Chapter Twenty-One
Revelations

"The Marshal will not be best pleased with this, Rael," said Zelda dryly, as she ushered him through the hidden doorway at the back of her office. "He only ever grants audiences with myself, General Dragan, and occasionally high-ranking colonels. This is most unprecedented."

"I am sure he will be more than happy to meet the man that you proclaim as his son," replied Rael.

"You do not understand, the Marshal is not like other men. Surely you can tell this by his almost total solitude?"

"Your majesty, I mean no disrespect, but nobody around here seems like other men or women any more."

The narrow corridor through the door was only wide enough for them to walk single file. Zelda insisted she should walk behind Rael. Ralis stood grumpily, slumped against one of the tall arches in the study, arms folded across his chest. Zelda had instructed firmly that he should wait here for her to return, saying very purposefully that she had much more to discuss with him in private.

Rael walked swiftly through the narrow stone walled corridor, Zelda closely at his heels. "This leads to the Tower of the Marshal, doesn't it?"

"Of course," Zelda's breath caught, "Wait, you can see the tower?"

The Tower of the Marshal was magically enchanted so that it was invisible to most eyes. As Sergeant Jaker had explained, this was yet another measure by the Queen to keep the Marshal's existence as secret as possible. The Tower itself was taller than the both Palace and the Fortress, and Rael had long guessed that the two arching bridges that connected them with the tower at the centre led directly from Zelda's study and from General Dragan's study. "Yes, majesty, I have seen it."

"I am not surprised," Zelda said softly.

"Majesty," said Rael, looking over his shoulder at the elegant Queen, "is it true that you bend knee to the Marshal?"

Zelda laughed, "No, Rael, of course not. I am most certainly his superior, though he himself does tend to forget that most times, and I just let it by." To Rael, that sounded more like a 'yes' than a 'no', but he kept quiet about it.

"Who is he then? Why all the secrecy?"

Zelda sighed, "I am sure you will understand when you meet him, but Ivarl is a man who- he has a dark past. It has scarred him terribly. But as a leader, and commander, he is the best in Hyrule. Perhaps better than Brash himself ever was." The Queen fell silent.

They reached the end of the corridor at another narrow door. Rael opened it, and stepped out into the bright light of day. He nearly dived back inside the Palace when he saw how high he was. The arching bridge to the Tower was at least sixty spans above the ground, and there was little in the way of a support rail.

The sky above was blue, and the air cool and fragrant. The Battle for the White Gate - as he had overheard it being called - had called an end to the hot weather. Ten steps out across the slender white bridge, Rael looked down at the ground below him; it was a far fall to hard cobbled ground, one he would not survive he so much as stumbled now.

The Tower in front of him drew closer, round and tall, reaching high above his head and ending abruptly with a short sloped roof. It was built from a mix of dark and pale stone, matching that of both the fortress and the palace, like a mergence of the two.

A redwood door was the simple entrance, and every step Rael took towards it felt like another step towards doom. He then realised how foolish he was being. If this really was a man that wanted to kill him! What was he doing walking right into his lair?

"Go ahead Rael, the door is always open." Rael turned to face the Queen and she smiled too kindly. "I must return to Ralis, he is rather impatient, and I want him in a good mood for my discussion with him. Go ahead, and pray that the Marshal does not feel too… disturbed by your entry."

Zelda turned on her heel and swept away across the narrow bridge. Rael watched her go all the way and she did not look back. As the high door that led back to the safety of the palace closed, Rael collapsed to his knees and shook with fear.

"Oh, light," he whimpered, "what am I doing? What is happening to me? I am not her son! I am not! She lies! Oh, Da, save me!" He held his head in his hands, and screamed into the pit of his chest. He remained curled like this for some time, a thousands thoughts racing through his mind

At length, he drew out a long breath, and climbed back to his feet. He did not waver any more because of his height up here, his stance was secure and strong. This Ivarl al'Arantos had a lot to answer for, and now was the time!

He stepped towards the redwood door, and laid his left hand on the black metal handle. He laid his right hand on the black-and-gold hilt of his father's sword, hanging at his waist in its black scabbard, and gritted his teeth. It was time.

He pushed the door open, and stepped forwards into a beautiful, ornately decorated room. Round as the shape of the tower, with a high arching ceiling with tall arch windows spilling daylight through ivory lace curtains. The walls were panelled with redwood, oak, and mahogany, and a deep musty smell like wood smoke hung lazily in the air.

The start of a staircase that spiralled down to lower in the tower was to his right; on his left was a wall of bookshelves, filled with hundreds of volumes of leather bound books. Beneath his feet, spanning half of the large round study, a large symbol was emblazoned onto the near-black wood of the floor . He had seen it several times before on palace banners, a shining silver sword with its point down, with golden wings that even painted on the floor seemed to shimmer blue, green and red.

Strangely there was no door on the other side of the room like he expected there would be – nothing leading to the Fortress. Perhaps that was on a lower level of the tower?

Instead, there was a wide curved desk on the far side of the room, littered with parchment and pens and ink bottles . A large chair stood off-centre behind it, and another before it. But what had drawn Rael's eyes the moment he stepped in was the tall figure standing at the other side of the room. Night-black robes hung at the shoulders of Marshal Ivarl, and a dark hood covered his head. He was facing the other way looking up at a bookcase, when Rael walked in.

Rael's tongue froze. Confidence drained from him like water poured through a sieve, and his arms fell limply at his side.

The hooded figure turned slowly, head bowed, and for a moment said nothing. Then, he inclined his head a little, and spoke in a scratchy tired voice, "Rael. You have come to me at last." His voice was slurred and broken at the same time, moving in a wave-like rhythm.

"You are not my father, Lord Ivarl." Said Rael, as strongly as he could. "I know what you are, I know who you are. I know that you have poisoned the Queen's mind with lies about me, but you and I both know the truth. She is not my mother, and you are not my father." The firmness on Rael's tongue surprised even himself.

"Indeed," said the Marshal simply.

"And… and… what is more! I know that it is you in my dreams! I don't know how you do it, but you get inside my mind and torture me as I sleep, like a coward!" Rael shouted that last, and he felt rage bubble inside him.

"That, I do not know of," came another steady reply, "please Rael, sit. There is much that we must discuss."

Rael's hand twitched by his sword hilt, he knew attacking this man would be futile, but he wanted so much to try anyway. "You are the Lord of Dusk, you are ruling Hyrule through Zelda, and you seek to turn this world to darkness."

"Stay this heresy, child," said the Marshal raising his tone. "You will sit, and I will talk." He pointed to the empty chair in front of the desk, as he pulled up his own and lowered himself into it. He straightened his black robes, and waited patiently for Rael to comply.

"Very well," said Rael flatly. He walked across the room, down the length of that silver sword, and planted himself in the chair. He kept his back firm and rigid.

At this angle, he could see into the Marshal's hood. His skin was pale, his lips thin and bloodless, and his eyes were a hazy shade of winter. "For now, I will do all the talking. The time for your questions will come soon."

Rael stared blankly into those fogy eyes and did his best to look threatening, but this man was a terror!

The Marshal's voice became less coarse, dropping to a richer smoother tone, "As you have said Rael, most correctly, I am not your father, and Queen Zelda is not your mother. Your father was Resh, a skilled but simple carpenter from Taran Kaey; and your mother was Yvene, a weaver and dressmaker. They are your mother and father, and nothing will ever change that."

Rael nodded uncertainly, in agreement.

"However, Resh and Yvene are not your birth-father and birth-mother. They raised you, loved you, cared for you like any parent, but they are not your birth-parents. You, Rael, are the birth-son of Zelda and Ivarl, and nothing will ever change that."

"No!" growled Rael. This man's story was the same as Zelda's.

"Zelda does not lie, and I have certainly not influenced her mind in any way. General Brash was entrusted with your care twenty years ago, and he and his wife changed their identities and took you as their own. It was necessary, so Zelda said, else the world would fall into darkness – and this was no surprise to me, in honesty. But it hurt me deeply, and Zelda even more so."

"This is just not fair! How can you treat me like this? You seek to fill me with lies!"

"I do not lie, Rael! Isn't it proof enough that Zelda, myself, and every noble in Hylia that ever knew Brash have identified him as the body of your dead 'father'?"

"Then you all lie," snarled Rael.

"The prophecy does not lie, Rael. The chosen beget a child of light – you were born to Zelda. The sea rages and lightning breaks the waves – The Kairin attack Hyrule from over the sea, and are cast away by the lightning storm that I and Zelda conjured last night. The father blade heralds twilight's fall – you enter this city once again, bearing the Father Sword."

Rael fell silent. "Father Blade?" He ran his fingers down the smooth scabbard, as though soothing it.

"Yes, that is its name. Given from the true father, to the other man that you would always know as father. Some of my own blood went into the forging of that blade, so that you would always have a link to me." The Marshal made a noise very close to a sigh. "I had rather hoped this wouldn't have to be the way of things. Brash, Resh, was supposed to tell you all of this himself. You would have believed it from him I think, with time. He was supposed to tell you everything when you became a man of twenty-one years, the time Zelda determined it would be safe for you to come back to us if you chose to. You are twenty I understand, it is a shame that the Kairin attacked when they did. Another year and things would have been simpler." He really did sigh this time, "Nothing about destiny is ever simple."

"And what would you know of destiny?" Rael accused. "This is too much for me to accept, and- No, it is all a lie! A trick you are working on me. You are a being of darkness, Lord of Dusk!"

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" asked the Marshal simply.

"Well…that is what a heretic named you…" muttered Rael, realising how foolish that was for the first time.

"Yes, quite a reliable source of information, mad street tramps." The sarcasm was clear. "Come now, Rael do you think that-"

"My dreams! You are in my dreams. And you tell me that you want to kill me!"

"Rael, I could have killed you the moment you walked into this room if I wanted. I could have killed you weeks ago if I desired. I have the army of Hyrule at my disposal. Do not be so foolish. If I wanted you dead, would I be here trying to convince you that you are my son?"

Rael opened his mouth, and closed it again. He had a point there. The Marshal went on, "If words cannot convince you, then perhaps sight will. You know you do not look like Resh, and even though he always attested that you look more like your dead 'mother' Yvene, I am afraid that is another deception."

The Marshal's hands showed out of those long black sleeves as he raised his hands up to his hood. Slowly, like he had not done it in years, he took hold of the rim and pulled back the dark cloth. Strangely, his face looked less pale; the sharp angles of his face were made clear as they were un-shadowed. Thick, full locks of dark red hair hung loosely about his shoulders, framing a face that looked fierce and kindly at the same time. His foggy blue-grey eyes were still cold as winter

Rael stared into his fifty-year-old reflection, and his heart sank as his mind began to calculate the truth. He bowed his head, and dropped his eyes to avoid the accusing wisdom filled eyes of the Marshal. "You see the truth now, and so you begin to doubt even your eyes."

Rael felt like weeping, as something in the back of his thoughts started to listen to the Marshal's words. "I don't want to believe it, I don't want to say that the Da I knew is not my Da… I'm sorry, but this is just… No, it is still just a trick and-"

"Rael, look at me!" Rael jerked his head up and the Marshal smiled just slightly. "You do not need to speak the words yourself, I do not expect you to call me father, but just know the truth."

A tear trickled down Rael's cheek, "What do you want of me? Even if I am… if I am… Zelda's child… a Prince… what do you want of me?" Even as he heard those words, before he heard the Marshal's response, his mind was tickled gently by a sudden notion; a prince becomes a king.

"A war is beginning Rael," the Marshal said flatly, "The battle that you were a part of is nothing more than a small skirmish compared to what is to come. The Kairin have been hurt, but they will come again. It is declared in the prophecy that a being of light will lead Hyrule in war against its age-old brother the Kairin. I believe you are that being, Rael. I want to guide you to greatness my son, and steer you to achieve your destiny."

"But why me?" asked Rael.

"Because if you do not fight, if you do not lead us, then the entire world will be consumed by darkness and evil and undying terror. I am not your so called Lord of Dusk, Rael, but he is your true enemy it seems. The Kairin control the South of Hyrule, and you must drive them from our shores, back beyond the ocean forever. You are the only one who can defeat them, our only hope. This prophecy will not lie."

Rael shook his head and laughed, "Do you think I am a Hero out of legend or something? Do you think I can summon great power, and drive back evil with ancient power? No, I am sorry, but that is just not me."

The Marshal smiled. "No, you are not a Hero."

"I am glad," replied Rael.

"You are so much more than a Hero. So much more. The great and legendary warriors of Hyrule's past are but dust and shadows on the winds of time compared to the greatness that you will command. With fire ,you will carve your name into the stone of ages before the breaking of the world."

Rael laughed again, "And, what do you know of Heroes?"

The Marshal's brow lowered, his eyes focussed on Rael's like swords. "Because, Rael, and do not mistake my words, because of who I am." His voice dropped to a whisper. "For forty years I have been outcast and hidden, running from my destiny and duty, but no more. My name is not truly Ivarl. By the grace of the gods I swear this to you, I am the one called Link. I am the Hero of Time."

There was silence. Neither body moved a hair once the Marshal's lips closed. The words 'Link' and 'Hero' lingered, echoing in Rael's mind.

"You… you are…"

The Marshal nodded, "I am he who fought against the gerudo king Ganondorf in the Imprisoning War. I am he who saved the world, and who the world forgot." The man named Link shook his head softly.

"But I thought the Hero was dead…"

"I have been the Marshal of Zelda's armies for many years now, but I have never escaped what I once did. The name I assumed, Ivarl al'Arantos, in the old tongue of Hyrule is means 'Forsaken son of a Forgotten War'. Most fitting."

"I- I- How can you be- he who- Oh by the gods, you're serious!"

"I loved Zelda. I always did, and she loved me. We still love each other, I think. But I could never be with her. Because being a Prince, being husband to the Queen, was not the life I wanted. I wanted people to forget about me, and I could never do that as a Lord, and I could never tempt Zelda with a dream.

"But that day the prophecy was made, over twenty years ago, it made us reminisce about the past, and well, just for that once, we had a moment of weakness. I see now that it was destiny. You are the fruit of our love, Rael." Link folded his hands, and fell silent, bowing his head and going into deep thought.

The air was heavy with unspoken feelings of strong emotion. Rael knew now in his heart of hearts that it was true. But he could never truly accept that he was the son of Link and Zelda! A Hero and Queen! He could never be a Prince, and he was no leader of armies.

"Why me…? Anybody but me…"

"I did not accept my own role as Hero of Time easily, either, Rael. I can understand that the magnitude of this is ten times greater for you."

Rael wanted to cry out loud. "I just… this isn't fair! What do I do with myself now?"

The Marshal of Hyrule, Link, rose from his chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of Rael. "I will never say your life is going to be easy, now; you have already begun along a path of blood and tears and toil. Just remember, Rael. It is not destiny that defines who we are, it is not the role of others to walk our paths. It is by our own choices that we are defined, our own hardships that prove our hearts."

Rael stifled his tears, and stood up. He looked levelly into the eyes of his birth-father, at that face that was so similar to his own. One question still burned in his mind. "But I- I- do not understand something still. If then you are not the Lord of Dusk, then who is?"

"Be ready for the storm, Rael." Said Link gruffly, "The Lord of Dusk is coming."