GOD DAMN I'M COLD. WHY IS MY ROOM SO FRIKKEN COLD? IT'S HOT AS BALLS OUTSIDE BUT IT'S FREEZING IN MY ROOM. ANGRY FACE.
Hmmm, that expression... hot as balls... Where the hell did that come from? I'm not quite sure I want to know.
Anyways, this chapter is mostly Quinn proving he's a smart cookie but none of us will really think so because this is information even newbie Zelda fans know - well, I might've tweaked some stuff a little... But the end part is kind of important, but once again I'm pretty sure everyone's figured it out more or less. Whatev.
Legend of Zelda 4 Life: Hurr, true indeed. In this fic I'm mostly keeping them together because there's still some of that master-unwilling slave thing going on... Gee, that sounded kinky... I actually thought that last chapter was kind of iffy simply because I fail HARD at writing action scenes, so I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. And yes, Vega's life sucks. XD In the immortal words of my Immortal Time Spinner "Fate cannot be denied".
A small redheaded boy sat alone in the public dining hall of the castle. He sat alone at a table with a book in front of him. There was a wet napkin by him, one he used to wipe the tears that seemed to keep coming down his cheeks. As much as he tried to focus on the book in front of him, he kept thinking of his aunt…
Aunt… Why did you have to leave? He thought sadly.
"Quinn?"
He looked up and saw his father, the royal wizard Agahnim, standing by his side. The young boy did his best to look presentable, but the swollen eyes still remained. The wizard smiled sadly at his son and took the seat by him.
"I also miss your aunt."
"I-I don't miss her…" He said unconvincingly.
The man sighed and then looked over at the book the boy was reading. His eyes widened in surprise. "Quinn, you're reading this? This book has many difficult words in it… do you understand it?"
The boy embraced the change of subject and nodded emphatically. "Yes, father."
The wizard glanced from the book to his boy and smiled. "Really now? What have you learned from it?"
"I learned about the Golden Power."
"That's a big subject…" commented his father, "What did you learn about it?"
Quinn smiled, forgetting his sadness as he began to recite what he had learned, "A long time ago, when the goddesses created Hyrule, they created the Triforce. Each piece represents one of the goddesses. Power is Din, Wisdom is Nayru, Courage is Farore. When a human managed to touch the Golden Power, they would be granted a single wish with no restrictions. But the Triforce doesn't know right from wrong. Seeing this, the goddesses decided that each part of the Triforce would rest within one person worthy of its power. Power resides in the males of the royal line of the Gerudo, Wisdom resides in the females of the royal line of Hyrule, and Courage resides within one of the descendants of Hyrule's royal knights."
"Very good, Quinn!" His father said, seeming very impressed. "It's good to know these things!"
The boy nodded but his expression became puzzled. "But father… The Triforce isn't real, right? Nothing can grant a wish and then not want anything in return."
The man chuckled and messed up his boy's hair. "Ah, Quinn, you're a cynic just like your mother. But I can assure that it's very real."
He woke up. Grumbling as he sat up and ran a hand through his getting-too-long hair, he remembered his dream. He didn't know why he dreamed of that something about it bothered him.
He rolled out of bed and checked behind the curtain, wincing slightly as the light of dawn poured through. He hated having a room on the east wing of the castle for that very reason. With a sigh, the feminine young man dressed. He passed by his mirror and then paused, grimacing because his hair was indeed getting too long. He could even see red strands peeking into his vision… Annoying.
Still, he had no time for it at the moment. He would take care of it later. Being sick had really put him behind on work and he had plenty of things to go over now that he was well.
Slipping on his boots, he exited his room and then began on his way to his study. The young wizard found his thoughts drifting back to his dream. He didn't know why, but it almost felt as if there was something important-
"Power resides in the males of the royal line of the Gerudo, Wisdom resides in the females of the royal line of Hyrule, and Courage resides within one of the descendants of Hyrule's royal knights."
His child-self's words echoed in his mind for a moment. As a child he questioned the existence of a power that could grant any wish that a person desired merely from a touch, not to mention there wouldn't be any catch to it. But his father had assured him it was real. And now he was sure it was real.
Ganondorf was king of the Gerudo. He was the holder of the Triforce of Power. And he was planning to become king using any means necessary. The mustering of the Gerudo troops was enough to tell him he was willing to go as far as a hostile take over if necessary…
But he also knew it was in the nature of Power to seek more power… This meant that he was most likely going to look for the other holders of the Triforce.
He quickly went to his study and promptly locked the door there. He needed to think… he needed to think and he couldn't be disturbed.
Sitting at his desk, he thought long and hard on the passage he read so long ago. He'd look for the book but he couldn't be sure what it was.
He thought aloud, "Power is male Gerudo royalty… Wisdom is female Hylian royalty… Courage is the Hylian knights…"
He decided it might be easier to think of Courage first. Courage was a descendant of the royal knights of Hyrule. There were disputes as to how many knights there were originally. Some said seven, others said four… The point was that any one of their descendants could be the holder of Courage. Identifying the individual with Triforce of Courage would be…
For some reason Link came into his head.
Nobody in their right mind would trust a teenage boy who said they could cure the king. Why did Quinn trust him so readily? He didn't like to think of himself as an idiot or not in the right mind but there was something there… When Link had said he had a solution, he truly believed him.
He got up and walked right out of his study. He didn't have to go far to find who he was looking for.
"Eugen!" Quinn called to the small blond man in the hall.
Eugen looked his way and then a bright expression came upon his face. "Hello Quinn! You seem like you've caught onto something big!"
The wizard went to the small blonde's side and then asked, "Your nephew, Link, what's his lineage on his father's side?"
The province holder rocked back and forth on his heels in thought and then said, "Well, I know his father was one of the best swordsmen around. Never met him, even though he was married to my sister. I know he and Odran were friends. Really thinking on it, I remember my sister writing to me when she and he first met. She said he was a descendant of one of Hyrule's royal knights. Why?"
The redhead just stared blankly at the blond man-child. Eugen had just confirmed it… Link probably wasn't even aware of it, himself… but Quinn was positive that Link was the holder of the Triforce of Courage.
"Hello, Quinn? Are you there?" Asked Faron province holder, waving a hand in front of the wizard's face.
Quinn snapped back into reality, then rushed past Eugen while saying, "Thank you!"
Courage… while he may not have seen the Triforce mark on Link he was sure that boy was the holder of Courage… Now Wisdom.
He thought of the girl with Link, the one who looked so much like his aunt. A witch that managed to break the mirror he was using to scree. That girl… he was sure… he was so sure but he had no basis for it, no proof of her lineage. Not yet, at least.
He stopped in front of the doors to the king's room. The guards were at attention and not about to let him pass.
"I need to see the king." He told them.
The more senior guard said, "The king is not to be disturbed!"
The young wizard gritted his teeth and said with more authority, "I need to see the king."
The guard repeated himself.
"Under whose authority is the king not to be disturbed?!" He snarled. The guards flinched. He may have looked like a girl but he could be intimidating when he wanted to, dammit.
The junior of the guards then spoke up, "Ah… Under Lord Dragmire's orders… sir wizard…"
Scowling, Quinn said, "Let me through. I'm speaking with king. If Lord Dragmire has a problem with it then he can speak to me. Now get out of my way."
The guards reluctantly back away from the doors and Quinn wasted no time entering the king's room. He made sure to close the door behind him.
"Quinn?" The king asked upon seeing him. "I didn't expect you. Anya told me that you haven't been well as of late? Is something wrong, you seem troubled?"
"What happened to my aunt?" It came out rough.
The king seemed shocked by that question. The cursed king then pursed his lips and then looked down at his hands.
"What happened to my aunt?" he asked. This time, his voice was laced with anger and sorrow… Emotion he had been holding in for so many years. His aunt… She was like his mother… This had more to do than just finding out who that girl was now…
"Sit down…" The king said sorrowfully.
His hands in fists, Quinn hastily grabbed a chair and sat.
"I knew you would ask this one day…" the king started. He out a hand to his forehead and massaged it lightly. "I want you to know, before I say anything… I didn't want any of this to happen…"
"Just tell me what happened." Quinn spat.
The king sighed and then he looked towards the ceiling, his expression seeming to place him in a far off place within his memories. "You, your father, and your aunt came to this castle from a place far away. Your father was a great wizard, and so my father, the previous king, appointed him as the court wizard. I had met your aunt shortly after that… And I loved her dearly. My father died soon after. I had every intention to marry your aunt, Quinn, but…" The king choked on his words, as if unable to go on.
Quinn would have none of that. "But?"
"The Court and the Council… they didn't approve because she was a woman from another country. The only favorable ties she had were her brother. She was a woman with no political standing, otherwise… There was nothing to gain from a marriage with her. I fought my hardest but they refused… and when she… she told me she was…" The king put his hand back on his forehead and chuckled bitterly. The young wizard could see tears coming down the older man's eyes now. "I didn't want to, Quinn… I never wanted to exile your aunt… But they threatened to make her life so miserable-"
"Because exile is so much better." Interrupted Quinn bitterly.
"Compared to what they would've done to her, yes…" said the king. "But I was still willing to fight for her to stay. But she said… she said she would leave so my reputation wouldn't be harmed… I tried to convince her to stay but… I'm sorry, Quinn… I'm so sorry…"
The redhead resisted the urge to say 'You should be'. Looking down at his knuckles white with fury and sadness, he did his best to calm himself. It was his aunt's decision to leave after all… There was no reason to blame the king. As much as he wanted to blame the king, it wasn't his fault. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Quinn looked back at the king who still avoided eye contact with him. Time to go back to business…
"Your Highness… My aunt was pregnant when she was exiled… Did you ever find out the sex of the child?" He asked.
The king looked at him numbly, but nodded. "She sent me a letter in secret… It was a girl." The king smiled pitifully. "A girl… I'll never see her, my little girl…"
Quinn stood and then went to the door. He let his hand rest on the handle for a moment before he said, "It wasn't your fault, Your Highness…"
Another moment of silence.
"Quinn… can you forgive me?" The king finally asked, his voice hoarse and regretful.
"You don't need my forgiveness, Highness, but if it makes you feel better then yes." And without another word, Quinn exited the room and went back to his study.
That girl… that witch… a female of Hylian royal blood… the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom.
This was all still guesswork. Until he saw the symbols on the backs of the hands of those two, he couldn't be completely sure. But he had never been so confident in something. He knew those two were the holders of the other pieces of the Triforce. And he knew that no one else could know of this. As long as he was one step ahead of Dragmire, he had the advantage. He couldn't risk losing that…