Majora's War - Part 2
-Qin Palace-
Matsubi entered the throne room. A servant announced his presence, and Matsubi gulped as he walked through the large doors. His experiences here were varied and confusing. He still could easily recall in his mind's eye the sight of blood staining the floor, the bodies of Majora and Qin alike, and the tension in the air as he followed Zelda here to remove her half-brother from the throne. The second time he had been here, he believed he would be executed for the part he played in the same half-brother's rebellion, only to learn he would be spared, as well as promoted to a lower officer role in the military. The third time he witnessed Chancellor Ryo, a rival to Zelda and a man whose air was so kingly, bargain for a truce between Qin and Zhao and a fortress with the man who had defeated Ouki Mitagi. Having witnessed every event in the campaign that cost Ouki his life, it only increased the tension as he witnessed the war Ryo brought to Zhao in his own way.
"You seem tense, Matsubi." Zelda observed. A light smile lifted her lips in amusement as she sat on her throne and watched him slowly move forward.
Matsubi glanced around and saw the court was light today. Only a few ministers were in attendance and present today. The ministers mostly ignored him and were busy amongst each other. They seemed to work publically. Then to see Zelda as well, was also a shock in its own right. She had grown much in the last few years. Time certainly flew by. He remembered how she stumbled on him and his squad in the forests as a child, and now was passable as a young adult. He couldn't tell if she was an older teen or a young woman anymore. Either way she was losing the cuteness and innocence of the child and bore the maturity of a woman. Even the look in her eye was different and new. She was still cold and distant, but to compare when he first met her to now is like comparing the ice cold grasp of death to a lightly chilly breeze.
"Of course, high princess," Matsubi bowed. "If I may say so, let it never be said that my times in this room have never been light nor without... spectacle."
Zelda laughed quietly. "It certainly has seen its share of drama. The stories this room would tell if it could speak! If you wish, we may move elsewhere. I called for you, but it is not important that it be public nor in a great debate."
"Then, if I may, may it be elsewhere?"
Zelda nodded. She rose from the throne and beckened to him as she exited a side door. A few guards walked with them as they took to a side hall and entered a smaller room. The palace was full of room for many purposes, and while the throne room was meant for spectacle and large debate, there were smaller rooms meant for work to be done in a more private setting. They entered a small room with little more than a desk, a few pillows, and a candle stand. It could be compared to a closet by royal standards.
A servant lit the candle and stood to the side. Zelda sat on a pillow and put down scrolls on the desk. Matsubi also sat down.
"I am sorry if my request was uncalled for." Matsubi bowed, feeling the need to be polite. "I am just uncomfortable in the throne room."
Zelda waved it aside. "I asked. I saw as much and made the offer. No need to apologize, Matsubi. What I wish to discuss has already been looked over by Chancellor Impa, the Fae Elder, the Majora Ambassador, and a few of my ministers. No need for further discussion with them in what is mostly formality."
Matsubi's eyebrows rose high. So many were involved in this mysterious subject? It must be important.
Zelda began, "I will start with the short of it and explain further after, yes?" Matsubi nodded. "I want you and your men to escort the Dragmire convoy to the Majora."
Matsubi felt his breath hitch briefly. This was quite an order! He felt many things at once. Confusion, as he did not know who the Dragmire were beyond a single man. Shame, as he felt unworthy of such a request in relations between Qin and their western ally. Gratitude, in her thinking of him in the same above others. More confusion, as he couldn't understand why she would choose him. And finally further confusion as he didn't understand how the request, or better yet the order, would impact the relations between them and their allies for good or for ill.
"I will do as you command." Matsubi said after a moment. "Yet, please tell me the details. I am very confused. The first thing being: why me?"
Zelda leaned back with her back against the wall and said as if it was the simplest of matters, "Because among the Qin, only a few have ever met the Majora in a positive light. Link, myself, the Fae, and you, as you were in charge of the escort that took me there. Then you fought alongside us to reclaim the palace. Then you fought alongside the Majoran king against Harken Dragmire. Now, since the deal with the Mitagi, the Fae have, to play a trusted role in this matter, searched Qin far and wide for what remains of the Dragmire, and freeing them under my authority. I could have trusted the search with my Chancellors, or my ministers, but it would have taken many times more effort, manpower, would likely have failed to meet the goal even by half, and still wouldn't have been seen as... trustworthy as if the Fae did it."
"Don't the Majora trust us?" Matsubi questioned.
"For the most part. We have succeeded in having good relations. The ambassador speaks well of how his people see us, esspecially since we sided with the Majora against our own Mitagi. Yet even so, the Fae are beloved and are like blood brothers. While the relations between Fae and Dragmire was... testy, so far as the Majora claim. If the Dragmire are to return in any form, I wish it to be with everyone repairing the damage done by my grandfather. I want the Dragmire to see the Qin, Fae, and Majora all putting in their efforts to heal the damage done to them."
"This entire thing sounds like symbolism and a charade."
"To an extent. In a larger world view, it is only that. I am not changing the laws about slavery. I am freeing a select group that was enslaved for a crime they have long since paid. Also I am trying to extend hands of friendship by having particular groups play a role in this, to set an example of how relations can change and borders are not as strong as they seem. Yet I also think, as I am sure you can see, that the Dragmire who are freed will not see it as a charade. It is their lives. Yet I would not want them, neither the Majora nor Dragmire, to think siding with them over the Mitagi has hurt us. I have given the new fortress Ryo bought us over to the Mitagi, and so I have earned back any good will I may have lost from the Mitagi, and more."
Matsubi stared at her a moment. He had received a minor education in his youth, as he grew up in a walled city, but the ease in which she described such matters baffled him. Ministers truly must be the highest educated in the country to handle such matters daily, and to foster a young woman into the ease in which she integrated it. She was either a prodigy, had an incredible teacher, had vast life experience, or all three.
He said, "Link would no doubt see what you are doing as nothing more than doing something good for some people, and he would leave it at that. Yet you take a simple gesture and add so many layers of thought upon it until one might question if something good is truly good or if something evil is truly evil. You are balancing on the edge of a knife the good will of so many factions and no matter how good something is, it likely benefits one at the expense of another. This way of thinking must be maddening!"
Zelda sighed tiredly, "It is."
"I will do everything in my power to keep this ordeal from being burdensome, Princess. You say the Fae have already been at work gathering the Dragmire. Where are the Dragmire?"
For this, Zelda pulled out a map of Qin. She laid it out on the table. "As you know, Qin is split into two halves. Eastern Qin and western Qin split by Genyuu mountains and Genyuu Pass. With the Dragmire split across all of Qin, the Fae have chosen two places." She tapped a forest in eastern Qin. "The Fae have taken all of the Dragmire they could find in the east to this forest. Tomorrow they should move the Dragmire from the forest to Genyuu Pass, where you will meet them and escort them west." She tapped Joket to the west. "The Dragmire found in the western half have been moved to Joket."
Matsubi nodded. "Owned by the Majora and on the border between us while being nearly in the middle of our western half... it is positioned well for it."
"Exactly the same thoughts we have had."
"The plan is that I escort the Dragmire from Genyuu Pass to Joket, then?"
"Yes, and then from Joket into the mountains of the Majora, until our allies take them off your hands. Even if you must go so far as to enter their gates and leave the Dragmire at Ganondorf's door."
"Why not leave them at Joket?" Matsubi wondered. "It is owned by the Majora."
"The Majora said the same, but I wish to take the gesture all the way to its completion. The Dragmire have been enslaved to Qin their entire lives. I would let them see they have not been moved from one Qin city to another, as Joket, while being Majoran, is constructed to be Qin. I would have them taken all the way to the Majoran so that they may truly know the freedom given to them is not a farse."
Matsubi nodded. Zelda rose and started to leave. Hurriedly, he added, "I understand, princess. I-Is there anything more?"
"No, that will be all. I pray you fly under the Goddesses wings. Safe travels." Zelda shut the door, leaving him alone.
Matsubi breathed out and looked around in momentary thought. So far as orders went, it was peaceful. It would be a nice reprieve to leave the front lines and fighting to play a part in politics. Yet he still had some trepidations concerning the matter... if the stories of the Dragmire were anything to go by.
"Escorting an abused clan of demon-worshippers across wastelands to a mountain filled with wild men. What can go wrong?"
-Qin Palace, Link-
"Young lad!" A loud voice boomed through the room.
Link flinched, almost hiding by instinct from the intensity of the voice alone. The officer he was talking to put his hands over his ears to keep from going deaf. Link turned and nearly fled as a massive man in red hair and with a jaw filled with razor sharp teeth stomped his way towards them.
"It is good I have met you here." Duke Hyou smiled cheerily. "I wish for you to join me!"
Link put his hands over his long ears as the man spoke. They were standing only a few feet apart. So why was he yelling?! "Sir, you don't have to yell! I'm right here!"
The Duke looked at him in mild confusion. "I'm not yelling... Whatever, I wish for you to join me! Be proud and stand tall lad!" He emphasised his words with patting Link on the back hard enough to cause him to stumble and hit the wall.
"Thank you..." He muttered quietly. He didn't really feel proud or appreciative, not with the man barking at him so loud everyone around was going deaf. Then, more loudly, he said, "Join you for what, my lord?"
"Odds are it will be to drinking..." The third man muttered.
Link blanked in horror. "I hope not."
"It is not drinking. Though, if you are up for it, you can join me for a drink later as celebration! I have my own special liquor that is sure to test your mettle! Even the great Ouki had to shove his fist through a wall to get it down. Doesn't that sound fun?"
"Sounds like it would kill me..." Link whispered to himself.
"You underestimate yourself, lad, but if you wish we shall drink another day!..." The Duke looked at them blankly before whispering, still loudly enough to be heard across the room, "Where was I?"
"You wished for me to join you in... something." Link inserted.
"Oh, yes!" The man barked. Link flinched in pain and heard his ears ringing. "I have been given the reins to a campaign in Termina and I wish for your unit to join my army."
Link stared at him a moment, stunned. He had been thinking already of approaching the Duke to talk and get to know him, in following Zelda's advice, but had decided against it out of a desire to keep his hearing. Yet, somehow, despite that, the Duke had been the one to approach him, and with the lead toward the first major campaign since the Qin-Zhao alliance.
"Do you accept, lad!?" The Duke suddenly barked, impatient with his lack of an answer.
"Yes!" Link yelled back, still covering his ears. "I accept!"
"Good! Then meet me in the east in two weeks time." The Duke looked between Link and the officer he had been talking to already. "Good day!" The Duke left.
The officer looked at Link and said, "You really should look more grateful. A great general requested you by name."
"I don't feel grateful!" Link yelled. "I will be deaf by the time its over! My ears are ringing! Am I bleeding?!"
Link finished his talk shortly therafter with the officer he was already engaged with, and went on his way. He rubbed his ears. His long ears were still ringing from the Duke's treatment. Despite how painful it was, he was still grateful. He knew the Duke to a small degree. After Ouki's death, when Link moved to patroling the border, he stationed himself at the fortress in question from where the Duke was also stationed. The Duke had moved to the Qin-Gerudo border, but he still had enough of a presence that Link had a little bit of an idea of the kind of general he was.
One where a day without drinking, women, bloodshed, and being excessively loud wasn't a day worth having.
Rumor was the Duke was born on the battlefield, raised on the battlefield, and to this day lived on it. Rumor also was he was born and raised in a Gerudo gladiator colliseum. Rumor was the man had never slept a day in a normal city on a normal bed, but rather slept in tents or under the stars. Rumor was he never slept at all. Rumor was a hint of his blood was that of the Dragmire, due to his flaming red hair. Rumor was King Shorlin promoted seven generals to 'grand general', including Ouki, but the Duke never showed up and so turned down the promotion because he just wanted to have fun and stay off any leash. Rumor was his home-grown alchohol cocktail had killed as many as his axe. Rumor was he never needed to relieve himself and he bathed in tubs filled with the blood of his kills. Rumor was he shaved with rocks, ate meat raw, and drank boiling water to wash it down.
There were many rumors of the man, and Link looked forward to seeing how true they were.
His thoughts were interrupted by Impa rounding the corner in a hurry and having a crazed look in her eye. Link skidded to a halt and his first instinct was 'RUN!', as her impressions with him were not good. Last time she had knocked him out. She was also a Sheikah, and after what Ouki told Link, he had begun to suspect it was Impa who had ordered the hit on his life. She was, after all, in a position close to Zelda, knew Link and how friendly he was with her, and Ouki had said the Sheikah did it out of a wish to protect Zelda. Not to mention the first time he had met her, she had dragged his best friend and sister away to die.
But Link didn't run. What he saw next stayed his feet. She looked mildly hurt, like she had just been in a small scuffle. She held an arm closely and blood fell from it. One eye was swollen shut and a few cuts had been made in her clothes. She didn't walk so much as stumble.
"Link?" Impa gasped.
"Chancellor." Link replied, politely. "What happened to you?" He put a hand on his spear and glanced around. This area was oddly... quiet. A faint mist in the direction she had come from dissipated. Link narrowed his eyes, the mist looked somewhat familiar.
"Nothing." The woman lied. Link stared down at her, as if to say 'seriously?' She sighed, "Your presence scared her off. I am alright now."
"Is she an assassin?" Link questioned. His tension rose quickly and his thoughts raced. Where was Zelda right now?
"Yes, but she came for me." Impa replied. "You don't need to worry..." The woman deflated. She sat at the corner and seemed to sag and age by decades. Dare Link even think, perhaps the woman looked guilty?
"You can't tell me not to worry when an assassin is around!" Link exclaimed. He ran around Impa and down the hall from which he faintly saw mist earlier, but Impa's voice brought him to a halt.
"Stop! Thats an order!"
Link turned to look at her. "Give me one good reason to not disobey it. Give me one reason to think the assassin won't go after Zelda!"
"Because I'm the target!" Impa yelled back. "She is... she is just my sins coming back for me."
Link stared at her a moment. While he tried not to show it, Impa was pretty high on his shit-list and he treated her with respect solely and only because the respect he gave the Chancellor was an extension of his respect for Zelda. The only reason he didn't ignore her completely and run off after the enemy was that he had no idea where to start. The person had long since disappeared. If it was true that Impa was the target, then he would be better off here anyway. Was he using her as bait by doing so? Yes. Was he protecting her with his life? Also yes.
Link didn't think she was lieing. He didn't like Impa, but he could easily tell she cared for Zelda deeply and would do everything in her power to protect their mutual friend.
Link sighed and flexed his hands. He felt his Gift hum silently in his hand. If the assassin popped so much as a pinky-toe out, he was using it and jumping the assassin. He walked slowly back to Impa and looked down at her. Typically he considered himself a compassionate man and an empathetic person, but this was Impa. She probably saw a hint of his hidden contempt for her in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Link asked.
Impa didn't reply. Link rolled his eyes, ran his hands through his hair in frustration, and sat across from her.
At last Impa breathed and asked, "Link, what happened to Solitare's scars?"
-Outside Joket, Western Qin-
Ghirrahim stooped down and touched the ground. Lush grass met his finger tips and growing crops stroked his hips. A land once cracked and dry was now alive and fresh. The shade of trees covered his burning back and the gentle rustling of leaves was all he heard, punctuated by the breathing of his hounds and the stomping of his traveling companion.
Satakarta's feet squashed the grass he had just been touching, and the man huffed as he looked out at the city he once governed. "My eyes are not pleased to behold this decreped sight again."
"Then you fail to comperehend what you see." Ghirrahim replied patiently. "I have seen this land in many different ages, and if you were to see it as I once did, then you would marvel in the majesty of the world. It has such an ability to heal and endure. Unlike my home."
Satakarta gave the albino a wary glance. The white man-thing was constantly cryptic and was long winded. One of the Twilight stepped forward slowly between them. The mask salesman leaped to the side, but Ghirrahim brought his hand to the hound's head and petted it without bothering to look. The albino's white eyes looked on Joket in the distance from the trees they hid by.
"Your home is also impressive." Ghirrahim said. "This city was not here the last time I recall it. You have built up a great legacy."
"Thank. You?" Satakarta said and asked at once. He wasn't sure how to take the compliment.
"Tell me, have you ever heard of the idea of 'Second City'?"
"No."
"Basically it is the idea that a city is sometimes grand and incredible because it is built on the ashes of its former. I think it is time you showed me how you have grown since you departed. It is time you built a second city." Ghirrahim looked at him. "It is time to set our plan in motion."
Satakarta smiled. He stepped back to his carriage and pulled out two blank masks. He took a bit of ink, drew on the masks, added a hint of his blood, and then placed the masks together. The masks were designed to activate on contact with faces. A loophole he found was the masks couldn't distinguish between what kind of 'face'. Whether it be monster, man, or another mask.
-Kanyou, Royal Palace-
-Zelda-
Zelda sat in discussion with Shi Ketsu. He had approached her shortly after her talk with Matsubi.
Shi Ketsu had, over the years, worked up honor and respect again since the rebellion of his father, Chancellor Ketsu. It was thanks to his work that Zelda and her own faction had reorganized enough to resist Ryu. He was a skilled tactician in court matters. Impa was skilled in espionage, in matters of gossip and whispering, but Shi knew how to move forward and grow her court. While Impa may seek to have spies among rivals and deal with illusions and lies and whispers, Shi had a more straight forward understanding of leadership. He taught Zelda to work by example, to give positive reinforcement, to be clear in her wishes and not to be so prideful as to deny answers to valid questions while also not so meek as to just allow them to question her authority and seek to test her.
He wasn't as smart or filled with experience as Ryu either, but he had a good mind from growing up in court.
"The giving up of a fortress to the Mitagi troubles me," Shi said.
"You refer to Kankou?" Zelda asked.
Shi nodded. "The same."
"What is it that troubles you about it?" Zelda inquired further.
Shi thought a moment and considered his words. "It is not so much the Mitagi themselves, but their lord, Ousen Mitagi. Among our generals he is... different. The Duke, the Dragon Knight, Moubu, even the old man, they all set their sights and ambitions on war. They have land they lord over, but they have a clear desire to perfect their craft of war and to seek the stability of Qin."
"Moubu is a rival, though." Zelda argued.
"Yes," Shi Ketsu nodded. "But only because Ryo seeks the throne and Moubu is a tool of his. Moubu himself seeks nothing more than to be the strongest in Qin. He has said so multiple times, and to that effect has challenged others he considers strong."
"I see."
"And how is Ousen Mitagi different in your eyes?"
"It is not any one thing..." Shi said, hesitating on pressed for an answer. "It is a feeling I get from him when I look at him and his choices and relationships."
Zelda looked at him more curiously. She knew nothing of Ousen's relationships. "What do you mean? His relationships in court?"
"No but, even in court he is closed off. His marriage was of political purposes and when he no longer had a use for her he exiled her. Rumor is his relationship with his son is also volatile. Then you have his city, which is as grand as Kanyou with a castle that is... well..."
"I've seen it." Zelda inserted herself. "He built his castle to outperform mine."
Shi nodded. "It is not healthy for lower lords to be seen as trying to outperform their higher lords. And then you have his reputation and performance in war... Ousen has never lost, and numerically suffers the fewest losses, but also fights the fewest battles and is noted to, at times, retreat completely on a whim without ever fighting. He is just as likely to give up territory and cities than hold them and protect them."
Zelda frowned. It seemed Shi heard much in the way of rumors. She knew some things of Ousen and his reputation, but already Shi was saying more than she knew to start with. "Are you sure this is not merely a rumor?"
"I wish it was so, high princess, but past maps do show loss of territory he was selected to guard. And for a man who has never lost... How does one lose a fight one never loses unless they never fight to begin with? It seems to me he cares more about his undefeated reputation, of his houses prestige, and his own benefit over anything else. He is clearly intelligent and extremely selective, but selective in so far as if it benefits him. It is good to say he has never lost, and will only fight battles he knows he will win, but in the same breath the reverse is true: He will only fight battles he knows he will win. He will not prioritize the security of land and safety of our people over his own success. He will not take risks, he will not try."
"So you fear he will flee the fortress if he judges it unsuitable?" Zelda concluded from his distress.
"Yes. Ruboku is clearly intelligent in matters of court and war, and so will have taken measures to leave a weakness in the fortress he can exploit, and if Ousen Mitagi is as smart as I think he is... I think he knows it. So I conclude this thought in thinking him holding the fortess is nothing more than a farce as he will leave it at the first sign of danger. That is one fear. But then what if Ousen Mitagi can defeat Ruboku in this area, find the weakness, and make the fortress undefeatable as we wish? I also fear his clear ambition will turn on you if he can hold the fortress. Just as a lesser lord should not seek to outperform their higher, so also should no lesser lord have more holdings than their higher... and the Mitagi hold a dangerous amount of Qin. If my guess is correct: They hold more than half of the key strategic positions and passes. If the Mitagi were to truly rally against you, you would be unable to stop them."
"That is true." Zelda couldn't deny. "And it is a fear I have. I have judged Ousen to be dangerous on my own, but if these rumors are true, then as an enemy he is just as ambitious and dangerous as Ryo. As an ally, he is a double-edged sword. I might have become an enemy to the main house of Mitagi by gaining Ouki's support, as he was an outsider to them. Still, this is all a balancing game. Mitagi are not the only faction under me I must be wary of. There is also the Ki." Shi nodded in understanding. "I gave the fortress to the Mitagi for a reason. I lost nothing from it, as I never had it. In turn I gained some favor, even if it is superficial. Lastly... I think you underestimate the reprocussions."
"What do you mean?"
"The Mitagi hold the most of the south-east regions. The fortress I gave them on the edge at the north-most border. There is an entire country between the two, so if Ousen rebels, he will find himself cut off one way or another. It will make it more difficult for him to entrench it properly, with it being so far away, and so it may just be a farce, but I would rather have a farce that gives me honor and prestige, then to give him a fortress already close to his borders giving him enough of a size to seperate himself and form a complete nation."
"If I may, I disagree. The two-fold position would allow him to flank."
Zelda smiled and chuckled lightly. "Then it comes down to the strategim of whoever resists him."
"Fair enough. It may be that Ousen never tries to take the throne, as he is not in a position for clear victory. It may be the best way to fight him is to simply keep it that way, so his own nature never takes the risk."
Zelda hummed to herself in thought. It was all well and good to speculate, and if it was possible to keep Ousen and his ambition contained, she would rest more easily. Still there were factors that kept her wary. The prospect of a Prince Link Mitagi for instance. She trusted Link. She no longer doubted him, at least conciously. Yet it was not Link she had to fear, but those that would take advantage of him and what he could offer.
"It is well and good to use his own nature against him as a strategy in my court. If this is how you think we should move forward, I will take it into consideration. I hope, truly, it can be so easy as that, that Ousen will never surprise us."
Ousen was predictable. That, at least, Zelda knew. Didn't mean he couldn't surprise her some day by being impatient.
She returned her attention more fully to Shi Ketsu, as he seemed to have more to say. "Is there anything more, Shi?"
"Yes. Many matters have come to my attention, but there is one more matter I find most pressing and troubling."
"What would that be?"
"There are whispers... rumors..."
"There always are." Zelda smiled cheekily. He nodded in amusement.
"Indeed, there always are, yet these whispers show a growing mindset within your faction. You see... when Ryo kidnapped the Zhao harem he put Zhao in a position of facing a future with no heir. This is what made it so perilous for Zhao and why they went to such lengths to get them back."
Zelda frowned. She had an idea where this was going. "And you hear whispers that this has revealed a problem... here?"
"That is right." He nodded. He looked at her in mild surprise. "You know of it?"
"You are not the only one who listens when others whisper."
"And these whispers you hear, as I hear... is that Qin is also without an heir?" Shi questioned hesitantly.
He knew, as well as the others in the palace, how Zelda reacted to certain subjects. A few suitors had been presented early in her monarchy, were promptly kicked out, and had dwindled to nothing as she made herself unpresentable for suitors. The harem was a touchy subject as well, as Zelda insisted on one concubine (the most plain he had ever seen, at that), with very rare allowances allowed for occassional variety of women, and in all cases it is rumored that it was without the... expected intimacy. Not to mention that any question on adding men to the harem, since their not-yet-to-be-king was a woman (and the only one in Hyrule's history since the fall) was quickly and ruthlessly squashed. Then there were other oddities that left her ministers confused, such as removing all mirrors from the palace and a commitment to work that bordered on the workaholic. The last point is a good thing, so far as her ministers were concerned, but Shi saw it as another piece of the whole puzzle in regards to the subject of heirs and suitors. Just as it had its good, it also had its bad.
"They are. The question I ponder is just who is spreading it." Zelda replied coldly.
Shi gulped. Just as quickly as the subject came up, the smiling and almost-warm Zelda disappeared. He could all but see the walls thrown up as her eyes dulled.
"I believe, your highness, that no one is. I would not put it past Ryo to do so, but the whispering is too quiet and slow. If Ryo were to have been the orchestrate of it with his spies, then it would have a more visible impact on morale than just a mere curiosity your ministers ponder. I believe it is just the event opened their eyes."
Zelda 'tsk'ed. "I wouldn't put it past Ryo for a second. Even if he isn't having his spies whisper such things, it would no doubt have been a side-benefit of his little war with Ruboku. Whether it be his original aim or not."
Shi gulped. He knew he was stepping into dangerous water. "Yet, even so, the matter is one to not be ignored. The very fact it is a weakness in our faction, in Qin, that there is no heir in the event of your death -Goddesses never allow it!- is not something to be ignored. I fear the effect this whispering will have because of its legitamacy."
"No."
And that was it. Shi sighed inside. He had hoped she would be more receptive, but it seemed the icy walls were just as solid now as ever. He bowed down low, and said, "I understand, your highness. I will do what I can to squash the whispering and direct their attention elsewhere." He started to rise.
Seeing him rise, Zelda sighed, and said, "No. Stop. I'm sorry, you only seek what is best for me. It is just... you don't understand."
"Then help me understand." He pressed. "It is nigh impossible to help you properly in matters I cannot understand. I can do as you order me, and I can work within the confines of what you instruct, but I cannot act on my own as oppurtunity arises beyond that if I do not understand."
Zelda rose, looked out in the hall, and shut the doors closely. Shi looked at her curiously, wondering what the point of her nervousness was. At last she said, "What I am going to say does not leave this room. Impa knows it. Sarah knows it. But even my friends do not know to the extent of it, and as you are just as crucial to the palace as Impa is, it will help you to know."
Shi Ketsu said, "I swear nothing you say will leave my lips."
Zelda gulped. Her hands shook and she clenched them to try and stop them. It had been years since then, and she was coming into being a young adult, yet even still the memories shook her. She struggled to keep her composure, and merely focused on breathing for a moment before she started, "As you know, I was a hostage in Zhao..."
