers what to do with Ketsu, but Reida's… willingness and faith in her was… a surprise. Also Reida was daughter to a powerful noble, someone Zelda could not afford to make an enemy. Also if Reida's words were true, then she was, in her own way, seeking to support both Zelda and Kyou peacefully. She wanted Kyou to have self-respect and did not mind Zelda holding the throne. Was she playing them? No, her methods were of peace and making a person better and stronger within. Zelda did not understand. Reida was purely baffling. Zelda had never encountered a person like her before… except in some ways it reminded her of how Impa was. Impa too was doting at moments and had faith in Zelda, held her to expectations and standards and gently reprimanded her when she failed.

"Next matter." Zelda sighed.

-Later again-

Meeting after meeting Zelda held with one individual or another.

The chief architect to repair damage to the palace, gates, and check the integrity of the walls.

The chief of staff to personally inspect the remaining servants, the new servants, the guards, the cooks, the slaves, the servants for her ministers, and so on almost endlessly.

She was scheduled to have a meeting with Chancellor Ryo about economic affairs, but he was absent still, believed to be handling matters of his own to disband the rebel army he had formed against Prince Kyou as well as helping ensure the stability of the kingdom in the alarming transitions. Despite how much Zelda knew he would come to be her enemy, she still respected and honored his professionalism. He was very proactive, focused, and self-efficient. Perhaps too self-efficient, if his not-so-secret desire for the throne said anything of him.

She met with her ministers to discuss how to repay the Majora, as well as diplomatic matters with them and how to proceed. As expected they were fearful, alarmed, and saw the tribesmen as savages. Their solution was racist at best and genocidal and traitorous at worst. It took three painful hours of arguing, yelling, and her headache spiking painfully high to refute them and get them focused on the original subject. The Majora would only accepted land and Zelda would not turn on them or betray them despite the minister's insistence that it wasn't 'really' betrayal… not if the Majora are barely human.

The one to say that particular sentence was sent out of the room.

Finally a number of options were created, and Zelda sent one to arrange a meeting with Ganondorf Dragmire.

Zelda had to meet with the former commander Kagura briefly to go over his side of the events Reida mentioned, and anything he might know. Then she had to discuss with her ministers the events Reida conveyed of the politics within the Sheikah clan (with a few unnecessary details left out), and how to proceed with finding them and reuniting them within Qin. In addition to finding and rescuing Impa and arresting Zant. However with nothing to go on, and no shadow agents besides the Sheikah to look for them… it left them with few options. What agents are you supposed to send to look for your agents when you have no agents? The only option they could see at the moment was to spread the word of Zelda's reclamation as far as possible, to every corner of Qin, and let the Sheikah return on their own when they see there is a monarch on the throne. It was, however, much too passive an option for Zelda. She wanted a proactive one, so the discussion would be brought up again in the future when someone has more information or a different idea.

The final affairs were what to do with Reida, Ketsu, and Kyou. The sun had long past, and exhausted to the point of delusion with pain spiking through her ears, Zelda put them off. She had enough. So far as she was concerned, Reida would be released from the dungeon and be sent home with letters of apology to her father, Kyou would be put under house arrest until Zelda could decide what else to do with him, and Ketsu would be executed publicly by being torn apart by horses. Namely by having ropes tied to his arms and legs, tying those ropes to horses, and telling the horses to do what horses do best…and that's not roll on the ground playfully like dogs. (Though Zelda had seen them do that at the farm.)

Zelda groaned painfully. Thinking about farms made her think of Link's village… she needed to check on the villages to the west, check on Link's village to be sure they were well… as well as find a way to pay them back without revealing the plot with Midna… and give Link a plot of land. Better yet just tell the mayor to do it! She was a princess! She could do that!

"There is too much!" Zelda exclaimed suddenly. The guards and servants in the hall jumped in alarm. Even the Fae hidden in Zelda's dress squealed in surprise.

"Princess?"

"I'm done! I'm done for today! I have not seen my bed in thr-four days! My final order is to let me sleep!" Zelda shoved her doors open, and froze in shock and disbelief.

There was a woman sitting on her bed. At first this was odd and a breach of security in its own right, but to add layers to the shock was the dress and manner of the woman. Or rather… lack of. She was naked and beautiful. Mostly. There was a thin veil over her, but it did no good to cover anything.

"What the…" The Fae whispered.

Zelda screamed. Her scream shocked everyone, most of all the woman in her bed. Zelda grabbed her sword. "Get out! Out!"

The woman fled terrified, and Zelda was left shaking and panting, looking as if she had seen a ghost. Her door was wide open, the guards looked in unsure what to do.