It is said that Farore is the chosen goddess of thieves, for it is heedless courage that spurs them forward in their sinful pursuits.
The Proverbs of Sage Aginah
"Unbelievable." Maple glared at him skeptically. They sat at their normal table in the back of Telma's.
"It's all true, thieves' honor." Link assured her, taking a sip of his drink. It was cheap stuff, more water than liquor.
She scoffed. "I'm supposed to believe you just bumped into a foreign king in the middle of the slums and he hired you?" Though she kept her voice low the incredulity was clear.
"You know my luck." Link shrugged. He had to admit his story was unlikely to say the least, but hey, Link's life had always been an odd one. "Either way he's offering rupees, more than we'd get from any fence or gang in the city."
Maple bit her lip and looked down at her cup. Telma refused to give the girl liquor, instead, she made do with milk.
She gave him a narrowed glare. "I guess I believe you." She sighed. "But y'know any deal this good has a catch."
Link smiled crookedly. "He already threatened to disembowel me if that counts."
Maple ignored him, tapping their table idly. "Who'd he want you to scout first?"
"The chancellor." He knew little about the man, but Link had always been good at finding what others kept hidden.
Maple's lips thinned. "He's aiming high." She said warily.
"We're good climbers, May." Link answered. She was right of course, if minor nobles could get a thief hanged, goddess knew what a chancellor could do; but he was used to danger, used to living life on a tightrope.
Link sighed. "It'll be dangerous, I know that, but we're not exactly overcome with options." He sipped his drink. "You don't need to involve yourself in this, May. I can manage it myself."
Maple gave him a long searching stare before shrugging dismissively. "You're doing this for my sake, I can't let you do it alone." She sipped her milk. "Besides, you'd make a mess of things on your own."
He smiled. "Great. We'll need to plan this out, meet me at my place at seven."
Maple nodded, getting to her feet. She stretched her arms and turned to him, hesitantly. "Link...Thanks." She murmured.
Maple's words brought a jolt of surprise. She was a prideful, prickly, thing and neither of them were the type to bare their feelings.
"It's no trouble, May. You can owe me one." He said with an exaggerated wink, unsure how else to respond.
Maple rolled her eyes, her smile returning. "I'll remember that the next time you stumble into trouble." She said before striding out of the bar, the door slamming behind her.
Probably in a rush to get back to her grandmother. Link recalled his own gran, the soft kind voice that had told Link countless legends and tales. The voice that- No. With a start, he forced the thoughts from his mind. There was no point in thinking of the past, in dwelling on the darkness that lay behind him.
He finished his drink, too watered down to get him drunk. He needed his wits about him for his night's work.
Telma smiled at him as he approached. "You off to work?" Her voice lilting playfully on the word "work".
Link smiled back at her. "Gotta make a living somehow." He fished around his bag and slapped a green rupee on the counter.
Telma hummed. "You're not wrong." She said, a solemn look in her eyes. "You be careful out there."
Link nodded. "Afraid to lose a customer?" He asked lightly.
Telma frowned, taking a rag from beneath the counter and scrubbing at his glass. "The guards have been twitchy these past couple days. There's trouble coming, mark my words."
Link kept his smile but Telma's words disquieted him. Telma wasn't one for idle gossip and she had a long habit of being right. If she thought trouble was brewing then he would keep his eyes sharp.
"I'll keep an eye out; you don't have to worry for me."
Telma gazed at him skeptically but didn't contradict him. Link gave her a parting wave as he pushed through the door to Castle Town.
It was a beautiful morning, the factory smog that hung across the sky was thinner than usual and the sunshine made even the dismal alley that led to Telma's bar seem slightly cheerier.
He whistled as he walked, a habit that irritated Maple to no end. He walked the familiar path to the market square, giving a passing greeting to the beggars who huddled in the allies near the market.
He paused a few yards from his destination as a pitiful squeak reached his ears. He quickly found the source, a scrawny kitten lavishing in a rare patch of sunlight.
He advanced towards it slowly and gave the thing a fond stroke. It was mouse gray with bedraggled fur and one eye missing. It squirmed under his hand and mewled softly. It was a scrawny little thing, Link was sure it hadn't had a decent meal in it's life.
He left the kitten after a moment and stepped out into the bustle of the market. For a brief moment, he considered going back for the kitten before quickly squashing the thought. Castletown was full of strays and unfortunates, those beyond even the notice of the Goddesses, there was nothing to be done for them.
He bit his lip as a thought flit unbidden through his mind. He thought of his sister. Aryll would have taken the kitten. If she had possessed the means to help something then she helped.
But Link was not Aryll. He was callous where she'd been kind and as much as he hated it, he knew that his nature was what let him survive.
A soft heart was destined to be crushed beneath a heel in Hyrule, that was the way of the world. Link was no one's savior, he knew that much for certain.
He'd come to the southern end, far from the wealthy nobles and their upscale shops. He pushed through the thick crowd, keeping a hand on his purse. Early mornings were always lousy with customers trying to grab whatever they needed before their work started.
In the background half a hundred costermongers shouted out their wares. He passed by shabby stalls and scrawny children with bundled goods as he hurried on his way. One of the first rules he'd learned in Castle Town was not to go to the market without a firm location in mind. Wandering would get you robbed, conned, and lost.
Even so, Link didn't worry about being robbed; though the market was full of cutpurses and pickpockets, he made a poor mark. He and Maple had started their criminal careers as pickpockets and any would-be thieves worth their rupees knew that young and poor marks would chase a prospective thief to Death Mountain and back whereas a rich or old mark might not notice their predicament until you were safely hidden in the crowd.
Nevertheless, he'd come to the market in search of a guardsman, not a thief. Viscen was a low-ranking guard with a nasty habit of gambling and a nastier habit of losing. The man was up to his pointed ears in debt.
He passed with practiced ease through the crowd, past criers, begging priests, and a few patrolling soldiers as he approached Viscen's favored bar. Mercay's tavern was posher than Telma's, a regular hangout for Hyrule's guardsmen. He'd have to approach cautiously or the guardsmen would close ranks around their brother.
He slipped through the door and let it close gently behind him. Drawing attention from the other guards would be foolish.
The portly bartender gave him a dismissive once over, his gaze quickly returning to a group of soldiers.
"You've seen that savage king haven't you?" One said, slurring slightly. "He's s'posed to be some kind of great warrior."
A straw-haired soldier laughed. "I saw em', he'd be no match for us."
Link's mind went to Ganondorf, his stature and effortless grace. "I doubt that." He murmured under his breath. He'd seen the valor of Hylean soldiers and knights during the war. They'd been cowards and killers, nothing more.
Viscen was drinking amid a group of soldiers. He'd have to catch his eye and get him alone, he'd recognize him from a few past collections Link hoped.
Link ordered a cheap drink, leaning casually against the bar. After a few minutes, Viscen caught his eye and a quick scowl passed his face. Link held up two fingers, Blind's signal for collection.
He paid for his drink and walked outside, Viscen following two minutes after, his face flushed with anger.
"I'm not due till next week!" He hissed, his breath reeking of liquor. Link smiled flippantly. "Blind calls when he calls."
Viscen's lips trembled slightly. "I don't...I don't have the rupees." He said, still blustering.
Link leaned back against the wall, lies slipping easily from his lips. "We're not looking for rupees this week." He gestured Viscen to the bar's back alley and gave him a moment to follow. "This time you'll pay in information."
"Information?" He sputtered. "What kind of-"
"Everything you know about Chancellor Cole, his mansion, his business, everything." Link cut his sputterings off.
Viscen looked at him warily before beginning to speak.
"He's got five personal bodyguards and ten servants, three of whom live on property. He's a paranoid bastard as it turns out, maybe rightly so. Word is that most nobles want him dead." Link reported.
Link had been musing on the problem of the servants since he'd heard of them. He didn't have the rupees to bribe them and he sure as hell wasn't willing to kill them.
"Why is that?" Ganondorf prodded. He looked jarringly out of place in the Stock Pot Inn, the bed sagged beneath his weight and his large frame was overwhelming in the small room.
"He's not noble. Just some merchant the king took a liking to. The lead investor in the Hyrule rail system, he's appallingly rich but..."
"He isn't noble." Ganondorf finished contemptuously.
Link nodded. "Course he's rich enough to buy legitimacy, he's looking for a bride with a pedigree."
"I see." Ganondorf said. His sharp eyes were narrowed in thought, Link couldn't help but admire his eyes. They were watchful and wary as an owl's yet glints of humor lingered there as well.
"Why d'you wanna know about the chancellor anyway?" The words leapt from his throat before he could hold them back and he cursed his damnable curiosity.
Ganondorf's eyes turned to him, his eyes sharp. "That's none of your concern."
Link held up his hands. "You're right. My uh, curiosity got the better of me." He offered a self-effacing grin.
Ganondorf remained impassive. "Tell me, how did this merchant attract the king's favor?"
Link blinked at the sudden shift in topic before responding with a half shrug. "I can't say for sure. But considering the last chancellor started a war against the crown he probably wanted a candidate the nobles wouldn't get behind."
Ganondorf crossed his arms. "The last chancellor...you speak of Dagianis."
Link nodded cautiously. After the war had ended people only dared to speak of Dagianis with vicious hatred. Link supposed he should hate him as well, the war had ruined his life and yet Dagianis was only a faceless phantom to Link, much like the King of Hyrule himself. Dagianis or the King had given the orders yet it was the soldiers whose faces he still saw in his nightmares.
"I'd be careful with that name, don't want people thinking you're a loyalist." He said only half jokingly.
Ganondorf looked unamused. "I have no involvement in the squabbles of Hyrule."
Lucky him. "I'll be in the chancellor's house in the next few days." He said turning the subject back to Cole. "I figured I'd strip the house of valuables as well, make it look like his office wasn't the true target."
Ganondorf nodded, his attention blatantly turned elsewhere.
"Anything else you want? If we're done here I can start planning my crack at Cole's mansion." He asked flippantly.
Ganondorf's gaze was fixed on the window, his face contemplative. "I have no more questions." He said, an obvious dismissal.
Link stood and stretched before heading towards the door, pausing when Ganondorf spoke.
"And Link," Even with his back turned, Link could feel Ganondorf's eyes boring into him.
"Yes?" He responded, feeling an odd unfamiliar sense of trepidation.
"I do not tolerate failure or liabilities. You will remember that as you plot."
Link smiled grimly. "I'll keep it in mind."
Link crept through the kitchen entrance on silent feet. He'd bribed one of Cole's chambermaids to leave the door unlocked and so he didn't bother with picks as he strode through the pitch-black kitchen.
If he strained his ears he could just hear Maple behind him, only the slight scuff of boots on stone marked her approach.
The kitchen door opened to a servant's staircase which Link ascended slowly, wary of the creaking wood. He knew from talking to the maid that the stairs led up to the main floor. This was where the guard would be stationed.
At the top of the stairs, Link paused, holding out an arm to stop Maple as well. In the distance, he saw a lantern illuminating a parlor.
The room was the most extravagant he'd seen. Dark wooden cabinets lined the walls and even in the meager light of the guard's lantern Link could see the glint of silver and gold within. In the middle of the room, red satin armchairs and sofas surrounded a glass tea table.
Yet that was not the room's centerpiece, at the back of the room was a magnificent stained glass window.
Link could make out the scene, it was a religious tableau, the hero of time sealing the demon king. He was sure it would be gorgeous in the daytime. Still, their target was not Cole's furnishings, so Link turned his eyes to the wooden staircase that bordered the left parlor wall.
The guard stood with his back to them, seemingly looking at the window.
Cole must be truly paranoid. Link mused. Guards inside a house were rare even for the wealthy. Then again, Cole has no shortage of wealthy enemies. Guess I'd sleep better with someone watching my back too.
Maple's eyes drifted to the guard and then to Link. She tilted her head in askance. They needed the guard distracted or they'd never make it up the stairs let alone into the study. He frowned knowing what they needed to do and dreading it.
Normally they were silent as mice; in and out without anyone the wiser. That would have been ideal for this job but privately hired guards had made that impossible. They hadn't had the rupees to bribe him off or the time to find out which guard would take shift and ensure he didn't show up.
With a silent rueful sigh, Link gestured to her slingshot and then the window. She tipped her head in response.
Link didn't watch her draw the slingshot back, staring led to nerves, and nerves led to fuck ups. He trusted Maple's aim, her skill yet he still let out a relieved breath when the window shattered with an ear-splitting crack.
The guard grunted in shock before swearing loudly. Link watched, leaning forward slightly too cautious to breathe.
Their plan depended on what the guard did next. A few seconds passed as the guard fumbled with his spear and then with heavy clunking footsteps, walked toward the window.
Relief flooded him as he crept swiftly towards the stairs. The guard swore again as he trod over the glass, the sound echoing loudly in the silent parlor but he didn't turn. Instead to Link's gratitude, he craned his head out of the window, presumably searching for whoever had shattered it.
The stairs were not many and Link soon came to the landing, frowning as he counted the doors on both sides of the hallway. There were six in all. They'd have to guess until they came to his office, which would take precious time.
Link looked to Maple and gestured at the right side of the wall as he moved towards the first door on the left. The first door opened to a bedroom, the second to a room of paintings, relief flooded him as the third door opened to a study.
Bookshelves lined the walls of the windowless rules and a heavy mahogany desk with golden drawer handles lay in the middle of the room.
Link entered quickly, shoving papers and books into his bag. The drawers were left unlocked and he stripped those as well, scoring more documents and a few leather tomes for his trouble.
To cover his tracks he grabbed a vase and statuette that had been perched on the desk, as well as a golden fountain pen. Cole had to think it was a normal robbery.
Link paused abruptly at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Without hesitation he ducked under the desk, trusting Maple to be smart enough to do similar.
Link brought a hand to the dagger sheathed in his belt. It was unlikely the guard would think to check beneath the furniture but on the off chance he did, Link would have to be ready.
The guard was wearing armor, chainmail not plate mail from the sound of it. The metal links would stop a slash but a hard stab would pierce it.
He waited under the desk, his quiet breaths the only thing to distract from the heavy footfalls from the hall.
One by one the doors creaked open until the office door opened with a shrink and light briefly fell upon the room. Link held his breath, not daring to twitch as the guard looked in.
For a few seemingly endless moments the guard was still and silent until at last, the light retreated and the guard's heavy footsteps grew faint.
He waited for the telltale creak of the stairs and distinctive sound of descent before crawling out from under the desk.
He looked over the office once more but found nothing more. He silently pushed open the door and strode into the bedroom, Maple turned to face him and he nodded his head at his bag.
The room seemed to be the master bedroom, it held an immense satin laid bed and stately dark wood wardrobe. Looking to Maple's bulging sack, he could tell she'd properly done her job.
That's my girl. He thought fondly.
Maple dipped her head in understanding and gestured toward the glass door that led onto a small stone balcony. With practiced motions she knelt and slid a pick into the keyhole, wincing at the quiet click.
Link waited as she quietly fiddled with the lock, only a soft clacking as she maneuvered the tumbler warning of her work. After a few moments, she let out a quiet triumphant breath and pulled open the door.
He stepped out onto the balcony, gusts of freezing air greeting him. Link pulled the heavy rope from his belt and tied it tightly to the railing.
They were over a hundred feet off the ground, the rope wouldn't take them all the way down, just far enough that it'd be safe to jump.
He gave the rope an experimental pull and sure that it would hold, he clamored down and disappeared into the night.