Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Kyou's War - Freedom

-Impa-

Impa had been on a mission to find a place for Zelda to hide. Her initial thought was a hut in the middle of nowhere, or to camp out in the woods with a few helpers; however, after what she had just witnessed in the teens, she was developing another plot.

It would require utmost secrecy and speed but could ensure victory over Prince Kyou.

With that in mind, Impa entered the village and investigated who owned the slaves. Her search led her to the mayor's house. By Impa's standards, he was very poor, barely living above the household standards of a common man in a lesser city. Farmers and plantation owners had separate standards than nobles. Standards most nobles think are beneath them, making this place invisible to their eyes.

Perfect.

"Welcome, Minister Impa," The man bowed low. His wife and sons and daughters did the same. They stumbled over themselves nervously, but Impa just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Mayor."

"May I ask what someone of such importance is doing in my humble home?"

"My mission is not for you to know," She gazed around the building. She nodded to herself and returned her attention to him. "I was passing through, but I have come across something interesting and wished to talk with you about it."

"With pleasure! Ask, and your humble servant shall answer." The man ushered the children away.

"It is about the slave I encountered on my way here. She said her name was Midna."

"Yes, she is a slave in my household."

"Tell me about her. She has piqued my interest."

The man hesitated, "Are you sure this is the purpose of your visit? A slave?"

"I understand it may seem inconsequential to you. You manage a plantation, and I help oversee the country and have the heir's ear. What can one slave be compared to all that? Know that with what my position entails, I am not required to explain. Tell me about her. Did you buy her on the slave market?"

In the meantime the man's wife busied herself preparing tea and shuffling through pantries for something appropriate. The tea was nothing compared to what Impa was used to, but she took it graciously, and the buttered bread was presumably a special treat they ate only on rare occasions.

The man gulped and collected his thoughts. Impa allowed it while she sipped the drink.

In these times there were two forms of slavery. The first was welcoming into your home a person who could not live on their own, such as an immigrant, orphan, elder, or debtor; and in return for taking care of all of their needs indefinitely, they would serve the family. The second form of slavery was through kidnapping and selling on the market. The former was meant as social welfare. The latter was a crime punished with death.

Regrettably, it was difficult to distinguish between the two. Criminals would frequently be sold as slaves, people taken as pillage by armies when a city is taken, and with it considered a crime to not pay your taxes the combination of being a debtor and criminal was a further grey line. This problem was further compounded by corruption in the government and a lack of laws protecting slaves.

"I have two slaves: Link and Midna. I did not buy them but accepted them into my home. Link was brought here as a babe by a soldier from the army, and Midna's mother, Sei, died with a debt passed on to the girl. I welcomed both of them into my home. I have raised them well and planned to allow Midna to marry one of my sons."

Impa raised an eyebrow. For this slave to be given the chance to marry outside of her status, she would indeed have been well-loved by the community.

"I am happy on her behalf," Impa said neutrally. "I saw her fighting with a young man. Did you train her to wield a sword?"

"No," He smiled nervously. "That was all Link's doing. He has it in his head that he is the son of a great general and so will be one himself one day. He has grown spirited because of it. With the two of them raised together as siblings, well, it is understandable for that spirit to rub off on her. I-If you desire it, I can have her stop!"

"No need. It was just a passing curiosity. What I think more important is the identity of her parents. You said her mother is 'Sei'? What of the father?"

"Well, the father was a passing merchant and gave Midna, by adoption, to Sei here as he said the birth mother had passed. Sei lived here all of her life. As well as her mother before her and her mother's mother before her." He told her the names of the family tree, but none of the names ringed a bell. They were ordinary people.

Impa considered the information. It fit comfortably into her plan, as there seemed to be no loose ends to worry about. She smiled, "In that case, Mayor. I would like to satisfy her debt on for you, and employ her into the palace."

The man's eyes widened until Impa was afraid for a moment his eyes would fall out of their sockets. The wife dropped the pot she was holding. Impa also heard gasps from outside the door from whatever children were listening in.

Impa could understand their shock. Only the wealthy could afford formal education. Among the educated, only the smartest could hope to pass the test necessary to be employed into the palace's service as an official. Impa heard only one passed out of every thousand to undertake the test even among the wealthy who could afford the education.

The palace's servants were the sons and daughters of noble houses. The cooks were handpicked from around the world. The royal harem was the daughters of the greatest houses of Qin or was the most beautiful and erotic of the nation gathered together by the harem. The guards were all elite veterans with years of war experience and prestigious service to the nation, or as said were the sons of noble houses.

Midna was the slave daughter of a nobody who couldn't handle her debt. Midna didn't hold a candle to the lowest of the Palace's workers, not in this world.

"Mi-Midna?! Our Midna?" The man managed to force out. "Working in the royal palace?! Are you sure?"

"I am. Do you doubt the credibility of my words?"

"No-no, of course not! But-"

"Then let the matter be settled as truth. I wish to take Midna to Kanyou in service to the heir apparent."

The man accepted. Impa did not have the rupee on her but sealed a scroll with her official ring for him to be paid in full. The talk had barely lasted a few minutes, and she had not journeyed far from where she had met the slaves, so her horse-drawn carriage bought her just enough time to finish the conversation before the two slaves entered the house. Midna looked aggravated with Link. They bickered their way in. Impa could recognize how they were like siblings.

The mayor jumped up as the teens entered, and rushed to them, "Midna! Come, sit!"

"But my chores-"

"Never mind them! Minister Impa wants to talk to you!"

Midna gasped, "You're a Minister?!"

"Well, nice to meet you," Link stepped forward. "The answer is: yes. I'm ready to leave this place when you are. I have nothing to pack!"

Impa wasn't sure what he was going on about, but she didn't get the chance to answer. The mayor shoved Link out the door. Link resisted, but his protest fell on deaf ears. More literally when the door shut in his face.

The mayor ushered Midna to the table and after having her sit, then started to explain. He was rolling all over himself trying to explain it right, and the slave girl was rendered speechless by what she managed to piece together. However, she took it well.

"So, Link and I would work at the palace?"

"Not Link, you," Impa clarified.

"Would I be freed or stay a slave?"

Impa wasn't sure how to answer that. It could decide the fate of Qin, and so Impa did not want to allow even the slightest chance for the girl to refuse. As such Impa did not want to say she was free at all, but rather would be taken care of.

Zelda would not want it to be done that way.

Impa sighed. She put down the teacup, "What is entailed is incredibly important, and is equally dangerous. As such I will allow you the respect of choosing. As of this moment you are free by my authority. Any argument with that?" It was technically Impa's choice now that she had bought Midna, but she wanted the girl's input. Midna lost her breath a moment. "Now if you accept, you will accept the work as a free woman. If you refuse, you will refuse as a free woman, and there will be only minor repercussions."

"M-minor what?"

"Punishment. Or namely, a verdict."

Midna gulped, "And what would that be?"

Impa looked her dead in the eye. She enunciated every word with a tap of her finger. "That you never. Ever. Enter politics. If you do, then let's say: No one will find your body."

The mayor looked between them worriedly as the tone shifted. Despite the threat of death, Midna smiled, "Then I have nothing to fear. If I don't accept then it is because I want to stay out of politics, to begin with."

The heavy threat evaporated. Impa smiled as if she hadn't just threatened the girl, "It is good that we understand each other."

"Are you sure you don't want Link? I mean, he is impolite and brash and he may not look it, but he is strong and dependable. You would have more use from him. I'm just me."

"And that is exactly why this offer extends to you. The task can only be done by you. This doesn't include him," Midna looked down at her hands as Impa spoke. "If you are having second thoughts-"

"No. No need," Midna looked back up and met Impa's gaze. "I accept."

Impa held the girl's gaze to ascertain her seriousness. She nodded, rose, and patted herself off, "Well, Midna. You better say your goodbyes. I see no reason to tarry any longer."

"We are leaving right now?"

"Yes. I will wait, but don't take too long."