Chapter 2
Enbarr's Everyman
Enbarr, Seat of the Empire; The Dockyard's Rest
8th of the Great Tree Moon (April), imperial Year 1179
364 Days before Byleth's First Term
[Now Playing: Castle Town Market, Ocarina of Time OST]
The next day came quietly for Maurice, the keeper of the Dockyard's Rest. His entire week had been quiet, in fact. There hadn't even been any brawls for a while. His problem customer, Leeroy, didn't show up at all yesterday, which suited him just fine.
Well… there was the elf-looking guy that came in yesterday. That was new.
He had paid for a room, and didn't cause any problems, so Maurice was more than happy to leave the man be. He had learned long ago to not ask too many questions, and a man as quiet as that, for as much as he stood out, clearly didn't want to be asked anything.
Of course, he heard him screaming earlier, but the people who stayed at his inn had night terrors fairly often. It wasn't his place to judge or question.
Speak of the devil. Maurice watched as the man trudged downstairs, wearing a light blue shirt and white pants with what looked like riding boots. He had a sword strapped to his back, the scabbard intricately carved and gilded. He just tiredly ordered a meal, paying a bit more than was necessary, but Maurice wasn't going to complain about a tip.
The man wore the sword on his back well, like it had belonged to him his whole life. As Maurice studied the blade, he furrowed his brows. Even I can feel the magic coming off that thing. Is he a Knight? Maurice shook his head. Nah, Knights usually stay uptown.
The man (or, now that Maurice could get a better look at his face, the boy) ate his meal quietly, staring at the plate as if deep in thought.
A yelled "Oy, say that to my face, ya bastard!" followed by the crashing of a wooden chair caught Maurice's attention. His gaze snapped from the kid over to a corner of his tavern, where a couple of his more unruly regulars sat. Maurice sighed and muttered under his breath, "Godsdammit, Leeroy… get your boys in order."
The kid looked up when Maurice said Leeroy, following his gaze to the brewing altercation in the corner. He looked back, and in a voice barely above a whisper, said "Leeroy?"
"Huh?" Maurice blinked, taking a second to realize the kid had talked. "Oh, yeah. Those are two of Leeroy's boys. They're usually causing trouble in here, but I'm getting too old to do anythin' about it now." The kid's brows furrowed for a moment, but he guessed he understood, because he stood up, pushing his chair back. "Kid, wait-!" Maurice reached out to grab his wrist, but the kid did a little spin maneuver and started walking towards the two men.
Quick as a flash, he cracked his fists over the backs of their head, dropping them both to the floor. He grabbed them both by the backs of their shirts and hauled them up on his shoulders, walked over to the door, kicked it open, and tossed them out. Wiping his hands, he closed the door again and sat back down like nothing happened.
He just sat there, like he didn't casually throw around two fully-grown men like somewhat cumbersome bags of flour with arms as skinny as a rake.
After taking a moment to process, Maurice dropped the extra cash in front of the kid. "I don't know how you did that, but thanks."
The kid looked at the coins, then Maurice, then back to the coins. He slowly reached out and took them, dropping them into a pouch at his side, then nodded. "Gratias tibi."
"Uh… what?" But, it seemed like he was done speaking, as he simply finished his food and left.
When Maurice went to clear his plate, he found the coins he had given the kid under his plate, as well as a green gemstone, about the size of his hand, perfectly cut, and practically glowing. Eyes shifting around the bar, he quickly pocketed the coins and gemstone, figuring he'd find out what it was worth later.
He'd have to thank the kid again after that. Maybe let him stay on the house.
Joseph Jones, or Old Man Jones as his regulars called him, was having a very bad day. At first, it was his cart; one of the axles broke, and he had gotten to market an hour late after doing repairs.
Then, he had to pay off Leeroy's boys again. They were getting bold, and seemed extra pissy about something, Jones overhearing them talking about how Leeroy took a beating from some 'snot-nosed blondie' yesterday.
And, of course, when he finally got to the market, all the good spots were taken, so he had to set up shop in uptown, nearby a jeweler's shop. While there were wealthier customers here, most had fruit of higher quality than what Jones had in stock delivered to them or grown at home by professionals and mages.
He was about to curse the gods for giving him a weak back, almost throwing it out completely trying to move one of his fruit crates, when he stopped and stared.
The crate was rising.
He looked over to the side to see some noble-born kid with long, dirty blonde hair, a black coat and beret with white boots and a- is that a goddamn golden sword?!- lifting the crate onto one of his shoulders like it weighed damn near nothing.
Jones stared at the kid for a second, before the kid gestured to the crate, then the stall, and said what sounded like "Ubi vis fructus?" Figuring he was asking about the fruit, but still too shocked to actually speak, Jones just pointed at his stall. The kid walked over like he wasn't carrying a couple hundred kilos of fruit on one shoulder with one hand, set it down with a heavy thump, and went back to the cart to get the rest.
Afterwards, Jones gave him some mangoes for free, and offered him a job. The kid had tilted his head and stared at Jones with a confusing expression (Maybe he's foreign? Would explain the ears.) before taking the mangoes and leaving.
Jones would spend the rest of his day telling his few customers and the other merchants about the weird kid with the super strength, trying to figure out what crest he had.
By the end of the day, he still hadn't settled on a sure fire bet, but he figured the closest he could get was the kingdom's prince, Dimitri. From what he had heard, the Bladdyd's had super strength or something. He didn't remember anything about the kid being a foreigner, though.
Ishmael cursed as he nearly dropped his hammer, nursing his sore thumb. This had been the fourth time he had mashed his hand trying to hold his store's new banner straight, and he was starting to get pissed about it. It's just one goddamn banner, how hard could it be?!
He was still cursing under his breath when he saw the top of the banner move. Looking at the ground from the top of his ladder, he saw some noble brat holding the banner and climbing the other side. Ishmael stared at the kid, who looked back at him and pantomimed a hammer swing.
Scoffing, Ishmael carefully tapped in the nail, finding it much easier to hold it steady now that there wasn't a heavy-ass cloth holding the damn thing down.
They both climbed down and switched without saying a word, the kid checking the nail while he hammered in the other side, afterwards stepping back to examine the banner, before the kid glanced over, gave him a two-fingered salute, and walked away.
Well. That was weird. Ishmael shrugged and walked inside his store. Pretty helpful for a noble, I guess.
Patty flattened herself against the brick wall as the two men held her at knifepoint.
"Look, chickadee, we just want your money, and we'll let you go." The man on the left spoke, before his gaze flicked down to her chest. "…After we have some fun, of course. Can't let an opportunity like this go by."
She was terrified. She had just wanted to take a shortcut home from the market, but they had ambushed her in the alleyway. She felt tears burning in the corners of her eyes as the men crept closer, knives glinting in the sunlight. She closed her eyes and sobbed, waiting for their rough hands to grab her, to throw her to the ground, to-
Two thumps and the sound of metal clattering against bricks grabbed her attention. She opened her eyes, expecting to see the two men.
She did, but they were on the ground, unconscious, knives fallen against the bricks. Instead, standing over them both, was a blonde man in noble's clothes, holding a heavy shield in one hand, and a sword in the other.
"Who… who are you?" She asked, voice barely a whisper. That's when she remembers what Old Man Jones had just told her about.
"I swear, he came out of nowhere. Just picked up them there crates like they were nothin' and walked off with barely a word. Somethin' foreign, I dunno."
"Do you know who he was?"
"Nah, no idea. Some noble kid, all dressed in black and white. Looked like some kinda hero if you asked me. Hell, I bet he could do damn near every man's job if he wanted... Hey, that's got a nice ring to it! Everyman!"
She had scoffed at the outlandish description, but looking at him now, she had to give Jones credit. He was right; he does look like a hero.
"Num laeditur?" The man asked, voice as soft as silk yet strong as iron. He put his weapons away, then waved to the two men, then herself.
"I… I'm not hurt, if that's what you're asking." Patty held out her arms, rolling up her sleeves and patting herself before giving him a thumb's up, hoping he'd get the message.
It seemed like he did, as he nodded and grabbed both of the men by the back of the shirt.
As he walked back out of the alleyway, Patty called out to him. "Wait! What's your name?"
The man turned around and raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and shaking his head. Right, foreign… "Thank you!" At this, the man smiled and nodded, turning back around to leave once more.
As she watched his retreating back, Patty blinked, coming to a conclusion. He's… kinda cute.
Wait, where did that come from?!
Miss Jessamine, unfortunately, was getting old. She knew it, she didn't like it, but there wasn't much she could do about it.
She was made keenly aware of it when she felt her grip slip on her bag of groceries, and as she rushed to catch them, felt their weight start pulling her down.
She flinched, expecting the hard, yet familiar pain of her old knees hitting the cobble road, bracing for the impact.
She wasn't ready for the arm like iron to cross her chest and catch her.
She looked over to see a young knight, holding both herself up with one arm, and her groceries with the other. He helped her steady herself, then made a show of tucking the groceries under his arm, and offering his other to her. Oh, well isn't he polite? Especially for a noble.
Jessamine took his arm all the same, and he walked with her back to her home, carrying her groceries all the way. He even stayed behind to put them away, and prepare a meal for her (she wasn't expecting that much hospitality, but she had to admit, the man was an excellent chef).
At first, he refused the few coins she had given him as thanks, holding his hand flat and pushing hers away. Loathe to accept help without repaying it, she grabbed his hand, forced the coins into his gloved palm, and closed his fingers around it.
Hours later, when she would walk around her home to blow out the candles for the night, she'd find the coins neatly stacked on her table, alongside a beautiful blue jewel.
[Now Playing: Comet Observatory, Super Mario Galaxy]
A young woman looked out at the sunset from the docks, grateful they extended out far enough to see the sun set over the ocean.
She liked to come here after her opera practice, to enjoy the peace and quiet. After having so many expectations piled on her back home, this chance to simply sit and listen to the waves and wind always calmed her, and allowed her to forget just who she was for a while.
She had stood, preparing to go home, when she looked to her left and saw a man sitting on the next bench over, staring at the ocean too. Seemingly lost in thought, his ice-blue eyes reflected the red and orange hues of the sunset, and his face was framed in a wonderful glow thanks to the fading sunlight.
Wait… black clothes, gold sword… that must be Mister Jones' Everyman. I wonder what he's doing here…?
She walked up to the man, who had yet to acknowledge her presence. "Well, hello there. I guess you must be Enbarr's new Everyman, hm?" He finally looked up at her, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. Oh gods, he's gorgeous.
His eyes, especially now that they weren't reflecting the sun, seemed to pierce straight through her, holding an intensity that she had never seen in another man before. His dirty blonde hair framed his face, glowing with the light of the sun to his side and bearing a few scars; what looked like the cuts of swords or claws.
His clothing didn't help much, giving fine definition to the lean but sturdy definition of his muscles, and the sword at his side was gleaming; polished, yet marked with the occasional cut or crack in the metal, having seen battle but being well taken care of in the meantime.
She realized with a small flush of her cheeks that she had been staring for quite some time, but he had simply hummed an agreement and turned back to the sunset. After a moment, he slid to the side of the bench, patting the newly emptied spot.
Still processing his exceptional good looks, she sat down next to him, waiting for him to say something. Unfortunately, he seemed quite content to just stare at the sunset.
"Ah, that's right. I did hear you were a quiet one." The man looked at her, and nodded without much fanfare.
She quickly racked her brain for something to talk about, anything, wanting to spend more time with this strange, beautiful man she had heard so much about from her housemaid and Old Man Jones. She hadn't believed them at first, a strange man in black noble's clothes saving the day is just absurd, but now that she was sitting next to him, she very much wanted to know more about him; this mysterious stranger that had appeared from seemingly nowhere yet wore the clothes of a noble like they were second nature.
Finally, she had an idea. "Well, Mister Everyman, I know you've been more active in the lower parts of town, but I was wondering if you'd fulfill a request in the upper district?" His gaze snapped to the side, his eyes meeting hers so quickly she almost jumped. Did he forget I was here? Either way… seems like he's listening. Good. "All I'd ask is that you walk me home tonight." She gave him a smile, hoping he'd agree.
Jones' Everyman tilted his head to the side, likely thinking about what she had said, going over it a few times. She did recall he didn't speak their language, after all, so it likely took him a second to figure out what she had said.
After a moment, his head straightened and he nodded. "…Okay."
She felt her breath hitch again. His voice was… completely unlike anything she had heard before. She was so used to loud, boisterous men who had had too much to drink, or slimy men who were much too forward, or knights with deep baritones that loved to talk about themselves almost as much as they loved to be seen with her on their arm.
His voice was… remarkably different.
It was soft and gentle, coming out almost like a whisper, just loud enough for her to hear. He had to be young, maybe only a year older than herself, and while his voice was deeper than most boys her age, it didn't have that edge to it that knights and nobles seemed to have.
With one word, she was completely captivated by the sound of his voice.
She smiled, leaning back on the bench as he made to stand. She put an arm on his shoulder and oh my god it's like iron and gently pulled him back down. "We don't have to leave just yet, Everyman. Sit, let's talk."
He glanced at her, his eyes looking more and more like a wolf's the more she stared into them, before he shrugged and leaned back against the bench, crossing his arms in his lap. "Talk… what…?"
She had to suppress a shiver. Gods, that voice is dangerous. "About anything, really. What are you doing at the docks, for example? From what I've heard today, it seemed like you were helping people nonstop."
She noticed a tinge of red appearing on his cheeks. Is he… embarrassed? "…Almost. Need… break."
"I'd say anyone would need a break after a day of hard work." She turned to the side to face him better, finding him much a more interesting view than the sunset. "Did you even get paid for any of it?"
"Coins… and…" He looked upwards and tapped his chin in thought, before snapping his fingers. "Mangos!" She giggled at his look of satisfaction.
"That must have been Jones." He looked over at her again, an eyebrow raised. "Large Almyran man? Wears a white shirt and straw hat?" His eyes lit up with recognition.
"He is… friendly." A smile and a nod.
"Very much so. He also talked to everyone about you. You should have heard him; I swear, he looks just like a hero! Honestly, I think everyone in Enbarr knows who you are now."
She didn't miss the apprehensive look that flashed across his face, gone so quickly she thought she had imagined it. The red in his cheeks, only having just gone away, came back again, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"…No hero. Just… help."
"You did a lot more than 'help' today, too. Do you remember Patty?" He looked at her, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Attacked in an alleyway?" There was the light of recognition. "She works at my home as a housemaid, told me all about it." She giggled again. "She also said you were really cute, and I have to say I agree."
It took him a second to process, but when he did the red in his cheeks came back in full force. She laughed loudly for a moment, only causing the red to grow a bit more. "You embarrass easily, don't you?"
"…Not used to it."
"Really?" She tilted her head. "You'd think with all the good you've done just today, let alone whatever else you've done in your past, you would have received more praise."
"…My duty. Was not… not same. Expected."
Despite only knowing him for a short while, only able to speak with him in broken replies, she felt her heart twist just a bit at the sad tone in his voice, even softer than it had been. His eyes almost seemed like they had dulled in color ever so slightly, his stare at the sun having shifted to the sea below them.
"It was… expected? You were expected to help everyone?"
"…Yes. I… was a knight."
He said it with so many conflicting emotions playing out in his voice and across his face, she was sure it was a dark topic for him. Bitterness, grief, pain… they all flashed across his face before it settled back into a neutral mask. It didn't help that the sun had by now set, casting his face in shadow, hidden from the light of the moon above them.
"If I may ask… what is your name? And, I know you don't speak our language, so… if it'd make you feel more comfortable, I'd like you to say it in your own language."
He took a deep breath in, and spoke. "My name is Link."
She blinked once.
Twice.
She understood him.
She knew that language.
"Wait, you speak Ancient?"
Now it was his turn to seem shocked. "You… you can understand me?"
"Yes, I… in my performances, the songs I sing, they're in this language. I learned how to speak it from an ancient book in the library, likely several hundred years old, because it helped me sing the language better. I never thought I'd meet someone who spoke it naturally."
"I can imagine. I'm not exactly a local."
"I can tell. The ears kind of give you away."
"I know. I've been trying to hide them, but… haven't been successful."
She was giddy by now. Now that they were speaking the same language, he had opened right up and was speaking much more than before. His voice had almost a soft force to it, like distant thunder rolling across a hill.
"You've made quite the reputation for yourself already then, Everyman Link."
"I've been wondering what that meant all day, Everyman. Is it some kind of title?"
"For you alone. I believe Jones decided on it because you can do every man's job."
"Huh." Link looked away, then shrugged. "He's not wrong, I guess. But…" He stood, and held out a hand. "I believe it's getting late, and you did ask me to walk you home."
She accepted his hand and stood, then two of them facing each other for a quiet moment.
"Dorothea."
"Hm?"
"My name. It's Dorothea."
"Well, Dorothea…" Link held out his arm. "Shall we be on our way?"
Dorothea linked his arm with his and smiled. "I believe we shall. Come, I'll show you the way."
"By all means."
Next Chapter April 30th.
AN: Say hello to Dorothea, everyone! She's got it bad for our hero, doesn't she? ;)
Anyways, hello, it's me again. Honestly, I've been pleasantly surprised by the attention this has been getting. All this for one chapter? I didn't think the entire story would get any traction, so to see one chapter have even a few views, favorites, and follows, really warms my heart, let alone the fact that we broke double digits on follows. That deadass blew my mind.
A couple things I wanna address before I answer some questions in the reviews; In this world, Hylian to Imperical is like Latin to English (and both are portrayed as such). If someone were to speak to you in Latin, you could catch a few words here and there, mostly the important ones, but the full sentence would be beyond you. Here, it's much the same; Link can catch the major gist of what's being said, and others can assume he doesn't know Imperical very well and are doing their best to guess at what's being said, but the specifics are lost. Are the two languages direct parallels to Latin and English? In-story, no; think of it as, the dialogue that's actually being said is being translated from Hylian to Latin, and Imperical to English, though in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter very much.
The full explanation and specifics for this will eventually come up in the story, but for now I'm not going to say anything, so I won't spoil anything. Just keep in mind that, for one reason or another, Hylian and Imperical sound vaguely familiar and share some similar words, like 'gold', 'magic', and 'sword'.
Link will quickly learn Imperical, so just bear with the language barrier for a few chapters longer.
Why am I doing this, when it'd be easier to just have everyone speak the same language?
:)
Oh, and, if you were expecting this chapter to be uploaded around midnight like chapter 1, unfortunately I ran into a few complications. My internet got fucked on the 25th, and even though I had everything written out and polished by then I wasn't happy with it, so I completely rewrote all of it in the span of about two hours, when my shift at work started. Originally, it was going to be from Link's perspective, but I had the idea to change it to the populace's perspective the day before my internet died.
So here we are.
Hopefully, this turned out well, but I might come back and rewrite it later down the line, especially once my internet's back and I can use my computer to write instead of my phone.
Lord knows tabs are better than apps.
Am I happy with how this turned out?… Sort of. I finished writing this at 2 am, and I'll do some editing, post around 8am EST. Give me some time to let me forget what I've written so I can edit with fresh eyes.
Oh, and if anyone feels like beta reading… I very much need someone other than myself to read through my garbage, find all the spots that need polish that I missed.
Also, Twin Blades is going to be on AO3, but I have to do some reformatting and learn how AO3 works at all (I'm only uploading there on the recommendation of tatetitotu lmao), so keep an eye out. It'll definitely be up by the time Chapter 3 goes live, but more than likely it'll be posted before then.
Thanks again for reading the chapter, and I hope you'll stick around for when Chapter 3 gets released at the end of April. Hopefully.
Review Responses:
Link B. Johnson: Q: "So was Zelda actually in danger or was that a nightmare? I presume it's the latter."
It is indeed a nightmare. Of what… that's a surprise. :)