A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "like this", while a crowd singing is demarked "like this."
He remembered the morning after the first day of knight training. They'd spent the entire day doing grueling exercises, continuous swordplay drills, and had finished the day with a run from the doorway of the castle to halfway across the Hyrulian plains and back under penalty of a time limit. He had awoken that next morning wondering if he had in fact died and gone to the heavens, where he would never have to worry about physical pain or suffering or training to be a silly knight ever again.
This pain was worse than that.
The morning after his reveal to Ishaka of the fate of Big Finn, Link had finally summoned the courage and intestinal fortitude to leave his bed and begin walking throughout the castle. His scrapes had healed enough where Itami allowed him to wear regular clothing instead of what amounted to a painter's smock, though he still had his right arm in a sling for at least another week. Luckily he was left-handed, so that wasn't the worst of things that could happen to him. He knew that it would be much preferable to just lie in bed for the rest of time and let the world pass him by…but then again, he was the Hero of this age. As soon as he was capable, he'd better start getting back into the swing of things.
He could take some form of commiseration in the form of Brudduh Denbe, the Ravager scout. The charcoal-skinned Ravager had been bedridden ever since his initial foray into the Valley of the Seers some weeks ago, a result of having had to carry one of his wounded compatriots halfway across the deserts and all the way across the Hyrulian plains with a broken foot. The Ravager was in the midst of rehabbing himself back into fighting condition, and Link wagered that if this man had such an indominable will…then he had no excuse.
Still, it did make things rather difficult when he only had one hand.
"How long before you are cleared to return?" Link asked Denbe, as the two of them walked down the hallway towards the grand dining hall. For Link, it was the first time that he'd been cleared to leave the infirmary wing, and naturally the first thing on his mind was eating something other than those hideously bitter fruits that Itami forced him to in order to help circulate recovery. Brudduh Denbe shrugged.
"Boutaweek. Brudduh'tami don' want no injreetame." He turned to Link. "Heard storeesbou' you. Wishin' ahcudda seenum." Link smiled, slightly sheepishly.
"Well, I'm no superhuman, Denbe. I feel pain just like the next guy."
"Butchoo fighthrueet. You madeuh summin tough, Eero." Despite the man's gravelly voice and obvious verbal limitations, Link found that he had no problem understanding the man as he spoke.
.
They entered the grand dining hall, as the maids and butlers were laying down another course. Since the arrival of the Ravagers and their refugees from the south, Princess Zelda had opened up the hall as a place for them to eat and/or get out of the sun if they so chose. Several of the nobles, most notably Lord Fawlty, vehemently objected to allowing the common folk into entering their esteemed castle. Zelda's response, as gleefully retold by Lord Grantham, was appropriately blunt.
"No one starves in my kingdom."
That silenced them. For now.
As soon as Link sat down at a table, he saw that Lord Grantham was making his way over. Brudduh Denbe had gone off to meet with a few of his scoutsmen in the dining hall, gleefully and happily checking up on friends. Grantham took a seat across from Link, and smiled wryly.
"How are you holding up?" He asked. Link shrugged.
"I've felt better." He admitted. Grantham chuckled.
"Well, the fact that you're up and about will bring quite a bit of joy to the princess. She was worried sick about you." He smiled. "The entire country essentially ground to a halt with her at your bedside. It certainly gave Lord Fawlty quite a fit."
Link looked a little sheepish, which caused Grantham's grin to widen.
"Oh, don't look so morose." He said. "Fawlty is the kind of man to complain about a perfect day. He keeps missing the forest for the trees. It's very exhausting having to deal with him but…" Lord Grantham shrugged. "The man's family was critical in helping build Castle Town and the Hyrule walls. So I suppose we're stuck with him. I'm stuck with him, rather." He scraped his butter knife against the slice of toast in his hand, lathering it with margarine. "With Lord Justinian no longer with us, Zelda has taken it upon herself to get involved in the warfront…and leaving me to run the country in her stead."
"Does…does that bother you?" Link asked. "I mean, you're really, really important to her, but the general public probably doesn't know just how much you matter and-" he was rather quickly cut off, as Elijah dismissively waved his hand.
"-nor should they know." He looked at Link with an amused expression. "Do you take me for the stereotypical evil chancellor working to scheme behind the princess' back? I mean, I know I'm good-looking enough for it but…I imagine my wife would roll her eyes at the thought." He snickered. "Just yesterday she was expressing how relieved she was that I'm not king: after all, my first order of business would be to put Fawlty in a stockade or something and charge the civilians a rupee per cabbage toss. We'd make a killing!"
"So…you don't want to be king?" Link asked. Grantham shook his head.
"Hardly. I saw what it did to Daphnes, and I want no part of that." He noticed Link's blank expression. "King Daphnes II. Zelda's father."
"Ohh…" Link said.
At that moment, perhaps because he was still a little concussed from the beating he'd taken in Skyloft and the Sealed Grounds, Link decided to ask a rather personal question.
"What was he like?" He asked. He almost immediately regretted it. Thankfully, Grantham looked thoughtful and not offended.
"A good man." Grantham said, after a few moments of thinking over the right words. "Resolute. A pillar of good faith and dignity, I suppose." He scratched his chin in thought. "And yet…" Link was about to press, but then decided it would be better to let Grantham keep going. "…there was a sense of gloominess to him, that you only saw if you were very close to him and even then only in the most private of moments."
"Was…was he depressed?" Link asked. Grantham looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Depressed? No, I wouldn't go that far. Just…I think he was constantly aware of the burden on his shoulders as King of Hyrule. Probably didn't help with his name." When Link looked confused, Grantham elaborated. "Daphnes was the name of a great king of Hyrule ages ago, one who was charged with the protection of Hyrule. There's so little known about him other than his moniker: 'The King in Red*.'" He paused for a moment. "I sometimes get the feeling that it was probably something else, but that's the name that the history books are saying. And I made my success in handling money, not rereading ancient scripts. I let the experts handle that." He took a sip of his coffee, and then winced. He'd let it get cold. One of the maids had been watching him, and registered almost instantaneously what the problem was and whisked away the cup for a fresh one almost as soon as he had set it down on the table.
"Either way," he continued. "Daphnes was a good man. I'm 50 this year, and have spent more than half of my life serving him and then his daughter in succession. And if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that a good kingdom isn't always dependent on the abilities of the one at the top…he or she needs to have some skilled individuals around them in order to hold things together. I've never wanted to be king. What a burden that would be! But I am very good at what I do, and I am happy doing what is asked of me."
"He…he died young, didn't he?" Link asked. Elijah looked sad.
"Yes. He fell ill shortly after his 60th birthday, and he never really got better. Sometimes it's the smallest things that can bring down an institution, especially one as unflappable as Daphnes. Even in the end, he was still doing his best to stay involved in things. Rearranging the balance of power, making sure that only those with the best of Hyrule's interests at heart in positions of power, elevating little ol' me to the Royal Council…and preparing Zelda for her eventual role." He smiled sadly. "Those two were incredibly close, Link. Adorably, really. Zelda's mother had died in childbirth and Daphnes was hopelessly devoted to Zelda. I…I suppose that there's some sort of peace in knowing that he's resting with his beloved Alaula. I just…I just wish he hadn't died on Zelda's birthday."
The silence hung in between them for what was almost an uncomfortably long time. The maid returned with a fresh cup of coffee, which Lord Grantham gladly accepted. He took a sip from it, staring at Link as he did. He spoke almost as soon as he'd set it back down.
"She cares a lot for you, you know."
"Dwuh?" Link had been so interested in what Lord Grantham had been saying about the king that he'd forgotten that every now and then he might have to communicate. The fact that it involved the princess only made it even worse. Lord Grantham tried not to snort into his coffee at Link's reaction.
"I said she cares a lot for you, you know." He said. His smile was approaching Cheshire levels. "She stayed by your side the entire time for those three days that you were out of it. Wouldn't leave to eat, and slept in that rocking chair. Seeing how you're doing a lot better now, I have to say that the whole thing was rather touching, instead of heartbreaking like it was during the time." He sighed. "I don't know what the future holds, and I don't know what will happen after we've put Cia down…but I imagine that the princess will have a place for you here. Unless you have a family to return to?"
"I don't." Link said. Lord Grantham looked embarrassed.
"Oh, dear me! I'm sorry if that sounded insensitive, I honestly had no idea."
"It's ok. I don't talk much about things to begin with, and I certainly haven't mentioned them. But both of my parents died when I was a baby, so I don't have any memories of them. I was raised by an old soldier who had no family, and I guess it was because of him that I joined the Knights Trainee? Yeah, I think so. Though…" he glanced at his hand. "I suppose maybe there was a higher calling to my decision after all…"
"The Goddesses work in mysterious ways." Lord Grantham said. He gestured to Link's hand. "I have all the confidence in the world that you and Zelda will get the Triforce back. I get the feeling that Cia doesn't really understand the magnitude of what she's dealing with."
"You seem awfully sure of that." Link said. Lord Grantham shrugged.
"The stories of the Triforce always fascinated me. And maybe it's my career in politics giving me some sort of insight, but I tend to believe that no one person has the ability to rein in an entity like the Triforce. If they could, what would be the point of the divine? They'd become redundant." He looked up and past Link's shoulder. "Looks like we might have some company…"
.
Link looked over his shoulder. Zelda was walking through the hallway towards the dining hall, with Itami right beside her. He seemed rather exasperated, but that wasn't stopping Zelda's rather brisk pace. The princess reached the table where Link and Lord Grantham sat, and rather impatiently crossed her arms over her chest.
"Is something the matter, your highness?" Lord Grantham took that moment to take a sip of coffee, so that he could hide his growing smile. Zelda rolled her eyes.
"Only the fact that I turn my head for one second and the Hero is gone from his hospital bed, and no one thinks to tell me where he went. Not that you aren't allowed to go wherever you please, of course." She turned to Link and smiled. But then she turned back to Lord Grantham and raised an eyebrow. "But that is something I would have liked to know. And what exactly have you been filling his head with, Elijah? It's been a while now, according to Itami here. That can only mean that you've started to uncork at least one of your stories."
"Why, your highness, it sounds like you don't like my storytelling." Grantham adopted a mock-hurt expression. "You've always loved my storytelling."
"Yes, but I was also a young girl at the time." Zelda said. If Link didn't know any better, he'd say that she was starting to blush with embarrassment. "And I'd rather that you didn't bring that up in public, Lord Grantham." Lord Grantham chuckled.
"Of course, my lady." He said. "I promise not to tell Link here of how captivated you were over my storytelling." He glanced over at Link and winked. "She was always a fan of my interpretation of The Grouchy Goron*."
Zelda looked away, trying to hide her crimson face behind her hand. Link, by the grace of the Goddesses, managed not to snort with laughter for he knew that that would mean his end.
"Well, you found him. Do you need me anymore?" Itami asked. Zelda managed to look over at him.
"N-no. You are excused, sir Itami." At the sound of that title, Itami snorted somewhat derisively.
"Sir. Huh. That's a new one…" He muttered to himself as he walked away.
"Quite a charmer, that one." Lord Grantham said, as the Craol disappeared down the hall. Itami seemed to be radiating a cloud of grumpiness, as caretakers and maids were taking great care to avoid getting in his way.
"I am sure that he has a heart. Somewhere in that thorny demeanor of his." Zelda said. She turned to Link. "Still, he is excellent at what he does. After all, you are here because of it." She smiled. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh, good. I'm feeling good." Link said. Lord Grantham looked like he'd had an eureka moment.
"Oh! Before I forget, I think I have someone for you, Link." He smiled.
There was a soft twinkling sound as Lord Grantham's head seemed to brighten up a little bit, and Zelda and Link watched in surprise as a small and very familiar ball of light popped out of Lord Grantham's forehead.
"Link! It's so great to see you again!" Proxi said, flying around his head. "Mr. Elijah here was kind enough to let me stay with him until you were ready for me! He's quite a nice fellow."
"Elijah, I didn't know that-" Zelda's question was cut off by the sound of Lord Grantham sipping his coffee somewhat loudly.
"-I can host a fairy? I guess it has something to do with my storytelling abilities. Fairies like being entertained by cheesy and corny tales. Who knew?" He winked at Proxi, and the little ball of light glowed a little brighter in affirmation. "You've got a very entertaining little one there, Link. Treat her right, and try not to nearly die again. You gave her quite a fright as she sat in my head waiting for you."
"But it wasn't all bad!" Proxi said. "He and I were telling jokes in his head this morning while that awful fuddy-duddy with the monocle was talking about how ugly and smelly the Ravagers were. What a meanie!" Now it was Zelda's turn to have an eureka moment.
"Wait, you and Proxi were talking to yourself in your head, while Lord Fawlty was giving his list of issues today?" She asked. She was now trying not to laugh. "I was wondering what had come over you, laughing at a horribly unfunny joke that that little curmudgeon made. You must've told him a good one, Proxi." The little fairy twinkled with laughter.
"I did! But I can't repeat it here. It's rather inappropriate!"
"I agree, Proxi. And I doubt these two are old enough to get it." Lord Grantham said. Rolling her eyes again, but this time with a smile, Zelda turned to Link.
"I need you in the throne room. There's a little surprise I'm planning for someone and I think you'd like to see it." Link looked confused, and briefly glanced over at Lord Grantham. The Lord Minister gave a barely-noticeable nod, and Link nodded to Zelda.
"Sure. Uh, lead the way?" He said. Zelda smiled.
"Good. Come with me!"
.
They were walking down the hallway rather briskly, with Link repeatedly glancing over at Zelda's gleeful expression. She was holding a secret of some sort, and the more they went the more Link wondered just what it was that had her so excited.
Just outside the door to the Royal Chambers, Zelda turned and stopped to face Link.
"Whatever you do, don't spoil the surprise!" She said. Link looked confused.
"S-surprise? What surpri-" Zelda was already opening the door before he'd finished, so he shut up and followed her.
Standing in the middle of the room was the handmaiden that Link recognized as the one that had masqueraded as the Princess for some time now. She seemed quite flustered to be up in the Royal Chambers, especially by herself. Well, not entirely by herself. There were a few of the lower handmaidens in there with her, all desperately trying to calm her down. She'd stopped dying her hair to match Zelda's, and now it was back to the crimson red that Link had first seen.
"Thank you for your punctuality, Marin." Zelda said. The flustered handmaiden curtseyed.
"Th-thank you, your majesty."
"I understand that you did a most excellent job replacing me, almost to the point where Lord Fawlty mistook you for me for some time. Is that correct?" Zelda asked. Link noticed she was being remarkably terse.
"Y-yes, your majesty." Marin replied. Zelda was honestly frowning.
"While I appreciate the fact that you filled in for me on such short notice, it makes me very uncomfortable to know that there was a woman who was able to bamboozle the court and the public that she was me with such ease. I have just come from a situation nearly identical to this, and believe me when I say that it is a most disturbing experience. And I certainly cannot have you getting any ideas in your head about playing my role for me while I am here." Zelda continued, her arms crossed.
Link wondered what in the name of the Goddesses had possessed Zelda to be so ungrateful. Marin looked positively ashamed of herself, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I…I am sorry, your majesty." She said. Zelda rolled her eyes and sighed, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
"It would seem then that I have no choice but to prevent anyone from forgetting who you are. And the only way that comes to mind…I suppose is to make you Baroness*."
If there was a record playing somewhere, that would have been the moment that it scratched. Link did a double take. The handmaidens all gasped in shock and excitement. Marin looked like she hadn't quite processed what Zelda had said.
"Y-your majest-" She managed to sputter out. Zelda smiled warmly.
"I reward those that do their job well, especially when they do it with such courage."
"B-b-but I was terrified, your majesty." Marin managed to sputter. She looked like she was going to cry now, not from sorrow, but from simply being overwhelmed. The other handmaidens had gathered around her and were giving her congratulations…and to catch her if she fainted. Zelda smiled.
"Courage isn't necessarily the absence of fear, Baroness. It is the refusal to give in to fear that makes one courageous. Sometimes the most courageous are the most fearful." She turned to the handmaidens. "Dearest friends, see to it that the Baroness is brought to her estate out in the Western Province* to inspect it. And see to it that she has a suitable coat of arms? And though it would break my heart, you are welcome to stay with her on retainer if you so choose." She looked at Marin, who now was crying. "Good things happen, Marin. Now you can tell your parents back home that, and mean it."
That did it. Marin started sobbing, and the others huddled around her to congratulate her. Zelda smiled, and gestured for Link to follow her out of the Royal Chambers.
.
"That was awfully nice of you." Link said. "And wholly unexpected, if I might add."
"She deserved it." Zelda said. "I'm no gossip but…I've noticed how dedicated and excellent Marin was at her job. She deserved a reward for having to masquerade as me, there was an opening for a Baroness in the Western Province, her parents work out there…it's a win-win situation. And it helps me feel better."
"About her parents…" Link began, but was cut off.
"The others tell me that she always writes them letters. So…I decided to give her something to really write home about."
"Devious and yet heart-warming at the same time!" Proxi piped up. "That's so nice of you, Princess!"
"Thank you, Proxi." Zelda said. Her smile faded. "I just wish that I could take the hurt away from Ishaka."
"I can see how close he was to Big Finn." Link said. "He…he saved my life in the Selaed Grounds."
"You should tell Ishaka that." Zelda said. "I think it would give him…some sense of closure? I suppose that's the best way to put it." She looked around. "In fact, go do that now. I have to gather the others in the war room for our next plan of action. I'll need Ishaka but…I think it would be helpful if you gave him something to be happier about."
.
Truthfully, he could think of a million things he'd rather do than face Ishaka right now. The Ravager commander, while clearly a fan of Link's, was also secretly terrifying. Probably had something to do with the fact that Ishaka had half a foot in height on Link, and was built like a Goron. There was also something intimidating about that big beard and shaggy, wolf-like hair coupled with the constant smoking and sunken-eyed stare that put the hair up on the back of Link's neck. He hoped that he would find Ishaka somewhere light and bright, where the intimidation factor would be reduced somewhat.
He had no such luck. Itami pointed him in the direction of the armory, and in particular the basement where they smelted weapons together. So a place with darkness, scariness, and fire. Perfect. Link walked down the steps of the armory to hear the sound of a single hammer and anvil striking, the sounds echoing off of the stone walls. Link reached the end of the steps, and peered around the corner towards the smelting area where the furnaces glowed like hellfire.
He had taken his coat and shirt off. Link had had a suspicion that Ishaka had a stout back, but he positively looked like a Goron from behind. A massive tapestry of tattoos covered his back. They were all sorts of symbols and writings in languages and customs that Link did not understand. There were also clear and present calluses and scars and poorly healed cuts draping his upper body. Ishaka was whacking away at something with fury, hammering it into place. After taking a moment to rest and catch his breath, the Ravager commander let loose a few more strikes.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
That last one nearly caused him to tip over. Panting heavily, Ishaka picked up what he had been hammering and carried it over to a water barrel. He still had his pipe in his lips, and was somehow okay with smoking in the midst of this nasty and brutal environment. Link stood still, knowing that even the slightest of movement would cause him to start sweating. And yet Ishaka looked cool as ice.
He wasn't even sweating.
"Hot in 'ere, eh 'ero?" Ishaka asked, turning to face the young Hylian. Link jumped a little bit, but then nodded. Ishaka leaned against the stone wall, smoking like a chimney. "Sorry 'bout dis'ppearin'. Had ta do a lotta thinkin', is all."
"About what?" Link asked. Ishaka motioned for him to be quiet. The Ravager captain walked over to the barrel, and pulled out whatever it was that he'd been working on.
It was a knife. Or rather, a long-looking thing that was almost identical to the blades that Ishaka had carried with him into the Valley of the Seers. The blade was ebony-black, so dark that the edge of the blade seemed to be white. But it was the hilt and pommel guards that drew Link's attention. It was lined with gold, something that hadn't been present in his first set of knives. Link happened to glance over at the table, and saw a small piece of string with a single gold coin attached to it.
It didn't take a genius to recognize where that gold had come from.
"Figgered I'd do somethin' ta 'member Big Finn." Ishaka said. He twirled the knife in his hand, as if regaining the feel for it. "He'd prob'ly appreciate it, I figger." He watched as the dark metal started to cool, and as soon as he figured it was safe he placed it in one of his hip-placed sheathes. Link saw that his other sheath was filled with another knife with a similar amount of gold lining its pommel guards and hilt. Ishaka walked over to the table, and placed the necklace around his neck. Link saw that there was still one coin on it, with a crudely-etched dog on it. "Now they ain't gone. Jus'…they jus' ain't 'ere, is all." He turned to Link. The Hero waffled for a moment, but then spoke.
"I'm alive because of him." He finally said. Ishaka, who had been putting his shirt back on, stopped and turned over to Link.
"Hmm?" He grunted, obviously wanting Link to continue. The Hero took a deep breath, forcing himself to remember that moment.
"There was…a fight. Someone was about to kill me. Finn…he, well, he tackled me to the ground and took the blows for himself. And…and I guess I couldn't let him die for nothing in that moment. The only reason I even got out of there, I guess, is because I didn't want him to go for no reason."
Ishaka had finished putting his shirt on, the beige cotton thing with the sleeves cut off. He turned to face Link completely now, his pipe dangling from his lower lip. In the gloam, Link could see a small smile on the massive man's face.
"…Thanks, Link. Tha' means 'lot ta me." He cocked his head to the side. "Does th' princess need us?"
"Oh, that's right!" Link said. "We have to go to the war room as soon as I found you. Zelda wants to talk to us about the next step in the campaign." Ishaka grinned.
"Soun's good ta me, 'ero!" He gestured to the door. "Lead on."
"Erm…should you grab your coat?" Link asked. As it stood, Ishaka was wearing that cut-off shirt and baggy leather pants. Hardly the look of a military leader and more like a blacksmith. Ishaka smiled and shrugged.
"It be up in th' infirm'ry anyway. Oh well!" Link shrugged too, and they began to walk up the stairs back into the hallways of the castle.
He noticed something strange as they were halfway to the war room. Ishaka and Link were walking, chatting about trivial things, when Link stopped cold.
"Wha's wrong, 'ero?" Ishaka asked. Link was about to speak, but he couldn't. He wasn't sure he could explain what was going on even if he wanted to. An indescribable warmth was spreading through him, as though he'd stepped into a hot spring after a long day of training. He could positively feel the cuts across his body healing and fading away, and looked down at his right arm. He heard a sick cracking noise, and watched in both awe and horror as his arm jerked outward, seemingly snapped the bone back into place and healed itself. Link wanted to scream, but he felt no pain. Ishaka looked at Link like he'd seen a ghost.
"Wha' in th' hell-" The Ravager commander saw something else that stopped him cold, and with a shaky finger pointed to Link's left hand. Link gave it a cursory glance, but didn't think much of it. But then he did a double take. There, glowing most indubitably and filling him with warmth, was the symbol of the Triforce of Courage. And in that moment, something deep within Link, something that he hadn't felt in weeks, seemed to reawaken.
Ishaka and Link looked at the glowing symbol with awe and reverence, but most of all abject confusion. Then they looked at each other, their jaws slightly agape. Then, without another word, they sprinted for the war room.
.
"I don't see why you had to have us up here so early…" Ruto moaned, leaning sleepily against Darunia's side. "We coulda…coulda done this tonight!" She managed to say. Impa, her arms folded across her chest, frowned.
"Ruto, it is half past noon. That's plenty of time for any normal person to wake up and be ready to discuss issues such as this." She said. Itami, who was sitting in on the meeting on behalf of being Ishaka's second-in-command, muttered under his breath.
"Or people that don't party with half of the soldiers in the army." He said, quiet enough for Ruto not to hear. Lana, who'd been standing next to him, rather discreetly whacked him in the shin with her rebuilt Deku spear. He grunted in pain, shot her a murderous look, but kept quiet.
"I do not even require sleep." Fi said, floating daintily by the side of the table with the map of Hyrule on it. Darunia chuckled.
"Not every one of us is as lucky as you are, missus!" He said. He gestured with his free arm towards Ruto. "Case in point." Midna, who was also floating, was tapping her hands together impatiently.
"No offense, your highness, but this is getting boring." She said. She turned to Zelda. "I mean, do we really have to meet up with your hero and Ishaka to start the meeting?" She turned towards Agitha next to her, who was having fun with a little butterfly resting on her finger. "Little Grub Queen here is starting to weird me out." Zelda was about to speak, but at that moment the door burst open. It swung all the way around and hit the wall, making a loud bang that caused everyone to jump.
Ishaka and Link were in the doorway, bumping into each other as they tried to get inside the opening that was not quite big enough for the two of them. They managed to muscle through (bumping into and cursing at each other several times), and stared at the rest of the group with frenzied looks on their faces.
Ruto took one look at Link, and then at the near-shirtless Ishaka, and her cheeks turned a deep shade of violet. She gave a dreamy smile to herself.
"…woof…" She whispered. Zelda cocked her head to the side.
"Is…something the matter, you two?" She asked.
What followed was several moments of insanity. Ishaka was frantically gesturing over to Link, starting and stumbling over his words and restarting them to the point that he was simply making incoherent grunts. Link, for his part, was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, shrugging as though he was agreeing with Ishaka about whatever insane thing that they'd witnessed. From his corner of the room, Itami couldn't resist speaking up.
"You'll have to slow down, boss. You're hard enough to understand in the first place."
Ishaka scowled, and responded with a raised middle finger on both of his hands towards his lieutenant, an action that caused every one of the women in the room to react with shock and/or embarrassment…except for Impa, who swiftly closed the gap to smack Ishaka upside the head for making such a gesture in front of ladies. Link stopped flailing, and simply turned his left hand around so that everyone could see the back of his hand. There was an audible gasp.
"Link, how did you-" Zelda never finished, as at that moment she stopped cold. Just like Link, her hand started to glow as well. Everyone watched in awe as the mark of the Triforce emblazoned itself upon her hand. She was just as flabbergasted as the rest of them, though she wasn't showing it. Zelda's expression was more of amusement, as if she was being shown a rather whimsical curio. "Well, look at that." She said. She turned to Link. "I suppose the Triforce has been returned to you and I."
There was a slight pause. Everyone was content to stare in awe at the glowing marks on the hands of the Princess and Hero. Everyone except one.
"I don't want to be the raincloud on this sunny day," Itami said, interrupting. "But shouldn't we be wondering how you two have the Triforce again?"
.
She hadn't felt right since that little bitch had had the audacity to smack her. Part of it was the rage within her over the failure to keep the Gate of Souls open, and part of it was the rage over how her idiotic minions had failed to keep her beloved Link safe, when she'd explicitly told them otherwise. For the entirety of the time she'd spent since whipping Volga like the useless cow he was, she'd been stomping around the Temple of Souls. If something or someone so much as looked at her funny, she would blast them with a pulse of dark magic. Usually, that had been enough to keep her happy. But instead of helping her, this was only making things worse.
Groaning, Cia retreated to the inner sanctum of the temple, clutching at her chest. Something was particularly troublesome today. She felt like there was something deep within her that was begging to be released. Some sort of stress or pent-up energy. In a particularly fantastic moment, Cia pictured herself ravishing her beloved Link until they could move no more. That would probably take care of whatever it was that was troubling her. But he was not here, and that was not an option.
And the pain kept growing.
Suddenly, a fell voice echoed through the chamber.
"The time is now…"
"Wh-what? Who-" Cia was barely able to complete a thought when she gave a scream of great pain. It felt as though something was being ripped from her chest. She clutched to herself in pain, and looked up in awe and horror at what was above her. Three spheres, shrouded in mist and radiating with black and red energy. She had had no inkling that she'd even carried those within her. They were circling each other in the air, and the fell voice spoke again.
"I now have three fragments of my spirit…My power may not be whole…but my body is returned…"
The orbs began to spin faster and faster together, closing the loop and the distance between themselves. Right above her throne, they continued to spin and spin and spin and spin-
There was an explosion. Cia shielded her eyes. When she looked at where they had once been, she let out a cry of shock.
He was frighteningly tall. While Volga approached seven feet tall, this man easily approached eight. He was adorned in dark robes and gold-plated gauntlets on his massive forearms. His cape, large and red, fluttered in the soft wind. His skin was a pale tannish-green, and he wore a massive thorn-like crown of sheer gold. A red ruby held it together at his forehead, and his lion-like red hair went halfway down his back. He stared at her, and the faintest traces of a smirk appeared on the corner of his lip.
"You!" Cia cried, summoning her Scepter of Time from its transdimensional pocket and brandishing it threateningly. The man did not laugh so much as slightly rumble.
"Cia…" he said. "You have been my favorite puppet yet." Cia snarled in defiance.
"I can't…I am NO ONE'S puppet!" She said. The fell man laughed. It rumbled through the hallways of the Temple. It was the laugh of ultimate contempt and power. He stared at her.
"So you say. Whatever the case, our…alliance is over. I will break the final barrier myself."
He stared to glow with a fire-red aura.
"This body lacks its full power." He said. He effortlessly flicked his wrists, and Cia was flung through the air with a scream. "But…for now it shall suffice." He walked towards her, as she was bound to the door in magical chains. The fire burned off of him. "However, that shall change…once I wrest the Triforce from you." He magically forced open Cia's hand, and she stared in pained horror as the three pieces floated vulnerably just above her hand. The fell man stopped to stare at them for a moment. "It has been eons since I last laid eyes upon the Triforce in all its might. Beautiful, is it not? A veritable testament to the greatness of the Goddesses. Such a power belongs not to one as little as you. Only the strongest may hold that power. And I am the strongest man in existence. Surely you can understand…that this is the way reality works."
Cia's eyes began to glow bright red.
"The Triforce…SHALL BE MINE!" Cia said. She screamed, and effortlessly shattered the bonds that held her. The fell man stopped his advance, a subdued look of confusion on his face. Cia summoned her scepter, and flew towards him in an effort to destroy him. With the air of an annoyed horse treating a fly, he backhanded her across the room. Struggling to get up, Cia summoned the pieces of the Triforce in her hands and rapidly spoke an incantation in a long-dead language that even the fell man did not know. Magical chains formed over him, binding him tight. They both watched as two pieces of the Triforce flew into the air, disappearing across the horizon.
"The Triforce of Courage and Wisdom have been returned to their owners…" Cia said. She staggered back to her feet, and shakily walked over to where he was bound. He stared at her with a look of annoyance, but not true rage.
"Do you think this will destroy me?" The fell man asked. He was smirking now. "A little witch like you cannot stem the darkness."
"You have no idea who I truly am, do you?" Cia asked. She waved her scepter, and the ground surrounding the fell man's feet began to bubble and fade and warp into a black mist. "I was granted this great and mighty power by the Goddesses themselves. I am the disciple of Rauru*, Great Sage of Light! I am the Grand Keeper of The Passage of Time! You might be the embodiment of darkness, but in the end you are simply a man! And a man, no matter how powerful, matters as much to me as does a termite!" She flicked her scepter, and the ground began to melt beneath the fell man's feet. He stared at her with a muted look of rage, hate burning in his eyes. She took that moment to show off the Triforce of Power, tauntingly waving it out of his reach. Then, almost as quick as a flash, the fell man sank into the depths of the void, to be dragged back into the spirit land of darkness.
Cia snapped her fingers, and the portal disappeared. She held the Triforce of Power in her hand, and stared at it reverently. Though the fell man's control of her had been broken, there was a line in the sand that she knew that she had irrevocably crossed.
Knew, and did not care.
"I shall reclaim the Triforce…" She muttered to herself. She began to whisper something, and a swirling cloud of mist began to form in front of her. "It shall be mine and mine alone." The mist in front of her stopped swirling, and standing in front of her stood a shadowed copy of her beloved. Cia stepped forward, grabbing the pseudo-man around the waist and forcibly pressing her lips against his. She held that embrace for what felt like an eternity, both wishing to the Goddesses that it were real and damning their very names that it was not. The mist-Link eventually faded away into nothing. Cia stared into the blank space before her, feeling nothing in her heart but a tidal wave of passion and lust and rage and hate and violence and love and obsession. She licked her lips, as if savoring the taste of something she held within her deepest desires. She closed her eyes and let herself dream of things to come.
"…As shall my hero."
.
They all stood in the war room, staring expectantly at Zelda for an explanation. She eventually shrugged.
"I am not sure as to how it happened. But it has happened: Link and I have been blessed by the Goddesses to have the Triforce again. And…" She gave a mysterious smile. "…that changes everything."
"How so?" Impa asked. Zelda looked at her and smiled.
"I was originally going to suggest that we take our time and work on a solution that would involve a siege of the Valley of Seers, coupled with bombardment and some fanciful calvary charges…" Zelda began. "But instead I have a better idea to raise morale."
"Good, because for a second there I honestly believe you when you suggested that." Impa said, in a rather deadpan expression. She then narrowed her eyes. "What do you have in mind?" Zelda smiled softly.
"We're going to the Temple of the Sacred Sword." She said. "I believe that Link is worthy to wield the Master Sword*."
There was silence.
"Th-the Master Sword?" Impa asked. "It's real?" She looked over at Ishaka, who simpl shrugged. Midna spoke up.
"I wouldn't doubt the princess here, Impa. Since she tends to know about these sorts of things." She said. Lana looked over at Zelda.
"Really? It's real? Even I only thought that it was a legend lost to myth." She said. "How could I, or Cia, not know about this?" She lowered her head in shame. The revelation that she was the good half of Cia had already been revealed to the others, and though they took it in stride, Lana felt guilty for her lie by omission. Zelda continued to smile.
"There is a great power at work there that not even the Sorceress of Time knows." She said. "Ancient. Mystical. Divine. All of that in concert to keep the location of the Temple of the Sacred Sword hidden from evil's eye." She smiled. "I believe that Link is worthy of wielding the Blade of Evil's Bane."
"What makes you so sure?" Impa asked. "I mean, Link is a remarkable warrior and the Hero, but is even he the one to wield such a weapon?" Zelda looked at her and smiled.
"Yes. Because I believe in him."
Lana perked up.
"I believe in him too!"
"Us too." Midna said, gesturing to herself and Agitha. Darunia nodded.
"Me and Ruto here have seen the Hero of our time wield such a blade. Link here seems more than worthy."
"Link is a Master. There is an 100% probability that he is worthy to wield the Master Sword." Fi replied.
"I be fightin' by 'is side fer a while now, an' belie' you me, he ain't no daisy." Ishaka said. "He made 'o tough stuff." Zelda smiled.
"Then it is settled. If everyone believes in you, then the only remaining question is if you believe in yourself, Link?" She asked.
Everyone turned to look at him. He thought it over for a moment. He felt Proxi resting on his shoulder, and was sure that she was looking at him expectantly as well. He glanced at the Triforce symbol glowing on his hand, and nodded.
"I can be that Hero." He said.
"If I didn't believe in his conviction, I'd laugh him out of the room for that line." Itami said.
Lana hit him a little harder with her spear this time. Zelda giggled.
"Then let us prepare for the journey to the temple. Meet me in the courtyard. We'll need to leave now if we can return back to Castle Town by night fall." She walked out of the room. She stopped, and turned around. "Impa, only summon the highest of the soldiers to accompany us. Darunia? You may bring your Honor Guard. I expect no resistance at the Temple…but you can never be too careful." She left, leaving the rest of the group to their own devices. Impa turned towards the others.
"Fifteen minutes. Gather what you need, and we'll all leave immediately." She followed after Zelda, leaving the rest in the room.
Slowly, the rest of them filed out of the war room, leaving behind only Link. He was staring at the map of Hyrule on the table, and glancing at the mark of the Triforce on his hand. There was something wonderful and mighty and terrifying about what was about to come, and yet as he stared at this small and glowing mark on his hand, he felt no fear. No fear but instead determination to accomplish what he been set forth for him. It was time to meet his destiny.
.
The two Bokoblins had been hiding in the plains for hours now. For the longest time, they had been debating whether or not to leave their scout's place and report back to master Volga that they hadn't seen anything from the castle in days. That was factually true. The omission of what days they'd been watching was perhaps not important.
However, they stirred as the bridge of Castle Town opened, and they watched as a progression of strong-looking soldiers were making their way out and into the open. Most importantly, they could see the princess and that blonde-haired whelp that evidently the grand mistress Cia was in love with. They quietly watched the progression to see what direction they were headed, and took studious note of the pace. Then, as soon as they were sure that they were not to be seen, the two of them emerged from their hiding place and scurried away towards the nearest outpost that they could reach.
.
There was a haunting air to the Temple of the Sacred Sword. It seemed like a castle in and of itself, and the mist in the air seemed to whisper of ancient mystery and power. As their caravan slowly made its way through the grand entrance, Lana turned to Zelda.
"I can feel the power of the Goddesses in this place. It's…it's daunting." Zelda turned to her and nodded sympathetically. The sorceress was the most magically-intuned of them, and it made sense that she would be able to sense something out of the ordinary. But the fact that she felt the need to highlight it at all? That was ominous.
"Dismount." Zelda ordered. The dozens of soldiers, save the Gorons, got off of their horses and began to spread out a little bit. They fanned into a semi-circle defending the entrance of the Temple. Zelda walked out in front of the group. Her feet touched the ancient tiled streets, and she sighed.
"This is the place. We are in the presence of the Temple of the Sacred Sword. This is the most hallowed ground in Hyrule. It is said that when this great land was created, this is where the Goddesses landed to bless it."
Everyone reverentially lowered their head. Lana glanced over at Itami, and saw that he wasn't bowing out of reverence but moreso because everyone else was doing it. Also, his eyes were clearly narrowed. Zelda gestured in front of them.
"At the end of these streets is the Temple of the Sacred Sword. There are several shrines throughout here for prayer and respect. You may pray there if you wish, but please stay in groups…" She looked around. "The spirits of the dead are strong in this place."
She slowly walked forward some more, and gestured for the rest of the group to follow. Slowly, they made their way through the streets of this mesa. It looked sort of like Castle Town today, except it was positively unfathomable that once upon a time people had lived here. Periodically, some of the soldiers wold break away from the main group to pray at one of the smaller shrines, but they would always rejoin the main group as it began its trek to the entrance to the temple itself.
The Temple of the Sacred Sword was massive. It was right at the entrance of what seemed to be a sacred forest behind it, but it was impossible to know for sure the depth and vastness of that forest. Trees bigger than any of them could imagine were hanging stretched out up and over the Temple's rooftop. Some of their leaves were even hanging over and across the front of the temple, providing pieces of shade for the overheated and the less fortunate to stand under. The Temple itself was made of a shining white marble, seemingly unworn by the passage of erosion and time. Everyone stared at it, their breath momentarily taken away.
Everyone except Zelda.
"Something is wrong." She said. She walked forward to the doorway, and tried to magically wave the door open. When that didn't work, she tried to force open the doors with her hands. "The door is blocked!"
"So?" Midna asked. "Wouldn't you expect it to be? It's not like the spirits of the dead can be like 'Oh, why of course you can come in, random-ass traveller from lands unknown! Look around but don't touch anything!'" She waved her arms around and made a goofy face as she said this. Next to her, sitting atop Meathook's shoulder, Agitha giggled.
"Ooo, you're so funny miss Kitty!"
Midna's eyes narrowed, and she sweat-dropped.
"Just figure out how to the open the damn door, please." She said flatly. Zelda turned around to face it again, and then spoke an incantation in ancient Hylian. Nothing. Frustrated, she said it again. Then, she kicked a rock bitterly at the door.
"That'll definitely do it." Ruto said. Zelda turned to look at her and scowled.
"You don't understand, there is something seriously wrong here. We have two of the bearers of the Triforce at this place. There is no way that the temple should refuse us entry! None whatsoever. It's almost as if-"
"You should not have come here."
It was a harsh whisper, spoken as if carried across the winds. Everyone drew their weapons, hairs standing up on the back of their necks. Meathook wrapped a shaking and fearful Agitha safely in his arms, and looked around for the source of this darkness.
"Z-Zelda?" Impa said, shakily pointing her finger behind the queen. Zelda cocked her head to the side as she saw the looks of awe and horror on the faces of the Hyrulians in her midst, and then slowly turned around. She wished she hadn't.
It was a shade of a man, no longer mortal but now something...more. Transparent, eyes glowing yellow like the undead, and his outline fading away into nothingness as it reached his shoes. He was adorned in the most brilliant armor, somehow shining in the sunny sky even though he was transparent. He was a ghost, a mere shadow of the man that he once was. But all too familiar, nonetheless. Zelda shakily found her voice.
"J-Justinian?"
A/N: CLIFFHANGER!
HYRULIAN CODEX
"The King in Red" – Few historical questions are more heatedly contested or passionately debated about than what to make of the elusive tales of the legendary Daphnes I, the famed figure known as "The King in Red." In fact, the number of complete sources that mention him can be counted on one hand, and several of them aren't even royal annals: they are diary entries whose authors have been lost to time referencing something about a Great Sea and The Flood and other such mythical occurances that historians are at a loss as to what they could even mean. Even the eminent scholar of the Twilight Era, the famed Shad of Ordon, was unable to properly pin down a feasible story that contained any exploits of the legendary king. "It is the sheer lack of information surrounding His Grace," Shad wrote, "…that, ironically, burnishes his legend." Most historians have given up trying to find anything concrete about the famed Daphnes I, as the records of his existence seem to have been washed away.
However, there was one element that continues to stick out in Shad's attempt at crystallizing the legend of Daphnes I. One of the few sources containing Daphnes' name referred to him as "a King in Red…whose courage rivaled that of the lions," which caused Shad to (semi-jokingly) dub Daphnes I "The King of Red Lions." However, most historians agree that Shad was taking the piss out of the practice of grandiose titles that are rather liberally bestowed upon ancient heroes via overambitious historians, and was proving a point by creating this blended title.
Despite this, there are still historians that privately wish that there was enough evidence to conclude that this was in fact Daphnes' unofficial title, as it is a remarkably profound name.
The Grouchy Goron – A very popular children's tale about a Grumpy Goron who, with the help of his friends, learns not to be so grumpy. Everything else is rather self-explanatory about this tale. It is usually read to children under the age of eight, and Princess Zelda of Hyrule will pay good money to keep people from discovering that she too falls into the group.
Baroness – The hierarchy of the Royal Court of Hyrule is somewhat stratified, though easy to follow: The Queen/King sits at the top, followed by the Princess/Prince, with the Lord Minister of the Interior right below. From there is the Royal Council, a select group of men and women from the Noble Court. Baroness is the title given to any female member of the noble court, with Baron being the male equivalent. The hierarchy of the Noble Court is decided amongst themselves (With the Lord Minister of the Interior keeping an eye on things for decorum's sake), but one in theory could go an entire day being the lowest-ranking Baron or Baroness and still be more powerful than 99% of the population. It is a position that is primarily hereditary, except for extremely rare situations where the ruler of Hyrule appoints someone to the court as a reward for servitude.
The number of those lucky souls can be counted on one hand.
Western Province – The farmland of Hyrule. A quiet and peaceful place for those to enjoy the simpler life…and to escape the hustle and bustle and frenetic energy of Castle Town and its politics.
Rauru, The Great Sage of Light – The Great Sages of the Sacred Realm are placed upon a pantheon in th Hyrulian Legendarium of mystical beings and deities, but there are none that have the fame and mythical prowess of Rauru. Dubbed the "Sage of Light," Rauru was perhaps once a master magician whose skills impressed the Goddesses into awarding him immortality. Or perhaps he was always as he was, an ancient-looking man with sharp eyes and a snow-white beard. No one is sure what his origins are. But most stories of him heavily invoke the imagery of owls and wisdom, and there are some that speculate that he could took the form of a rather loquacious owl when he assisted mere mortals. It is also said that he helped the Hero of Time in his quest to defeat the great darkness threatening Hyrule, and was the leader of the sages in sealing the darkness. Rauru is also said to be the chief lieutenant of the Goddesses, for as "Sage of Light" he is in charge of the flow of knowledge and the supervision of the mortal world. Some religious groups pray for him to intercede on the Goddess' behalf for them, while still others maintain that he is no someone to be prayed to…he is simply the chief messenger of the Goddesses. Either way, his name is venerated and revered in Hyrulian history.
The Master Sword – The Blade of Evil's Bane. A mythical weapon said to be personally crafted by the Goddesses themselves: from the chaos of the earth's creation, Din drew forth the hottest and hardest metal to smelt the blade. As it cooled, Nayru kissed its hilt, spreading her love and magic throughout the weapon and making it one to protect the Light. When that was done, Farore put a piece of her essence into it so that only the most courageous and pure could ever wield it.
It is the weapon of evil's demise. It is the beacon of which the light shines to protect all of existence. It is the most sacred item in history, with countless stories involving its exploits in sealing off forever the advance of the darkness.
It was thought to be a mere myth.
Until now.