Post by Kadina on Jun 11, 2015 14:38:09 GMT -6
Lux stood out on the wall of the Hyrule castle keep surveying the fields that stretched beyond the horizon. The swells and lulls of the hills were occasionally interrupted by a tree or wild animal, but the variety made the sight far more appealing, in her opinion. Nothing wrong with a little imperfection.
Lux found there to be very few times and very few places within Castle Town where she could find solitude, but she had them all mapped out and kept to these places religiously.
This was one of the rare hours of the day when all was quiet. And it was coming to an end.
For both day and night, there is a symphony here in castle town. Daytime is booming with the laughter and chatting of busy people, merchants, and musicians strumming and plucking away at their stringed instruments, beating their drums, and blowing their flutes and horns. Horse drawn carriages creak and clatter over cobblestone streets. Cats and dogs work over-time for both symphonies as they squabble over scraps in the ally ways night and day.
A bell tower chimed in the distant corner of Hyrule Town. A startled flock of birds scattered the pink and lavender swept sky as they flew toward the setting sun. The kingdom was drenched in a rosy golden hue, cuing the summer insects to strike-up a cacophonous song as vendors tore down shop in the market square. Mothers herded their little ones inside with promises of steamy chowder and honey soaked bread before baths and bedtime stories.
Lux knew the symphony of the night like she knew her own voice. Women of the night would fill the streets with the clack of their heels and their high-pitched voices carrying on in perverted gossip as they wait for clientele. Dogs would howl, muffled music from local pubs would play softly, and drunks would sing old tunes as they clink their glasses and pound their fists against wooden tabletops. The occasional squeal of a whore would pierce the air as a drunk would slap her ass or yank her off of her feet and into his lap to smother her breasts in sloppy kisses, all the while spilling his ale down her back. Giggles and profanity would usually ensue.
Lux squinted to see the last of the birds disappear in the glow of the sun before turning her back to go inside. She had no interest in sticking around for the symphony of the night.
~~~
Within the tallest tower of the keep, there is a room. A room with history and legend in every stone, in every chair, and every banner that hangs from the walls. It is the room of the Royal Brotherhood, a place for all those who live for the King and would die for the King. It’s called the Room of Araganüs, named after a knight who once gave his life in a heroic battle against the dragon Volvagia so that the King and his people might live. In the middle of the room is a 20 foot table made of 3-inch thick deku oak, polished and garnished with a blue woven cloth. Embroidered in the center of the cloth is the crest of the royal family, a triforce being held up above a creature known as a loftwing. Some believe them to be mythical giant birds, but it has been documented by meisters of the old ages that these birds were, at a time, very real creatures bestowed upon the people of the sky as protectors by the Goddess Hylia.
A servant lit candelabras around the room, as the light that streaked through the many stained-glass windows would soon grow dim. Currently, however, the room lit up with multiple colors and shapes. A beautiful spectacle.
Suddenly, people in armor and cloaks and traditional Sheik garb began to file in. The hodge-podge group of warriors and assassins each took a seat at the table in the center of the room, a few whispering amongst themselves. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, except for one. There was a chair at the far end on the corner that remained empty.
After a few moments of waiting, they were soon accompanied by the King, his royal advisor/light sage Rauru, and Commander Zir (ZEER). Everyone stood in respect of the King as he took a seat at the end of the table.
“Please be seated. There is much to discuss. Is everyone here?” Everyone turned their eyes to the empty chair at the end of the table, only to find Lux now sitting there with her arms crossed over her chest, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible.
“Very well. May the Goddesses bless you all for being here, as we have some very pressing matters to attend to. You are all familiar with the 3 spiritual stones left behind by the goddesses to protect the Sacred Realm and the Master Sword. Well…” The King took a deep breath, his round belly rising like dough, and exhaled “It appears that two of the stones’ security have been threatened and their current resting places are under siege.” Lux shifted her eyes to the King but her posture remained. Could it be true? How had this happened over night?
Zir pulled two scrolls from the waistband of his belt and passed it to a cloaked man wearing the emblem of the Assassins of Hyrule on his chest sitting to the right of the king. He opened one of the scrolls, made of a rough parchment and singed along its edges, and began to read while Zir spoke.
“We have received word from Death Mountain and Kakariko village within the last 24 hours about their current situations. Both claim that men of great power flew in on the backs of giant bird-like creatures and demanded access to the spiritual stones. There is no word of any casualties thus far, though both letters inform that the people of these places are being held captive. How one man in each location is able to capture an entire city on his own is a mystery, but implies that they must have truly impeccable power.”
The assassin handed the scrolls down the line for others to read.
“And what of Zora’s Cavern? Who is protecting the Zora’s Saphire and is there any word from their city?” A rugged woman in armor inquired from across the table.
The King replied “There has been no word from the Zora tribe, which I must say has me quite concerned. We will be sending out a stealth unit tonight to investigate the area and report on its state of security. The Zora’s sapphire is being guarded inside of an icecap to the north of the fountain. It would take days to melt it from its hold, but depending on the power of these persecutors, it could be hours. We know very little about our enemy at this point, so we must proceed with caution.”
“Currently, there is no news on why they want the stones, who they are working for, or what they are capable of,” Zir informed.
Rauru’s wise and gentle voice finally spoke, “It is believed that the stones each harness power from the Goddesses that bestowed them. Not to the same level as the triforce, but an elemental power that can be used quite destructively. If the stones are to be used for that power, it will destroy them over time.”
“And if the stones are destroyed, what of the Sacred Realm?” a knight with golden hair and a scar down the bridge of his nose asked the sage.
“I’m afraid you know the answer to that… Because of the magical charm placed on the Door of Time in connection to the spiritual stones, its seal will be destroyed along with the stones and the Sacred Realm will be exposed.”
The room was quite.
“Your Majesty,” a Sheik woman with a long face and hollow cheeks addressed the king. “We await our objective respectfully and will follow your orders loyally. Give us your command and it shall be done.”
“Thank you, Yatiri. I will let Commander Zir take it from here. I trust his strategy and knowledge. His plan cannot fail, and it is because of such fine warriors that I am entrusting with this mission. You are all the best of the best. Hyrule is in good hands. Good luck and may the Goddesses protect you.”
With that, Rauru and the King exited the room leaving Commander Zir to resume the meeting.
“Any questions so far?”
Lux looked around the table. She only recognized half of the 12 people, excluding herself. She knew none of the assassins of Hyrule, and there seemed to be quite a few present. Her mentor, the late Daliru, spoke highly of their integrity, though Lux was seldomly introduced to anyone outside of the Sheik that trained her. She could only assume it was because of the hideous marking of carbon black skin around her eye that trailed down her spine in a twisted design. Lux had always been insecure about this feature due to the frightening and shocked reactions she sometimes received. She would always be a monster, both by appearance and the shadow that gripped her, but her heart was pure as gold.
Lux found there to be very few times and very few places within Castle Town where she could find solitude, but she had them all mapped out and kept to these places religiously.
This was one of the rare hours of the day when all was quiet. And it was coming to an end.
For both day and night, there is a symphony here in castle town. Daytime is booming with the laughter and chatting of busy people, merchants, and musicians strumming and plucking away at their stringed instruments, beating their drums, and blowing their flutes and horns. Horse drawn carriages creak and clatter over cobblestone streets. Cats and dogs work over-time for both symphonies as they squabble over scraps in the ally ways night and day.
A bell tower chimed in the distant corner of Hyrule Town. A startled flock of birds scattered the pink and lavender swept sky as they flew toward the setting sun. The kingdom was drenched in a rosy golden hue, cuing the summer insects to strike-up a cacophonous song as vendors tore down shop in the market square. Mothers herded their little ones inside with promises of steamy chowder and honey soaked bread before baths and bedtime stories.
Lux knew the symphony of the night like she knew her own voice. Women of the night would fill the streets with the clack of their heels and their high-pitched voices carrying on in perverted gossip as they wait for clientele. Dogs would howl, muffled music from local pubs would play softly, and drunks would sing old tunes as they clink their glasses and pound their fists against wooden tabletops. The occasional squeal of a whore would pierce the air as a drunk would slap her ass or yank her off of her feet and into his lap to smother her breasts in sloppy kisses, all the while spilling his ale down her back. Giggles and profanity would usually ensue.
Lux squinted to see the last of the birds disappear in the glow of the sun before turning her back to go inside. She had no interest in sticking around for the symphony of the night.
~~~
Within the tallest tower of the keep, there is a room. A room with history and legend in every stone, in every chair, and every banner that hangs from the walls. It is the room of the Royal Brotherhood, a place for all those who live for the King and would die for the King. It’s called the Room of Araganüs, named after a knight who once gave his life in a heroic battle against the dragon Volvagia so that the King and his people might live. In the middle of the room is a 20 foot table made of 3-inch thick deku oak, polished and garnished with a blue woven cloth. Embroidered in the center of the cloth is the crest of the royal family, a triforce being held up above a creature known as a loftwing. Some believe them to be mythical giant birds, but it has been documented by meisters of the old ages that these birds were, at a time, very real creatures bestowed upon the people of the sky as protectors by the Goddess Hylia.
A servant lit candelabras around the room, as the light that streaked through the many stained-glass windows would soon grow dim. Currently, however, the room lit up with multiple colors and shapes. A beautiful spectacle.
Suddenly, people in armor and cloaks and traditional Sheik garb began to file in. The hodge-podge group of warriors and assassins each took a seat at the table in the center of the room, a few whispering amongst themselves. Everyone seemed to be accounted for, except for one. There was a chair at the far end on the corner that remained empty.
After a few moments of waiting, they were soon accompanied by the King, his royal advisor/light sage Rauru, and Commander Zir (ZEER). Everyone stood in respect of the King as he took a seat at the end of the table.
“Please be seated. There is much to discuss. Is everyone here?” Everyone turned their eyes to the empty chair at the end of the table, only to find Lux now sitting there with her arms crossed over her chest, trying to draw as little attention to herself as possible.
“Very well. May the Goddesses bless you all for being here, as we have some very pressing matters to attend to. You are all familiar with the 3 spiritual stones left behind by the goddesses to protect the Sacred Realm and the Master Sword. Well…” The King took a deep breath, his round belly rising like dough, and exhaled “It appears that two of the stones’ security have been threatened and their current resting places are under siege.” Lux shifted her eyes to the King but her posture remained. Could it be true? How had this happened over night?
Zir pulled two scrolls from the waistband of his belt and passed it to a cloaked man wearing the emblem of the Assassins of Hyrule on his chest sitting to the right of the king. He opened one of the scrolls, made of a rough parchment and singed along its edges, and began to read while Zir spoke.
“We have received word from Death Mountain and Kakariko village within the last 24 hours about their current situations. Both claim that men of great power flew in on the backs of giant bird-like creatures and demanded access to the spiritual stones. There is no word of any casualties thus far, though both letters inform that the people of these places are being held captive. How one man in each location is able to capture an entire city on his own is a mystery, but implies that they must have truly impeccable power.”
The assassin handed the scrolls down the line for others to read.
“And what of Zora’s Cavern? Who is protecting the Zora’s Saphire and is there any word from their city?” A rugged woman in armor inquired from across the table.
The King replied “There has been no word from the Zora tribe, which I must say has me quite concerned. We will be sending out a stealth unit tonight to investigate the area and report on its state of security. The Zora’s sapphire is being guarded inside of an icecap to the north of the fountain. It would take days to melt it from its hold, but depending on the power of these persecutors, it could be hours. We know very little about our enemy at this point, so we must proceed with caution.”
“Currently, there is no news on why they want the stones, who they are working for, or what they are capable of,” Zir informed.
Rauru’s wise and gentle voice finally spoke, “It is believed that the stones each harness power from the Goddesses that bestowed them. Not to the same level as the triforce, but an elemental power that can be used quite destructively. If the stones are to be used for that power, it will destroy them over time.”
“And if the stones are destroyed, what of the Sacred Realm?” a knight with golden hair and a scar down the bridge of his nose asked the sage.
“I’m afraid you know the answer to that… Because of the magical charm placed on the Door of Time in connection to the spiritual stones, its seal will be destroyed along with the stones and the Sacred Realm will be exposed.”
The room was quite.
“Your Majesty,” a Sheik woman with a long face and hollow cheeks addressed the king. “We await our objective respectfully and will follow your orders loyally. Give us your command and it shall be done.”
“Thank you, Yatiri. I will let Commander Zir take it from here. I trust his strategy and knowledge. His plan cannot fail, and it is because of such fine warriors that I am entrusting with this mission. You are all the best of the best. Hyrule is in good hands. Good luck and may the Goddesses protect you.”
With that, Rauru and the King exited the room leaving Commander Zir to resume the meeting.
“Any questions so far?”
Lux looked around the table. She only recognized half of the 12 people, excluding herself. She knew none of the assassins of Hyrule, and there seemed to be quite a few present. Her mentor, the late Daliru, spoke highly of their integrity, though Lux was seldomly introduced to anyone outside of the Sheik that trained her. She could only assume it was because of the hideous marking of carbon black skin around her eye that trailed down her spine in a twisted design. Lux had always been insecure about this feature due to the frightening and shocked reactions she sometimes received. She would always be a monster, both by appearance and the shadow that gripped her, but her heart was pure as gold.