Forest Origin

Chapter 4

Silence filled the air as all of the Nirin stared at Wolf, still in belief at what they had just discovered. With hundreds of eyes focused on her, Wolf shifted on her feet uncomfortably, even taking another step back. Soon an idea came to Zelda's mind and she stepped forward, despite the protests of the soldiers behind her.

"Queen Rose, I have a proposition for you. If you call off your army then I'll allow you to come into the castle and we can continue to discuss this without the need for violence."

Rose glanced at Zelda and then back at Wolf. Just entering a castle that she didn't know about? This seemed like a trap.

The Hylian princess was quick to notice her hesitation. "If it makes you more comfortable, you may bring a few knights of your choice for your protection. But the rest will have to return to your kingdom."

Rose sighed and nodded. This might be the only chance she has at finding out a solution to all this. "I'll bring Lapis and Raven with me." she then turned to address the rest of the Nirin army. "Everyone else go home. This won't take long."

Slowly but surely the opposing army began to retreat from Castle Town's streets. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Zelda led everyone and their new guests inside Hyrule Castle.

During the walk, Rose glanced over at Wolf occasionally, watching her sheath her sword. There was a brief moment when their eyes met but the second Rose tried to move closer, Wolf moved closer to one of the knights that came with her and the princess.

This was wrong. Her own sister shouldn't view her as a threat.

Once they made it to the throne room, Zelda spoke up. "Queen Rose, you claim that Wolf is your elder sister yes? Aside from the photo, is there any further proof you can show us?"

"Further proof?" Rose echoed in question. "But you've already acknowledged that the one in the photo and the one standing here with us are the same person. What further proof do you need?"

"Since Wolf can't speak for herself in this matter, I'd like more than one photo to confirm this."

Rose hesitated a little before pulling out another picture she had with her. Probably not what they were hoping for but it was the only other thing she had. "This is the most recent family photo we took... with our parents."

Zelda studied the photo given to her before handing it over to Wolf. "Does this stir any memories for you?"

Wolf took the picture. There she saw herself and Rose standing side by side. Behind them was a man with black hair and brown eyes and a woman with red hair and pink eyes. All of them in fancy garb that only royalty would wear. Wolf still couldn't get over seeing herself with long hair.

But despite all that, no old memories resurfaced no matter how much she stared at the picture. It was just as if someone handed her a random picture. Wolf gave it back, shaking her head. "No, nothing rings a bell."

Zelda nodded, handing the picture back to Rose. It was a small chance that Wolf would remember something but a chance nonetheless. "Can you tell us how you lost our friend here?" she asked Rose.

"It was the night before her coronation." Rose began. "All of a sudden, our kingdom was attacked by these strange dark beasts. Despite our knights' best efforts, they managed to storm into the castle. Our mother and father, King Claude and Queen Kiera..." the words caught in her throat for a moment as the events replayed in her mind. "They died protecting us. And Blythe..."

Rose looked over at Wolf. "You somehow managed to distract the beast that came after us. The attack lasted all night. When the sun rose, the beasts disappeared suddenly. All this time, the whole kingdom was searching for Blythe. Some believed that she was dead but I didn't want to believe that until we saw a body."

"And with no one else to take the throne, you became the queen of Nirin." Zelda guessed.

Rose nodded.

"So all those injuries Wolf had when we first found her with Ghost... they really weren't from anything human." Green noted.

"Guess that beast I chased off was the one she was luring away from Nirin and she got her head injury during the chase." Ghost added as she crossed her arms.

Rose then looked over at the mage apprentice. "Can you show me where exactly you found my sister?" she asked.

"Only if you don't try anything and keep your distance from my friend."

The response caused Rose to frown. "By now, you know our stories line up. I'm not lying about what I said. I've proven that who you've been calling Wolf is my sister Blythe. I shouldn't be kept from her any longer."

"You're still a stranger to her though." Blue mumbled.

Zelda shot a warning glance at Blue before returning her attention to Rose. "What my friend means to say is that unless Wolf remembers something, she'll continue to have her guard up." she explained. "Your appearance here was... rather sudden to put it lightly. We just ask that you don't force anything upon her. My knights here have spent quite a lot of time with her and see her as a good friend. They'll be compelled to defend her if they sense any danger."

"Alright." Rose sighed.

"In the meantime, it's rather late. Ghost can show you where Wolf was found in the morning. You'll be allowed to stay here for the night... but supervised."

As soon as Zelda said that, a small group of soldiers approached the three Nirin girls, asking for their weapons. Lapis surrendered her trident, Raven surrendered her spear, and though with some hesitation, Rose surrendered her bow. Wolf couldn't help but notice how intricately designed the bow was. Having a vine pattern carved into the wood and lined with small emeralds.

Once their weapons were confiscated, they were escorted into a room. Rose gave Wolf one last glance before disappearing deeper into the castle. Wolf stared back.

She had a younger sister... and apparently was a lost princess of a kingdom known as Nirin. How was she supposed to wrap her head around something like that?

Though Wolf couldn't even attempt to do such a thing before Green tapped her shoulder.

"How about you and Ghost stay at our place for tonight?" he suggested. "Just to make sure that nothing happens between now and in the morning."

Ghost nodded. "We'll take you up on that offer."

Wolf nodded as well. Once they were all on the same page, they all began making their way to their resting places for the night.