danowsawawrites

[danowsawawrites]

'The Scales That Bind’ - A Breath of the Wild Fanfiction

Chapter 2: Give & Take

As the wagon wheeled along the magnificent bridge that crossed atop the mighty waterfalls of Zorana, Lall made sure to keep his head down and his eyes up, still skeptical of this place and its people. He turned to his cousin, whose body was shivering worriedly as he pushed himself tight against the back of his seat, eyes wide open, clutching the one invoice they had left to his chest as though he were deathly afraid. Lall's lips curled up humorously as he peered over the edge of the bridge, shaking his head with bemusement.

"You're never supposed to look down!" Lall grinned.

Jarrol turned his head toward him slowly, one wrong move sure to send him to his demise, "E-Easy for you to say, c-cousin! You kn-know I'm not one for adven-ture!"

"What adventure?" Lall shook his head dismissively, "We're just going from point A to B, on business no less. Rather boring if you ask me."

Having never left his small village along the plains of Hyrule, nor his job as a apothecary, Jarrol was nonetheless shaken by the foreign feeling of being high above seemingly bottomless pits of roaring waters, his cousins assurances doing little to calm him. He'd always been far more comfortable at a desk than out in the wilderness, where there were troubles that elixirs could not mend.

"Still," Lall grimly muttered, "I'd keep an eye out."

He checked his bodyguard, making sure he wasn't about to be subjected to some malice, though Link merely continued walking, almost as if not hearing the two of them at all. Lall's lips curled downward as he leaned back into place, shaking his head as he started understanding, perhaps, this bodyguard's intentions in coming along.

"Ohhhhh…" Jarrol moaned sickly, wavering queezily as his squinted eyes peered up toward the heavens, noticing the dull sky above, "They're even content with living beneath all these mountains- they hope to steal the sun away from me as well…"

He shivered as he returned his attention to the bridge ahead of them, his eyes shooting open as a small, blue-bodied creature scampered their way, Jarrol's body instinctively falling against the back of his seat as though having been confronted with a wild boar. The Zora child's feet sent a rhythmic pitter-patter into the air as he slowed his run, his eyes widening as well at the sight of strangers. He slowed to a walk, with only his head raising to follow the eyes of the human watching him, the Zora's mouth gaping open in awe of the sight, despite the Hylian's perceived fright.

In a split second, the Zora child grinned before raising his arms and ejecting a childishly loud, "Rawr!"

"AH!" Jarrol shouted, jumping back against his cousin, who only burst into laughter at the sight.

The child snickered before breaking into a run once again, skittering along the bridge back toward the mainland where the wagon had previously come from, Jarrol sliding back into his seat as he clutched his chest, breathing deeply, "Was it your sister's intention to have me killed?!"

Lall chuckled heartily, "One can't know such things, dear cousin. Please, though; if you might embarrass us once we arrive, cover yourself with a shawl or something- we're more or less representing Hylia itself with how little these people interact outside their borders. If they think we all scare as easily as you, who knows what might come of it."

"Oh, yeah," Jarrol nodded sarcastically, wrapping himself in the shawl beside him anyway, "The creatures who live hidden from the sun most certainly want our lands. You know how much of my business comes from shipping out that jelly Zora's use to cover themselves with? I have no financial reason to want people ill, that's for sure."

Lall threw his head over his shoulder, examining their wagon-load of supplies, "You didn't happen to bring any with us, did you?"

"One or two cartons," Jarrol explained, "I figured I might could sell some while we were here. Why?"

Lall chuckled, "Just on the off chance we're bartering for our lives, it'd be nice to have stock of something they'd want."

Jarrol buried his face beneath the shawl so as to hide his expression, though Lall smirked at what he could still see of his cousin's shaking head, "You're the worst, cousin…"

Turning to his bodyguard, Lall spoke up, "It's all in fun, good sir, I assure you."

Link did little more than nod.

"Well, we're coming up on the main landing of Zora's Domain," Lall explained, reaching down for the invoice that remained desperately clutched within his cousin's hand, "You said you'd done this before?"

"Yes," Link answered, distantly, "They know me well here."

Lall nodded, "Alright, I'll hold you to that, then. I apologize if I'm unfamiliar with their customs."

Link turned a blank face up toward him, "Just don't stare too long and you'll do just fine. They aren't able to wear much clothing because of their skin, so they're wary of outsiders doing such things."

"I didn't- Ah, that explains earlier," Lall confirmed, stroking his light beard.

Link's face remained unchanged, "They'd do much worse than me."

As he finished, Link's gait increased as he approached the guards who'd already been alerted to their guest's appearance. Lall smoothed out the invoice before yanking at his horse's reins, slowing them to a stop as Link and the guard approached him, Lall catching only the latter part of their conversation.

"-and I can leave them in your care?" Link finished.

The Zoran guard nodded, though Lall spoke up, "H-Hey! I thought I hired you to-"

"You didn't hire me," Link muttered, interrupting him, before turning to leave further into the Domain, "Tovar here will ensure your safety."

Lall went slightly pale at the mention of the tall Zoran guard who nodded at being mentioned, "Okay, well- Here's the invoice. The King wanted to make sure you were all well considered when it came to this last harvest- such a major surplus that hadn't been seen in years, apparently."

Tovar nodded as he ran his eyes down the list, "Alright. and what's that contraption beside you?"

Lall turned to find his cousin, still hidden, shaking up a storm as he sat there.

"It looks like it's about to explode or something…" Tovar muttered suspiciously, leaving Lall to frown unhappily.

He reached an arm around his cousin's shoulders and pulled him against him, "Not at all- this is Jarrol, my cousin! He's just, uh… Well, he's considerately placed himself beneath this fabric here, it seems."

"Uh huh," Tovar nodded slowly, "You won't take offence if I should keep an eye on you, correct?"

"Not at all!" Lall exclaimed, "Your home, your rules."

Tovar gave a final nod before turning back, waving the wagon along as Lall slapped at his horses, signaling them to move along, hearing Tovar's voice above the clopping of hooves atop the pristine platform they trailed upon, "Good to see you've arrived in due time. My liege has prepared a return shipment of the finest sea life for you to return with- I'd hate for it to go bad on your way back."

"O-Oh," Lall replied, unsurely, "Not- Not at all; I'd hate for that as well…"

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Atop one of the Domain's sleekly ascendant pathways, two crimson legs dangled above the rest of this place, gently rocking back and forth, both pairs of toes daintily pulling in and out in a rhythmic sort of pattern, in time with the gently high humming from above where Lady Mipha's head swayed, side to side, her eyes listlessly staring down at the book in her hands. She had a pencil cupped between the book and her hand, mulling around words in her mind as she hummed musically to herself, recalling a tune her mother would often sing when she'd been taken to the peaks of Zorana to bathe in the sun, an activity that would often render her sleepily lazy as she curled up atop one of the rocks she'd decided to warm herself in. Her mother would stay by her side, keeping watch, and lulling her child through endless dreams.

Mipha would often hum this tune at times of distress or depression, often using it as a means to calm herself, quelling much anything that found her heart in need of comfort or assurance. In this case, her birthday was barely days away, yet there were two people absent from the festivities that would soon take hold of the Domain. It might not have been her first birthday without her mother, yet it still tugged on her heart whenever any big event would take place- her mother was often the fairest and most grand of all the Zora, and her absence was sorely noticed by all, particularly her family.

She pulled her pencil to the page, her lips pulling to one side in bitterness as she finished her thought, "…at least my dearest brother hasn't known this sorrow."

Sighing gently, she closed her diary, putting it off to one side as she reached her arms behind her, reclining slightly as she stared up toward Polymus Mountain, thinking of her younger days that seemed so far away now. Inevitably, those memories would nearly always include the other person whose absence she greatly missed- that of the warrior boy, Link, she'd first admired as a child and had grown to love as he'd grown older.

Her lips curled upward in a gently mischievous grin as she recalled the days before that first arrival of his where she'd fallen in love with him. She was presumed to be wedded to a rather prestigious Zora, and although she hadn't many qualms about this arrangement, she recalled the rationale that tortured her in those days before she saw that Hylian again.

"If he's taller than me this time…" she mused to herself, laughing as light as a Princess might be expected to sound in politeness, "…only then will I allow my heart to be his."

Of course, as soon as she'd found out about this particular development, she hastily, yet delicately, removed herself from her original suitor; though, to be in love with a Hylian, while not principle frowned upon, it was all but unheard of when it came to Zoran royalty. The two would go on to be perceived as good, strong friends, yet behind the scenes, the two had grown far closer.

It was due to this that Mipha's heart fell this day, nearing her birthday without her dear knight. That grin from earlier dissolved, following her eyes' lead as her brow furrowed in sadness, thinking of Link with a wistful heart.

She turned to reach for her diary, her heart nearly pouring sadly from within her, though her hand was met with nothing but the metallic sheen of the Domain's staging, her head slightly turning to allow her eyes a chance to find her book, though in a split second, they jumped up toward the man standing nearby, leaning against one of the platform's spires with his hands in his pockets, a knowing smile shown beneath his golden hair.

"I wouldn't let your height dictate my love for you," Link spoke, shrugging boyishly, referring to the gentle words that had managed to leave Mipha's lips just moments earlier.

Her eyes broke open with a blinding speed as she hopped onto her feet, leaping across the platform to eliminate their distance, the two of them embracing the other tightly, with Mipha's adoration breaking free of her throat, "Link! You made it!"

"Of course I did," he smiled, running his arm up and down her sleek back, "I just needed a reason to get away from my King's direction- he's been pretty strict about getting everybody ready and willing after that Akkalan thing. I caught wind of a shipment coming this way, so I made myself its bodyguard, and here I am, right on time."

Mipha's head pulled away, though their arms remained wrapped around one another, "A shipment? Will you be here for three days?"

Shrugging, Link answered, "I'll come up with something to stall for time. They don't seem like two guys who'll shy away from a festival, so maybe they'll just hang around. I'll give your father my word of their trustworthiness."

Content with his explanation, Mipha rushed to bury her face into the crick of his shoulder once again, too hasty to catch her head brushing against Link's neck, causing his body to shiver as his knees dipped, his head falling against her as he spoke up through a ticklish gasp of chuckles, "Ah, cold as always."

Shocked, Mipha pulled away, though Link's arms prevented her from doing so, her face quickly opening in fright, "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Link assured, pulling her closer, "I was just surprised, is all. It hasn't stopped us from holding one another before, has it?"

Mipha frowned, "Someone might think you'd get smart and find somebody who conflicts less with your biology."

Link's head fell closer to her's, their eyes meeting as he spoke, "You have a heart, just like me. That's all I need to know. That, and I know you can handle polearms better than anybody in this world; I know you can protect yourself. What makes you think I would have continued coming here if not for-"

As he spoke, Mipha's face had slowly turned and pressed itself against his chest, her grip around him tightening at his attempts at flattery. Link paused and merely held her, silently, continuing to rub her back with his arm, his thumb zig-zagging along her side as it went. A gently hum escaped Mipha as she remained that way, Link's warmth fully encompassing her in this way, her body readily accepting his offer.

"I love your warmth…" she murmured almost sleepily, "I missed it so much."

Link could only smile, "I kind of missed sharing it, to be honest."

Her eyes opened into narrow slits, peering off into the distance as she now pressed her cheek into his chest, "It's not as warm as the sun, but…it's different. Something you can't get from any Zora."

With nothing in the way of a reply to such a statement, all Link could offer was a quick kiss atop her sleek head, simply allowing her to take from him the warmth he was all too ready to share with her. It was something in the way of the physical that the two could partake in, and as such, it was something they both, especially Mipha, enjoyed.

[danowsawawrites]

'The Scales That Bind’ - A Breath of the Wild Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Into a Far Foreign Land

Link flipped through what remained of a tattered notebook as he walked alongside the austere wagon that rolled alongside him, two soldiers sitting at its fore, chattering amongst themselves as they guided the horses along the winding pathway of Zorana, oftentimes not even having a road to guide them. Link stopped at one of the small pages as he looked up to notice Zora's Domain in the distance, hurriedly sliding the book into his pocket as he looked over his shoulder, making sure nobody happened to be following them.

"Pretty uneventful, eh, sir?" one of the riders asked, leaning down toward Link, who's eyes turned upward to him.

He nodded, "Can't complain."

The rider gave a jovial laugh as he swung his body back up into his seat, jabbing his co-pilot with an elbow and leaning toward him, speaking quietly, "Heh heh, he talks to me, Jarrol! I'd say he knows who's truly leading this expedition into Zorana!"

He gave a playfully snickering laugh as he reoriented himself, gaily leaning his head back and forth, proudly showing off his pride at actually being addressed by the 'soldier without words'. His counterpart, Jarrol, merely remained fixated on the invoice, his eyes never ceasing their scrutiny of the thick parchment, even during one of his cousin's lively jabs at his status as 'co-pilot'.

Jarrol did eventually speak up, drolly, "Or he just understands who the King tasked with this run."

"Bah!" his cousin, Lall, exclaimed, forgetting their bodyguard was barely a few feet away, "Who wouldn't want a word with the premiere shipping captain of Hyrule? Look- Look at me!"

He leaned toward Jarrol, turning his face up and touching his chin, "If this doesn't look like the face of one who gives good audience, why, I wouldn't know what this world is coming to!"

Jarrol cracked an uncharacteristic, sneering grin, "Reminds me of a face that's only good for receiving a swift kick, cousin."

Lall scoffed, rolling his eyes as he returned to his seat, "Ev'ryone's a critic. I'll tell you, I've got a wife at home, and I assure you, it wasn't due to my swift feet that caught her heart. She saw me from across that bar, and boom, she'd been caught, with nothing more for me to do than reel her in."

"Or," Jarrol shrugged, dropping his hands into his lap as he shot his cousin a wry stare, "Perhaps she was merely wondering what an old brute such as yourself was doing in a bar frequented by young people."

Lall eyed him back with a critiquing sort of stare, holding onto an expression of anger before cracking a grin and laughing, throwing his body backward over the back-end of their seat, a boisterously jovial chortle breaking into the atmosphere as his body shook happily. He finally reached an arm around his cousin, pulling him close and offering an approving pat on his arm.

"You're too much sometimes, cousin!" he nearly shouted, "It's that sort of humor that compelled me to bring you on as my second!"

Knowing he'd only cracked but three jokes in the time he'd even been with his cousin, as he'd counted, Jarrol unenthusiastically leaned away, trying to escape Lall's grasp, "Good thing I'm good at book-keeping too. You still don't realize how dangerously close you were riding that line that crosses into bankruptcy, do you?"

"Bah, life's too short, Jarrol. You let those things work their way out- otherwise, you merely waste-"

Jarrol sighed, "If by 'work their way out' you mean your poor sister came running to my side in order to procure my services, then yes, things seemed to have worked their way out. Not even considering that I turned down quite a lucrative position within the Court simply on the words of that poor girl you insist on worrying with your spending."

"You worry, you worry!" Lall replied, turning the other way and hunching off the side of his wagon as he gave Link a hopeful stare, "A soldier such as yourself should know a little something about that!"

Link remained peering ahead, his eyes nearly fixated on the city before them that stood above the waterfalls. Lall frowned, returning to his seat, only to notice his cousin's grin as Jarrol eyed the invoice once more, "I'm sure 'audience' means something different to you as well, correct?"

Lall mumbled something to himself as the wagon swung around onto a bridge that crossed the river, taking them to the opposing bank, which also forced Link to hasten his steps so that he stood beside the horses instead of the wagon, making himself seen to any Zora that might be on patrol down here. Never had he accompanied a wagon down these parts without being severely checked by some young Zora soldier. Jarrol failed to notice their passing into heavily Zora territory, but Lall leaned forward, his head raised up to gaze upon the serenely curved cliffs surrounding them, as if thinking they'd rain down soldiers upon them.

Link could sense the horse beside him growing anxious, so he reached up to pet its side in an attempt at calming it, though before he could bring his arm back to his side, he lifted it up into the sky, signaling Lall to halt his advance, which he did. Jarrol looked up from his scroll as well, scanning the area to find nothing out of the sort. He turned to his cousin, unsurely, speaking normally.

"Why the stop?"

Lall shrugged, "I was instructed to direct my horses off a cliff were I told to do so by this man. If he say stop, I stop."

His eyes trailed down the river, narrowing suspiciously as he spoke up, quietly, "Although, if you've ever encountered a Zora… They tend to make a habit of hiding in plain sight…"

Jarrol nearly felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he leaned forward, examining the area with increased caution, though still finding nothing. As the two men turned around to examine the path they'd come from, they both hopped up in shock, hearing the wind now behind them whipping as something moved fast enough to break through the atmosphere. They returned to find a Zora crouched on the ground, its hands placed atop the ground before it slowly slithered upward in a delicate stance, its helmet rising up to reveal a sleekly blue body.

"I hope you don't take offense," the Zora spoke in a masculine voice, "I'm kind of hoping you three don't have papers."

Link eyed the soldier with darkened eye, though his glare broke as he reached a hand up toward the two others, silently, simply keeping his fingers open in retrieval. Still a bit shaken, the two only looked at his hand with confusion, though soon enough, Lall composed himself, grasping the sheet of paper out of Jarrol's lap and handing it to Link, who accepted it quite readily before approaching the Zora.

"Damn," the Zora groaned through a devious grin, "I was hoping to finally have a reason to draw a sword before the great knight of Hyrule. I suppose that will come another time, though."

Link allowed a wry sort of smile escape him as the Zora, Zevan, waved him off, "Oh, nonsense; I know who you are. I've often wondered if your King sends you along on these supply runs simply on the off-chance your men are less than competent and lose their papers."

"Hey!" Lall shouted, raising a defiant fist into the air, "I take offense to that!"

Zevan smirked, leaning closer toward Link, "You've got a lively one today."

"That implies the ability to derive pleasure from such a person," Link frowned, "I'd say 'loud mouth' more than anything…"

"Hmm hmm," Zevan laughed behind closed lips, leaning to the side to glimpse the entirety of the wagon, now speaking absently, "No wonder you prefer the company of us Zora. You know, our princess' birthday celebration is just in a few days, and Trello has already proclaimed it to be the biggest and brightest-"

Link interrupted him, nearly stingingly, "I'm only here on business."

Zevan watched him skeptically, though quickly shrugged with indifference, "I understand. My apologies; I'm often inundated with many Hylians roaming these parts merely to catch a glimpse of either the princess or any young lady of our people."

His eyes turned up toward the two men atop the wagon, unamused, "I forget some of you still retain some sense of respect."

Link turned to find the target of Zevan's innocuous glance, "I'd be far too afraid to inspire the ire of anybody on the Royal Guard."

"Good answer," Zevan cocked a grin, stepping out of the way, "I do not wish to keep you, so make haste. I assure you, nobody will come after you."

Link gave a deep bow in thanks before returning to the wagon's side, scratching the closer horse's neck as he passed, knocking near Lall's feet to signal his permission to advance. He did so, though only with the most skeptical of glances toward Zevan as he kept his head low, already untrusting of the man. Jarrol, in kind, grabbed the second copy of the invoice and began examining it once again, trying to alleviate his nerves in this way.

"I've never trusted those things," Lall muttered, immediately shattering his cousin's attempts at calmness, "Always hiding in their mountains back here, never leaving. It's always made me think they're up to something. and they have the nerve to rouse their own King?"

Jarrol slapped his leg in frustration, turning to his cousin, "Lall, please! I've enough rattling around in my brain right now!"

Lall turned toward him, his fry face turning fluidic as he grinned, "No worries, cousin- the women are said to strike even the stoniest of men's hearts with such waters that they immediate erode in balmy iridescence!"

"I've never been more ashamed of your hipocracy than at this very moment…" Jarrol queasily groaned, leaning forward as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, "Just thinking how quickly that thing back there could have shoved a spear through me…"

Lall laughed, "My cousin! Why else would I have hired this bodyguard were it not to protect us from such slights?!"

Jarrol's eyes fell into narrow slits, his hand quickly reaching into a sturdy box and pulling out a sheet of paper, scrutinizing it quickly before murmuring, "I've gone over this list of expenses, and nowhere was there a bodyguard fee. Why didn't you tell me?!"

Nervously, Lall's hand reached behind his head, chuckling, "W-Well, because he wasn't hired. He simply volunteered, pretty quickly after I'd reported that I was making this trip, as a matter of fact."

"Ohhhnoooo," Jarrol gasped sickeningly as he keeled over once again, compressing his stomach, "A free bodyguard. You always know what to say to keep me in the throes of distress… How your sister puts up with you, cousin…"

Lall only happily jabbed his side with a boyish energy, "Come now, Jarrol, just think of how rare it is for us Hylians to even be this deep into Zorana! If we play our cards right, who knows, we may be rather deep into something a tad more enjoya-!"

A tuft of his clothing immediately gathered, yanking him from his spot and clear off the wagon, only stopping as his head fell upside down, with only his midsection and legs atop the wagon. He breathed deeply as his heart raced, suddenly recognizing his bodyguard's intense stare as the world around him slowed from its dizzying haze. Link held him up with a powerful grasp at his collar, though refrained from performing what he'd have liked, which would have been dropping him completely from his vehicle.

Instead, he spoke critically, his steps remaining in-time with the horses, "Another one of those comments, and not only will you no longer have a bodyguard, but you'll have to be quick to replace him, considering what I'd be aiming to do to you."

Lall bit his bottom lip frighteningly, just managing a quick nod from his unusual position before Link threw him back up onto the wagon, leaving the wagon's pilot to remain disheveled as he tried to collect himself, the entire experience having been severely disorienting to his nerves. Jarrol, on the other hand, found relief as he gave a gentle chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief.

"'Audience' definitely means something different to you, brother," he opined, gleefully.