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 Remnants
Chapter 25

Councillor Ise's mouth was formed into a sharp line, her face like stone. Her eyes were drilling into those of Rehm, who was standing in the middle of the council chambers and glaring at her. His face was red, his outrage over the suggestion that had just been read to him apparent. His fists were alternatively clenching and relaxing, obviously having trouble with keeping his temper under control. The pathetic attempt at a comb-over wilted from the heat that must have been radiating from the top of his head.

"Do you agree with the council's concerns, Councillor Rehm?" Ise asked. She was gripping the edge of the table in front of her, knuckles going white. The atmosphere in the room was positively electric and oppressive—it felt like she was being crushed. And all because Rehm had locked eyes with hers... When Rehm did not reply, she repeated the question. "Do you—"

"There is little point to disagreeing," Rehm said, voice shaking with rage. "As the council has already made its decision. Am I not correct, Ise? Fonte? Ominter?" He said each and every single councillor's name as he let his gaze pan over them. "We live in a democracy, after all, and if the majority has already reached an accord, I, as the minority, have little choice but to bow to your will." His hands relaxed, and some of the blood seemed to drain away from his head as he took a deep breath. "Though I should very much like to ask why you find it so prudent to saddle me with a snivelling little noble brat to hang off my robes that you call me back from my, quite frankly, urgent business in the south. I am trying to track down a murderer, ladies and gentlemen, and you seem to be doing your very best to hinder me in my task."

"The importance and urgency of your task is the very reason that you need an assistant, Rehm," said councillor Fonte with a voice that he must have thought came off as kindly, but to the rest of the room just sounded condescending, including Rehm. "You are travelling over vast distances and interviewing hundreds of men and women every day in an attempt to track down that traitor General Agon. I cannot even begin to imagine how much information you need to store and process every single time you attempt to pin down his location. While I and the rest of the council appreciate your efforts, surely you realise that it is simply too much for one man to handle?"

"My mind is as keen as it was when I had just turned twenty, Fonte," Rehm said, glaring at him. "Unlike yours, which seems to be barely functioning when it comes to the council treasury. Did you know, for example, that a minute trickle of a sum has been disappearing from it every week for the past ten years? As the treasurer, surely you have a reason for not plugging this leak and finding the culprit?"

Fonte's mouth shut so quickly that his teeth clacked together. Ise directed a glare at him, having not known about the disappearing money.

"And what about you, LaMonde?" Rehm continued. "Can you explain why a number of prisoners seem to have simply vanished from His Majesty's dungeons over the years? We were never told of any escapes—attempts or successful...well, apart from that rather huge blunder a few months ago, of course. Money is easy to lose track of, true, but human beings, councillor?" Rehm raised an eyebrow. "They are significantly larger than a gold coin, aren't they?"

He grinned, which put Ise's teeth on edge—the bastard was enjoying this!

"And as for you, Councillor Ominter—"

"Yes, yes, we all make mistakes in the line of duty," Ise interrupted. "We are only human—it is in our nature!"

"Except I know for a fact that I have never made a mistake, councillor," Rehm said slyly. "Look at my records, my reports, my history...not a single mistake there. I have nothing to hide, though you are welcome to try and find something, anything that is less than perfect." He crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you are the ones in need of assistants...though in Ise's case, that turned out to be a bit of a mistake, didn't it?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as Ise and Rehm locked gazes once again. "I have said it before and I will gladly repeat it," she said slowly. "I take full responsibility for Jeryd's betrayal. I trusted him and shared confidential information with him, which he then used to commit illegal acts against the throne. It was my fault, and I would not have it any other way. But as I recall, the council forgave me for my failure, as did the king, so bringing it up is not going to help your case." Silence reigned in the chambers for a few moments before she spoke again, "May I ask you a question, Rehm?"

"We live in a free country, Ise."

Ise chuckled—first time she had ever heard something like that. It'd never catch on. "If you knew about the vanishing money and disappearing prisoners, why did you not alert anyone about it? Why did you not take it up with the council?"

"I did, just now," Rehm said, smiling like a little brat. "I've just had more...pressing matters to deal with. And I assumed the other councillors were on top of their assignments. I suppose I was wrong, and I deeply apologise for not voicing my concern."

The looks that were sent around the circular table were not happy ones.

"So, my fellow council members," Rehm said, "I assume this little matter has been settled, then." He turned around and was about to head for the door when Ise spoke up.

"Yes, it is, Rehm. You are getting an assistant. Period. End of sentence."

Rehm's face froze in a horrible grimace. "Perhaps you did not understand my intention with what I said a few minutes ago, Ise, I—"

"I am perfectly aware of what you intended, Rehm," Ise said, her voice like...well, ice. "But pointing out the mistakes of others does not vindicate you from ones you might make yourself because you're too stubborn to realise you're getting older. You are getting an assistant, and that is the end of it. Like it or not, it is happening!"

"You are getting on my nerves, Ise," Rehm said quietly, his eyes seemingly growing dark. "And that is a huge mistake."

"Is that a threat, councillor?" Ise said, suddenly feeling short of breath. It was like someone was gripping her throat and slowly crushing it. The other council members seemed to feel the same judging by the way they were opening their shirt collars and untying scarves. "Is that a threat?" she repeated, discreetly trying to clear her throat.

"Certainly not," Rehm said. "Just a friendly warning." He sighed, shaking his head. "But I can see that I will not be able to change your minds about this. Very well, I accept the council's decision."

All at once, the oppressive atmosphere in the chambers seemed to be lifted, and the crushing sensation around Ise's throat disappeared. Everyone breathed out in relief, though some tried to be subtle about it. Ise took a sip of water from her cup to calm herself. She hadn't expected this. She'd always known that Rehm could be terrifying when he was angry, but this...this was something else entirely. It had honestly felt like he was going to kill everyone around the table.

"So!" Rehm shouted and clapped his hands together loudly. "When do I get to meet this young and aspiring politician, then?" The grin on his face was huge, but everyone could see that it was just a mask. The man was absolutely furious, but they'd come this far...

"Right now, in fact," Ise said, refusing to let herself be intimidated by the ancient fossil. She turned her head to the door to her right and called, "You can come in now!"

Leonard stepped inside the chambers, wearing his finest clothes and a look of eagerness. Ise was impressed at his ability to cover up his nervousness. She couldn't help but pity the lad for willingly putting himself in this position, however, and she hoped to the gods that he had thought this through well enough and that whatever little scheme he and the king had come up was good foolproof enough.

Ise wasn't stupid. She could see that something was going on between His Majesty and Rehm, but she struggled with finding out what. A power struggle, perhaps? She failed to see the issue, though. The king had little to do with the everyday running of the kingdom—he only got involved with the important issues, and Rehm always stepped aside gladly when they came up. Nevertheless, she felt that a time was approaching where she would have to pick a side—though that was, as her father had once said, a no-brainer. She was a loyalist, through and through, and the fact that she despised Rehm to the point where she wished his skin would melt off only helped to cement her position, not to mention her goal: to put as many spokes in that bastard's wheel as humanly possible. All in all, if blows came to blows, she knew exactly who she'd direct her punches at.

"May I introduce Leonard Denal of Turreryn," she said, rising from her chair and patting Leonard on the shoulder. "I'm sure you recognise the name—"

"Ah, yes, I know his mother quite well," Rehm said, striding around the table with an outstretched hand, seizing the teenager's and squeezing quite hard—if Leonard's subtle grimace could be trusted. "Though I do not believe I've had the pleasure of meeting her progeny. Good to meet you, lad. How is your mother, the good Baroness Denal?"

"She is fine, sir," Leonard replied politely. "She sends her love and heartfelt wishes of luck with catching General Agon."

"Ah, a beautiful sentiment," Rehm said, still smiling. "And not entirely out of place, as I recall her giving me the winky eyes during the festival, ha ha ha!"

The laughter made everyone in the room uncomfortable.

"I have but one question I would like to ask you, Leonard," Rehm continued, "if I may."

"Certainly, sir," Leonard said.

"Why would a young man like you, handsome and obviously bright as you are, want to work for me, a man who is more likely to be six feet under than standing a year from now?"

Leonard appeared unable to contain a grin. "Sir, I have always wished to break into the world of politics, and who better to learn from than you? You have been an integral asset to this kingdom for the better part of a century—your wisdom, experience and tenacity is envied by all aspiring nobles in the land, and I was not about to let an opportunity to learn directly from you get away from me. I have fought my way through the applicants and now stand before you, eager and ready to soak up anything and everything you can teach me!"

Rehm raised an eyebrow. "Passionate little bugger, aren't you?"

"I have been told I care too much about politics, sir," Leonard said.

"There is no such thing as 'caring too much' when it comes to politics, I've always said," Rehm proclaimed and shook the young man's hand again. "I like you, Leonard of Turreryn, and I shall be looking forward to working with you."

"And I you, sir."

"Well, I suppose I should let the young man go and pack his belongings—"Rehm began.

"Already done, sir," Leonard interrupted, blushing appropriately when he realised he'd interrupted him. Ise was impressed by his acting. "Sorry, sir."

"Already?" Rehm asked, confused.

"We took the liberty of sending his belongings to The Chimera when you arrived, Rehm," Ise said, taking great pleasure in stumping the man. "The captain has even prepared a cabin for him, right next to yours."

"That was nice of him," Rehm said neutrally. "Well then, I suppose we must be off immediately—traitors to catch and all. Have you said your goodbyes?"

"Yes, sir," Leonard nodded eagerly. "Did so a few hours ago."

"Good, good, excellent," Rehm said. "Time to leave, then." He put a hand on Leonard's back and led him towards the door that would lead to the hallways connected to airship's landing pad. "Councillors," he said, nodding.

The councillors would never admit it, but they felt immense relief after Rehm was gone. As the meeting came to a conclusion and they all left (some with heavy workloads concerning disappearing miscellanea weighing on their shoulders), Ise remained at her seat, staring at the door Rehm and Leonard had left through. After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she opened the hidden drawer under the table and withdrew a flask containing very strong liquor. She poured it into her cup, mixing it with the water and took a sip. She felt the warmth returning to her limbs as the drink burned its way down her throat.

Something is definitely going on here, she thought. I wonder how I can help...

Link awoke to an incredible racket outside the house. He was completely disoriented for a few seconds, wondering where the hell he was, but upon spotting the sleeping form of Elenwe in the other bed, he remembered and relaxed. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked around the room, noticing that Kafei was nowhere to be seen. A chilly breeze was wafting into the room from the open window on the opposite wall, where the noise was also pouring in. It sounded like hundreds of voices all trying to drown each other out. Every now and then, there came a loud TWANG-like sound, definitely from a stringed instrument whose owner was running out of patience.

Throwing his tunic on, he headed over to the window and leaned out of it, trying to spot the source of the noise. A large group of men and women were gathered further down the street, pushing and shoving each other in what seemed to be an attempt to get a good look at whatever they were arguing about. Link heard another twanging sound. It was coming from his left.

"About time you woke up," Kafei said. "It's gone past noon." He was sitting on the slanted roof of the house, hood securely drawn up to obscure his face and running his fingers along the strings of a lyre. Or, it looked like a lyre, but it was bigger than Sheik's. "Though I suppose you needed the rest—both of you."

"Do you mind?" Link asked, gesturing at the roof. Kafei shrugged, which Link took as a positive answer and climbed out of the window, sitting down next to the Sheikah. "What's all the racket about?"

"No idea," Kafei replied. "Some thief or another. Probably discussing what to do with him."

"Huh..."

"I was hoping for some peace and quiet to practice my music, but the chances of that seem exceedingly slim." Kafei sighed. "Then again, what was I hoping for in a town of criminals?"

"Beats me," Link said, eyeing the instrument in his hands. It was simple and undecorated, much like Sheik's. "Didn't know you played the lyre," he said, trying to make conversation.

"I rarely do these days," Kafei replied. "I only recently acquired this one, in fact. I haven't played since...since the day I left Hyrule. Even left my old one for Sheik. He probably smashed it the second he saw it. I wouldn't blame him if he did..."

Link looked at his bare feet, unable to come up with anything else to say. He felt really uncomfortable around Kafei, for obvious reasons, but there was also something about the older man that just seemed so...untrustworthy.

"You still don't trust me," Kafei stated after a while. "That is good."

"How so?" Link asked. "I thought you'd want me on your side as fast as possible."

"Preferably, yes," Kafei nodded. "But I'd be disappointed if you trusted me not to stab you in the back after a single night. It's a healthy attitude. The world has no need for a champion without a sense of scrutiny."

"The world?" Link asked.

"You are the Goddesses' chosen one, are you not?" Kafei said without a hint of irony in his voice. "Just because the larger part of the world outside Hyrule holds no belief in them does not mean that you don't fight on their behalf as well. You saved the world when you killed Ganondorf and reunited the pieces of the Triforce. Your deeds will go mostly unnoticed, of course, but it does not change the fact that they owe their lives and freedom to you." He turned his head to look at Link. "This thought never occurred to you, Hero? Good grief..."

Link looked up at that. "Sheik says that a lot too..."

Kafei made a sound that struck Link as halfway between a snort and a pleased chuckle. "That doesn't surprise me. We were inseparable for a while, and I daresay that's not the only thing of mine he copied..."

"What happened?" Link asked.

"Pardon?"

"Between you two?" Link stared into Kafei's eyes under the hood. "I know Sheik hates you for leaving, but from the way you talk it's like you were best friends. Family, even."

"Well, we are family," Kafei stated calmly.

"Really?"

"Distant cousins, I'd say. Thrice removed, or something, I'm not sure. I never asked Impa—I didn't need to. They were the only family I had left anyway."

"So...?"

"You recall me saying Sheik left his mark on me, correct? Well, the story behind it isn't long, but I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to regale you with it." Kafei drew a breath, paused, and lay back on the roof tiles. The skies were overcast, but the daylight still revealed his face fully to Link. The entire left side of it was a mess of scars and burns.

"Sheik didn't do...all that, did he?" Link asked, fearing the answer. He remembered how out of control Sheik had been in the Shadow Temple when they had found Tao.

"Some of it, but not all of it, no," Kafei replied. "The reasons for my desire to leave the Sheikah I have already said, but do not underestimate my agonising over the decision, Hero. It took me months before I finally worked up to the courage to go through with my plan. I couldn't tell Impa—she'd either kill me or have me imprisoned the second she realised what I was talking about. I wasn't entirely sure about Sheik either, and so I decided to tell him the night I was set to go. We had just finished sparring, and we were washing ourselves as I told him about my doubts of the Sheikah's future and why it would be a good idea to leave it all behind while we still had a chance. Sheik didn't understand, of course, because he was still being indoctrinated by Impa."

He adjusted his position on the roof, still staring up at the sky.

"I suppose I should have seen it coming, but I was still young and naïve back then. Sheik had always looked up to me, and I assumed he would listen...but a certain princess was a much stronger influence, and he said no. He said that the young Zelda would need a protector as she grew up, and he would gladly die for her. I laughed at him then—the biggest mistake I have ever made. He got angry and began to quote our laws and tenets—all of them verbatim. Impa never took any chances when it came to him and made sure that he would be the perfect Sheikah..."

"What happened then?" Link asked, fascinated by the story. He knew so little about Sheik's past, and this was helping him put the puzzle together.

"I made my peace with the fact that if I was to leave, it would be on my own. So I convinced him that I had changed my mind and that Impa did not need to know about our little exchange. He seemed to accept it, and so we went to our rooms, saying our goodnights. I had no intention of staying, of course, and gathered my belongings after a few hours when I was certain both he and Impa were asleep. I stepped outside and made my way towards the courtyard."

Kafei suddenly chuckled and grinned. "Little did I know that Sheik, clever little scamp that he was, had seen right through me and was waiting for me. He had sent away the guards so that we were the only ones there. He gave me an ultimatum—stay and confess to Impa, or try to leave and be killed by him."

"Sounds like Sheik, all right," Link said, not liking the sound of this.

"He was just spouting off the code of honour, which he honestly tried to live by—admirable but foolish, in my opinion," Kafei continued. "You can probably imagine my choice."

"You tried to leave."

"Of course. I didn't think Sheik would pose much of a challenge, and I certainly didn't expect him to actually try to kill me." Kafei grinned again. "He had even brought deku seeds."

"And then?"

"What do you think? I tried to go past him, he stood in my way, I tried to go around him, and he moved and blocked me. Finally, I'd had enough and shoved him aside, at which point he pulled a dagger on me and nicked my hand. That's when I knew he wasn't joking or being childish. The fight didn't last long—mere minutes, I think, but it was damn ferocious. He fought like a wildcat—I'd never seen him like that before. But raw passion couldn't make up for the experience I possessed, and I finally managed to disarm him. I then shoved him to the ground and warned him not to get up again. I turned my back on him and headed for the gates, but that only gave him enough time to grab a burning torch off the wall and get in my way again."

Link could see where this was going and groaned.

"Stubbornness has always been a trait of our people," Kafei said. "And none displayed it more proudly than Sheik. I gave him one warning and then tried to shove him again. No dice. He jumped and kicked my chest, after which he proceeded to shove the torch into my face."

Link gasped. He didn't think Sheik was capable of such acts, even at that age. "And then?"

"I got angry, of course," Kafei said, touching his cheek. "And I used Sheik's own dagger on him. I only intended to cut him a little, as a sort of revenge—I couldn't bring myself to kill him. But he twisted in the air, and what was supposed to be a cut turned into a stab. Right below his heart." He shook his head and shuddered. "I can still see him, you know, lying in front of me, bleeding and gasping for breath. I knew there was no way back now—if I came clean, I'd be killed. So I raised the alarm in order to get help for Sheik and then ran away. I behaved like an extraordinary coward."

"So...you stabbed him and left him for dead," Link said with distaste.

"It wasn't on purpose!" Kafei said forcefully. "If he hadn't moved, he would have gotten away with a few drops of blood missing and that's it..."

The ruckus down the street seemed to be dying down now, and the people were dispersing. It was impossible not to notice the blood stains on the ground where they'd stood. It appeared that the people had finally decided what to do with the thief. Then they both heard footsteps from within the upstairs bedroom, indicating that Elenwe had woken up as well.

"Where did you go?" Link asked. "After you left Hyrule."

"I headed for Termina," Kafei answered. "Had a few misadventures along the way, tried to keep an eye on Sheik—I was immensely relieved when I learned that he had made a full recovery. I contemplated sending him a letter, but I had a feeling that would only make things worse—and perhaps I figured that it was for the best that Sheik hated me. Back then he only saw the world in black and white, and I didn't want to confuse him by adding grey with my decision to leave."

The smell of cooking bacon began to fill the air, and Link felt his stomach give a lurch of hunger. Kafei seemed to have similar thoughts.

"What happened after I arrived in Termina is a story best saved for another time, I think, for all I can think about right now is lunch—or breakfast, in your case."

Link agreed, but knew that he would be pestering the purple-haired man for more information very soon...but there was one thing that still bothered him, and he was going to get an answer right now. "What's with your hair?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Kafei replied, clearly surprised.

"Your hair is purple," Link said.

"Your observation skills are truly astounding Hero, how do you do it?" Kafei said sarcastically. "Yes, my hair is purple."

"Why?" Link said, so used to such jibes from Sheik that he hardly noticed this one. "Sheik said that all Sheikah are blonde..."

"Hence why mine is purple," Kafei said. "Dying one's hair isn't exactly unheard of... It helps to throw off pursuers and harassers. With my hood covering my ears and red eyes...well, no one knows who or what I am." He looked at Link. "And before you say it, yes, I know the hood makes me look suspicious, but it's better to look suspicious than to be regarded as a murderer from the get-go."

"Fair enough," Link said, shrugging even though he failed to see the difference between the two.

"Are you two going to be doing any more male bonding, or are you actually going to come inside and eat before the bacon burns?" Elenwe said, poking her head out of the window. "And your hair looks stupid, Kafei," she added before disappearing back inside.

Kafei grimaced. "And she wonders why I am so brutally honest with her?" He shook his head and stood up. "She has a point, though. I'm ravenous."

Link smiled. Now there was something he could agree with.

To be continued...

Sorry again for the delay (that streak didn't last long, did it?), but I've been on the move and such, and that upsets my daily routine and throws spanners into my cogs and whatnot...yeah, not good enough of an excuse, is it? Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thank you all for the kind reviews!

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