LISTEN UP! Planning for the sequel to Four Swords Plus is finished. Its sequel is called The Legend of Zelda: The Prince of Ny-Potho.
IT TIES IN WITH THIS STORY! IT EXPLAINS HOW THE PROPHECY WAS CREATED, AND HOW THE WEAPONS THAT YOU HEAR ABOUT LATER IN THE STORY WERE CREATED! YOU WILL LIKE IT! SO READ IT WHEN IT COMES OUT!
I also have put a madeup character encyclopedia on my bio page. It contains characters that even YOUpeople have yet to hear about, including characters for The Prince of Ny-Potho and Bowl of Blood, which is a story about Link and Aryll's, Tetra's, and Bambi's parents' life stories. Kinda contains some half-spoilers...but not really, I guess.
Anyway, enjoy this chapter and REVIEW! And look for The Prince of Ny-Potho coming soon! An official summary will be released with the next chapters of FS and this story.
Chapter 4 -- The Royal Family
The pirate ship sailed through the golden arch. In it lie a beautiful, Roman-like city, with white stone streets, white marble buildings with gold roofs, and a road of clear water running through the middle of the city. The streets were crowded with passerby, who whispered and shouted when they spotted the pirate ship. This arrival seemed to attract a lot of negative attention...
"Where are we?" Bambi whispered to Tetra, staring down at the crowd of people forming.
The people looked normal, but their clothes were different. They wore togas and tunics of various colors, and sandals. The weather was warm, and accordingly, the residents of the kingdom were dressed for the weather.
"Are we dead? Are we in Athens!" Link squeaked, beginning to panic. Niko slapped him.
"Calm down, Link...we are not in Athens..." soothed Mako.
"Er...Miss Tetra?" Gonzo stated, looking towards their captain. The other members followed his gaze.
Tetra was blank for a moment, but then her eyes lit up and she spun to face her crew.
"You thought I was crazy, didn't you! A voice told me my heart would lead me here! The girl...she spoke through telepathy...she's real! This is where she lives! Which means...I...I have a sister..."
The members of Tetra's crew looked frightened.
"This place looks like Athens!" Aryll piped. Link let out a scared shriek.
"Why are you so afraid of Athens, Link?" Bambi asked. Link began to shake uncontrollably.
"Forget about him! NOW WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR? DROP THE FUCKING ANCHOR!" Tetra ordered. Senza and Nudge hurried to complete the task.
"Tetra, what do we do? Do we get off the ship? These people don't seem very pleased with our arrival..." Bambi whispered.
"Well, I...uh..." Tetra stuttered, but stopped when a familiar voice rang out from the crowd.
"Back off! Back off! Don't worry, the situation is under control!" cried a girl about Tetra's age as she darted through the crowd. People hurried to get out of her way. They all bowed. The girl's voice...it was the one in Tetra's dream! The girl ran until she stood right by the pirate ship.
"Come on down! It's safe!" she cried.
The pirate crew looked at their captain questioningly, unsurely, but Tetra just said quietly, "You heard what she said. Get off the boat." They obeyed.
Tetra was the last to leave. While her crew was getting off, she was examining the young girl...her sister.
The girl was, as said before, about Tetra's age -- twelve, nearly thirteen. she was average height, thin, and had dirty blonde hair that went down to her shoulders. Tetra wasn't close enough to her to see any physical resemblances.
At least, Tetra got off of the boat. Awkwardly, the girl walked over to her, while the crew members stood off to the side nervously. The crowd of people watched with interest.
The girl reached out a hand. Tetra shook it slowly.
"I'm Pike...princess of Oceana. I am the one who talked to you through telepathy that night. I'm your sister..."
Tetra looked her over again. She had big brown eyes, and was wearing a white toga and golden sandals. She was also wearng a golden circlet. The pirate captain noticed many similarities in their faces...
Tetra's heart was beating wildly. A whole new world had unfolded. She had just met her sister, and discovered that she too was a princess of Oceana.
"Please...let us go to the castle. I need to talk to you. There are questions I have that only you can answer, and I'm sure there are questions that you have that I can answer. I'm also guessing you want to meet your father..." Pike smiled nervously.
Father...there was another shocker.
"Father...m-my mother always told me my father had died in a freak masturbating accident..." Tetra uttered.
"My father told me that my mother was a prostitute... Some friends of mine who knew about the, uh...whole event as to how we were conceived...well...they informed me that she was a pirate," said Pike.
Tetra nodded.
"Yeah, she taught me all I know..."
Pike said, "Well, we should get going." She turned to Tetra's crew.
"Come along. All of you." Pike began to walk, and everyone scrambled after her. The people on the streets watched unblinkingly.
"You have to WALK places? Don't you get a carriage or something?" Link asked rudely. Tetra stepped on his foot.
Pike glanced at him.
"I wasn't exactly supposed to leave the castle. I escaped and ran here," she said plainly.
"How far is the castle?" Bambi asked, peering ahead.
"It's a good walk," Pike replied, pointing at a large kingdom peeking over the roofs of many houses and buildings.
The walk seemed like forever, but at last, they reached the front doors of the kingdom. Pike ordered the surprised guards to let them in, and the party made their way inside.
The castle was beautiful, full of paintings; made of white marble and white stone with gold everywhere. Pike, however, did not give her guests time to gawk. She quickly began to lead them to the throne room.
Tetra had butterflies in her stomach. Her throat was dry.
Pike stopped before the throne room doors and turned to face the pirates.
"I would like it if just Tetra came in...ok?"
The pirates nodded.
"Well, you certainly like giving orders, don't you?" Link asked. Bambi covered his mouth.
"Sorry, Your Highness, he's --"
"Don't apologize," Pike said, waving Bambi off. She turned back to Tetra.
"Are you ready?"
"This is...really...sudden..." Tetra said breathlessly.
"I'm sorry if all this information was pushed upon you too suddenly... I know how you feel. But I really need you to know this. We both need more knowledge. Something bad is going to happen, but I'll talk to you about that later... Well...let me introduce you to your father..." said Pike, opening up the door. She and Tetra stepped inside.
King Arnav looked up at the arrivals in his throne room with surprise. He rose quickly.
"Pike, who is this girl? Is she a bandit? She must be! I see she has a bandana -- a sure sign of a bandit! GUARDS, THERE'S A --"
"Father, no! She's not a bandit!" Pike snapped, rushing towards her father while pulling Tetra by the hand. She nudged the stunned pirate forward until she was very close to the king. She whispered to Tetra, "Meet your father...Arnav."
"Look at her, father... Look at her, and maybe you'll know who she is..." Pike said, looking down as though she were ashamed.
Tetra felt her cheeks grow red. Her heart thumped even harder under the gaze of the king. She saw the similarities in appearance between her and her father -- but did he?
The king was a tall, burly man with a broad chest, and dark, slightly creased skin. He had hard crystal blue eyes, and curly blonde hair. Most of his facial features were masked by an incredibly long, curly blonde beard. His hairiness made him look far older than Tetra guessed he actually was.
The king stopped his examination of Tetra, and looked back at Pike.
"I know not of who she is! Now get her out of my sight or I'll --"
"DOESEN'T SHE LOOK LIKE SOMEONE YOU FUCKED MANY YEARS AGO?" Pike bellowed nastily.
"Pike, do not use that language and tone with me!" snapped the king.
"THINK ABOUT WHAT I JUST SAID!"
Arnav fell silent. He looked down at Tetra slowly, and studied her again. Some realization seemed to hit him, and his eyes narrowed and flashed angrily.
"Sylvia..." he whispered.
"You had two daughters, not one, father. I think you forgot that for a while. I'm making you remember..." Pike said darkly.
Tetra was scared and confused. She did not feel welcome. Completely overwhelmed, she wanted to burst into tears on the spot, but she knew she couldn't, and held herself back.
The anger seeped out of the king's features.
For the first time, Arnav spoke to Tetra while seeing her as his daughter, not a bandit.
"You...you're the other twin..." he said slowly. Tetra squeaked and nodded.
"And Sylvia raised you?"
Tetra nodded again.
"Father, I want to hear the story the maidens told me in your words. Tetra needs to know..." said Pike.
Aryll examined a spider crawling on the floor.
"You are a spider...yet...you look like an ant. That makes you a spidery-ant..." she whispered seriously, staring at the insect intently.
"Jeez, Aryll, you're such a retard..." Link snorted.
"I wonder how things are going in there...I heard shouting..." Bambi said, more to herself than to anyone else.
"Me too," commented Senza.
"Tetra never told us about any of this," said Niko, looking rather offended.
"If it were you, would you tell?" Bambi asked Niko, raising a brow. Niko grumbled and looked away.
The crew heard footsteps approaching. They watched with surprise as a young woman looking to be in her 20's popped out. She was strange looking, as she had long blue hair, blue eyes, and a blue gown.
"Are you lot the pirates?" she asked, blinking.
"No! We're from the circus!" Link answered sarcastically.
"Who are you?" the woman asked coldly, her eyes locking on Link.
"I'm Link, and I'm proud of it," announced Link. The woman looked downright shocked. She looked down to Aryll.
"What is your name, young lady?" she asked.
"Aryll!" Link's little sister said happily. The woman smiled, as if this news was simply wonderful. She then studied Bambi carefully.
"Are you Bambi?" the woman asked. Bambi blinked.
"H-huh! Yeah...yeah, I am... How do you know?" she asked.
"Who are you?" Link demanded.
"Me? My name is Artet. I am honored to finally meet you three...Link, Bambi...Aryll. Please...you must come with me. There is much I need to tell you," said the woman excitedly.
"My mom had always told me not to talk to strangers," Link said, nodding defiantly.
"That's what I want to talk to you about! Your mother!" said Artet.
"Mommy?" Aryll asked, looking away from the spidery-ant to stare at Artet. Artet nodded.
"What about me?" Bambi asked.
"There are some things you should know about your mother, too. Now come with me...I will have you returned here soon," said Artet, grabbing Link and Bambi by the hands. Aryll latched onto Link legs, and they were whisked away.
"Tell Tetra that, uh...we'll be back! And if we don't come back, then we're being raped!" Link called to the rest of the pirates before disappearing around a corner.
"Aw...I wanted to be the one to rape him..." sighed Gonzo.
"And that's how it happened..." Arnav said, finishing his story breathlessly.
Tetra shook angrily.
"Y...you ordered her...my mother...to be...KILLED!"
Arnav's gaze snapped to Tetra.
"Yes, I did. And with good reason. Pirates are nearly as low as bandits," he replied, glaring and shaking his head.
"Father..." sighed Pike.
"YOU BASTARD! SOME FATHER YOU ARE!" Tetra screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. Pike watched helplessly.
Arnav stood up.
"DO NOT TALK TO ME THAT WAY, CHILD! I AM A KING!"
"I'M YOUR DAUGHTER! OH, RIGHT...NO I'M NOT! I'M THE 'OTHER' CHILD THAT YOU TRIED TO JUST FORGET ABOUT!" Tetra yelled. "THE ONE SPAWNED BY THE WOMAN YOU LOATHED MOST!"
Arnav looked about to lose his temper entirely. He balled up his fists.
"MY MOTHER...PIKE'S MOTHER...DIED YEARS AGO! YOU SHOULDN'T HATE THE DEAD!" Tetra said angrily, wiping some tears away roughly.
"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO HATE THE DEAD! AND I CAN HATE YOU JUST AS EASILY!" bellowed Arnav.
"WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT? SO CAN I! I CAN HATE YOU!"
"You have quite a mouth..." Arnav hissed, his face flushing angrily.
"AND I CAN SAY THINGS FAR WORSE..." Tetra warned. She was about to, had Arnav not hit her hard in the side of the head with his fist. Pike let out a shriek. Tetra gasped and stumbled backward.
Pike hugged the shocked-to-numbness Tetra.
"How could you, daddy?" said the Oceanan princess in a choked voice.
Arnav took a deep breath. Shame at what he had done briefly flashed across his face, but was replaced with a blank, emotionless expression.
"Fine, Terrah...Terry...whatever your name is. I apologize for that action, but it is obvious your mother never disciplined you. I didn't think she would, anyway... But..." Arnav sighed. "You are as much a daughter to me as Pike, blood-wise. Therefore, I grant stay in this castle for you and your CLOSEST friends...not your whole crew. I also invite you to attend Pike's engagement party." A look of despair from the mention of the engagement filled Pike's eyes.
Arnav sighed deeply and looked away.
"All I ask is that you stay out of my way. Now Pike...show her to her room. I don't want to hear from either of you for the rest of the night." Arnav sat down heavily on his throne, and put his face in his hands.
With one last glare at her father, Pike lead the shaking Tetra out of the throneroom.
"Miss Tetra!" cried Nudge as the two princesses exited the throneroom. He noticed the large bruise growing on his captains face. The others noticed it, too.
"Miss Tetra, what happened? Did he hit you?" Senza gasped.
"You can talk to her later...she needs to rest. I'll show the rest of you to the inn after I get her settled..." said Pike, quickly walking away with the ever-silent Tetra.
At last, Pike brought Tetra to one of the castle's many guest rooms. She shut the door, and Tetra plopped down on the bed, staring at the floor blankly.
Pike sat down by her sister and held her hand.
"Tetra? Are you ok? Look...I'm really sorry. I didn't expect him to do that. Father, you see, has a...well...rough nature. He didn't mean that, honestly, I saw the guilty look on his face, he --"
"Shut it," said Tetra hoarsely. Pike shut her mouth.
Tetra rolled her eyes.
"Look...I'm sorry...I...I just want to be left alone right now, ok?" said Tetra.
Pike nodded and smiled sympathetically.
"I understand. I really am sorry. Can we talk tomorrow? There's more I need to tell you...i-it's nothing that surprising, though!" said Pike.
"Sure, whatever..." sighed Tetra. Pike nodded and quietly left.
Once Pike was gone, Tetra laid down and looked around the room. It was a handsome place, with the usual white-gold theme, but with pale, peach colored furniture. Tetra grabbed a pillow and hugged it to her.
She was too physically and emotionally exhausted to think. Tetra fell asleep to her usual nightmares, which had suddenly become so vivid it made her sick.
Artet and Bambi dismounted their horses to stop outside a temple-like shrine. With Artet's assistance, Aryll was able to get down off the horse she and Link were sharing. Link was the last to dismount. He looked positively excited.
"Woah, that was like, soooo much fun! Horses are awesome, man!" exclaimed Link. He had recieved both an emotional and sexual boost from riding it. It had been the first time he had ever seen a horse, let alone ridden one. The bouncing motion between his legs was quite a pleasant sensation, one that he had quite often experienced with Tetra.
"Calm down, Link..." sighed Bambi.
"Come on, inside with you lot!" said Artet, ushering them inside the shrine.
Link, Aryll, and Bambi entered the shrine, and were surprised to see three other strange looking maidens watching them. The women stood around a pedestal containing a sword engulfed with thick moss and vines.
Artet followed them in.
"My sisters! I've found them! They came on the pirate ship that just came in!" she said.
One of the maidens was a lady with blood red hair cut to just beneath her chin. She had red eyes and a red gown. The next was a woman with pale green hair held in cinamon buns on the sides of her heads. She had matching eyes and dress. The last woman was the youngest; she was about sixteen years of age, and her purple hair was pulled into braids. Her purple eyes glinted with curiousity at the sight of the children. She was garbed in a purple gown.
"Who...?" uttered the red lady.
"These are Link, Aryll, and Bambi. Astasia and Brigette's Link, Aryll, and Bambi..." said Artet so quietly the others could barely hear her.
"Are you serious?" gasped the green maiden.
"HOLD IT! OK, OK, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Link demanded. "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE, AND DO YOU INTEND TO RAPE US?"
"Link, this is Fiza," said Artet, gesturing to the red maiden. "And this is Lunatet." She gestured to the green woman. "And this is our little sister Lazerus." She nodded to the purple girl, who waved.
"Wonderful. Only we don't know who you are," snarled Link.
Lunatet strode forward, beaming.
"Children, we are your aunts!" she said.
"Huh...?" Bambi said stupidly, cocking her head.
"'Aunt' as in 'spidery'?" inquired Aryll. Link shoved her to the ground.
"Your mothers never told you?" asked Fiza.
"What connection would our mothers have to YOU people? And what connection would they have with EACHOTHER?" Link asked rudely, glaring distastefully at Bambi.
"You know your mothers were Astasia and Brigette, right?" asked Lazerus. Link and Bambi nodded.
"Astasia and Brigette were sisters. OUR sisters..." said Artet.
Link and Bambi were shocked.
"So...Link...Aryll...and I...are..." Bambi began, but was cut off by Link.
"COUSINS?" Link finished loudly.
Fiza nodded.
"FUCK!" Link screamed, stepping on Bambi's foot.
"OW! LINK!" Bambi whined, shoving him away.
"No, no, please don't fight!" cried Lunatet.
"How could our mothers be related to YOU people! They were normal looking!" said Link.
"No, they weren't naturally. You see, they, like us, had the ability to disguise themselves to look like normal women. Your mothers were magical in truth. They helped us watch this kingdom and this sword...the Four Sword," said Lazerus, nodding to the covered, weathered blade.
Link and Bambi looked confused. Aryll just wasn't listening.
"Dull-witted children..." grumbled Fiza.
"Your mothers grew up here. Then one day, a pirate ship came, and they snuck onto it as it was leaving (it's quite a tale, you'll here more about it later). The pirates discovered them, and tossed them overboard. Luckily, your mothers survived. Bambi, your mother wound up on Windfall; Link, Aryll, your mother found herself washed up on an island known as Outset. We found this out because we communicated with them through telepathy after they left," explained Artet.
"And you still look just as they described you..." Lunatet gushed.
"Your mothers met your fathers, and, well...had you," finished Fiza.
"But Brigette and Astasia died when you were young... Brigette was killed by the FBI --" Lazerus began.
"Because your idiot father CORRUPTED her!" Fiza said nastily to Bambi.
"Shut up, Fiza. Anyway...then Astasia died when you were seven, right, Link? Aryll was just a baby..." said Lazerus.
Link nodded.
"Yeah...she and my father did some drugs one night, and that killed them..." said Link steadily.
"Is that how they're saying she died?" Lunatet whispered, tears filling her eyes.
Lazerus sighed, then looked at Link with a hard expression.
"Your parents didn't die from drugs, Link. That is a lie. They were murdered..."