The Legend of Zelda: Reconciliation
Hey all!
xGaspx An actual update that didn't take me three months! I'm stunned at myself! I don't think I've had a chance to update this quickly since I first started The Return. On the other hand, it's terribly dead at work lately, and the writer's block that's been plaguing me on and off for the last few months appears to be letting up a bit (knock on wood).
Thanks for the quick feedback on chapter 1! I'm ecstatic you all enjoyed it. There's nothing quite as frightening as starting a sequel because you can't really tell if it will live up to expectations until you start posting it, and first chapters are the worst for me. :-) It seems to have passed the test so I'm happy about that.
So, very little action in this chapter, but a lot of background information to digest. If any of this is confusing I apologize ahead of time. I've hummed and hawed for a week over how much to let out in this chapter and I actually wound up cutting out about three pages of it for the sake of coherence and to make later events cooler.
There was something else I wanted to say, but I've forgotten it now, so I suppose I won't keep you any longer.
I hope you enjoy the read!
Lady Rose
xxx
Chapter 1
I can feel Neesha tense up beside me, but I hold out a hand to stay any action and squint at the hooded guard.
"Liam, is that you?" I demand. He doesn't answer but I know its him. I know every guard who's ever worked in the palace by face if not by name. "What the Hell is going on here?"
"Please remove your weapons and come peacefully," Liam says, his tone steel. I sweep the area with my eyes. We're trapped on the stairs. They've set up a line in front of us. We could jump the sides, but there are guards down there too.
What's going on? Is this some kind of joke?
"Why are you arresting us? We haven't done anything! Farore! We've been out of the kingdom for the last three months!"
"Gerudo are not permitted within the city walls. Any Gerudo caught in Castletown is to be arrested and thrown in jail."
"What?" I practically shriek. This is news. "On whose authority?"
"Aghanim, Regent of Hyrule." My heart clenches suddenly.
"Regent? Why is he regent? What's happened to Zelda? And King Daphnes?"
"King Daphnes is on his deathbed," says one of the closer guards. I blink and look at him suddenly. "And Zelda is ineligible to rule until she's married." He gives me a meaningful look that I understand all too well.
Don't do anything stupid. Just trust me.
That's what that look says.
I frown, trying to place the guy in my memory. I come up empty. I don't recognize him. He must be new to the city guard.
"You're out of place, soldier," Liam snaps, then turns back to me. "Will you come peacefully?"
I want to say no.
But that guy is begging me not to.
What is going on here?
"Why aren't Gerudo allowed in Castletown anymore? Did they do something? Look, whatever it is, I can sort it out, but you're going to need to let me get back to them."
"No more talking, will you come peacefully or not?"
"I want to speak with Princess Zelda."
"Not unless you come peacefully. Then we'll see if it can be arranged." I glare at Liam for a long moment, painfully aware of the other guard's pleading gaze. I have no idea what's going on, but I suppose I've no options really but to play along. My lips twist into a scowl and I start removing my weapons. Neesha hisses in irritation behind me, but a sharp glare from me is enough to get her to follow suit. I unbuckle my weapons belt and drop it, the twin scimitars on it clanking noisily as I drop them on the snow covered stairs, followed by my shield, quiver and bow, and my two boot knives. I don't make a move for my pouch. Liam apparently doesn't know what it is, because despite the fact he's frowning as he surveys my weapon collection, it's not the pouch he's after.
"Where's your sword?" He demands. I frown at him.
"They're right there," I say flatly.
"No, the Master Sword." The feeling in my gut that tells me this is all wrong grows worse.
"I haven't got it," I answer. "I didn't want to remove it from Hyrule."
"Where did you leave it?" I cross my arms and shift my weight, narrowing my eyes.
"I'm apparently being arrested because I'm Gerudo. That sword has nothing to do with me being Gerudo," I answer flatly. "And it's nobody's business but mine where I put it. And I won't hand over the Ocarina, either, before you even ask." Liam glares at me for a second, but apparently sees something in my expression that convinces him to let it go.
"Restrain them," he finally says. My scowl darkens as a soldier moves forward to scoop up our weapons and the unfamiliar one moves forward with shackles for me and Neesha. I glare flatly at him, still wracking my brain to try and place him, but he doesn't meet my gaze as he fastens the shackles around my wrist and slides the bolt into place …
… but doesn't lock it. I choke back my surprise before it can show on my face as he moves over and does the same for Neesha.
What in Din's name is going on, here?
Even before the thought finishes processing I know the answer.
Aghanim. That's what's going on.
I'm going to have a thing or two to say to the wizard when we meet. And it's not going to be pretty. The unfamiliar soldier moves behind Neesha and I with his spear still pointed and gestures us down the steps. Neesha falls into step beside me, her eyes nothing more than slits beneath her hood. I doubt my expression's much happier.
So much for the archery shop. Apparently I'll be spending tonight in –
"Wait for the signal." I blink in surprise and resist the urge to turn to look at the unfamiliar soldier as the others close ranks around us. He's so quiet I almost can't hear him. "When the time comes Ferran will drop your weapons. Grab what you need and then go." It takes me a moment to process his words, and when I do, I come to a sudden realization.
Ten rupees says he's talking out of the side of his mouth.
A hundred rupees says he's a Sheikah. I know a lot of them, but not all.
I've only been gone three months … why is a Sheikah posing as a city guard? What the Hell has happened while I was gone?
Either way we don't have very long to wait before 'the signal' comes.
Only it's not so much a signal as a blatant attack on our small party.
A familiar battle cry shatters the stillness of the winter evening and before we quite know what's happening three Gerudo are ripping into the soldiers and shattering spears as they go. Neesha and I react instantly, breaking out of the shackles and diving for our weapons which, just as the guy said, have been dropped by Ferran. I grab my quiver first – I can replace every other weapon in that pile, but I can't replace the three magic arrows – and then a scimitar, but that's all I have time for because Liam is ripping down at me at three hundred miles an hour. He doesn't make it to me, however. The stranger gets in the way first, Ferran backing him up.
"Come on, Highness!" Shouts a familiar voice before I can move to their aid. "They know what they're doing. Let's go." Nabooru wraps her fist in my coat and all but throws me the other way. For what's probably the first time in my life I listen to her. I have no idea what's going on, and as such it's probably not a good idea for me to be messing with the plan. The other two Gerudo each pair up with either the stranger or Ferran and then split up from each other, heading in different directions from us. I can hear confused shouting from Liam and the other soldiers. No one is sure which way we went. They'll have to split up to chase us, assuming they don't just give up on the chase and find some other way of tracking us. Nabooru, however, is wasting no time on zigzagging or leaving a misleading trail. She leads us straight to the marketplace, continuing on at the dead run we've been moving at since we escaped the guards.
I'm suddenly very glad for all the training she's put me through over the last few years. Three years ago I never would have been able to keep up with her, and that, when you're hanging out with Gerudo, is bad.
I feel a sudden, intense wave of homesickness when we leave behind the fresh snow on the streets and head into the packed down snow of the Marketplace. Just ahead of us is the Archery Shop. I hadn't realized just how much I missed it. We pause only for a heartbeat to make sure no one's around before bolting for the shop. The door opens before we even get to it and Nabooru starts shoving us in.
"Bruiser!" I gasp as we stumble into the shop. "What the Hell—"
"No time for chit-chat, kid," he snaps. "Take Neesha and get upstairs. Go to the wall behind your bunk bed. Push on the end near the foot of the bed. It'll slide back. Get in there and don't so much as breathe. Is Hunter with you?"
"No, he's gone to the Ranch …"
"Damn that boy," Bruiser growls. "How did I know he'd complicate things."
"Bruiser, what's—"
"I thought I told you to go!"
Not bothering to disguise a frustrated growl, I turn and rip up the stairs.
"Nice to see you alive and well, too, Bruiser," I can't help but call bitterly back at him.
Farore I hate not knowing what's going on. Neesha's swearing a blue streak behind me, no doubt experiencing the same frustration. We tear into our room, unable to even enjoy the pleasant familiarity of it after so long sleeping in strange rooms. Neesha squeezes between the wall and the bed and pushes on the other wall where Bruiser said to. It slides back to reveal a hollowed out compartment.
"That wasn't there when we left," Neesha points out ominously. "Link, something's gone seriously wrong."
"Gee, ya think?" I say caustically as we both slip behind the wall and slide it shut again, leaving us wrapped up in darkness. It's a bit cramped but not too uncomfortable. For a long moment all we can hear is the sound of our panting as we desperately try and calm our breathing down and the quiet murmur of Bruiser and Nabooru talking downstairs. The murmur quits after a moment and two seconds later I hear the bedroom door creak open.
"You kids safe in there?" I consider pointing out for a moment that technically I'm not a kid anymore, and technically neither is Neesha (13 being the age of maturity among the Gerudo), but before I can Nabooru continues. "Listen, I can't stay. We've blown our cover now and I have to find the other girls and get out of here before they send the army after us. Bruiser will explain everything in a bit, but for now you need to stay in there and stay quiet. They're going to come looking for you, and this is one of the first places they'll look."
"Is everyone all right?" I demand. "Is Zelda okay?"
"Zelda's … fine," Nabooru answers. "She's not hurt if that's what you mean. I won't lie to you though, she's in a considerable amount of danger at the moment." I bite my tongue to stem the flow of questions I have.
"Where's Dad?"
"Brayden is fine. We figured one of you or all of you might head for the Ranch first so Brayden headed over there to head you off as soon as we realized you were back. Bruiser and I have been waiting for you here."
"How did you know we were back?"
"Zelda sensed you as soon as you set foot in Hyrule and let us know. Look, I can't talk. I'm glad the two of you made it back. I'll see you back home soon enough. Link, where are your bodyguards?"
"I sent them home," I answer, daring her to freak out at me for it. "We were back in Hyrule. I sort of figured I was safe." Nabooru makes an annoyed noise that I'm all too familiar with.
"What the Hell good is it, assigning Elite to you if you won't keep them with you?"
"What was that, Nabooru? I'm kind of locked behind a wall. Things are kind of muffled."
"I'm going to beat your ass good for this one, Link. Hyrule's not safe, anymore. Neesha," she says, steel in her tone, "your life for his, understand?"
"I'll get him home safe, Nabooru," Neesha replies, steel in hers as well. I roll my eyes.
"I'm still here, you know," I point out. Nabooru doesn't answer. She's already gone. I twist myself sideways and slide down against the wall so I can sit down and heave a long-suffering sigh.
"May as well get comfortable, Neesha. It's going to be a long night."
xxx
Neesha and I tumble out of the secret compartment as Bruiser slides the door back.
"Oh my Goddess, I thought they'd find us for sure…" I gasp, falling limply on the bed. Nearly a dozen soldiers came banging on the door about an hour ago and then proceeded to turn the place upside down in an attempt to find us. More than once they came close to the wall. I don't think I've ever held my breath that long in my life.
"Are you sure they're gone?" Neesha demands, casting a paranoid look at the window as she clambers over the bottom bunk to the floor on the other side. I pull my legs up and out of the compartment so Bruiser can shut it again. Bruiser raises an eyebrow at her.
"Do I look like some wet-behind-the-ears teenager two days past his Quisros?" He demands.
"Bruiser, no offence, but you don't even look like a Sheikah," I point out. "What took you so long to let us out? Liam and his tag-alongs left an hour ago!"
"And they left a sentry in the alley across the street to watch the shop. It took him that long to decide that I honestly wasn't hiding you guys before heading off." He heads out the door. "Come on downstairs. I'll make you guys something to eat and we can fill each other in."
"I've been gone for three months, and all I get is a 'come on downstairs?' I don't even get a hug?" I demand after him, pushing myself to my feet.
"You just spent three hours shoved into a tiny little compartment in your winter gear. You smell awful. I'm not touching you until you clean up." I smirk at Neesha.
"I think he missed us." She returns the smirk as we shed our aforementioned winter gear before heading down after him. He's already busy at the stove by the time we get down there. Neesha and I settle into our accustomed seats and watch him for a moment as he pulls out ingredients and utensils and starts heating up the stove.
"All right," he says, after a moment, "you guys first." I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Our trip was long, pointless and boring," I say.
"Link punched out one of the –" I punch her in the arm.
"You swore you wouldn't mention that!" I hiss. She glares at me.
"That was before you and Hunter took every opportunity to nail me with some form of snow."
"Did you find any trace of Navi?" Bruiser cuts in before the fight can degenerate any further. The fact that he didn't immediately demand to know who I punched out and why tells me he's not really listening to us. He's preoccupied. I look down at the table suddenly and shake my head with a sigh.
"Half of them looked at me like I was crazy for talking about fairies."
"Sorry, kid," Bruiser says. "I know you were hoping." I shrug and lean back in my chair.
"I wasn't really expecting to find anything out there," I say. Which is true. I've scoured Hyrule (and Termina) looking for her, to absolutely no avail, so it seemed logical to branch out, but I didn't really put much stock into the idea. "I lost her on my way back in Time. It'll be more complicated that that."
"Don't give up hope, Link," Bruiser says. "Navi's a tough little thing. She'll find her way back to you."
"Hey, who said anything about giving up?" I demand, forcing a smile. "Navi's my best friend, I'm not giving up on her." Nobody says it, but we're all thinking it:
Giving up or not, I'mrunning out of options …
"So," Neesha says, catching a glimpse of my expression, "are you going to tell us why Gerudo are now on the Hylian hit list?" I turn my face to look at Bruiser, who takes a moment to finish stirring his batter before pausing and shaking his head.
"I've got a lot of news," he says darkly, "and none of it good. These have been the longest three months I can remember, and I've lived through my fair share of seasons." He pours some of the batter onto the pan on the stove.
"Start at the beginning," I say thickly, suddenly not quite sure I want to know anymore. "From when we left, and go from there." We sit quietly and watch him while he collects his thoughts.
"Link, you were right about Aghanim," he says finally. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. There's an old saying … though claws grow dull and teeth fall out, and old wolfos is a wolfos still." Neesha wrinkles her nose.
"That's not Sheikan, it's Gerudo. And it's not wolfos, it's lizalfos."
"Well then the Gerudo stole it from the Sheikah, and it's wolfos."
"No, it's –"
"Whatever it is, the point is made," I interrupt, rolling my eyes.
They do this all the time. They'll go on for days if you let them.
There are apparently a lot of crossovers between Sheikan and Gerudo sayings and they will each defend theirs to the death. "Can we get to the part where you give me an excuse to punch Aghanim in the face. Besides the fact I don't like it." I pause. "His face, that is." Bruiser rolls his eyes at Neesha's huffy look and shakes his head.
"By the time I'm through, Link, you're going to want to do a lot worse than punch his face." He flips the first of the pancakes over. "The King is sick – apparently on his deathbed. This is what Aghanim is telling us, and has been since nearly the day after you left. Nobody can get near him to confirm it."
"Zelda?"
"Aghanim won't let her in to see him. He started denying her access about a month ago. Said it upset the King too much to see her and it was better for both of them to just wait until the King was healed."
"Who's healing him?"
"Aghanim."
"That's what I thought."
"And it also explains why the King has only gotten worse, again, assuming he's sick at all."
"Or even still alive," I mutter under my breath. I hate to say it – King Daphnes is a great man. I met him for the first time a couple years back and I could see how he managed to convince the races to let go of the Great War and call a truce – but the way Aghanim works it's a definite possibility. He's had Daphnes' ear since the first day I met him and that's not conducive to long and healthy life.
"At any rate," Bruiser says, gesturing with a batter covered spoon, "Aghanim announced that the King was sick and unable to rule, and when Zelda stepped up to rule in his stead, Aghanim whips out some obscure law from forever ago that's been long forgotten saying that Zelda can't assume control of the kingdom in any way, shape, or form until she's married." I frown darkly.
"But Hyrule's had plenty of Queens without Kings," I say. "Farore, Zelda's been grooming for just that since the day she was born!"
"Like I said, the law was forgotten," Bruiser said. "It's obsolete, but it was never stricken from the record."
"So why follow it now?" Neesha demands. "It doesn't make any sense. Even if it's the law, Aghanim would have to have the support of –"
"The nobles," Bruiser finishes. "And he does. A large portion of them. More than enough to veto the vote Zelda no longer has. She's effectively powerless."
"So Aghanim stepped in and took the reins of power," I say, pressing a hand to my temple. "I suppose he voided the treaty with the Gerudo, then."
"Almost immediately," Bruiser answered. "He gave any Gerudo in the city – not that there were many since you weren't here – twenty four hours to get out of Castletown or he'd have them arrested. He's currently trying to extend the no-Gerudo-zone to all of Hyrule."
"He can't do that!" I cry. "Regent or no! Something like that would need the King's seal!"
"And he had it," Bruiser says. "Showed it to everyone. He controls the king, now, remember?"
"What about the Sages? They couldn't stop him?" I demand. Bruiser shakes his head.
"Aghanim's a snake, Link. He's not playing fair. He's technically done nothing wrong politically and we can't prove he's done anything wrong otherwise. The Sages' hands are effectively tied."
"Goddess dammit!" I cry, slamming my fist on the table. "How did this happen, Bruiser? How did he … how could he …"
"I'm not done," Bruiser says. Neesha stares blankly at him.
"There's more?" She demands.
"Lots more," Bruiser answers. "Right about the point when he nullified the treaty, people started going missing. Most of them important in one way or another. All except one of them kids." My brain immediately runs through the list of important children I know. I feel a sudden sinking feeling in my gut.
"No," I hiss. "Don't tell me this …"
"Link of the Gorons, Laruto of the Zora, and Saria of the Kokiri." I stare at him, unable to comprehend what he's just told me.
"Missing? How?" Neesha demands. Bruiser's expression grows darker.
"Kidnapped. Taken by force. Acqul had his arm broken trying to save his daughter. Darunia didn't even see Link go missing. He went in to wake him up one morning and he was gone. They've scoured the mountains looking for him. He's just gone."
"And Saria?" Neesha asks.
"The Kokiri say they saw lights from her house one night. They all ran over to see what was going on, but by the time they got there she was gone too."
"She used her powers," I murmur. "What could have been bad enough she'd have to use her powers?"
"Can't the Sages track her down?" Neesha demands. Bruiser shrugs.
"They've tried!" He says. "But they can't find her. They can't even sense her anymore. Wherever she is, it's not in Hyrule."
"Who's taking them?" Neesha asks. "Is it Aghanim?" I look up before he can answer and interrupt.
"You said one of them wasn't a kid," I point out. "Who's the fourth?" Before he can answer the door bursts open suddenly and slams against the wall. All three of us whirl around and to our feet, hands going for weapons, but we freeze when we recognize the people coming in.
"Hunter?" I say. He looks like he wants to strangle someone. "What is it?"
"They've taken Malon!" He cries. "They've done something with her!" Behind him a familiar figure slips in through the door and slides it shut.
"Hunter, calm down," my Dad says. "Lower your voice. I didn't smuggle you in here just to have you give yourself away by announcing your presence at the top of your lungs, now did I?"
"You found him," Bruiser notes, the relief in his eyes belying the gruffness of his tone.
"Yes, I found him," Brayden answers. "Your son's getting careless, Bruiser. I was right behind him before he realized I was there." Hunter slips out of his coat and frowns darkly.
"I was distracted," he mutters. "Pardon me if the blood on the wall of my girlfriend's house kind of threw me off my game. You didn't have to scare the living daylights out of me, like that. Not so much as a hello, just a 'Give me the pendant!'" Dad rolls his eyes.
"You weren't the only one distracted, all right?"
"You've got the pendant?" Bruiser says, staring at Brayden in surprise. Dad smirks and pulls a delicate medallion on a long silver chain out of his shirt.
"She managed to hide it but good," he replies. "But we've got it, and they don't, and at last something has gone right." He moves around the fuming Hunter and embraces me.
"Good to see you home, son," he says, ruffling my hair beneath my hat. I offer him a weak grin and straighten out my hat as he moves over to offer the same to Neesha but she ducks under his hug. He grins at her and tugs her ponytail instead. "You too, Shadow." She offers him a flat glare, but everyone in the room knows she's pleased at the attention.
They do that all the time too.
"What's going on?" I demand as Dad moves over to the stove to peer into Bruiser's bowl. "Who's taken Malon?" I wince suddenly when I connect Hunter's outburst with the conversation I'd been having with Bruiser. "Oh no …"
"'Fraid so, kiddo," Bruiser says, smacking Dad's hand with his wooden spoon to get him out of the bowl. "Hunter, pull up a seat." Hunter obeys, grabbing the chair beside me, then burying his face in his arms. Bruiser casts him a sympathetic glance then goes back to his story.
"Malon's the fourth one to go missing. It happened two weeks ago. Talon tried to prevent them from taking her, but …" He shook his head. "They stabbed him in the arm and took off with Malon before he could do anything else. They took the animals, too, then ransacked the place. He and Ingo are holed up in Kakariko right now. Anju's putting them up."
"Who are 'they'?" Neesha demands. "Someone has to have seen them. You said Acqul and Talon fought them. What do they look like? Who are they?" Dad and Bruiser exchange a dark look, but before either of them can answer, Hunter does it for them.
"They're Sheikah," he says, his words muffled by the position of his face. "Talon and Acqul recognized one of them." I frown.
"Who was it? One of Detsu's old camp?" Hunter retreats further into his arms and refuses to answer me. I frown.
"Not this time, Link," Dad says softly. He hesitates for a moment more, then shakes his head dismally. "It was Thomas." He sighs. "Sorry son. I know you didn't want to hear that." I gape incredulously at him.
"What?" I choke. "Thomas? Dune's Thomas?" Bruiser nods.
"He went missing a couple months ago. We originally thought he was one of the kidnapped. Apparently he's one of the kidnappers."
"No. No, there has to be some mistake!" I say. "Thomas is … why would he do that? He hasn't got any reason to do that! He's a friend! Nayru! He loved Malon almost as much as we did! And he and Goron Link have been close ever since the rebellion at Kakariko! He'd never hurt them!" I shake my head and push my chair back from the table, crossing my arms. "No. It doesn't make sense. It's a mistake. Thomas wouldn't have had any part in that."
"Talon swears it was Thomas," Dad insists. "I've never seen him that serious about anything in his life, Link. You know what Talon's like. Ingo too. And then there's Acqul. I'd be tempted to side with you if it weren't for Acqul. Three eye witnesses swear it was Thomas." I continue to shake my head. Dad sighs and lets it go.
"At any rate, whether or not you believe it, Bel and Mel did and they've both disappeared now, too."
"Kidnapped?" I demand.
"Nope. Ran away," Dad answers. "Left behind letters. They said they were going to look for Thomas."
"Farore," I hiss. "Who just takes off and leaves a note like that?" Hunter raises his head and I'm suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he and Neesha are both glaring flatly at me. I roll my eyes. "That was different! Nayru. I thought you'd forgiven me for that."
"Might have if you hadn't gotten yourself killed because of it," Neesha mutters darkly. I ignore them.
"Why Malon?" I demand. "I understand why Link, Saria and Laruto might be tempting kidnapping targets, but why Malon? She isn't royalty of any sort. She's not even rich. What could they possibly want her for? She's not important."
"If she was here to hear you say that she'd kick your ass," Hunter mutters. I frown at him.
"You know what I mean," I say. "What's the connection between her and the others?"
"She had the pendant," Hunter said. "Maybe they wanted that. Obviously they wanted that. Maybe, when they couldn't find it, they took her hoping they could get her to tell them where it was." His face goes pale suddenly when he realizes the implications of that and he hisses under his breath. "Farore …" He buries his face again.
"If it makes you feel any better," Dad says, spinning a chair around and sitting down backwards on it, "I don't think they took her for the pendant." Hunter turns his head to the side and peers at Dad through one eye.
"Why not?" He asks.
"She's been gone for two weeks, Hunter," he answers. "Malon's a tough girl, but nobody's that tough. If that was all they wanted out of her, we wouldn't have the pendant right now." Hunter nods slowly but he doesn't look all that much happier.
"So what are we going to do about it?" I demand. "Do we know where they're being kept?" Dad hesitates for a long moment, idly rolling the pendant back and forth on the tablecloth before answering.
"Dune and I have been assigned to the disappearances," he answers finally. "Well … Dune volunteered and I was assigned. She's … desperate to find Thomas and prove his innocence." I wince.
"Did Acqul –"
"They're no longer on speaking terms," Dad says with a sigh. "They've both got a child at stake and tempers run high in cases like that." I rest my head on my hand and give a disgruntled sigh.
"Do you know how hard it was to make those generals get along?" I grumble. "Do you have any idea what I went through to make the four of them friends?" I rub my face tiredly with my free hand. "Let me guess. Rue has sided with Dune and Karun's sided with Acqul." Dad sighs.
"Well," he says, "Karun and Rue are generally staying out of it. Karun's not voicing whatever opinion he might have, and Rue is voicing the opinion that they're both being stupid about it, but in general, yes, you've drawn the battle lines correctly." Neesha mutters something under her breath.
"Well at least they didn't fall back on the old Great War alliances," she says.
"They still fell back on alliances," I mutter. "And that's bad."
"We're digressing," Hunter points out. "Did you and Dune find out anything?" Dad scratches his head.
"Yes and no," he answers with a helpless shrug. "We couldn't find a trace of Laruto, but we tracked the other three to the Golden Palace."
"Easy enough then," Hunter says, straightening. "We just break into the palace and … why are you shaking your head?" Dad sighs.
"Because they're not there, Hunter," he answers. "Believe me. We looked. We did break into the palace. All the way down to the dungeons. We turned the place upside down and didn't find a trace of them. The trail ends there."
"What about Saria?" I ask. "Couldn't the Sages …"
"They did," Dad answers. "They were aware of her up until she got to the palace. Then she just … disappeared. They couldn't sense her anymore."
"At the palace?" I ask.
"Yes," Dad confirms.
"She just disappeared?" I ask.
"Yes," Dad confirms.
"Black magic," I say flatly. "It has to be. Dark Link used to do a disappearing act all the …" I'm immediately sorry I mentioned it, though, when I notice an all-too-familiar haunted look cross my father's face. Back when he'd first been freed from Dark Link's influence it didn't take much at all to make that expression cross his face, and once it was there it would stay there. He still won't talk about the time he spent as Dark Link, but I see that expression a lot less now and it kills me when it comes back. "I'm sorry," I say immediately. "I didn't mean …" He waves me off and takes a deep breath.
"'S all right," he says quickly. "I'm fine. Little flashback is all." I offer him a smile.
"I can relate," I say. He returns the smile then shakes his head.
"At any rate, what … Dark Link did was different than what's happening here. That was just … I don't know it was like … teleporting, or something. We didn't really disappear, we just … moved. It's not … it wasn't …" He makes a face. Bruiser piles some fresh pancakes onto a plate and passes them over to us, squeezing Dad's shoulder on the way, then immediately starts in on another batch. I frown and shake my head.
"Then what could do that? Make them disappear like that?" Dad raises an eyebrow at me.
"You say it like I've ruled out Black Magic," he says. "As a matter of fact I'm ninety percent sure it was black magic. I just don't know what he's doing with them."
"Who?" Neesha demands.
"Aghanim," Dad and I say at the same time. "It has to be," I add.
"Apparently Ganondorf used to do similar things with prisoners," he adds. "I quizzed the Gerudo about it –," I wince before he can finish. I know what's coming next, "– and I earned myself more than one black eye asking." I give an exasperated sigh.
"Why didn't you just leave it to Nabooru?" I demand, frowning at him. "Dammit, Dad, I warned you about asking the Gerudo questions like that! They're touchy about it to begin with and to top it off, they don't like you!"
"I'm aware, son," he says in a pained voice. "Painfully aware as a matter of fact. And I tried to leave it to Nabooru but she was mad at me for something or other and made me do it myself." I stare flatly at him.
"What did you do to Nabooru?" I demand. "Why is it every time I leave you alone with the Gerudo for more than do seconds you do something?"
"Nothing!" He cries. "I didn't do anything! Why do you always assume it was me?" I frown doubtfully at him.
"Because it always is," I answer. "You're worse than me, for Nayru's sake, and I try to piss them off."
"Goddess dammit, you're as bad as your mother!" He cries, hitting the table with him palm and glaring flatly at me.
"Well at least I'm better than you," I return, glaring back at him.
"Home for less than a day and already the two of you are ready to kill each other," Bruiser mutters, rolling his eyes and dropping a second plate of pancakes onto the table. "Now quit fighting. And everybody had better start eating, or my feelings are going to hurt." We all turn to stare incredulously at him – nobody feels like eating at the moment – but his glare is steel and we all exchange a glance then head for our plates.
Some things never change.
For a long moment, despite the fact nobody, probably not even Bruiser, wants to eat, that's all we do, each of us idly putting fork to mouth (or pushing food around our plates) and getting lost in our own thoughts as we try and process everything we've just heard.
I've still got so many questions. Too many questions. But I force them down with the pancakes and try to collect my thoughts before we start the conversation up again.
Farore, this is hard to get my head around. Too much information and too little sleep.
Malon, Saria, Laruto, and Goron-Link have been captured.
Thomas is working for the bad guys.
King Daphnes is dying.
Zelda's been stripped of her political clout.
Acqul and Dune are fighting.
The treaty with the Gerudo is null and void (Nayru they're going to be ripping mad about that).
Aghanim has effectively taken over Hyrule …
Farore …
I never should have left.
I never should have left.
If I'd been here … I could've done something. I could've … I could've stopped it somehow. I could've saved the others. I could've … I could've …
But I did. I did leave. I shouldn't have – I knew I shouldn't have – but I did, and short of taking a trip back in Time and redoing everything – which I can't, that would make things worse – there's nothing to do but set it right again.
"So basically," I say, breaking the silence as I push my now soggy, uneaten pancakes around my plate the way I usually do with Leevers, "our mission is twofold. First off, we find out where they're keeping Malon and the others and then we stage a big, elaborate rescue to get them back. Then, secondly, we find Aghanim and I wreak some Hero of Time vengeance upon his sorry hide." I look up. "Simple enough, right?"
"Assuming what Aghanim's done with Malon and the others doesn't involve killing them," Hunter murmurs quietly. I frown down at him, but Neesha takes it a step further by leaning across be and stabbing him in the thigh with my fork. He yelps and shoves himself back and away from us, almost falling off his chair. He glares at me. "What the Hell are you –"
"It wasn't me!" I say, pushing my chair back so he can glare at Neesha.
"You sounded like you were starting to feel sorry for yourself," she says flatly, brandishing her fork at him. "And you were getting pessimistic. You want to not give up on them right off the bat like that?" He frowns at her and rubs his thigh.
"I wasn't giving up!" He cries angrily. "I was just saying! It's a possibility we have to consider!"
"We don't know anything, so we can't consider anything yet," Neesha says flatly. "If you start thinking like that now you'll never see Malon again, so how about you cheer the Hell up and stop sulking." She makes a face. "You're such a baby." Hunter opens his mouth to continue the argument but Bruiser steps in.
"Hunter, shut up. Neesha's making sense. Neesha, stab anybody with a fork again, ever, and you'll be eating that fork."
"Whatever," she says flatly, turning back to her pancakes. Dad clears his throat and we return our attention to him.
"Neesha's right about not giving up," he says hesitantly, "but … it's not going to be as easy as you're making it sound, Link."
"What's hard?" I demand. "Aghanim's into the black magic. I've sort of made something of a career of dealing with people like that. Look at Detsu. I'll just do to Aghanim, what I did to Detsu." Dad's got a sour expression on his face all of a sudden.
"Sure," he says, "but you had the Master Sword when you did that." My heart skips a beat at his tone.
"So what?" I demand, frowning. "It's a hop, skip and a jump by Ocarina to the Lost Woods. I left it in the Pedestal by the Great Deku Tree. I'll grab it, then hop, skip and jump my way back here." Hunter's picked up on Dad's expression now as well and his frown is as dark as my own.
"What now?" He demands. "What is it?" Dad runs a hand through his hair and then shakes his head.
"I suppose there's no right way to phrase bad news, so I'll just give 'er. Aghanim moved right after you left to try and steal the sword," he says darkly. "We didn't try to stop him because we figured it was safe. Nobody but you can take it out of the pedestals once its in there, so we didn't think it was in any danger." I drop my fork onto my plate and stare at him blankly.
"Dad, what are you saying? What did he do to my sword?"
"Nothing, as per se," he says with a sigh. "Like I said, he couldn't touch it. I'm sure he tried. I'm sure he tried everything he could think of to get it out of there."
"Did he hurt anyone?" I demand in a rush. "The Kokiri? The Deku Tree?"
"They're fine," Bruiser says. "He didn't touch them. They didn't even see him. The Deku Tree did but he didn't harm it. Handed him some bull about being concerned for the Sword's safety and he wanted to take it back to the palace." I breathe a sigh of relief.
"So what did he do?" Neesha demanded. "If he couldn't take it, what did he do to it?"
"He apparently decided that if he couldn't have it, nobody would," Dad answers. "He put a magical barrier around it. He's sealed it off to everybody. You included, Link." I shake my head slowly, suddenly feeling sick.
"The Sages …"
"Can't get into it. Not even Zelda. It's not made of black magic – the Master Sword would never have stood for that – just normal magic." I swallow my panic and shake my head.
"Dad …," I say slowly, "if I haven't got that sword I can't use the pedestals. It's my one advantage over evil wizards. It's going to make fighting Aghanim damn near impossible!"
"I know," Dad says in a placating tone, making a soothing gesture with his hands. "I know, Link. And so does Aghanim. That's why he wanted it. To keep it away from you. But keep in mind what I said earlier, Link. Every cage has a key, and the cage around the Master Sword is no different." He holds up the pendant and it spins, catching the light along its edges for a moment. The medallion itself is some kind of smooth stone of a deep blue colour. Not the same shade as the colour of Time, but close. A golden Triforce is engraved in relief on one side of it. "This is the Pendant of Wisdom," he says. "The Gerudo stole it from the Tower of Nayru and managed to get it to Malon, before she was captured …" His voice trails off. I swallow thickly.
"It cost them, didn't it?" I demand. "What did it cost them?"
"Two Elites and a Red died," he answers. "I don't know their names."
"Teora, Lani, and Shoore," Hunter says heavily. I look at him and he shrugs without meeting my gaze. "Malon left me a letter." Well that explains his apocalyptic mood. The nauseous feeling I had before grows worse.
"How?" I ask. Dad shakes his head.
"We're not sure," he answers. "Killed by something in the tower. One of the Elite made it out with the pendant and handed it off to the Red. She ran it to Malon, but Aghanim's agents hunted her down before she could get back to the desert."
"Why didn't they just take it back to the fortress?" Neesha demands, frowning darkly. "It would have been safe there." Dad shakes his head.
"There's no guarantee Aghanim hasn't got agents in the fortress as well. And besides, that was one of the first places they'd look for it. They knew Malon was safe, and of all the places we could have hidden in it in Hyrule, Lon Lon Ranch was probably the last place on the list."
"But they did know she had it," Hunter says darkly. "They ripped the Ranch apart looking for it."
"They tracked it back to her after they killed the Red and realized she didn't have it," Bruiser answers with a sigh. "We were afraid for a while that they'd taken it as well as Malon, but she's a resourceful little thing, apparently."
"What does it do?" I ask, reaching out for the pendant. Dad slips it into my palm. It's cool to the touch and heavier than I thought it would be.
"On its own?" Dad says with a raised eyebrow. "It looks pretty. That's about it. You'll need three of these to break the spell around the Master Sword."
"Three?" I demand. "Farore."
"Not taking any chances, is he?" Neesha mutters, reaching out for the medallion.
"Let me guess," Hunter mutters. "If this is the Pendant of Wisdom, found in the Tower of Nayru, then we'll find the Pendant of Courage at Lake Hylia in the Tower of Farore, and the Pendant of Power in the mountains at the Tower of Din, correct?"
"According to our sources, that would be correct," Bruiser confirms.
"All right," I say, rubbing my temple wearily with one hand, "before we start putting together any harebrained schemes to save Hyrule, what harebrained schemes have already been put into play?" Bruiser snorts.
"Harebrained is your territory, kid," he says. "And schemes are his." He jabs his fork at Hunter. "What has been put into play are valid plans of action." Dad rolls his eyes at Bruiser.
"What your Uncle is trying to say," he cuts in, "is that we've done everything we can in the open – which isn't much – and behind the scenes we've been running around like crazy pulling strings and calling in favours and setting up a safety net in the event … well, in any event. We're not sure what Aghanim's ultimate goal is, but whatever it is, it's not going to be good and we'll have to be ready for anything."
"We've mobilized the Sheikah," Bruiser adds. "We've called back our out-of-country agents. We need anonymity now more than ever and Aghanim knows the normal palace Sheikah too well. We've infiltrated the Hylian guard and the palace staff." He glances at me. "There are two undercover Sheikah near Zelda at all times, kid, so you can relax about that, and Impa's hardly left her side."
"We've also made contact with Zoras and Gorons we know to be clean of Aghanim's influence. Acqul and Karun, for example, as well as others. The Gerudo are ready to move at your word if they have to, but that's nothing new. You're going to have a job when you get to the desert, by the way," he adds. "They're all offended about the nullifying of the treaty and they're taking it personally. Nabooru's had her hands full fighting a resurgence of anti-Hyrule sentiment."
"But even with all of that," Hunter says, "all you've done is prepare. You haven't taken any action."
"We can't," Bruiser answers. "We can't touch Aghanim, first off. He's too popular, among all the races, except the Gerudo. He's also kept his hands clean. The only thing he's done wrong is to seal up your sword, and the few who know about that believe his story about protecting it from enemies." I cross my arms and narrow my eyes.
"Fine," I say flatly. "Then he'll have to give it back to me when I ask him for it. If he doesn't his story is useless."
"Well sure," Dad says, "but how are you planning on asking him for it when you'll be arrested on sight? You're Gerudo, remember?"
"Ah, ah," Hunter says, raising a finger, "he's Sheikan too. A dual-citizen if you will. There's got to be something in the law that will let him stay in Hyrule."
"No doubt," Dad answers. "But it would take us a while to find it, and in the meantime he's wracking up resisting arrest charges, fleeing from the law, and he's assaulted the city guard."
"I did not," I say, offended. "I didn't throw a single hit. The Gerudo and those two Sheikah – Ferran and someone – did all the assaulting."
"Aghanim will twist it," Dad says with a dismissive wave. "He'll also have assassins down on you before you can blink. Link, I know you don't want to hear this, but you're going to have to lay low for a while. All three of you are."
"What? Why me?" Hunter demands. "I'm not Gerudo!"
"You're friend with them," Bruiser answers, gesturing at Neesha and me. "Aghanim wants Link out of the picture, and he won't hesitate to use you against him if he can get you." Hunter glares at him.
"If they've got Malon," he says flatly, "I'm not just going to sit here and …"
"You'll do as you're told, Hunter," Bruiser cuts him off, his voice hard and unmoving. "You all will." Hunter gets to his feet suddenly and glares at Bruiser across the table.
"You can't just –!"
"And just what are you planning on doing for Malon?" Bruiser demands before he can finish. "Hmm? Do you know where she's being held? Do you know how to track her down? What can you do that the rest of us who've spent the last three months working on it can't?" He glares at Hunter. "Sit down, boy, before you say something you'll regret later." Hunter grinds his teeth and for a moment he looks like he has every intention of flipping right out, but he suddenly drops back into his chair and glares stonily at the centre of the table.
"Home for less than a day and already the two of you are ready to kill each other," Dad mutters under his breath. I catch his eye and raise an eyebrow at him.
Apparently some things run in the family.
"Look," Bruiser says stiffly, "I know you're upset. I know you're all upset. This is a lot to come home to, but for once in your lives would you just trust us. We've got people out looking for Malon and the others. They have been since they went missing. We've got people trying to get the other two pendants back. The Sages are watching everything in Hyrule like a hawk. We're on it, all right? Would it kill you to do as you're told for once?" None of us answer. All three of us stare back impassively, likely wearing the exact same I-promise-nothing expression. But on the other hand none of us argue which is likely more than they expected to get out of us because both he and Dad sigh in what's more or less a relieved manner.
"All right," Dad says, standing up and moving his plate over to the sink. "That's enough for tonight. Whatever questions you've got left can wait until tomorrow on the road."
"On the road?" Neesha demands.
"We're packing you off to the desert," Bruiser answers, handing Brayden his plate then reaching for ours. "As far away from Aghanim as possible." Hunter looks like he's about to complain again but I nudge him sharply with my elbow when Bruiser's back is turned, then glare at him and shake my head.
In the desert, I'm literally King.
If we decide we want to do something about anything there will be no one there to stop us.
Figuratively anyway.
Either way, it's easier to weasel my way around the Gerudo than it is to weasel my way around our dads. Especially mine. I get the feeling he's done his fair share of weaselling and he knows most of my tricks better than Bruiser ever did. Hunter frowns at me, but swallows whatever he'd been about to say. I turn away from Hunter to ask something of my Dad, but I snap my mouth shut when I notice he and Bruiser exchanging a long, considering look. Bruiser raises a questioning eyebrow at Dad, who frowns, then shakes his head imperceptibly. I turn quickly to Neesha (who, I can't help but notice has also turned quickly to me. Apparently I'm not the only one who saw that) as Bruiser turns back around.
"You three go on up to bed," he says, avoiding our gazes. "Bray and I will finish up here. Keep your blinds down and if you hear someone at the door get behind the wall as fast as you can. Try not to leave any sign you've been there. Hunter, take your coat and boots with you. Last thing we need is somebody seeing them." We all nod and get up from our chairs, heading towards the stairs at the back of the kitchen, exchanging a look before we slip through the door. I raise a questioning eyebrow at Hunter and it's his turn to nod imperceptibly.
He saw it too.
The fact that I haven't slept all day finally catches up to me and I'm suddenly bone-tired. From the look on the others' faces they feel the same way. We start trudging up the stairs.
"They didn't tell us everything," Hunter notes under his breath.
"Did anybody else get the feeling that they're not going to bed tonight?" Neesha adds. We exchange a glance as one and come to the same conclusion.
"Don't get undressed," I say quietly as we step into our room. "Sleep in your clothes, keep your weapons and coats nearby. Wherever they're going, we'll give them a ten minute head start and then follow them out."
"Ten minutes is too soon," Hunter notes, hanging his coat over mine on the back of the chair in the corner. "They'll see us. I might be good at the cloak and dagger, and Neesha's half decent, but you're a problem, Link. Our dad's aren't amateurs and you are." I frown at him.
"Cut me some slack," I say. "I've gotten better. Even you have to admit that."
"You still suck," Neesha says flatly from her corner of the room.
"Whatever," I say. "We can't wait any longer than ten minutes or we'll lose them. You said it yourself, they're not amateurs. They're not going to be easy to follow if they're going for any kind of stealth."
"Someone want to toss me a blanket?" Neesha says as she settles down onto the floor.
"I thought beds and blankets were for wusses," Hunter says, looking over at her.
"Beds are," Neesha agrees. "But Winter isn't for anyone and I'm freezing. Now give me a blanket or I'll just take yours." I roll my eyes.
"Just get her a blanket, Hunter," I say. "She'll need it to cover her clothes anyway. You know Dad and Bruiser are going to check in on us before they leave." He raises an eyebrow at me.
"Why? So you can steal the top bunk while I'm gone?" We meet each other's gaze and neither one of us move.
That's exactly what I'm planning on doing.
"We're both too tired to wrestle for it," I point out.
"Fine," Hunter says. "Rock, paper, scissors. And loser has to go get Neesha a blanket too." I consider it, then nod.
"All right," I say, holding out my fist as he does the same.
"Rock, paper, scissors," we both chant quietly, ending by showing our choice. My fist versus his flat hand.
"Paper covers rock," he says with a smirk.
"Why do you always pick rock?" Neesha demands sleepily from the corner. "You never win with it." I ignore her and narrow my eyes at Hunter.
"This isn't over," I say flatly. He pulls himself easily up into the top bunk and rolls onto his side to smirk at me.
"It is for tonight," he answers. "Now go get Neesha a blanket before she freezes."
"It's not even cold in here," I mutter, slipping out the door and moving for the linen closet set into the wall between my room and the other two, which belong to Bruiser and Dad. I pull it open and start rifling through its contents. Nothing thick enough to please Neesha. This is mostly sheets and towels. I scratch my head and feel irrationally irritated for a minute.
I leave for three months and of everything that happened, it's the fact that he moved the blankets that pierces through my half-dead daze. I shrug mentally and let myself get cranky about it. Easier to be irritated over the blankets than try and fathom everything else that's changed since I left.
Why did he move the blankets? What was wrong with keeping them here? I liked them here.
I bet Dad moved them. Bruiser wouldn't have moved them.
I whirl around and move to the stairs, but pause at the top when I hear the voices drifting up them. I almost can't make out the words over the sound of Dad and Bruiser doing the dishes. Almost, but not quite.
"… Impa will be ready," Dad's saying. I frown and strain to hear him better. "She hasn't told Zelda about Link, yet. She was afraid she'd give herself away if she knew we had him."
"She would have," Bruiser rumbles. "She probably would have told him everything too. Those two. They always have to do everything themselves!"
"They're headstrong," Dad answers. "It'll serve them well enough in the end."
"Assuming it doesn't get them killed," Bruiser answers apocalyptically.
"At any rate," Dad says, "everything's set for tonight. We'll be in and out of the palace before anyone knows we're there, assuming everything goes according to plan."
"Which it never does," Bruiser notes.
"Then we wing it, like we always do," Dad replies. "Just like old times." Bruiser laughs.
"Except we're not twenty anymore. We're getting too old for this, Bray."
"You're only as old as you feel," Dad replies easily. "But if its any consolation, after all this is over I think Impa might actually be willing to let you retire." Bruiser snorts again and I lean forward, trying to hear more.
"That'll be the …" He pauses as the floorboard I'm on creaks. "Do you hear something?"
I wince.
Dammit!
I'm so busted …
Gotta think fast …
I whirl around.
"Hunter!" I call. "Where are the blankets?" He leans out and frowns at me.
"What the Hell have you …" I gesture frantically at him to play along, " … done to your brain?" He finishes. "They're in the linen closet!" I walk over and slam the linen cupboard shut.
"They were in the linen closet," I reply. I can hear Bruiser stalking over to the steps.
Did he buy it?
"Why are you still up?" He demands. I cross my arms and glare down the stairs at him.
"Neesha's a baby. She needs a blank—" Before I can finish my sentence one of my boots comes whipping out of the room and nails me in the side of the head. I stumble to the side and turn to glare into the room at Neesha who's glaring out at me.
"I'll show you a baby," she snarls.
"Link! Put the boot down!" Bruiser growls as I dive down to throw the boot back at her. Dad appears behind him with a blanket in hand. He tosses it up the stairs to me and I drop the boot to catch it. "There," Bruiser mutters. "Now go to bed. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow." They both disappear around the corner again. I kick my boot back into the room (aiming at Neesha who scuttles out of the way) then gather up the blanket and head back into it.
"What was that about?" Hunter whispers, staring curiously at me. "What did you hear? You stood there forever." I dump the blanket unceremoniously on Neesha who aims a kick at my ankle that I just manage to dodge. I turn to Hunter with a grin.
"I think we can give them a bigger head start," I say. Hunter raises an eyebrow at me.
"You know where they're going?" He asks.
I smirk at him.
"I know where they're going."