-The Secret in which Abhdan and Impa Explained-

Long ago, Qin knew war inside and out. There was endless war on the border as King Shorlin expanded the kingdom of Qin two fold. There was endless war in the palace, as this newly obtained land and the power that came with it was fought over by every minister. And there was endless war in the Royal Harem, as favor of the king was highly sought after by every girl, and this was further encouraged by pressure from the houses they entered the harem under.

A girl from the Ki family would enter with Ki's support, and would be expected, nay required, to bring them favor from the king, and with Ki support would assassinate rival girls. Every house in Qin used the Royal Harem as one of its many arenas with the lives of young girls and woman every day. The Queen Mother did not rule in such a way as to instill order or discipline and may have actually profited from the bloodbath that surrounded her each day. Every woman to go to King Shorlin and bed him most likely died. To be bedded twice was practically a certainty of death. Woman would be poisoned, be stabbed in their sleep, choked, or simply disappeared. They would be found rolled up in rugs and thrown in a water ditch or trampled by horses. The violence reached such a crescendo that girls were being targeted for even being in rival houses outside of the harem, as they could be future rivals within the harem. Then within each house, favor would be fought over by rivals who wanted to earn favor. Ki would kill Ki as much as any other house, if it gave her benefit.

And that went for each house, not just the Ki family. In fact, the Ki family was so large it could be considered many families, and the infighting within the harem was one source of its split across many branch families.

In this wildly violent time a girl found she was pregnant.

Suffice to say, she feared for her life and the life of her child, but whether by luck, skill, or divinity, she managed to hide her pregnancy and have a child. Even as a newborn babe it was a feisty thing that refused to be still, and the girl knew she could not hide her for long. She went to the Sheikah that very day and implored them to take the child away and keep her a secret. The Sheikah agreed and the child disappeared. The next morning the woman was found dead, her throat cut in a violent attack, and the body was dumped.

The Sheikah spirited the child away to the Mitagi. With their close ties to the Mitagi, it was an easy arrangement. The mother had been of the bloodline of Mitagi, and so the child was accepted as one of them as well. To accept the secret, the girl was adopted, and in order to ensure there was no link to the past, lest any recognize her as the daughter of the concubine, the girl was raised to be as a boy servant.

Being raised in the Mitagi, the girl was hardened. She saw the men train and fight, and fell in love with the blade. She did not want a broom, she wanted a sword. The heads of the family tried to discourage her, but she would have none of it, and trained even in secret, until they accepted she would be a soldier or officer. They had men train her who were sworn to absolute secrecy.

Before long, she was on her first battlefield as an officer. It was a low position, merely of a hundred men. The battlefield was one that would be joined between the Mitagi, the Ki family, and several other clans and families. Kyou Mitagi was sent to skirmish on behalf of the Mitagi. And Ou was sent to skirmish on behalf of the Ki.

Ou was a prodigy of war. Like any prodigy of Ki he had cunning, but he also had great strength and charisma and understanding. He had an eye that made others compare him to a bird who could see all, even matters beyond his sight, and he had a way of reading people that was purely uncanny. He looked at the thin man, Kyou, and he perceived a woman. He fell hard.

Ou went to the Mitagi to ask for Kyou's hand in marriage. He was turned away. He was a stubborn one and stood at the door to the Mitagi elder's estate for a full year. He would not pitch a tent. He left only to survive on what he needed and otherwise sat outside the door, whether under rain or sun, cold or hot, for a year. At last the elder gave in and brought Ou to a meeting to discuss the matter.

Before the Sheikah and the Mitagi, Ou was given a deal. The first door would lead him away from the Mitagi, and they would speak no more of this. (And it is speculated they would assassinate him later, to keep her gender a secret.) The second door lead him to Kyou, and if he was to enter it he would have to accept a number of terms. Ou would have to become known as Ouki Mitagi. Ou would have to swear to keeping Kyou's gender an absolute secret, and marry Kyou under the pretense of marrying a man.

In essence Ou would have to give up his name, his family, his reputation, and finally, so far as the priests were concerned, his very soul.

Ouki Mitagi accepted the terms. He married Kyou Mitagi. The Ki family tried to have him assassinated any one of a hundred times for this humiliation, but failed. The priests excommunicated him, though this wouldn't last long as Ouki's skill for war would surpass any negative reputation they gave him.

One day, King Shorlin would tour the battlefield to survey the work. This was a routine thing for him, but for the first time, he came to witness a city Kyou Mitagi had taken. Shorlin promoted her to a general after her one-hundredth victory, and as she raised her head to take the token of her position, he saw her face.

Now, work had been done to make her appear masculine. She lacked makeup or dolled up beauty woman used, and the scars and muscle (though not freakish or herculean as Ouki) were masculine traits, and so she appeared for all extents and purposes to be a man. However, King Shorlin was known for being as perceptive, perhaps even more, than Ouki Mitagi.

Of all the things the king could do, or ask of his general, the king asked one question, "Are you happy?"

Kyou Mitagi answered, "Yes."

The ministers to witness this, were dumbfounded by the question. They questioned why that would be the only thing the king would say. They were even more dumbfounded to see tears pouring from his eyes as he asked the question. The king would be found weeping joyfully in his chambers, and had all records of all the concubines he had bedded from the Royal Harem burned. The Queen Mother was replaced, ministers involved in the work of the Royal Harem were moved.

King Shorlin would die a few years later at an old age.

Not long after, the Dragmire rebellion occurred. The Mitagi, led by General Kyou, would fight and kill the Dragmire to the last man, and sell the woman and children into slavery. The tribes of Majora would be hunted and chased into the mountains, the Fae would disappear from the land, and many other clans and tribes King Shorlin had brought into Qin would become hunted or alienated thanks to the new king.

Kyou Mitagi would become pregnant and moved, with her loyalist men, to the innermost area of Qin. Though Ouki had been born on the battlefield, Kyou would have none of it and went without him to a safe place for the birth. There, while still recovering, Harken Dragmire would walk up to her army, slay any who tried to stop him, and kill her.

Understandably, Ouki was pissed.

The child was never found and was presumed dead, until Zelda brought Link into the palace. If the facts are true, and he is the son of Kyou Mitagi, then he is also the grandson of King Shorlin. While Princess Zelda is only the great-granddaughter of King Shorlin.

This means Link would be one step higher on the bloodline than Princess Zelda, and could take the throne from her with but a single word.

-Royal Palace, Zelda-

Link was the grandson of King Shorlin. Son of Kyou Mitagi. Son of Ouki Mitagi, formerly Ou Ki. Heir to the Mitagi, Ki, and Royal Palace bloodlines.

Zelda couldn't be more shocked or disbelieving if Impa had smacked her across the face with a fish.

"Link..." Zelda said, just to be sure she heard right. "The former slave of Jouto. Is my uncle?"

"Once removed, but yes."

"If this is some kind of joke, it is in poor taste." Zelda frowned heavily. "He's younger than me!"

"Only because King Shorlin and Kyou Mitagi both prioritized their careers over having a child. Your father and grandfather both sought their duty in extending the bloodline through children when they were younger."

"There has been two kings come and go in this time!"

"Because both your grandfather and father only ruled for a short time. Your father ruled for three years. Your grandfather ruled for about two decades. It wasn't until your grandfather had ruled for a decade that Kyou Mitagi had a child and Harken Dragmire appeared."

"I-..."

"I know, it hardly makes sense. Some kings rule for a day, others for a lifetime. King Shorlin was blessed to be one that would rule well into his old age. It makes the reference of time confusing, but I assure you... I checked. When I heard Link was from Jouto, a village near where Kyou died, and he was of the proper age to her death, and he claimed to be the son of a female general, and he bore strength of the Mitagi and the cunning of a Ki, I checked. This is why I sought to remove him... he is dangerous."

Impa gulped. "I know... he is a special peasant to you. You have no idea how happy I am to think that you gained a friend on your own merit, and not a mere fair-weather friend as a princess would have, but I am your Chancellor... and so I sought your safety over your happiness."

"Yet?" Zelda wondered. "You tried being my Sheikah, and you failed me. You tried being my Chancellor, and yet again you feel you have failed you. I don't know what you can be that will satisfy us."

"I think... it is because I did not meet you as a Sheikah or a Chancellor." Impa considered. "I did not rescue you as a double-agent or a politician. It was not a Sheikah nor Chancellor to whom you reached out to in that alley years ago... It was me... and I have lost sight of that." Impa bowed herself down. "I am so sorry."

"Don't be." Zelda replied. "You have skills in many areas. I don't know what it is you feel you must be, but you acted as a Sheikah should and you acted as a Chancellor should."

"So you forgive me?"

"Not yet." Zelda said evenly. She dropped her bite and anger. Zelda could see the practicality of her decision. She could even agree in her cold heart that Link was dangerous to her if he tried to make a claim to the throne. If it came to that, he needed to die, swiftly and silently. No mercy could be allowed. He was a single life against the stability of a kingdom, and Zelda could not allow sentiment. In that way, Impa had made a worthy attempt and Zelda should be pleased.

But there was another part, a small part along the edges that was hurt. It was the outermost edges of her heart that was warmed by such a rare thing as honesty in a dishonest world. Zelda could count the number of people she could lower her guard around on a single hand, and the second person to be counted was Link. She didn't have to question where she and him stood, she didn't have to hide herself or fear, she didn't have to worry. If anything, she found herself looking forward to the moments when he would bring a dose of craziness to her world to break up the monotony. She dealt with men of culture and stuffy rules day in and day out, and somehow Link had a way of breaking every one of them and making it work and lacked any form of culture. While a noble would worry about the patterns of ribbons in his sleeve, and the smell of a which fragrance to wear that day, or what delicate word to use in the debate, Link would get himself caught, stuffed in a sack, and dumped at her feet with a disheveled bed of hair on his proud face for no significant reason other than to greet her. She found people utterly exhausting, but Link somehow gave her energy by his presence alone. Ganon and the Elder Fae and Impa and Sarah did as well, but each uplifted her in their own ways.

Zelda whispered, "I understand why you did what you did, and as a Chancellor to seeks to stabilize my rule, I commend you. However, I find him useful, and while I can trust a kingdom to bow to my power, I need a few I can trust even when that power is lacking. I don't just need pawns, I need friends. Carefully selected friends. Even a friend with no power benefits me a moment of rest in ways lonely sleep cannot."

"I agree." Impa said. "I hope I am not thinking too highly to be able to say our relationship is more than that of a liege and her pawn, and with that comes rules... rules I have broken. I am more than your pawn, and I lost sight of that."

"No, you have not. I think, instead, if I may take a guess... you did not think clearly. You overreacted. Link does not know of his bloodline, and neither did any of us. It was covered up well. So long as he does not know, then we are safe, and yet you considered him a danger despite his ignorance."

"I believe you are right. I did overreact... the matter is, there is no proof Link holds the bloodline of the king. There are only a few remaining witnesses to testify to it, and they have sworn their lives to keeping it a secret. Even if Link were to know and to challenge you, there would be no proof. Even if the Mitagi were to support him in challenging you, they cannot prove he is the son of Kyou, and they cannot prove that Kyou is the daughter of King Shorlin. Influencing the nation to go with the one unproven claim, that of being the son of Kyou and Ouki, would be difficult enough, but to be the heir as well? They would push the extent of their honor and trust."

They stood a moment, reflective and feeling. Impa felt a great weight leave her, to know that Zelda was not lashing out. She had no doubt she would be punished in secret in some way, she deserved it. Mostly likely Zelda would give her the cold shoulder for a time and let her stew in her guilt before releasing her of it.

Zelda considered what needed to be done, and if it needed to be done at all. At last she said, "Do not seek to kill him again. Instead, watch over him. If he gathers a faction with the aim for the throne, then we should take action. But as it is, I believe he does not have his eyes set on the throne."

"As you wish, your highness... No. Zelda."

Zelda nodded.

-Kanyou, Ryo-

Ryo couldn't believe what he had heard. While Ryo did not have the personal experiences with Link that others had have, it was a difficult thing to leap from him being the son of two of the greatest generals in Qin history to one of those generals being the daughter of the king.

"That explains so much..." Ryo breathed. He stroked his beard in deep thought. Pieces fell into place, little things over the years came to the surface with new light. "Ouki had always venerated the king greatly. Most considered it one of his many quirks, but perhaps his loyalty to King Shorlin could be due to being secretly his son-in-law."

He was young merchant when he entered the service of King Shorlin as Abhdan's apprentice, but he had still heard much from rumors and gossip. Ryo had attended a lot of noble feasts, balls, and parties as an apprentice, building up connections and establishing his powerbase subtly.

"Is there still any proof to the claim if the boy was to seek followers to rebel?" Ryo inquired.

"The only witnesses would be the still surviving heads of the Mitagi clan, myself, Chancellor Impa, and the Sheikah Shadowmaster records."

Ryo considered this and how it could play out then. If Link were to gain the Mitagi's support, it would effectively become a three-way battle. The Mitagi were as powerful as the rest of Qin combined in military might and would have the ability to usurp the throne through force. On the other hand Zelda had the Sheikah and Impa, and Ryo could trust on Abhdan not to support Link.

If it came to it, the Mitagi would stake Link's claim to the throne. Even though Link had the throne by blood now, there was no proof. Without substantial proof it would come down to their word only, and this would take them only so far. The Mitagi would take a substantial part of the nation for themselves. Ryo was confident he could take another substantial part for himself. Zelda would have the smallest portion, as despite the proofs, she had the weakest following of loyalty, and would have to rely on her newfound allies heavily.

If Link rose up, it would bring them back to what happened with Prince Kyou, only far far worse, as Prince Kyou and Chancellor Ketsu were incompetent. The Mitagi were far from incompetent. Ryo suspected he would lose if war broke out.

From the day he had planted Zelda on the throne, he had held the kingdom in checkmate. No action or move on Zelda's part would take away his success. His seed would sit on the throne for generations to come, and it would be his dynasty. The question only came to when he would decide what to do with the princess. She was useful for now. She was making the kingdom stronger with her presence and work, little by little.

But if Link were to place his claim into the fight, Ryo no longer could see himself having checkmate. He had fought a political war with the understanding of the players on the board, but now if there was a potential new player in the game, one who could gain the strongest pieces so easily, Ryo would need to make adjustments.

"I trust you will not teach Link, my teacher?"

"To do so would be too revealing. You know to whom I am loyal." Abhdan replied as serious as he could be. "And as a reminder: You are not allowed to use this information."

Ryo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I did promise. I am aware... I will not kill the boy. But..." Ryo looked to him. "You could do something. I want you to go to the Mitagi and insure their loyalty is sound. Whether it be to Zelda or myself, it matters not. So long as they will not be loyal to Link. Would that much be allowed?"

"I cannot do that. They know that I am aware in so far as General Kyou Mitagi being of the Royal family bloodline, but I am not supposed to know of Link, and I suspect they may not either. I know it only because you brought this information to me, and Lady Impa went over their head."

"So it would reveal too much if you were to approach them." Ryo concluded. "What of their loyalty to Ouki? If Ouki were to step forward with the claim that the boy is his son, and they already know of General Kyou's bloodline, would they support Ouki's claim?"

Abhdan hummed in thought. "I suspect not at first. They see Ouki as an outsider as much as the Ki consider him a traitor. Ouki is merely a champion among them that brings them great glory and honor. But then, I believe they will, solely because of the glory and honor it would bring their clan to plant one of their own on the throne. It would not be a great leap for them to put this one piece together and create a bloodline going from King Shorlin to Prince Link, even as a lie from their mouths that is truth without them knowing it."

"Prince Link. I dislike it. It is a displeasing sound, and the prospect throws into question all of the plots and schemes I have set into motion."

Ryo stood and poured them both some tea from a nearby pot. "So here is what I am thinking. We do nothing for now. You have wisely held back my hand, as you are right in thinking me childish. My own actions would bring my downfall. If we act, we reveal too much. Rather, we watch... and wait. And in the meantime we seek the loyalty of the Mitagi, so as to further throw them into disarray should the claim be presented."

"You have never been able to gain their loyalty in all the years you have tried."

"That would be because I have always selfishly wanted Ouki's loyalty, not loyalty of the main branch. If I were to go to the main head of the Mitagi, and gain his loyalty, it would effectively cut Ouki's power and I could take the throne without bloodshed."

Ryo handed his teacher his cup of tea and he placed himself back in his seat.

"And if you do not? What if the main head sees your ploy and gives their loyalty to Zelda?"

Ryo smirked, "Then it would still effectively cut Ouki's power, and I would take the throne without bloodshed. Nothing changes. Zelda's power is effectively my power. One day she will understand this, but until then, I am pleased to let her do as she wishes."