Chapter 3: Flynn Puts in an Appearance

     

Link sat in the dining hall, waiting for Frat and Sora to show up. He wanted to know what they had meant earlier. But they weren't making much of an impression, since they were so late. Link would have to stop holding the dinner very soon. Roxanna smiled at him from over the table and he began to feel sick. <I>Where are they?</I> Link thought, growing worried. <I>They should have been here by now!</I>

At that moment Frat strolled into the dining hall and every female, old and young, nearly fell out of their chairs. Frat was considered handsome by just about every woman in the court, but today he was "unearthly gorgeous" as Isannah put it, heaving a sigh. Link shook his head, grinning as his friend sat down next to him and leaned over.

"We don't have women any more, we have puddles." Link joked.

Frat grinned back and glanced around the room. All eyes were on him, or at least, all female eyes were. Dressed in his usual garb, only in richer fabrics and brighter colors, his hair shining golden and his eyes sparkling with fun, Frat left the women swooning and the men jealous. <I>No wonder he's so vain,</I> Link thought, shaking his head. <I>Every woman in the world seems to fall at his feet."

"Where's Sora?" Link asked, his eyes trained on the crowed.

"I don't know." Frat whispered, also keeping his eyes on the staring court.

At that moment there was a bit of commotion outside. A loud, indignant voice demanded entry to the dining hall, but the guards would not let the person in. The voice sounded a lot like Sora's and Link wondered what the problem was. Then the door creaked open and one of the guards peered inside.

"Your Majesty, there seems to be a strange lady out here demanding entry." The guard informed her.

"I'm not strange!" The voice protested. "Don't be a fool!"

"Let her in." Link said, unable to keep from smiling.

A girl pushed her way past the guards, but she did not look much like Sora. She was dressed in a gown of light purple cotton, silver leaves embroidered along the edge of the skirt, sandals strapped to her feet. Her hair flowed freely down to her shoulders, except for an eagle feather tied into it. She wore two bracelets on her wrist, one of plain copper, the other of silver with her gemstone, Sapphire, inlaid in the band.

"Sora?" Link asked, still uncertain.

"Under all this, I'm not so certain anymore." Sora answered, sitting down next to Frat.

Link grinned. "You look like a completely different person…still a little rugged and yet you didn't embarrass me."

"You're not worried about me embarrassing myself?" Sora asked, feigning a pout.

"Nope." Link said, smiling.

"Oh thanks a lot." Sora muttered, ducking her head as a servant set the first course before her.

"Ugh!" Link exclaimed. "Sora, next time don't be so late. The soup is cold."

Sora glared at him. "Sorry, I was just a little wet and muddy. I was wondering what was worse…showing up late, or showing up looking like a…" Sora glanced at Roxanna. "Street rat."

"It's okay." Link teased, laughing. "I can forgive you…this time."

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Sora asked, wrinkling her nose at the soup. "I hope the next course isn't venison. I need to eat something, you know."

"I just feel like being in a good mood." Link shrugged, then added softly, "I think some of it has to do with the look on Roxanna's face!"

"Why does Oliana have to sit all the way down there?" Frat asked, watching the girl sip her soup.

Link sighed. "Nicodemus is pretty determined that I marry Roxanna. He won't let Oliana and Isannah sit next to me anymore."

"But you're king!" Sora protested.

"I know that." Link shrugged again. "But I'm still a kid as well. They never listen to me."

"There's a word for that, isn't there?" Sora asked, glancing at Frat. She didn't bother to listen when he answered though, because her attention was elsewhere.

Link watched as Sora lifted one of the castle's mouse catching cats into her lap and fed it a scrap of venison from the plate the servants had set before her moments ago. She also fed the cat a piece of shrimp, which Link mentioned came from the oceans of Alemia, although Sora didn't hear, or pretended not to. She was busy feeding the cats that had wandered into the room.

"Does she always do that?" Link asked Frat.

"No." Frat answered. "We're not allowed to feed our pets table scraps."

Link chuckled and turned to his dinner, picking at it moodily. Like Sora he sometimes found it hard now to eat venison. The last time she had visited they had spent time together in the forests, making friends with the deer and their newborn fawns. Instead Link ate the shrimp, which he had never made friends with and didn't think he ever would.

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Flynn awoke from the dream, sweating heavily and gasping for breath. He has the same dream every night, although he never fully understood it. It was about a girl, but not Mona, or Marianna, or any of his other sisters. She was a girl much like him, with purple, fire filled eyes and hair like spun gold. She was so full of spirit, and the more he dreamt of her, the more he desired her. <I>I think I deserve something for all the work I do</I> Flynn thought. <I>And this girl is unlike any other. I can sense it.</I>

Flynn pushed aside the covers, yawing and blinking sleepily in the darkness that surrounded him. He had a feeling that his first journey to the outside world would be fruitful. <I>And I can look for that girl,</I> Flynn thought. <I>The one from my dreams.</I> He smiled and stood, letting the covers fall to the floor. He pulled on a shirt and a fur lined vest over it to keep warm. Flynn glanced at himself once in the mirror, for once not really interested in looking at himself. He had more important things to do.

Mona pushed opened the door and poked her head in, smiling. For once Flynn smiled back at her. He through his cloak over his shoulders, lifting the hood to cover his face. Mona watched in dismay as he pushed past her and started down the hall. She chased after him, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop when she reached him.

"Where are you going?" Mona demanded. She was taller than he was, but not stronger.

"I'm leaving." Flynn said.

"Take me with you!" Mona pleaded. "Please don't leave me here!"

"Get out of my face!" Flynn growled. "I don't have time for this."

"Please!" Mona called after him as he started down the hall.

She ran after him and grabbed onto his arm again. Flynn flung back wards into the wall, snarling like a wolf. He glared at her a moment, teeth bared, than started down the hall once more. Mona didn't follow this time, but stayed leaning up against the wall in shock. Flynn didn't bother to look back, but headed for the surface. He could hear people above him, talking, interacting, and prayed they would be too busy to notice him.

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Flynn yawned, leaning against the wall of one of Hyrule Castle's twisting corridors. Once above ground magic had allowed him to travel to a part of the castle that had been pictured in a book. It was a less used part of the castle, somewhere near the old archives. There was only a few guards posted throughout these halls and Flynn knew he would have no trouble dealing with them. <I>If I'd have known this would have been so easy,</I> Flynn thought, <I>I would have come sooner.</I> Flynn smiled and whistled to himself softly.

As he turned the corner he noted a guard standing against the wall, watching the entrance to the main part of the castle. Flynn pulled out his dagger, and held it by his side. He didn't like to kill much, not at all really, if he didn't have to. But in this case he might just need to, otherwise he would be unable to get to the stone.

The guard turned just as he approached and held up his spear, commanding Flynn to halt. Flynn ignored him, just continued to walk forward, holding his dagger casually at his side. The Guard moved to intercept him and Flynn shoved the dagger through his heart. The guard fell back, dead, his eyes wide open. Flynn smiled. He was so close to what he sought. Nothing would keep him from it.

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Sora picked at her food moodily, totally uninterested in the salted fish and steamed vegetables on the plate. <I>How many courses can they possibly have?</I> Sora wondered. <I>I'm so full I could burst, and I've barely eaten anything.</I> Sora dropped her fork onto the plate and sat back in her chair, trying to pick up any possible tidbits of the conversations that went on in the dining hall. Link and Frat were leaning close together, studying the ladies of the court. Sora rolled her eyes, but watched them anyway, since she had nothing better to do, what with the cats sprawled out on the floor asleep, their bellies full.

Each time Frat would point to one of the ladies in the court, Link would either nod or shake his head, and then say something. When Frat pointed to Oliana Link laughed and said something that made Frat blush. As they went a long Sora began to understand what they were up to. She frowned and turned away from them studying the cold leftovers on her plate. <I>I wonder if it's really possible to die of boredom.</I> Sora thought, wryly.

She glanced up time to see Frat point at her and she wrinkled her nose at him. Link just shrugged and stared down at his plate. Sora lifted her fork, set it on the table at a good angle from Link, and flicked it at him. It skittered into Roxanna's wineglass, tipping it over into her lap. She screamed, jumped up, and raced out of the hall. Link ducked his head, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Well, I meant to hit your wine glass." Sora said. "But oh well."

"Sora!" Link hissed through his laughter. "That was wrong…very wrong!"

"I know." Sora said, nodding. "But you thought it was funny."

Frat sighed and shook his head. "Are you two ever going to grow up?"

"No!" Link and Sora answered in unison.

"Why'd I bother asking?" Frat muttered. "Let's just hope we don't get Link here in trouble. That would be a very bad way to thank him for his hospitality."

"I don't mind." Link said, still laughing. "Just as long as she doesn't murder anyone."

"Oh shoot!" Sora exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "I guess I'll have to do something about that dead guy under my bed!"

"Sora!" Frat shook his head and slapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't even make jokes like that! You nearly gave poor Link a heart attack."

"Well at least someone doesn't think of me as a kid." Link grinned.

Frat slapped Link on the back. "Just keeping an eye out for you, Your Majesty."

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Flynn rummaged through the old pine wood chest at the foot of the bed in the King's chambers. His instincts told him that the Stone was in this room, but he wasn't certain where it was. The chest seemed like the most likely place, until Flynn lifted his head and spied an old, beat up box resting on a table nearby. He stood, shutting the chest and walked over to the table. The box seemed to beg for him to open it, and yet something deep down inside told him that it could be his undoing, this little beat up thing.

Ignoring the voice inside and listening only to his craving for power, Flynn lifted the lid of the box very slowly. As he did, a bright glow came from inside. It pulsed and twinkled at the same time, a pale blue unlike anything he had ever seen. Flynn threw the top of the box away from him and snatched up the glowing object inside. He ran to the nearby window, letting moonlight fall across him in silvery shafts. It was the pendant he was looking for, Flynn saw. It was, at last he had found it!

Flynn tucked it deep into the folds of his robes to snuff out its brilliantly light. It had known he was here, had called to him. It glowed because of the power it offered to him. And now he must search this castle for the Power Field before he could go home. Once he had both the Stone and the Field, he could do what he had planned. His parents death would be avenged, no matter what, he would make sure Link and his little pet guardians paid for what they had done.

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"Uh…S-sire." A guard stammered nervously. "Your Majesty?"

"What is it?" Link asked, irritated.

"Well…uh…that is, you see…we um…" The guard babbled, looking at his feet.

"Just spit it out already!" Link snapped, his frustration growing.

"Well, it seems that there's a-"

The guard's words were cut of by a shriek. "Murder! Oh, someone, please help!"

Link and his friends were the first ones up from their chairs and out of the dining hall. Lying not far from where they stood was Lady Roxanna, cradling the head of her older brother, Phebus, in her lap. She was in tears, her head turned to one side, and unable to look at the dagger shoved through her brother's heart. Sora gasped softly and glanced at Frat, shaking visibly. Frat's own face was pale and his purple eyes made him look freakish.

"Roxanna?" Link asked. "Are you okay?"

Roxanna looked up. "What does it look like to you? No, I'm not okay!"

"I'm sorry." Link stammered. "I didn't know that…"

"Didn't know what?" Roxanna snapped. "That I actually cared for someone other than myself? Do you really think I'm that selfish?"

Sora felt tears slide down her cheeks and she hugged Frat tightly. She couldn't imagine losing her brother, after all they'd been through together. Frat put an arm around her, although he was apparently in shock. <I>Join the club,</I> Sora thought, sniffling.

"Your Majesty." A guard said, running up to him. "Several other in the castle have been murdered, and your room has been vandalized."

"M-my…room?" Link was stunned.

"Well this puts a whole new twist on things." Sora said sarcastically. "Great, we need to protect His Highness again."

"Sora!" Frat hissed, coming out of his daze.

"It's okay." Link said. "We just have to find the murderer."

"Too late." A voice taunted from the shadows. "I found you."

They all spun around. Behind them stood a boy who looked to be not much older than Link, with red hair, bright purple eyes, and a resemblance to someone Link never wanted to see again. The boy smiled evilly, and laughed at the startled expression on Link's face. But Sora was skeptical.

"This is the murderer?" Sora asked, frowning. "Isn't he a little short?"

Link smiled slightly. "A little short? More like a lot short…"

"Shut up!" The boy said, his eyes flaring up with anger. "My name is Flynn, you killed my parents. They were the greatest leaders the Fay had ever known. Our Kingdom will punish you for what you've done. Thousands wait not far from here to overtake this castle."

"Oh really? So why did they send you?" Sora asked. "Especially when they could have sent someone…taller."

"We needed something." Flynn replied, not afraid of revealing too much. "And I'm the only one who could find it."

"And why should I believe you?" Sora demanded, stepping closer.

Flynn held up the Dragon pendant. Everyone gasped and Sora took a step back. "Because I have this. One of you is the Power Field, and with this, I can figure out who."

"Liar!" Sora accused. "That's just a stupid necklace. It can harm no one."

"Shows how little you know." Flynn laughed. "It's not the pendant, but the stone that the Dragon clutches."

"Well, what makes you think the Power Field, or whatever, is one of us?" Sora asked, suddenly uncertain.

"Call it, instinct, if you will." Flynn said, smiling.

He lifted the pendant high and the stone began to glow. Sora screamed and dropped to her knees, hugging herself as pain coursed through her body. Frat tried to run forward, but he couldn't get beyond the purple glow that surrounded his fallen sister. Flynn moved forward and picked her up, with some difficulty, because she was only an inch shorter than he was. Frat beat on the purple light until the skin on his hand became raw, but it didn't fade until Flynn had disappeared.

"Sora!" Frat cried.

"Why do you think he took her?" Link wondered, resting a comforting hand on Frat's shoulder.

"I don't know." Frat replied. "I don't understand."

"Don't worry, Frat." Link said. "We'll get her back."

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