The Scoundrels of Virtue

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Lorcan grimaced at the sting in his shoulder, turning about to try and keep an eye on each rider and failing. Those birds moved too quickly, and the arrows were raining down on them. He backed up to dodge an arrow and almost tripped over Maia, who'd curled into a tiny ball, shaking and apparently praying to the goddesses for help.

Torianna was right; they needed a better tactic than simply waving their weapons about. Sure, they could deflect some of the arrows but they were still on the defensive. 

Lorcan looked to Cheval, who had his knife in one hand and the rod in the other, holding it close to him. Lorcan frowned at it for a second, sidestepping to dodge another arrow. He tapped Torianna on the shoulder, trying to catch her attention.

"What do you want?" she asked, not looking at him but at least acknowledging him. "Got an idea?"

Lorcan took her shoulder, pulling her out of the way of a flying arrow and shoving her toward Cheval, jabbing his fingers at the rod the thief held. Torianna seemed confused for a moment, but then her face cleared and she gave Cheval a shake. 

"What is it?" the blonde man asked. 

"Your rod! Wave it around or something! It's got to help somehow!"

Lorcan lifted his sword in time to swipe an arrow away, and then stopped to look around when a noise of confusion and surprise escaped Cheval. Lorcan could only hope it was a good sign.

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Endeal was drawn away from the barrage of arrows by Cheval's gasp of astonishment. In front of the dumbstruck thief, several arrows were now floating in midair and pointing away from them, as if the rod had claimed its dominion over them. "Swipe it again!" Endel shouted his guess at Cheval, and after doing so, the controlled arrows shot out back toward their previous owners with incredible speed. As if struck by lightning, four of the Kargarok mounts were batted out of the sky by returning arrow-fire, leaving just two.

 

Spooked by the attack that seemed to come from nowhere, the last two birds and their archers retreated. Everyone cheered and gave a sigh of relief as they realized nobody had been seriously injured, though Maia looked like she was going to faint. "Hey, we made it! You can... oh..." Endel's enthusiasm faltered as the maid collapsed, followed by a groan from Cheval. "The lady didn't even try to thank me. Rather improper if you ask me..." He grumbled, but Endel just rolled his eyes as he set to bandaging her up.

"She's our responsibility, and she doesn't owe us a single courtesy." he warned the senior thief.

 

Completely unscathed, Skallin got to work bandaging Lorcan's shoulder as per Torianna's instructions, who herself was being tended to by the silent guard. After Maia was taken care of Endel and Cheval took turns quietly patching each other up, and soon they were ready to go again were it not for the unconscious Maia. "We could leave her here, maybe Shad can take care of her?" Torianna said jokingly, but Lorcan gave her one of his nasty glares in response. There was nothing to do but wait a few minutes.

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Eventually, Maia gently opened her eyes, sitting upright slowly. "What happened?" she muttered softly.

"You collapsed..." Endel replied, reaching out to support her. "I think it must have been fright... there was a battle?"

"Oh..." she whispered, her cheeks flushing red. "You must think me an awful coward..."

Sounds about right, Torianna thought to herself, though she didn't voice it aloud.

"Of course not," Endel replied. "Do you think you can stand?"

Maia nodded slowly, and he helped her to her feet. He supported her as the group began to progress away from the large tree and the complex set of zip wires and swinging ropes. They followed Lorcan, who was presumably leading them in the direction of some kind of hospitality - the evening would be drawing in soon and they'd need a place to stay.

Torianna walked beside Lorcan, but stopped still as they passed by an abandoned merchant stall. And empty pot sat over a smouldering bonfire - but it was something hung on the wooden wall behind it that caught Torianna's eye.

"There's no merchant around..." Cheval said. "If you want to nab some of that oil, now's a good time."

"No, look!" she replied, dashing over to the stand and ripping down the poster. The corners tore a little from the pins stuck into them, but the poster was still completely legible. She held it up for the others to see, and watched the shocked expressions fall over their faces.

"Missing," Cheval read aloud. "First maid to Princess Zelda: Maia, 18, blonde hair, grey eyes... Kidnapped by bandits... If you see anything suspicious, report it to the Hyrule Castle Guard immediately. There will be a large reward for any who can capture the culprits and return Maia safely."

By the time he finished, everyone had turned to stare at Maia in shock and disbelief. She blushed furiously under their gazes, squirming uncomfortably.

"You're Princess Zelda's personal maid?" Endel said incredulously.

"This is bad..." Cheval groaned. "We're in for it now."

Edited by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

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Lorcan stared at Maia in open surprise. He wouldn't have thought it...

"We should get out of here," Endel said. "And quickly. Back to Telma."

Lorcan nodded, taking off at a jog down the path home. Before she could do much else, Endel had picked Maia up and was carrying her on her back, moving steadily enough despite the extra weight.

Lorcan pressed on as fast as was possible, swinging along the various ropes and shuffling across tightropes, stopping after each one to check everyone was still there.

At last, they reached the entrance of the forest, breathing a sigh of relief. Endel set Maia down, and she ran as best as she could alongside him. As he jogged, though, Lorcan spotted a few silhouettes waiting at the entrance.

He signalled to Torianna with a hand to slow down a little, gesturing toward the new arrivals.

"Oh no," she groaned. "Oh, heaven help us."

The new group moved forward to greet them, their apparent leader at the forefront with a wicked smile on his face. Was it simply poor observation, or did he look a lot like-?

"Torianna," he said, jabbing a finger at her. "We've come to help you and this poor Maia from these awful Scoundrels."

"And just who are you?" Cheval asked.

"That's not really your concern," the young boy spoke. "All we want is Torianna, and Maia. I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement."

Without thinking, Lorcan stepped in front of Torianna, a hand on the hilt of his blade. If these people were who he thought they were, then it was best to keep them away from Torianna.

"Seems not," the boy sighed, before smiling maliciously. "Luckily, that's what we'd anticipated."

Before anyone could move, five figures leapt from above, throwing small Deku nuts that exploded upon hitting the ground, flashing brightly and rendering the group blind momentarily.

When his vision cleared, Lorcan looked about him quickly, sword drawn. But only he, Endel, Cheval and Skallin remained.

"What...?" Endel asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "Come on, we've gotta move out."

"Lets go!" Cheval agreed, and Lorcan wasted no time in making a dash out of the forest.

Who did this network think they were, taking Torianna and Maia like they were some sort of... some sort of property! He wouldn't stand for it.

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Endel tore through the jungle after the kidnappers. Although the fleeing criminals were out of sight, the sound of their feet told him and the rest of the group where they'd gone. Soon enough, everyone was out of the woods and back into the southern reaches of Hyrule Field. It was amazing how fast the other thieves could move despite having to drag Torianna and Maia along.

 

It was then of all times that the remaining Kargarok from earlier reappeared; Endel could hear their shrieks from behind as he ran. They gained distance quickly, but nobody even thought about stopping to mount a defense; their captured friends came first. Even so, they could hear the sound of the beasts getting closer... closer... the flap of their wings was becoming deafening...

 

And suddenly, they were passed by completely. Both Kargarok dived past Endel and the others before snatching up both abductors, Torianna, and Maia in their talons. Everyone stopped in shock as the monsters made their way toward Castle Town.

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Torianna's feet finally found solid ground as the beast released it's grip on her body. Jaydon grinned, reaching into his bag and unwrapping two pieces of raw meat which he then threw up. The vicious looking birds snatched the food up in their jaws, before flapping away. Torianna watched them fly away in disbelief, the network must have trained them somehow.

"Take her to Hyrule castle," Jaydon commanded, nodding towards Maia.

The other thief nodded, before taking the bemused looking maid by the arm. "Don't look so scared," he said softly, as if he were addressing a trembling child. "I'm taking you home." Maia looked weary, but nodded slowly. Torianna watched them go in silence, before turning to face her brother with a look that could kill.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she spat.

He gave her a soft, self assured smile. "Dad sent me to drag you away from those Scoundrels you've so suddenly taken to. He's pretty mad, Torianna."

"You think I don't know that?" she replied. "Why do you think I kept my distance?"

He laughed at that. "You realise that running away just made it worse? Because of that, Dad got in trouble with his superiors for letting his daughter mix with the Scoundrels! That's why we were sent out to fetch you. And plus... getting those Scoundrels into trouble with the Hylian monarchs like that is a nice little one up on them..."

"Maybe I didn't want to come home," she growled.

Jaydon sighed at that. "Maybe what you want doesn't matter." He grabbed her by the arm then, pulling her up the steps towards the house. She struggled for all her worth but her brother was stronger than her, despite the fact that he was a year younger.

When they neared the front door, he turned and gave her a serious glare. "Listen to me. There's two ways you can do this. Either you can carry on fighting like you are and have the network think of you as a traitor, which will likely make your situation much worse. Or, you can apologise to Dad, grit your teeth through the punishment and make your life a whole lot easier. It your choice, Tori."

She raised her chin indignantly, sharply stamping on Jaydon's foot. He glared at her as she spat "don't ever call me Tori." She felt an internal thrill of pride at her one last act of defiance.

Jaydon sighed heavily, pulled open the front door, and dragged her inside.

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Was she really going home? Back to the castle? Maia was scared of the thief that took her but the fear of being kidnapped was finally over! For the first time in a few days, she smiled. She could already see the castle. She was going home.

The thief didn't say anything when they reached the gates. He ran away, and Maia was left alone. Luckily, one of the guards saw her. 

"Quickly! It's Maia! The maid that was taken!" 

They brought her back into the castle, and she was told that she would have time to take a bath, put on some new clothes and eat something. When all of that was done, they would come to get her to question her about what happened, hoping to catch her kidnappers. 

Maia did what she was told, and she followed the guard to one of the rooms in the castle. 

"When will I see the Princess again?" she asked. 

The guard looked at her, surprised that she had spoken. "When we're done. Don't worry, it won't be long," he told her with an empathizing smile. 

Maia nodded. They sat down and the questioning began.

"What do you remember about their looks? Their names? How many were there?"

"Ehm, there were five, I think... We met some other people on the way..." Maia said, trying to remember.

"Okay, continue."

Maia had heard some names, but no one had actually introduced him or herself to her, so it might have been fake names.

"They never told me their names," she decided to answer.

The guard nodded in response.

When she came to their looks, Maia felt odd... Like she didn't want to tell the guard... She could almost slap herself, what was wrong with her? These people had kidnapped her! They had taken her, and used her to do something she didn't even know she was able to do. But something was haunting her... It was not that she had liked being out there, but it was the first time in forever that she had met new people...

She sighed, and chose to mix the truth and lies together.  "There were three girls and two boys... They wore clothes that made sure I couldn't see their faces, I think they were all around 20 years old...."

"Anything else?" 

Maia bit her lip. "No," she shook her head. "That was all." 

"Okay, if you remember antything else, let me know."

"I will." 

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"Agh! Where did they land?" Cheval demanded, narrowing his eyes.

"Wherever their damn hideout is," Endel replied, his breathing a little heavy. Obviously the two thieves weren't so used to having to run this far - their specialty was slinking about in the shadows.

It was then that Lorcan remembered the house he'd retrieved Torianna from before. Of course!

He tapped Endel on the shoulder, and when he had his attention he tapped the side of his head with a quick smile.

"Of course!" Endel said in response to the unspoken statement. "You lead the way, Lorcan. If we can get our hands on some horses along the way, that'd be handy too."

At that, the guard positioned himself at the forefront of the group, headed first to find horses. If he remembered, there was a stable close enough to Kakariko.

All he could do for now was hope that they'd be fast enough on their feet.

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"What I don't understand is why you would even follow the Scoundrels in the first place." Torianna watched in silence as her father paced back and forth in front of her, wringing his hands together. She'd barely said a word since she arrived in the house, she wasn't in any mood to. She couldn't understand why everyone in the network seemed to vehemently despise the Scoundrels of Virtue. They were a different kind of criminal to those which she'd encountered in the network... she didn't feel quite so ill-at-ease when they were around. What was the problem?

"What did they offer you?" her dad demanded, leaning over her. "What could they have given you that made you want to abandon the network?"

She took a deep breath. "They offered me nothing."

"Then why!" he snapped, raising his voice. "Do you have so little respect for this network, for me, that you thought you'd well and truly screw us all over?!" He took a step closer then, glaring down at her. So close up, Torianna could see the small wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and his few grey hairs. He was getting older, but he was still strong. She knew that he was more intelligent than he let on and that he could still over power even her brother if necessary.

"I don't think you realise the repercussions of your actions," he growled. "You couldn't understand the amount of heat I got for your little trip. Unless serious action is taken here, it puts me, your brother, and every criminal who works under our command at risk of becoming the laughing stock of the network." He turned to Jaydon then, sighing heavily. "I'll let you take care of her this time."

Jaydon looked surprised, but nodded, taking Torianna by the arm.

"And not down in the basement this time, her little friends know how to find her there. Put her in her own bedroom," he added before turning to look at Torianna. "I know it doesn't feel like it now, but you'll thank me for this later. My dad gave me the same treatment when I stepped out of line, and look what I became."

Torianna bit back the urge to spit a vicious stream of insults at him. She was sure she would never thank him for this - she'd do everything in her power to avoid ending up like her father.

Edited by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

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Everyone was exhausted by the time they reached Castle Town, but a sudden realization brought all of them to a halt; they were wanted men. It would be difficult to get to Torianna... and maybe impossible to get to Maia. Even so, Endel couldn't shake the feeling that their former captive was in grave danger... no good could come from anyone that seemed to be allied with monsters. 

 

"We need to split up." Cheval suggested. "Lorcan and Skallin, rescue Torianna. Endel and I will have to break into Hyrule Castle... somehow."

"You sound completely hopeless you know." Endel told him, but the other thief just glared for a moment.

"I'm so good at breaking into there, I can afford to make it up as we go along, that's all!"

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Lorcan was glad to have Skallin for company, instead of those thieves that never seemed to talk about anything worthwhile. Skallin remained silent as Lorcan, something the guard was extremely grateful for.

They reached the hideout Lorcan had rescued Torianna from before, and Lorcan's first instinct was to check the basement she'd been kept in before.

But when he checked, it was empty. He frowned, looking to Skallin with a little huff of impatience.

"They've likely moved the young lady somewhere a little further out of reach," the Darknut spoke up. "I imagine the young man leading the charge to retrieve them would be in charge of dealing with her, though I can't imagine how exactly he's doing so."

Lorcan's brow furrowed in something close to worry. Was she being isolated? Maybe they weren't feeding her, or they could be-

"Forgive me," Skallin interrupted his thoughts. "But I don't think now is the time to get worked up. It would be best to think this out as best as we can."

It took Lorcan a moment to realise that his fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white with the force. He took a deep breath, throwing Skallin an apologetic smile before nodding determinedly.

They were going to get Torianna out, one way or another.

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A stream of curse words tumbled from Torianna's lips as her brother finished tying her ankles into place. He shot her a disapproving glare from where he crouched in front of her chair.

"Did anyone ever tell you that it's unattractive for a lady to swear?" he asked, wearing a smug grin.

She spat another curse at him for that. He sighed in response, before picking up a simple white cloth which he then pressed over her mouth. "I told you, you should have just apologised to Dad. It might have saved you this whole ordeal," he said as he tied the knot behind her head. She protested furiously as her brother made his way over to the door, but all her words were garbled into nonsense.

Jaydon closed the door behind him, plunging the room into darkness thanks to the closed curtains. Torianna struggled and let out an angry growl. She was sick of this, and irritated beyond belief. She was a grown woman who had the right to chose her own allies and her own enemies. She shouldn't have to buckle under her fathers reign, she should be able to stand alone with out validation. And worst of all, she hated being caught like this. She hated having to sit and wait like some helpless damsel in distress until someone came to free her. It was degrading, but she didn't know what else she could do.

She took a deep breath to calm herself - she wasn't going to let herself cry. She would simply have to ride it out and hope that the scoundrels would come to find her before her father had a change of heart.

Edited by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

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Endel dashed along just inches behind the senior thief as they made their way along the buttresses of Hyrule Castle. Cheval moved as if this were all some well-choreographed dance, his feet almost gliding above the structures they traversed, so fast was his footing. Endel was not as competent for once, but the situation was too dire for him to make any more wisecracks. Along the way, they'd agreed the best course of action was to enter at the unguarded base of the tower, then look for someone that might know where the princess was being held.

 

Unfortunately, the second part of the mission was easier said than done, as most inhabitants were grouped together in their quarters or in the central council chamber for the afternoon. In a twist of irony (or perhaps fate), the thieves would have their best luck finding a stray guard in the dungeon and eavesdropping on them. "Best of luck with your search, I'll be up here ensuring you can escape." Cheval whispered.

"What'd you-" Before Endel could protest, he was all alone as his boss swooped off to another corner of the castle halls. Irked but left with no other choice, the young Scoundrel crept into the dungeon to find anything he could about Maia's hiding place.

 

A few minutes into his exploration Endel was nearly caught when an iron door screeched open and one of the castle guards walked out, and there in the middle of his room was Maia! As the man that seemed to be his replacement appeared, Endel nearly gasped; the ugly look on the man's face was all too familiar. It was the kidnapper from earlier, there was no doubt. Concerned for Maia's safety, he took a gamble and lurched toward the door just as the first guard wandered away and the disguised kidnapper closed the door, sliding the blade of his knife into the slat between the door and the wall. The blade silently guarded the locking mechanism from being engaged, so Endel could slowly and quietly work the creaky door open. "Sure would be a shame if a guard killed Zelda's favorite handmaiden..." the man said with a slimy chuckle before brandishing a knife.

 

Endel didn't have time to panic as a horrified Maia sunk into a corner of the room. If being threatened with death was a frightening prospect for her though, the sight of the thief swiping her would-be killer's head off was enough to leave her severely nauseous and on the verge of fainting. She grabbed him for support as she quivered, fighting back the need to yell or cry for fear of attracting more guards. After a moment Endel made a dash for the next cell over, carrying them both to a room that wasn't occupied by an unpleasant corpse. "I'm sorry." He apologized profusely to the girl. "You have every right to hate me and my friends right now. But... you need to come with us." Maia only continued to shake and suppress her urge to break down, so Endel continued. "I won't make you do it. Nobody will judge you for staying here, but I can't guarantee you'll be safe and you have to decide right now."

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Lorcan pressed himself back against the side wall of the house, dragging Skallin along with him. He signalled for silence, though it wasn't entirely necessary.

"I can't believe the nerve of that girl," a deep voice spoke. "You're sure she's secure now?"

"Locked up tight in her room," another voice responds. Lorcan recognised it as the young man who'd captured Torianna and Maia. So he was right!

He waited until he was sure those two were out of sight before shuffling around to the front door.

"If you'll allow me," Skallin spoke up, maneuvering around Lorcan before bashing the door down in one kick. Lorcan smiled gratefully, heading inside and glancing around. He reached what must have been the kitchen. No Torianna in here. He grabbed an apple from a fruit bowl on the kitchen table, leaving the kitchen and looking toward a flight of stairs.

Skallin emerged from the room across, shaking his head and looking toward the stairs. With a nod, the two proceeded to jog upstairs, each looking about in each of the rooms in hopes of finding any sign of life. It wasn't until Lorcan checked the last room on the hallway that he found anything of worth.

That was to say, Torianna.

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Torianna heard the loud, splintering crack that came from downstairs. She wasn't sure entirely what the noise was, but it didn't sound good. She wriggled uncomfortably, then stopped still, listening. She could hear footsteps within the house - there couldn't have been many people, but there was definitely more than one. They didn't speak a word, but she could hear them heading up the stairs. Could it be her family? The scoundrels? Was she being robbed? She glanced around the darkness nervously, but she couldn't see a thing. Even if she could, there'd be no way to defend herself.

Eventually the door to her room was pushed open, revealing a silhouetted figure stood on the other side. The crack of light that poured forth from the doorway made her wince a little. The figure stood still for a moment, before taking a few quick steps towards her. She tensed as he knelt down in front of her, but then she saw his face and breathed a sigh of relief - it was Lorcan.

His expression was difficult to read, she couldn't make out what he was thinking. His blue eyes looked almost concerned, but he looked angry too - his lips were pressed together into a tight, thin line. She felt overwhelmed. She was ashamed that he had to find her like this, but relieved that he'd come all the same.

"You free the young lady, I'll keep an eye out," came a voice from outside. Torianna instantly recognised it as Skallin, which calmed her nerves a little.

Lorcan set to work immediately, first untying the cloth from her mouth before pulling out his knife to sever the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles. As he worked, the same thought kept running through Torianna's mind. Why had the scoundrels even come back for her? What was in it for them?

Her limbs were cramped after being bound, so she staggered a little as she got to her feet. Lorcan's hand on her arm steadied her, but she still felt that familiar tug of shame. She would not let herself be a damsel in distress.

"Thanks..." she muttered, pulling back her arm. "Let's get out of here."

Edited by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

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