Cloak and Dagger
By Tranns Harkin

The sun beat down harshly as it began to descend over the horizon.  Like a giant golden tear drop on a lonely blue face, it slowly slid just beyond any mortal reach.  Still, the sky remained light, a sort of harsh haze settling over the fading autumn afternoon.  A gentle breeze, almost unnoticeable in the stillness, swept across the green acres of Garden Place which seemed to stretch for miles and miles in all four directions. 

Anyone sitting at their window during this ordinary fall afternoon could hear the laughter of four young girls as they made their way down the dirt path from town.  They were well known in the neighborhood.  Every afternoon, they walked through the haven on their way to their respective homes after a long day at the mission school ended.  Their delighted chattering and na�ve giggles rang out regularly, alerting every resident to their presence.  Even old Dame Hause, an ancient hag who hated noise unless it was vile gossip couldn�t help but smile as she heard them coming.  After all, she knew more about these girls than their own parents.  She pressed her nose up against the dingy window of her smelly old villa, watching them pass.

The eldest of the quartet, Haley Cigam, was a short, spunky youngster, the self-acclaimed leader of the group.  She walked with an intense stride, more than compensating for her decreased physical stature.  Her long brown hair, frizzy from the afternoon heat, fell over her eyes, all but hiding their brown color.  It was a little known fact that although she looked perfectly Hylian, she was actually under a tricky glamour spell her mother had cast to hide her status as a half breed.  Dame Hause prided herself on knowing this dirty little secret.  Haley walked a pace ahead of her friends, turning back over her shoulder to provide her own input into the conversation, unaware of the scrutiny she was under from afar.

Of the three girls behind Haley, the first one a person would notice would have been Lexa Jana Siom.  She was incredibly tall for her age and had midnight black hair, which fell to her shoulders in tight corkscrew curls.  She looked over the tops of her friends� heads with piercing blue eyes.  She was graceful, despite her lanky build and baggy clothing.  She walked diligently beside the others, nodding slightly with a small smirk on her thin lips.  The girl�s mother, a member of the Hylian navy, had died under mysterious circumstances while visiting Catalan nearly thirteen years ago.  Dame Hause had no doubt that she had been killed by the nasty Humans, fleeing for their lives after that terrible fire burned down the capital.  This was the price Hylians paid for helping those wretched Kludges.  This was the reward.  Sailors trampled to death and probably robbed.  Of course, as Lexa Jana continued walking, this was the furthest thing from her mind.

Beside Lexa Jana walked Dalia Huga, the youngest member of the group.  She walked delicately, holding up her green skirt, so as not to trip over the long hem.  Her long blond hair was tied in a loose braid, which hung over her left shoulder, and woven with a green velvet ribbon.  She trod along quietly, staring off into the sky with a vague smile, which no one understood nor questioned her about.  Her eyes, unfocused as they were, shone with a young airiness that her friends often teased her for.  Now this one was often seen disappearing into covered wagons with young scamps from Mido.  Twice in the last month, Dame House had spotted her climbing out of her bedroom window, each time to fall into the arms of a different young man.

Then there was the fourth girl, a tall Bui Doi with green eyes.  Her name was Tranns Harkin.  Just saying her name told the stranger much.  Her name was Harkin, the same name as the king of Hyrule and his family.  Tranns looked like a Harkin, with her soft red hair and pale skin.  Her eyelashes were long and black, turning her features feline.  On the heel of her left hand was a gold tattoo of the Triforce, the ancient relic that defined Hylian society.  Unlike her companions that afternoon, as all other afternoons, who had long pointed Hylian ears, Tranns had short, human ears with only the slightest hint of a point, immediately betraying her mixed heritage.  And oh, did Dame Hause know a thing or two about this one.  The tales she could tell.  Things that even young Mistress Harkin didn�t know about herself!  But those protecting the girl without her knowledge had warned Hause, and like it or not, she would not be able to share her gems of gossip with anyone.  With an indignant sigh, she turned away from the window and closed the curtains.

Tranns walked beside her friends, as always, laughing and commenting on the lessons of the day, most of which were not learned the schoolroom from the airy brothers and sisters of the mission.

�I was surprised he didn�t soil himself right then and there,� Lexa laughed.

�You know how Seamus is,� Haley commented with a hint of boredom, �he loves to pretend he knows what he�s doing, but he never does.�

�Typical male,� Lexa muttered.

�Is there truly a typical male?� Dalia mused, her rose colored lips barely moving as she spoke.

�In my experience, they�re all just atypical,� Tranns said haughtily. 

The other girls laughed.  �How do we tolerate them?� Haley asked.

�Simple,� Lexa replied, kicking a rock out of the dirt road, �they court us.�

�Correction,� Haley interrupted, �they court Dalia.�

Dalia smiled slightly.  �There are plenty of boys out there,� she murmured.

�We have got to talk about something else,� Tranns finally said after a moment of awkward silence.  �We sound just like those stupid girls from Shiz.�  Shiz was a private school for wealthy young people.  Although none would admit it, each of the girls secretly longed to visit the ancient castle where great magic and wisdom were taught.

�The holidays are coming up,� Haley chirped.

�Will your sister be coming home for a visit this year?� Lexa asked.

Tranns didn�t actually have a sister.  Growing up, her family had shared quarters with another, that of her Aunt Kallista.  Kallista had a daughter roughly Tranns� age named Adriana.  At times, they got on as well as sisters, but in other, more recent times, they fought constantly, leading Tranns to dub Adriana her �sometimes sister.�

�I don�t think so,� Tranns replied.  �Aunt Kallista said she might be spending the holidays with a school mate.  Dagmar Hagen.�

Haley stopped dead in her tracks.  �Not Dagmar Hagen of the Holodrum Hagens,� she exclaimed, her voice oozing with mock flattery.

�The wealthiest Hylian family outside of Hyrule,� Lexa added, matching Haley�s tone.

�Why darling, they�re so rich that they don�t need money!� Haley laughed, walking again.

The girls rounded a bend in the road and soon, the Rose Garden, the country villa Tranns had grown up in came into view.  Standing in front of the friendly white building was an elegant looking carriage, painted purple and trimmed with gold accents.  A tall white stallion stood, listlessly chewing the freshly cut grass in front of the house, while a pretty girl in blue sat on the footman�s step, examining the villa with a critical eye.

�Looks like you have guests, Mutt,� Haley said with a twinge of envy.

Tranns cringed.  �Mutt� was a nickname she had earned after picking her first fight at school back when she was eleven, poking fun at her mixed blood.  She supposed it was better than being called something like �Ears� or �Kludge,� but all the same, she hated it.  �Yeah, I guess so,� she replied quietly.

�Any idea who they might be?� Dalia asked.

Tranns shrugged.  �Jono didn�t say anything about guests today.�  She wasn�t overly concerned.  Her adoptive father Jono had guests quite often, usually foreigners from the islands of the Alastrian Sea.  In fact, in the far reaches of her memory, she often recalled the house constantly being filled with strangers who spoke in whispers and brought her cookies and trinkets from far away places, though she had never met them.

�Well, we�ll see you tomorrow then,� Haley chirped, clapping Tranns on the back as she veered off the road and over her lawn.

�Goodbye,� Tranns called back over her shoulder.  Her three friends waved, setting down the road again for their own homes and families.

She trudged across the grass, closing her eyes to let the sunlight warm her face.  The insides of her eyelids turned a bright orange, the color of the sunrise.  For a moment, Tranns imagined that the sun was rising, not setting.  She smiled, fondly recalling the numerous sunrises she had stayed up for all night with Jono.  How they had talked.  The only time Tranns had with Jono now where the two extremes, sunrise and sunsets.  He seemed constantly busy these days, which she supposed was only natural for a knight of his rank and experience.  Almost every day he was at the castle, but when she asked what he was doing, he got quiet and told her that it was nothing to be concerned about.  Tranns had learned not to question this and accepted their sunrise and sunset ritual.

Every night, the two of them would sit out on the patio and watch the stars come out.  When the first star shone, Tranns would turn to her father and say, �I love you.�  Jono would smile and bid her a goodnight.  Then she would return to her room and sleep until sunrise the next morning.

Tranns opened her eyes slowly, a blurry after image floating across her vision for a moment.  The girl on the carriage, who had heard her approaching, looked up.  �You must be Tranns,� she said with a smile.  She was a great deal older than Tranns, though not quiet as old as her father.  She seemed placid, watching Tranns with great curiosity behind her steely gray eyes.

�Yes,� she replied smiling politely.

�You should get inside,� she told her, �they�ve been waiting for you.�

�Who?� she asked curiously.

�Well, your father for one,� she answered.

�To whom does this carriage belong?� she asked, stopping to admire the beautiful gold detailing.  Tranns was always careful about her grammar.  For some reason, the word had always intrigued her.  She loved her literature classes best and received the highest marks on all of her compositions.  Unfortunately, her skills in arithmetic lagged severely behind those of her classmates.  Jono had rarely found time to tutor her in mathematics before she was a first year in school.

�Miss Harkin!� a voice squawked suddenly from the front steps.  Tranns turned away from the carriage to see Emma, her childhood governess and housekeeper, standing with her hands planted firmly on her broad hips.  �It�s about time you got home, we�ve been waiting!�

�Goodbye,� Tranns said to the stranger as she quickly trotted across the grass towards Emma.

�Hurry up, hurry up!� Emma nagged her.  She took a step forward and draped an arm over Tranns� shoulders, pulling her inside the house.

�Does Jono have guests?� Tranns asked as Emma prodded her down the hallway.

�He does,� Emma said.  She paused in front of Jono�s library and opened the door a crack.  �She�s home, milord,� she beckoned into the open door.

Tranns tried to peer over Emma�s shoulder, to see who was in the library, but Emma pulled her away.  Quickly, the door opened more, allowing Jono to pass through.  He closed the door behind him and turned to Tranns, a nervous expression passing across his blue eyes, despite the smile on his face.  �I was wondering when you�d get home,� he said softly, taking Tranns in his arms to kiss her on the forehead. 

�I�m sorry I�m late,� she replied, wrapping her arms around Jono�s waist.  She peered up at him fondly.  Both Jono and Tranns were unnaturally tall for Hylians, but Tranns blamed that on her mixed heritage more than anything else.  No one was certain how Jono, a pureblood, managed to tower over everyone.

Jono pulled back.  He seemed to examine Tranns from head to toe, a small frown etching across his face.  �Emma, why don�t you get Tranns into something nicer?� he suggested quietly.

Tranns looked down at her own clothing.  Today she wore a pair of baggy blue pants with long black boots up to her knees.  Her shirt was a silver gray, skintight, which flattered her very curvy physique.  Around her waist was a purple sash.  Purple had always been her favorite color.  �What�s wrong with my clothing?� she asked in puzzlement.

Jono looked helplessly at Emma.  �What your father means to say,� Emma began slowly, �is that your clothing isn�t exactly appropriate.�

�Appropriate for what?� she asked.  Lately, Adriana had been talking like this, tutting about what was and wasn�t appropriate, but Jono had never put much stock in decorum.

�Well�it is a bit messy,� Jono muttered.

Tranns frowned.  �Well, I know it isn�t exactly clean, but I can explain!�

�No need to explain,� Jono said quickly.  He ran a hand through his black hair, which was just now showing signs of gray around the temples.  Apprehensively, he glanced over his shoulder, back into the library.  Any indignation Tranns felt about this unusual critique died away at once.  Was he nervous about something?

�Tranns, just do as your father asks you,� Emma said sternly.  Tranns nodded, sensing the urgency, but before she could utter a syllable, Emma had taken a firm hold of her wrist.  The elderly housekeeper pulled Tranns back through the hallway to the entrance hall.  The two of them ascended up the stairs, Emma prodding Tranns along.

�What�s going on?� Tranns hissed, fighting to twist her arm free of Emma�s tight grip.

�I imagine your father wants you to make a good impression on his guest,� Emma clucked, continually pushing Tranns forward.

�Who is his guest?� Tranns asked.

�Now Tranns,� Emma scolded her, opening the door to her bedroom, �it�s not polite of a lady to ask too many questions.�  She shoved Tranns hurriedly into the room and closed the door behind her.

Tranns� room had hardly changed since her infancy.  The walls were painted a faded yellow color, which, when the sun was flooding in through the enormous bay window, made the room glow golden.  The carpet and the curtains were both extremely pale lavender and the curtains blew in the same unnoticeable breeze that Tranns had been kissed with on her way home.

�Lady?� she repeated with a laugh.  �You sound like Ana.�

�Well, your sister certainly knows how to dress.  She�ll be a courtier before you know it, company she�s been keeping.�  Emma crossed to the closet.  �Now let�s find you something nice and pretty.�

�Why do I have to dress up?� Tranns whined quietly, looking out the window at the garden below.

Emma, who was busy searching through the closet, didn�t turn to address Tranns.  �Your clothing is filthy,� she clucked into the closet.  �I don�t even want to know who you were fighting with.�

Tranns turned around with wide eyes.  �How did you know I was fighting?� she asked in surprise. 

�Oh Tranns,� Emma laughed, �When will you learn?  There�s nothing about you I don�t know.�

Tranns smiled.  �I fought with a boy in my history class, Seamus.�

�I�ve heard you mention him.�  Emma laughed softly.  �A proper lady doesn�t fight with boys�who are no match for her.�  Emma withdrew from the closet carrying with her an old dress Tranns had forgotten about completely, the only one that Tranns owned.  It was a dark sapphire blue with gold lace trimming the neck and window sleeves.  Tied around the waist was a thin strap decorated with the same trimming pattern as the sleeves and neckline.

�Oh, I don�t have to wear that, do I?� Tranns asked on the verge of whining. 

�You look absolutely lovely in it.�

�I hate that frumpy old dress,� Tranns moaned, even as she lifted her arms over her head for Emma to remove the filthy shirt.

�We all have our burdens to bare,� Emma murmured, slipping the dress over Tranns� head.

�Why must I dress up for this visitor?� Tranns asked once more.

�Tranns, every now and then, we must do as we�re told and not question the people who know more than we do.�  Emma pulled the dress down over Tranns� waist and tied the gold strap around. 

�I don�t believe in following orders,� Tranns sniffed haughtily.  She wriggled her leggings off, stepping out of them and lifting the dress with a look of disgust.

�Faith is an interesting thing,� Emma mused.  She took a brush from her apron pocket and slowly, softly combed through Tranns� long hair, her pale, vein-lined hands as steady as ever.  �It�s not something that is born into anyone, it develops through experience.  You�re young Tranns, you haven�t had experience.  It�s only natural that you should have no faith yet.�

�What is there to have faith in?� Tranns asked.

�The Triforce for one thing.�

Tranns scowled.  �Nothing you or any of the other brothers and sisters of the mission have said has ever convinced me that the Triforce is anything other than a legend.�

�Oh no?� Emma asked, lifting Tranns� left hand, shimmering with her Triforce tattoo. 

�I never chose to have that,� she said, pulling her hand away quickly.  �Anyway, it doesn�t mean the Triforce is real.�

�Forget about the Triforce,� Emma said, smoothing down the fabric that lay in lumps over Tranns� shoulders.  �What about the virtues? Courage?  Wisdom?  Power?�

�I don�t think I have any of those.�

�Not yet.�

�Not ever.�

Emma pursed her lips.  �This isn�t an argument against my religion again is it?  The religion of your people?�

�I have no people,� Tranns snapped.  �I�m a half breed, remember?�

�Tranns, does your Hylian heritage mean nothing to you?�

�No more than my Human half,� Tranns countered.  �And I know even less about that.�

Emma sighed, finishing with Tranns� hair.  �Faith isn�t about the blood in your veins, it�s about the thoughts in your head and the feelings in your heart.�  She planted her hands on Tranns� shoulders and pulled her over to a full-length mirror.  �You look beautiful, Tranns,� Emma cooed, staring over Tranns� shoulder and into the mirror.  �Now get downstairs to your father�s study.  Perhaps something there will change your mind about virtues.�

Tranns leaned over and kissed Emma on the cheek.  She hiked up her dress and bounded out of the room, leaving the flustered old woman to clean up her filthy clothing.  Tranns took the stairs two at a time, grabbing onto the banister as she reached the final steps.  Pulling herself against the railing, she flung herself in a circle around the steps and headed down the hall towards Jono�s library.

She was surprised to find the door left ajar.  She released her hem, in part to cover up her feet, which were still in the dirty boots from her walk home.  Smoothing out the front of her dress, she stepped cautiously into the room, careful not to let the heels of her boots crash against the hardwood floor.

The library was one of Tranns� favorite rooms in the villa.  Apart from her love of books, which lined the walls on shelves that climbed floor to ceiling, it had a homey, wonderful smell.  The polished oak floors were slippery and clean.  As a child, Tranns would run over them wearing nothing but her socks, sliding across the room like an ice skater.

Jono was sitting with his back to the door in his customary squishy chair.  Over the top of his dark hair, Tranns could see a stranger sitting across the small oak table.  She was a pristine looking woman, appearing about Jono�s age.  She had sharp, observant blue eyes peeking out under a neatly trimmed fringe of red hair.  She wore a long purple kimono with a gold and red sash around her narrow middle.  She was too skinny to be healthy, Tranns decided at once.  And the way she sat, so upright and proper with her long red hair falling over one shoulder, Tranns could immediately tell she was a person of important stature.  Tranns disliked important people, in general.  They were always so boring.

The stranger saw Tranns over the top of Jono�s head.  She clasped her hands in front of her chest, inhaling sharply.  �Oh Jono,� she said.  Her voice was feathery and light.  Jono immediately turned around in his chair, seeing his daughter.

The look on Jono�s face was frightful, as though it was taking all of his energy to hold himself together.  He stood up and held a hand out to Tranns.  �Tranns, this is�this is Amanda Harkin.�  He said the name heavily.  �She�s come all the way from North Castle to meet you.�

Tranns declined to take Jono�s hand.  �Welcome to our home, milady,� she said evenly.  She frowned inwardly.  Harkin?  Was this woman some distant relative?  In truth, Tranns had never really wondered about her blood relations all that much.  Jono had kept her content as a child.  She never wanted for family.  Careful to seem nonchalant, Tranns observed this Amanda once more.  She did indeed have long, pointed Hylian ears.  And Tranns had been informed once that her mother�s side of the family was completely Hylian.  A horrible, frightful thought struck Tranns, but she pushed it down into the pit of her stomach.  It couldn�t possibly be true.

Jono seemed increasingly nervous for some reason known only to himself.  �Please, Tranns, sit down.�  He tried to take Tranns� hand, but she jerked away.

Amanda laughed.  �Jono, she�s as defiant as her father.�

Tranns frowned at this.  Jono had never seemed overly defiant before.  What had prompted such a statement?  �I do not mean to be, milady,� Tranns said carefully. 

�Of course not.  Jono tells me you�re a very good child.  And that you don�t put much stock in certain courtier customs.�  Amanda seemed absorbed in something, perhaps memory, for she no longer looked directly at Tranns as she spoke.

�Tranns, Amanda has come all the way from North Castle to meet you, please sit with us,� Jono repeated, sinking back down into his chair.  Reluctantly, Tranns sat down on a stool next to Jono.

�To meet me?� she asked.  �Why?�

�All of your questions will be answered soon,� Amanda said with a thin smile.  �But first, if I may, I�d like to ask you something.�  She looked for some sign of approval.  Tranns dubiously nodded her head once.  �Your name is Tranns Harkin.  Does that mean anything to you?�

�No more than my name, milady,� Tranns replied.

�Do you know what Harkin means?�

Tranns frowned.  �Harkin is the last name of the royal family of Hyrule.�

�Haven�t you ever wondered about your own last name?� Amanda asked.

�I have not,� Tranns replied firmly.  �My last name is Harkin.  Jono�s last name is Baagel.  Emma�s last name is Kaufmann, but it makes no difference that I can see.�  She paused, reflecting on the Shiz girls who were always absorbed in their own heritages.  �Lineage isn�t as important as all that,� she muttered.

�Oh, but it does matter, on occasion,� Amanda responded with a faint gleam in her eye.  �As a Harkin, you must realize that you are somewhere in line for the Hylian throne.�

�I had considered that possibility,� Tranns said slowly, wrinkling her brow.  In truth, she never really had.  Adriana thought it occasionally, much to Tranns� annoyance.  �But it never seemed much of a reality to me.�  Suddenly, something dawned on her.  �You�re Princess Amanda Harkin, aren�t you?� she asked, finally recognizing the King�s eldest daughter, a woman about whom many stories had circulated.  Jono had always been very irritated when he heard Tranns repeating such stories.  Now, Tranns supposed, she understood why.  Clearly, Jono was more than a servant to the princess.

Amanda seemed pleased.  �Princess Amanda Rivka Harkin to be exact,� she said, beaming.  �The second in line to the throne after my father.  A man you share a bit of blood with, Tranns.�

�Are you saying that I am a member of the Hylian royal family?� she asked.

�Very much so,� Amanda said.  She eyed Jono for a moment.  �Have you never asked your father about this before?�

Tranns shrugged.  �No.  I hardly considered it of much importance.  Even if I was a member of the royal family, I must not have been very high in ranks, otherwise wouldn�t I have grown up in a palace?�

�You would be surprised how important you really are Tranns,� Amanda said slowly, still looking at Jono.  �The Hylian line of succession has changed drastically since the time you were born.  You�re seventeen now, correct?�

�She�ll be seventeen in a month,� Jono mumbled quietly.  He seemed a bit put off by the fact that Amanda didn�t know her age.  Again, Tranns forced a swell of unpleasant thoughts back below the surface of her emotions.

�The line of succession has changed a great deal, Tranns.  Perhaps you�d like to know where you fall into it.�

�I am curious,� Tranns admitted. 

Amanda stood up suddenly.  She turned her back to Tranns and Jono and walked towards the wooden mantelpiece above the fireplace.  She suddenly seemed enraptured in the paintings hanging on the wall.  A portrait of Jono�s late wife, Sarjenka.  An artistic representation of the goddess Nayru.  A family picture of Jono, Tranns, and Emma.  The silence was heavy.  Tranns watched as Amanda�s shoulders rose and fell.  Suddenly, and with a great breath, she turned around, the words flying out of her mouth quickly, as though they took all of Amanda�s strength to utter them.  �Tranns, you are third in line for the Hylian throne.�

Tranns blinked.  �That�s not possible,� she said.  �In order to be third in line for the throne, I�d have to be either the sister or the daughter of the person who�s second in�� She froze.  Suddenly, in an instant, every truth, every belief Tranns had ever held about her life vanished like smoke.  A void opened in the pit of her stomach and she felt the blood flow out of her face.  The void grew wider and wider until she was certain her blood had been replaced with ice water.  All the nasty little thoughts she had fought to suppress erupted.  When she had woken up this morning, she had expected another day, wrapped in a blanket of normalcy.  Now, her world was turning to dust as the awful truth set in.  Not only was she a princess, she was a future leader, a queen.  And she was now facing the mother she had never known.

Jono cleared his throat.  �Tranns, I ��

But a swell of anger filled her chest, cutting off the man she had called dad, the man who had never told her the truth.  �Who is my father?� she croaked, feeling every word fight from her throat.

�My husband,� Amanda said softly.  �King Artem Barr of Catalan.  The late King Artem�He contributed your Human genes.�  She forced a smile.  �You have his eyes.�

Tranns nodded distantly.  She was so angry, despite a small, drowning voice in her head asking why she was angry.  It was as though she had completely lost control of her emotions, and yet, she didn�t know why.  There had never been any secret to the fact that she was adopted.  Jono had never lied to her about that.  The fact of the matter was that he had never answered any of her questions about her real parents so he had never really lied at all.  What was this rage?

�I�ve come here,� Amanda said, �to ask you to come back to the castle with me.  You have so much to learn before you can make your debut in court.�

�Amanda�� Jono muttered, turning to her.

�She must be properly prepared to take her place,� Amanda countered.

�But��  And yet, Jono�s words seemed to fail him.

�Please say something,� Amanda pleaded quietly, now staring directly into Tranns� panic-stricken eyes.

�What do you want me to say?� she hissed, standing up slowly.  �Did you want me to embrace you?  Tell you that I love you?  Where have you been all my life?!� she shouted.

�Tranns, please,� Jono whispered, standing up as well.

�No, she should know,� Amanda said firmly.  �Tranns, I�ve been living in North Castle for the past twelve years, the majority of your life.  I couldn�t contact you.  There was too much danger after you father was killed.�

Tranns looked at Jono, fighting with her every nerve to prevent the inevitable question from escaping her lips.  �Why?� she asked hoarsely.

�It�s all very complicated,� Amanda said nervously.

�I�m very good at history,� she replied icily.  �Explain it.�

Amanda sighed.  �I married Artem to bring an end to the war between Catalan and Hyrule.  I loved Artem, and I still do, but I was scared.  Jono was ordered, by my father, to take me to Catalan, but I was so afraid of commitment, and Jono was so considerate, that�well I fell in love with him.�  She avoided Jono�s eyes as she continued.  �The day after Artem and I were married, I ran away with Jono and we came here, to this villa.�

�And I was born?� Tranns snapped.

�Eight months later,� Amanda nodded.  �You loved Jono.  He was like a father to you.  It didn�t matter to him that you weren�t his.�

�So you just decided to abandon me?�

Amanda looked defensive.  �I realized that I loved Artem too much to hurt him anymore.  He didn�t know about you, I knew it would only hurt him more.  So one morning, I took everything that belonged to me, and I returned home.�

�Home?�

�Catalan.  And I lived there for four wonderful years before��  A memory seemed to interrupt Amanda�s words.

Tranns felt her blood boiling.  �Everything that belonged� to her?  Being her daughter meant nothing?  �And now you�ve come back to claim me?� she spat bitterly.  �Well, I�m sorry to disappoint you milady, but you�ve missed my growing.  That window has closed and you can�t open it again.�

�Tranns!� Jono cried.

�And you,� she said rounding on Jono.  �How could you have let me live this lie for so long?�

�Do not direct your anger at him!� Amanda commanded harshly.

�You�re in no position to be giving me orders,� Tranns hissed.  �I�m not going with you!�  Without giving Amanda a chance to respond, she turned on heel and ran out of the room. 

She sped past a confused Emma who was standing in the middle of the hallway, holding a tray of teacakes.  Without even acknowledging her governess, Tranns flew up to the staircase and raced into her room, slamming the door shut.

She did not leave her room the rest of the afternoon.  Emma tried to bring a dinner tray up to her, but Tranns refused to open the door.  She sat on her bed, sobbing into the white linen sheets so that she couldn�t be heard outside.  In her left hand, she clung to a stuffed rabbit she had had since she was two.

The sun soon set and Tranns watched the stars come out alone that evening.  She did not turn to Jono and whisper how much she loved him, as she always did when the first star came out.  She opened her window to allow the cold night air to flow into the room, chilling her to the bone; it didn�t matter, she didn�t care any more.  In her fury, she had ripped off her dress, tearing it to shreds and throwing them on the floor.  Now she wore a suit of brown leather armor, which covered all but her midriff.  In the past, she had always scoffed at the silly ensemble.  She wore it now, desperate to look nothing like a courtier.  Nothing like Amanda wanted her to be.

She would not go with Amanda to become�whatever it was that Amanda expected of her.  But how could she stay here? She wondered to herself.  This was no place for her any more.  Amanda knew where she was.  She had always been watching her from a distance.  It made so much sense now, considering the fact that Jono couldn�t possibly afford the villa and the servant.  Everything was a lie, everything had always been. 

Tranns walked to her dresser.  She rarely wore jewelry, but Emma had given her a jewelry box for her fifteenth birthday.  She opened the box, coated in mother of pearl on the outside.  Inside, red velvet lined the box, cushioning the few articles she owned.  She withdrew a silver necklace.  Jono had given it to her.  He had never told her it belonged to her mother, but now Tranns understood very well how he had been able to give her such a splendid gift on his meager salary.  Hanging from the silver chain was a charm, a silver strip suspending a diamond shaped like a triangle.  A Triforce perhaps. 

She held the necklace in front of her face for a moment, neither damning nor praising it.  It had always been precious to her.  Now she could imagine it once resting around her mother�s throat.  Her mother.  Her mother was reality now, a cold, unfeeling reality.  One that wanted to take her away from her happy life and make her into a Shiz girl.  Or worse.

And what of her father?  She wondered again.  A man who couldn�t seem to hold onto his own wife, a man who had no idea his daughter was living in a foreign land, raised by his wife�s lover.  What was he like?  What had she inherited from him?  How had he died?  She desperately longed to know more about the green-eyed man who had sired her.  Reluctantly though, she realized she would never know.  Not now.  Not ever. 

Pocketing the necklace, she turned to address her bedroom.  She was a country wench, she owned very little, mostly books and clothing.  Perhaps it was best that way.  There was nothing to leave behind.  She looked for a moment at the yellow stuffed animal, wet with her tears.  She would leave that for Jono.

With only one more instant of hesitation, she walked to her window and flung it open.  Planting her hands on the sill, she swung her body over the ledge, letting her legs slam against the brick wall outside.  Dalia had taught her how to climb out a window, but Tranns had never needed to before.  She hung for a moment, searching with her boots for a foothold.  Using her leather gauntlets to protect her arms, she scaled the side of the house, soon landing, crouching with her hands on the moist grass.

An excited exhilaration ran through her limbs.  She rose and looked at the road she had taken home from school so many times.  Suddenly, the path had become her gateway to the unknown.  She had no idea what lay on the path beyond her school building because she had simply never desired to go that far.  With a bounce in her step, she strode towards the path, choosing to take it east and eventually beyond her schoolhouse. 

The night was warm and breezy.  In this little suburban world, there were few lights to outshine the stars.  Tranns tilted her head back, opening her face up to the sky.  She tried to identify the different stars and formations, but her knowledge of them was fuzzy at best under this strange new anger.  She recognized a bright blue star, called Third Earth.

�Hey you!� a voice shouted.

Tranns stopped.  She looked around, trying to find the source of the shout.  �Hello?� she called out.

The sound of running feet alerted her to the presence of several people.  She turned to see a bright light getting closer, bobbing up and down to the sound of footsteps.  Several shadows came towards her, but she couldn�t recognize a face.  One of the shadows grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground while the others all shouted to each other.

�Don�t move!� the voice commanded her, even as she was pinned to the ground by another shadow�s foot.  �Check her pockets,� he barked to one of his companions.  Tranns felt herself being pulled upwards. 

�Let me go!� she cried, as she was pulled to her knees.  One of the shadows began rummaging through her pockets.

The shadow who had first called to her pulled the lantern light towards his face.  He wasn�t much older than Tranns, perhaps twenty or so.  His face had chiseled Human features, though he looked as though he rarely smiled.  Handsome brown eyes flashed in the dancing light.  His long blond hair glistened like gold, pulled back at the base of his neck by a black ribbon.

The figure who had been going through Tranns� pockets stood up, dangling her necklace.  �This is all she has,� she said.  In the faint glow of the lantern, Tranns saw a burly woman with hard lines running down either side of her mouth like parentheses.

The handsome man took the necklace, examining it.  �You break into a villa in the richest neighborhood this side of the river and all you take is this?  You�re pathetic.�

�I�m no thief!� Tranns cried struggling to break free of the iron hold of the men.  She now realized that they were all wearing the uniforms of Hylian constables, the law enforcement group that wasn�t affiliated with the knights or royal family.  They had been established several years back by the villagers to keep the peace after the murder in the DeMilla mansion.

�A girl like you walking around at this time of night?� the man mocked her, �Try again.  You�re under arrest.�

�I didn�t steal it!� she hissed.

�What should I do with this, Ewan?� the woman who had taken the necklace asked, gesturing to the glittering jewel. 

�Take it to a pawn shop,� Ewan replied with a sneer.  �I doubt these spoiled rich folks will miss it.�  Somehow, Tranns doubted that was particularly legal, but then again, the constables had always somehow managed to look after themselves without too much interference from the royals.  He turned to his shadowy partners.  �Take her away,� he barked.

Tranns felt the shadows gripping her arms try to pull her to her feet.  Fighting with all her strength, she jerked her entire body forward.  The guards were caught by surprise and flew forward, landing on their faces in the dust.  Tranns was on her feet in a flash.  She started running back home, but Ewan was faster than he looked.  He casually planted his foot in her path, sending her flying.

�There�s no running from the law,� he told her, catching her arm as she fell, nearly dislocating her shoulder.  �Put her in chains,� he ordered his female companion, who promptly obeyed.  Tranns felt the iron clamps close around her wrists, though she could not see anything.  �This will teach you a lesson you�ll never forget, little girl,� Ewan sneered.

�My name is Tranns,� she hissed.  �And when my father ��

�Congratulations Tranns, your new name is Prisoner Number 665.�  Ewan spat in Tranns� face.  �Get her out of my sight.�

***

Tranns leaned her head against the stone wall.  It must have been well after midnight.  She wasn�t really sure.  The wall felt cold on her neck, meaning the sun must have set hours ago.  She didn�t really care.

Her tired eyes grazed across her all too familiar surroundings.  To her left, a stone wall.  To her right, a stone wall.  Above her, a stone ceiling.  The only things that weren�t stone were the bed she sat on and the wooden door directly in front of her.  The bed certainly felt like stone, and for all she cared, the door might have been stone as well.

For nearly seven months, she had been sitting on that bed.  Nothing had really changed.  True, her skin was paler than before.  Also true, her hair had been completely shaved off and was only now back to her chin in length.  But truly, the ultimate punishment the prison provided was boredom.  Of course, it was her own fault.  She could have remained in the cell with Hoshi, a gruff woman who had protected Tranns and even taught her how to throw a proper punch.  Unfortunately, it was Tranns� own stupidity that had landed her in solitary confinement.  It was her own foolishness that had brought about the eternal boredom for want of time on a chain gang.

But today would be different.  Today, after a year of waiting, she was going to be moved.  Hylian justice was many things, but swift was not among those when left in the hands of the constables.  But finally, after nearly twelve long months of monotony, Tranns would be taken to court.

When she had first arrived, Tranns had feared the coming of this day.  What would her fate be?  Would she be forced to live the rest of her life underground like this?  Would she be killed?  Who would speak on her behalf?  She longed for the royal family or the knights to catch wind of her trial, hoping to be spared.  But Tranns was no longer afraid.  Anything besides stone walls was welcome at this point, even death.

The bolt to her stone room opened.  On the other side, holding both keys and a set of shackles was a tall blond woman, Ewan�s female partner, who Tranns had learned a long time ago, was named Lillia.

�Get up,� Lillia commanded, stepping into the room.  Slowly, Tranns slid off her bunk, commanding her sore muscles to do her bidding.  She held out her arms, allowing Lillia to close the shackles around her wrists.  �Let�s go,� Lillia muttered, pulling the chain between Tranns� arms to propel her forward.  Tranns was careful not to fight her.  Hoshi had warned her, choose your battles.

The two women walked through a long, narrow cellblock.  Tranns glanced into the small windows of various rooms on either side.  Most of the prisoners were Human and every now and then a Hylian or Risan.  Tranns wondered how long some of them had been waiting.  She was certain there were plenty less lucky that she was.  She tried to catch a glimpse of Hoshi, but there was no such luck.

�Off to a hanging, then?� called one of the prisoners, Raoul Doosai, leaning out of the window of his own cell.  Tranns ignored him.  He had always been a bit of a buffoon.

Lillia paraded Tranns up the iron staircase and out into the yard of the prison.  Though the sun had not yet risen, Tranns felt momentarily blinded by the harsh reality of the outdoors.  All around her, various prisoners were working to pay their own bail; cracking rocks and cleaning laundry.  The sounds and the smells of hard labor overloaded Tranns� senses, causing Lillia to practically drag her the rest of the way through the yard.

�Good morning, 665,� a sardonic voice greeted Tranns at the gate.  Ewan was standing before her, haughty yet handsome as ever.  His hands were planted on his hips, his legs spread apart in a wide stance.  He wore a black tunic over black pants, draping a black and red cape over his shoulders to appear even more daunting.  �Take those irons off, Lillia, she won�t put up much of a fight.�

�Are you sure that�s wise Ewan?� Lillia asked.

�The girl�s been confined to a ten square foot room for quite a while now, and she�s Hylian, I think I can manage her.�  As if to prove his point, he pulled aside the cape, revealing the golden hilt of a sword hidden in his belt.

�As you wish,� Lillia sighed, removing the cuffs from Tranns. 

Ewan pushed the door open, sweeping his hand in Tranns� direction.  �Your trial awaits,� he told her.  Calmly, she walked of her own accord past Ewan and into the open air of the world.  Despite the fact that the prison was located in Saria, the ugliest city in Hyrule, Tranns was dazzled by beauty.  She had nearly forgotten how green grass was.

Ewan closed the door behind him and the two of them began walking down a cement path.  In the distance, a pink halo was heralding in the sunrise.  Tranns felt a sense of awe as she walked past the grassy lawn, as though she were rediscovering the outside world.  She heard birds again.  And crickets.  Ewan walked close behind her, a hand planted on her shoulder to steer her in the right direction, yet all the same, Tranns felt very much alone in a great wide world.

�They�ll probably string you up,� Ewan taunted her.  �Resisting arrest is something frowned upon in Hyrule.�

�I�m innocent,� Tranns muttered.

�No one�s innocent,� Ewan countered, steering her off the prison grounds and onto a cobblestone road.

�Really?� Tranns murmured listlessly.  She glanced up the road where she could see the entrance to a thick, lush forest.

�I suppose we�re all born innocent, but the world corrupts us.�  Ewan shoved Tranns roughly, trying to rile her up.  �You can probably attest to that.�

�How did you end up in Hyrule?� Tranns asked suddenly.

Ewan seemed taken aback by the sudden question.  �What do you mean?� he barked.

�You�re not a Hylian,� Tranns said simply, just barely shrugging her shoulders.

�Are you offended that someone who is not of your kind could rise to the position of constable in Hyrule?� he asked.

Tranns refrained from pointing out that the constables were not, in fact, the most respected position.  �I�m just curious,� she said quietly.

Ewan sighed, as though he had been asked the question far too many times.  �My mother was a Human from Catalan, a princess of some sort, named Margawse.  My father was a Draconian.�

�And that makes you?� Tranns prompted.

�Half Human and half Draconian.�

�Oh,� Tranns said quietly.  Her eyes drifted back to the forest, drawing closer and closer.  The shifting breeze made the leaves rustle, making the forest inviting and warm.  She thought back to everything Hoshi had told her.  �You know,� she said slowly, �you�re wrong about me.�

�Yes, yes,� Ewan deadpanned.  �Let me guess, you�re innocent and I should let you go.�

�Well, I am innocent, but that�s not what I meant.�

�Then what do you mean?�

�Have you ever taken an anatomy class?� Tranns asked.

�What?�

Tranns smiled.  �Hylians suffer muscle atrophy at a rate ten times that of Humans.�

�So?� Ewan asked in confusion.

Tranns suddenly stopped in the middle of the road.  Clasping her hands together, she turned and swung her elbows into Ewan�s stomach.  �I�m only half Hylian,� she grunted, watching as he doubled over in unexpected pain.  She, slammed her elbows down in between his shoulder blades and then kicked him soundly on the bottom.  Ewan fell and she ran.

�Come back here, 665!� Ewan shouted, lifting his head from the ground, his cheek coated in a thin layer of dust.

�My name is Tranns Harkin!� she bellowed, dashing into the forest. 

�You can�t run from the law!� Ewan called after her.  �I�ll track you down, 665!�

But Tranns didn�t turn to respond.  She fled into the forest, her boots pounding across the mud-buried roots.  A triumphant laugh threatened to rise from her throat, but she didn�t dare allow it to escape, lest Ewan decide to pursue her.  Instead, she concentrated on getting her bearings. 

Judging from the pink halo, now turning gold, in the sky, she guessed she was heading north, towards North Castle City.  The forest was alien to her, but all the same she remained unafraid.  After running for about ten minutes, she paused to catch her breath.  To her side, there was a tall deku nut tree.  After rubbing her hands together, she clung to the trunk and began climbing slowly.

From a higher branch, she gazed out, finding herself surrounded by a dense wood.  Green, yellow, and blue tree canopies capped the forest.  As Tranns scanned the serene scene, her eyes fell upon a purple steeple.  Narrowing her eyes, she made out a gold Triforce symbol resting neatly in the center of the steeple.

A mission, she realized almost at once.  She let go of the tree trunk and leapt back down to the forest floor, landing evenly on her feet.  Following the image in her mind, she headed north, towards where she had last seen the steeple. 

The mission was the safest place for her to go right now.  Hylian missionaries always took in a lost soul.  Tranns would make up some story if they asked where she had come from.  Perhaps she would be able to gather enough Rupees to take a ferry to one of the islands of the Alastrian sea.

The walk took no time at all.  Tranns stared up at the tall black iron gate.  She pulled a golden cord, which rang a soft chime, resembling the doorbell from Jono�s villa.  A moment later, a woman appeared on the other side of the gate.  She was a tall, thin sister, draped in the crimson robes of Din.

�Good morning, child,� she said, peering out at Tranns from underneath her scarlet hood.

�Good morning,� Tranns replied quietly.

The woman removed her hood, revealing a head of ten long white braids of hair.  Two blue eyes scrutinized Tranns carefully.  �Child, how pale you look.  You�ve had a terrible fright I see.  Come in, come in.�  The woman pulled a handle on the gate and the iron slowly opened, moaning with age.

Tranns stepped onto the mission grounds.  She immediately felt somewhat safer.  �Thank you,� she said quietly.

�What is your name, young sister?� the missionary asked.

�Adriana Summer,� Tranns lied.

The sister raised a white eyebrow.  �Is that so?�

�Yes,� Tranns said firmly.

�Well, please, follow me inside, Adriana.�  The woman began walking towards the mission entrance.  Tranns noted that she walked with a limp.  �I am Sister Liaza Psy, I own this mission.�

After laboring up five stairs, Liaza and Tranns went through a set of golden doors and into the mission building.  Rather than leading into a grand entrance hall, the doors fed directly into the ceremonial temple of the mission.  It was a beautiful chamber, bigger than Tranns� old school.  The walls were painted gold, nearly mirroring each other to make the room seem even larger.  Rows upon rows of oak pews led all the way up to a sacred alter in the front of the temple, which was covered in gold cloth and displayed very proudly, several ceremonial artifacts.  Above the alter was a stained glass window which delicate stone etchings of the Triforce, filled in with green, red, and blue glass.

Tranns stood breathless in the doorway, taking in the awe-inspiring spectacle.  Her eyes ran up and down the aisle, drinking in the rich golden walls and crimson carpets.  Piles and piles of neatly stacked copies of the Book of Mudora, all in a rich green, and dangling candles with low blue flames, spun as Tranns fought her dizziness.

Liaza chuckled.  �I see this is your first time in a Hylian house of worship,� she said with amusement.

�Yes,� Tranns whispered, looked up at the lofty ceiling.  It was only a partial lie.  There had been a sanctuary in the old mission school, but it certainly wasn�t as grand as this.  �How did you know?�

�All people have the same reaction to our temple the first time they see it,� Liaza said shrugging.  She placed her hand on Tranns� shoulder.  Tranns flinched, but gave into Liaza�s touch.   �Sit down,� Liaza instructed her, prodding her gently into a pew.  �I�ll wake the cook and ask him to prepare you something warm.�

�Please, don�t trouble anyone on my account,� Tranns said quickly swiveling in her seat.

Liaza laughed.  �Nonsense,� she replied, making her way towards a small wooden door.  �Though our lives are very humble, what we have to spare we�ll share.�  And then she was gone.

Tranns sat, taking in the majestic beauty of the chamber.  Slowly, she rose to her feet and began walking down the aisle in between pews, her boots echoing off the shimmering walls.  Jono had told her of places like this.  He always spoke of them in a mixture of wonder and fear.  Tranns had never been taken to one, not even for the high holidays as a child.  As she grew, her relationship with religion was strictly limited to what she learned in school, leading to her eventual completely disassociation with all things related to the Triforce.  Still, she couldn�t help but feel that this place was as grand as a palace.

The alter was little more than a table, draped in gold silk, but somehow, it seemed majestic.  Tranns ran her fingers over the delicate fabric, enjoying the tactile sensation.  Her eyes drifted over the ceremonial artifacts on display; a gold candlestick, dripping with the remains of a blue candle, a copper box filled with spicy herbs, a crystal jug of wine, a jade goblet, and two long platinum daggers.  Tranns picked up one of the daggers.  Experimentally, she shifted it in her hand, watching the ways the light from the lanterns reflected off the blade.  The handle was long and covered with black leather.  In the center of the fort was a small Triforce, carved out of a ruby.

Slowly, she reached down and picked up the other dagger.  She held the two weapons in front of her eyes, writing epic battles with such worthy weapons in the back of her mind.  A frown fell on her lips.  She would have to earn enough money to get out of Hyrule for a time.  The artifacts lined on the table before her would have paid for a boat, let alone a boat ride.  Could she do it?

�Once a thief, always a thief,� she mouthed wordlessly noting, with a twisted sense of irony, that she had never stolen anything to begin with.  It wasn�t sacrilege if you didn�t believe, was it?  Checking to make sure no brothers or sisters had entered the temple, Tranns shoved a dagger into each of her boots, leaving only the hilts showing.

With her heart racing, she tore down the aisle and dashed to the door.  Without a glance over her shoulder, she pushed through the doors and out into the yard.  Liaza had left the iron gate open, so Tranns easily slipped through without a sound from the ancient hinges.  Once outside of the mission grounds, she turned right and started racing towards an open road a few paces away.

�Hold it right there!� a voice cried.  Tranns turned around, half expecting to see Ewan waiting for her, but instead, she saw a constable she did not recognize standing in the road, pointing a finger in Tranns� direction.  Recalling her past mistake of resisting arrest, Tranns slowed to a stop and looked at the guard.

�Yes, Constable?� she asked innocently.

�You�re certainly shooting out of there in a hurry,� the stout man said, huffing and puffing his way towards Tranns.

�I�m late for a meeting in town,� Tranns said as convincingly as she could.

The strange man eyed her dubiously.  Slowly, he leaned over and pulled a dagger out of Tranns� boot.  �This is a ceremonial dagger, specifically for the sacrifice to Din,� he said coldly.  �Stealing from a mission is a high offense.�

�I didn�t steal it!� Tranns retorted, already feeling defeat close at hand.  �It was a gift.�

�Oh really?  From whom?�

Tranns frowned.  �Sister Liaza,� she said earnestly. 

�Sister Liaza?  Giving away her precious artifacts?� the man asked critically.  �I doubt it.  We�ll have to take it up with her.�  He locked his fingers around Tranns� forearm and roughly pulled her off the road and back towards the mission.  Reluctantly, Tranns gave in and allowed herself to be dragged all the way back through the iron gates.

To her utter dismay, Sister Liaza was standing out on the front steps leading up to the double doors of the mission.  �Constable?� she asked, �what�s all the fuss out here?�

The constable shoved Tranns forward, sending her to her knees.  �I saw this little thing running up the road in a terrible hurry.�  He handed the dagger to Liaza.  �She maintains you made a present of these daggers.�

Liaza looked at the dagger in her hand.  �That is right,� she said firmly.  Bending over, despite her creaking bones, Liaza handed the dagger to Tranns then turned towards the constable.  �I did present the young lady with these daggers.�  She looked down at Tranns.  �But my dear, you left so suddenly, you forgot I promised to give you fair for the ferry.�  Tranns couldn�t believe her luck!

�Are you certain?� the man asked incredulously. 

�I am not old enough to be senile just yet,� Liaza said, as she removed a small pouch of Rupees from her robe and tossed it to Tranns, who caught it in shock.  �I commend you for your duty Constable,� she said, dismissing the stranger.  �Din�s blessing upon you.�

With a grunt, the ogre of a man turned on heel and marched stiffly away.  Tranns stared up at Liaza, her eyes as wide as saucers.  �I�� she started, but words failed her.

Liaza held up a hand to silence her.  �Do not apologize.  Do not thank me.  Nothing comes for free, we all must pay a price.�

�I don�t understand,� Tranns muttered, unable to look into Liaza�s eyes.

�I have given you a fair amount of money.  I ask for only one thing in return.�

�What?� Tranns asked.

�Your soul.  With what I�ve given you, I�ve bought your soul.�

�My soul?� Tranns asked skeptically.  �For what?�

�For the forces of good.�  Liaza wrapped her fingers around Tranns� arm and gently lifted her to her feet.  �You must use these gifts to become someone.  Make a life for yourself, an honest life.  There is a higher plan that brought you to me.�  She turned slowly, walking back to the doors.  �I have bought your soul for good, Tranns Harkin,� she said, not turning around, but rather walking inside the mission and closing the door behind her.

Tranns stared after Liaza, holding the returned dagger in one hand, and the sack of Rupees in the other.  Tranns Harkin?  But Liaza had known her only as Adriana Summer.  How was it possible?  Tranns shivered, the sound of her own name reverberating in her ears.  �Tranns Harkin is dead,� she whispered hoarsely. 

***

The noises of the factory were enough to drive anyone mad alone, but combined with the smells, madness was almost a promise.  Dead animals were always difficult for Hylians and their delicate sensibilities.  Tranns sat quietly at her station, fixing broken leather, trying her best to shut out the sounds and noises from the slaughter room beside her.  That was her job.  As the combination of machines and men spat out brand new pairs of roller skates, Tranns and the other women sat in a circle, sewing up any leather that had been pierced during the process.

And they talked.  As Tranns ran her needle through the tender leather, she listened as one of the female workers chattered on and on endlessly about old racer she had never heard of before who had disappeared, leaving behind a pregnant wife who died tragically.  Frankly, the endless prattle served more as an anchor to reality for Tranns.  This place was wretched, even ignoring the smells of blood.  Catalan was a gloomy island as a whole.  It had been, she was told, for nearly fourteen years now, in light of the slaughter of the entire royal family, replaced by a fairly ambiguous leader called the Red Dragon who never seemed to be around, leaving statesmanship to a flunky named Allen.

A bell clanged, signaling an hour rest for meal and other activities.  Tranns carefully put down her work and started walking towards the door to a room where employee mail was kept.  For the past year she had been working in the factory, Tranns had had the majority of her pay sent to Hyrule, to Jono.  Tranns had begun writing to her old school mate Lexa.  Through Lexa, she learned that Emma had died.  Jono had taken ill and since he could not work, the meager money he earned seemed to have stopped.  Tranns sent away her pay, begging that Lexa keep these donations anonymous.  She didn�t want Jono to come looking for her, though his absence pained her.  If he came, Amanda wouldn�t be far behind.

Tranns was about to enter the room when another female worker, Polyxena Chia, grabbed Tranns� shoulder and pulled her away from the door.  �Have you seen the foreman today?� she asked in excited gossip.

�When I checked in,� Tranns replied absently, looking longingly at the door.

Polyxena clamped her fingers around Tranns� chin and turned her head in the direction of the foreman, Xander Nomis.  The white haired man stared amorously at a young worker, Carolina Chao.  He seemed to be edging closer and closer to the uncomfortable woman who desperately sought to ward off his advances.

�I�d wager if Carolina doesn�t give into his lusts soon, she�ll be out on the street,� Polyxena clucked.  �All that attention on her.�

�Do you really think Xander would fire her for something like that?� Tranns asked.

Polyxena laughed.  �He�s just itching to fire someone today.  Better her than me I say.  Money�s been far too tight this year.  Times are hard.�

Tranns nodded, resuming her path to the mailroom.  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Carolina desperately tried to back away from Xander, whose wandering hands were getting the best of her.  What a nightmare this place was.  Tranns thanked whatever power responsible that Xander was disgusted by her Hylian ears.

The line for mail was short.  The clerk smiled fondly at Tranns when it was her turn at the head of the line.  �Got another letter for you, dearest,� he purred affectionately, sliding a yellow envelope over the counter in her direction.  �From Hyrule,� he added.

�Thank you,� Tranns said, clumsily groping for the letter.  Once it was securely in her grasp, she raced out of the room, trembling fingers struggling to open it.  When she had finally managed to extract the letter, she noticed Carolina standing behind her.

�What�s the news, dearest?� Carolina asked slyly.  She pulled the letter out of Tranns� hands and ran a few paces away.

�Give that letter back!� Tranns demanded.  People around the factory slowly turned towards the two women with increasing interest.

��My dear friend, you must send us more money.  The man is sick and needs a doctor.��  Carolina read out loud, now catching the attention of the entire factory.  �A man, my innocent dearest?� Carolina asked, purposely directing her voice in Xander�s direction.  Tranns raced towards Carolina, bent on gouging her eyes out, but a male employee grabbed her wrists, pulling her back.

�What is going on down there?� a booming male voice demanded.  Everyone looked up to the balcony overlooking the factory to find the owner peering down at the feuding women.  �Xander, I hired you to run a factory, not a madhouse.  Sort this out!� he commanded, his face disappearing once more.

Angry at his reproach, Xander strode towards the women.  �What�s this all about?� he asked sharply.

�Your innocent little factory girl has been sending her pay to some man!� Carolina sneered, pointing a finger at Tranns.

With stunning clarity, Tranns suddenly realized that Carolina was doing.  She was drawing Xander�s attention away from her in the hopes that he would fire Tranns instead.  Since the Red Dragon�s takeover of Catalan, there were strict laws enforcing what he considered decency.  Among them was a law forbidding unmarried men and women to live together.  �I cannot deny I�m sending money to a man,� she started carefully, �he�s my father.  My mother abandoned us, leaving us flat.�

�I�m sure you ladies all have many �fathers,� � Xander said bitingly. 

�She�s been having plenty of men,� Carolina lied innocently, �the boss wouldn�t like to know that.�

�Is that so?� Xander asked, barely looking at Carolina now, all his rage consumed at little Hylian Tranns.  �Be on your way.�

Before she knew what was happening, Tranns and her few possessions had been hustled out onto the street, outside the gates of the factory and its surrounding dormitories.  No one bothered to ask her side of the story.  That�s just the way it was nowadays in Catalan.  She smiled humorlessly, staring up at the gigantic chimneys, over flowing with white smoke.  Somehow, she was always either being locked in, or locked out, of a place.

At a loss for something creative to do, she turned and slowly started on the long cobblestone road away from the factory.  She wasn�t sure where to go.  The nearest city was Ferris City, but what could she do there?  It was the capital of Catalan, where the elite lived.  Certainly, there would be tighter security.  She had no doubt in her mind that Ewan was still looking for her.  And Catalan was his place of birth.  Surely, some people would know her face meant trouble.

Instead, she decided to head north, towards the less populated, less elite part of Catalan.  In truth, she had always feared this region.  She often heard the other female workers talking about it.  �If she doesn�t do her job, she�ll in the northern regions in no time,� they would cluck ominously.  Tranns knew full well what she�d find in the north, but she had no other options.

Arriving there did not disappoint her.  The first village she came to proved to be exactly as the stories told.  In the twilight hour, clusters of women, scantily clad, were parading down the streets, attracting the attention of local sailors on leave.  Tranns wondered if there was any other kind of employment in the entire town, other than prostitution or a naval career.  Perhaps she could find a job with an innkeeper.  In the distance, she heard drunken singing coming from a dimly lit inn.  Innkeepers, she thought dryly, were nothing more than madams or pimps.

�Will you look at that?� a sailor said to his mate, pointing a finger at Tranns.  He was a tall, greasy looking man, probably in his late thirties or early forties.  �Isn�t she a pretty little thing?  Like a little princess.�

�Couldn�t agree with you more, Colby,� his friend said with a giggle in his voice.  �Never seen her around these parts before.�

�Come here, Princess,� the one named Colby beckoned to Tranns.

Slowly, Tranns walked towards the sailors.  In the factory, she had not been permitted to wear her leather armor, so Polyxena had given her some acceptable clothing.  Nothing fancy, a white peasant blouse, exposing her pale shoulders, and a long sea green skirt.  Tranns had not had time to change back into her armor, which she carried under one arm.  She knew the factory clothing was flattering though.  She knew exactly what these men wanted of her.

�What�s your name pretty princess?� Colby cooed, pleased that she had obeyed his summons.  Tranns noticed that his eyes were completely white, as though he had no irises or pupils.

�What name do you want?� she asked coyly, recalling every play Jono had ever taken her to see.

Colby�s eyes widened.  He threw his head back with a hearty laugh.  �You�re my kind of girl!� he hooted.  �I�ll call you Dite.�

�Dite?� she asked with a smile.

�Aye.  The goddess of love and beauty on Third Earth,� he said, slowly reaching a hand out towards her cheek.

Tranns fought every instinct she felt to flinch at the sailor�s icy touch.  �You flatter me, Captain,� she said, somewhat honestly.

�I�ll flatter you even more,� he said excitedly taking Tranns� wrist.

�What happened to your eyes?� she asked suddenly.

Both sailors laughed merrily.  �New girl,� Colby�s friend said.

�Come with me,� Colby told her.  �I�ll teach you how to fly without wings.�

***

Another year came and went.  Tranns, now nineteen years old, was living above a grocer�s shop, making a living on the streets.  The town she had wandered into, which she now knew was named Helios Village, has become a home for her.

It was a warm summer night.  The sun had not yet completely set, so Tranns wandered aimlessly on the sidewalk, feeling alone, the last of her Flash supply depleted and not even enough coins to buy herself a drink.  She wore a slinky blue skirt and a gold crop top that just barely protected her from the chilly wind blowing in from the sea.  As she glanced out to the harbor, she spotted a ship coming in.  She knew those curled sails well.  It was the Slaughtered Prince.  Jace�s ship.  Perhaps he had come back finally.  Then she would certainly have enough money for her drugs and her mead.

The stars were just dotting the velvet black sky.  Tranns smiled bitterly, wondering about the sky in Hyrule.  She had long ago stopped writing to Jono.  The money she was making was barely enough to feed and clothe her, let alone indulge in some nasty habits, and just the same, she couldn�t imagine telling Jono what she had become.  She didn�t want to imagine the look of shame and every time she thought about it, she drowned it out at once, dousing her eyes with the milk white Flash that took away all her pain and made her stronger.

�You dear, are you selling that?� she heard a shrill voice cry from around the corner.  With curiosity, Tranns peeked around the corner to see an elderly looking woman chasing after another figure, draped in a shimmering purple cloak.  �Your necklace!� the woman was crying, �Is that for sale?� 

The figure in the cloak was obviously uninterested in talking to the woman, for the figure neither slowed down nor turned around.  Tranns smirked, returning back around the corner.  More people were starting to fill the square.  Tranns had grown familiar with most of them, but there were always strangers.  She started walking towards a red haired innkeeper�s daughter, named Melly.  Melly would sometimes spare a drop or two when her father was looking the other way.  And Tranns desperately needed something to take the edge off.

A sudden scream from around the corner stopped her mid-stride.  She turned to look over her shoulder.  The old woman was gone, and the cloaked figure was sprawled out across the pavement, barely moving, save for shallow breathing.  There was an eruption of commotion in the square as people tried to figure out what had happened.  Tranns started running towards the figure lying on the ground.  The people who had been milling around her started buzzing and running back and forth in confusion.

Tranns knelt down on the ground and turned over the prone form, wondering if she was dead and if she had a few coins Tranns could snatch to pay for a fix of Flash.  It was a woman, close to Tranns in age.  Her long honey blond hair was matted down against her face, tangled in the purple strings of her cloak.  Tranns tore the cloak off, careful to only rip the ties.  To her shock, she was met by a pair of Hylian ears and blue eyes.

�Dalia?� Tranns cried in horror, recognizing her friend from Hyrule.  She turned to a nearby sailor who was watching in confusion.  �Go get a medic,� she instructed him.  With a swallow, he nodded and obeyed, probably hoping for a free tumble out of the deal.

Tranns stood up and looked out into the square, watching the confused sailor run.  To her horror, her eyes were met by another sight.  Melly, the red haired innkeeper�s daughter, was struggling to free her arm from the grip of a looming figure.  Ewan.  Her feet frozen to the cobblestone road, she watched Ewan overpower her friend and arrest her, with a familiar sneer on his face.

�He thinks she�s me,� Tranns exclaimed under her breath, the hazy memories of Ewan and Hyrule struggling to break through her confounded mind.  The sailor had returned with several other mates from his ship.  He looked to Tranns for instructions.  �Take her to a healer,� she told him, pointing down at the sleeping Dalia.  There was only one healer in town anyway.

�Yes, miss,� the sailor said, helping his friends to lift Dalia and carry her away.  Tranns stood frozen, clutching the purple cloak.

The way she saw it, she had two options:  she could stay with Dalia, or she could save Melly.  �Damned if I do.  Damned if I don�t,� Tranns muttered dryly.  She carefully weighed her options then a thought occurred to her.

She ran towards the square where people were still babbling in confusion.  To her right, she saw a fire escape.  Leaping as high as she could, she grabbed onto the iron handlebars and climbed up to the roof of the building.  Though it had damaged her mind, the Flash had given Tranns an unusual strength, strength enough to make such a foolish leap.  From the top, she could spy on the entire square.  Far off on the opposite side, she could still see Melly struggling with Ewan.  Good.

Cupping her hands to her mouth, she screamed out as loud as she could, �Ewan!!  If you want me, find me!�  As anticipated, Ewan�s eyes flashed up in Tranns� direction.  Seeing his real prey up on top of the roof, he released Melly who ran away in tears.  Tranns held his gaze for a moment, then turned and ran as fast as she could, scrambling back down the fire escape and through the street.

Racing through alleys, she made her way to the hospital as fast as she could.  Her breath was hard in her chest, but she had spent the last year increasing her endurance.  She was probably more physically fit than the Hero of Destiny herself.  She reached the healer in record time.  The old man tried to stop her, but she growled and pushed past him.  She�d search room to room if she had to.  

She found Dalia�s room in about five minutes.  Not wasting time to wait for the baffled apprentice to clear out, she grabbed Dalia�s hand and knelt next to the bed.  �Dalia?� asked softly.  �Dalia what are you doing here?�

Dalia was on her back on the bed, wearing a white gown.  Her eyes were open, but she didn�t look at Tranns, instead, she looked upwards, more or less at the ceiling.  �Tranns?� she asked softly, seemingly not believing her own sensitive ears.

�It�s me Dalia,� Tranns said softly, nearing tears.

Dalia swallowed, her face contorted either from pain, or from trying to hold back tears.  �Tranns,� she whispered, �you have to help her.�

�Her?� Tranns asked.

�Loretta.�

�Loretta?�

Dalia smiled weakly.  �My daughter,� she said breathily.

�You have a daughter?� Tranns asked, taken aback.

Dalia suddenly sat up, almost seeing Tranns.  She grabbed onto Tranns� shoulder with both her hands, breathing erratically.  �You have to help her!� she howled.

�Tell me what to do,� Tranns said, bracing herself under the pressure.  �I�ll do anything you say.�

�She�s at the Gavia Inn,� Dalia said, still clinging tightly to Tranns� shoulder.  �We weren�t supposed to stay here.  I couldn�t get enough money to�� She stopped, choking on her own breath.

�I swear I�ll do whatever you ask of me.  She�ll want of nothing,� Tranns swore, unsure of how she could keep such a promise and strangely fascinated that she was making it in the first place.

�Good, good,� Dalia muttered, slowly releasing Tranns from her iron grip.  She sunk back down on the bed slowly.  �Tell her�tell her that I love her and��

�And?� Tranns prompted.  But it was too late.  Tranns knew what a dead pulse felt like.  Nothing.  Without her able to control it, a sob escaped her lips as she stared into Dalia�s dead eyes.  She slowly reached over to close her eyes eternally, but a crash interrupted her.

�You certainly gave me a chase, 665!� a gruff voice sneered.  Tranns looked up to see Ewan standing in the doorway.  The door had been knocked off its hinges.  If anything, Ewan looked even more horrific, despite his handsome face.

�Ewan, listen to me,� she said slowly rising to her feet.

�No, you listen to me!� he shouted angrily.  �I�ve been hunting you down for two years.  You�re coming back with me to Hyrule!�

�Fine,� she said suddenly.

�What?�

�I said fine.  I�ll go with you to Hyrule.  But there�s something I must do first.�

�No conditions!� Ewan roared.

�Have you no mercy?� Tranns shouted angrily.  �A woman has just died.�

�People are dying all the time,� Ewan countered.

�I swore to her that I�d fulfill one promise.  Give me three days, and I swear I�ll go with you to Hyrule.�

�You have no name, no honor to swear by,� Ewan snapped.

Tranns sighed, deciding to take a last resort.  �I�m warning you Ewan, I�m the stronger of the two of us by far.�

�I tremble,� Ewan sneered.

With a sudden sense of extreme pleasure with herself, Tranns drew a long dagger that had been hidden in her boot.  The unarmed Ewan was suddenly sweating profusely.  �Out of my way Ewan,� she declared hoarsely, staring at him down the length of her weapon, the precious gift from Sister Liaza.

�I swear, Tranns,� he whispered, raising his hands above his head.  �You can run to the ends of the world, I�ll be there, your shadow.�

Tranns awkwardly draped the purple cloak over her shoulders with one hand, still holding her weapon at Ewan.  �I swear I�ll keep my word to you, Dalia,� she mouthed silently.  With a primal grunt, she flipped the weapon into her other hand and sharply slammed her elbow into Ewan�s skull.  He sank to the floor without a sound, out cold.  Unable to look back now, Tranns raced out of the hospital, the open eyes of Dalia still watching her.

After quickly stopping in her small one room apartment to collect her few possessions and change back into her leather armor, Tranns headed into town, slipping out of the window to avoid a confrontation with the landlady.  As it was, Tranns owed a bit of rent, the money for which she had squandered in a tavern.  She was pretty certain she knew where the Gavia Inn was, so she let her feet lead her body.  Her mind had drifted elsewhere.

All in the span of a minute, she had lost a friend and re-ignited her race for freedom.  She had had no time to mourn for Dalia, nor would she ever, she reasoned sadly.  Her only hope was that she could fulfill her promise to find Loretta.  She wasn�t sure what she would do once she had accomplished that much.  Perhaps she would take Loretta back to Hyrule, to Dalia�s parents.  She wondered oddly how Dalia had had a child in the first place. 

The Gavia Inn was rowdy, Tranns could tell just from looking at the windowpanes without glass and the desperate need the place had for painting.  She recalled that it was owned by a disgusting Human couple, a man named Griff and his young new wife Brooke.  Griff had been nobility back in Sutherland, but everyone he knew had died and so he had resettled in Catalan with his new wife, who was young enough to be his daughter, and his Inn. 

Hoping to avoid trouble, Tranns pulled the hood of Dalia�s cloak over her head.  She tentatively pushed open the door.  The moment she stepped inside, she was greeted by the smell of ale.  The room was filled with sailors, working girls, and travelers who had had the misfortune of stopping in Helios for the night.

Tranns sighed.  She would have to wait until all the sailors dragged the women off before she could possibly gain the attention of Master Griff.  She sat down in a convenient chair, placing her small bag protectively under the table.  She glanced around the room, noticing that a strange man was looking at her from his table.  Coldly, she avoided his glance and resolved herself to wait.

It was near midnight when the crowd finally started to thin.  A few travelers and lonely sailors sat at various tables, either playing drinking games, or quietly lost in their own worlds.  A young woman in a blue apron came out of a door leading to the kitchen with a dishrag and started cleaning the top of a table.  Brooke, Tranns assumed, rising to her feet.

�Mistress Brooke?� she asked carefully.

�What do you want?� the woman snapped back, not even pausing from her work.

�I have some business with you,� Tranns replied.

�All business is handled by the Master,� Brooke replied tersely.

�May I speak with him then?�

For the first time, Brooke stopped scrubbing the tabletop.  She turned her head towards the kitchen door and hollered, �Griff, get your good for nothing behind out here!�

�What do you want?� replied an angry voice from behind the kitchen door.  Griff burst into the room.  He had a disheveled appearance.  His pants were wrinkled and his shirt was not properly tucked in.  A lit cigar hung off his lips.

�This lady has �business� with you,� Brooke droned, cocking her head in Tranns direction.

�What do you want?� he asked, turning to Tranns this time.

�I�m here for Loretta,� she said firmly.

�Loretta?� he asked in confusion.

�The brat we took in, you biological moron!� Brooke shouted to her husband.

�Oh right, the Hylian girl�s kid.�

�I�ll pay you whatever you�re owed,� Tranns told him, unable to believe her own words.

�Well, it�s going to cost you a pretty penny, dear girl,� Griff muttered.  �We�ve grown quite fond of the little tyke.  I don�t know how we could possibly see giving up our darling Beretta.�

�Loretta!� Brooke corrected him.

�Loretta,� Griff said.

Tranns pulled her coin purse out of her boot.  This was an act she could not begin to explain.  That was her emergency money, she hid specifically for when she couldn�t take it any more and needed a dose of Flash.  She didn�t have much, but she was certain it would do.  She tossed the bag to Griff who caught it against his chest.  �Is that quite enough?� she asked, �to ease the blow?�

�Don�t forget the fact that the child has been sick many times,� Brooke cut in, �the medicines we bought her cost quite a lot.  You know how things are these days.�

Tranns sighed.  Reluctantly, she removed her gauntlets.  �These are made of the finest Hylian leather.  They should cover the cost,� she informed them, sadly handing them over.

�Brooke, go get the kid!� Griff barked.

Brooke tromped back into the kitchen.  A moment later, she returned, carrying a two year old Hylian girl, blond like her mother, over her shoulder.  She set the child down and pushed her in Tranns� direction.  Tranns knelt, holding her arms out.  The little girl, obviously glad to see a friendly face, raced into Tranns� embrace.  Tranns stood, holding the little girl, only to discover that both the innkeeper and his wife had disappeared.  Counting their money no doubt.

A deep, throaty chuckled sounded from behind her.  Tranns turned around to see the strange man who had been eyeing her earlier, leaning back, his feet up on the table.  He smiled, folding his hands behind his head.

�Is something funny?� she asked bitingly.

�What do you intend to do with that child?� the man asked.

�What�s it to you?� she replied.  �Who do you think you are exactly?�

�You may call me a curious stranger,� he said smoothly.  �It�s a very simple question.�

Tranns frowned.  �Take her back to Hyrule,� she admitted hesitantly.

�Selling articles of your clothing along the way?�

Tranns opened her mouth, but shut it again.  She realized that, indeed, she had no more money to barter for a ferry ride to the mainland.  �I�ll find a way,� she said firmly.

�Or perhaps a way will find you.�

�That�s very funny,� she sniffed.

�No, what�s funny is the way you�ve been reduced to a Flash fried alcoholic taking responsibility for a stranger�s child.�  He paused.  �No, funny isn�t the right word.  Stupidly noble, perhaps.�

�What do you mean?� she asked, eying him suspiciously.  He was a short, lean man with sloppy blond hair, which fell around his ears.  His skin was terribly pale, but on his forehead, she recognized the Risan Symbol of Spirits.  What intrigued her the most where his shocking green eyes, which seemed to bare her no malice.

�I can take you to Hyrule,� he said coolly.  �I can take you with me, as I�m on my way.  But you�ll have to come to Maze Island.�

�Maze Island?� she asked.  She recalled Maze Island from her geography class.  It was technically a part of Hyrule, but the Hylian government had played no role in its development since the Red Dragon staked a claim there, much without the notice of the rest of the world.  �Maze Island is little more than a Hylian ghetto, why would I ever want to go there?�

�Because it�s your duty to go there,� he replied, swinging his boots off the table and sitting upright.  �Princess,� he added.

Tranns could feel the blood drain out of her face.  �Who are you?� she whispered.

�A freedom fighter,� he said matter-of-factly.  �Someone who cares about what happens to the people of Maze Island, who have been ignored by every legal government in the realm.�  He paused for a moment, looking somewhat thoughtful.  �But you can call me Aden,� he added.  �You,� he stood up, �are Princess Tranns Harkin, daughter of Princess Amanda, heiress of Hyrule.�

Tranns was only able to utter a single word.  �How?� she gasped.

�How do I know who you are?� he asked on her behalf.  �It�s simple really.  I�ve been looking for you for a very long time.�

�Why?�

�To take you back to Maze Island with me.  You see, I�ve been living there, for quite some time, and the people there, they need hope, they need salvation, they need their Princess.�  He smiled slightly.  �The word has begun to spread throughout the mainland that there is, in fact, a daughter of Amanda Harkin.  Of course, this is something I�ve known for years.  Don�t ask me how, just trust me when I say that I have my sources.�

�I�m not a princess,� Tranns said quietly.  �I�m just a troubled kid.�

�I don�t doubt it.�  Aden held his hand up.  �I don�t want to know what you�re running from.  All I care about is bringing you to your people on Maze Island.�  He glanced briefly at Loretta, cuddling in Tranns� numb arms.  �And I�ll see to it that the girl returns to wherever she belongs,� he added.

Tranns stood silent for a moment, weighing her options.  She had to get Loretta back to Hyrule, and she had no money.  Ewan was probably hot on her trail.  �When do we leave?� she asked.

�Now,� he replied.

In the next ten minutes, before Tranns could fully digest all that was happening, she found herself hurried onto a small, white boat, lectured the entire way about a regimen Aden intended to employ to clean her up and rid her of her nasty habits.  She immediately knew that Aden was a particularly well off individual.  All the members of the crew referred to him as �sir� and there seemed to be no commercial passengers.  Loretta was taken below deck to a cabin to earn some rest, but Tranns was pulled into a small inside lounge where several young men and women about her age rose to greet her.

�Princess, I�d like you to meet some of my fellow patriots,� Aden said, directing her towards the row of standing men and women.  He shoved her in front of the first woman.

�Shanleigh Corbel,� she said, thrusting her hand out at Tranns.  Shanleigh was a Human girl, looking a few years older than Aden and Tranns.  She had long, chocolate brown hair, tied back in a messy braid.  She was thin, but terribly short.  She had to lift her chin about forty-five degrees to look at Tranns with her icy blue eyes.

�Shanleigh is our representative from Ruatha,� Aden explained.  He smiled slightly.  �And even more important, my second cousin.�

Just as Tranns shook Shanleigh�s hand, she was pulled down the line.  A muscular Saiyan towered over Tranns.  He had a wild mane of black hair, which fell over his eyes and tumbled down the shoulders of his orange jumpsuit.  �Gohan Fanel,� he grunted, in greeting to Tranns.  �The Fanelian representative.�

�Nice to meet you,� she said, horrified.  She felt the boat gently rocking under her feet.  They were on their way.

�Gohan is responsible for eventually raising our army to combat the evils that threaten Maze Island,� Aden said blithely.

�What do you mean?� she asked, but instead of being answered, she was moved down the line.

Next, she faced young Risan girl.  She was tall and lanky, proudly displaying the Risan Symbol of Mists from under unruly strawberry blond bangs.  She examined Tranns with curious blue eyes.  Sizing her up?  �My name is Catlyn Kaur,� she said quietly, her voice rich with an unidentifiable accent.  Instead of offering her hand, she tapped her index and middle fingers to her forehead.

Standing beside Catlyn, was a burly, Amazonian looking woman with raven black hair, cropped under her chin, and steely blue eyes.  �This is Dana, daughter of Rani, first Alpha of the Orca Pride,� Aden presented.  A Gerudo.  It made perfect sense.

Dana dipped her head, her hair parting around two long, pointed ears.  �Greetings, Tranns Harkin,� she said sharply.

Tranns bowed in return.  �Hello,� she said. 

Tranns was pushed onward, to the last person in the room.  He was a young Hylian, slender, with his black hair divided into a multitude of long braids.  He regarded Tranns with soft eyes.  �May I introduce Brother Jacob Arjin,� Aden murmured over Tranns� shoulder.  �From the First Mission of Hyrule.�

Tranns felt herself melting underneath Jacob�s gentle gaze.  Her heart began racing, causing her to fear that she would collapse right there on the ship deck.  Jacob was the most handsome man Tranns had ever seen.  �Hello,� she stuttered, the blood completely drained from her face.

When he smiled back at her, she felt her legs go numb.  �It is an honor to finally meet you, Princess,� he said.  His voice was mild, but kind.

�Well, gentlemen and ladies,� Aden addressed the group, clapping his hands together.  �It�s going to be a long ride, so let�s get comfortable.�  The entire group consented and collectively found seats across the lounge.  Tranns sat in a small, wicker backed chair, facing Jacob.  She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him.

�I�ve already briefed Tranns on our mission on Maze Island,� Aden continued importantly, addressing the group.  �Perhaps, however, now would be a good time to go in depth.�

For the next twelve hours, for that�s how long the journey to Maze Island took, Aden intended to explain his plans to unite the people of Maze Island against the government of the Red Dragon, specifically the military, who had for so long mistreated and/or ignored them.  Tranns was to play the role of figurehead, a symbol by which the people would fight for freedom.

Truth be told, Tranns found the idea ridiculous and pointless, but she refrained from comment, sitting in her chair and shivering with withdrawal.  It was impolite to look a gift horse in the mouth after all.  Aden was taking her to Hyrule, and he was going to see to it that Loretta was returned to her grandparents.  If nothing else, she would be able to get away from Ewan for a time, though there was no doubt in her mind that if the man was driven enough, he would trace her to Maze Island eventually.

The twelve hours seemed unbearable and Tranns grew sicker, sweating and shaking.  Aden seemed to recognize her discomfort.  After awhile he dismissed his friends and escorted Tranns to a room below deck.  Though she begged him for something to drink, he only gave her water, occasionally mopping up her forehead.  At some point, she fell asleep.  When she woke, she felt weak and nauseous, but Aden was there with more water and promises to help her once they arrived.

When the little white boat finally docked, Tranns dubiously pulled herself to her feet.  She felt as though weights had been tied to her eyelids, but she had a strange instinct that sleep was not coming soon.  Pulling the purple hood over her head, she followed the self-proclaimed patriots off the boat.

The streets were nearly empty at such a late, or early, hour.  Maze Island was everything it promised to be, a ghetto.  The long, narrow pavements, lit only by a lantern that Shanleigh carried, were damp and cold, flanked on either side by decaying old buildings, littered with graffiti.  Tranns searched down every alley for a mere streetlamp, but she saw nothing but darkness.

�Where are all the people?� she asked no one in particular.

�They�re all assembled in the square,� Gohan said bluntly.

�What are they doing there?� Tranns asked.

�Hoping to get a glimpse of their Princess,� Catlyn said smoothly.

Tranns stopped.  �What do you mean?� she asked wearily.

�The people of Maze Island knew we weren�t coming back empty handed,� Aden said with a twinkle in his eye, which seemed to shine without the lantern.

Dana brutishly prodded Tranns forward.  �We better keep going,� she said gruffly.

Tranns continued walking down the dark street.  Soon, she heard the muffled murmurings of what must have been the entire population of Maze Island, crammed into the square.  She followed the group underneath a raised platform, which Aden promptly ascended, to the cheering and applause of the gathered masses.

�My friends!� he started.  His voice was loud and full, the all around perfect speaker.  �I have done as I said.  After my journey to Catalan, I return to you with the one thing that our world has lacked for far too long.  I bring you hope!�

The crowd roared in approval.  Shanleigh elbowed Tranns, urging her to climb up the steps.  Frightened, Tranns remained glued to the ground, unable to lift her boots to take a single step.

�Don�t be afraid,� Jacob said, reaching out for Tranns� hand.  His touch was like magic.  The next thing she knew, she found herself on the platform, facing the hoards of people.

They were a motley group of people.  Most of them were Hylians, dressed in rags, their faces smeared with soot and ash.  A few noblemen and women were also dotting the group.  They all stared up at Tranns in pure adoration, even touching her own chilled heart.

A small boy, about ten years old, climbed up on the makeshift stage.  �This is Gavroche,� Aden whispered to Tranns, referring to the boy.  �He�s our little lookout.�

Tranns approached Gavroche.  Kneeling down to his eye level, she pulled her hood off her head.  �Hello Gavroche,� she said kindly.  �Do you know who I am?�

The little blond boy�s eyes widened.  �You know my name?� he asked in ecstasy.  Tranns nodded.  The little boy reached out and took both of Tranns hands in his.  Humbly, he bowed his head, touching his forehead to her hands.  When he looked up again, he was smiling broadly.  He took Tranns� wrist and slowly, began to lead her down the steps and into the crowd.

People cleared a path as the little boy lead their princess into the throng, but crying people fell behind her, anxious to touch a part of her.  She felt a thousand hands on her arms and shoulders.  The crowd cried out her name, almost chanting, in unison.  She looked out into the faces of crying men, women, and children, all giving her their undivided attention now.

At once, Tranns understood her duty.  She could not be a goddess or a paragon, it was far too late for that.  All she could do was offer these people the hope they so desperately sought by being there, an ever-present force in their lives.  Smiling for the first time, she swept her free arm out across the expanse, touching the hands and heads of every person she could reach.  The crowd went wild with appreciation.  Gavroche had a look of great pride on his face, as though he were personally delivering her to the people.  Upon the platform, Aden, Shanleigh, Gohan, Catlyn, Dana, and Jacob watched Tranns� performance, glowing with pride.

A pretty young noblewoman made her way towards Tranns.  She took Tranns� hand, smiling.  �Hello,� she shouted over the crowd.  �My name is Suzette, I�m looking forward to working with you!�

�Are you a part of Aden�s group?� Tranns shouted back curiously.

�Yes.  I�m Jacob�s girlfriend!�

Damn.

***

Tranns walked down the streets, late one afternoon.  The twilight was almost upon her, much to her delight.  There was always a moment, right after the twilight when the sky turned a bright emerald green, nearly matching the color of Tranns� eyes.  She enjoyed that moment thoroughly.  Of course, Tranns enjoyed everything so much these days, grateful to have her life back, freed from the Flash that had imprisoned her.  She had Aden to thank for that, of course.  True, his methods seemed a bit gruff, she knew now that he was a good man.

On either side of the road, she saw the poor people settled on the island sitting in doorways or on the steps to various buildings.  It was incredibly hot out, so most people barely moved.  Despite the heat however, Tranns still donned her armor and purple cloak.  She felt a certain wrong in owning more clothing that most of the people, so she had given away all of her belongings except for the two daggers and the clothing on her back.

Everyone on the street knew her, although at her request, none of them did any foolish bowing or other displays of recognition.  She felt a certain security, sharing her secret with the people, her people.  The only people who couldn�t distinguish her from the people lining the streets and back alleys were the Red Dragon�s guards who patrolled the streets, just itching to arrest someone for the sole reason that they were unfortunate enough to live on Maze Island.

Tranns was twenty now.  After having lived on the island for a year, after having seen what these people had to live with, she was devoted to Aden�s foolhardy cause.  At times, she even felt she played a far too insignificant role in the quest for freedom.

Tranns glared at two soldiers who were walking towards her, going the opposite way on the street.  Both of them donned crisp blue uniforms and matching scowls.  As Tranns approached them, she did not waver in her course.  When they met in the middle of the street, one of the guards roughly elbowed Tranns, pushing her out of his way.  She fell a few paces to the side and the guards walked past, without so much as looking back.

�You�re new around here,� Tranns muttered under her breath as she glared at the passing police.  �You�ve got a lot to learn.�  She withdrew one of the daggers from her boot, but before she could do any harm, she heard Aden�s voice and replaced the dagger.  Looking up the road, she spotted Aden and Jacob walking her way.

�The only magistrate who cares at all about the fate of Maze Island is Higgins,� Jacob was saying in his customary gentle tone.

�Hyrule no longer controls Maze Island.  And one magistrate in how many?� Aden said bitterly.  �I need not remind you that there are many more people against us than for us.�

�I know, but it cannot be ignored that there are people out there who do care.  I�m told even Princess Amanda has come to visit Maze Island in the past,� Jacob countered.  Tranns cringed at the mention of Amanda.

Aden sighed.  �True,� he consented.  �But all the same, Higgins is an old man.  He�s dying, there�s little he can do for us.�

Tranns fell into stride behind the two men now.  Although she had learned that Jacob was very much devoted to the Lady Suzette, she still constantly found herself following him like a foolish puppy.  She couldn�t explain the way she felt for him because it was so strange and new to her.  But everything about him excited her.  His voice.  His eyes.  His teak skin.  Even his smell. 

�Dying men have performed miracles in the past,� Jacob said.

�The people�s anger can�t be constrained much longer,� Tranns chimed in.

Aden nodded.  �Now, it�s not a question of if, but of when.  If our revolution is going to succeed, we need to be ready to rally the people together.�  He glanced around for a moment, a frown marring his face.  �I�m going to call a meeting, in half an hour,� he said finally.  Both Tranns and Jacob nodded.  At once the three of them separated, careful not to draw attention to the roaming guards.

Tranns wandered down a small alley.  The twilight had long passed, she had missed it.  Still, she felt a strange excitement at the coming revolution.  For a while, she leaned against a cold brick wall.  A mirror had been thrown into the alley and Tranns involuntarily found herself examining her own reflection.

Though many things had changed about her over the years, her looks had remained more or less the same.  She still had the same shoulder-length strawberry hair, falling around two barely pointed ears.  Her green eyes gleamed in the settling darkness, like a cat�s eyes.  The years had not changed her, they had not broken her at all.  She was stronger than before, if anything.  Her skin a bit darker than that of a typical Hylian.

Turning her eyes to the sky, Tranns watched the navy blue turn to velvet black.  After a few moments, a single star appeared above her.  �I love you,� she whispered, pretending for the briefest of moments that Jono was standing beside her.  The habit had renewed itself after a year on Maze Island, as the cobwebs cleared from her mind and Tranns felt more at home and herself.  She wondered sadly, as more stars began to dot the sky, if Jono ever did the same.  A sting of remorse gripped her stomach.  She had not allowed herself to think about the life she had known before for a very long time, but now she found herself longing to be held in her father�s arms once more, though she was no longer his innocent child.

Sadly, Tranns pushed such sentimental thoughts aside.  There was more important work ahead of her.  There were plans to make and steps that needed taking before she would be allowed any luxury again, even the luxury to dream.  That is, assuming she lived through whatever was to come.  Yet, Tranns was a survivor.  She knew somehow, she�d live.  �I�ll see you soon Jono,� she promised, slowly exiting the alley.

Taking the long route, Tranns made her way towards the Painted Mask Caf�, a small establishment owned by Catlyn.  She had initially opened it to provide both jobs and food for the people on the island, but since then, it had become the staging area for Aden�s revolution.  The layout of the place was simple; a square room surrounded by four glass window walls.  Scattered across the floor were various chairs and tables, where some of Aden�s advisors and patriots lounged lazily, chatting and sipping tea.

�Good evening Tranns,� Shanleigh said, not glancing up from her hand in a game of poker. 

�Hello,� Tranns replied, sliding into a seat in the corner.

With a loud grunt to announce his arrival, Aden walked through the door from the kitchen.  When nobody looked up, Aden coughed again.  �You really should have that cough checked out, Aden,� Shanleigh muttered, placing her two of her cards down on the table.

Ignoring Shanleigh�s jibe, Aden turned to address the room.  �Give me some good news,� he said wearily.

�The people I�ve been seeing are all ready to come over to our side,� Gohan said proudly.

�They�re practically dying to withdraw from the Dragon�s government completely,� Dana added.

�All of the island is ready to come under our command when the time comes,� Catlyn affirmed. 

Aden smiled tightly.  �The time is drawing so near!� he cried, more to himself than to his patriots.  �We just need to await a sign, a way to know that the time is upon us!�

�Be patient, you�ll get your sign,� Catlyn said.

The front door to the caf� suddenly burst open.  In walked Jacob, panting from his obvious sprint to the meeting.  Tranns got up and held her arms out to take his coat.  �Jacob, you�re late,� Aden murmured. 

�What�s the matter with you?� Shanleigh said, finally looking up from her cards.  �You look white as a sheet.  And as limp as one too.�

�Sit down,� Dana instructed him, �pour yourself some spirits and tell us what�s what.�

Jacob handed his coat off to Tranns, barely even looking at her.  �Of course I�m pale, I�ve never been so excited and nervous in all my life!� he cried, taking the center of the room.

�What�s got your dander up?� Gohan asked.

�It�s time.  I�m going to ask Suzette to marry me!� he announced loudly.  Tranns felt her heart collapse inside of itself.  Slowly, she sat down, hugging Jacob�s coat to her chest.

�Congratulations!� Shanleigh cried, placing her cards on the table and rising to hug Jacob around the shoulders.  Gohan, grateful to escape the beating Shanleigh was giving him in cards also stood to clap Jacob on the back.

�The time has come for some very important decisions to be made,� Aden suddenly said.  Everyone stopped in mid-congratulatory excitement to turn to their fearless leader.  Aden seemed less than thrilled at the joy of marriage and regarded Jacob and the others sternly.  �We have to decide what we�re all going to be willing to sacrifice.  This is a very real, very dangerous business we�re in.  Have you ever wondered what you might lose?  What price you might pay?�

The room suddenly turned somber.  �We�re with you to the end Aden, you know that,� Dana said.

�I don�t doubt your loyalty to me,� Aden remarked.  �I just seriously doubt that you�ve thought things through.�

�Aden, if you knew what it felt like to love a woman, you�d be saying different things,� Jacob commented. 

Aden actually looked hurt by this comment, but before he could retort, the door to the caf� suddenly burst open.  Little Gavroche tore into the dining room, his face flushed from a laborious race.  �Lord Higgins is dead!� he cried, barely pausing to catch his breath.

�Din carry his soul,� Jacob muttered.  Dana clapped a hand to her mouth, just barely hiding the gasp.  Catlyn tapped her forehead while Gohan suddenly found himself sitting down again.

�You know what this means?� Shanleigh said, nervously turning to Aden.

�Yes,� Aden drawled slowly, his bright eyes flashing with animation.  �This is our sign!  The time has come!  The day of our revolution is at hand!�

�Tomorrow is his funeral,� Gavroche said excitedly.

�Then tomorrow is the day of revolution!� Aden cried, his excitement increasing.

�Tomorrow!� Dana cried, the excitement over taking her.

�Hu chi!� Gohan bellowed at the top of his lungs.

�Take the word to the streets!� Aden ordered his followers.  Cheering and laughing, everyone started scattering about.  Tranns stood up slowly, feigning excitement the best she could.  She started towards the door, but Jacob suddenly pulled on her arm, taking her aside.

�Tranns, I need you to do something for me,� he whispered.

Tranns avoided his glance.  �What?� she asked, examining her boots.

�I need you to take me to Suzette�s home.�

�What?� Tranns snapped, somewhat offended by the request.

�The streets won�t be safe tonight.  I know you know your way around.  Will you take me?�

Sighing with reluctance, Tranns nodded.  �I�ll take you,� she whispered.

Handing him his coat, she walked out the door, not looking back over her shoulder to make sure he was behind her.  She walked briskly down the alleys, half hoping to lose Jacob.  No such luck.  Soon, in the darkness, the duo arrived at Suzette�s gate.  To Tranns� surprise, the dark haired Hylian woman was standing outside in her garden. 

Hugging her quickly, Jacob left Tranns and ran to Suzette.  The two of them began speaking in hushed whispers from either side of the gate.  Tranns withdrew into herself once more, dreaming of possibilities.  She imagined herself holding Jacob�s hands through the iron wrought gate.

�Take a look at this house.  Just ripe for the picking,� a crude voice droned, shaking Tranns from her repose.  Glancing subtly off into the shadows, she saw the wretched face of Raoul Doosai, a well-known thief in this part of the island.  Quickly, she pulled her hood over her head and moved closer to the gate.

�Ripe, raw, it makes no difference,� one of his flunkies said.  �By this time next week, we�ll be recovering from a free for all.  With law and order upside down, either way, no one will notice who gets robbed by who?�

�Whom,� Tranns muttered to herself.

�Shut up you idiot!� Raoul hissed, �Do you want to be heard?�

Tranns� mind raced.  She had to stop them.  Besides robbing the house, they might also do harm to Jacob.  She knew that he was more of a thinker than a fighter.  �Raoul,� she whispered, nearly disguising her voice.

Raoul and his henchmen all turned to see the cloaked Tranns for the first time.  �Who is this hussy?� Raoul asked.

�You idiot,� another of his lackeys croaked, �that�s your kid, don�t you know your own flesh and blood when you see her?�

Tranns smiled underneath her hood.  �You stay away from this house,� she ordered, holding her arms out to ward them off.

�This is none of your business, Jordana,� Raoul said, advancing on her.

�One more step and I�ll scream,� she warned him.

Raoul took that step.  �You�ll regret it.�

Tranns threw her head back, letting loose with a wild scream.  She knew she had blown her cover, because her hood fell off, but the plan had worked anyway.  She had stalled them enough.

�You�re not my daughter!� Raoul bellowed.  Realizing the potential danger he was in, he gestured wildly for his followers to scatter.  �Run!� he shouted.  �Don�t wait for them to find us!�  He chased after his fleeing men, but not before turning around to give Tranns one last glare.  �You�ll pay for that,� he bellowed, disappearing behind a building.

�What�s all the noise?� Jacob asked, running over to Tranns.

�Five men were here to rob the house,� Tranns gasped, out of breath.

�Come on, let�s get out of here,� Jacob said, taking Tranns� hand.  The two of them ran, all the way back to the caf�.  By the time they got there, Aden had already begun mobilizing the people.  Like ants, they scurried about, constructing a giant barricade out of scrap metal, various pieces of furniture, and pretty much anything else anyone could get their hands on.

�Look at all the people,� Jacob remarked, straining to hear Aden�s voice above the crowd.

�Someone go alert the northern villages,� Aden barked to the crowd.  �We�ll need their reinforcement.�

�I�ll go!� someone volunteered.

�Gohan!  I need more men on the far side of the barricade.�

�Right!� Gohan replied, invisible in the crowd.

�You there, building the barricade!  Make sure you encompass the caf� on OUR side!�

�Well, we certainly do have a lot of people on our side,� Tranns remarked dryly.

�You had better get out of here Tranns,� Jacob said.  �This is no place for you when the fighting starts.  No good to lose a figurehead.�

�I need someone to give me a report on the enemy�s strength!� Aden cried.

�Let me do it!� someone shouted from the crowd.

�Leave?� Tranns asked.  �I can�t leave!  I�m a part of this, every bit as much as you.  And you�ll need every good warrior you can get.�

�You�re a princess, not a warrior Tranns,� Jacob said gently.

�You don�t know the first thing about me,� Tranns said, realizing it was true even as she said it.

�Do you want to help?� Jacob asked.

�Yes,� Tranns said firmly.

Jacob removed his Triforce amulet from around his neck.  Taking Tranns� wrist, he dropped it in her palm and closed her fingers around it.  �Take this amulet to Suzette,� he instructed her.  He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared into the throng. 

Tranns stood there dumbfounded.  Clutching the amulet, she tried to find Jacob in the crowd, but he was lost.  Part offended, part hurt, she slowly turned around and started walking back the way she came.  Suddenly, she had never felt so alone in her life.  She was completely worthless, both to Jacob and now to Aden�s revolution.

The streets were completely empty, only a few lamps, which she had personally had installed, shone in the still midnight air.  The moonlight gave every inch of the ugly city a silver luster.  Tranns had often imagined walking down these streets, holding Jacob�s hand.  She had never expected it to be running away from some petty thieves.  Her evening with him had been a far cry from her romantic dreams of days past.

Soon enough, she arrived at Suzette�s gate.  She saw her nemesis sitting out in the garden still, contemplating the sky.  �Ma�am?� Tranns whispered, standing outside of the gate.

Suzette looked up.  �Tranns?  What�s going on?� she asked, walking towards the fence.  �There are so many people out on the streets.�

�The revolution�s begun,� Tranns said in monotone. 

�What?� Suzette said with a gasp.  �I have to go there!�

Tranns shook her head.  �Jacob asked me to bring this to you,� she said, slipping the amulet through the bars.

�Thank you Tranns!� Suzette cried, taking the amulet.  She raced away from the gate and disappeared inside of her house.

Alone once more, Tranns turned and started walking back.  She�d return to the barricade, Jacob be damned.  She allowed the sounds and shouts from the gathering of people to lead her, but her mind wandered, thinking back on so many things that she became dizzy and distracted.

�The barricade is complete!� Dana crowed as Tranns wandered towards the door of the caf�.

�Let every man, woman, and child here tonight pledge to hold the line against the night and protect this barricade!� Gohan declared.

�Let the Dragon�s men come for us!� Catlyn laughed.  �We�ll be waiting for them.�

Tranns glanced at the riff raff army assembled around her.  Most of them were peasants, armed with mismatched knives, bows, and swords.  Some of them wore metal breastplates or leather gauntlets, but most of them were not protected by anything other than the rags on their backs.  �We�re in a lot of trouble,� Tranns realized.  If any weakness was found in their defenses, they were doomed.

�My friends, I have much to report!� someone cried.  A lone figure came climbing over the barricade.  Though the crowd, Tranns couldn�t make out his features, but she sensed something familiar.  Slowly, pushing through the gathering, she made her way towards Aden.

�What do you have to say?� Aden asked his informer.

�The foe is strong indeed.  They have over a hundred men assembled, but they won�t deploy them until morning.  They figure that we�ll give up by then, either from descent or from hunger.  Little they know.  Meanwhile, they�ll concentrate on attacking us from the back, where the think the barricade is the weakest.�

Tranns shoved aside a stout man, standing between her and Aden.  �Liar!� she cried, pointing an accusing finger at Aden�s aid. 

�What�s going on, Tranns?� Aden asked, looking bewildered.  But Tranns didn�t return her fearless leader�s questioning stare.  Instead, with all her intensity, she glared at the all-too-familiar form of Ewan, dressed in rags, who seemed equally surprised to see her.

�That man is a constable from Hyrule.  They sell their loyalty,� she said firmly.  Instantly, Dana and Gohan, who had been standing nearby fell upon Ewan, restraining his arms behind his back, the way he had once had his men restrain Tranns.

�Kill him, Aden!� Dana demanded.

Aden shook his head.  With a gesture, he had Gohan tie Ewan�s hands behind his back.  �No.�

�Kill me now, wait till later, it doesn�t matter,� Ewan droned, dropping his act.  �Either way, you�ll all be dead soon too.�

�Better to die a revolutionary than a snake in the grass,� Dana said, spitting on Ewan�s face.

�Let me have him, Aden,� Tranns said suddenly, looking away from Ewan�s cold, disdainful eyes.

�You uncovered him,� Aden admitted.  �By all rights, his life belongs to you.�

Tranns nodded.  �Bring him into the caf�,� she ordered Gohan.  The young Saiyan nodded, and pushed Ewan through the crowd of people.  Tranns turned to follow, but Aden took her shoulder.

�Thank you, Tranns,� he said earnestly. 

�I�ve been running away from that man for a long time,� Tranns muttered.

Aden smiled sardonically.  �I know you�ll give him exactly what he deserves,� he laughed, releasing her arm.

Tranns slowly walked back towards the caf�, wondering herself if she was going to give Ewan exactly as he deserved.  She pushed the glass door open.  Gohan had just tied the guard to a chair and was looking rather pleased with himself.

�Leave us Gohan,� Tranns instructed him politely.

�Sure,� Gohan said.  As he walked out the door, Tranns bent down and pulled one of her daggers out of her boot.

�Oh, you�re going to enjoy this, aren�t you?� Ewan asked dryly as the door shut behind Gohan.

�We meet again,� Tranns muttered, walking around the chair.

�Go on and kill me, take your revenge,� Ewan challenged her.  �You have all the power now.  Use it.�

�Shut up!� she barked.  �You talk too much.�  Then, before she could change her mind, she brought down her knife, slicing the ropes binding Ewan�s hands.  �There are better uses of power.  I�m not going to kill you,� she said, backing away from him.

Ewan stood up, and turned around, a fire blazing in his eyes.  �I don�t understand,� he growled.

�Get out,� Tranns ordered him.

�I�m warning you, 665��

�Get out of here now!� she snapped.

�Oh, I see where this is going,� he said with a laugh.  �You want to make a deal, don�t you?  Well, I�ll tell you this right now, 665, if you let me go, I won�t rest until you serve your time, or worse.�

Tranns shook her head.  �You are wrong.  You�ve been wrong about me since we first met all those years ago.  You are free to go, your life is yours, there are no conditions.  Go out the back way, don�t let anyone see you.�  She sighed.  �If I come out of this alive, you�ll find me west of North Castle City.  I have no doubt that we�ll see each other soon.�

As she stared in his eyes, he cowered away, sneaking out the back door.  Once she was certain that he was gone, she sank to the floor.  She felt disgusted with herself, sick to her stomach.  She pulled the other dagger out of her other boot.  Looking at them for a moment, she realized that she had finally paid her debt for owning them.  As though parting from a close friend, she stabbed both weapons into the wooden floor of the caf�.  Perhaps they would be a memorial for her, should she die in the battle to come.

There was a sudden outcry from beyond the doors to the caf�.  Pulling herself off the floor, Tranns came outside, just in time to witness several women, screaming, fly from the barricade.  There was a loud commotion so Tranns found it difficult to understand what was going on. 

�Give way!  Give way!� Aden shouted.  Tranns made her way towards him. 

A screaming peasant boy was running in Tranns� direction.  She caught onto his arm and knelt to his eye level.  �What�s happened?� she asked.

�There was a scuffle on the other side of the barricade,� he said breathily.  �The bad guys have assembled there.  A girl was trying to climb over the barricade and they wounded her.�

Tranns released the boy, who continued his race for the safety of the caf�.  She moved against the tide of people, feeling her body bombarded with the living stream.  Finally, she found her way towards the center of activity.  Aden was standing on a table that had somehow been jammed into the barricade.  As he looked down, Tranns followed his gaze.

Her breath caught in her chest.  Sprawled out across the ground was the wounded girl, her dark hair wet and matted with her own blood, which gleamed, like rubies, from the middle of her white gown.

�Suzette!� she cried, too horrified to believe her own eyes.

Kneeling next to her was Jacob, clinging to her hand with such vitality that his knuckles had turned ghostly white.  �Suzette, I told you to stay at home,� he was whispering, so lost in his sadness that the rest of the world had disappeared.

The wounded woman laughed bitterly.  �I�m in your arms,� she choked.  �I am home.�

�You can�t die,� he pled. 

Suzette�s eyes looked out, over his shoulder now.  �Look,� she said weakly, �it�s starting to rain.  I wonder if there will be a rainbow.�  Her head fell limp to one side.

�She is the first of us to fall on the barricade,� Aden whispered, slowly climbing off the table.  �We will fight on in her name.�

Tranns slowly pulled the cloak off of her shoulders.  Kneeling beside Jacob, she placed it over Suzette�s still form.  Several men approached, on Aden�s command, to take the body away.  Tranns stood up and placed a gentle hand on Jacob�s shoulder.  Sharply, he pulled away from her hand.  He stood to follow the procession. 

Tranns stood alone on the spot where her rival had just died.  She felt a cold chill run down her spine as she started at the vacant patch of dirt, soiled by a red stain.  Something glinted in the moonlight.  Tranns bent over.  A necklace had been left behind, the chain looked as though it had been cut by the same sword or dagger that had spilled Suzette�s life.

She examined the necklace in her fingers.  After cleaning some blood from it, she dangled the silver chain before her eyes.  She felt her breath seep out of her lungs.  Hanging from the long silver chain was a charm, a silver strip suspending a diamond shaped like a triangle.  A Triforce perhaps.

Memories of her fearful arrest, over three years ago, flooded into her mind.  Ewan had told Lillia to sell her necklace to a pawn shop.  Somehow, the jewelry had taken a journey of its own, ending up in the hands of Suzette.  Now, it had come full circle, but Tranns could no longer wear it, not after all that fate had put her through.  Slowly, she placed it in her pocket, the same pocket that it had been removed from so long ago.

�The sun will be rising in a few hours,� Aden said suddenly, shaking Tranns out of her thoughts.  �Everyone should rest and prepare for what�s to come.�

All around the small barricaded fort, people sank to the ground, resting against various pieces of furniture or parts of the barricade.  Tranns sat with her back to a streetlight.  Someone had brought a bottle of wine and it was now being passed from hand to hand.  Everyone took a sip, in a strange sense of brotherhood and doom.

�Here�s to those in my family who aren�t already dead,� Gohan said, raising the bottle when it came to him.

�To Nabooru,� Dana muttered, when it was her turn.

�Why should I care if I die?� Jacob asked when the bottle came into his hands.

�As I lay me down to sleep, a bag of peanuts at my feet,� Shanleigh began.  �If I should die before I wake, give them to my brother Jake.�  She nudged Jacob, taking the bottle out of his hands and sipping.

�Here�s to the game of thrones,� Catlyn said, when she finally received the bottle.

�Hu chi,� Aden said simply, for once joining in the revels.

One by one, everyone behind the barricade drank from the bottle.  When Tranns at last received the vessel, she stared into the red liquid for a long time, searching for her words.  �Will the world remember me at all?� she asked quietly.  �Why have I gone on this journey of life?�  She did not drink.  Aden had broken her of that habit.  Instead, she watched her eyes, reflected in the wine, before passing it on.

She fell asleep soon afterwards, her body warm against the chill.  In her dreams, she heard Jono�s voice, although she could not see his face.  He was praying, praying to Din to protect the children at the barricade.  She wondered in vain how many of them would die.  Jono seemed to believe they were in real danger.  Over and over again, he begged Din to allow Tranns to live, so that she might come home.  Home.  The word was foreign, yet so comforting, so real.

A scream shook Tranns out of her dreams.  She sat up, just in time to behold the lookout, little Gavroche, fall off the barricade, his head smashing to the ground.  Blinking sleep away from her eyes, she saw dozens and dozens of soldiers, the Red Dragon�s men and bribed constables alike, climbing over the makeshift all, brandishing swords, knives, and daggers.  Within seconds, before Tranns could even rise to her feet, they had landed and began mercilessly slaughtering anyone they saw, asleep or awake.

�On your feet!� she shouted, shaking the nearest sleeping body.  People slowly began to rise to greet the foe.  Tranns watched hopelessly as she saw Lillia, her guard from the prison, stab the sleeping Dana, who had not yet been stirred by the noises.  �You will not be forgotten, my friend,� Tranns vowed.

�It�s a bloodbath!� Shanleigh shouted, trying her best to ward off two soldiers.  They overcame her.  One of the brutes hit her on the back of the head with the flat of his sword and she crumpled to the ground.

�We�re going to lose,� Tranns whispered softly to herself.  She ran through the field of scattered and fighting bodies, picking up Dana�s sword.  Brandishing it, she cleared away any guards in her path until she finally found Aden, who had just managed to punch out an enemy soldier.

�We�re out numbered,� he muttered sadly.

�Aden,� she said slowly, �you have to run.�

�What?� he cried, his eyes wide.  �Abandon my people?  My cause?�

�If you die, your cause will die with you.  Live on to fight another day.  Find new people who believe.�

�Brave words.�  Aden looked miserable.  �Tranns, what will become of you?�

�I don�t know,� she admitted. 

�There�s something I have to tell you,� he said.  �Something I�ve been holding back.�

�There�s no time now.�

�Before we die.�

�We�re not going to die.�  Without further thought, she pulled back her arm and punched Aden in the face.  With a look of shock, he crumpled to the ground, out cold.  Careful not to draw attention to the guardsmen, she pulled his unconscious form through the fray, using his feet to knock the soldiers off their feet when they attacked, finally letting him rest inside the caf�, near the back door where Ewan had escaped earlier that night.  Suzette�s body, still covered the cloak, lay there.  She pulled her daggers out of the ground and pressed them into Aden�s hands.  They would protect him now.

Certain that Aden would be safe and would run out the door once he awoke, Tranns returned out to the battleground.  To her great sadness, she saw that most of her friends were dead by now.  She weighed her options.  She could die senselessly, trying to protect a cause that had already died with the people on the barricade, or she could save her own skin.  Neither option particularly appealed to her.

Jacob came staggering over to her.  He was clutching his side, but his white tunic was already crimson.  �Tranns,� he cried through gritted teeth, �you have to run!�  He was giving her the same speech she had just given Aden.

�I won�t leave you,� she said firmly.

Jacob coughed, looking her directly in the eyes.  �Fool,� he whispered with his dying breath.  With that, he fell over, landing on top of Tranns.  Weak from the shock, Tranns lay under the dead man�s weight, wondering when it would all end.

It felt like hours before the sounds of battle ceased.  Tranns realized that under Jacob�s body, she had remained unnoticed by the attacking foes.  �Clear out of this fortification,� Lillia instructed the troops.  �Burn it to the ground.  Check the surrounding neighborhoods for the people who ran.�  Tranns waited for what seemed like an eternity before she was certain that no soldiers remained within eyesight.  Slowly, with all her reserve strength, she pushed Jacob�s remains aside.

Already, she could see flames licking the insides of the barricade.  She measured her options.  She could try to escape through the caf�, but some instinct told her that it was probably not the wisest option for her to take.  Instead, she looked down at a manhole.  The sewers would be promising.  Squatting beside the gateway to hell, she began pulling, calling the last of her strength to lift the iron barricade.  Finally succeeding, Tranns began to lower herself down, but as her eyes disappeared below the ground, she could see the thief Raoul picking through the pockets of the dead men and women about to be unceremoniously cremated.

The sewers were dank and cold.  Tranns longed for the protection of her purple cloak, which she had left with Suzette.  It wasn�t hers to begin with, but it had been a part of her for a long time.  There was a faint blue light, coming from the grid above.  The sun had not yet risen.  She wondered in vain what the new day had to promise her or anyone else.

Just as she thought the sloshing sound of her boots in the sewer muck would drive her mad, she found a ladder, leading up to a grid.  She carefully climbed upwards, easily pushing the grid aside with one hand.  Happy to be free of the sewers, she pulled herself out and onto the pavement.

She was in an unfamiliar part of the island.  It was a nicer part, she could tell by the houses mercifully free of graffiti and people lounging on the streets.  She supposed a lot of them could be dead, but she tried to push that thought away.  Before her, she saw a bridge, crossing over a strait of water.  She realized that she had arrived at the border between Maze Island and the rest of Hyrule.

Uncertainly, she took a step towards the bridge.  She wondered sadly, if it was right to run away from Maze Island, after all the devotion and work she had given for its people.  Running away from what though?  There was nothing left to work towards.  Everything was dead, the dream, the people, the patriots.

Tranns noticed a strange movement on the bridge.  She realized that there was someone standing beyond the safety railing.  A jumper?  With alarm, she began running towards the figure.  �Stop!� she yelled, not caring who heard her.  �Stop!�  The shadowy jumper turned to face Tranns with hateful brown eyes.  �Ewan�� she whispered, slowing to a stop a few meters away.

�Well, you were right, 665, our paths have crossed again,� he said bitterly.

�What are you doing?� Tranns asked, feeling a trifle stupid for asking.

�Walk away, Tranns,� he said quietly.

�No,� she said firmly.

�You don�t know what you�re doing,� he hissed.

�No?� she asked.  She threw up her hands.  �I couldn�t save my friend Dalia.  I couldn�t save any of the people on that barricade.  I sure as hell can�t save myself.�  She took a step towards Ewan.  �But I�m going to save someone before my life ends,� she muttered.

�Find someone who needs to be saved,� Ewan said, dismissing her with a sharp turn of his head.

Tranns reached a hand, latching onto Ewan�s shoulder.  �I just did,� she said fiercely.

�Release me, 665,� he growled.

�No,� she said.  With a fierce grunt, she yanked on Ewan�s arm, pulling him over the rail of the bridge and back into the safe zone.  Glaring at her from a supine position, Ewan pulled back, sending Tranns toppling down across the planks.  She rolled to her feet, planting a boot on Ewan�s chest before he could get up.

�Why are you tormenting me?� he asked.  �Can�t you see you�ve won.�

�Life is not a game to be lost and won,� she said. 

�Wise words.�

She reached down and helped Ewan to his feet.  �Do you consent to a loss?� she asked curiously.

�Yes,� he admitted.

�Then for a prize, I don�t want your death.�

�What do you want of me?� he asked mournfully.  �What more can you possibly want?�

Tranns didn�t reply.  Instead, she turned her head out over the water.  A pinprick of gold had appeared over the still blue.  The black velvet sky began to shimmer with blue, then red, then orange, and finally an ever increasing burst of gold.  Ewan turned to face the sunrise with his former foe, turned protector.

She slowly reached into her pocket, removing the necklace.  Her fingers slowly grazed the silver surface, smooth as the water below.  �I want to go home,� she whispered.

Ewan turned to face her.  �I�ll take you home,� he said quietly.  He noticed the necklace in her fingers.  For a moment, his face remained cloudy, but sudden recognition dawned upon him as he stared intently at the simple article of jewelry.  Uneasily, he placed a hand on Tranns� shoulder.  �I will take you home,� he declared, now more firm than before.

The duo walked across Hyrule for three days.  They rarely spoke, except to stop for directions or sustenance.  Despite the years of animosity, they both had grown to trust each other.  They walked down the dirt and cobblestone roads, side by side, not needing to watch over their shoulders.

By the end of the third day, they found themselves walking down the same road where they had first met, only in the opposite direction.  Tranns could feel her heart racing as they rounded a corner and her old home came into view.

To her surprise, the front yard was littered with several carriages and a few loose horses.  An unfamiliar figure was sitting outside, tending to one of the horses.  She was a handsome woman about Tranns� age with light brown hair, flowing long past her elbows.  Lazily, she sat on a regal carriage, stroking the nose of a tall, brown horse.

�Excuse me,� Tranns said timidly, approaching the stranger.  �What�s going on here?�

The woman turned, regarding Tranns curiously.  �People have been gathering here from all around the realm,� she replied.  �I think something important is happening inside.�  She scowled.  �They won�t let me in.�

�You don�t know?� Ewan asked curiously.

She shook her head.  �I just watch the horses.�  She patted the brown stallion.  �This here horse belongs to Lady Lysia,� she added.  �Been here for days.�  She pulled a lump of sugar out of a pocket, hidden within her purple gown and fed it to the animal.  �Are you looking for someone in particular?� she asked.

�Jono Baagel,� Tranns replied, eager to know if Jono still lived here.

The stranger frowned.  �You best get inside,� she said seriously.

Panic gripped Tranns� heart.  �Thank you!� she said quickly.  Ewan trailing behind her, she raced up the steps leading to the door.  With both her fists, she hammered on the door, every second feeling like an hour.

�Is something wrong?� Ewan asked.

�I don�t know,� Tranns replied, steadily pounding.  When no one answered, she pulled back in frustration, pacing down the steps.  Ewan stepped forward and was about to try his luck.  The door flung open suddenly, nearly causing Tranns to lose her balance.  In the doorway was a tall, blond woman in a blue corset and white skirt.  �I�m sorry constable.  Philip isn�t here and I��  She trailed off.

�Kallista?� Ewan asked in surprise.

At the same time, Tranns squeaked, �Aunt Kally?�

Kally blinked.  �Ewan Barr?  When did you arrive here?�

Tranns and Ewan both looked at each other.  �You know her?� they each asked the other at the exact same moment.

�Tranns Harkin,� Kally muttered, drawing Tranns� attention back.  �I suppose it would be redundant to ask you where you�ve been for the last three years.�  There was a sharp edge to her tone, but her blue eyes seemed to soften, threatening to spill over at the sight of her grown niece.

�Kallista,� Ewan said, taking a step forward.  �You know this girl?�

Kally gave him a wry smile.  �She�s my niece,� she said fondly.

�You know him?� Tranns asked, pointing at Ewan.

�Of course.�  A smile toyed at the corners of her lips.  �Ewan�s mother was Princess Margawse Barr, your aunt, biologically.�

Tranns� jaw dropped open.  �So that makes us��

�Cousins,� Ewan finished for her.

�Well, I�m guessing you two have had some interesting times over the past three years,� Kally murmured, leaning back in the doorway to see something inside the house.  She suddenly pulled Tranns into her arms.  �Welcome home,� she whispered.

Pulling Tranns into the house, Kally led her down the hall.  Out of the corner of her eye, Tranns saw a large gathering of people, most of them unfamiliar, sitting around the living room, talking quietly among themselves.  �Who are they?� Tranns asked Kally, watching Ewan go into the room.

�Friends of Jono,� Kally said quietly.

Tranns pulled away from Kally�s arms.  �Something terrible has happened, hasn�t it?� she asked.

�Jono�s health has been declining over the last few years, Tranns,� Kally said earnestly.

Guilt flooded Tranns� mind.  �It�s my fault, isn�t it?�

�Oh no!� Kally cried.  She drew Tranns into a tight embrace.  �Perish the thought.�

Tranns looked longingly at the staircase, leading up to the bedroom level.  Kally nodded, silently pulling away from Tranns.  Alone, the stranger in her own house made her way slowly up the steps.  She automatically walked to the end of the hallway, not even pausing to glance into the door of her own bedroom.  She reached Jono�s door, which was open a few inches.

Slowly, she pushed the door ajar, just enough to sneak into the room.  The curtains were drawn and no light was in the room, save the light from the hallway.  On a bed, under maroon sheets, Jono was sleeping.  He looked older than Tranns had ever remembered seeing him.  His black hair had turned snowy white and she saw new wrinkles that marred his face.

�This is the first time he�s slept peacefully in weeks,� someone said from behind.  �I think he knew in his heart of hearts that you would be coming home.�  Tranns spun around.  Behind her, standing in the doorway to the adjacent bathroom was Amanda, her hands clasped in front of her long purple gown.

Tranns stared at her estranged mother, unable to find words.  Her hands drifted across her pocket, where she felt the cold silver gem, which had once belonged to the woman standing before her.  Tranns felt an urge both to race into Amanda�s arms, or to throttle her.  But she resisted both and settled for staring instead.

�At least,� she said taking a few steps forward, �he would not allow himself to believe otherwise.�  Tranns held up a hand to halt Amanda, mid stride.  �Tranns, no one blames you for what happened.  You were sick.  It�s another thing I�ve passed onto you, along with your red hair.  The anger.  The inexplicable anger.  I know you felt it.�

�I did,� Tranns muttered.

�Come with me,� Amanda said.  �I�ll show you a world where chains will never bind you.�

Tranns shook her head.  It was a long time before she spoke.  �Before we can move forward,� she said quietly, �we need to learn to forgive.  I have so many questions and so many things I need to know.�

Amanda nodded.  �You will learn everything.  But the one thing I will teach you before all others is this:  To take a journey ending with love erases all evils.�

Tranns considered her words carefully.  In truth, they felt rather hokey and stupid, but she decided to accept them.  �Then, perhaps we can learn to forgive.�

Amanda smiled.  �The heart is slow to learn.  There�s a phrase on Catalan.  They say, a child raised in love, despite strife, is blessed.  I think that probably explains you Tranns.�

Unable to bare the loneliness a moment longer, Tranns flew forward, falling into Amanda�s arms, weeping for the first time in three years.  �I�m ready,� she said.

�The great work begins.�
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