Chapter Fifteen
Two Fathers and Two Sons

Joal eyed the Marshal of Hyrule cautiously as he rose from his chair and crossed the room to greet him. His movements were elegant and swift, clothed in black he looked like death walking. He stopped a pace short of Joal, and his cold eyes regarded him harshly. The man before him was the greatest warrior in the land, maybe even the world, whereas he was a simple foot soldier in Her Majesty's Army. Yet he was unafraid.

The Marshal's posture relaxed and he smiled warmly, shaking back his hood with a flick of his head. He opened his arms and Joal stepped forward to embrace him. "My dear boy."

Joal returned the embrace reluctantly. He had not spoken to the man for some years, and the closeness that had once existed between them was gone. "Hello Link," said Joal.

Link pulled back from him, staring at him with a serious face. "Do not use my name so idly… Vash." Joal had not heard his true name spoken by another for a long time, nor thought of it himself. Link followed the wall of his large circular study to the segment covered by a wide bookcase. He immediately began searching it.

"Why have you summoned me?" Joal asked, quickly adding, "My lord." Link ran his fingers along the spines of books, humming quietly to himself. He was clearly intent on finding something important.

His finger soon stopped on book, and he paused. He grinned, quickly turning to a quizzical expression. Then he laughed as he said, "The time will soon come when I will need this book. Not today though, not yet." He continued his search.

"My lord?" asked Joal again, worried about why the old man had called him now of all times.

"Ah!" exclaimed Link. He pulled a book from the shelf and flicked through the sheets of paper. "Come here, my boy." Joal obliged the man, and accepted the book that was presented into his hands. He flicked to the cover to discover it was a book about Sheikah magic rites, and the marked page described acts of blood bonding. It detailed

Joal looked up and began to ask what the book was for but the Marshal was already moving again, sweeping back to his desk. "Patience," was all he said, as he pulled open a draw. He took out a long, flat, thin wooden box, which Joal rightly presumed to be a sword case. "Come, sit," said Link. The older man took his chair at his desk and gestured to the one facing him.

Joal settled the book on the table and sat down. Link flicked a latch and opened up the long case. Inside there was a narrow black sheath. Alongside it were the shards of a bright silver sword. A black and gold hilt still had a dagger-length spike fixed to it, with shattered pieces laid out neatly in order across the length of the velvet-lines case. The narrow slivers of steel appeared to have engravings on them in old Hylian. "What is this?" asked Joal.

"It is called the Father Sword." Said Link.

"What are you showing it to me for?" Asked Joal.

"I need you to help me repair it," said Link, "and you are the only one who can assist me." Link was looking at him with an expression of genuine help for assistance.

Joal slouched back in his chair, and folded his arms. "This is about my father isn't it?"

"Yes," said Link, "it is."

Joal sighed and rocked his head back. He gazed up into the rafters and shook his head. He had never known his father. As a child he had believed him to be long dead, having no idea of who he was or what had happened to him. He learned the truth at the age of ten, and it had been a tremendous shock. More surprising at the time was learning that his father was still alive in the south of Hyrule. That was ten years ago, when he had discarded the name 'Vash' and chosen a new name for himself.

Joal had been born to a poor working woman in the city, Mella, who still lived in the same poor town dwelling to that very day. Shortly after he was born his mother took him to gates of the palace and fortress, demanding to see the General of the army, claiming to have his child. It did not take many days for rumours to reach the ears of General Dragan, who had recently been promoted to the office.

General Dragan was initially outraged, but realised that the man she was looking for was the recently departed General who had left the city some months ago during her pregnancy. He had resigned his post and disappeared into the south with his wife for reasons unknown. The Marshal of Hyrule Ivarl al'Arantos, the very same man seated before Joal now, showed kindness to Mella and her son, and promised to provide for them however he could.

It was from Ivarl - whom he later learned to call Link - that Joal learned the truth of his father. His father had been the General of Hylia, and as a faithful servant of the Queen, had been entrusted with a duty of royal protection. He had left Hylia with his wife to secretly protect the Prince of Hyrule, Zelda and Link's son Rael.

Brash al'Aals never knew about Joal, the child he bore by a prostitute. His only descended blood.

When he first came into his support care, Link gave Joal the name Vash al'Brash, and saw that he grew up healthy and well, spending much time with him during his childhood. When the time came for Link to tell Joal the truth, he was devastated. He took the name Joal al'Aranra and had seen Link rarely ever since.

The fact that his real father was alive and raising another boy sickened him to the core. He aimed to be a better man than his father, and only by surpassing him in the army could be do this. The fact that this would mean rising above the rank of General of Hylia did not deter him. Joal had longed vowed to himself that one day he would be the Marshal of Hyrule.

"Joal," Link said, after a significant amount of time had passed, "this sword was given to your father Brash al'Aals when he took my son Rael into his care. He was supposed to give it to Rael when he came of age and learned of I and his mother, but that day never came. Through a series of events that I need not bore you with this sword returned to Hylia, and Rael eventually became its owner, fulfilling various prophecies and indicating to Zelda and I that our son had indeed returned."

Link laughed. "You don't need to know about all that really. The sword is broken because I shattered it. I was trying to teach lesson to Rael in humility, and also freeing him from the shackles of myself and Brash and letting him be his own man. Now however I want to reforge this sword as a gift to him, and that is why I need you."

"So tell me what you want," said Joal, "but I don't see what this has to do with me and my father."

"The sword doesn't have any particular magical qualities such as those of the Master Sword in the city Temple, but when I first made it for Rael I put upon it a special blood-bond to signify the protection of two fathers: I his true father, and Brash who was to raise him, hence the name 'the Father Sword'."

Joal looked at the book in front of him, beginning to understand. The open page explained in complicated script how to bless a weapon with blood to bring good fortune to the one who wields it. "You and Brash both put blood into the forging of this sword as a blessing upon Rael."

"Yes," said Link, "exactly."

"You want to remake it, but you want to remake it in the same way," Joal continued.

"Precisely, my boy," Link said smiling.

"Brash is dead." Joal said plainly, not showing any emotion. "So you need my blood instead."

Link nodded. "You have it, and I do hope you will assist me in this matter."

Joal drummed his fingers on the desk, thinking quickly. "You know how I feel about Brash al'Aals. I detest his blood in my veins for abandoning me, even if he did not know of me. Nonetheless this is about you and your son. You have shown much kindness to me and without you I would never have known of my past, and Rael is a fine man who will make a fine prince. So I will happily help you my lord. My blood is yours."