AN: Hi friends! This is a story I'm really excited to tell. It's the ultimate indulgent write what you want to read story, so I hope you guys like reading it as much as I loved writing it!
Thanks to Jenseits_der_Sterne and MuseLover1901 for their comments. Special thanks to dontwaitupxx for being my number 1 fan on this!
Chapter 1: A House in the Woods and a Woman in the City
Link killed the engine of his motorcycle. He leaned the bike against the kickstand as the growl of the engine faded away. Taking off his helmet, he looked up at the mansion in front of him. The building was monstrously large, but it was to be expected in this neighborhood. The double panel door was a beautiful stained oak, with brass knockers shaped like lions. The owner of the house was wealthy and definitely wanted everyone to know.
Link checked his watch, 7:20 AM. Ten minutes early.
He put away his helmet and pulled out the client folder. Jovani Gengle had come by the agency earlier in the week to hire Link to investigate the disappearance of some priceless magical artifact from his private collection. Usually Link liked to stay out of the petty business of the rich and pompous, but Gengle had waved a paycheck too enticing to pass up. It had been some time since the Forest and Gale Agency had been hired for such a large contract. Revali would never have let him hear the end of it if he'd turned it down.
The case didn't seem out of the ordinary. Someone had broken into Gengle's multi-million rupee mansion and stolen an item from his private collection of art and curiosities. The likely suspects were the usual: ex-lovers, jealous collectors, and other obscenely rich business people with too much money and time on their hands. Link's presence had been requested at the scene of the crime to see if he could trace any of the magicks that were employed during the robbery.
"I would have called the local PD about this but there are some artifacts in my collection of a more…sensitive nature." Gengle had told him, with a slight smirk. "You understand right, Mr. Forester?"
By Hylia , he hated dealing with the rich. He hadn't quit his job with the Castletown PD to lick the boots of the wealthy. But alas, ideals and daydreams didn't pay the bills.
Snapping the file shut, Link took a look around. The mansion was situated on twenty acres of land, the closest neighbors were probably too far away to observe anything. The driveway to the mansion was long, since the house was situated some distance away from the main road. Link made a mental note to follow up with the neighbors anyway. The mansion was surrounded by trees, the leaves were hues of red and yellow as autumn descended. The early morning light sparkled against the remnants of dew, still half crystallized into frost.
The mansion was protected by at least ten wards. He could sense the flow of magical energy pushing against him, tingling against his senses and probing at his intention. The spells were strong. The mage who had cast them was probably of a relatively high class. This level of protection would not have come cheap. Based on the way the magic sparked against his senses, Link guessed it was Gerudo handiwork. He would have to get a closer look at the spell runes to be sure.
There were large spotlights hidden among the bushes in front of the house. Motion sensors, if Link had to guess. He peered up at the walls and spotted a security camera. He would have to get that footage later. At least Gengle had the good sense to back up the wards with electronic security.
After a few moments, he heard a shuffle by the door. A glance at his watch confirmed that it was seven thirty, so he made his way to the front doors. The arched doorway loomed. With one hand in the pocket of his leather jacket, Link lifted the brass knocker and rapped three times.
The door was pulled open as soon as he dropped the knocker, a man dressed in a black and white uniform greeted him.
"Private Investigator Forester?"
"Link is fine," he said, "You must be the butler."
The man nodded and stepped away from the door. "I am Poe, Mr. Gengle mentioned that you would be coming by this morning to investigate the robbery last week."
Link stepped into the mansion. The interior was as flashy as the exterior. The walls were lined with red wallpaper and hung with paintings. Rich mahogany furniture was accented with gold hardware. Even just being in the foyer made Link's skin crawl. There was a stillness in the house that made him feel uneasy.
Poe gestured for him to follow, "Mr. Gengle is expecting company today and hopes that the investigation can be completed quickly."
Link followed him silently, noting the press of magic against him. Many of the wards were centralized in the foyer. That made sense, given that it was the primary entrance into the mansion. As they made their way down the hallway, the magical pressure lessened, but a strong current of power still lingered. A glance at the windows revealed that each of the windows were individually warded with minor sparking spells. Gengle spared no expense in protecting his home.
Poe led Link through an arched doorway into a dimly lit room. The temperature in the room was a few degrees colder than the hallway and the air was drier. Link glanced at the tapestries hung on the wall, the atmospheric changes were probably to help preserve the integrity of the collection.
"Here we are, Mr. Forester: Mr. Gengle's private collection. This is where the statue was housed before the theft. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. I know this house better than anyone."
Link scanned the room. Single entrance through the hallway. No windows. Heavy press of magic, still electricity based. Statues and contraptions were situated throughout. His eyes settled on what looked like a bottle of Great Fairy Tears set on a pedestal; selling and buying Great Fairy Tears had been banned for decades. No wonder Gengle didn't get the police involved in this investigation—who knew what the police might uncover here.
In the middle of the room there was an empty pedestal under a large spotlight. Clearly whatever had been in that spot was of great importance. Jovani Gengle had been vague with his job description, dancing around the details of what exactly had been taken from him that had him so distraught. Link took a few steps towards the pedestal.
"Ah," Poe materialized next to him. "This was the spot that held the most prized object in Mr. Gengle's collection."
Link turned to Poe, "What was it?"
Poe seemed to produce a folder out of thin air. "Here is all of the information about it." He handed the folder over.
Opening the folder, Link had to bite back a laugh. On the very first page was a photograph of a golden statue of Jovani himself. His eyes were replaced with blue gemstones, and his waist was lined with multicoloured gems. It was an outrageous statue, by any standard. And on his head…
"Is that…" Link held the photo a little closer.
"Oh yes. It is a cat." Poe didn't need to look at the picture to understand what Link was asking about. "Mr. Gengle commissioned this statue to commemorate the life of his favourite cat."
The rich were ridiculous. Link leafed through the rest of the file. The cost of the commission could probably have paid off the national debt of a small nation. The statue itself was insured for an exorbitant amount, even without any real resale value. He looked at the statue again. It would be near impossible to sell this statue without being caught. Perhaps it could be melted down, and the gemstones sold individually?
Link glanced around the room again. But why would someone take the ridiculous statue and go through all that effort instead of grabbing one of the many other valuable items that could be sold much more easily? A personal vendetta was a likely motive. The ultra-rich seemed to have no shortage of petty grudges and rivalries with each other. The statue was probably sitting in some other rich guy's multi-car garage right now. It was just a matter of tracking down the cronies that had been hired to conduct the theft.
"Could you tell me more about the security system?" Link asked.
"Certainly." Poe produced another folder—where was he keeping these?—and handed it to Link.
"Mr. Gengle has floodlights equipped with motion sensors for the front entrance, five security cameras facing the exterior. I will get you the tapes for the night of the robbery. Beyond electronic security, Mr. Gengle has employed the services of the witch, Madam Teake. She warded the house about two years ago in the Gerudo tradition."
Link frowned. He knew that the wards had been cast by a Gerudo mage, but hadn't expected it to be Teake. He knew of her: she was a Gerudo court trained witch, one of the more powerful mages in the city. Whoever was able to break in must have had strong magicks at their disposal.
Carefully, Link stepped around the pedestal. He could sense the extra wards that had been cast to protect the statue. But he could also sense where the spell had been cut off. It was as if the pedestal was surrounded by a glass cage, but someone had dismantled one pane. Whoever had done this had been deliberate—a surgeon's delicate work. Link held his hand over the unprotected spot, sensing the vacancy of magic.
His eyes were drawn to the tile directly beneath his hand; it was slightly misaligned with the surrounding pieces. He squatted down to get a closer look and tapped on the tile. It sounded hollow. Shooting a look at an equally surprised Poe, Link pulled out his pocket knife and pried the tile from the ground. He ignored Poe's noise of distress as the tile came loose easily.
Someone had dug a small hole into the foundation underneath the tile and slipped something inside. Link reached in and removed a small satin bag.
"I take it that this is not part of the gallery?" Link asked Poe.
"No sir."
Link snapped a few photos of the tile and hole on his phone before standing. Whatever was in the bag was powerful, he could sense that much without even looking at it. With Poe hovering curiously over his shoulder, Link opened the pouch and poured the object inside onto his hand.
An amulet tumbled out. A large topaz was strung on a delicate silver chain. The stone itself was of high quality: clear and shiny. But what struck Link the most was the force of the magic swirling around it. The signature was different from Teake's. Instead of sparking against his awareness, the enchantment on the amulet seemed to glow. The magic felt warm and familiar, like coming home after a long day. The force of it was distracting.
This must have been the object that allowed the intruders to break in. Link could sense the electricity resistance spell woven into the topaz. The strength of the magic was repelling the effects of all of the carefully constructed spells in the room. Teake's wards were designed to shock intruders with electricity, but if they were wearing this amulet, the effect would have been negligible. Not a lot of mages could have made an amulet this powerful.
He turned the amulet over in his hand. On the back of the pendant, in elegant lettering were the letters ' ZBH.' Oh. That explained it.
He frowned, this case was getting stranger and stranger.
Link turned to Poe, "Why is an amulet made by the Princess of Magick buried under the tiles here?"
Poe only shrugged. "Mr. Gengle may be wealthy, but even he could not afford Miss Bosphoramus's consultation fees to ward the house."
Link was not surprised. Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule was known as one of the most powerful mages in the city. Her family had descended from some line of ancient Hylian nobility, so she had grown up in the spotlight. Her affinity for magic was well documented in the media. They had dubbed her the Princess of Magick, after her meteoric rise to the top of magical power rankings against mages twice her age. Link had never met her in person, but her reputation preceded her.
It was strange, however, that this amulet would be left behind. Based on the strength and quality, it would have cost a small fortune. This was the type of treasure that families would save as heirlooms. What was it doing buried under a tile at the scene of a theft?
Perhaps a calling card? A taunt to Gengle? The price of the amulet was probably equal to the ridiculous statue.
"Do any of Gengle's enemies have ties to Miss Bosphoramous?" Link slipped the amulet back into the satin bag and into his pocket.
"No. Mr. Gengle and his…associates don't usually require magicks of that strength."
Link nodded to himself. People who commissioned work from the Princess were on a different level than Gengle. So what was this amulet doing here? Something about the entire situation made him uneasy.
Dusting off his hands, he turned to Poe and said, "Could I get a list of Gengle's known business rivals and ex-lovers? And a full list of the staff employed here."
"Of course. Whatever you need."
By the time Link arrived at the office, it was already late afternoon. He'd spent the rest of the morning inspecting the mansion, the various protections, and tracing the different entrances that could have been taken. After that, he knocked on the doors of the neighbours. Unsurprisingly, nobody had heard anything. Link rode around the estate to get a sense of the area and to see if he could pick up any traces of magic. With the mansion surrounded by woods, the magical energy cycled quickly and erased most traces within days. But with the amulet burning a hole in his pocket, he was able to trace the faint, lingering trail through the main entrance. Whoever carried the amulet had entered through the front door.
At Link's request, Poe had emailed him the security footage for the three days surrounding the theft. He would have to spend a few hours powering through the film. Or…
"Oi Revali." Link threw a wadded notepaper at his partner. "What are you doing?"
Revali batted the paper away. "Working, obviously. One of us has to."
"Great," Link said, "I need some footage looked at and I have an errand to run. I'll send it over for you."
"Wait a minute, I never agreed to this!"
"You're on the Monster Cake case right?" Link rolled his chair over to Revali's desk and glanced down at the files. "We've already procured the shipment of Monster Extract for them, so the case is basically over. Besides, this stolen statue case has a far bigger payout."
Revali grumbled a little, but opened up the security footage. "You'd better not be shoving this off on me so that you can mess around."
Link rolled back to his desk and picked his jacket up from the back of the seat. "Come on Revali," he slipped his jacket back on, "you know me better than that. I'm off to meet a Princess."
It had taken a few detailed internet searches and a couple of well placed calls, but Link finally found the address for Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule's consulting firm. It was a closely guarded secret that was shared only by those in the know. After all, those that could afford her services had a network of their own and they were known to be quite tight-lipped.
He was surprised to learn that her office was in the heart of the city, located in the old, historic district of Castletown. Most mages liked to live in areas surrounded by nature, where magic circulated more freely. He'd asked Mipha about it before and she told him that it was easier for mages to tap into the magical energies where the currents were stronger. As a result, most mages chose to live in locations that optimized their powers.
As he pulled up at the address, he took in the building in front of him. It looked regular enough, a two-story house with a stone facade that matched the buildings surrounding it. But as he wheeled his motorcycle closer to the entrance, he could sense the magic emanating from the doorway. Link was particularly sensitive to the presence of spells and wards, but he wondered how nobody else noticed the sheer power that the building seemed to exude. He parked his motorcycle, tucked the files under his arm, and hopped up the steps.
Link rang the buzzer and could feel the swirl of a spell probe at him. After a few rings, the intercom crackled to life.
"Yes?" Came a voice from the other side.
"Hello Miss Bosphoramus, my name is Link Forester. I found something of yours and was hoping for a moment of your time."
"How did you get this address?"
"I wouldn't be much of a private investigator if I couldn't find anybody."
"We don't accept walk-in appointments."
"Well," Link pulled the bag from his pocket and slipped the amulet out, certain there was at least one camera trained on him, "I found this at the scene of a crime I'm investigating and I thought you might want to know about it."
There was a pause. "A moment, then."
Link held back a smile when the line cut out. After a moment, the front door clicked open.
A woman pulled the door open with a glare. "You know, it's pretty rude to just show up on peoples' doorsteps without advanced notice." she told him sourly, "Zellie and I are in the middle of some important research!"
It wasn't the Princess herself. The woman at the door was Sheikah, with the distinctive silver hair and red eyes. Link was surprised to see a Sheikah in the city, as they were a secretive clan that kept to themselves and their village.
"Well?" The Sheikah woman gave him an unimpressed look and pushed her large, red glasses up her nose. "Are you just gonna stand there and stare like a cow? Come in, snippity snap!"
Link entered the house, feeling the wash of magic over him. There was quite a difference between the inside and outside. The exterior of the house was traditional and matched the architecture of the historic district, but the interior had been renovated with clean lines and marble tiling. A staircase led upstairs and a hallway led to the back of the house.
The woman pointed down the hallway and said, "You can wait in the sitting room at the end of the hall. Zellie will come down when she's ready."
Before he could respond, the woman turned around and bounded up the stairs. Alone, Link made his way down the hall. He turned the corner into the sitting room and immediately realized why this was prime real estate in Castletown. While the entrance and hallway were small and lit by artificial lighting, the sitting room was an open space with the entire back wall replaced by giant windows that looked out onto the Hylia River.
The sitting room was sleek and modern; all dark oak and minimalist furnishing. Not at all what he expected for a witch's residence. The high ceilings and the giant windows caught the last of the dusk light, painting the interior a dramatic array of oranges and reds. Link took a seat on one of leather armchairs and set the file down on the coffee table. He could sense the magic around him, the enchantments and wards woven thick and powerful into the very structure of the house. The signature of the magic was distinctive: a dance in the summer rain, a Silent Princess growing in the wild, Nayru's blessings under a starlit sky. Like seeing the world for the first time, like coming home—it captivated him.
He leaned into the seat and closed his eyes. The golden magic suffused across his awareness, making him feel alive. Whoever warded this house was definitely the same person who enchanted the amulet.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." A woman's voice echoed across the room.
His eyes shot open and up to the figure at the door. She was beautiful. A crown of long blonde hair framed sharp green eyes. She wore a dark blue pantsuit, the colour contrasting with her crisp white blouse. Her sleeves slightly pushed up to reveal thin, delicate wrists. She stood for a moment and studied him in return. He wondered what she saw. He was struck by a moment of intense déjà vu, as if he had lived this moment over, and over before.
He rose to his feet and cleared his throat, "Ms. Bosphoramus, I assume?"
She made her way over to him and offered him her hand. When he took it, he felt the true weight of her magic—the eye of all storms.
She will be trouble, he thought.
"Mr. Forester," she enunciated all the syllables, as if testing out the words, "what can I do for you?"
"Link is fine. Mr. Forester is my father," he joked.
She did not smile.
Determined not to let her get to him, he pulled the amulet from his pocket. "Is this your work?"
She reached for the amulet. His fingertips brushed her palm for a moment and a ripple of energy traveled up his arm. He paused. Her hands stilled as her eyes flicked to his. Their eyes met like two waves crashing, the resulting interference stilling the stormy waters. A temporary peace. She pulled her hands away and focused her attention on the amulet.
"Yes," she studied the piece of jewelry, "this is one of my electricity resistance amulets. I have made quite a few of these."
"Do you recognize this one in particular?"
"No. I pride myself in the consistency of my work. Each amulet should be exactly the same." She fixed those remarkable green eyes on him, "What is this about?"
Link picked up the file and opened it to the photo of the atrocious statue. He handed it to her. "I'm investigating the theft of this statue from a client."
"It's atrocious."
He bit back a laugh, "It's extremely valuable."
She scoffed. "It was costly to make. Doesn't make it valuable."
"Regardless," he pushed on, "my client wants it back."
"Well, I don't have it," she gestured around her sitting room. "It's not quite my taste."
"No, of course not. I'm here about the amulet." Link said, "My client's home was warded by the Gerudo witch, Teake, but someone managed to break in and steal his statue."
She raised a delicate brow, "Teake is a strong mage. Trained by Lady Urbosa herself. It would have taken quite some magic to counter."
Link nodded and said, "Imagine my surprise when I found your amulet at the scene of the theft."
"This enchantment isn't structured to counter protective wards, it shouldn't have been possible."
"And yet here we are."
She frowned as she rubbed the surface of the topaz. She closed her eyes and a small wrinkle formed between her brows as she concentrated. Link watched her work. He could feel her pulling at the magical energy, siphoning it towards her intention. Seeing a witch of her calibre at work was breathtaking.
After a moment, she opened her eyes. "A loophole," she declared, frustration in her voice. "Someone subverted part of the enchantment and opened it to the possibility of misuse. I can't believe I missed that."
"It couldn't have been easy. Your magic is so complete and powerful that finding such a loophole would have been difficult for an ordinary mage."
"I can think of maybe five people who could have done this."
"And they are?"
She gave him a sharp look. "Trade secrets, Mr. Forester."
"I don't care about squabbles between mages, Miss Bosphoramous. I just want to find my client's sculpture."
"It's not about squabbles. It could be an issue of public safety..." she murmured, just as much to herself as to him.
"Could you provide me with a list of people who have purchased these amulets from you?"
"Absolutely not." She leveled him with a sharp look. "Mr. Forester, I know you are trying to do your job, but you must understand my job. My clients come to me with requests for enchantments and wards under strict confidentiality."
"I promise you, I'm not here to find out which high-powered lawyer has purchased an anti-shock amulet for his electricity kink. I'm just-"
"Excuse me?" She cut him off, eyes burning with fury. "You think I sell my magic just as some toy ? Some novelty plaything for the rich?"
He blinked at her, but shrugged,
"No." Her tone is clipped and final. "I thank you for bringing this matter to my attention and I will deal with this internally. If I happen to come across any information about this missing statue of yours, I will get in touch."
"Miss Bo—"
"Thank you, Mr. Forester." Her voice left no room for argument. "Now is there anything else I can help you with? It is getting late and I'm sure you have places to be."
Link clenched his jaw. He didn't mean it as a slight. He didn't care who she sold her wares to, he just wanted answers. The wealthy tended to keep ridiculous secrets anyway. Though, remembering the house he was in, she probably fit right in among them.
He pulled a business card from his pocket. "Thank you for your time." He handed her the card, "Please give me a call if anything comes up."
She took the card without looking at it.
"Of course," she said in a tone that suggested otherwise. "I'll show you out."
Link made his way back to the front door and she followed closely behind him. He glanced at her once more over his shoulder before he stepped out of the house. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes alive with focus, and her lips drawn into a tight line.
She was intriguing, he admitted. Beautiful, certainly. Powerful, absolutely. But she was fierce in a way that fascinated him. It was too bad that she was so determined to be unhelpful.
He stepped out onto the porch and turned. He came face to face with the door as it clicked shut. He couldn't help the wry smile as he heard the turn of the lock.
What a woman.
AN: Come say hi on Tumblr, I'm BhujerbanWrites!