Author's Note: This story has been more than 4 years in the making. While I've slowly been editing Ancient Roots, I've always drifted back to this story and been determined to finish it. I've tried to write modern AUs over the years, but they've just not really fit my writing style. But I've always wanted to write a crime story, so I've kept at this story and it's truly a labour of love.
The title was inspired by a quote from one of my favourite films: "Our world is not more transparent now… it is more opaque. It's in the shadows—and that is where we must do battle." (M, Skyfall—2012).
Content warnings: graphic descriptions of crime scenes (including the bodies), blood, violence, torture, kidnapping, mentions of sedative drugs and alcohol
'The Triforce—also referred to as the Golden Power, or the Ultimate Power—has remained a constant source of war and contention across the vast history of Hyrule. After all, who would not want to try and claim the power left behind by the Goddesses that can grant one's desires? And while such awesome power has drifted into legend and rarely causes bloodshed in the modern world, it certainly has not stopped everyone from trying to harness its power.'
—Extract from 'Triforce Hunters: Hyrule's Secret Threat' by Sir Sahasrahla, royal scholar
In The Shadows
~O~
Chapter 1: Ready, Partner?
"Goddesses above, will you ever wake up before 10 in the morning?"
I don't even bother being quiet as I kick the door into Link's flat shut and throw my keys on the wobbly coffee table—he really needs to get that fixed. The sleeping heap on the sofa twitches at the sound but doesn't reply, so I take out the newspaper from under my arm and throw it at him. The mound grunts and curls deeper into the sofa, which is code for he's almost awake but I just need to give him a minute.
Slumping into the adjacent armchair, I lean my head back and patiently wait for him to wake up. I briefly consider making him some coffee in a vain attempt to speed up the process, but I quickly decide against it. If he's ever going to learn to start waking up earlier in the morning then he doesn't need me positively reinforcing his bad habits.
From how still he's gone, I can only assume that he's fallen back asleep like he usually does. I can't help but roll my eyes—some things never change. Having no choice but to take matters into my own hands, I push myself to my feet with a grunt and wander over to pull the blinds open. Light floods into the room, illuminating the dark wooden floors and thrifted furniture. To my great satisfaction, the heap on the sofa is finally coaxed out into the light with a moan.
"You're horrible," he mutters, though his voice is adorably groggy when he first wakes up in the morning and, to make matters better, it's so muffled by the blanket that I barely register what he's saying. I ignore him until he finally emerges from his burrow and peers at me through bleary eyes as I hop back into my seat.
"And you need to stop sleeping on the sofa."
He groans and lets his head fall back onto the arm of the chair, "Don't start. I was up late again and it's too early for you to be getting at me."
"Link, it's mid-morning," I tease lightly, snorting at the look he gives me. I hold my hands up. "Anyway, I'm not getting at you. I'm just looking out for your back and joints." Glancing at the stack of random papers and empty mugs littered across the table, I add, "You were working hard, then."
He hums and rubs some feeling back into his face, "I had to finish up the reports on our last case so we could get them sent off this morning. Only problem was the detectives included a load of irrelevant information on Paya's lost Sheikah heirloom, so I had to sift through most of their stuff first and, well, then it was 5am."
He shuffles up so I can sit next to him and, as much as I want to continue teasing him, I notice just how exhausted he looks and a frown tugs at my lips, "You know, I can always help with these reports. I don't know why you insist on doing them yourself."
"Old habits die hard," he says with a shrug. "I had to do them by myself before I hired you so it's just routine now."
I smile, "But I don't work for you anymore. We're a team now, and stuff like this can be balanced out between the two of us."
And that's just what we are: a team. I can't even remember how many years ago I'd seen an advert online for an assistant investigator in Castletown, but I'd gone for the interview in the same place I sit in now and the rest is history. After a few rough months with Link not being able to pay me properly (what with the malfunctioning heating in a harsh winter and little business), things slowly picked up and then he'd asked me to work alongside him as a partner rather than just as an assistant.
It was the quickest yes I'd ever given.
"I really don't mind it," he admits. "I just wish we were working with detectives who knew how to spell and stay on topic." I chuckle as he shrugs off the blanket and drops it on the floor beside the sofa with a yawn. He knocks off the newspaper in the process and leans down to pick it up, and the front page headline catches his interest as he hands it back to me. "Another one?"
But I'm more focused on something else, "You were wearing those clothes at Telma's yesterday."
Now he rolls his eyes at me, "Sue me for not having time to change." Climbing to his feet with a huff, he heads over to the kitchenette. "So… another murder, eh?"
I nod as he flicks the kettle on and leans in the doorway as I unfurl the newspaper, "They've been named too. First it was Rinku Kiri—a visitor from Forest Haven—and now Ganondorf Makeela." He blinks in surprise.
"The businessman from the desert?"
I hum, "One and the same." The kettle clicks and he disappears. I wait until he returns, and I can't help but smile when I notice he's carrying two mugs, "You didn't need to get me one."
He smirks, "You would've been annoyed if I didn't get one for you." Knowing that he's not wrong, I fall back on the old habit of sticking my tongue out and take the mug from him. He wanders into the bathroom while he waits for his drink to cool and keeps the door open so he can ask, "So, a random visitor from down south and a businessman from Gerudo Desert? Seems a bit odd."
And it is. The entire town was in a panic when Rinku's murder was front page news since his body was found in one of the local temples. And now, a few days later, someone else has been found in the exact same way. I know two incidents don't necessarily make a pattern, but it's not like you could wave this off as a weird accident.
"The only things connecting them are their names," I muse as I hear water flowing.
"How so?"
"Well, they're both pretty historical names. Ganondorf is the name of the Gerudo King who tried to conquer Hyrule for starters," I explain. "And we don't know the name of the old heroes from the legends, but the closest historians can get is Rinku. It's the old Hylian way of referring to a person of great strength rather than an actual name, like a reverent term for a person who united the kingdom against evil. Or," I add, quoting from a book I read as a kid. "The link that united the kingdom against evil."
Link leans back out of the doorway as he's brushing his teeth to raise a brow, "Pun not intended, I assume?"
I laugh and roll my eyes at his muffled voice, "Pun not intended." He finishes up as I continue, "Anyway, other than that, I doubt there's much of a connection." He shrugs as he comes back into the living room to grab his tea.
"How do you know all this again?"
I roll my eyes because I can't think of how many times we've had this conversation, "It's like you make a habit of forgetting that I was obsessed with this stuff as a kid."
"Oh, I didn't forget. I just like to annoy you," he says as he heads to his room. "Anyway, speaking of cases, there's someone we need to see today about a potential case—Bozai, I think his name was…"
"Uh, you might want to take a rain check on that."
He pokes his head out of his room with an apprehensive look, "Why don't I like the sound of this?"
"Paya rang me this morning," I explain. Not only is the young Sheikah girl the subject of our last case (Goddess above, if I never see that stolen heirloom again it'll be too soon), but she's also the granddaughter of the local police station's chief. "Apparently Impa wants us to go down to the station to discuss this case."
A groan echoes out from his room, "But Impa doesn't like me."
It takes a lot not to laugh. "One of the few people in this world you haven't charmed. And anyway, I think Paya's trying to help us out after we found her heirloom so we might as well hear Impa out at least."
He makes a disgruntled sound before remarking, "As long as she doesn't ramble on like her detectives in those damn reports…"
"Oh no, she's too terrifying to ramble."
Link doesn't respond so I'll take that as a victory. Taking a sip of my tea, I scan through the article one more time while I wait. Photos of officers outside the newest crime scene (the Temple of Din) and a headshot of Ganondorf Makeela are sandwiched between the text and I can't help but feel surprised at how quickly the victim's identity came out—he was found in the early hours of this morning and there'll be a press conference later today, but his name is already public knowledge.
I lower the newspaper when I hear Link struggling, "Having a hard time over there?"
"Nope, never… better," he grunts, then reemerges from his room a few moments later, blonde hair finally tamed and white work shirt rolled up to his elbows. I've got to say, he cleans up when he has to and sue me for admiring him. "Anyway, why did she ring you when I took care of the admin side of Paya's heirloom case?"
My lips quirk up into a smile, "Well, out of the two of us, who's going to pick up their phone at this time in the morning?" Link's guilty silence speaks volumes. With no retort in him, he finishes his mug of tea and I follow suit.
"Ready, partner?"
I grin and put the newspaper on the table and rise, throwing his dark jacket at him as I pass by and grab my keys, "Ready."
Castletown is a huge oxymoron and it never ceases to amaze me.
Hyrule used to be a monarchical kingdom until a few hundred years ago when the royal bloodline went extinct and there was a great battle between nobles for the throne—it's one of the first things you learn about in history. The battle led to bloodshed and now the government makes the decisions rather than kings and queens. Nonetheless, since the royal residence was in Castletown, all the old buildings have endured and stand amongst the high-rise offices.
One of those ornate buildings is now the local police station with its historical architecture and ugly modern sign hanging above the doors. We've been here a few times for Paya's case and we've worked with the police in the past, so we're lucky to know quite a few people already. Still, I always seem to get a little nervous as we head inside as I think about what might be waiting for us upstairs.
The chilly autumn air is zapped away as we shuffle into the heated reception, and the sight of the beautiful, historical interior partially boarded up with signs and notices hurts my heart a little. It's surprisingly quiet here (though I'm sure everyone will be at the Temple of Din), so we sign in and find the staircase to show ourselves up to the main offices.
I can't help but shoot Link a nervous glance as we climb the stairs. Even though I don't know what Impa wants to say (well, it doesn't take a genius to guess, but still), I don't want to think about how we're going to deal with a highly publicised case like this. We've done local cases before, but this one has the whole country close to a state of panic so who knows what we'll be getting ourselves into?
As Link and I reach the top of the stairs and push open the door into the main office, a large room bustling with activity sprawls out before us. Rows of desks are set out underneath a ceiling adorned with religious art that are hundreds of years old. Late morning sunlight seeps in between the blinds of the windows lining the right wall and along the left side are doorways leading into offices and interrogation rooms.
It's always pretty overwhelming, but I won't tell anyone that.
"Well, well, look what the remlit dragged in," a voice booms. We turn to find a short but familiar brunet coming our way with a broad grin plastered onto his face. His blue eyes shine with recognition as he slaps Link on the back and says, "I didn't think I'd be seeing either of you for a while."
"We're coming to clean up after you lot again," mutters Link.
I shake my head and step in before we can get a retort, "It's good to see you, Pipit."
"So, what mess are you supposedly here to clear up?" he asks, leaning against the nearby pillar. I smirk.
"Well, depending on how well this conversation goes, it'll be the new murder enquiry."
He groans and pointedly looks at Link, "I don't think I can deal with you both again, not after you got me in trouble with the boss for forgetting—"
"U… Um, excuse me…" We all look around to find a petite woman with white hair and nervous red eyes peering at us, tightly holding a book close to her chest.
"Paya," I smile at her. "It's good to see you again."
She offers me a meek smile in return, "I… I hope I wasn't interrupting something…"
Link shakes his head, "Not at all. We were just trying to get away from the same person who forgot to submit his report on your lost heirloom. You still owe me for finishing it for you, by the way," he's quick to add to Pipit. The officer pulls a face but lets us go with the young Sheikah girl.
As we follow Paya towards Impa's office, there's a hint of surprise in her tone as she murmurs, "You got here quickly… I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least."
Link nudges me, "If I didn't have a personal alarm clock, we wouldn't have been here until the afternoon at least."
"What would you do without me?" I purposely ask as sweetly as possible.
"Well, I'd be able to sleep without fear of a newspaper to the face."
I snort, "It was hardly—"
"Anyway," Link cuts in before we can argue about it. "We're grateful for you reaching out to us, Paya."
Her cheeks flush, "You w… were both so kind to me. I wanted to repay that favour." We slow into a halt in front of the door at the end of the main office and a wave of dread suddenly washes over me, though I do my best not to let it show. Paya knocks and enters after a curt voice tells her to. I exchange one last look with Link before we follow her inside.
Impa's office is much bigger than the other private offices, big enough for the four of us but feels cavernous more so because it's been sparsely furnished for purpose over aesthetics. Her walls are filled with various awards, barely any personal photographs as well as a few well-kept bonsai trees sitting on a bookshelf. As we take our seats, I can't help but run my shoes across the plush carpet and anxiously make patterns from pushing the fibres around.
Impa Riko, a stern woman with angular features and an unreadable face, sits at her desk and doesn't even look up from her computer. She trained as a Sheikah warrior in her younger life before turning to this sort of work and quickly earned a reputation for terrifying whoever she meets. We've met her several times before, and we know from experience that her reputation precedes her.
"Forester, Hark," is her firm greeting. A part of me always wants to remind her that my surname is Harkinian rather than Hark, yet I would never dare correct her. "I'm sure you're both aware of the discovery at the Temple of Din in the early hours of this morning?" We nod silently. "I've called you here to offer you both a temporary position here to work on this case. I would usually keep these sorts of cases as an internal matter, however Paya recommended your services and, given your history with us, I thought it a wise plan."
I force a small smile, "We'd—"
"I'm not finished," she interrupts. I fall silent and let her continue. "I've looked into your work and it seems the closest you've come to a case like this is the Seven Heroines investigation in the desert. Is that right?"
She's not wrong. The Seven Heroines case—another murder case, ironically—was a string of murders in the desert where women were kidnapped and killed by a gang called the Yiga. They'd been killed as offerings to the Gods and represented each of the seven Gerudo virtues. Thanks to Link and I, we helped the local police when I was visiting a friend and put a stop to the Yiga.
"Yes," Link agrees when she waits for a response. "Though I understand that this case is far more time sensitive." She nods and she seems to appreciate him saying that. Even though Link's sure that she hates him, I think she's just stern on the outside. I, on the other hand, wish that I could say something whilst being able to look her directly in the eye. She takes out a pair of files from her drawer but refrains from passing them over to us just yet.
"You'd be correct. In addition, I know you've both gone from investigators to central figures in previous cases, so you both understand the gravity of what I'm about to ask you."
I know what she's implying without her having to explicitly say it. Even though it's been more than a year, I can still feel my chest constricting at the thought of that night. I close my eyes and focus on breathing—it'll pass.
In and out…
"We're aware of that," I overhear Link telling her. "But you wouldn't have called us here if you didn't think we were up to it."
Impa hums and suddenly one of those files she picked out appears in my line of sight. I blink and silently take it from her, though her eyes are cool as she explains, "If you're going to take this on, I need you to have your wits about you. Is that clear?"
Link and I exchange a look and, in that one glance, our choice is made. Turning my attention back to Impa, I say, "Crystal."
"Very well," Impa takes her hand away so we can read the files. "I'm sure you've heard the basics from the papers. The two victims were reported missing and, within 72 hours, were found dead in the Temple of Farore and Temple of Din respectively. We're waiting for the full results from Makeela's body, but both deaths were seemingly caused by a single stab wound to the chest and signs of torture are evident. We'll also be running tests on Makeela for a type of sedative drug found to have been ingested by Kiri days before he was found."
We open the files and my eyes scan over the details. Despite my job title, I don't come across many murder crime scene photos so seeing these bodies before me, resting at the feet of Farore and Din respectively, sends a chill down my spine. They haven't gotten everything on the second victim yet, but it doesn't seem like there's any suspicious phone calls or payments made by Rinku before his death which is a surprise.
"Are there any suspects currently?" I ask without looking up.
"N… None so far," Paya says. "Any lines of inquiry were running out before the second victim was found. But whoever they are, they know how to con… conceal evidence."
Before I can say anything else on the matter, one of the photos gives me pause and, when she notices my hesitation, Impa says, "So, you've seen it then?"
I hum but say nothing. Link, not quite at that point yet in the file, looks over my shoulder and stops short as well. Both victims have three cuts on one of their hands and, while none of the cuts connect, the marks create a triangular shape that I'd recognise in my sleep. As someone who loved ancient history as a kid and someone who knows the legends linked to these markings, it's easy to decipher what this might mean.
Legends of the Triforce are well known in Hyrule, but the idea of such a wondrous item that can grant any wish existing in the world has meant that many have fought over it and for it. Because of this, people who have searched for those chosen to bear the Triforce have been known as Triforce Hunters. In the past, people have even tried to physically cut the Triforce pieces free from the bearers—it was a sadly consistent thing in history, so I recognise it straight away.
"You think a Triforce Hunter was responsible for this?"
Impa nods firmly, "It's our current lead, and one that will not be released to the media or the public until we have more evidence to support it—we don't want a kingdom-wide panic. But with the marks on their hands and the location of the crime scenes, it's a very plausible line of enquiry." Link closes the file.
"So where are we going from here?"
"I've already sent some officers out to talk with Nabooru—Makeela's wife—to see if she can shed any light on Ganondorf's situation in Castletown," Impa explains. "But for now, I want you both to go to the Temple of Din and talk with the high priest and priestesses there. We spoke with them briefly, but I'd like an initial interview with the person who found the body."
I raise a brow, "Who found him?"
"One of the priestesses—Lana, I believe her name was."
Link nods and turns to Impa, "We'll leave now."
"Very well, then I won't keep you. Just remember what I said to you at the start." Her crimson eyes flick between us, "After the press conference in a few hours, your names will become common knowledge, whether we say them or not—the media have their ways. Be prepared."
I nod and do my best not to chew at the inside of my cheek as we stand and leave her office. As soon as the three of us step outside, the air feels clearer and we breathe a collective sigh of relief. Impa's a person that respects all three of us, but that doesn't stop us from feeling tense when we're around her. I can't help but feel Impa's eyes on my back as we head towards the stairway out of the station.
Paya offers us a small smile, "You know… it's nice to have you both back."
Link snorts, "Probably because no one seems to attract trouble as well as we do." Her smile broadens.
"That's certainly true. Now get going before grandmother k… kicks you out herself."
We grin and say goodbye. I'm glad we'll be out of here when the press conference starts, only because there'll be a lot of people wanting to demand answers to questions we don't have the time to deal with. Hopefully the conference here means that the Temple of Din will be a bit quieter when we arrive, but I'm sure there'll be a few journalists there for the sake of it.
"Do you agree with her?" Link asks as we head down the staircase. "About the hunters?"
I shrug, "I mean, it makes sense. And plus, the names of the victims are both historically accurate like I said before. I'm not sure how it'll help us find who's done this since these hunters have known to be elusive so we'll see if any extra leads come up, but we'll focus on the idea for now."
"But Zelda was also the name of a Triforce holder," Link says, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.
"Well then, you'll just have to keep an eye on me, won't you?"
But I can't keep the hesitation out of my voice either because he's right. While the modern name for the hero has been lost to history, the name of the princess of Hyrule and bearer of Nayru's blessing has always been Zelda. And with this being such a popular case already, it seems like a terrible idea for me to join in on this case.
It'll be fine. I'll be surrounded by people, so they won't be able to do anything.
Knowing that there'll already be journalists outside and waiting for the conference, we take the back exit to avoid them. And yet, as we make our way over to my car, a shiver suddenly runs down my spine and I feel like I'm being watched. I stop short and glance around, but there's only one person loitering on the other side of the road. I tilt my head and stop Link, only to relax when the stranger suddenly meets up with someone and walks away.
This is no time for paranoia, I chastise myself. We've only just accepted the job.
But that feeling of being watched doesn't leave until long after we've left the station.
