A/n: This took a while too, but it's an even longer chapter and has some interesting background stories that we enjoyed thinking of. And thank you reviewers for helping us reach the big 100
Laura Jell: I hope your contacts don't dry up through these last ten or so chapters, because I think that they're all going to be about this long, though some might not take up quite this much time. :P I love adventurness too and I'm glad you liked it!
Lalalanerd: Sorry, Amy kind of explains it here and then someone will further explain it later. But yes, we mean to leave you all partially in the dark about that. Thank you for reading.
Wolf demon 2010: That was a cool theory, but you'll find out the truth now! Glad you liked it and hope this one's just as good.
The Silverdark Knight: I hope this was quick enough and yes, we remember those good old days too. We only lived five minutes from each other and would walk to a park to discuss what would happen and how. Now it's a little harder, but we're both so determined to finish that it will always at least continue, even at a snails pace. Yes, we are proofreading, even out loud, but mess ups can still happen. I find that you need at least four pairs of fresh eyes to catch all the mistakes. Thank you for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy the read. 100th reviewer yeah!
Here it is
Chapter 36: The King's Word
The true Devoren entered the scene a moment too late, after all had escaped over the mountain to Hyrule Castletown. He now rode upon a horse with pitch black eyes and coat, and smoke curling from its flared nostrils. Fear had found a new form. The skullkid and Nit weren't far behind. The dark fairy had grown attached to the mischievous forest child as she had grown detached from Devoren.
He approached Aveil, who recognized him despite his new appearance.
"I was just about to send dragon riders after them." She hissed and sent out another signal. Devoren countered it.
"They are already near the castle… It is too late either way. We can hope that they are dismissed for their notions or else our secret will be revealed either by them or by us flying after them. Still, they will never know the full extent of my plans until it is too late, so we have no need to fear." He looked down to his horse with a humor in his tone. "So what other news do you wish to tell me?" He asked with a sneer, for he found that several other warrior women were busy cleaning and re-building.
"Those that escaped, my lord." Aveil began. "They were the ones we have been after, including our own miscreant." She said. "One of them had your form, and was mistaken for you by one of our lesser guards, but no vital information was revealed and she has been punished. These Gerudo's didn't know your new form, they only knew that you had similarities to the boy in green they had here a few weeks passed." Devoren remained silent for a moment and composed himself.
"I am beginning to think that you will be more disappointing than my former general." He replied mockingly. Aveil didn't flinch.
"Nay, sir. I am still alive."
"That has yet to sway my position." Devoren brushed past her. It appeared that this remark had shaken her. A scowl washed across her face and she began barking orders.
They flew high above the castle, hidden by the clouds, and landed above the Great Fairy's Fountain in the far corner of the courtyard. There, Amy became her old self again, wings disappearing and eyes becoming a slightly less piercing red color. In addition, strange, glowing red markings disappeared from around her wrist. Naomi, Arian, Damien, and Aura dismounted Ignus, leaving the strange desert man on the dragon's back.
"So this is a new development." Damien started, noting Amy's change. She blushed.
"Yes… I-I'm still not sure what to think of it myself." She shrugged. "It happened on my island, when I returned the jewel to the sacred mountain."
"It makes sense." Damien said. He reined Ignus and began walking him towards the castle. Everyone stared at him with a little surprise.
"It makes sense?" Naomi questioned. "Sprouting wings after returning a stone; granted it was magical, but how does it make sense?"
"I guess I wasn't clear when I said that I had been there the first time. I was just a soldier at the time, but I remember that the true Draconians had more dragon-like features… I guess that's why I didn't catch on to Amy's heritage from the start, granted I was a little suspicious, what with the red eyes and all." He explained, but stopped to placate one of the castle guards who became a fearful at the sight of Ignus.
"He's my dragon, don't worry." Amy explained. The guard uneasily let them through as he remembered every member of this group, save for the dragon and the unconscious man.
"Either way, now the enemy knows we have a true-blooded Draconian, and it's apparent that he's already starting to invade." Damien added. Naomi nodded grimly.
"Oh thank goodness you all are alright!" Zelda's high-pitched voice broke through the group's reverie. "I was so worried!" She walked up to them briskly. Link couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"Zelda, you never seemed that worried about me whenever I went off on one of your 'favors'." He said wryly from beside Damien. Navi piped up.
"Yeah! And usually those favors turned out to be long, drawn out, life-threatening missions which involved slaying some great beast or defeating an evil boss, which almost always involved me having to drag Link's half-dead body out of-" Link held up his hand to stop Navi, his eye twitching. Amy snickered silently along with Aura. Zelda seemed unfazed by their words and continued.
"Yes, yes, but I knew what I was getting you into at those times. However, I didn't know how the entire group would fare; you all left without saying goodbye!" She looked at the group and took in their state. "I guess you all were successful th- oh!" Ignus startled her. Her shaking hand rested on her bosom.
"Oh, yeah, about that… this is Ignus… Amy's dragon." Link stuttered awkwardly. "He's the one we were trying to rescue." Zelda nodded mutely, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Ignus seemed irritated at everyone's horrified reaction to him, and Amy stroked his side comfortingly.
"Please don't be afraid of him. He's my companion and my friend… He's like… how Epona is to Link." She defended the gentle beast. Naomi stepped up beside Amy and placed a hand under Ignus' chin and rubbed him lovingly, causing him to purr.
"Amy is right, and Ignus has really proven to be quite a hero." The pirate girl spoke confidently and reassuringly to Amy.
Zelda nodded and let out a tired sigh. "Alright. I'm sorry, I was just startled. I…" She stopped for a moment and peered at Ignus with narrowed eyes. "Who is that worn-looking old man on his back?" There was a long silence, and nobody spoke. Just as it was beginning to get unbearably awkward, Damien looked over and elbowed Arian. The boy had been asleep on his feet.
"Wh-What now?" He replied, startled. The poor boy-turned-beast hadn't had a decent night's sleep due to either dramatic occurrences such as Amy's return, or hiding from Aura. Damien reiterated Zelda's query. Arian yawned sleepily and finally replied.
"Oh, he is um… well… I found him. I don't really know who he is, but he looked exhausted so I decided to come to his aid." He scratched his head for a moment. "I figured he would have died out there in the desert if I hadn't helped him."
"He surely would have." Naomi agreed, examining her new patient. "He is probably dehydrated, which might be why he passed out. That or the heat."
"He wasn't a prisoner of the Gerudos?" Zelda inquired. Arian shook his head.
"No, Ignus was, and it sounds like we got him out right in the nick of time." Aura answered. "They were going to 'change' him that evening." She informed Amy, which prompted her to hug his scaly but warm neck.
"Come in. Tell me what you saw in Gerudo Valley." Zelda ordered, realizing that such important information would be better discussed over tea.
"Okay, just one second." Amy said and ran to a place where she could reach the moat waters. She dunked her hair in and began scrubbing. The red coloring came out quickly and left with the moat's current. Naomi agreed that now would also be a good time to do the same, but Aura stopped her.
"Hang on, Naomi, could you take these accursed things down, they're giving me a headache!" Naomi laughed and untied two knots which released her hair so that she could unbraid it. All quickly did as Amy had and then rejoined the group with dripping hair. The process was faster than the awkward silence that exhumed as Zelda stared at them.
"Okay, let's go inside." Naomi started them and walked Ignus across the drawbridge. The rest followed.
Naomi and Arian were excused from the discussion to tend to the strange man. Aura had sighed when they left, as the group would be without one of the original three rooms, giving one to their sickly newcomer.
Once more, water was boiling and Naomi was tending to a bed-ridden person. This time, however, she used the left over red potion from the hair dye. She poured some of the potion into a small cup and delicately lifted the man's head.
"This will at least wake him long enough to get some water to drink and tell us what happened." Naomi told Arian who stood over her shoulder.
"Do you need any of the boiling water?" He asked her. She shrugged.
"Honestly, it sort of just helps me think…" Naomi admitted with a blush. He grinned stupidly and shook his head.
"You amaze me." His attention returned to the third person once he realized the old man was waking. However, it appeared a very slow and painful process. This strange man's skin was dark and rough from years in the sun. Some curly black hair still remained atop his head and across his chin, but most had grown into a rich gray. Unlike the other old man, this one was tall, and still had some muscle that he must have gained in an active or adventurous youth.
He moved and groaned, his voice raspy. Naomi fetched a cup of water and had it ready when he opened his eyes and sat up.
"Here," She said, though this man's attention never fell upon her. Instead, it remained on Arian. "Drink this water before speaking. We don't want you to pass out again." She ordered, thrusting the cup into his hands. This is when he glanced to her, and thanked Naomi for her hospitality: an act that pleased her greatly.
He drank the entire cup and then let himself cough before saying, "I am Leon."
"I'm Naomi, and this is—." Leon cut her off.
"Young Arian." He said as though he were a relative. Arian arched a brow.
"How do you know my name?" He questioned. A suspicious stare fell across his features.
"Not through you, but I knew your mother and father. Lorella was a good, kind person, as I assume you are now, and your father… well, he was troubled, but he and your mother loved each other. However, that is not what I am here to tell you…" He cleared his throat again. Naomi poured him more water to drink. He thanked her again before continuing. "I first met you when I gave you some of your many scars, and it seems that you have accumulated many more since then." He noted the now healed arm that Arian had gashed the first night in Termina.
"What? I don't remember you. When?" Arian sat down on a stool, for he could see that this man didn't mean him any harm, despite the fact he had apparently already inflicted some.
"On the back of your neck, under your hair." He answered mysteriously after another cough. He grinned and then looked back down to a refilled cup of water. Naomi set down the jar and walked to Arian's back. While he felt the back of his neck she held up his hair that draped down and was able to see three scars, all the same size. They were evenly spaced, aligned in a curve that hid just below his hairline and under his longer, black locks. Naomi touched one of them in wonder.
"They are from claws…" She said. Arian suddenly remembered. It had been many nights and many battles since then.
"No, you can't be!" He said, jumping up and backing away.
"I was but am no longer." Leon answered. "I gave you those scars for a specific reason. One that I was never allowed to explain as you scrambled away from me so quickly, and you were always amidst a battle or being followed by that bounty hunter."
"Bounty hunter!" Naomi exclaimed, looking to Arian with a worried stare that seemed to chastise him. He grabbed Naomi's hand and smiled, his stare signifying that now was not the time, and he looked back to Leon.
"Then that means that you were the beast that changed me…" He said, which completely took Naomi's mind off the bounty hunter as all had suspected. She remained silent but at Arian's side. Leon could tell that Naomi understood this part of the conversation. He grinned.
"I passed it on, as another had passed it on to me." The answer cut all tension as the two understood where this was going. "When I grew too old to carry it well, as I can feel my time coming to an end, I had to find someone who could carry the spell on and keep it safe. I remember the night very well, I was following the moon until I saw a form standing amidst it. It was you, as you walked into the mines that night. I suppose you just thought it a silly punishment, but I can tell you it was fate." Arian recalled and Naomi leaned closer to him. These revelations of his past tugged at her heart and made her very curious, which Arian knew that he would have to reckon with later. He placed his arm on her back to console her anxious motion. She left his side when there was a knocking at the door.
"Don't worry. I had some bread sent up." She said and took the loaf and honey from the servant. "I thought you might be hungry." She set it next to him and once more filled his cup. He smiled warmly at her accommodating kindness.
"Thank you, but I can eat after I am finished." He set his glass next to the plate. "I feel much better already." Naomi looked to Arian.
"Do you want me to leave?" She asked softly. He was surprised, knowing how much Naomi would want to stay and listen, but she had set her own nosiness aside. He shook his head.
"Actually, it's comforting to have you here." Naomi sat down on a stool at the foot of the bed after smiling at the answer. Leon let a light-hearted laugh brighten his hard features.
"Did you two know each other before?" He asked, referring to pre-beast times as being the "before." Naomi shook her head but allowed Arian to answer.
"No, uhh… we met here in Hyrule, about two weeks after… well, you and I met." He told Leon.
"And she knows?" He asked with arched brows. Arian nodded.
"Yeah, she figured it out."
Leon smiled again in the silence.
"People like her are hard to find. You are one of the few lucky ones, like my mother was." He added and gave them a minute for their surprise to set in. "Yes, my mother found a good man to marry despite the spell, and then she passed it down to me. She said it had been a hard decision between myself and my younger sister, but I had proven more courageous and she more free-spirited." He smiled to himself in loving memory then went on to relate himself to Arian.
"I have the three scars on my neck as well. You see, this type of spell can only be passed to someone else with this proper method and if it is freely and intentionally given." He pointed to his neck. "I was able to accept it a little more graciously than you were, but then again, I was raised in a time where such spells and creatures were less feared and better known, and I knew my mother loved me." He smiled. "I am truly sorry for the scare, but I am not good with words, and I had to hurry, because I knew you wouldn't be alone for long, nor was I going to be around for much longer…" He looked down thoughtfully.
"I lived with my sister, in the mountains. We were hiding from the slave trade, hoping to wait it out. I protected us, and she took care of the cooking, thank Hyrule." He laughed, remembering his sister's wonderful food. "She passed away a little less than a month ago, and now I can feel myself fading away. This stone has told me so." He drew out a stone that hung on a chain around his neck. "This, I would have given you too if you hadn't fought me so, but I suppose I understand. I often forgot my beastly appearance." He handed it to Arian. "I don't suppose you noticed a little trouble in controlling your new found abilities?" He asked. Arian's eyes grew wide as he took the stone. It was gray, as if storm clouds were billowing inside of it, but as Arian took it, it grew dark as night.
"Ah, yes…" The old man said and leaned back, trying to sit up. Naomi got another pillow and set it behind him so that he could sit more comfortably. "It has returned to its original color." He said with a laugh after thanking Naomi again. "Without the moon's star, your powers were controlled solely by the moon itself. You grew weaker when it was crescent, stronger when it was full, and completely normal when the sun was up, but now you ought to have complete control over it." Arian placed it over his head and let it settle against his skin in the open space that the cut of his tunic's neck allowed.
"Go on, try it out. You do know how to change, don't you boy?" Leon instigated. Arian looked to Naomi who got up and ran to bolt the door. She then smiled at him encouragingly.
Arian closed his eyes. His brow creased as he concentrated, and the transformation took place. Leon and Naomi watched calmly while Arian became the beast in broad daylight, quickly changing form. He looked to his claws and closed his fist, feeling a new strength he had yet to feel.
"I'm wondering if I am meant to reveal the other part of the legend…" Leon said to himself as Arian shook away this beastly appearance and became his normal self again. Naomi ran to his side and let herself laugh lightly before Leon's words struck them.
"Why do you wonder?" Naomi asked.
"I fear it has already begun. It is my luck that it should happen just after my own time, I would have liked to have a share in it, but I suppose I have already had my share of adventures." He grinned to them. "The legend that I wonder about explains the reason that this must be passed down." Naomi nodded.
"We do know the legend of the great evil being that was locked away by the ancients. The four were blessed with the ability to entrap him, and the key bearer would lock him away. Arian is one of the four." She answered, looking to Arian with pride. Leon nodded and fought to keep his eyes open.
"Yes… so it has begun… then after you, there will be no need. New precautions will be arranged by good, I suppose. Hopefully, time will tell. You, Arian, have the strength and the speed they will need." He mumbled more under his breath. Naomi and Arian stood nearer him and Leon took Naomi's worrying hand. "Take care of this one… she's quite a treasure…" He said quietly. "I'm afraid to say, that it is now my time to go to…" His head drooped down and Arian became tense.
"Leon!" He started when a snort re-awoke Leon so that he could finish his sentence.
"…sleep…" He then drooped his head again and his snoring resumed. Arian looked up to Naomi who was grinning. He laughed at himself and shrugged.
"Come on." She whispered. "We'll let him sleep. He has bread and honey to eat when he wakes up." The two walked to the door and Naomi let Arian out so that she might close the door as quietly as possible. She didn't notice that Arian had left her side to walk to the window, and was surprised to find herself standing by the door alone.
"Arian?" She asked and walked to him, noticing the now somber disposition he had gained. "He'll be alright, and then you two can get to know each other. He can tell us more about your mother and father." She laughed, but Arian merely turned to her and smiled weakly, for it was a nice thought for him as well, but his mind was troubled.
"It's not that…" He finally said and resumed looking out the window, leaning against its sill. She too became stern. "I just…" He tried again. Naomi nodded after he fell silent and placed a hand over his, she looked out the window as well.
"Is it something about your past?" She tried to help him, glancing over in time to see him nod. "It was hard wasn't it?" Again he nodded. "Then it is good that it is over… You are here now, and surrounded by friends, you have nothing to fear." She said and gripped his hand, he clasped hers in return.
"Unfortunately I am not…" He muttered. Naomi's mouth dropped and she was rendered speechless, forcing Arian to explain as he couldn't bear the look on her face. "I wasn't completely honest with you at the beginning. Being this beast wasn't the only reason I was hiding—I didn't want someone in particular to see me like that…" Naomi's look became suspicious and she looked away from him, out the window again to avert it. "Link and Damien have known since that first night in Clocktown…" He gave himself some support.
"And I know your secret, which leaves Amy or Aura… and I will presume the latter." Naomi answered, both her hands now rested on the window sill and Arian pulled his own to his side.
"Yes… the bounty hunter I was running from… was Aura. I hid because I was scared she would regain her memory if she saw the beast…" He answered as though in pain. "I was one of her father's slaves and began wreaking havoc when I became this beast…" Arian watched Naomi while she stared into the distance. Her expression was stern and more serious than he had ever seen her. "I had cost her father more money than I was worth, so the order was to… to…" He didn't want to tell Naomi anymore, but luckily he didn't have to. As he had looked to the ground, faltering his words, she had wiped a tear from her eye and turned to embrace him. Arian had raised his head just in time for it to rest on Naomi's shoulder.
"Don't worry…" She whispered in his ear. "I will take care of everything." They still held each other as she moved to face him. "Aura is our friend now… she knows you now… but we will try our best to ease her into the idea. I will keep it a secret until the time is right, but she has to know and will eventually find out either way." Arian laughed which hid the fact that his own eyes had been tearing.
"I know, I don't know what I was thinking." He shrugged. Naomi smiled sympathetically and shook her head.
"I don't either, but now we'll take action. She has to find out that you're the beast and if her memory comes back then I will calm her. I have faith in her kindness and have faith that it was only due to the situation that she actually went after you. After all, she probably thought you were some sort of thieving, conniving, villain of some sort, but now she knows that you are a kind human being who—."
"Is completely in love with her new friend." Arian finished for her. Naomi blushed while her brow creased. It took her a moment to compose herself.
"I'm glad to see you've recovered." She answered and then became serious again. "I love you too…" Another moment of silence passed between them and Naomi looked away. "We'll be okay." He wondered if she were trying to convince herself, so he kissed her for reassurance.
Zelda was somber after hearing all of the their story, although she had perked up quite a bit as Link had recounted how Amy could become a dragon creature and when Damien informed her of the Draconian and Nynian races. A silence passed as Arian and Naomi entered. Zelda stood to welcome them and then had the servants bring out more tea and delicacies for them to have.
"The old man is from Minirith, as we had suspected." Naomi started, giving them an update on their newcomer. "His name is Leon and he merely had exhaustion and dehydration. He's asleep now so he'll be fine later." Naomi smiled and then looked to Arian, urging him to speak his own news. Damien watched this exchange and suspected more to the story.
"Did you find out why he was in that part of the desert?" He asked a question directed towards Arian. The boy nodded a reply before continuing.
"He knew my mother and father." He started, to try and make things casual. "I hadn't met him before though. He had moved to the mountains with his sister when the slave trade had started." Zelda was startled to hear that a slave trade had started in Minirith, but she remained silent. Aura's brow creased, as she had never heard Arian talk about himself so casually.
"So you were a slave?" She asked, rather surprised.
"My mother and I were enslaved, yes…" He answered, realizing that he actually wasn't talking to a slave trader or bounty hunter, but a concerned friend. Aura did in fact react as a friend would, her mouth becoming a pitying frown. "I worked in the mines until, well, I met Leon, but I didn't know it was him at the time. He was in the form of this monster, a wolf-like monster." He said for the benefit of those who knew his story. Amy and Aura were captivated.
"Like that one you described in Clocktown, Naomi." Aura said with awe. "Do you think he's been following us this whole time?" She queried. Naomi cocked her head and looked back to Arian. He smiled.
"Actually… that beast was me…" Arian said nervously. Damien and Link immediately looked to Aura while she and Amy were gaping at Arian. "Leon met me to pass on a particular spell, and it turns out that becoming a wolf-like beast is a result of that spell." He shrugged his shoulders. "I became that beast every night, which is why I'd run away or hide… I just didn't want you guys to see me like that. I thought it was some weird curse from some evil kind of magic or something." He explained.
"But Leon gave me this. He said it was the moon's star." He showed them the jewel that now hung around his neck. "This helps me control it, so I can become a beast whenever I want, and I can finally get a good night's rest, you know, without worrying about someone seeing me."
"Wait, did Link and Damien know?" Amy asked, her face was wrinkled and she looked to them with her old accusational stare, Link held back a smile.
"Yes, actually, but we could understand why he didn't want you three ladies to know." Damien answered for him, making Aura stare at him with her old blank stare. Link and Damien found this stare amusing as well, but this time Link let himself smile.
"Now, however, we know that it is part of the ancient spell." Naomi said, Amy now directed her accusational stare to her.
"You knew too?" She asked angrily. Naomi nodded with a blush.
"I found out when I was captured by the pirates and Arian saved me." She answered, smiling at him.
"You were captured by pirates?!" Amy exclaimed. Aura nodded her head.
"Okay, that I knew." She sighed, feeling slightly better.
"I'm always the last to know everything!" Amy rolled her eyes but no one paid her much attention. Aura was staring at Arian again.
"So, you are a wolf-type beast?" She asked slowly and awkwardly. He nodded, feeling a little anxious as did everyone in the room save for Amy and Zelda. "I-I think I was after a beast like that… or it was after me?" She looked away from him and closed her eyes, trying to remember. "So I must have come from Minirith too!" Her gaze returned to Arian. "Did you know me?" She questioned hopefully.
"I don't think we formally met, so it is probable that you were either a slave owner, or the daughter of one." He answered vaguely. Aura wrinkled her nose.
"Owners of people like you?" She queried and went into thought after Arian nodded. "That's really strange. I know of owning a dog or a cat, but a human?"
"I think the slave owners tried to forget that we were human… and they did a good job." He responded, looking to Naomi, grateful that she was right about her friend.
"Well everything makes sense now, Arian. I thought you were just really weird." Amy piped up.
"And you're not weird?" Damien asked Amy. Aura looked to him.
"Shut up, Damien." She defended her friend. Damien rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"It was a good point." Link told Damien in a quiet voice, but all could hear it and most laughed, though Amy tried to force her smile into a frown. Navi circled Amy which resulted in her failure; she snorted in laughter. Zelda smiled lightly at this wonderful array of friendship, but her mind was now troubled.
"I hate to bring us back to a horrible topic, but I will once more try to speak with my father about the oncoming war, however I have a feeling that this time I will be more successful." She looked to Ignus who was lying in a corner. He too gazed at the princess and then to Amy. Ignus' stare conveyed his thoughts and Amy caught on to the princess' possible ploy.
"If you are going to meet the king, you ought to be dressed formally, not in Gerudo attire, if that is alright." She said, trying to word it so as not to be offensive. All seemed to be alright with this. "I have some dress robes for you. I can send them to your rooms, so if you will change and then meet me in the front foyer."
"Good, I like this plan." Aura said, imitating Damien's prior statements as she was glad to get out of the Gerudo attire.
"Nevermind." Was her later statement as she looked at the flowing skirt that danced around her legs. "I actually think this might be worse." Amy nodded while she looked at her floral pattern embroidered in black thread on the red velvet. Naomi had instead donned one of Ruto's dresses that the Zoras had given her, as she found they suited her better. The three ladies walked outside and looked to see that the boy's door was still closed. Naomi knocked to check if they were there.
"Hello?" She called.
"They're almost done." Link called back.
"Why didn't you have to change?" Damien growled at the green hero and it sounded as though he were struggling with something.
"Navi keeps my tunic pretty clean with fairy magic,"
"That's right!" Navi exclaimed, proud of her work.
"I could keep him clean too you know." Tatl said as well.
"And I'm expected to be clad in green, just ask around." He responded. Naomi turned to Aura and Amy to confirm that Link was in fact known as the hero clad in green.
"That was the only description I got of him when I was looking for Ruto's fiancée, speaking of which, we still need to visit them, Link, and clear up a few things!" She yelled through the door.
"Right!" He yelled and opened the door. "Maybe after we finish up the whole war thing, though." Arian and Damien now had intricately designed tunics, Arian in silver with leaves and Damien in gold with embroidered suns. Damien's collar must have been what was causing him the most trouble. Aura walked over and pulled on the lace with a laugh.
"Well, don't you look proper?" She asked mockingly, forgetting her own wardrobe.
"That makes all of us, except Mr. Hero here." Damien replied. Link smiled, as this wasn't the first time someone had called him by that title and he knew that it wouldn't be the last.
"We should go meet Zelda and get this over with." Naomi said before anyone could make anymore comments. She too found that while the attire was very beautiful and very becoming of all, it wasn't very characteristic.
Zelda was waiting patiently at the designated meeting place. She smiled lightly as the newcomers entered; glad to see them all so proper. Ignus was at her side. His nostril flared and smoke curled up towards the ceiling when he saw Amy in her deep red gown, she took this as a sign of approval but also surprise.
"Yes, Ignus… thought you'd never see me in a dress again, did you?" She laughed while he pushed his nose into her hand. Zelda's smile deepened.
"Come now, the king ought to be nearing the end of his afternoon meeting, if we catch him in the break, then he may not be as cross." She said and began marching down the hall. Ignus trotted to her side and the others followed suit. As they neared the great doors of the throne room, a most unwanted voice interrupted them.
"Princess, what exactly are you doing here with your guests… and that… thing?" Lord Kremel stalked up to them, his face a mask of severity. Zelda's patience had worn thin, however.
"Lord Kremel, I must be frank. We need to see my father, and it is an issue of life or death!" her voice held a note of desperation. Lord Kremel, however, seemed more annoyed than impressed at her display of gravity.
"My dear princess, how often must I remind you that while the king is concerned with your quandaries, he cannot be troubled by matters that pale in comparison to with his own royal affairs?" Zelda's eyes closed while she prepared herself for a response. Her posture seemed straighter and her face a stoic statue.
"I'm afraid to inform you Lord Kremel that if you do not step out of my path then you will pale in comparison to your usual complexion." She answered sternly and forcefully. Ignus let out a flick of fire behind her. The princess had never used force or threats. Her pleas had always been delicate and kindly, but this was a new approach that did indeed turn the lord a shade paler than usual. He was speechless for once. "Now step out of our way." Zelda issued the command, and with a little help from Ignus, the rounded lord obeyed.
The doors to the throne room swung open, gathering the attention of all in the room. Zelda marched forward, Ignus towering behind her and all others behind him. The princess had done right to request their change of suit, for their appearance now seemed royal in a sense, and Link had done right to remain in his heroic attire. The sight was noble and powerful, one that couldn't easily be ignored or put off.
The throne room was large, a red carpet leading up to the great throne and the three chairs sitting around it for the remainder of the king's family. Great colored windows allowed rainbows to stripe the floor. It was beautiful and noble, but the king did not sit in his mighty throne. Instead he sat at a court table with several other gentlemen.
Zelda's father wore a crown atop his whitened head. Though old, the hair atop his head was still thick and smooth. He had a white beard on a strong jaw and large, but groomed eyebrows hovering over piercing blue eyes. The king was tall and still appeared strong in his old age, though his expression was wearied from all of his business. He had been working on several papers, but had stopped to see the group enter. The other men ran out of the room upon seeing the dragon, but the king stood his ground, rising from his seat in wonder at seeing his daughter with such a beast.
"Zelda?"
"Your majesty, since you are no longer busy I think that you ought to meet with those behind me, for they bring urgent news to you." Zelda said formally. Link stepped up to her side. He felt calmer about seeing the king, for he could easily see the source of many of Zelda's features, but none of his own, or none that immediately came to mind. He once more convinced himself that his royal appointment and association had given him the power to withdraw the sword, or maybe he could with power granted by his contact with the triforce and the sacred realm.
The king remained silent for a moment, studying Zelda and her comrades and watching her stand beside the green hero. Zelda looked to the ground momentarily, a fleeting sorrow passed over her, but she took the king's stunned silence as approval.
"Amy, you may speak." She told the girl who was shocked and nervous, but she came forward nevertheless. Amy wondered what her mother or Ms. Cassidy would think to see her in such a noble affair. She cleared her throat and folded her hands together in front of her.
"Your majesty." She very shallowly curtsied with a deep bow of the head, to keep herself from stumbling forward, after addressing him with the same formality as the princess. "I come from Draconia, which was once a very successful province, but it has been destroyed. I, and Ignus, my dragon, are all that remain… or at least that I know of." She began, which certainly caught the king's attention. Amy looked to Naomi who nodded her head in approval, urging her to continue. "My home was destroyed when an army was created with many of our own dragons that had been changed with some kind of evil magic." Amy didn't quite know how to continue from there, so Damien picked up for her.
"The source of that evil magic is now a threat to your kingdom." Amy was rather relieved that Damien had taken the strain from her. "This source has brought his army into Hyrule and is waiting in the desert to attack when you least expect it."
"Truly?" was all the king could respond, for he wondered why his guard had not notified him of this.
"It is true your majesty." Naomi said and bowed much lower and more gracefully than Amy had.
"And… who are you?" He asked not to be impolite but because he had not seen her before. Naomi was not insulted by his question.
"My name is Naomi, and I am the last of my race. According to this, and several other reliable sources, we were called the Nynians. Our kingdom was within the waters, long before the Zora's came to be." Naomi pulled out the documents that she and Arian had found once more. She grinned lightly before fighting it back, amused at how an old land treaty had proved so useful. The king took the document and glanced over it, finding the said names. He looked back to Naomi, expecting her to continue.
"These are my friends, and associates. Damien, a royal guard from Ikana, Amy, a citizen of Draconia, Arian who hails from Minirith, Aura from a currently unremembered region, and Link, the hero of Hyrule and Termina." She introduced them all very formally.
"Link…" The king uttered, his brow creased and he glanced slowly back to the paper. There was a silence, one that took Damien's patience.
"Forgive me your majesty, but we have need of haste. This evil I spoke of, Devoren as Link has discovered, is one of ancient times. This being came from the beginning of time and cannot be destroyed but is itself a destroyer of all things." Damien said angrily. "Right now the ancient spell still keeps him in a weak state but if he claims the Black Sword then only the source of good can save us."
"The source of good and evil?..." He trailed off. "This all seems rather cosmic… an evil of immeasurable proportions is at my doorstep and I have only just been informed of it?"
"Well, you must believe it." Damien said harshly. He held up his hand. Now that his gauntlets had been removed, one could see an icon, like that on his armor, marked his left hand. "You do recognize this seal, do you not?" He asked pertinently. While his comrades had all seen it, none had actually examined it. In black ink there was a triforce marked with four stars; a sun behind it all. The king nodded.
"We apologize, your majesty." Zelda started, the king passed her a curious stare. "We would have approached you sooner, but your schedule had been filled up. We were forced to wait until the very last second." To this, the king sighed. He looked to the parchment again and then back to his guests, resolve in his eyes.
"Damien, is it?" He waited until the guard responded with a wary nod. "I want you and… Arian to work on the defense of our castle. You, Damien, know the dark armies better than anyone else here. I will give you the authority to disclose this information to all of our guards and militia, and I also give you the authority to help recruit." He nodded to the two startled men. Then he turned to the three girls.
"Now, I want you three to send word to all those Hylians living outside the castle walls, including those in Kakariko, tell them to travel here by tomorrow evening. I give you the authority to help close the market down until further notice. I will organize an escape plan if the Castletown is breeched." The girls nodded with wide eyes. "Now, to both of you groups, I will give you each a parchment bearing the King's seal, so that all will know that you come bearing news of the highest authority and importance."
The whole group, including Ignus bowed. Amy stumbled over her two feet, having bowed too deeply, and Naomi caught her arm before she collapsed on the ground. Link and some of the others snickered, and to everyone's surprise, they heard the king let out a deep chuckle before handing the letters to Zelda with a bow of the head. She, in turn, handed one to Damien and the other to Amy. With parchment now in the assigned hands, and all still feeling rather shell-shocked, the group turned around. Zelda was about to lead them out of the room, but the king spoke up once again.
"Link, Zelda, I want you two to stay back. I have something to show the both of you."
The eyes of the hero's friends looked back to him, seeing his shocked expression. Link glanced towards them, slightly longing to have one of their tasks. The returned reactions: Damien's sarcastic stare, Naomi's absently gapped mouth, Arian's confused expression, and Aura's awed surprise were to be expected of each, but Amy smiled sympathetically. She could tell he was worried and had curled her lips up into as comforting a smile she could make. Link's own expression must have altered when he gazed upon her, since she blushed and nodded him on before leaving with the others.
Link closed his gaping mouth and swallowed. He turned to face the king, looking to his feet when he met his gaze.
"Come with me." He told them both and turned towards the thrones. Zelda was rather intrigued as she hadn't been inside the throne room since she was a very young child. The king had gone to the curtain behind the great throne and tapped three times on the wall. A secret door opened behind his great throne and he walked inside, signaling Link and Zelda to follow. The two glanced hesitantly to each other for support but then entered the dark hallway.
"I'm sorry I've been so distant, Zelda." The king apologized as they walked. It was a long stone stairwell and the only light came from a torch that the king had taken from its station near the entrance. "I've been obsessed with trying to keep the peace ever since the Great War… and I'm afraid I let Lord Kremel feed that obsession."
"It is understandable, your majesty." Zelda said uncomfortably. Link noticed her discomfort and placed a hand on her shoulder, though he too felt rather nervous about their current state.
"You do not have to address me so formally, Zelda. And neither do you, Link, if you are going to address me at all." The king reacted to her passive comment and his silent demeanor. Link was surprised at the realization that he truly hadn't said anything to king, but merely been a statue throughout the whole of the prior address.
The stairs ended and the group found themselves in a circular room, the very top of the highest tower within the castle. Light flooded in from the window facing the late afternoon sun. This beam was directed towards some item covered by a large canvas cloth. The king approached it hesitantly after he saw that both Zelda and Link's attention were directed towards it.
The drape was discarded and behind it was mounted a portrait. It had painted the king standing tall, and the queen sitting royally, each holding an infant child. Zelda and Link stared at it in awe, both wondering and anxiously guessing at why the king revealed this.
"Zelda was only a baby at the time of the Great War. It was the first time that anyone or anything had ever breached the castle defense. I remember the night like it was yesterday." He started. All were staring at the portrait and the king slowly continued.
"I was in my study, speaking to the captains about our next defensive strategy. Impa was in the nursery, singing Zelda to sleep. You slept so peacefully my daughter. Our son, on the other hand, did not sleep so peacefully. He had a restless spirit, and a particularly strong attachment to his mother. She was amid walking with him in the courtyard. Even though it was already night, his eyes were wide awake and observing everything, including the distant and flickering light from the burning fields. I passed by them on my way to the meeting… I didn't know that it was the last time I would see either of them."
"Our enemy quickly penetrated the walls, spilling into Castletown. They were at the gates before the horns could even sound. My queen and my son were both in immediate danger, so she must have fled to the stables and taken to horseback. It was wise of her to flee the city… as I assume that was what she did. Impa took Zelda to safety in her old village, returning after we were able to regain control with the help of Ganondorf." The king said, going into a military briefing to momentarily relieve himself of the emotional stress. Link's heart was pounding but skipped a beat at the mention of his enemy's name. The king went silent. He looked directly to his queen's image with a courageous strength in his eyes that kept him from tearing.
"So, Impa returned with the princess, but Cecilia, your mother, was never found…" His voice had grown quieter and every muscle in his body had tensed.
It was evident that Zelda had never heard this story, nor had she seen the portrait. Her mind wrapped around what her father was trying to say before the king could choke out the words. Link once more swallowed dryly and looked to the princess. Tears streamed down her face and she too looked to him with a smile that was much like the first day they had met. Over seven years ago Link had come from Kokiri forest after discovering he was a Hylian. He had come to help her save Hyrule and she had said something very peculiar, "…Link? That's odd, it sounds familiar." What Link had dismissed as part of the princess' prophetic mind had actually been a long lost memory.
Zelda threw her arms around him and laughed with joy. The king kept his stature and Link was numbed, staring at the portrait. He truly could see parts of himself in this woman as he could see Zelda in the king.
"Link… I knew it was you when I saw the two of you together… You stand as brother and sister… and…" He laughed. "You have my unfortunate nose…" The king said with a humorous remorse. Link touched his pointed nose and then placed his hand back at his side. Navi resumed speaking, feeling the need for something in particular to be said. In this important case, Navi was polite and eloquent.
"Your majesty, Queen Cecilia, made it to the forest of the Great Deku Tree. We tried to help her, but she was injured beyond our magic. So the Deku Tree took Link and raised him as a Kokiri. Since none of the other children could leave the forest, and Link was still too young, he remained in the lost woods."
"The lost woods?" The king was surprised. "My men never came out of there… I can't believe that she made it all the way to the forest children."
Link couldn't believe all that he was hearing. He had never thought of the notion of having parents, being raised in a society of children and talking flora. After never having a mother, father, or sister he now had it all and wasn't quite sure what that meant.
A/n: You know the drill. Thank you for reading. :)