Chapter -13-
Ganon Hates the Internet

Feshal 2, 2057
2am,
Outer Hateno, Hyrule…

LJ and Aryll put their shoulders against the old door and heaved together. The door budged a little bit.

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked LJ. "A frickin' satellite campus for Hyrule University?"

"Yeah, just keep pushing," Aryll said, adding, "Thank the goddesses for the wind that comes off Hateno Bay."

"Yeah, that and the Lanayru mountain range, so that the wind is always blowing northwest off the bay … definitely glad it's kept the fallout away from eastern Hyrule for the last few years. I think the door's starting to give."

Aryll grunted, closed her eyes, and braced against a handrail to the nearby steps, while using her shoulder against the door.

LJ took a step back then slammed himself against the door, forcing it open. He pivoted sharply and reached out, quick to catch Aryll so she wouldn't fall. "Easy, there, tiger."

She put a hand on his chest and her other on the doorframe to steady herself, then stood up straight. "I'm good. And, technically, yes, the wind blows northwest off the water, but it comes up Kitano Bay moreso than Hateno Bay. It's perfectly blasted between the Solewood Range to the south and Ebon Mountain, west of Kitano. What's … a tiger?"

"It was a big cat, like a lion, but with stripes."

"You know the nerdiest stuff. What happened to them?"

"They are from another part of the world. A long time ago, they made a comeback after being nearly extinct. But … eh. Eventually people started hunting them again."

"Were there ever any here?"

"Yeah. They were kept in Zonai zoos."

"Zonai are non-Hylian humans."

"Yes," said LJ. He pushed the door open until it couldn't go any further on its hinges.

The door squeaked in eerie protest, causing the siblings to look at one another with mirrored frowns.

LJ pointed a flashlight inside the large room, then he guided it downward to a lecturing stage at the bottom of a large semi-circle room of chairs with desks. "Nice auditorium class. I guess being the King's brother made him popular." LJ turned back to Aryll and said, "I've never met a Zonai, but from what I've heard about their culture, they're the most likely people to become barbarians and tribal if the world ends and we go back to the dark ages or something."

"I really hope that doesn't happen. Hyrule is at its pinnacle of technology right now. We've reverse-engineered most of the ancients and pre-ancients' tech, we have the smallest carbon footprint that humanity has ever had before, and we have an amazing music scene, which … that last one has taken the largest hit after the attack. I haven't heard any new hit singles in years. I hope the stuff in this room helps us find Ganon so I can kick his ass for that. I loved music, dammit."

LJ handed her the flashlight and retrieved another from his pocket. "Good thing I brought a spare. And yeah, I noticed your Sheikah Slate isn't that much more advanced than my model. That means R&D for the latest models isn't really a priority anymore. Guess the world changed, at least for Hyrule."

"Yeah…" She took the flashlight and headed down the stairs toward the platform at the bottom. "Jeeze, did teachers really teach in rooms built like auditoriums? It's kind of weird."

"It was made for students to be able to see. And for acoustics. Why didn't you go to college?"

"Uh, hello? I was consumed with training to become one of the Links for Zelda's team?"

"Right, sorry. I figured some sort of education might be a part of that, but I didn't know you'd be growing up in a semi-post apocalypse world. I mean, look at this college. No one has been on this campus in years."

"Well, this was where he lectured, and this was his classroom. And according to what I read, I think he had some sort of research lab behind his lecturing podium, so I'm guessing that means the door at the back of that stage. I kept picturing it as a regular high school classroom with a door on the back wall next to the chalkboard, but this? This is a trip. How many students would he have at one time?"

"Hundreds, maybe," said LJ. "Okay. C'mon. I see the door. Watch your footing."

Aryll followed her brother down the stairs to the floor with a desk at the bottom of the staging area. She pointed her light back up the stairs and shook her head. "No handrail? That seems … like a lawsuit waiting to happen."

LJ chuckled. "You should just sue Ganon for safety standards. I, uh … probably shouldn't joke about the guy. I mean, he just murdered … no … he just assassinated the prime minister. Right in front of us. Okay. I'm gonna focus on the mission, here."

"I just want to understand the man who killed you with a bomb instead of in face-to-face combat. That was the cowardly move of a pussy."

LJ grimaced. "Aryll…"

"What?"

"Never mind. Let's just focus." He opened some of the desk drawers of the professor's old desk, shook his head, and placed the contents on the desktop. "Man, I remember these things."

Aryll shined her light at a collection of small metallic rectangles on the top of the desk. She stole a glance at her brother but couldn't determine what it was that's she was looking at. Instead of asking, she changed the subject. "When he was Professor Nohansen, what did he teach?"

LJ shrugged. "I'd have to double check. I know he had more than one major, and one of those fields was in technology. I think his other field was in history, and he had another in law."

"Oh."

"I'll double check soon. Okay, so I haven't seen these things in ages. They're used for audio recordings. Documenting stuff, you know? You recorded everything you wanted to notate, and then they would keep the audio diaries, but they would also move everything to text on a computer, so you could read through them as well. Nowadays, modern Sheikah Slates, and even their competitors, have built-in speech-to-text capabilities."

"It's been that way since I was a kid, so why would he use these?"

LJ shrugged. "Because one of two reasons. Either he wanted to keep his thoughts off of server clouds, or because he got used to using these and just never stopped. They were still popular with older people around 2050 when all this shit hit the fan. So, maybe we hit the jackpot. Maybe all these things still have his thoughts recorded."

"And you think by figuring out his mindset and past, and how he became Ganon, we can use that to figure out where he is now?"

"Oh yeah. People are creatures of habit. Let's see what we can learn about this guy. If there's one thing I learned from my time in college, it's that people who do their homework are the people who are prepared the best. And those are the people that win. So, let's study this asshole and see what we can learn about him. That's the best way to beat him."

"Well, you were quick to shut down Skyloft's ancient hologram servers, and that will keep our new home safe. So, if anything, you're batting a thousand, LJ. Newer Sheikah Slates have hard-light emitters in them and typically only need charging once or twice a year with standard usage. And they charge instantly on cradles … or docks … or whatever you prefer to call them."

"Yeah, not going to lie … it's pretty bad ass. Imagine using a tablet computer like the Sheikah Slate to create a holographic motorcycle. Ooh! Or maybe even bombs! That would be awesome."

"Bombs?"

"Yeah, hard light holograms that burst apart would simulate an explosive, just on a smaller level, where the shrapnel would disappear once it got several meters from the emitter. You could blow up bad guys without endangering yourself because you'd know how far away to detonate so that you're not hurt. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start getting these files sorted by date so that we can establish a timeline."

"A timeline for what, exactly?" Aryll furrowed her brows a bit.

"I want to know how this guy turned into Ganon. And, once he changed, I want to know how he changed, like his mindset and stuff, and see if we can't figure out his thinking so we can figure out where he's been hiding for the past few years. If we can figure that out, we might be able to bring the fight to him and finish him."

"You want to kill him before we go back to 2050?"

"Yeah, or … at the very least, we should find a way to castrate him."

Aryll scrunched her brows again with a look of confusion and amusement. "You want to cut off his…?"

"I want to cut off his power over people."

Her expression faded. "Ah. Okay, that makes sense."

"I mean it. If this really is an alternative timeline, I can't just leave it doomed or whatever. The Hero of Time destroyed Ganon seven years in the future, then went back in time to his childhood, convinced the king and princess to capture and execute Ganon, and both timelines were preserved. Why can't I be as considerate, you know?"

"If you say so, big brother. Research is your thing."

"What do you know about the situation so far?"

"Not much. I mean, I know that there are three religions that believe the Hero of Time either won as a kid, won as an adult, or died. Not sure how you can be a believer of more than one, as the worshippers believe in only one timeline, not multiple ones. To believe one means you believe the other two didn't happen." She trailed off with a soft sigh. "What do you believe?"

LJ ran his hands back through his hair, followed by a drawn-out sigh, not terribly different than Aryll's own. He pulled his hands back down, over his face, and said, "So, uh, I spent the night, with, uh…"

"With the queen?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Okay, so, we promised to keep that to ourselves. It started with her inviting me to 'tea,' and it … turned into a thing."

"Did you two get it on?"

"Aryll…" He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we stayed up late talking about Temporalic religions or … whatever she called it. Temporalism? Anyway. She said the royal family had reason to believe that all three timelines occurred in different universes, parallel to one another. And that they knew about it."

"Whoa…"

"Yeah, I know, right? But, it happened so long ago, no one knows which path happened in THIS universe. All the records were destroyed at some point, except for parts and pieces of manuscripts about the occurrences in the other universes. And when those were discovered after a period of rebuilding and rebirth, all that were left was a bunch of oral legends about the past, and no one knew which one happened here. So, the modern Royal Family respects all three major religions with their speeches and their efforts to pay for archeological studies and such. Anyway, they feel having an open mind pays respect to all three forks … all three branches of believers in the Legends of Zelda, which is what the surviving collection is called. According to her, she feels it should be the Legend of Hylia or the Legend of Hylians, but … anyway, that's why she has made speeches that mention the Twilight People and the Hero of Winds, even though the two incidents happen in differeing timelines."

"Whoa. I see. If people believe stuff from other timelines that happened in other universes, how would those events be preached about in this universe."

LJ replied with a slight shrug. "Apparently, the royal family once had the technology to see the events of the other timelines, and those events were recorded. At some point, those texts were dug up following a burning of the royal library and part of the castle, and then there was a few decades of the royal family trying to get their crap together. They made a huge return to conservative ways – the people and the royal family and attending sanctuary twice a week … the whole thing. And people noticed the three different paths in the teachings, and then sanctuary split into three religions. But no one knew, for sure, what happened in thisuniverse. So … all these … these legends of Zelda, and all the Zeldas throughout the three sacred timelines … were eventually put into the hands of the people through the three major organized church groups, you know? But enough details were lost in this universe that no one knows which timeline path occurred here. Now, people believe whichever timeline makes the most sense to them, not realizing that all three actually happened in this, uh, multiverse."

"Well, LJ, we now have a timeline where Ganon wins." She waved her hand around in a semi-circle, gesturing to the world around them.

"People don't need to know about this. Either I will leave here when he is dead, or I'll take the people out of this timeline and abandon it … or something."

"Okay. I'm okay with trying. You and I can go back to 2050 and kill him the right way without messing things up."

"Right. And without young you or Link being killed, because that would make yet another branch. Okay. All this stuff is going to mess with me if I go down that rabbit hole."

Aryll nodded firmly in agreement. "Okay, so … what do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to start ordering these by date." He gestured to the little silver rectangles. "They're called micro cassette. They're pretty old school. You check the lab room in the back and see if you can find more of these things … or anything else that he may have written, or if he has any maps … anything."

Aryll nodded and headed into the room behind the professor's desk.

LJ quickly ordered the small voice recorders, all of which were labeled with a marker on the back. After ordering them, he played the first one, marked, 'Yaolen 2049' and waited.

The batteries were still charged, and it began playing in professor Nohansen's voice, which was melodically baritone, but without the edge to the tone that LJ had heard from Ganon.

It began, "I think I might have just stumbled onto the road to the Sacred Realm, if it's even real…"

X

X

Yaloen 29, 2049,
Eastern Hyrule…

Professor Nohansen the Third of Hyrule watched as the last student left his lecture hall.

His personal royal guard followed the group up the aisle to the doors at the back of the lecture hall. Lonnie followed the students out into the hallway and started locking the doors from the outside. "I'll wait for you, sir."

Nohansen nodded in reply. "I won't be too long, Lonnie."

"Where are we headed after you are finished?"

"Either the Chateau or the cottage I use as my study. Hmm … I'm in the mood for the lake; it's calming. Let's head there after I'm finished."

"Understood." The guard spoke into a radio microphone attached to his shirt at the shoulder. "We'll be headed for the secondary residency next. Start prepping the route." He pulled the door to the hallway shut behind himself.

Once the door clicked shut, Nohansen removed a desktop calendar from atop of his desk and lowered his gaze to an ancient map, carefully enshrined within two sheets of protective plastic. He withdrew a small silver rectangular device, thumbed the side, and spoke into it.

"I've laid out a laminated map on my desk. I used my desktop calendar to flatten it. My unhealthy obsession with the ancient Hylians that discovered the Sacred Realm is going to be the end of me, so help me goddesses, but the only thing I hold in higher regard is those who have returned and documented their journey."

He opened the center drawer of his desk and withdrew a transparent piece of plastic with the modern overlay of Hyrule. "I'm placing a modern map printed on a transparency overtop of this map, based on the same scaling ratio."

He moved the transparency about overtop the map until he lined up matching landmarks. "I'm trying to make a habit of detailing every step of this search for the truth. Even if some of my thoughts are out of order, I'll be sure to document every step of the way. Should I find the Sacred Realm and return, I'll be the first person since antiquity to be able to make the claim. Only I'll have more than documentation … I'll have video and audio proof. Now, it won't be easy … I have no funding; no one currently alive believes those people found the Sacred Realm."

Nohansen shifted the voice recorder to his other hand, sat down on his chair, and leaned back in it. He shifted his weight to get comfortable, and put his feet up on the corner of the desk, so as not to disturb the map. "You see, either you have faith these people were telling the truth … or you believe the academics that use their grant money to tear holes in every claim that people have documented regarding their journeys. The only reason I'm going to succeed is because I was lucky enough to have been born into the Royal Family. Because I have access to the King's Library, I also have access to recorded documentation of those who claimed to have returned from the Sacred Realm."

Nohansen sighed softly. "And now my own unhealthy obsession has taken over my every waking moment. I have no wife, no children, and no hobbies or habits. All I have is my desire to have my own legacy. The legacy of finally understanding the myth of Ganon."

Nohansen switched the device back to his other hand. "Every time someone made a believable claim to have traversed between the realms, the Royal Family seized all recorded proof of their journey to the Golden Land. But the Royal Family never ever destroyed those documents. No, those pages were filed away in the library. The collection exceeds twenty claims, nine of which have extremely similar elements mentioned in the details, no matter how far apart those claims were made, which makes me more likely to believe them. I obtained an old map created by Mandrag Ganon, himself … one of the most infamous iterations of Ganondorf Dragmire. Mandrag claimed to have the literal memories of Dragmire's visit to the Golden Land, which became fully unlocked upon the moment he touched the Triforce of Power. Whether Mandrag was Ganondorf, reincarnated, as he claimed … no one will ever truly know."

He clipped the transparency overlay to his chalkboard behind himself, snapped a picture with his tablet, and then he took a picture of his map on the desk with the tablet. He opened an app and manipulated the first image until it was a clear layer, and then he pinch-zoomed it while placing the layer overtop the second image, using a photo manipulation application. "Charles of Moria, the Shadow Prince, also claimed to have memories of Dragmire and Mandrag. It raises many questions … is a memory implanted in the newly awakened Ganon? Were these people born with those memories, and they become unlocked? Are memory engrams somehow quantum entangled so that these units of cognitive information are imprinted upon new Ganons?"

Nohansen used his tablet to combine the two layers, and properly stretch the one so that it matched the modern map transparency, until the maps accurately lined up. "There we go. So, if a reincarnated Ganon is a real thing, does the host lose their old memories or personality? I don't believe so. Dragmire and Mandrag have very similar turns of phrase, very similar mindsets and very similar behaviors, but they still clearly approach problem solving in different manners, their recorded phrasings and insults differ slightly, and both appear to have their original memories, although that last bit is an opinion of mine, based in references they have made to people who have recorded their actions and their words, when possible."

He continued his monologue. "Since science does not fully understand where memory engrams are stored, or if it's some multiscale network of neurons that already exist but become altered to create a memory imprint, the latter most likely since 'memory cells' cannot be created from nothing, and the hippocampus likely being the key to translating the neuron pathways established in memory creation, the very concept of passing along memories to a newly-awakened Ganon would have to be achieved in one of two ways … again, either a host is born with ancient memories and the brain unlocks them when the Ganon is awakened out of his mundane life … or … the memories are, again, somehow quantum entangled, perhaps replacing some of the currently existing memories of the Ganon's pre-awakened life. One thing is for sure … something that has existed for thousands of years with complete consistency … its part of my core belief."

The professor sat back in his chair, shifting his weight, so that the chair creaked a bit at the joints. "I suppose that last statement requires a measure of elucidation. I research fields of study and prohibited themes with my brother's royal assent. We may not have seen eye-to-eye as children, being half-brothers, but in our adult years, he allows me to study forbidden subject matters and report to him my findings."

"He has become increasingly curious to the mythology of the Chosen Hero of Hylia. He even claimed he wanted to find the modern iteration … the host, if you will, to the Hero's spirit. I looked at the genealogy and found that sometimes the Hero's spirit passes down by blood, but sometimes it does not. Meanwhile, the reincarnation of the goddess, Hylia, passes directly through bloodline. And then, out of curiosity, I looked into Ganon. I found it to be … extraordinarily interesting. It fascinates me beyond words."

"My brother concluded that my obsession with Ganon is because I wish to understand the villain assigned to these ancient stories, so that I might better understand the history from both sides of Hyrule's oldest legend … the Legend … of Zelda. Pft. Of course he had to make this about his daughter. However, there is no doubt my niece has talents that go beyond understanding. After all, I have seen, firsthand, her ability to heal the sick and injured, although she does this by somehow trading her health to the sick or injured person, and then she takes on their suffering and, to some extent, their very injury, itself. I have witnessed her take on the injury of another, and then heal herself. A car accident injury is what I specifically witnessed. Until that day, I always thought the Royal Family had a self-inflated sense of greatness, but now I understand they hide true secrets. The Legend of Zelda, going back to Skyloft, is truly the story of Hyrule, the story of Ganon, and the story of the so-called Chosen Hero of Hylia. I need to understand her, and I need to understand him … so that I can better understand the true history of Hyrule. My passion is history, law, and technology. By understanding if there really is a Golden Land, and by understanding the motivations of Ganon, I'll be able to understand, perhaps, my own place in this world. Do I have a fated action? A purpose? A future legacy? No one remembers the king's brother. Yet … I have always felt I was destined for greatness. I simply cannot shake that feeling."

Nohansen placed both of his hands on the desk, after sitting the recording device on the map. "I wish that … wait." He leaned closer to the map and squinted. "That can't be right. What's that." He withdrew his tablet and double checked his small screen, then he zoomed up on the imagery depicted on his tablet. "Now that the landmarks are properly lined up, I've never seen the way this map is laid out. Hmm. What is that icon? Why does it only show up when the modern map is overlaid atop the ancient map? Mm, let's test some theories, hmm?

Nohansen rubbed his chin, in thought. "Hmm," he said under his breath.

"Perhaps it is time for a field trip. Time to put the scans of this new map to good use. Before I go, I need to download an eBook edition of the Book of Mudora. Also, I should probably stop by the local Malo Mart outlet and pick up some provisions. Better safe than sorry. End of log file." Nohansen clicked the side of the voice recorder, ending the audio diary entry.

He double-clicked a button on the voice recorder to create a new file, named automatically by date and time. He didn't click record yet. Instead, he gathered his belongings, thumbed the screen of his off-brand tablet, downloaded the eBook he wanted, and made a list of provisions.

He put away his belongings, reached for his collar, and loosened his tie, followed by the top button of his dress shirt.

He carried his map to the door behind his desk, put it on a counter in his personal study, turned out the lights, locked the door, and made his way up the stairs across the lecturing stage from his desk, checking each row of student benches and foldable mini-desks for each seat to make sure none of his students left any bookbags.

At the top of the steps, he turned out the lights, left the lecture hall, and locked the door behind himself.

X

X

Lenae 1, 2050,
Chateau de la Mar, Lake Hylia…

Nohansen took the hand of his personal guard, who wore a black three-piece suit and sunglasses. "Lonnie, you don't need to attend me on my sabbatical. It's winter break. I'm getting away. No students, no grading, nothing work related."

Lonnie was half Hylian and half Sheikah, with an aristocratically pointed tip to his ears, which were about as long as the average Hylian's ears. At five-foot and eleven inches tall, he was also about a foot shorter than the towering Nohansen.

The professor was fairly tall from having a mere quarter of Gerudo blood in him. It also made his skin a little more naturally tan and his eyes were as brown as his hair.

A male with any Gerudo blood was known to be extremely rare, and so Nohansen typically told people he 'received the tall and tan traits from some recessive gene.' The king stood by that statement anytime it came up around Nohansen publicly.

Lonnie, however, was one of the small handful of people who knew Nohansen's secret – that a Gerudo-blooded man was the king's brother. After all, Nohansen had no desire to try using his bloodline to usurp leadership over the Gerudo people, especially when the royal family currently had such a phenomenal relationship with the Gerudo queen.

Furthermore, the currently Gerudo queen had such an open and honest administration that Nohansen rather admired them. If he had been part of that royal family, he wouldn't have had to hide anything about himself.

"Sir…" Lonnie's voice snapped Nohansen out of his brief reverie. Again, Lonnie said, "Sir…?"

Nohansen looked down and saw that he released the man's hand at some point; he had been coached since his youth on how long to shake someone's hand or touch their shoulder, so as not to make things weird to the eyes of the public or media. His youth training must have kicked in at some point during his brief reverie … because he realized his hand had already been dropped. How long had he been distracted? Seconds? A minute? Nohansen cleared his throat and uttered a simple, "Hm?"

"Sir, I'm supposed to be your personal bodyguard. What if someone kidnapped you and used you as ransom to get at the king?"

"I know that's protocol, but … look, you've been assigned to dayshift for me for, what, a few years, now, yes? I feel like we can be honest with each other, so, don't take this the wrong way, Lonnie…"

"I can respect honesty. Go ahead. Be brutal, sir."

Nohansen offered a fleeting grin. "Very good. All right, then. So, Lonnie, you're a good guy and a crack shot with your sidearm, but … it would take three of you to overtake me, hand-to-hand. That said, I am certain I can handle myself by going on vacation off the reservation."

"Sir, as a prince, yes: you're trained in military-style self-defense, but…"

"But?" Nohansen tilted his head.

"I was three-time nationals in college for wrestling, honorable mention in the championship."

"Is that third place or fourth, Lonnie?" He grinned.

Lonnie returned the grin.

"We can always wrestle for it."

"Ha." A brief pause, then Lonnie added, "Ha … sir."

"Heh. Anyhow, I'm packing the four-by-four, and I have a pistol in the stowage compartment, not that I'll need it. But come in for the moment."

"For the moment?"

Nohansen chuckled. "Yes, Lonnie. No offense, but you're not coming with me."

"Sir, with all due respect…"

"Listen, Lonnie, if you can tackle and pin me for three seconds, I'll let you come with me."

"Sir?"

"If you can best me, and pin me, for just three short seconds … I'll bring you."

"You're serious, sir?"

Nohansen turned and disappeared into the heart of his private sea-side chateau. "Come on, then. I haven't all day to wait. I'm packing the four-by-four and headed out shortly. I appreciate you protecting me from students each day … feel free to sit at the back of the lecture hall, to your heart's content, and save me from potential school shooters. Feel free to wait outside in the hallway as my students filter in and out of the classroom each day. But no one is kidnapping me to 'use me' as a way to somehow 'leverage' my brother. So that we're on the same page, Lonnie, the only one who would be willing to consider paying my ransom is Zelda Daltus of Hyrule, and only because she's a sweet and empathetic young woman. That said, if an attacker can overpower me, they would most certainly be able to overpower any bodyguard. So, please, if you wish to join me whilst on holiday, you may test your prowess and prove me wrong at your convenience."

Lonnie stepped into the residence's living room and shut the door behind himself. He looked around, quick to notice that the professor had his bags packed for what appeared to be a camping trip. "Are you serious, sir? You seriously want me to pin you for three seconds?"

"I'll make you a deal … if you can manage to pin me, I will never again tease you or any other Royal Guard … ever again. Is that fair?"

"The guards know you're teasing. We're not offended by jokes. Besides, I could never lay a hand on…"

"Lonnie! How long have we known one another?"

"Six years, sir."

"Okay, that's … a little longer than I realized. But! I'm a university teacher! History and Law, mostly! Technology! I am, by definition, an egghead. Come, now. Are you afraid of losing to a professor who is both older and less trained?"

"Sir, just because you're taller than me doesn't mean…"

"Oh, I know, Lonnie! Height advantage can sometimes mean absolutely nothing. So, go on then. Put me on the carpet and pin me for at least three seconds. I'm not a pussy; I can take a little rugburn. Go on, then. Prove to me that you're going to keep me safe in bear country."

Lonnie blinked, rarely hearing Nohansen speak crudely.

Nohansen added, "Again, if you can manage to overcome me, then you can come with me on my sabbatical. Pro-tip, it's smarter to strike while my back is turned. But if you can't do it, then this is a private holiday to be spent alone, away from everyone else, including my assigned lead guard."

"Err, but I'm here by request of the king."

"Indirectly. Yes, as part of your swearing-in oath, the king 'formally requests' the Skeikah Tribe to stay your course, as chosen by the Goddess Hylia to protect the land, and to serve as the guardian for the descendants of the goddess – the royal family members. But if you did it out of your ancestor's obligation to the goddess, you were arguably born into slavery. And that's not the case. You're here because it's your duty, but also because you are well compensated for a job in which you are well trained. I'm basically your employer."

"Well … yes, but…"

Nohansen put his large right hand on the guard's shoulder. "…But I'm telling you to spend the winter holiday amongst your family, Lonnie."

"You're … serious, sir? You really want me to try and tackle you, and pin you?"

"I want you to try. I want you to prove me wrong, yes."

"Well … if that is what you want, sir…"

"Oh, just stop pussy-footing around and do it, Lonnie. So that I can prove to you I can handle myself, then you can go home, take some painkillers if necessary, and enjoy getting paid for your time off. Go on, let's get this over with."

"Well, all right, sir. But you asked for it."

Nohansen turned his back to Lonnie and smirked. "You're going to be sore tomorrow, but you're going to enjoy spending the winter holiday with your family, Lonnie. Let's just keep this between us."

"You sure are confident today, sir." Lonnie lunged at Nohansen from behind.

Nohansen pivoted, picked up the guard with one hand, by his shirt, and held him aloft at arm's length. "I'm feeling extra confident, so I'm going to let you try again." He set the guard down on his feet and turned his back to the man again. "And without announcing your presence this time."

Lonnie took two steps back, then he dashed forward on the balls of his feet, slid along the ground between Nohansen's ankles, and clotheslined the backsides of Nohansen's knees.

Nohansen buckled to all fours. He felt the guard try to wrap arms and legs around his own thigh and waist, but Nohansen stood up with ease, while the guard hung tight like a toddler to a parent.

Nohansen reached down, plucked Lonnie's arms back, lifted him up, again, with one hand by the guard's work shirt, and held him aloft. He walked across the living room and slammed Lonnie onto the sofa, holding him down by his enormous hand, which, from palm to fingertips, nearly covered both of Lonnie's shoulders.

Lonnie struggled to get up from the sofa, but he was firmly pinned down by Nohansen's strong grasp. He brought an elbow down against the back of Nohansen's knuckles, followed by attacking the professor's pressure points on his hand and wrist. However, Nohansen's grasp was stronger and far more solid than the experienced guard expected.

"As you can see, Lonnie, I am more than capable of protecting myself. And if we're being sniped, there's nothing you could do to save me, anyhow. So. Now that I've demonstrated my ability to protect myself, I want you to go home and take your son out somewhere. Anywhere. Just … enjoy being a father. Our secret. You'll get paid, and you can pretend you came along. But I doubt you'd want to … unless you want to hear about my lecture for next week's return to class." Nohansen smirked.

"I thought you said no schoolwork on your holiday, sir?"

"You know I can't stay away from my academic pursuits. My obsession is just one of the reasons my brother gives me absolutely zero royal duties." Nohansen studied the red eyes of Lonnie, still keeping the man pinned. He shook his head with a sigh then he added, "It's going to be a lesson on how the Watarara Tribe evolved into the Rito people, and whether or not there was really a dragon giving the Rito scales to gain their feathers unlike modern Rito, all of whom have now evolved to the point that they don't even resemble the Zora from which their kind evolved centuries ago. The lesson plan is to have students analyze the growing evolution of political, religious, and societal deviations and vicissitudes as the dichotomy between the Rito and Zora continued to evolve in both magnitude and blood…"

"You mean the … uh … changes between them literally and figurative-speaking."

"In a sense, yes. Marriage became forbidden between the two. Religious worship changed, the political climate changed, yet key elements of their diets remained the same, their growing loyalty to the Hylian Royal Family was similar between the two tribes…"

"A compare and contrast assignment? Really?" Lonnie's voice sounded stressed from the weight of the hand on his chest. He continued to attempt using pressure points to free himself, but he had no success.

"Really. I know it seems rather 'high school' when you put it that way, but based on the recent growth of both tribes, it is my belief that they will both become deeply integrated with Hyrulian society one day. And while that day has yet to happen, everyone eventually seeks the umbrella of protection that Hyrule offers, and the Royal Family likes receiving taxes about as much as the current administration of the Hyrule Diet likes spending them. So. I suggest you take my offer. It's a good deal, Lonnie. Learn your lesson of humility and go home to your family for the rest of the winter break. If you want, you can use this chateau as a vacation house for you and the missus. Just smell that hint of salt air on the wind … Lake Hylia is a very relaxing place to vacation. Only if you want. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Lonnie couldn't get up from the sofa. He finally stopped struggling from the strength of Nohansen's pinning hand. "Yes, sir. I will help you pack and then I'll head home, sir."

"There's a good lad. You've been here enough times to know your way around, Lonnie. Head up to my bedroom and you'll see my luggage. Just take it out to the four-by-four." Nohansen drew his large, strong hand back from Lonnie's collarbone, causing him to exhale in relief.

"Yes, sir." As an afterthought, Lonnie added, "I thought recent DNA tests suggest the Rito weren't genetically related to the Zora at all? The Rito came from the ancient Watarara Tribe, directly?"

Nohansen smiled at the fact his guard seemed to know more than just the art of soldiering. "Yes, they did. The Watarara Tribe, realizing their numbers dwindled to the point that inbreeding was leading to issues, decided to crossbreed with a group of Zora, leading to a genetic leap. Archeologists of ancient times wrote that the Rito were evolutionary descendants of the Zora, directly, but DNA does not lie, and now they know more about themselves, but so few of those people live in Hyrule. Most other species live on the other side of the planet. Have you ever seen one before?"

"Only on the internet."

"Exactly. About half the population doesn't even believe the Zora, the Rito, the Gorons, or the Kokiri are real, or at least still living in this day and age. My students refer to the Twili, Fairies, such and so-forth, as 'mythological.' I never understood the Sheikah's relationship with the Royal Family."

"Um. How so … sir?"

"Your tribe's crest … it literally means the truth. The teardrop may represent your people's willingness of the tribe to go to any length to achieve a goal for the will of the goddess … but, by all means, just look at the logos of your people's latest technology, Lonnie … the teardrop isn't always included beneath the eye. This leaves just The Truth. So, why do the Sheikah cover for the Royal Family's secrets and lies? I'm not saying every king is a liar, or that my brother is a liar … but unless it's a matter of national security, why lie or keep secrets from Hyrule? Like the remains of Skyloft that still exist, or the Wind Tribe's ancient obsession with getting that chunk of Skyloft that hit the ground … back into the air."

"What … is a Skyloft, sir?"

Nohansen sighed. "Exactly my point. All right. I'm going to go and gather my things, turn out the lights, and I'll meet you out by my four-by-four in ten minutes. I'll drop you off at your personal vehicle on my way out of town."

"Why not take a teleporter?"

"It's hard to explore when you teleport past everything worth seeing, Lonnie. I'm going to go and shave and brush my teeth. I'll see you in ten."

"All right, sir." Lonnie headed for the stairs to the loft bedroom to get the luggage.

X

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Author's Note: To the GUEST reviewer of the last chapter:
THANK YOU. Look up Kit-Karamak on SOFURRY dot com. There, you will find the ENTIRE Twilight of the Gods series of drafts, which run from 1999 through 2049. TWELVE FULL DRAFT NOVELS IN ALL. Enjoy! :D

And thanks for your kind words! It really made my day! No one ever reviews Fan Fictions anymore in this day and age. Not sure why. EVERYONE is qualified to leave some sort of feedback, opinions, critique, or just let me know they enjoy reading my work!

So, again, thanks SO much! It was awesome to hear from you!

Okay, so I've decided to do two back-to-back chapters that show Nohansen's transition from professor and a brother to the King of Hyrule who has NO title (in other words, he is NOT Prince Nohansen, officially).

I'll keep'em short, knock out both chapters real quick, then we will get back to the main characters and their storyline. And for those who caught it, Nohansen, like the king, has a very slight English accent. No reason. It just makes them sound classy to say things like, 'amongst, whilst, learnt, four-by-four,' but they don't say all the fun colloquialisms that Linkle Lynn uses, which is a lot of fun to write, but is also just superfluous tosh from Tingle's twonk daughter. Lmao … but let's face it, Linkle Lynn is more than just clever clogs, and she's proven she has a brain on more than one occasion.