Moonlight.
"Come in."
The children glanced at each other, and then Keiko pushed open the door. They stepped inside and Toru closed it behind them. Their mother stood beside the window; the last rays of light glinted across her body. The children came forwards until they stood before the desk, their faces illuminated by the sunlight.
Impa spoke without looking at them, "I cannot tell you how... disappointed I am with you. I thought I could trust you to remain here. I congratulate you on finding the flaw with your punishment; however, I thought you would know better."
Keiko lowered her head and fought the tears. It was worse than she had imagined. The disappointment was unbearable: it filled the room and made the brightness of the sunlight seem glaring and painful. She could not bear to look at her mother.
"And now you have... for want of a better word, *paid* for your actions. I did not wish you to be hurt - what mother would? However, that is why I devised the punishment. What would your father say?"
Tamasine felt his father's presence in the room, wearing the same grim expression. He too lowered his head right down to his chest. His own blood soaked the material of his plain tunic.
Toru winced at the mention of the twin's father. This was something he had been meaning to ask Keiko, Tam, anyone. Aiden had called him "the one with skin like a dead fish". Toru had been contemplating where his skin came from. And his hair. And his eyes. He knew he was adopted - but he didn't know who his real parents were. Aiden's insult had fired up this desire to know within him again.
"I think you should go to bed and think about your actions today..." said Impa at last, after an uncomfortably long pause. The twins backed out silently. Toru lingered, gathering the courage to speak.
"Mother... Lady Impa. You spoke of 'father'."
Impa turned to face him, and Toru was startled to see her eyes shine with unshed tears. He took a deep breath, "Who are my parents?"
There was another silent pause. Somewhere in a dark forest, a Wolfos howled to the moon.
Impa turned to face the window again and her shoulders rose and fell in a deep sigh. Toru came closer and rested his hands on the desk.
"You are made of three threads, Toru," she said at last, "Zora, Gerudo, and Hylian. Zora because your mother was the Princess of the Zora. Gerudo and Hylian because your father was my half-brother: spawn of my mother and Ganondorf."
Toru was silent for a moment. Then he whispered quietly, "You killed him... didn't you?"
Impa came around the desk and knelt beside him, "Yes. He killed my father. I was only a little child at the time, and what he did destroyed a part of me. He had to die so that I might avenge my father's death."
"I don't belong here," murmured Toru softly, "I remind you of him, don't I?" He ran a hand through his tangled red hair and blinked back tears. Impa drew him onto her knees and embraced him; "I love you as my son, Toru. You belong here as much as Kei and Tam." The tears began to flow, and Toru wept uncontrollably into her shoulder.
Impa rocked him for a moment and then stood him upright, "Come here, Toru. Let me show you something."
She led him across the room to a full-length mirror. She made him stand in front of it, and lifted a section of his hair, "See your ears?"
"Pointed," breathed Toru.
Impa smiled, "Only Royal family members have pointed ears. Except the Kokiri, but theirs are more subtle."
A though suddenly darted through Toru's had, "Mother... can you tell me anything about a little girl who can't see because her eyes were slashed?"
"Why'd you ask?"
"We met this girl in the marketplace. She had pointed ears like mine and yours."
Impa breathed out slowly and deliberately, "I recall something... Get to bed, Toru - you must be shattered. I'll look up my hunch and tell you in the morning." She kissed the top of his head. "Run along now. But, Toru... Don't think I'm any less disappointed with you than I am with Keiko and Tamasine..."
***
Keiko and Tamasine were lying in their separate beds, waiting for Toru as he slipped back into their joint chamber. They watched him as he came in; there was an awkward silence.
"Toru... what was that about?" asked Keiko gently.
"Nothing..."
"It must have been something - you've been crying, haven't you?" insisted Tamasine getting up and approaching him.
Toru whirled around, eyes blazing, "Don't talk to me about it, please!"
"Why not? You're supposed to be our brother - we don't keep secrets from you so why should you keep them from us?" Tamasine shot back. Toru sighed angrily and made for the dresser, but Tamasine grabbed his arm.
Toru was powerless to the wave of anger that swept through him. He wrenched his arm away and gave Tamasine a shove. The boy tripped on the rug and fell backwards with a muted cry of pain as his injured arm twisted. Keiko jumped up, but Toru was lost - he stormed across the room and leapt onto the windowsill. He stood and pulled himself onto the roof, and as Keiko ran to the window to try and catch him, he scrambled over the rooftop and away into the night. Keiko hung out of the window, squinting into the darkness of a starless night.
There was a pause. Keiko, straining her ears, could just make out the crash as tiles landed on the ground, and then a muffled thump as Toru joined them. Listening harder still, she heard the north gate creak as he fled the Castle. She turned back to her brother and helped him upright gingerly, avoiding his broken arm. Tamasine's eyes were bright with tears of pain and regret.
"I shouldn't have said that," he murmured, as they crossed the room to the window again.
Keiko was silent, gazing out into the night. "We have to go and get him," she breathed.
Tamasine shot her a look, "We'll get in so much trouble, Kei..."
"We can't leave him. We should have been more sensitive to him."
"I know... Come on. If we're lucky we'll make it back before dawn." Tamasine swung a cloak around his shoulders and tugged on his boots. Keiko pulled her hair back into a braid and followed suit. The twins slipped down the staircase, through the servant's entrance and ran down the garden, in hot pursuit of Toru.
***
"Come in."
The children glanced at each other, and then Keiko pushed open the door. They stepped inside and Toru closed it behind them. Their mother stood beside the window; the last rays of light glinted across her body. The children came forwards until they stood before the desk, their faces illuminated by the sunlight.
Impa spoke without looking at them, "I cannot tell you how... disappointed I am with you. I thought I could trust you to remain here. I congratulate you on finding the flaw with your punishment; however, I thought you would know better."
Keiko lowered her head and fought the tears. It was worse than she had imagined. The disappointment was unbearable: it filled the room and made the brightness of the sunlight seem glaring and painful. She could not bear to look at her mother.
"And now you have... for want of a better word, *paid* for your actions. I did not wish you to be hurt - what mother would? However, that is why I devised the punishment. What would your father say?"
Tamasine felt his father's presence in the room, wearing the same grim expression. He too lowered his head right down to his chest. His own blood soaked the material of his plain tunic.
Toru winced at the mention of the twin's father. This was something he had been meaning to ask Keiko, Tam, anyone. Aiden had called him "the one with skin like a dead fish". Toru had been contemplating where his skin came from. And his hair. And his eyes. He knew he was adopted - but he didn't know who his real parents were. Aiden's insult had fired up this desire to know within him again.
"I think you should go to bed and think about your actions today..." said Impa at last, after an uncomfortably long pause. The twins backed out silently. Toru lingered, gathering the courage to speak.
"Mother... Lady Impa. You spoke of 'father'."
Impa turned to face him, and Toru was startled to see her eyes shine with unshed tears. He took a deep breath, "Who are my parents?"
There was another silent pause. Somewhere in a dark forest, a Wolfos howled to the moon.
Impa turned to face the window again and her shoulders rose and fell in a deep sigh. Toru came closer and rested his hands on the desk.
"You are made of three threads, Toru," she said at last, "Zora, Gerudo, and Hylian. Zora because your mother was the Princess of the Zora. Gerudo and Hylian because your father was my half-brother: spawn of my mother and Ganondorf."
Toru was silent for a moment. Then he whispered quietly, "You killed him... didn't you?"
Impa came around the desk and knelt beside him, "Yes. He killed my father. I was only a little child at the time, and what he did destroyed a part of me. He had to die so that I might avenge my father's death."
"I don't belong here," murmured Toru softly, "I remind you of him, don't I?" He ran a hand through his tangled red hair and blinked back tears. Impa drew him onto her knees and embraced him; "I love you as my son, Toru. You belong here as much as Kei and Tam." The tears began to flow, and Toru wept uncontrollably into her shoulder.
Impa rocked him for a moment and then stood him upright, "Come here, Toru. Let me show you something."
She led him across the room to a full-length mirror. She made him stand in front of it, and lifted a section of his hair, "See your ears?"
"Pointed," breathed Toru.
Impa smiled, "Only Royal family members have pointed ears. Except the Kokiri, but theirs are more subtle."
A though suddenly darted through Toru's had, "Mother... can you tell me anything about a little girl who can't see because her eyes were slashed?"
"Why'd you ask?"
"We met this girl in the marketplace. She had pointed ears like mine and yours."
Impa breathed out slowly and deliberately, "I recall something... Get to bed, Toru - you must be shattered. I'll look up my hunch and tell you in the morning." She kissed the top of his head. "Run along now. But, Toru... Don't think I'm any less disappointed with you than I am with Keiko and Tamasine..."
***
Keiko and Tamasine were lying in their separate beds, waiting for Toru as he slipped back into their joint chamber. They watched him as he came in; there was an awkward silence.
"Toru... what was that about?" asked Keiko gently.
"Nothing..."
"It must have been something - you've been crying, haven't you?" insisted Tamasine getting up and approaching him.
Toru whirled around, eyes blazing, "Don't talk to me about it, please!"
"Why not? You're supposed to be our brother - we don't keep secrets from you so why should you keep them from us?" Tamasine shot back. Toru sighed angrily and made for the dresser, but Tamasine grabbed his arm.
Toru was powerless to the wave of anger that swept through him. He wrenched his arm away and gave Tamasine a shove. The boy tripped on the rug and fell backwards with a muted cry of pain as his injured arm twisted. Keiko jumped up, but Toru was lost - he stormed across the room and leapt onto the windowsill. He stood and pulled himself onto the roof, and as Keiko ran to the window to try and catch him, he scrambled over the rooftop and away into the night. Keiko hung out of the window, squinting into the darkness of a starless night.
There was a pause. Keiko, straining her ears, could just make out the crash as tiles landed on the ground, and then a muffled thump as Toru joined them. Listening harder still, she heard the north gate creak as he fled the Castle. She turned back to her brother and helped him upright gingerly, avoiding his broken arm. Tamasine's eyes were bright with tears of pain and regret.
"I shouldn't have said that," he murmured, as they crossed the room to the window again.
Keiko was silent, gazing out into the night. "We have to go and get him," she breathed.
Tamasine shot her a look, "We'll get in so much trouble, Kei..."
"We can't leave him. We should have been more sensitive to him."
"I know... Come on. If we're lucky we'll make it back before dawn." Tamasine swung a cloak around his shoulders and tugged on his boots. Keiko pulled her hair back into a braid and followed suit. The twins slipped down the staircase, through the servant's entrance and ran down the garden, in hot pursuit of Toru.
***