Wow, this chapter is long... Took me long enough.
Anyway, the story about the Ny-Potho tribe is gonna be in the Four Sword sequel. I mean...that's what it's about. The official summary for it will probably come next chapter.
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Chapter 5 -- Incognito
"M-murdered?" Link uttered.
Lazerus nodded.
"We saw it through our dreams..." Lunatet said through tears.
"How did...? No bears? No drugs?" Link asked stupidly.
Fiza shook her head.
"Nuh-uh. No bears or drugs. Well...your grandmother never liked poor, sweet Astasia, and one day, she came up behind her and just kind of...umm...chopped her head off with an ax. Then she went and did it to your father..." she said.
Link was shocked again.
"My grandmother...murdered...my parents? With an AX!"
"Basically," said Fiza. Lunatet, Lazerus, and Artet looked down sadly.
"Did I miss something?" Aryll asked, looking up from a piece of grass.
Link said nastily to her, "Oh, no, nothing Aryll, except for the fact the fact that our grandmother chopped mommy and daddy's heads off with an AX!"
Aryll was silent for a moment.
"Oh," she said casually, going back to looking at the grass.
Link was about to kick Aryll, but Bambi spoke. She touched his arm.
"Listen, Link, I'm really sorry..." she said softly. Link jerked his arm away, and the maidens watched silently.
Bambi sighed.
"I know that while he was in my body, Vaati told you how my parents supposedly died... He told you my mom died of sickness when I was very young, and that my dad was murdered when I was six. He told you that because that was what I told him... I never told anyone the truth before because it's really embarassing, but as my cousin, you have the right to know... Well...my mom and dad were shot by the FBI..."
"Why the fuck do I care?" Link asked.
"I just thought you should know," Bambi defended. "I thought it might make you feel better about how your parents died."
"Well, it didn't help..." Link growled, balling up his fists and turning away.
"Link, she had good intentions," said Artet quietly.
"SHUT UP!" Link barked. "I want to get out of here!"
"Very well," sighed Artet. "The horses know how to return to the castle. Just ride."
Link seized Aryll by the arm and began storming away.
"Good-bye..." Lunatet called. Link ignored her, but Bambi waved nervously at the maidens before following Link and Aryll out.
Once outside, Link mounted his horse. He was in such a state of shock, anger, and pain that he didn't care how it felt between his legs! He pulled Aryll on with him, and Bambi got onto the horse she had ridden before. The animals set off on the trail to the castle.
"Link, I know that this is hard to handle..." she said.
"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO SHUT UP?" Link screamed. All was silent for a moment before he started talking again.
"Look, my grandmother and I never got along, and if it weren't for her, I still would have had parents! She killed them behind my back!"
Bambi sighed, and Aryll looked on absentmindedly.
At last, Link, Bambi, and Aryll reached the castle by nightfall. They put their horses back in the stable, and were allowed entry back into the castle. The guards must have recognized them.
It appeared as if Pike had been waiting for them. She was sitting on a couch in the entry hall, and rose to greet them.
"Oh, you're back!" she said. A frown formed on her lips when she saw the solemn expressions.
"Is everything all right?"
"PEACHY," Link hissed.
"Everything's fine," Bambi reassured, glancing at Link. Pike decided not to question further.
Walking toward them, she said, "Listen... All the pirates but Tetra are staying at an inn near here. Tetra's bedroom is up the stairs, down some some stairs, through the northern door, through the eastern door and at the end of the hall."
"Huh?" Link asked.
Pike ignored him, and continued, "She said she wanted you to stay with her in her room, so that's where you're going. Aryll and Bambi will share a room. I'll show you two to it. Get a good night's rest, because there is an important matter I need to discuss with all of you tomorrow. Well, good-night, Link..." Pike gently took Aryll by the hand, and lead her and Bambi away.
"Good-night, brother!" called Aryll. Bambi looked at him sympathetically before she and the other girls disappeared around a corner.
Link sighed. He was exhausted.
"Ok...up some stairs, down some stairs, then...something. Fuck. I don't know where I'm going." But Link started walking anyway.
Link's feet ached. He had been walking for what felt like hours, and had not found Tetra's room. Frustrated and tired nearly to the point of tears, he sat down against the wall and hugged his knees.
"Dammit..."
His soft words echoed throughout the eerie, dark halls. The castle was downright creepy at night, he realized. The fact that he had not run into so much as a servant or guard was both annoying and strange.
"Are you lost?" came a silky, high-pitched yet still masculine voice from the darkness.
"Who's there!" Link demanded, jumping to his feet.
"Just a mere castle servant... An advisor, to be exact. A really awesome advisor," said the voice. It was...strangely familiar. One that made the hairs on the back of Link's neck stand up.
A second later, the voice's owner stepped out of the darkness. He was dressed in black pants, shirt, and gloves. The shirt had a bit of silver armor on it. The man's face was hidden by a long, billowy black hooded cloak, but a few strands of silky silver hair were out of the hood and falling down the shoulders.
"Have you lost your way, little boy? I'm cool enough to help you to where you're going..." offered the man.
The voice, the arrogance, the silver hair... This was just too familiar. But Link knew it wasn't who it seemed like, but he could not shake the bad feeling.
"Uhh...yeah..." said Link. His heart turned to ice when two more men, dressed identically to the first, stepped out of the shadows too.
They were both obviously men, but had different body types than the one who had spoken to Link. The first man was lean -- these two were fat. Link could not see their faces either.
"This castle's easy to get lost in, isn't it?" chuckled the fat man on the right. His voice wasn't familiar, but such could not be said for the man on the left. He had a familiar voice, too.
"Where is it you're going?" asked the man on the left in a deep, loud, rough voice. Link's heart skipped a couple beats, as this voice brought even more bad thoughts, but he shook them away. The theories forming in his mind were impossible. His imagination was working over-time, he figured.
"Um...are all three of you castle advisors?" Link asked.
"Yes," the men replied in unison.
"Oh..." Link said softly, his voice trailing off because of his discomfrot.
"Now where is it you want to go?" demanded the left man so sharply Link got scared.
"Jeez, to my girlfriend's room! Lay off!" Link snapped.
"Oh, you mean Tetra, don't you..." said the middle man in a soft, dangerous voice. Link was about ready to shit his pants by now.
"Yeah, her! How do you know?"
"We're castle advisors, remember? We know these things..." hissed the man on the right.
"And why are you guys cloaked! Were you stalking me? Are you going to rape me?"
"No. Tch...why would we want to? Now shut up and follow us..." said the slim man, turning sharply and walking down the hall. The other two followed.
Link wasn't sure what to do. He didn't like the looks of these guys, but what choice did he have, honestly? I mean, as long as they didn't actually come out and say, 'we're gonna rape and kill you, bitch' then they were harmless...right? Link got up and followed them, keeping a good distance behind.
"Soooo...do you guys have names?" Link asked, trying to make conversation and soothe his fears.
"None that you need to know," said the fat guy that had been on the right (the unfamiliar one).
"Oooooook then..." Link replied, backing off the subject of names nervously.
The group walked on, and finally, they stopped quite abruptly. So abruptly, in fact that Link crashed straight into the nice ass of the slim guy.
"Watch where you're goin', bitch!" snapped the man.
"Sorry!" Link grumbled, backing off quickly.
"Her room is there," said the unfamiliar guy, pointing to a door just in front of them.
"Umm, thanks!" Link said hurriedly, running into the room and slamming the door behind him.
With a huffy breath, the first man Link had met pushed off his hood, running his hand through his long, silver hair. His red eyes flashed, and an angry pink flush glowed on the pale, greyish-blue skin of his handsomely shaped face.
"Why didn't we just kill the little bastard!" he snapped.
The second man, the fat one that was also familiar to Link, took off his hood. He had green skin, red hair, and orange eyes. There was a jewel in the middle of his forhead.
"Don't ask me, Vaati... It was Agahnim here who held us back..." he hissed, turning to face the other fat guy. Vaati looked at him too.
The third man took off his hood. He had the same, pale, silvery-blue skin tone as Vaati, but this man's skin was wrinkled with age. He had silver eyes and silver hair.
"Majora put me in charge of the two of you for...obvious reasons. His orders were to lurk about and spy on the castle while trying to look cool at the same time. He SPECIFICALLY ASKED that we not kill ANYONE!" the man known as Agahnim said sternly.
"That was Link! The boy who killed Vaati and I! We should have made an exception!" the man with green skin hissed.
"Majora's rules do not leave room for exceptions, Ganondorf... You should be kissing his feet, for he ressurected you and Vaati..." replied Agahnim darkly.
"He would understand! This kid could interfere with our plans!" Ganondorf insisted.
"Rules are rules," Agahnim stated.
Vaati, however, was not thinking of the argument going on between Agahnim and Ganondorf. One of Agahnim's remarks had particularly pissed him off.
"What do you mean Majora put you in charge for obvious reasons? I'm cool!" he whined.
"Pipe down! We'll attract attention!" snapped Agahnim, and the trio began to walk away from Tetra's door.
"I like attracting attention though..." said Vaati.
Ganondorf snorted.
"He didn't mean the type of attention you're always thinking of, dumbass. And besides, you probably get enough attention because you shave your legs. Everyone seems to take notice of THAT fact...tch."
"Hey! I shave them 'cause it's sexy! It's wicked cool."
"Shaving your legs is NOT cool. The Spice Girls is cool," said Ganondorf.
"Would you guys just shut up? Neither of you have an accurate perception of what's cool! Now let's go back to the manor -- Majora's probably waiting," said Agahnim. With that, the three villains disappeared.
Link sighed and leaned against the door wearily. He hoped he didn't run into those mysterious advisors again... He put his ear against the door to see if he could hear them. They had been talking about something, but it had been in whispers. Link had then heard them walk away. Everything was silent, so he figured they were gone.
Link's eyes traveled around the room. He could not find Tetra.
"Tetra? Are you, umm...here?"
He began to physically search. No sign of her.
Then he noticed that there was a stone archway in the room leading out to a balcony that overlooked the sea. Link quietly stepped out onto the balcony.
"Tetra, there you are!"
Tetra was sitting on the stone floor of the balcony, off to the far right side. She was hugging her knees, her head buried in them. Link approached her and touched her shoulder.
"Tetra, are you ok?" he asked.
Tetra looked up at him quickly. She looked tired and depressed, and her cheeks were wet with tears. She hurriedly wiped her hand across them, sniffled, and smiled weakly. Link noticed a bruise on her cheek.
"Oh, Link... I was wondering when you'd be back..." she said.
Link sat down next to her.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Found out my father's an asshole..." Tetra answered bitterly. She chuckled, but Link could sense her pain and see it in her eyes.
A realization hit Link (and you know how few times THAT happens!).
"Tetra, did he hit you?"
Tetra nodded sadly, looking down.
Link sighed.
I'm one hell of a saint for doing this... he thought as he hugged Tetra. Tetra squeezed him so tightly in return Link felt the air leave his lungs.
"He hated my mother and he hates me!" she cried.
"What...makes you...think that...gah..." Link wheezed from her crushing grasp.
"He said he could hate me, and I said I could do the same, and he hit me..." Tetra said.
"Air..."
"Oh. Right." Tetra released Link; he took several deep breaths.
"Listen," he panted, "I'm...really sorry, Tetra. My day wasn't much better."
Tetra looked at him.
"Some 'Four Sword shrine' gypsy or whatever the fuck she was found Aryll, Bambi and I and told us to come with her. I, of course, thought they were going to rape me, so I was hesitant. But she just grabbed me, Aryll, and Bambi and took us to her shrine anyway. When we got there, she introduced me to her three sisters. They were all, like...discolored. One was blue, one was purple, one was red, and the other was green. Then they started saying that Bambi's mother and my mother were their sisters. And they weren't lying... So then I found out Bambi and I were cousins. But then they said that my parents were murdered by my grandmother. They said that she...they said she chopped their heads off with an ax. If only I had known..." Link said. Silence followed.
"I'm sorry, Link..." Tetra said.
"Me too..." Link grumbled. The two lovers watched the starry night sky in quiet.
"Ugh..." Link groaned as he awoke. Tetra, who had been sleeping in Link's arms, woke up too. Someone was knocking on their door.
"Come in..." Tetra called. An elderly servant woman stepped in.
"Nick! Jessica! I just loved the new season of your show!" she crowed.
Link sat up.
"Are you senile?" he asked.
"It is an honor to get to meet you, Nick Lachey! But I must celebrate later, for young Master Ralph as requested your presence in the throne room!"
She turned to Tetra and said, "I think you are to be knighted, Jessica Simpson! How joyous! Well, I'm off to see about some reindeer!" The old lady bounded out of the room.
"Who's Ralph?" Tetra asked, turning to Link.
Link shrugged and got out of bed.
"I'unno, could be anyone..." he grumbled, getting dressed and washed up and stuff. Tetra copied. They both decided to go to the throneroom, as the old, senile servant may have had some motive for disturbing them.
At last, they were ready to go. Link extended his arm to Tetra.
"Ready to get knighted, Jessica Simpson?"
Tetra smirked and took his arm.
"Of course, Nick Lachey...that would 'take my breath away'!"
They left the room.
As they walked the halls, Tetra leading the way, Link remembered last night's ordeal with the incognito advisors. He decided to bring up the subject.
"Tetra..." he began. "Last night, I couldn't find the room, and I was about to sleep in the hall, but then..."
Tetra looked at him.
"But what, Link?"
"I was just sitting there when this guy came out. He was dressed in all black, and had a cloak on so I couldn't see his face. All I saw was that he had silver hair. His voice sounded really familiar, Tetra..."
Tetra's heart skipped a beat. Familiar voice, silver hair... That sounded a lot like --
"But that's not all! He asked me if I was lost, so I was all like, 'yeah, I am', and then he's all like, 'oh, well I can help you find where you're going'. And then these other two cloaked, disguised dudes come out. They were both fat guys, too. And one of them sounded familiar also, but the other one's voice I did not recognize," Link said.
A prickle ran down Tetra's spine at the mention of a fat guy with a familiar voice...
"Link, did you ask for their names?"
"They wouldn't tell me. They just lead me to our room. They were really mean, too!"
"Pike's right... Something really wrong is happening..." Tetra murmured.
"She told me she wanted to see us today. Maybe it has something to do with all this wacky shit that's been going on?"
"Maybe..."
Link and Tetra entered the throne room. Its only occupants were Pike, Aryll, and Bambi. Arnav was nowhere to be seen.
"There you are!" Pike said. "Did you, uh...sleep well?"
Link and Tetra shrugged. Yesterday's experiences had haunted their dreams.
"Big brother!" Aryll exclaimed, running up to Link and latching on to his legs.
Link groaned with annoyance.
"Hi...Aryll..." he grunted.
"Now that everyone's here, there is something I must show you. Follow me," said Pike, exiting the room. Link, Bambi, Tetra, and Aryll followed.
Pike lead them to what must have been the basement. She shut the heavy doors behind them, and descended the long, dank stone steps. At last, the group reached the bottom. Link, Tetra, and Bambi gasped.
The basement was a large, circular room. It was similar to Hyrule Castle's basement, only larger. Mysterious stained glass pictures covered every wall. There were some wooden benches placed here and there, too. In the middle of the room sat a circular stone platform, on top of which was what looked like a treasure chest.
"Welcome to the basement," Pike said, stepping onto the platform.
"Basement? This place looks more like a church! It's beautiful!" Bambi exclaimed.
Pike let off a small smile.
"It's sort of the royal family's secret room. Few know about it, but those that do usually don't venture down here. It is only I who makes regular visits to this place," she said.
"Boogeymen live in basements," Aryll said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Why did you bring us down here?" Link asked suspiciously.
Pike didn't answer him for a while. She just walked to one of the many stained-glass pictures, stared at it, and put a hand on it. This particular picture depicted five boys who eerily resembled Link. One was wearing green, one purple, another red, and the other blue. The last boy looked like Dark Link -- Linkish except for a black outfit, black hair, and red eyes. Each was holding a strange weapon.
Standing next to the boys was a girl with tan skin and fairy short very pale blonde hair. She was wearing a peach-colored, elaborately embroidered outfit that looked like something a warrior would wear. She too held a weapon.
There was another girl in the picture, though she was away and off to the side. It looked like Zelda... Her hands were outstretched, for she too held a weapon. A knife, to be exact. Another strange thing about her was that she was visibly pregnant.
Pike began to speak.
"Legend has it that a long time ago, a wind sorcerer whose full name was said to be Vaati Gufuu wreaked havoc on the ancient land of Hyrule. Then one day, a hero wielding a sword that split his body into four vanquished him. Vaati was sealed inside that sword, known as the Four Sword. The Four Sword was then laid to rest.
A hundred or so years after that, the princess of Hyrule, Zelda, was taken by a dark shadow. Her best friend, another young boy, pulled the Four Sword from its pedestal out of desperation, and was split into four beings.
However, each boy was like a separate person. The sword had birthed four from one, mysteriously. That was something that was not supposed to have happened.
Regardless, the four boys defeated Vaati Gufuu, and rescued Princess Zelda. However, when the Four Sword was placed back in its pedestal, the four-who-were-one remained four. Four separate boys... But despite that, everything was peaceful...for a few months.
They say that deep within a forest lived an ancient tribe called Ny-Potho. Ny-Potho was ruled by the beautiful Queen Daray, who had one son, a boy named Braeden.
Daray created a dark object called the Majora's Mask. It specialized in black magic, and that was what the Ny-Pothons used it for, for they were an evil tribe.
But they had one member who was not so evil -- a girl named Missy, who was training to become a tribe warrior." Pike pointed to the girl in the picture with the tan skin, blonde hair, and peach outfit. "Missy was a sort of half-breed -- half human, half Hylian. The tribe made her a misfit. Missy was about twelve or thirteen, the same age as Braeden. The two were said to have never gotten along, mind you.
One day, a ritual using the Majora's Mask went terribly wrong, and a deceased villain from the Four Sword mission was ressurected." Pike gestured to the stained glass Dark Link type kid.
"The tribe became fearful by the fact that their mask had brought something evil back from the dead. Deciding it was too much power, they decided to destroy the. They also ordered the abomination to be killed.
This 'abomination', as it turns out, was no longer evil, having committed a deed of righteousness before its death. It went by the name of Shadow. Missy met Shadow, and realized that he posed no threat -- he was too sickly, as the mask had done a rough job on his ressurection. She did not want him to be killed, and decided to help him escape Ny-Potho.
Meanwhile, Braeden did not want the mask to be destroyed. He stole it, and blamed it on Missy. The Ny-Pothons ordered Missy to be killed along with the dark creature, but he and she escaped. Not long after, Braeden disappeared himself.
Braeden was quite the young magician. Quite possibly, he knew more about magic than Daray did. With the mask as a power source, Prince Braeden left for Hyrule. He was on a quest for unimagineable power and immortality. The spell that would give him this called for the sacrifice of a child baring the blood of the spell's caster and the blood of the 'Princess of Light': Princess Zelda.
Braeden broke into Hyrule castle, imprisoning Zelda, whom he proceeded to impregnate." Pike gestured to the depiction of the pregnant Zelda in the stained glass picture.
She continued, "Braeden enslaved the people of Hyrule, and cast darkness and terror everywhere.
Meanwhile, Missy and Shadow were angered by Braeden's lies, and decided to set out and kill him. On the way, they met the Four Sword heroes, and the group banded together to form a team to stop Braeden and save Zelda, and though they didn't know it yet, her unborn child needed saving too.
To defeat Braeden, each member of the group created a weapon, so there were six weapons in all. These were called the Tools of the Gods. The weapons were..."
Pike pointed to the boy in green. "The Wind Cane..." She pointed to the red boy. "The Fire Sword." Pike gestured to the blue one. "The Water Katana." Next, she pointed to the kid in purple (How queer, Link thought). "The Earth Staff." Pike nodded to the picture of 'Shadow'. "The Dark Bow..." And lastly, she pointed to the Missy girl. "And the Light Cutlass."
Pike turned to look at the picture of the pregnant Zelda holding the dagger.
"Rumor has it that seventh 'God Tool' was created by Princess Zelda during her imprisonment. It was said to have been called 'Zelda's Dagger'. No one is sure if it actually existed, though.
Anyway, using the Tools of the Gods, the six defeated Braeden, but for some reason, were unable to destroy the Majora's Mask."
Pike turned all the way around to face Link, Tetra, Bambi, and Aryll.
"Well...that's just my introduction," she said, walking back towards them. Pike opened the chest on the platform.
"That is one of the famous legends of Oceana. Anyway...there is a prayer in our churches called 'The Prophecy'. Some say it is the instructions for saving the world some day. I believe that. To be exact, I think it is the instruction for saving the world from what is about to come. It is said to have been written by one of the children who created the God Tools." Pike pulled an old, dusty book from the chest and flipped to a book marked page.
"This is the Prophecy:
To smite the moonlight's lover
Thou must thwart those who are unpure
He who drains the night's day
The children of darkness will come forth
To lend aid to those true
To lay hand on the six Tools of the Gods
To help small girls find their way
Look for their red blood amongst the black
Seven heinous souls
One who reigns
Four who are weak-minded
And two who come forth to do what the gods see right
Spare the two
And leave all else to die
Unlock the door for he
Who is one, become four
Using time's key, save a boy and his lover
Then hurry to the church as the sky rains blood
Or else all will be gone for good."
Ummm...what the fuck does that mean?" Link asked.
Pike shut the book.
"No one knows for sure. I can interpret some of it, though. For instance, we know that the six Tools of the Gods will have some role to play. I think 'to smite the moonlight's lover' has something to do with the Majora's Mask, as there is another legend about the mask involving the moon, but I won't get into that. 'Who is one, become four' obviousy applies to the Four Sword, which we still have to this day. And 'time's key'... I hold a sacred instrument known as the Ocarina of Time. I think that is what the 'time's key' is. And the church...perhaps it means one of the many churches we have in Oceana, as they're quite sacred. But raining blood...and 'darkness children'...I don't know what things like that apply to, but they certainly don't sound good."
Pike sighed and put the book back.
"My husband-to-be's name is Majora, and in some way, I feel he is connected to that mask. I just met him a few days ago... He brought two twin boys with him, claiming that they were his sons from a previous marriage. The boys' names were Shadow and Dark." Pike looked to the stained glass picture she had previously used as a reference, and pointed to the Shadow in the picture. "They looked like him, but I know they aren't him."
But then Pike turned back to Link, looking very serious.
"And they looked like you."
Link's blood ran cold.
Shadow...that was the name of the creature in the prophecy, yet the two Shadows were not the same. One was good, but what about the other one...? And Dark... Dark Link. Link's dark self. And now it sounded like he had two dark selves...
"Shadow and Dark are evil, and I know Majora is too. They were staying for dinner the other day, but the twins disappeared. I found them in my bedroom, where they were, uh...doing things I will not discuss. But they hinted to me that Majora was planning something, something bad... The Prophecy has haunted my dreams for many nights now, and I think it is time for it to play its role in the world."
"Wow...this...this is a lot..." Tetra said softly. Pike bit her lip and nodded.
"Tetra, for some reason, Majora wants you here. He's coming over later -- daddy won't mention you I'm sure, and I won't mention you. Just stay hidden."
Tetra nodded. But then she remembered something.
"Pike, I've been having weird dreams too... Well...in the Prophecy, it said something about a sky raining blood... In my dream, the sky rains blood. I see a boy that looks like him --" Tetra pointed to the Shadow picture. "Turning into a wolf or getting tortured, and a girl turning into a tiger. I see a man...handsome --"
"HEY!" Link snapped.
"Shut up, Link! Anyway...a...a handsome man...long black hair...purple eyes...fair skin..."
"That's Majora," Pike said suddenly.
"Then it's settled. I don't doubt your words about the Prophecy, sis...but what are we gonna do?" Tetra asked.
"As I said before, my father is holding an engagement party for this stupid arranged marriage. He invited you, but don't go. But...since you are expected, we'll get someone to disguise as you and go to the party, should Majora try something... But who could do it...?"
All eyes turned to Bambi.
"M-me? Oh, no, no, no, no... Please...not me..." Bambi begged, her eyes widening.
"Bambi, please... You could look almost just like me in Princess Zelda form. If we straightened your hair and gave you the dress, you could disguise as me looking formal!" Tetra said.
"But I don't know what Majora will do to me!" Bambi squeaked.
"Relax, he wouldn't want Tetra here just to kill her! We'll make sure nothing bad happens to you," Pike promised.
I really am too generous... Bambi thought.
She sighed and said, "Fine...I'll do it..."
"Thank you, Bambi!" Tetra said, hugging her.
"Princess Pike, your father requests your presence in the throne room," said the messenger, bowing. He must have slipped in while the kids weren't paying attention.
"Majora must be here..." Pike said grimly.
"All of you, stay out of sight, please..."
And then she left, leaving Link, Bambi, Tetra, and Aryll alone in the basement.
When Pike entered the throne room, Majora and Arnav were talking cheerfully. Dark and Shadow were not with Majora today -- they were replaced by a teenage girl about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was obviously of Gerudo descent, with tan skin, red hair, and pretty green eyes. She was dressed like one, too.
Majora, Arnav, and the girl turned to look at Pike when she walked in.
"Ah, there she is, my beautiful blushing bride..." said Majora, his lips curling into a handsome smile, purple eyes flashing. The girl with him smirked.
Pike walked towards them.
"Who is this you brought with you? Your daughter?" Pike asked coldly, looking at the girl, who glared at the words.
"This, uh...my...little sister. Her name is Ciara," Majora lied.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness..." said Ciara, bowing.
"Hm. The pleasure is mine," Pike sniffed, turning sharply away from Ciara to face Majora and Arnav.
"So, beautiful... Your father was just telling me that your twin sister came to visit," said Majora. "Is she as pretty as you?"
Pike looked at her father in surprise. He thought he'd be too ashamed to tell. She wondered if he had been drinking earlier... Judging by his flushed look and alcohol smell, he had.
"Yes...yes, she has come," Pike said slowly, looking at Majora.
"How splendid. She can come to our little engagement party, now can't she?" said Majora.
"You'll see her there," Pike said stiffly.
"Excellent..." Majora said to himself, smirking. Pike heard those words though...
A few hours after Pike had left to see Majora, Aryll grew bored and escaped the basement when Link, Tetra, and Bambi weren't looking. She wanted to explore the castle, hoping to find another spidery-ant, perhaps.
Spotting a piece of lint on the floor, Aryll hopped toward it to investigate. It was purple lint. However, her observations were cut short when a man and a teen girl nearly bowled into her.
"Watch where you're going, you little rat!" growled the girl.
"Ciara, my friend, be nice!" said the man with a chuckle, smirking at Aryll. He shook back his long, silky black hair, and the two walked on. Aryll decided to follow them secretly...
She followed them out of the castle. They stopped a little ways outside it. Aryll hid behind a bush to watch...
"So her sister DID come!" hissed the girl excitedly.
"Yes, and you know what that means -- both halves of the Light Force are within grasp. The plan is that we're going to seize Pike and her sister during the engagement party, and hold them prisoner until the night comes when we can extract the Light Force! Oceana and the world will be mine!" exclaimed the man.
"Majora, you have a great mind. Can we have se --"
"Sorry, I cannot hear you over my genius, Ciara. Come, let us return to the manor. Agahnim, Ganondorf, Vaati, Shadow, and Dark will be eager to hear the news," said Majora, walking over to a horse drawn carriage. Ciara sighed disappointedly and followed.
Whatever they had been talking about, it sure sounded evil, in Aryll's opinion. She shrugged and decided to go find that piece of lint again. Maybe she would tell her big brother later...if she felt like it.