Hello everybody! Yes, it's been almost a year since I've updated this story. There's a very simple and honest explanation for this; I fell out of love for the story temporarily. The reason for that is because of a new app I found for my iPod back at the start of October last year. It was an app called Pokemon TV, an app that allowed me to watch the entire series back from the very first episode. For me, that was a complete blast to the past that I was allowed to watch one of my favorite animes from when it first appeared in America back in 1998. As such, I've been on a Pokemon high for the past ten months and have even dedicated a fan fiction based on the universe and have thus abandoned this story by mistake.
But now that I've finally remembered it and have come down somewhat from my Pokemon high, I've managed to belt out a new chapter. But while we're on the topic of abandonment, there was another less direct reason for my hiatus. About five months ago, I found a fan made movie called "The legend of Zelda: Sage of Darkness". It was a pretty good movie based on the creator's interpretation of certain Zelda details. However, I also learned from it that most of my ideas were quite similar to what was presented. And just to say, the movie came first July last year; my story was a month earlier.
Apparently, I accidentally "stole" ideas from that fan movie before it was even uploaded to YouTube. Despite that, I thought it best when I was about to continue on with this five months ago to not make a new chapter. The reason for that was because I wanted some time to reconstruct my story away from the movie's details. I didn't want to run the risks of being accused of "borrowing" details already used from another person's story and advertising it as my own. True, this is fan fiction where they don't care too much about story piracy if not caught; it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth that I'm doing it unconsciously.
However, I will say that this and quite possibly the next chapter will have some similarities to "The Legend of Zelda: Sage of Darkness" as it was what I already had in mind. And because the story progression is dependent on those details staying the same, they will seem like they were "borrowed" from the movie. After that, things will diverge more away from the movie's plot; it's already diverged since my story has Link's brother alive while the movie killed him off. Yes, the idea of having a sibling was also the same. It's a freaky coincidence to be sure, but it was enough for me to want to rethink my story progression so I won't feel like I'm unintentionally pirating a story and passing it off as my own.
Now that I've got that out of the way, you now all know the two main reasons why this story has been postponed. I know; it's not really much of an excuse for keeping you all waiting, but at least you now know the story's not abandoned. I thank you all for your amazingly great patience in this. Please don't forget to leave a review before leaving for the next story you want to read. Thanks again for the wait, and I hope this next chapter will prove to be somewhat of a peace offering for that unreasonably unprecedented wait.
Chapter 12: An Overseer's Reign
As the weeks passed since he first became king, Xagrun grew ever more irritable. He had been restless in his attempts to call the Triforce from the Realm of Existence and Nothingness. The books in Hyrule's royal library proved fruitful in his endeavors, but they only mentioned the process on which to go about the ritual. The people required and objects needed were all written amongst the revered pages. However, the location of these important ritual objects were never mentioned; he lacked the backing and resources to locate them himself. This among all the little stunts that Zelda was intent on pulling put his patience at wits end.
Having had enough of his plans being stymied by his lack of both control and knowledge; he decided to confront the princess. Being that she was the woman intent on barring his path to ultimate power; she had to know where the ritual items were located. She did grew up with the legends of the land, so she was his best chance. Of course, it all depended on whether he could break through her annoyingly stubborn attitude.
"Princess Zelda!" he growled. He slammed open the doors to the princess's room, his heavy steps echoing in the room as he walked in. She along with Impa were startled from their activities; the loyal vassal actually took a defensive stance at this intrusion.
"How dare you barge into Her Highness's chambers!" the Sheikah warrior chastised. "I thought a man of your caliber would know some respect and at least knock. Goddess forbid that she be indecent at this moment!"
"I have no qualms with you, woman. Now stay out of my way lest you want me to focus my aggression on you!"
"Are you threatening me? I don't care if you're Hyrule's new king; I won't tolerate any threats against the princess's wellbeing."
"It's alright, Impa," Zelda calmly replied. "If you could, can you please allow me and him some privacy? Just as there are things I'm sure he wishes to speak with me of; I have things I wish to ask of him, as well."
"Are you sure it wise, milady? I'm not sure how comfortable I am with leaving you to such a volatile man."
"I'll be fine," the princess quickly cut in upon seeing Xagrun's irritation heightening at an alarming rate. "If anything, I'm sure your lack of presence will do something to alleviate his anger."
"… …I'll be outside your chambers should you need me," Impa begrudgingly conceded before making her way out into the hall. The tyrant king slammed the doors shut before coming towards Zelda with a heavy scowl.
"Tell me what you know about the ritual to summon the Triforce!" he demanded.
"What makes you think I would do that?" Zelda calmly asked. As intimidated as she was by the man's presence, she was not about to show it. "During the time you've been here, I've refused to lend you my aid. I saw through your scheme the moment you came, and I intended on keeping you from obtaining the sacred Triforce. Why then would you think I'll suddenly change my mind and give you what it is you seek?"
"Because you're a powerless princess of a broken nation. I've stolen away the morale your people once had, their hopes shattered and haphazardly pieced merely by the power of your persistence. Your father is dead, and your people scattered beyond repair. It's only because of your meddling that I've yet to obtain full control over Hyrule. What more do you have left to motivate you into this pointless resistance?"
"I fight to protect this land because it is my duty as its rightful princess. So long as I can continue to draw breath, you will never hold full reign over my kingdom."
"Your persistence is commendable but irritable nonetheless. The only reason I've yet to rid you from my path is because of the Triforce of Wisdom you hold. Apart from that, you don't serve any importance to me.
"And I suggest you forget about your precious farm boy," the king stated with a sinister grin. "He will stay imprisoned in the Faron Prison Camp until his time for the ritual. It might be true that he is the Hero of Time, but even he can't break through the without a weapon. Just face it; you've lost!" he spat out. He had made his way to the balcony and cockily leaned against the marble railing. "You've overplayed your hand and have nothing left. Even without your help, it'll only be a matter of time until I find all I need for the ritual."
"…It may be true that you'll find what you want without my help, but are you sure that I've nothing left to play?" Zelda asked, her lips curling into a smile. "You claim that Link is imprisoned in your little camp, but do you know it to be a fact?"
"What are you saying? Don't try to trick me with your poor attempts at bluffs!" The princess had since made her way next to him, her posture strong as though she were daring him to prove her wrong. "I know you've taken the time to visit that dilapidated excuse of a prison every day. You should know better than anyone else that your hero is wasting away his life there!"
"Are you sure about that?" Without warning, she smacked her hand on his forehead just as he turned around to face her.
In that brief moment of contact, a bright light engulfed the tyrant king and flooded his mind with a barrage of visions. While less than a second at best, the images he saw were burned into his head like a memory formed from long ago. Through them, he saw the last person he wanted to see; the one who dared to sass him at their first meeting and made him look like a fool on the day before Faron Village's conquest. The accursed farm boy was not cowering his life away in the prison. Rather, he was free and free of his men's rule while practicing the ways of the sword and magic alongside his younger brother.
"Wh-what is…?" He placed his hands on the balcony railing to support himself when he was torn away from the vision. It took him a moment to recover before concentrating his gaze on the princess. "But how is this possible? I've made sure to have the tightest security around the perimeter. He shouldn't have been able to escape!"
"That's because he left before you established Faron Village as a prison camp," Zelda triumphantly explained. "You've been led to believe that Link has always been there, but this proves just how much you really know. You spend all your time researching ways to bring the Triforce to our realm that you pay little attention to anything else."
"B-But my men have kept watch over the village perimeter since that very morning. I saw him there myself, so there's no way he could've escaped without being noticed!"
"Then perhaps you should've kept watch over him yourself. Regardless, this proves your inability to accommodate for any oversights. Just face it; your plans to keep Link from being the hero he is destined to be has failed. He's still out there, training hard to be the fabled Hero of Time. When he's ready, he'll come and help me put a stop your plans. And when that happens, you'll regret ever having crossed paths with me and my kingdom!"
Xagrun was too shocked at this revelation to say anything. Instead, he let out a growl of intense aggravation before turning around and stomped out of Zelda's room. This was the last thing he needed right now, to hear that the third piece of the Triforce still was not in his grasp. Unless he managed to get Link back, everything that he has done so far would have been for nothing.
"I need to regain control over that farm boy!" he mumbled. All of the castle help and soldiers he passed by immediately stood aside as he trampled through. "I've already come this far; I'm not about to let him ruin everything! But where do I even start to look? That vision Zelda gave me showed him in an open field, but that could be anywhere in Hyrule!" He then stopped and punched the wall so hard that the slam echoed throughout the hallway. What little people that were left from his one-man stampede quickly became scarce so as to avoid becoming the focal point of the king's anger.
"…I need help," he finally admitted after thinking on it for a moment. He thought about everybody who could help him locate Link as fast as possible, but the only name that came to mind was one he was not eager to pursue. Still, things were not going as smoothly as he had thought. If he really wanted the Triforce, then he had no choice but to ask for the masked man's help. The only question now was if he was anywhere near remotely willing to do so. After all, he did dismiss him in a less than amicable fashion. It was hard to tell if he would willingly help him again.
-An Hour Later-
"…I knew you would be back sooner or later," the masked man said in a bored tone as he turned around to greet Xagrun. It was close to the twilight hours. He was waiting in the woods near Hyrule Castle since he was summoned by the prince. He was still dressed in his usual black cloak, but his mask was resting in his hands. Even so, he took good care to cover a majority of his face with his hood. The only thing truly exposed was a tuft of brown hair that was his bangs hanging just past the hood's rim. "Took a bit longer than I expected, but it's all the same. You can't work without me coddling you every step of the way."
"Why didn't you tell me?" the king demanded angrily. He continued advancing towards the man until he was practically inches from his face, his hand gripping his sword's hilt as if he were ready for battle.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The secretive man stood his ground, failing to flinch at what most would consider a threat to their safety. "Do you care to explain what has you so worked up?"
"Do not play dumb with me! You knew that farm boy was not in the Faron Prison Camp this whole time!" Xagrun accused as he all but brought a finger up to the other's face. "Why did you not tell me?"
"If I did, would it have changed anything? As much as you would like to have ultimate control over everything, the farm boy enjoying his time of freedom is hardy of any consequence. After all, the two of you will cross paths again. Whether or not he's in your meaningless slave camp has no importance to your plans. His role as the means in which to summon the Triforce will stay the same regardless.
"Speaking of which, isn't that why you asked to meet with me?" the man questioned as he turned around and walked a few paces away from the king. "I doubt you came to speak of that boy. In fact, I don't see why else you would swallow your pride and summon me days after having banished me from your presence. Might I hazard a guess that you've yet to discover how to conduct the ritual?"
"I've already learned everything I need to know from the records in Hyrule Castle's royal archives," Xagrun countered, trying to save face by showcasing his accomplishments. "It's only a matter of time before I can piece together the proper execution."
"Then how about the location of the sword once belonging to Ganon, the man who still has the Triforce of Power on him? With the knowledge you've obtained from the archives, I'm sure you've already found something with mentions of that." He paused for a moment to allow the king to answer but was met with silence. "I thought as much. The ancient scholars of Hyrule were not that stupid as to record the location of such items. They had the foresight to predict that one of your ambitions would try to decipher the ritual. All they've done was chronicle the basic process so as to allow the royal family to recognize when it is being performed. Chronicling the location of the necessary items would merely undermine their attempts at preventing the future they swore to protect from falling to ruins. As such, the finer details have been reduced to what locals consider to be urban legend."
"And let me guess. These urban legends you speak of tell of the supposed locations of these required items?"
"How quickly we learn, my dear king. Since I've told you about the ritual and the true meaning behind your bastardized sign of the Triforce of Power; it only stands to reason that I would know where everything is. I think I've proven myself time and again that I know more than what you could ever learn from any book. And it's because of that well of knowledge that you were ever able to get this far."
"Regardless, what I want to know is how you are able to know things that no other living being can recall," the king stated, his eyes glaring suspiciously at his former aide. "You made allusions to the idea that certain details have been lost through the passage of time. How is it then that you are able to recite them with such clarity and sureness? I doubt you were born during the fabled era of the Hero of Time. If what you say concerning the ancient scholars is true, then such information should be–"
"Then perhaps you should expend more of your time in research and less on your path of tyrannical reign!" the man interrupted as he turned around sharply and glared at Xagrun. The king actually had the sense to keep quiet upon hearing the stern tone. "You've allowed your lust for power to cloud your judgement. If you desire to be a powerful king, then you best work on your level-headedness!
"But I digress. I'm sure you didn't call on me simply to ask questions and cast doubt on my wisdom. As I said before, you would never crawl back to me for help unless you thought it absolutely necessary. But don't worry; I've no intentions to leave you to your own devices on this matter. Since our goals happen to coincide, I'm more than willing to once again offer you my assistance.
"However, there will be certain…conditions regarding my aid this time around," he quickly added as the king was about to speak. "If you truly wish for my cooperation, then I will have you to do things my way. At this moment, you no longer have any control over how the process will play out. Everything will be done by my specifications. I trust you won't have any problems with my proposition?"
"What?! How dare you speak as though you were the king!" Xagrun barked out angrily. He nearly drew his sword in protest but quickly remembered who he was talking to. Instead, he punched his hand in a futile attempt at an improvised threat. "I should have you thrown in the dungeon for conspiring against me!"
"You and I both know that such an act would be futile. Your conventional methods and bastardized knowledge of magic would hardly be enough to contain me. To make an enemy of me at this moment would be unwise. I'm sure you would hate to see your hard work go to waste over that.
"Regardless, we both know you would never turn down my offer," the hooded man said in a calm yet cocky manner. "Your desire for power is too strong to leave unanswered. Your lust for power is so great that you would be willing to lose your pride by following orders from another. That and you know you will never have to bow to anyone again once you've obtained ultimate power. Considering that, the temporary loss of authority is but a small price to pay. Would you not agree with me?"
As much as he wanted to argue, the king stayed silent. It was true agreeing to follow the orders of another would be a blow to his pride. To Xagrun, his position as royalty entitled him to have unbending ultimate authority over everyone. In his entire life, he never had to bow to the demands of another. Not even his parents requested anything from him, although they died just a mere year after his birth.
However, no amount of demands was going to help him this time around. His limited knowledge now proved to be his downfall. So to allow the hooded man to help was as good as an admission to his lack of power, a thought he was less than comfortable with.
"…Are you absolutely sure your knowledge will be enough for me to attain the Triforce's power?" Xagrun asked after thinking hard on his decision.
"If you still doubt my wisdom, then you can decline my offer," the hooded man casually replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm not forcing you to agree. However, the fact that you questioned me proves you are more than ready to work on my terms."
"Do not ever assume to know what I think. I am less than ready to follow orders from you, but I must admit your…assistance is required," the king said through gritted teeth, his last words sounding as though they were painful to say. "If I must, then I will abide by the workings of your mind. I only hope that your plans revolve around the capturing of that accursed farm boy. My patience for him has all but disappeared!"
"As I said before, whether or not the boy is in captivity is of little importance. The two of you will cross paths again. Once we force him to bring his symbol of the Triforce to us, we can move on with the ritual. After that, you'll have free reign to do to him what you wish. Kill him, or force him to be one of your harem boys; I could care less so long as he is alive to fulfill his role."
Xagrun turned a deep shade of red at the male harem comment but chose to keep quiet. He knew that angering the other could jeopardize everything he has done thus far. Instead, he repeatedly clenched his right fist over his sword hilt as a means to vent his frustration.
"If you have something to say, best to let it out. Only the Goddesses know what all this stress is doing to your health," the man said, his voice reflecting the sly grin he no doubt had behind his covered mouth. "Although I'm sure she knows all about your unusual promiscuous preferences from your days of pubescence."
"…Why do you bother covering your face?" the king asked, his voice slightly shaky from not anger but embarrassment. He was desperate enough to change the subject while also trying to find some kind of fault with the other man. "Not once have I laid eyes on the face you seem intent on hiding. Tell me; is the reason because you wish to appear before me as a different man later so you can lay claim on my life?"
"My reasons are better crafted than your shallow suspicions. But to put your mind at ease, I will say this. Were that my true intention, then you would've already had another man announce himself to you in the time of our separation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't suspect you've such a pleasure." The man was greeted with silence. "I thought as much. You've been too absorbed in your obsessions to notice much else."
"And how do you know so much about what I have done during the times we no longer were working together?"
"Because unlike you, I find knowledge to be more powerful than unmanned authority. That's all you need to know. And before you ask more, heed the warning I shall only speak of once. To ignore means to live; to touch, death. The more you try to put into question my life and methods, the closer you are to stepping into your grave.
"Now if you're done wasting time trying to find fault with me; I suggest we turn in for the day," the hooded man suggested as he turned his back towards the king. "It's getting late. I suggest you rest up so you will be ready for what I have planned tomorrow."
"You are not going to indulge to me your plans tonight?" Xagrun, while still miffed at having just been threatened, seemed genuinely confused. "How do you expect me to be prepared for what is to come if you do not speak of your plans?"
"I thought we agreed we'll be doing things my way. If you want my help, then concede to the fact that you no longer have access to an immediate flow of information. No longer can you flaunt your authority in order to obtain that which you seek. But don't worry; I promise to let you become privy to my plans before our time of action. To know now will only be cause for you to have a restless night. Only the Goddesses know what might befall upon you should you do battle in such a state.
"So on that note, I bid you a pleasant and restful evening. Try not to excite yourself to the point of exhaustion," the man said with a casual wave before heading into the forest, his form slowly disappearing into the denseness. Left in his wake was a confused usurper king stewing in his anger, trying to make sense of the events that just transpired.
Well, now you know why I named this chapter the way it was. As much as Xagrun would like to stay in power during this, he is forced to admit his lack of knowledge. This was also my attempt to show that Ghirahim, while not as abrasive as the king and not so readily eager to get into a fight, is more powerful of the two because of that well of information in his head. After all, there is the saying that knowledge is power, and I'm using it as a way to show how much of a manipulator the masked man is.
Also, I'm sure you all noticed I never once used Ghirahim's name in this particular chapter. It's true that you readers know what his name is thanks to the explanation I gave on him in the eleventh chapter. The reason for that is because it's meant to be an indirect indicator that Xagrun does not even know his name despite having worked with him for a while. So no, it's a mistake on my part; it's an on purpose. Just letting you all know in case any of you remember what I've written in previous chapters and want to call me out on it. There's a reason for that.
Also, I decided to take on a bit of advice from one of my friends on here whom I did some beta work for occasionally. They have since deleted their account siting personal reasons, so it's a shame that their work is now no longer in existence. They really were a good writer. But that's beside the point; they read my work and gave me some advice on how to give my characters more, well, character. They suggested that I try giving some indirect information regarding Xagrun's past from before the story started. Therefore, the idea of me implying that Xagrun might be gay or bi came about.
Note that the reference was dated during his time as, at the latest, a young teenager. During times of puberty, people get strange urges and ideas regarding sex. In this case, I had Ghirahim imply that Xagrun might have had a sexual encounter of some kind with another guy. At the same time, I left the door wide open for reader interpretation of this comment. Some could say that the masked man was trying to flaunt the amount of control he had that he could make such a comment without fear of retribution; others can read Xagrun's reaction to it as a silent admission to the comment. Of course, his reaction could also be viewed as embarrassment simply at hearing such a lewd comment, a reaction many people would showcase as it's an unexpected thing.
Therefore, I left the topic of his sexuality open for you to interpret. Do you now think that Xagrun is, at the least, bi; or was his reaction just a normal one based on the situation? I probably won't be elaborating on this point again in the story, but I would definitely like to know what you as readers think about it. I'm actually truthfully honest at how many of you caught that little play at Xagrun's sexuality before you read this note.
I also hope that you liked my attempts at using indirect suggestion to imply something. It was something that I learned some time ago and just recently remembered. I figured this chapter would be a good time to practice it since there really was not going to be much going on. I hope it ended up working; and no, I don't necessarily have to belt out huge amounts of information just to solidify something. I think it's more fun when an idea is only loosely introduced and explained only enough for a reader to make their own interpretations.
That's it now for my long rant and explanation. I do hope you all liked this new chapter and thought it to be, to some degree, worth the wait. I'll try to post more frequently, but I can't make guarantees. I've recently started a new job after having graduated from college a couple months ago. I'm trying to get more work experience so as to get my resume looking better, and the hours I'm working are crazy. Oh well, at least I'm earning more money. But yeah, I'll try to find time to write. Please don't forget to leave a review before you move onto the next story you want to read. Thanks again for your patience, and I hope to see you all on my next update!