Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.


Soul Secrets

Chapter 50


Akia Rinir took a deep breath and held it for several seconds, waiting until her lungs began to hurt before releasing it with a loud sigh. The railing of the balcony was cold on her ungloved hands, but that was good. She needed something to anchor her to the world...such as it was. If she didn't, she was liable to float away on her thoughts, disappearing. Given everything she'd learned so far this evening, it was very appealing.

Six months earlier, she'd been pretty satisfied with life in general. Sure, the darker days and ash rains weren't the greatest things ever, but peace had reigned and her career was showing promising signs of going upwards. She hadn't yet gathered the courage to visit Kakariko and introduce herself to the man she believed to be her younger brother, but she would do so soon enough. The Goddesses were protecting them, and all was, despite some minor hiccups, well.

But now...now, according to what could only be described as Link's extended family, and by another extension, her own, things weren't so well after all. The Goddesses were long dead, killed in a divine war waged over a thousand years ago, and against their own brother at that. A brother who was unknown to liturgy and everyone but that same extended family and, apparently, Sheik's cousin and Sheik's cousin's lover.

She could deal with this information. It was a lot to take in, true, but she could handle it. It was all about taking it in stride, not getting bogged down with the details. It was about ignoring the spiritual crisis that followed being told that the gods you'd worshipped for your whole life were dead all along and hadn't been listening to your prayers at all. That wasn't as easy as accepting the whole new side to the story, with a brother god who went insane and tried to destroy the world, but she'd persevere. Between the problems with Garrett and the Sun, it was best to leave such things until after the conflict was over. Someone would have to deal with the undead villagers as well...yet another issue for another day.

What weren't so easy to gloss over and leave for later, however, were two very unsettling issues. One was a more personal issue than anything, but something very important to her nevertheless: Her brother. Or, more specifically, her brother's continued enslavement to his role as the Hero of Time. Link had told her that, after the war with Ganondorf was over, he was offered a choice. He could leave things as they were, with Hyrule needing to be rebuilt after a long, gruelling war, or he could turn back time, going back to the period before the war, giving Link a chance to stop everything before it came to pass. The latter choice would be at the cost of every friendship he'd built since becoming the Hero—no one would remember him due to everything going back to the way it was.

Her brother had chosen the former. He hadn't wanted to lose any more friends, even if it was a result of an arguably good event. He'd confessed that his choice had been motivated by purely selfish reasons, the biggest being that it meant he'd have to leave Sheik behind and, presumably, never form the relationship that had eventually turned into their marriage.

If the truth about that ever reached the general population of Hyrule, he would be condemned as a selfish bastard whose only thoughts were about himself. Akia, on the other hand, praised the action. Given everything Link had been through, he deserved to be selfish for once, even if it meant that many men and women would never again see the light of day. It was a complicated matter, for sure, but that was how she chose to view things. Now, however, it turned out that he might be forced to turn back time after all, rendering everything that had happened since the day he first drew the Master Sword from its pedestal...pointless.

She hadn't expected to feel like this about the man she had only recently confirmed to be her brother, but there it was. She found herself wishing the Goddesses had chosen someone else, so that Link could have lived a normal life, as a free man and not a slave to a prophecy proclaimed by three long-dead hags.

Sheik had accepted Link's conviction that using his ability would not become necessary, and even after what the princess had told them in her study, the Hero of Time remained convinced that it wouldn't come to that... Akia wasn't so sure.

Which led her to the second issue that was bothering her greatly. The Stargazers' Guild had been diligent in performing their task assigned to them by Princess Zelda, and the report they had given her had been...confusing and upsetting. There were many mathematical equations and diagrams, difficult concepts being discussed, rambling tangents that left Akia, Nikal, and Link staring at her with blank gazes. The princess admitted she'd understood little herself, but after discussing it further with the head of the guild, they'd arrived at this:

Several stars in the night sky had disappeared, only to reappear some time later—followed by several adjacent stars disappearing and reappearing in a similar manner.

The guild members had found this very exciting and fascinating, and many hypotheses had been proposed. Many were alarming. The most benign of them was the suggestion that the stars were slowly dying, experiencing what could be described as death throes, blinking in and out of existence. If that was the truth, then they had little worry about, as the distances involved were too great to even imagine (at least to Akia), and it would have little impact on the world.

Worse was the hypothesis that the head of the guild had developed himself, using every bit of information he'd been able to discern: Something was blocking the light from these stars. It was moving across the sky at an alarming pace, and in changing directions. Worse yet, judging by the increasing speed at which stars were being blocked, it was getting closer...

In his death throes, Feror had warned them that there were far worse things out there, than him. That unknown monstrosities lurked in the dark, in the great emptiness. Was this one of those things?

Suffice to say, having been told this in the span of a little over an hour, Akia had needed air. She'd excused herself and gone to the great balcony overlooking the castle gardens. And there she'd remained, trying to process all she'd been told. And hoping, above all else, that the princess was merely pulling a prank on her.

She doubted she was that lucky, though. She drew another breath, held it, and released. And another one. No, it didn't help at all. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"And sulking about it isn't going to help either," she told herself as she straightened her posture, ignoring the slight burn in her lower back. She'd been awake and active for way too long and would certainly like to see a bed in her immediate future...but again, she doubted she'd be that lucky. Taking a moment to stretch out properly, she stepped back into the castle and headed for the entrance hall. There were no servants about, now. Those who'd wished to go and see their families had been allowed to, while the rest had retreated to their quarters, hoping to stay out of harm's way.

It was remarkable how eerie the castle was when there was no one around. Every guard and soldier on hand had been assigned to the walls and courtyard, leaving the halls and corridors empty...and too quiet for comfort. Her footsteps echoed loudly on the stone floor as she walked to the very middle of the hall and stopped. The large, circular window near the ceiling should have been letting the moonlight in at this time of night, but the moon was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds, leaving the gloomy torchlight to keep the halls lit. It only served to further worsen her mood.

"Sure wasn't planning on dying here," she muttered to herself. "To think I once fantasised about being part of great events like this..."

One of the doors into the courtyard was flung open with a loud bang, causing Akia to jump. Her sword was halfway out of its sheath by the time she saw who it was. She let go of it, calming down...and then she was sprinting across the hall, taking the unconscious form of Eren from Sheik's unresisting hands.

"Goddesses, what's happened?" she asked, noticing the dagger still lodged in the boy's side.

"Someone recognised him at his family's execution," Sheik said curtly, out of breath. "Followed him into an alley and tried to kill him. He fought back, but...I was too late."

Eren's breathing was shallow, and his clothes were soaked with blood, both his own and that of his attackers, presumably.

"His family's...?"

"Dead," Sheik said, already on his way towards the cellar door. "Beheaded at the Fountain Square, along with every other noble they've been able to get their hands on. Take him into the third room on the right in the great hall." He pointed her towards the great hall, which housed the throne. "And stay with him."

Akia looked down at the unconscious boy in her arms. She hadn't failed to notice the desperate edge to Sheik's voice. Eren was one of two remaining students of his...she couldn't imagine what it would feel like if he lost Eren as well. She felt a stab of guilt at that, knowing she was partly responsible for the attack on Kakariko.

As she gently carried Eren towards the throne room, careful not to jostle the wound in his side or on his back, he began to whimper, barely conscious.

"I've got you," she said, wondering if he could even hear her. "I've got you."


Garrett raised an eyebrow at the closed carriage in front of him. It was an expensive one, judging by the fine decorations and expensive wood used in its construction. The horses pulling it were the champion-type, strong, fit, and fast. Presumably, they, and the carriage, belonged to someone rich.

"I asked for a carriage, not a mobile house," he told the little bird he'd assigned to procuring his means of transportation. "Where did you find this?"

The young man had surprisingly smug expression on his face, the sort that Garrett would have punished him for at an earlier time, but now...well... "Found it by the road," was his answer.

"By which you mean you stole it from the estate further down the road," Garrett corrected. The little bird said nothing, but that was all the confirmation he needed. "I see. And you believe I would be happy about travelling in this...this monstrosity because...?"

Again, there was no reply, but there was a very subtle change in the bird's expression. The smugness disappeared, and was replaced by a very subdued sadness. Upon further inspection, it seemed the rest of the little birds gathered around them had the same damn expression...which meant they'd all figured out what he was planning. That was good; he had no room for idiots who couldn't think in his organisation...but at the same time...

"You've realised what I'm about to do," he said, studying the faces of the thirty-or-so men and women standing around him. They were the upper echelon. The ones who commanded the lower-ranking members in the field. Between all of them, they were several hundred strong. They would surely share this news with the rest...and gods knew what would happen then. "And you've decided to give me a proper send-off?" He looked at the carriage again. It would certainly be more comfortable than what he'd imagined himself going back to Castle Town in. He found himself smiling a little. "That's...sweet, in a way."

The little birds nodded amongst themselves, happy that they'd satisfied their master.

"I have instructions for all of you," he said. "It is your choice whether you wish to follow them or not." That was unlike any other order he'd issued in years, but then, they were his last, so... "In Castle Town, there is still a caste of Sun members who are working directly with Iari. Find them, and kill them. The more you can slow down the progress of this revolution, the better. Those who do not wish to go to the city...well, you're all aware what transpired at the old Rinir mansion. The walking dead are still there. Put them out of their misery." He sighed. "And for those who wish to do neither...you're free to leave."

This clearly shocked his little birds; several of them looked taken aback at his words. He chuckled. Most of them had been working for him their entire lives—they wouldn't know what to do with themselves without his instructions. He could only hope they'd find some other purpose if they decided to leave.

"I thank you all for your service," he said, bowing his head in respect. "Now go. Don't waste any more time."

The little birds scattered immediately, mounting their horses and taking off. Garrett was secretly pleased to see that none of them took the road that would lead them out of Hyrule. The group split up; some headed for the Rinir mansion, while the rest took the road to Castle Town. Only the smug-looking bird remained, having climbed into the driver's seat of the carriage, looking expectantly at Garrett.

"You're not planning on leaving me, are you?" Garrett asked him.

"No."

"Well then," he said, climbing into the carriage and settling himself on the comfortable seats. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Don't care."

Garrett laughed. "Neither do I, to be honest. Neither do I."


"How much of the city is under our control?" Iari asked.

They'd retreated back to the first cellar they'd used for a hideout, close to the apartment complex Silver had blown up in his panic. They were waiting, content to wait out the chaos in the streets until things could get properly organised.

"Two thirds, more or less," Zendine replied. She was sitting crossed-legged on the floor, the Master Sword resting in her lap. She caressed it fondly, clearly enjoying wielding the Hero of Time's own blade. "City watch is holding the line, but the people are getting restless without more nobles to execute. Soon, they'll assault the barricades, no doubt about it."

"And they will succeed, thanks to the weapons you gave them," Sapphire said. "The castle, though..."

"They will find it a challenge, yes, but not impossible," Iari assured her. "I hear quite a few of Prince Leonthal's men have joined our cause?"

"Your way of persuasion is effective," Zendine said, nodding. "Too bad they didn't turn their cloaks while still inside the castle, the idiots..."

"They'll come in handy, either way."

"Where is Silver?" Sapphire asked, glancing around the empty cellar.

"Worried about him?" Iari asked, amused. "I have left him somewhere...safe, where he can wait until we need him."

"You expect we will?"

Iari looked at her, raising an eyebrow. It made the tattoos on his face ripple. "You expect we won't? Need I remind you that the four people on the list who are currently holed up in the castle also happen to be the most dangerous of our targets? Lord Sheik, Princess Zelda, the Hero of Time, Rial Vortan...they are all formidable opponents, in their own ways. I'd rather be safe than sorry when we finally eliminate them, especially based on our current situation."

"Current situation?"

"Blue, Shade, Ogre...we started out with more members of our group than we have now, in case you didn't notice."

"Half of them died because of betrayal or stupidity, not because of the enemy," Sapphire said. "And what little we saw of the Hero of Time when Zendine and I ambushed him and Tira Siress...I wasn't impressed."

"I wouldn't be carrying this if he lived up to the stories," Zendine said, indicating the sword. "Speaking of the Hero...he was apparently out in the countryside earlier tonight."

"I know," Iari replied. "No one knows where he went, however, even if I can make a very good guess."

"Your counterpart?"

"Better half, more like. Undoubtedly, he's done something wonderful to the Hero's head. Not that it'll matter. He won't have found the other modification I did."

"What did you do?"

"Something fun."

To be continued…


And there's my procrastination again...and a woefully short chapter, but there you are, heh.