Auru threw the doors to Hugh's room open.
"Rise and shine kid!" He yelled, ripping the curtains open to let in the morning light.
Hugh groaned and buried his head into his pillows.
"Go away." He grumbled
"Nope. Out of bed sleepy head, we've got a big day ahead of us, can't waste it away sleeping." Auru continued unrepentantly
A light snore was the only response he received. With a shake of his head he walked over the bed and with absolutely no sympathy kicked Hugh out of the bed onto the floor.
"Ow… Man you're pretty heartless sometimes you know that?" Hugh told him as he rubbed his head.
"Comes from years of years of being a general. Now up and at'em." He said as he walked out of the room.
Choosing to go to Shad's room next he opened the door no less loudly.
"Morning greets you Shad! And by morning I mean me, get out of bed." Auru said wandering over and pulling open the curtains
Shad cracked an eye open before awkwardly fumbling around looking for his glasses. Once he had got them on and was sitting up he blearily looked around the room.
"What day is it?" Shad asked groggily
"The day that we're going to the desert, get dressed." Auru told him.
Shad made little indication that he had hear, but did get to his feet. No less than two seconds after he started moving he ran into his bedpost. Rubbing his face as he staggered backward he groaned in minute pain. Redirecting his path to avoid the offending post he made his way over to his wardrobe. Auru glanced at him somewhat worriedly but decided to let him deal with waking up on his own.
Turning he went to Link's room next. As with the other two he slammed the door open.
"Time t-" his words died on his lips as he looked at Link with amusement.
Link was sprawled across the bed, his hair sticking out in every direction possible and a small pool of drool next to his mouth. The sight would have been downright comical if Auru hadn't noticed his hand tightly gripping a sword on the side.
Deciding to take the same approach as before he opened the curtains and allowed that to wake the sleeping man.
At the sound of the curtains sliding Link jumped up into a sitting position, his sword drawn in defence.
"You really need to relax." Auru commented as Link lowered the sword. "Do you really think that someone's going to try to kill you while we're in the castle?"
"Wouldn't be the first time." Link muttered still dazed from waking up so suddenly.
Auru raised an eyebrow at the statement but let it slide.
"Time to get up, we want to be off in the next hour or so." He told him then after taking another look at him added. "You'll want to try and tame that bed head before anyone else sees it, it's truly spectacular."
At the mention Link began patting down the hair with his hand.
Auru smiled to himself pleased, that task out of the way he returned to the hallway. He exited the room to be greeted by Ashei and Zelda both dressed and ready to go.
"Morning ladies." He said with a slight bow. "Up early I see."
"Good morning Auru. Yes, we wanted to be ready to go as soon as possible." Zelda answered
"The guys up yet?" Ashei asked
"Just went and woke 'em myself." Auru told her
"Sheesh, can't get their own lazy butts out of bed?" Ashei commented snidely
"You're one to talk, you wouldn't be up if it weren't for me coming to wake you." Zelda rolled her eyes.
"Details, detail." Ashei waved her off
Auru chuckled before excusing himself to go collect the rest of his things.
As he was leaving Hugh came storming out of his room and stalked over to Link's room. Banging on the door he yelled. "Oi Link! Did you take my headband!?"
Link opened the door and glared at him sleepily. "What?"
"I've looked everywhere for it, did you steal it?" Hugh demanded his hands on his hips.
Link rolled his eyes. "No Hugh, you left it here last night. Just a sec I'll go get it." Leaving and returning within a few seconds he handed the wide gray headband to Hugh.
"Oh sorry, I got worried when I could find it, thanks man." he said patting Link on the back almost causing Link to fall over.
At this point they heard laughing and turned to see Zelda and Ashei standing there. Becoming acutely aware that neither of them were wearing a shirt Link blushed while Hugh just smiled widely.
"Morning!" He greeted brightly. "Man what time did you guys get up? You're all dolled up and ready to go!" As he was saying this he came over to stand next to them while Link just rolled his eyes and went back in his room.
"I see you're sporting the Sheik outfit again, can't say that I don't think you look prettier in your normal get-up but this sure does look more comfortable." Hugh said with a gesture at Zelda.
"Yes it's more for practicality, plus I would rather not identify myself as the princess while we're at the fortress, I'm not quite sure how the Gerudo stand on political affairs at the moment." Zelda responded.
"Oi, how long are you planning on standing there without a shirt you doofus." Ashei said poking Hugh chest a few times for emphasis.
Hugh just shrugged. "Normally I just wear a vest, this isn't much different." He pointed out.
"But you can't do that today, remember? Going to the desert and all." Ashei responded
Hugh's smiled dropped. "Aww, I forgot about that… Bummer I'll have to go bug Shad for the cloaks, I'm pretty sure he had them last."
"You go do that, then hurry up and get ready. You're already late as it is." Auru commented, suddenly materializing Hugh.
Hugh laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Yep will do, sorry." He said as he hurried off to the other end of the hall.
A few minutes later Link came out of his room, fully dressed complete with sword, shield and pouch.
"Good morning Link." Zelda said properly greeting him this time.
"Good morning Zelda, Ashei, Auru." He returned, pausing he did a small double take. "Or should I be referring to you as Sheik?" He asked curiously
"Zelda now, Sheik at the fortress." Zelda responded.
Nodding he turned and looked around. "Shad not here yet?"
"Nope, he was a bit out of it this morning." Auru said
"I do hope he's going to be well enough to journey with you." Kaori said coming up to the group.
"Majesty. He should be fine, just a bit tired." Auru said in acknowledgment
"Glad to here it." Kaori nodded
From behind him Tobias poked his head out and waved shyly at the princess and Link. They both waved back.
"Your horses and supplies are all ready for your departure. Our kitchen staff was very excited at the prospect of preparing food for the road, so you will be sure to have your fill." Renjiro told them
The group thanked them.
"I do hope your travels go well, though I will miss the company. Please do come back and visit before you return to Hyrule." Kaori said
"We will." Zelda promised.
The sun was dipping low to the ground when they finally arrived at the Gerudo Fortress. The buildings have the appearance of being cubes stacked on top of each other in a staggered pattern; each a simple flat design with one or two rectangular cut out for windows and a larger cut out for a door. The whole fortress was an underwhelming sand color but it still held a that would normally intimidate outsiders.
Auru squinted and shielded his eyes from the last bit of sun to his left. "Seven guards on the walls, two more hidden." He informed calmly.
"I see them." Link responded
They reached the gates and dismounted. Auru and Link lead and put their hands on their heads. When the others look at them confused Auru turn to address them.
"Hands on your heads, all of you. It lessens your chances of getting shot if you can't reach your weapons quickly." He said under his breath
Turning back around they walked slowly up to the gate. As they reached it two women with blood red hair stood waiting for them. The one had her hair cut in a short bob and wore a short purple top that showed her midriff while the other had her hair styled in a single large braid that reached her knees and wore a white tank top with a burgundy shawl hung over one shoulder. They both sported the same baggy cargo pants that tighten around their waist and ankles and flat simple closed toe shoes that curled at the tip.
"State your business." The one in purple demanded harshly
"We've come to speak to Shylock." Auru responded
"Do not speak of our king in such an informal tone!" She spat
"Zandra be silent." The one in white ordered. "Why do you wish to speak with him?" She asked addressing Auru.
"The matter is confidential, and to be discussed only once your king is present." Auru stated just as calmly.
The woman narrowed her eyes but nodded to the other. The woman in purple stalked off and began pulling the lever that allowed the gate to open. They walked inside and were immediately surrounded by six other Gerudo all dress like the short haired one.
"We do not trust outsiders." The white clothed woman stated, her eyes hard. "Much less men, one wrong move and we'll kill you."
"Really Zera? Threatening our guests already? I would have thought you would wait at least until we served them dinner." A new voice spoke from behind her.
The woman, evidently named Zera, moved out of the way to reveal a man walking towards them. The man was shorter than most of the women with a slight frame; his hair like the rest of the Gerudo was blood red but was suprisingly curly. His clothes were simple, consisting only of cargo pants like the women and a sash that wrapped loosely over his shoulder and down to his waist. He currently was wandering around barefoot and had his arms crossed with a self-satisfied grin on his face.
"Highness." Zera acknowledged shortly. "I was unaware that you had invited visitors."
"I didn't." He said happily. "But your bedside manner really needs work regardless." He smirked as Zera glared at him.
"Now, visitors! I love visitors! What do you want?" He asked his demeanor changing from perky to suspicious in two seconds flat.
"We simply want information." Auru answered reassuringly
"About Arnold." Link added.
"Arnold?" Shylock mimicked in surprise, the earlier tension completely dissipated. "What's that crazy old man up to now?" He asked with a wide grin. "Has he gone an-" he stopped short and swiveled his body to be facing Link.
"Uh… Hold up." He said pointing a finger at Link. "Would your name be Link by any chance?"
Link tensed but nodded.
Shylock's face froze to one halfway between a smile and a petrified stare.
"The Link that killed Ganondorf?" He asked nervously
"Yes." Link answered warily
"Oh." Shylock responded his voice going a couple octaves higher. "Well if there's anything I can do for you, make you more comfortable, get some food, anything at all let me know." His words came out in a rush. He shifted to look relaxed but only managed to make himself look more uncomfortable.
Link and Auru looked at each other confused.
"I hope you realize that I'm not interested in the whole world conquest thing that my… Father was trying to achieve." Shylock said his voice much calmer but still hurried. "I don't have the time or the man -woman- power available to me, much less the desire. I mean why anyone would want to rule the world is beyond me. I can barely rule my fortress and they basically run themselves." He rambled on.
"Umm I think you're mistaken. I'm not here to kill you." Link cut in.
The king stopped short and smiled widely. "Oh good! Wonderful, well I hope that we will be fast friends then. Always happy when I find someone who doesn't want to kill me. There are very few, mind you, so I like to stay on their good side."
Mildly dizzied by this king's constant mood swings the group simply tried to keep up with the current attitude.
"Now! I suppose some introductions are in order!" He said clapping his hands together. "As I'm sure you have gathered by now I am Shylock, and this," he gestured to the woman with short hair and white clothes. "Is Zera, my second in command. As long as you stay on her good side you should be able to keep all your limbs intact."
Link listened for the joking tone but found none. Shrugging internally he nodded and turned to Auru in expectation of the introductions of their group. Auru picked up the conversational ball and gestured to himself.
"Pleased to make both of your acquaintances, my name is Auru, you already know Link, this is Ashei and Hugh." He said moving so Shylock could see them. Shylock smiled and waved, Ashei and Hugh waved back uncertainly. "And behind them are Shad and Sheik." He concluded. Shad and Zelda moved forward to greet the king.
"Oh! Your majesty." Shylock said happily bowing.
Everyone froze and looked at him wide-eyed.
Shylock looked at them all in surprise. "Wait, you guys did know that right? Otherwise this is going to be very awkward."
"No we knew, but how did you know?" Auru said unsettled
"Uh I live with all women." Shylock answered motioning around him. "I'd like to believe that I would be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman."
Auru processed that for a moment. "Fair enough, but just because you could tell that she's a woman doesn't explain how you knew she was royalty."
"Please." Shylock said looking hurt. "I think I'm capable of putting the pieces together. Hyrule's champion, former general, and best scholar and knight? It's not a long stretch, and besides I was right wasn't I?"
Zelda stepped forward and magically reverted her appearance to her ordinary gown and crown.
"I'm happy to make your acquaintance Shylock. Please forgive my discretion I was unsure where your people stood on political matters." She said calmly
Shylock came up and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. "Not at all highness, I understand completely. Now, I'm sure you're all hungry you must come join us for dinner." He said to the rest of them.
Without waiting for their reply he spun on his heel and began walking away clearly expecting them to follow.
"Oh I hope you don't mind but we actually have some other visitors at the moment so you might bump into them at some point." Shylock said over his shoulder.
"That should be fine." Zelda answered. "We don't want to impose, we just want to talk with you."
"Right, about Arnold. Later later." He waved her off. "Until then though, you must tell me how you all came to end up here, I mean it's obviously not someplace you would want to come by choice, if that boys face is any indication." He said looking at Hugh who had been glaring at the sand around them.
"Hugh's not fond of the desert as a whole." Ashei explained punching Hugh in the arm.
"Ah, well he's not alone in feeling like that, but I for one couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Don't worry you'll come around eventually." Shylock said glancing at Hugh
"Doubt it." Hugh muttered under his breath.
As they were talking they entered one of the lower buildings. The inside was the same color as the outside though there were occasional skull heads and spears for decoration. Shylock noticed them looking at them and chuckled.
"Sorry for the display, I assure you all the skulls are animal and are really just for show. The girls put them up to prove that they mean business, but they are actually quite fun if you get to know them."
Rounding a corner and climbing up a hallway on a very steep upward slant they came into an enormous rectangular room with an equally huge rectangular slate of marble that stretched the length of the room and was surrounded by pillows of all sizes and colors.
There were already around 15 other Gerudo sitting around the slate that clearly functioned as their table.
"Please have a seat, although if you don't mind could you all sit on one side of the table? The other side will be reserved for our other guests." Shylock asked somewhat apologetically. "Don't want to show favoritism you know."
"Of course." Zelda responded
"Shall I call the rest?" Zera asked suddenly appearing beside Shylock.
'What is it with second in commands feeling the need to appear without warning?' Link thought to himself
Shylock squinted out the window. "Yeah, it's about time anyway."
Zera brought two fingers to her mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle. Shad and Hugh covered their ears and the rest winced but the Gerudo didn't even flinch.
After it finished Shylock and Zera went and sat at the table with Shylock at the end and Zera next to him. The group sat across from the side Zera chose with Zelda next to Shylock followed by, Ashei, Link, Hugh, Shad and Auru. Within seconds of their sitting down some 50 plus Gerudo came streaming in from the three doors around the room, some carried weapons, others came in groups and were chatting among themselves.
As they came in other Gerudo were rushing around putting out food and wine. As they placed cups in front of Shylock and Zera, Zera reached over and started drinking from Shylock's cup. As soon as Shylock noticed he frowned and snatched the cup back from her.
"They're not going to poison me! Relax!" He said irritatedly
Zera shrugged unconcerned but was smirking. Then without warning she started coughing violently and clutching at her throat.
"Zera!?" Shylock said thoroughly alarmed. He was immediately at her side hovering unsure what to do, concern written all over is face.
Her coughing suddenly changed to a different sound and after a few seconds Link realized that she was laughing!
Shylock looked shocked. "Don't do that! That's not funny! I thought you had actually been poisoned!"
Zera just kept on laughing and soon everyone else ended up joining her. "Oh highness, I can't possibly be poisoned," she said flippantly. "Who would get you out of bed in the morning if I was dead?" She asked as she looked up at him innocently
The king's mouth twitched and it was obvious he was trying really hard not to smile. Eventually he gave up and start laughing as well.
"You're going to be the death of me." He said with a roll of his eyes as he sat back down. His smile stayed put though.
Link looked around and found that there were still a few Gerudo filing in but most noticeable was the entrance of three men after much of the people had already been seated. The one in front, and clearly the leader of the three, had dark brown hair that had grown long from what appeared to be negligence more than style. His clothing was simple and durable adorned with a sword on his back and a hookshot attached to his belt. His calculating green eyes took in the room for a few seconds but froze when they reached their group. His two companions didn't seem to notice as they continued to converse rather loudly.
The one on the right had incredibly blond hair almost to the point of being white, it was styled to look like he had just rolled out of bed but Link suspected that he had put quite a bit of time into it. His clothes were similar to the first was more black and with more weapons on display. He frowned as he was argued with the younger man on the left, was clearly having a hard time keeping his temper in check.
The one on the left was currently sticking his tongue out at the blond one but was clearly enjoying the whole ordeal. His hair was jet black and slightly mussed but more proper looking than the first two. His eyes were large and a deep blue that gave him a very innocent look. His clothes were a simple t-shirt with a hooded cloak that was about 3 sizes too large and flapped around him as he walked.
Link heard a sharp intake of breath next to him and turned to see Hugh staring at the men wide-eyed. Ashei noticed as well and started asking what was wrong, but quickly stopped when she saw the men as well. Link looked between the two wondering what he had missed.
"Is that-" Ashei started
"Yeah." Hugh answered
"But I thought-"
"I guess not."
Link hesitated but finally decided to voice his confusion.
"You know them?" He questioned
Hugh swallowed before responding.
"The one in the middle is my brother." He answered, his voice deceptively light
Link worked to keep his face impassive but couldn't help his eyebrows from raising slightly.
"Oh there they are!" Shylock said cutting off any further conversation. "Zera, would you be a dear and make sure that they come and sit down here with us?"
Zera rolled her eyes but complied. Within seconds they were standing across the table from them.
"Glad you three could make it!" Shylock greeted brightly. "Now I'm sure you're all curious to know each other's names so I will happily make the introductions." He rambled on.
Link wondered how the king didn't notice the palatable tension between the two groups.
"Ciel, meet Sheik, Ashei, Link, Hugh, Shad, and Auru." He said going down the row with a gesture to each. "Our new visitors from Hyrule." He smiled and continued. "And this is Kremisius, although he goes by Krem." He said pointing to the black haired one who smiled and waved. "Next to him is Ciel." Ciel didn't move he just stare at them coldly. "And lastly is Thane." He said gesturing to the blond. Thane crossed his arms and looked away, clearly still angry from the earlier.
"Now please, please have a seat!" Shylock told them
"Thank you for the invitation, your highness." Ciel said in a deep baritone, his hand to his chest and bowing. "However I came only with the intention to inform you that we plan to leave by early afternoon tomorrow." Thane and Krem turned and looked at him in surprise but Ciel didn't seem to notice. "We are very grateful for your kind hospitality but I will be taking my leave now." He finished, then after a glance at the other two men paused. "You two are welcome to stay for the dinner if you wish, but I have preparations to take care of."
Without another word he bowed again and calmly left.
Krem and Thane looked at each other and shrugged sitting at the table.
"You have to leave so soon?" Shylock pouted.
Krem laughed. "Apparently." He shrugged. "Its news to us."
"Shut up Krem. Ciel will tell us when we need to know, not before." Thane retorted.
"You're just upset he didn't tell you." Krem teased, still smiling.
"Watch it pipsqueak. You know I could easily de-" he growled
"Destroy me, yeah, yeah I know. You only told me about a hundred times a day." Krem said putting up a hand to ward of the oncoming threat.
Link smirked at the strange interaction. Krem noticed and smiled at him.
"Link right?" He asked
Link nodded calmly.
"So what y'all doing here? I've never met anyone else when we come to visit." He asked with childlike curiosity.
"We came to ask the king about a mutual acquaintance." Link answered
"Quit calling me king! I'm right here you know and I've got an actual name." Shylock huffed
"Sorry, came to ask Shylock." Link amended.
Krem chuckled cheerfully. "Does this acquaintance have a name?"
"His name is Arnold."
"Ah, never heard of him." Krem hummed disappointedly. "So what's it like in Hyrule? I heard there was some monster troubles recently?"
"It's fine now, the Twili have gone back to their world and Princess Zelda rules again." Link answered
Krem's eyes lit up momentarily and glanced at Sheik.
"That's good to hear! Right Thane?" Krem said turning Thane who at the time was eating sullenly.
He grunted and pointedly ignored the younger man. Krem just rolled his eyes at his attitude.
"So if you don't mind my asking, why are you two here?" Auru asked
"None of your business old man." Thane snapped
"Hey! Rude! Just because Ciel isn't around that doesn't mean you can be a jerk!" Krem scolded. He turned back to Auru. "Ignore him, he's just mean. We're here to trade, no big secret about it."
Auru seemed unaffected by Thane's comment and nodded understandingly to Krem. Hugh cleared his throat. "I need to get some air, if you'll excuse me. Thank you for dinner highness." He said getting to his feet and leaving.
Ashei continued looking at the door he had left through for a while after he was gone, her face showing obvious concern.
Hugh breathed deeply as soon as he had made it outside. The night was extremely clear and he could easily make out thousands of stars without any help of a telescope. Shivering slightly at the sudden dip in temperature he started looking for Ciel.
After wandering the grounds for a while Hugh had still found no clues to where his brother was. Just when he was feeling like he should go back inside, a soft tune drifted through the air to his ears. Picking up his pace he started towards the sound, a sound that brought such a strong sense of nostalgia that he had to fight down tears.
The sound was a violin. The song sad and eerie, but still enjoyable to listen to. Hugh rounded a corner at the end of the fortress and saw him. He stood with his back to the building, the moonlight shone on him like a spotlight as he swayed with the music. His eyes closed, he played the song from memory making up for the occasional missed note with a clear emotional attachment to the sounds.
The music came to an abrupt stop and Hugh looked up to see Ciel paused mid note staring at him with hard eyes.
"You've been practicing, you're much better than when I had last heard you." Hugh said breaking the silence.
"There's a lot that's changed since you last saw me." He responded coolly
"I suppose there would be… A lot can happen in 4 years." Hugh said sadly
Ciel sighed and lowered his violin
"What are you doing here Hugh?"
"I wanted to see you."
"You misunderstand." Ciel cut him off. "Why are you at the Gerudo fortress? You must have a reason, you wouldn't just come here for vacation."
"Funny people keep saying that to me, I wonder why?" Hugh laughed. "Must be that I'm not particularly tanned."
Ciel looked unimpressed and raised an eyebrow as if to say 'get to the point'.
"Im traveling with this group, they're called the Resistance – they were the ones at dinner."
Ciel shrugged. "Didn't pay much attention, looked capable though."
"I'll be sure to pass along the compliment." Hugh said dryly. "Anyway they're helping find this man named Arnold." He finished
"And this 'Arnold', what's so special about him? Steal your precious goat or something?" The younger man snarked
Hugh looked at him bewildered. "Don't you know?" His voice harsh
"Know what?" Ciel responded
Hugh stared at him wide-eyed. "But I thought-"
"What that I knew everything? I appreciate the vote of confidence but I honestly haven't been keeping tabs on your precious little village. Wasn't worth my time." Ciel said with a yawn.
Hugh realized the jab was aimed at hurting him but he honestly couldn't focus on anything other than his shock in that moment.
He hesitated, trying to clear his thoughts. "Our village-" he started, his eyes stinging from the recall painful memories.
"Your village." His brother corrected almost as a reflex
"Our village was attacked." Hugh pressed on ignoring the correction, he looked at the ground trying to keep his emotions under control long enough to explain. "It was a slaughter, I'm going after the man responsible, and to do that I need help from the Gerudo king." He said harshly in order not to let his voice crack.
Ciel pretended not to notice. "I'm surprised Aria didn't come with you. She always talked about traveling one day." He commented
Hugh looked like he had been punched. Ciel frowned and looked at him confused.
"Aria is dead." Hugh told him, his voice finally breaking, tears streamed down his face but not even registering that they were there.
Ciel stared at him in disbelief, his face still a mask of unfeeling
"She was killed in the attack. Pierced through the heart." Hugh said, his anger rising at his brother's apparent indifference.
"What?" Ciel said, the voice echoing in his own ears seemed so far away. Tears dripped down his face as he stared at his brother in shock.
"Wha? How? How could you let this happen?" his face twisting into one of hate.
"You were supposed to protect her!" His voice rising with every word. "How could you let her die!?" He shouted he came over and grabbed Hugh's vest between clenched hands. "She trusted you!" He yelled pounding on his chest. "I trusted you! You were supposed to protect her!" He repeated his voice breaking and his shoulders shaking as he let himself weep, his fists stilled against Hugh's chest.
"You're right it was my fault. I wasn't where she needed me to be, and I let her down" Hugh said breaking the silence that had fallen "but you left us. We were supposed to protect her and now she's gone." Tears had fallen from his eyes.
Ciel didn't responded, his eyes widening as the realization hit him, springing forth a new set of tears.
"Our only recompense, is to honor her memory and live the way she would want us to." Hugh continued, his voice dropping to a whisper as he allowed the tears of both to continue unimpeded.
Shylock listened idly to Thane and Ashei arguing about which was better in a fight, a dagger or a bow.
"A bow has obvious advantages over a dagger, as you can use it short and long range fighting." Ashei asserted
"What are you daft? You can't use a bow short range!" Thane raged
"Maybe you can't." Ashei countered, crossing her arms
Shylock smirked as he saw Thane grow two shades darker.
"What and you can?" He shot back.
"Obviously." Ashei said flippantly
"Prove it!" Thane snapped
As both started to get to there feet Shylock decided to step in.
"Now, now you'll both have plenty of time tomorrow to try to tear each other apart but for now perhaps we could try to avoid any deaths." He said calmly, taking another sip at his wine.
Ashei shrugged and sat back down, while Thane pouted and pointedly didn't look at the king while he sat down.
Shylock chuckled to himself and glanced around the dining room, most of the women had already left, either to their posts or to their rooms, leaving a rather hollow feel to everywhere except the area around his guests. Speaking of his guests, he was feeling quite excited about the whole prospect. They brought an animated revitalization to his rather dreary home. Don't misunderstand, Shylock loved the desert but he loved excitement more.
"Highness." Zera said getting his attention as she came up next to him. She had left a while ago to goddess knows where, but now was back and didn't seem pleased.
"Yes, Zera what's the matter?" He asked, tiredness seeping into his voice.
"There is a fire downstairs that I thought you should be made aware of." She said with a sigh.
"Again!?" Shylock demanded. This exclamation got everyone else's attention rather quickly.
"Oops, sorry didn't mean to interrupt." He said apologetically. "I don't want to alarm anyone but we seem to be having a minor fire problem downstairs." He paused and glanced back at Zera. "It is minor right?"
Zera winced and made a so-so motion with her hand.
"Never mind, you can be slightly alarmed if you wish." He said turning back to the group.
Krem and Thane looked at each other guiltily.
"Is it the bulblins again?" Krem asked, his voiced pained.
Zera nodded.
Thane sighed. "Ok we'll go take care of it." He said getting to his feet
Krem also hopped up. "Thanks for supper! It was nice to meet you all!" He waved before quickly leaving the room, Thane right behind him. As they left Shylock could hear them arguing among themselves.
"You said that they promised not to do it again!" Krem said
"They did, but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be watched." Thane growled back
"Oh right genius, and who exactly is going to watch them? Ciel? Cuz I really doubt he would agree to that." Krem shot back.
"Well I didn't hear you volunteering to play babysitter." Thane replied.
"Why would I ever volunteer to watch a bunch of bulblins?!"
Around this point they had moved too far away from for anyone to hear them anymore.
Ashei frowned confused. "Did they say bulblins?" She asked
"Yes." Shylock answered simply as he downed the last of his wine and placed the goblet back on the table.
"Why do you have bulblins here?" She asked tensely.
"They work for Ciel." Shylock shrugged, obviously unconcerned. "I just hope they didn't burn any more armchairs, they're not the easiest things to get."
Ashei and Link looked at each other with equal confusion but decided to let the matter drop.
"Now, with that excitement out of the way, I suppose you all would like to get some sleep. If you would follow me I'll show you to your rooms." Shylock said getting up and leading them down a hallway and out into the night air on one of the roofs of the buildings. Barely giving it a passing glance Shylock entered a different building walked down one of the hallways that opened into a large wing with multiple doors on either side.
"I apologize but you will need to be split up in order for you all to have your own room. Shad, Ashei, and Sheik if you would stay here, Zera will tell you which rooms are yours. Auru and Link you can follow me." Shylock said
"Pardon highness but what about Hugh?" Auru asked
Shylock turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, should we go find him Shylock?" Auru corrected himself
Shylock smirked smugly, "No he'll be fine, I'm sure someone can direct him to his room."
Coming out onto another rooftop Shylock walked over to the edge and hopped off, landing some two stories below. Link and Auru walked over to the edge and looked down.
"Sorry! Forgot you guys aren't used to the buildings, if you don't want to jump I can tell you how to get down through the buildings, but it's a bit more difficult coming back up to where you guys are." He called up apologetically
"Don't worry about it." Auru called down, then leapt off and landed next to the king.
"I'm impressed, most men your age aren't athletic enough to do that." Shylock teased.
Auru smiled and turned when he heard a soft thump behind him. Link smiled slightly as he readjusted his shield.
"Your rooms are this way." Shylock called as he sauntered into another building. Entering another room that looked very similar to the previous one Shylock stopped and spun to look at them.
"Here we are! This wing is empty so you shouldn't need to worry about any of the women being upset at having men around." He said
Link looked around then paused. "Wait, so that other room had some Gerudo living there?" He asked
"Uh-huh." Shylock replied absentmindedly
"But you left Shad back there, aren't they going to be irritated?" He asked concerned
Shylock smiled of himself. "No I don't think they'll mind, from what I've seen Shad seems to be quite popular with my girls."
Auru started laughing. "I can't wait to see Shad's reaction to that."
Link sighed "Hopefully he won't freak out."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, now I wish you all a good night. One of the girls will be down in the morning to get you." Shylock said with a perky wave then disappeared out the door.
Link sat on the edge of his window. He watched the sun rise over the sandy dunes, creating a glowing hue of red and gold. Choosing to stay in a simple white v-neck, his baggy beige pants and his gloves he enjoyed the feeling of the morning breeze that flowed over his skin and ruffled his hair.
A harsh knocking on his door caused him to turn. A grumpy looking Gerudo marched into his room, her hand on her cutlass.
"It's morning." She told him gruffly
"So I noticed." Link answered
The Gerudo huffed. "Shylock told me to wake you, do you need me to take you to him?" She asked clearly detesting the idea.
"No I'll be fine thank you." He said dismissively
The woman didn't answer but did slam the door as she left. Link rolled his eyes.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." He muttered to himself. He got down from the window and picked up his sword. Deciding to leave his shield he strapped on his sword and bow, and tucked his hookshot in his pocket in case he wanted to go exploring later.
Wandering out into the hall he knocked on Auru's door.
"I told you I don't need a wake up call, I've been up for two hours already and I'm going to meet the king later!" Auru said from the other side of the door.
"Actually it's Link and I was just going to let you know that I was heading out." Link told him.
"Oh, sorry, I'll be around later, would you let the king know?" Auru asked
"Yeah no problem." Link responded.
Link walked out onto another rooftop and looked around, the grounds were full of Gerudo milling around. Some were standing and talking, others seemed to busy doing tasks, while others stood guard. After observing for a while he noticed Shylock and Zera walking towards the building he was on top of. Making a split second decision he jumped down and landed in front of them.
The second he landed Shylock jumped a good two feet in the air, a loud yelp escaping his mouth. Link put his hands up in an apology.
"Oh it's Link." Shylock said with relief, placing a hand on his chest as if trying to slow his heartbeat. "I see you've become comfortable with our means of getting around." He smirked
"Yep, I quite like it actually." Link smiled
"Good, so do you have plans for the day?" Shylock asked curiously
"I'm sure I can find something to amuse myself, but has Sheik discussed with you when we will be able to talk?"
"Ah, that… Right. Your princess was very insistent about it, we will be holding a meeting later, I'll be sure to send an attendant to fetch you when the time comes."
"Thank you." Link bowed and started to walk away.
"Oh Auru told me to tell you he'll be coming to find you later on in the day." Link said suddenly remembering.
"Sounds good, enjoy your morning!" Shylock called back.
Deciding to get a better knowledge of the layout first he went into the first building he came across and spent the next half hour just wandering around. He was getting quite comfortable with the fortress when he stumbled across Ashei and Hugh. They sat with their legs dangling over the edge of one of the roofs of a building that was more secluded than the others.
Hugh appeared to be talking and gesturing about something and Ashei was listening with a concerned look on her face.
Link coughed to let them know he was there.
"Hey Link." Hugh called down, his usual perkiness diminished.
Link nodded and waved. "Did you find your room alright last night?" He asked
Hugh looked slightly confused, then shook his head. "Oh, I didn't do much sleeping last night." He mumbled, causing Link to need to strain to hear him.
"Hey, get up here, we can't really talk to you down there." Ashei said her voice rather emotionless, motioning for him to join them.
Link tried not to show his worry over the way he friends were acting but did walk over to the wall and carefully picking out the foot holds. Scaling the wall with little difficulty he arrived on the roof and sat down next to Hugh.
He glanced between the two. "So what's going on?" He asked softly.
Hugh sighed and didn't answer for a couple seconds. "I told Ciel about Aria last night." He said finally.
"And how did he take that?" Link asked carefully
"It could have been worse." He admitted. "I think we might be getting better."
Link nodded, happy for Hugh. "You should go find him." He suggested
"What like right now?" Hugh asked surprised
"Yeah, he said that they were leaving a noon, you should spend time with him while he's still here." Link pointed out
Hugh thought about for a moment then seemed to perk up. "Ok, I'll do that. Thanks for the suggestion!" He got to his feet and was about to jump off when he paused.
"Do you guys want to come with me?" He asked
"Why would you want us around? Don't you want to spend time just the two of you?" Ashei objected
"Well, to be honest I'm pretty sure he would run away if he just saw me." Hugh said bashfully. "Plus I want him to meet you two."
Ashei shrugged. "Ok, it's not like I have anything better to do."
"Link?" Hugh asked
"Sure, I'll come." Link replied
After they had got down from the building and had begun walking Ashei spoke again.
"Do you know where he is?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you know where your brother is? Because I definitely don't." Ashei repeated
Hugh looked blank for a second. "Oh, I guess not, that does complicate things somewhat doesn't it."
"Not really, I'll just go ask one of the Gerudo." Link disagreed then left to talk to one of the nearby guards.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find Ciel?" He asked
"They're usually around the sparring rings around this time." The woman answered pointing behind her.
"Thank you." Link said then turned back to where Ashei and Hugh were standing. "It's this way!" He called
As the approached the sparring ring they saw Ciel and Krem conversing with Thane sitting on one of the nearby boxes sharpening his sword.
"Hey look! It's Link and that girl who showed up Thane!" Krem said excitedly as they approached
"She didn't show me up!" Thane yelled defensively
"Did too." Krem teased
"You know 'she' has a name." Ashei added with a smirk
"Oops sorry, it's Ashei right?" Krem said smiling. After Ashei nodded he turned his attention to Hugh. "And you're Hugh right?"
"That's me." Hugh responded
"So what are you guys up to?" Krem asked bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"We were looking for Ciel but now we could settle that argument seeing as you and Mr. Grumpy are here as well." Ashei answered putting her hands on her hips.
Krem quickly brought his hands up to stifle a laugh while Thane just glared at her.
"You're not enough of a challenge to tempt me." Thane said loftily. "The only one worth my time is that one." He said pointing at Link with the end of his sword.
Ashei gave a short laugh. "I would love to see that. Link? You going to take that challenge?" She asked a wide grin on her face.
Link shrugged and pulled out his sword. Everyone took a seat on the surrounding boxes that made up a makeshift amphitheater.
Thane sized up Link condescendingly while Link struggled not to yawn. Link assessed Thane's skill level within seconds and could tell that it was going to be an easy fight.
"Match start in 3…2….1!" Ashei called out
Thane lunged forward his sword aimed at Link's chest. Link sidestepped and brought the butt of his handle down hard on Thane's sword causing his sword to clatter to the ground. Link twirled his sword and backed off waiting for the other man to retrieve his sword. Thane shot him a murderous glare as Ashei and Hugh cheered. Choosing a different technique Thane tried to slash across Link's waist. Link couldn't help himself from rolling his eyes this time. Effortlessly catching the attack he twisted his sword, thereby yanking his opponent's sword out his hand and sending it to the ground once again. This time Link could have swore he heard Thane growl as he retrieved the sword. Thane charged and looked as if he was going to aim for Link's head but switched last second and slashed at his feet. Link jumped slightly and landed on the flat part of the sword stopping it midway. Thane jolted as he came to a swift stop, he tried to pull the sword free but was unable to. Link stepped off and backed up, his sword still in hand. Thane was about to get up again when Ciel spoke up.
"Enough Thane. Know when you're beat." He said.
Thane looked like he was going to argue but a quick glance at Ciel made him keep his mouth closed.
"That was a very impressive display." Ciel remarked, speaking this time to Link. "If you ever are looking for a change in occupation, I know a group that would greatly benefit from your skill set."
"Yeah that's not going to happen." Ashei rolled her eyes. "He already belongs to someone else."
"And who would that be Ashei?" Link asked as he sheathed his sword.
"Us for one thing, although I'm pretty sure you belong someone else as well." She answered with a smirk
Hugh looked confused for a moment then started to smile. "Oh, I know who you're talking about now." He said with a mirroring smirk
"Please do enlighten me." Link said sarcastically
"Princess Zelda." Ashei said
"By that standard all hylilians do." Link rolled his eyes as he sat down on one of the crates.
"No, no your relationship seems more, what's the word… Special?" Ashei posed
"Important?" Hugh suggested.
"No.. Not quite."
"Intimate?"
"Yes! That's the word." Ashei laughed
"Very funny. Well you're right about one thing, though misguided as you are. I do serve the princess, so I will have to decline your kind offer." He said with a nod to Ciel
"Fair enough, just know that it's an option should you ever change your mind." Ciel shrugged.
Krem listened to the conversation with one ear but had turned his attention elsewhere. He had noticed earlier that a figure had appeared in the shadows of one of the nearby buildings and had decided to go take a look.
He knew who the figure was of course, Krem knew almost everything, it was, after all, his forte and the reason Ciel had recruited him. The hobby of finding out information had caused him to become a ridiculously talented spy, especially for someone of his age, but it wasn't because he wanted to blackmail people –although that did occasionally happen- he just was genuinely curious, and his face and demeanor made it easy for people to trust him with their information.
"I see you've taken one of my favorite listening spots." Krem said cheerfully as he came up in front of Sheik. "The way the wind blows lets noise travel a long way and the shadows make for an easier hiding place. That must be why you chose it right princess?" He said conversation
Sheik looked at him sharply.
"You're wondering how I know. No don't speak, you might give it away even more, Thane and Ciel don't know but most of the Gerudo do. He said with a glance around him.
Sheik narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"Is that a threat? No I'm not going to blackmail you, honestly, do you think I'm some kind of savage?" He said irritatedly in response to her unspoken words. "I simply wanted to inform you that I knew... Stop staring at me like that - you're the one who made it blatantly obvious."
Sheik sighed and shook her head.
"Anyway enough of that subject, are you going to come and join us?" Krem asked cheerfully tugging on Sheik's sleeve and ignoring the fact that she looked like she was going to hit him over the head for touching her.
"Come on!" He whined. "It would look rude if I didn't come back with you!"
Sheik rolled her eyes and let herself be led by the overly enthusiastic young man.
"Yay! Ok so I totally want to see you fight Link, he just destroyed Thane and I want to see what he would be like against someone who's actually skilled. Ciel won't do it because he doesn't like to show off and the other two aren't as good as you are so I want you to fight him!" He rambled on as they went back over to the group.
"Krem, what have I said about bothering people?" Ciel asked as they approached.
"You said not to do it because it can make enemies, and enemies are a waste of time, money and energy." Krem answered as if he had said this a million times. "But I wasn't bothering him, he agreed to come over on his own." He continued defensively.
Ciel rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "If you say so."
Krem smiled widely and ran over to Link. He pulled on his arm excitedly.
"Come on! Come on! You're going to fight Sheik now, Thane wasn't enough of a challenge. Please, please, please!" Krem begged, his eyes widening to mimic a small puppy.
Link looked at Sheik confused, Sheik just shrugged.
"Ok, ok, I'll do it." Link relented
"Yay! Ok go, go go!" Krem said as he pushed Link into the ring. "You too!" He added coming over to Sheik and pulling her in.
Krem smiled and ran over to sit on the crates.
"So... What are the rules this time?" Link asked uncertainty
"Anything goes." Ciel answered. "Might as well make it interesting."
"Match start in 3…2….1!" Ashei called out again.
Neither moved. Sheik stood tall, her hand on her hip, centimeters away from her knives. Link was at a slight disadvantage since his sword was still strapped to his back but he stayed locked staring at his opponent.
Multiple scenarios played out in his mind. Eventually settling on one that may have seemed slightly underhanded he knew that he would need it to stay in the match.
Sheik moved first, throwing a set of five needle knives. Link ducked and put his plan to action. Grabbing his hookshot he fired it at her foot. Sheik moved a second too late and Link pulled her off her feet. He ran forward, sword now drawn he slashed downward, unsurprised when he met the edge of a kunai. Backing up and getting into a defensive position Link waited. Sheik easily got to her feet using a no hand kip-up (A/N: Don't know what that is, go look it up, it's cool) and quickly moved into a defensive pose as well.
"That's so cool!" Krem shouted from the sidelines. "Do it again!"
"Krem stop distracting them." Ciel reprimanded
"Link is so done for." Ashei commented.
"Agreed." Hugh nodded.
"You know I can hear you right?" Link said with a sigh
Sheik smirked and threw a single needle aimed at Link's dominant arm. Link blocked it and counter-attacked with a horizontal swipe. Sheik blocked and began to duel with two of her longer knives. Soon they were moving faster than the eye could follow. Their audience was getting dizzy trying to follow when Sheik unexpectedly flipped over Link and landed behind him. She shot her coiled whip out at unimaginable speed, heading straight for Link's back. Link spun and caught the whip on his gauntlet, leaving him unharmed. Sheik abandoned the weapon and began the duel again.
After a good five minutes of sword clashing against dagger and neither seemed to be getting tired Sheik decided to take a different approach and performed a back handspring to the edge of the ring and threw four sets of knives. Link's eyes widened and he backflipped to avoid the first set the jumped to the side to avoid the next two. Only problem was he didn't see the fourth. He bit back a cry when one of the needles lodged itself in his right shoulder, he could still use it but it hurt whenever he used his hand. Frowning, he watched as Sheik began to throw three kunai in sequence. He dodged two and blocked the third with his sword. He ran toward her and as he ran he bent low to pick up the fallen knives. Had he not had his gloves on he most likely would have been cut, but thankfully he had decided to wear them today.
Though he wasn't as skilled as his opponent with knives he could manage pretty well, and he mostly needed a distraction. Pausing only slightly he chucked the knives at his opponent know full well they wouldn't hit their mark. Sheik frowned and sidestepped a few inches to avoid the attack, looking down at the fallen knives as if they offended her. Link suddenly appeared a few feet to the side and whipped out Sheik's discarded metal coil. It snaked through the air and made contact with Sheik's left side. She winced but immediately counter-attacked. Narrowly avoiding being kicked in the face Link jumped to avoid getting his feet slashed.
Sheik performed what would be the equivalent to a spin attack with her shorter knife. Link blocked then slashed downward, followed with a horizontal swipe. Sheik blocked and held the two there. They both pushed to gain the advantage but their swords stayed locked between them. Sheik spun and brought her kunai to Link's throat only to find that his sword was at hers.
Both breathing heavier, a few beads of sweat glistened in the sunlight, they stayed staring at each other until Ciel began clapping.
"I believe that would constitute a draw, very well done both of you." He said with obvious respect.
The rest began cheering and shouting unintelligible comments and compliments, but neither Sheik or Link seemed to hear them they just unhooked themselves and smiled.
"I haven't had a spar like that in a while, thank you." Link said with a very small bow.
Sheik seemed to smiled and pulled out a red potion. Wordless handing it to Link, Link accepted and began to drink. After drinking half he saw his knife wound heal over, he hadn't noticed the knife itself fall out but it must have happened at some point during the fight.
"Here, I'm sure that you're going to have a pretty bad bruise if you don't have some." He said handing the bottle back to Sheik.
Sheik accepted and turned away to drink. Ashei, Hugh, Ciel and Krem came over to stand next to Link.
"That was so great! I haven't seen a real competition like that in years!" Ashei said emphasizing her words with a punch to Link's shoulder.
"And here you were saying that Link couldn't hold his own." Hugh said with a wide smile.
"So did you." Ashei pointed out
"Details, details." Hugh brushed the comment away.
"That was so amazing!" Krem broke in excitedly. "The way you slashed and blocked. And then jumping and flipping!" He exclaimed as he pretended to do the moves himself, adding in sound effects as he went. "All that's left is for you to fight Ciel and my life will be complete!" Krem finished he eyes growing to gargantuan sizes.
Ciel laughed and leaned on Krem's head with his elbow. "Another time Krem, you forget that we leave at noon."
"Aww spoilsport." Krem muttered under his breath.
"Thane quit sulking and get over here!" Ciel called turning his attention back to the crates. "I hope you realize what you've done." Ciel said to Link. "He's going to be absolutely impossible to work with for the next while." He continued with a smirk to show he was joking.
"Well maybe next time we meet he'll be a more apt opponent." Link smiled
"Let's hope so, for his sake." Ciel replied.
"Should I go prepare the bulblins?" Thane asked as he approached.
"Yes ensure that the packing is going well. I'll be along shortly. " Ciel answered. "And take Krem with you, I don't want him getting in any more trouble while we're here."
Thane glowered at Ciel making it very clear that he wasn't happy with the idea but still nodded and walked over to drag away a protesting Krem.
"Well, I wish you the best on your journey Link, I'm sure we'll meet again at some point." Ciel said extending a hand to Link.
Link shook it with a warm smile.
"I'll be looking forward to it." He said
Ciel smiled back and walked over to where Ashei was standing.
"Hugh left with Thane and Krem, in case you were wondering." Ashei said conversationally
Ciel shrugged. "He's free to do what he wants. However, I would like to have the opportunity to speak with you more before we leave, if that wouldn't inconvenience you in some way?"
Ashei looked somewhat taken aback but managed a relatively fluid shrug.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind." She said
"Glad to hear it, perhaps you could accompany me back to the rooms, I would rather not leave Krem and Thane unattended for too long."
"Fair enough." Ashei responded falling into step with Ciel.
Link watched them go and pretended not to notice that Sheik had come to stand next to him.
"So what are you going to do now?" Zelda asked, her voice quiet and somewhat gruff in an attempt not to be overheard.
"Not sure, there's still plenty of time to kill." Link shrugged. "I was considering going to the shooting range, would you be interested in joining me?" He asked turning to look at her.
Zelda nodded, and Link could tell she was smiling.
"So where are you guys going after this?" Ashei asked after walking for a few minutes.
"We're going back to our base, I need to check in to make sure that my general has thing under control, and I probably should be there to receive the incoming shipments." Ciel said
"You have a general?" Ashei asked in surprise
Ciel smirked like he was enjoying a private joke. "Of sorts" he responded
Ashei quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything further.
"So how long have you known my brother?" Ciel asked, his voice as emotionless as possible.
"Met him when we passed through your village. He told us about what had happened and insisted on coming with us." Ashei smirked. "Thought he was going to be a nuisance if I'm being honest, but he went out of his way to prove me wrong."
"Well he's always been a hard worker, have to give him that." Ciel said begrudgingly
"He said the same thing about you." She responded. "He's actually pretty proud of you."
"He has no reason to be." Ciel said, bitterness creeping into his voice. "I left. I left and my sister is dead."
Ashei's face softened. "I'm sorry for your loss, Hugh told me that you just found out."
"I don't need your sympathy." Ciel grumbled looking away.
"I think you do." Ashei disagreed. "Isolating yourself will not make things better, life is too short and unforgiving to push away the people who want to help you."
Ciel looked at her with a mixed expression of insulted but curious as to what she would say next.
"You left home to prove yourself, I get it. I did the same thing. But that doesn't mean that you know everything. And shutting yourself off and acting cold and aloof won't make things any easier on yourself. People want to help you. Your brother wants to help you."
Ciel stayed silent but Ashei could tell he was thinking about what she had said. It wasn't long until they reached the building Ciel, Thane and Krem were staying in. Walking through the entrance Ashei saw Ciel pull himself up to his full height and glance around as bulblins scurried around loading boxes and sacks of various sizes and shapes.
"Thane." Ciel barked.
Thane ran over and stood in front of him.
"The bulblins are nearly finished we are on schedule to leave at noon." He reported, clearly pleased.
"Good thank you. Please continue supervising." Ciel said with a small smile.
Thane nodded and returned to the other end of the room.
"Hi Ciel! Hi Ashei!" Krem said appearing behind them. "I guess Thane already told you right? Well in case he didn't we can leave at noon without any trouble." He said with a grin and a phony salute.
"Yes he told us but I'd rather hear it twice than not at all." Ciel answered returning the grin.
Krem tilted his head slightly, staring at Ciel with a strange expression before glancing at Ashei with a quirked eyebrow.
"Hey you came!" Hugh said as he came up and draped an arm over Ciel's shoulder. "I thought you would have stayed with Link and Sheik." He said to Ashei.
"And miss this fun?" She responded sarcastically but was smiling.
"Hugh's been helping move all the boxes onto the wagons! He's super fast!" Krem said jumping back into the conversation.
"Still nothing compared to you, I have no idea where you get all that energy." Hugh joked.
"That's because it's top secret." Krem answered playfully with a finger to his lips. "I would have to kill you if I told you."
"Well we wouldn't want that." Ciel added quietly.
Hugh and Krem looked a little confused but both smiled at the statement.
"All packed up." Thane said
"I guess we'll be off then." Ciel said. He turned to Ashei. "It was pleasant to meet you miss Ashei, I approve of my brother's choice." He added turning and smirking at Hugh's flustered face.
"Bye Ashei! Bye Hugh!" Krem said waving as he walked toward the entrance.
Thane just sniffed and shoved his hands in his pockets then followed Krem.
Ciel watched them go then made a step as if to follow them but stopped. After standing in place a millisecond long he spun and pulled Hugh into a hug.
"I hope to see you again soon." He whispered before letting go and chasing after the other two.
Hugh just stood there with a stunned expression.
"If you keep your mouth open like that flys will get in." Ashei commented
"Nice shot." Link complemented as Sheik landed another in a long line of bullseyes
"Thanks, but this type is relatively easy, I've been more trouble with this trick shot that I've been trying to learn." She responded.
"What's the trick shot consist of?"
"Basically it goes like this." Sheik laid the bow and arrows on the ground and sitting down began holding the bow with her feet. Notching the arrow she pulled herself into a handstand, the bow now above her head. Straining slightly she began pulling the arrow back and aiming at the target. Releasing the arrow if flew. And completely missed the target.
"As you can see I haven't mastered it yet." Sheik huffed as she went back to a standing position.
"Still impressive." Link said going to retrieve the arrow. "My current work in progress is a bit different than that."
"Oh? And what's yours?" Sheik asked.
Link came back and accepted the bow. Turning away from the target he notched the arrow and turned the bow so it was aimed at his chest. Lifting the bow he rested it on his shoulder and pulled the string taut. Glancing over his other shoulder he adjusted his aim. He let the string go and quickly turned to see what happened. The arrow just grazed the edge of the target before falling to the ground.
"Close." Sheik said. "Cool trick, I'll have to try that one."
"Well yours is more impressive but I'm not nearly as flexible as you are so it wouldn't be a very good option for me." Link chuckled.
"You couldn't possibly just shoot like normal people could you." Shylock remarked as he sauntered up to stand next to them.
"Shylock." Link said in greeting.
"Just a name as greeting? So sad." He teased. "Just came by to tell you lunch will be ready in a couple minutes."
"Oh thanks, where's Zera?" Link responded, looking around curiously
"Hopefully nowhere around here." Shylock answered with a nervous glance around.
Link smirked. "What happened this time?"
"Nothing to do with me if that's what you're implying." Shylock quipped, instantly very defensive.
"I wasn't."
"Oh ok…. Ok fine I may or may not have lost an item of some value." Shylock admitted
"'Some' value?" Link repeated
He cleared his throat and avoided their gaze. "5,000 rupees worth of value." Shylock said begrudgingly
"What?!" Link and Sheik both said in surprise
"Hey! I came over here because I thought you guys would be fun!" Shylock pouted
"Fine, fine. So are you going to lead us to lunch or are you going to make us try and find it on our own?" Link responded
"While it would be fun to let you figure it out on your own." Shylock dawdled. "I suppose I could be persuaded to help if you ask really nicely." He said with a playful grin.
Link and Sheik just stared at him.
"Or not. I guess I'll just be a nice person instead." Shylock sighed dramatically and began walking towards the main buildings.
"Your thoughtfulness knows no bounds." Link chuckled as he began to follow Shylock.
"I know right?" He said sticking out his tongue. "So are you guys going to tell me about your morning or do I have to fill the conversation space with boring trade agreements?"
"Not a whole lot to tell, just toured your fortress then sparred with Thane, then Sheik arrived, sparred with he-him then saw off Ciel and his crew, and went to the shooting range." Link related.
"You two sparred? Oh I'm sorry I missed that. Who won?" Shylock asked
"It was a draw." Link answered
"Ah, and what about those other two, what have they been up to?" Shylock continued
"Ashei and Hugh? I'm not sure, they were around until Ciel left, then I haven't seen them since."
"Well I'm sure that they will find their way to the dining room." Shylock responded unconcerned
"So what's being served for lunch?" Link asked
"Probably 'shut up and eat the food I put on your plate'… Although it's Thursday so it might be 'I don't care what it looks like, it's healthy so you're going to eat it and enjoy it or else'." Shylock said with a very straight face until he turned to look at them and broke out into a grin. "Veggies and boar, to properly answer your question."
Link shared a glance with Sheik, conveying that he really wasn't sure how to deal with the strange mannerisms of the king. Sheik just shrugged as if to say 'just go with it'.
"Ok." Link answered the king then quickly changed the subject. "Have you seen Shad around anywhere? Last I saw him was at supper last night."
"Oh that's easy! He's right there." Shylock responded pointing over to another section of buildings.
Link and Sheik turned to look and saw Shad sitting on a wooden crate surrounded by about six different ranking Gerudo. Shad was eagerly talking and showing them something from one of his books. The women all listened attentively and a couple of them had even sat down next to him or were leaning over his shoulder.
"I guess you were right about them liking him." Link said
Shylock snickered. "Yeah I overheard them talking about how 'adorable' and 'cute' he was, I guess the girls are more used to warriors not scholars."
They walked for a few more minutes before entering one of the building's dark entrances.
"We're going to be eating in one of our more utilitarian dining rooms today, the room we were in yesterday is usually only for when we have large numbers of guests." Shylock said as he lead them down a staircase into a basement room, it was set up with about 12 tables seating 10 people each. The tables already had bowls and plates arranged on them with boar and vegetables just as Shylock had said.
Zera sat at one of the tables across the room and glanced up at them as they entered. Shylock strutted over as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"Hello Zera dear, how the temper?" He asked as he sat down next to her.
Zera just stared at him with a very unimpressed look on her face.
"Ah. Icy then, fair enough I was worried you would still be at venomous." He remarked. Glancing over to Link and Sheik he added. "You can come sit, I've declared it safe!" He grinned
"'Safe' is a relative term but do please join us." Zera said taking a sip of her wine.
"Thank you." Link murmured as he sat next between Shylock and Sheik.
"So, I trust you were able to find something to amuse yourself for the morning?" Zera inquired politely
"Yes, we made good use of your sparring ring and archery range, it was very pleasant." Link responded
"Glad to hear it, you'll also both be glad to know I've booked off the king's afternoon so you could hold your meeting." She commented
"Thank you, we really need to move forward with this as fast as we can so we appreciate your assistance." Sheik responded
"Of course, his highness is happy to be helpful, isn't he?" Zera said her voice bordering on dangerous.
"Yeah, yeah helpful I got it." Shylock replied with a dismissive wave clearly distracted by his food.
"Hey guys." Ashei announced as she twirled a chair to be facing the opposite direction and sat down. Hugh came over and sat next to her followed by Auru.
"I see you found your way here without any trouble." Shylock remarked as he twirled his fork.
"Yep, we bumped into Auru on our way and he told us where to go." Hugh said
"Where's Shad?" Ashei asked
Shylock glanced around and smirked. "Right there." He said looking at one of the doorways.
Shad walked over accompanied by the group Link and seen him with earlier.
"Hi everyone! I hope I'm not late." Shad said happily
A small glance from Zera caused the other Gerudo to say their goodbyes and depart to other tables.
"Made some friends?" Auru asked with a smirk
"Yeah actually, they're really nice, and they wanted to learn about the Oocoo. They're really good listeners."
"Really?" Ashei dawdled with fake interest. "I'm sure they were very interested in what you were teaching." She teased
Shad's rolled his eyes. "I'm well aware that that was not the only reason they spent time with me, however I am slightly insulted that you think so little of me to think I would be so oblivious."
"Oblivious to what?" Ashei asked playing dumb.
"I realize that they are attracted to me on a romantic level, however I barely know any of them so nothing would come of it." He retorted calmly as he began to eat. "Besides it was nice to have some company seeing as all of you were otherwise occupied."
"Well if you should choose a companion of one of my girls you have my full support Shad." Shylock put in with a grin. "Now princess, since you seem so insistent on holding a meeting with me we might as well begin now. That way I can be eating and listening at the same time, much more efficient you see." He said before taking a large bite of meal and looking at Sheik expectantly.
"Fair enough. I guess it would be best to start at the beginning." Zelda said to which Shylock nodded happily. "Our group was on our way to deal with a dragon that had been attacking villages on the edge of our border when we met Arnold, whom we've been told you are already acquainted."
"Yep, he's absolutely nuts, it's great! Never a dull moment when I came to visit the castle." Shylock responded with a laugh.
"Yes well, I believe his madnesses has gone a bit too far this time." Zelda continued. "He joined our party and accompanied us to Kakariko, then on to Hugh's village."
"Even though we tried to leave him behind." Ashei muttered
"While we were in Hugh's village we learned that the dragon had been being controlled by a man and that that man was seeking some kind of ancient relics." Zelda stated. "Hugh would you please explain what the relics are?" She asked
Hugh started at being addressed but quickly cleared his throat and picked up the conversation. "Well I don't know a whole lot about them myself, I just know that they have extremely powerful destructive force if they're all brought together. Our towns founders built the town on top of one of the 5 temples that contained a relic… But the information about their origin or what their made of is so conflicted and cryptic that it might as well be guesswork."
"Oh! Oh! Let me guess! Arnold wants to get them right?!" Shylock burst out, raising his hand like an excited school child.
Link quickly covered his mouth to hide his smile, then turned to look at Zelda so he wouldn't start laughing at the Kings excitable personality.
"Ye-s." Zelda stuttered getting slightly flustered by the strange turns of the conversation. "He actually is already in possession of 4 of them."
"Of course we only found out about that when he told his dragon to attack us." Link said picking up the conversation so Zelda could have a break.
"That fight didn't go so well." Zelda shook her head.
"At least we're all still alive." Link pointed out
"That's true." Zelda said with a small smile.
She cleared her throat as if to continue.
"So when's the wedding?" Shylock asked suddenly as he rested his chin in his hands, a playful smirk very evident.
"What?" Zelda and Link exclaimed at the same time
"Your wedding,"he repeated with a gesture at Zelda and Link. "I realize you don't know me all that well but I will be rather insulted if I'm not invited."
Hugh and Ashei burst out laughing while Link and Zelda both blushed beet red, trying and failing to construct a sentence to say that they were not in fact getting married.
Zera chose this moment to interject.
"I apologize for his highness, he doesn't know when to told his tongue." She said shooting Shylock a glare.
"What?" Shylock asked defensively. "Wait are they not getting married?! Why not!?" He whined turning to Link and Zelda with a very unhappy expression
This caused another bout of laughter from Ashei and Hugh.
"Princess perhaps it would be best if you simply continue with your story."
Still quite flustered Zelda only managed an embarrassed "Sorry what?"
"I was saying it might be best if you just ignore my idiot king and continue with your story." This elicited an offended "Hey!" from Shylock
"Right... what was I saying again?" she muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Relics." Auru supplied helpfully
"Oh yes, Arnold has 4 of them and we fear that he may be on his way to collect the final one… But we don't even know where that is." She said with a small sigh
"I can help with that." Shylock said sitting back in his chair and looking rather bored
"Excuse me?"
"I know where the last relic is. Or rather I know how to find out where it is." He continued flippantly
After a small stunned silence, Zelda choked out a deceptively calm "How long have you known this?"
"A while why?"
"And when were you planning on telling us this?" Zelda asked her voice tight
Shylock frowned slightly. "I'm feeling a bit attacked right now."
Zelda placed her head in her hands. "How do we find out where it is?" She asked finally her voice muffled but more like her normal tone.
"Oh that's easy, you just would have to ask the people who made them, the Koni." Shylock's responded with a bright smile.
Zelda glanced at Auru for an explanation.
"The Koni live on the grasslands, I don't know much about them personally but I know that they're nomads." Auru said in response to the unasked question
"What's there to know?" Shylock scoffed. "They're boring and obsessed with horses. I mean they have like, no valuables at all. It makes them absolutely pointless to stea- trade with." He corrected quickly with a nervous grin.
"I see you've tried to trade with them before?" Zelda deadpanned
"Yeah, it was such a let down all we got were a few horses." Shylock sighed.
"How long would it take to get to them?" Zelda asked moving on to a different subject.
"Who knows?" Shylock shrugged. "They move around all the time so they could be almost anywhere." He accentuated his words with pointing on multiple different directions.
Ashei groaned. "More boring horse riding?" She asked with a grimace.
"Maybe not." Link said softly, when everyone turned their attention to him he cleared his throat and continued. "I mean the problem is knowing where they are right? So we just need to track them; a group that big shouldn't be that hard to follow."
"That certainly makes things easier." Hugh smirked
"So is everyone alright to leave in an hour? I'd rather not lose any more time than necessary." Zelda asked
"Hmm, that doesn't give me much time but I'm sure that I can be ready, just need to a pack a few things and we should be good to go!" Shylock said after second of thinking.
"What?"
"Well I'm coming with you." He said as if it was obvious.
"No you're not." Zera said crossing her arms.
"Yes I am." Shylock countered. "I know the most about the Koni and about Arnold, they need me."
"You do recall that the Koni have a price on your head right?" She said quirking an eyebrow.
"After all this time? I thought they would have been over that by now." He frowned
Link gently elbowed Zelda. "He could be useful, there's probably other stuff he knows about that he just hasn't felt it was important enough to mention." He whispered
Zelda looked like she was considering it when Ashei leaned over.
"Not to mention it would be entertaining." She added
Zelda sighed. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be away from your people for a long period of time?" She asked
"They'll be fine, right Zera?" Shylock answered
Zera rolled her eyes. "It's clear I'm not going to win this argument, so yes we'll be fine, we might actually get something productive done while you're gone."
"Aww, I'm going to miss you too!" Shylock said placing his hand over his heart.
"Then we would be happy to have you." Zelda sighed resigned.
"Did you hear that? They would be honored to have me accompany them." Shylock said elbowing Zera.
"That's not what she said." Zera muttered but had a small smile.
"Fair enough, meet at the front gates in an hour." Zelda said as she rose to her feet.
Shylock quickly stood up too and saluted. "Roger that! Come on Zera!" He said excitedly as he sped out of the room.
Zera stood and left followed by Auru , Shad, and Zelda.
"I'm surprised you voted to have him come along Link." Hugh said as he came to stand next to Ashei.
"Well, like Ashei said; it will be entertaining. Plus I didn't want a repeat of Arnold." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"True, odds are he would tag along even if we said no." Hugh agreed
"At least this time we could have had Zera chain him up so he wouldn't follow." Ashei joked.
"I guess. I'm going to pack up, see you in a bit." Link said as he left.
"Well that didn't take long." Shad said as he came over to join Auru, Link and Hugh.
"Didn't unpack much." Link responded
"Practice from being in the army." Auru added
"I didn't even go to my room." Hugh shrugged
"I'm not sure if I should be impressed or worried for your health." Shad deadpanned
"Probably a bit of both." Sheik said as she appeared behind them, causing Hugh to jump quite hilariously.
"Why do you feel the need to do that!?" He asked irritatedly
"Because you always give such a good reaction." Ashei responded as she walked up the group
"Sorry sorry! Packing took longer than I thought it would!" Shylock sang as he came up to meet them. He had a small beige satchel at his hip and had his hair tucked into kufiya, Zera followed behind him and was leading a large Arabian horse without a saddle.
"Do you have everything you'll need?" Link asked
"Yep! Thanks to Zera here, I'll be ready for anything." Shylock said with a smile as he walked over to her. "Try not to have too much fun without me." he said as he pulled her into a one-armed hug.
"Try to keep out of trouble highness." Zera responded returning the hug.
Shylock chuckled and placed a small kiss on her forehead.
"No promises." He smirked.
Pulling away he climbed up onto the horse and rode over to the group.
"Alright let's go! Don't want to keep Arnold waiting." He said with a laugh.