Chapter Three:

Extra Mischief

"And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"~ Luke 6: 39-41

"We can't just let it go, Link."

"I'm not saying we should."

"Then what do you propose we do? You want to lighten his punishment just because he's feeling sorry for himself?"

"Zelda, no. Not in the least. But… His voice – he genuinely believes we love Abyll more."

"I can see that, but…" She sighed, combing her slender fingers back through her copper locks, the action screaming with her anxiety. "We can't lift the punishment just because he's decided to believe that. What he did was wrong and a deliberate disobedience. He had no right to do what he did. And he knew it, Link! He knew what he was doing! It wasn't just some game he decided to play on a whim."

"I know that. Zelda…" He crossed the room, resting his calloused hands on her arms to cease her pacing. With eyes afflicted with uncertainty and concern, she looked up into his face. "Calm down. I'm not angry with you."

Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and she hung her head, staring down at the toes of his boots. "I… I know… I just…" She surrendered to his waiting embrace and sunk into his arms. "I just can't believe he did it… I could have never guessed it was so bad… Did we do something wrong? I mean… Do we treat Abyll with more… favoritism?"

"I didn't think so…" He encircled his arms about her small frame, the way he always did, as if to shield her from all the pain and hurt of the outside world. "But… I'm not so sure…"

He felt her arms tighten about his waist, and she buried her face against his shoulder. They shared their warmth so, drawing strength from one another.

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know… We can confine him to his room, send him to bed without supper, increase his study hours, anything we can think of… But somehow, I don't think we're going to avoid looking as if we're confirming his suspicions."

"He'll claim we'd never do that to Abyll."

Link nodded. "That's precisely what he told me."

What a mess this is… And it was. It seemed that no matter what avenue of punishment Link brought to mind, the end result was imminent, inevitable. Caine was in a fragile state; wearing the mental blinders that he did, anything they deemed suitable could be seen as an injustice.

She rubbed her hands up and down his back, soothing him with the touch. "And we can't take the night to sleep on it…"

"Because I told him we'd figure it out before supper."

"I wish you hadn't."

Link allowed himself a timid smile. Ah, Zelda always knew how to make him relax. He feathered a careful hand over the falls of her hair, enjoying the silk of it and hoping to convey the same soothing as she was to him.

Then, a thought. "What about his rides?"

Zelda pulled away ever so slightly, blinking up at him. "You mean… The ones he takes in Hyrule Field? Prohibit those?"

He nodded. "For a time… I can't seem to come up with anything better."

"Surely the Hero of Time can think of a suitable punishment!" She cast him a wink, and it brought a smile to his lips.

"For vile villains and foul fiends, no problem at all! But for a stubborn son who's bent in jealousy… Now that's a bit more difficult."

~-LoZ-~

Caine could not believe what had entered his ears. A whole two months of no riding? How on earth would he survive? It was bad enough that he was confined to his quarters half the day, wasting away valuable time in his studies, without having to worry about being idle the rest of the time! Riding had been his escape, the time he used to unwind, forget about the trials of the day. And now… it was gone!

"You cannot be serious!" He stared incredulously at his parents who stood before him. His gaze darted from one to the other. "You're forbidding me to ride? You can't do that."

"Yes, we can," said his mother.

"And we are," finished his father.

What did I say? They'd never forbid Abyll to play with his wooden swords as a punishment. They'd know it'd devastate him… But, of course, I'm not Abyll.

"But… But…" Words failed him, falling dead on his tongue. What could he say? He'd been correct, not that he was surprised. Ever so predictable, they were. But alas, they were his parents. And until he was of age, he had no choice but to accept their terms in cowardly submission – as he always did.

"Caine, you're fifteen years old." Caine could never stand it when his mother spoke to him like that. "Surely you can accept due punishment with maturity; you're always so insistent that you be treated as an adult. Now is your chance to act like it."

Why must parents be so infuriating? "Yes, ma'am."

"Caine… You do understand that punishment is-"

"For my own good. Yes, father, you've told me time and time again. I'm not that forgetful."

As far as he was concerned, the conversation had served its due purpose. Without another word, he stepped out to his balcony. The evening air drew him, like a moth to a candle flare. Something about the way it lingered on his skin, brought gooseflesh to his arms, brushed the hair from his face. Like a beautiful, but oh so elusive woman, teasing at the touch, but never willing to be caught. Something in the twilight beckoned him, yet evaded him at every turn. He could feel a type of calling in his bones.

"Caine? Aren't you listening?"

"Yes." Lies slid so easily off his tongue now. He didn't even bother to feel remorse. He was never caught.

"So you'll try?"

"Yes, of course. As you wish." There went another one. Try what, now…?

"Good."

He could hear their footsteps scuffle on the floor of his room, and the door opened. He refused to turn.

"Goodnight, Caine."

He recalled what had happened the last time he'd neglected to return the sentiment. "Good night, mother. Father."

"Sleep well…" It was easy to hear the wariness in his father's voice.

And then, they were gone. Off to enjoy another night for themselves. Abyll was tucked into bed by now, his belly full from supper, and Erulissë slept half the time, anyway. It was merely Caine, and his thoughts.

And that ever persistent tug to the balcony.

~-LoZ-~

The council room was stifling. Not only with choking humidity that was rare for springtime in Hyrule, but also with the murmurs and bickering of the present members. Their voices seemed to increase in intensity and volume, and with each passing second, the headache in Link's temples grew steadily worse.

"I don't see how there's any question about it!" Ambassador Rihst, one of the more dignified of the representatives, let his haughty voice bellow out above them all. He stood rigid with his weathered hands leaned flat on the ledge of the long, cherry-wood table. "What started as mere rumors have become a painful reality. Prince Caine obviously shows no respect for Hyrulian law, spoken or unspoken."

"Here, here!" concurred Raen Sigil, a close friend and confidant of Rihst. If there was any you could bet your fortune on to support Rihst's political standpoints and opinions, it was Sigil. "When there is no confidence in an heir's ability to lead, the Rite of Firstborn can be bypassed. In transferring the inheritance of the crown to young Prince Abyll, we'll not only avoid potential disaster, but we would have the people's full support! A proverbial two birds with one stone."

"You gripe of Caine's blatant disregard for tradition, and yet you would so willingly cast off the Rite of the Firstborn, a right that has endured for ages within not only the Royal Family, but all of Hyrule?" Zelda's indignation silenced the lot of them. "Up to this point, I have put up with your contradictions, excusing them as ignorant pride, but to do so knowingly? That could be, by definition, deemed hypocrisy! Or worse yet, sedition! Can't you hear yourselves?"

Chancellor Thoron, one of, or perhaps, the oldest delegate in the Council, seemed to grip the air in his knotted fingers and pull the tension levels down several nocks. "In all due respect, Your Grace… But it is reasonable that you, of all others, would disagree with Sir Rihst's, and Sir Sigil's implications. You, after all, are the boy's mother."

The Council members murmured, most in agreement, and Link felt some of the slight respect he had for none but Thoron slip away. How dare he speak so… Despite the fact that he was, regrettably, correct.

"There's no way possible that you could assume an objective stance in this matter," Thoron continued. "Even you, our most wise Queen."

"Don't patronize me, Thoron." The venom in Zelda's voice was hard to miss, and her turquoise eyes blazed with the loyalty to her own flesh and blood.

"I was not patronizing. But even the strongest wisdom can be swayed by matters of the heart, as is obviously demonstrated by the ancient king Solomon."

This sent the Council into an uproar, and Link could sit idle no longer. He leapt to his feet aside his queen, and the delegates instantly quieted.

"You will hold your tongue, chancellor," said he, in a voice that was both firm, yet dangerously low. "You dare compare the Queen with one of the most evil kings in all of history?"

Thoron averted his withered gaze. Link, his eyes burning as he swept the room with his gaze, silently dared anyone else to confer. "Any other observations?"

One might've heard a pin drop.

"No? Good. Now." Link turned to address the Sheikah to his right. "Lady Impa?"

By the intensity of her red eyes, she looked to disagree with the Council about as much as they did. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"This discussion was not on this meeting's agenda, am I correct?"

She answered readily. "No, sire."

"As I thought." He swiveled to face the council again. "The Queen and I wished only to alert you of the situation, not to discuss the politics and decide on a solution this very moment. The prince is being punished as well as is possible, but we will not be so hasty as to cut him off from inheritance."

The hall was silent only a moment before Rihst spoke up once again. "Your Majesty, simply letting this matter fester will only delay the inevitable. And if I may be so bold, I don't believe you can present an unbiased view of this whole ordeal any more than the Queen can."

"And I suppose you can?" Zelda retorted. Link, meanwhile, recovered as if from a slap. How dare Rihst speak so brazenly! Yet each comment rang in his ears, each throb more painful than the last, only because Link knew… He knew that their words held merit.

"We know what the people want, and form our decisions accordingly. That is our job, Majesty." Rihst's voice simply oozed with faux modesty.

"That will be enough of your insolence, Rihst!" Impa snapped, throwing her fellow councilor a dagger glare.

Raen spoke instead of Rihst this time, as Rihst knew better than to go against the Sheikah's orders. "Of course you would side with them, Miss Impa, only because, aside from their parents, you are one of the closest people to the heirs as it is!"

"I am loyal to the Royal Family, first and foremost, second only to God himself. Or are you asking me to go against both of those loyalties now?"

The rest of the Council blatantly objected to this. Link slowly sank back into his chair, again one of the only ones not on their feet in a frenzy. His head ached so incessantly…

He'd always despised these meetings. It didn't seem to matter what subject was at hand, the Council refused to leave their social distinctions and personal political views out of it all. They'd done so when Zelda had become queen, when she had married Link, and even when Caine was born. They were consistently thrusting their unwelcome foot in the doors of all affairs of the Royal Family, in the name of the prosperity and peace of Hyrule. They thought they could use their status as council members to sway the sovereign rulers into governing in the way they believed would draw more voters in the next Council election.

Shallow. Link sincerely prayed that the outcome in the next ballot would change things…

Movement brought him back to attention. The Council members were leaving. The meeting was adjourned?

He felt Zelda's gentle hand on his shoulder. "Link?"

"Hm?"

"You look a tad dazed. Are you all right?"

He nodded slowly. "I hate these meetings."

She smiled half-heartedly. "I know. You make sure to point that out after every one." She winked at him, and he managed a grin.

"What are we going to do, Zelda?" His voice regained much of its previous seriousness and he rubbed a hand over his weary face with a slight groan. "It is true; they're not even of age yet and the people have already decided their favorite. The public supports Abyll as the next sovereign; what will that do to Caine?"

She shook her head solemnly. "I don't know… But we have time. As you said, we really don't have to worry about this until both of them are of age."

"Yes, but… Sometimes it is best to think ahead…" He sighed and stood, stretching his spine before running his long fingers through his unruly hair. "I just wish we could do more. And this council can be absolutely unnerving at times! I still don't know how you endured it alone before we were married, and I'm saying this after fifteen years!"

She laughed, a genuine laugh, and tucked her hand under his, on the crook of his elbow. "Come, my king. It would seem that we could both use a calming stroll through the secluded southern gardens."

At this, he beamed. "That, love, is perhaps the best idea I've heard all day long."

~-LoZ-~

The palace rested in peaceful slumber. Understandable, considering the late hour of half past midnight. The stars glittered in bright array this particular night, and the moon drifted across the sky, at its waxing gibbous stage.

Unbeknownst to anyone within the castle walls, the place was crawling with shadowbats. The prince's vulnerability had reached many a minion, and each new one that heard of it wanted a shot at filling his sleeping head with deceptions and false emotions. If only to see if he was really as gullible as they claimed.

Tonight was no exception. The hub of activity for the little parasites was, indeed, Prince Caine's room. The wretches had formed a sort of system, each one taking their respective turn to whisper into his ears as he slept fitfully.

"It's injustice! How dare they punish you for something so obviously necessary. You were only trying to prove yourself to them; what was the harm in a simple experiment? Perhaps, had you succeeded, you would have been met with praise upon returning to the palace, rather that criticism and reprimand. Try again, if you must, but only after their guards have fallen…"

But, something had changed tonight.

The parents, that blasted King and Queen, had interfered long enough. While his jealousy and self pity had deep roots after fifteen years, he was still emotionally attached to his family, which was deemed unacceptable – very clearly, by their master.

It was time for a diversion.

A few of the bats had maneuvered their way through the darkness and infiltrated the king and queen's chambers. When they had finally fallen asleep, two bats crept toward them, one to each royal figure that lay prone in the bed.

Mith shuffled to the king's ear. After snickering to his partner in crime, he leant in close.

"You're such a sorry excuse for a king. You'll only let them all down, you know. Everyone looks up to you so much… But you're only human. Sooner or later… you will fall."

Fin cackled quietly at overhearing Mith's whisperings. Then he huddled close to the queen's ear.

"You can't tame him. He's a wild stallion. Trying to contain him is like holding the reins to a runaway bull. He has an adventurous heart; did you really believe he'd be content with the quiet life of a family, and the condemned pressure of the social realm? You'll see, very soon… He doesn't appreciate you. Any of you. Caine's accusations had to start with some sliver of truth, didn't they? The only reason he adores Abyll so is because he's just like him."

"Look at yourself. You don't belong here. You're nothing more than a goat herder! Trying to be a hero was enough, but you've gone above and beyond your natural element, this time. You're against some of the most ruthless villains of all time: the Council, the family… and the public. You can't even keep your own family intact! First Caine – soon, the others will follow. And it's all your fault."

"Poor, poor queen. He isn't content here. He doesn't want to be here, with you… He doesn't want these children, or these obligations, or these stuffy institutions. And one of these days, the pressure will force him to crack. He can't handle the weight of the job you lured him into. It's you're fault he's so unhappy."

"You're such a failure."

"You're such a failure."

"You can't even succeed in being strong for your wife."

"You can't even please him."

"And with your lack of power in the Council? She'd be better of without you."

"For all your regality and nobility, you're much too simple a woman. He'd be happier elsewhere, with a brave warrior of a lady at his side, with no children, and no ties to anything or anyone."

"Poor, poor you."