To Decide Destinies [Oron: Homecoming]

But instead of Terminans, an overly excited Sheikah barged inside the room, his eyes widened in delight. Marianne recognized him as Lowain, one of the Royal Guards. They had talked a little bit for a few times -Marianne was said to be quite close with the people who served her, despite her cold public persona- and Marianne pretty much knew a little about him. She could faintly guessed what made him excited so.

'Ah. So it is today, then?'

Evanidus, who had become an unofficial "leader" of sorts of all Hyrulean Royal Guards in virtue of her being Marianne right-hand woman, raised her eyebrows.

"Lowain, what in Hylia's-"

"Your darkest, most illustrious of majesties...!" the sheikah interjected in a hurry, clearly excited, "Pardon mine intrusion, but it's... It's a miracle! An audacious sign from the stars above for Hyrule! The darkness whispers... It's...!"

"That'll do, Lowain. You may resume with whatever you were doing beforehand. I'll call upon you if I need you."

A familiar face with red hair appeared on the door. Marianne's lips curved into a slight smile. Her fingers steepled in front of her, her usual stance when considering a decision.

Her cousin. Oron el Hyrule. Supposedly a casualty of Battle of Eldin. Lord Haakon's eyes widened in disbelief. The few scribes present were flabbergasted. One hd even dropped his quill on the ground without realizing it. Evanidus, Marianne noticed, faked her surprise very convincingly. As expected of her aide. A Councillor outside the door shouted. "Wait- that can't be-?"

In truth Mrs. von Brandt had kept her promise, telling the queen about her supposedly-dead cousin. Secretly, it was no news for her, although for her mentor's sake she acted as surprised as she could. But apart from Evanidus and a select few of her very close confidants (which was very few indeed), she had not spread the news to most of the kingdom. Let Oron decides for himself when he is ready to return -Marianne was not going to spark a manhunt over him and possibly piled even more pressure on him.

Because Marianne believed, that everyone had their reasons.

"... Hello, Mari. It's... Been awhile." Oron lightly smiled.

The eyes that met him were the silver eyes of the Queen, famous for their hawk-like stare and how it made people felt she could see the very depth of their soul. Foreign diplomats had been known to stutter when she exerted pressure on them with her stare alone, as if she could wordlessly tell them that, sooner or later, Marianne would know the truth. And that the consequences of deceit would be severe.

But her gaze which stared into Oron now was just like he remembered hers to be: a delighted, innocent eyes of a Hylian teenager. He had seen how her gaze changed over the years, had not he? She was a quiet but happy child when she was a baby, then looked like she was constantly afraid and in the verge of crying when she was a child, before morphing into the very stoic, withdrawn adolescent who always stood a little in the background and apologized for everything. With the blooming of adulthood she had become much more open and adventurous, becoming an excitable, spirited person (link) which endeared her to the King and Queen. The times before Starlight Tragedy was Marianne at her brightest, the time when she seemed to finally emerged from the shadows, before it all came crashing down with the unspeakable horror which occurred. Then the cold-hearted Marianne returned, earning the ire of people for how callously she operated the castle when everyone were still reeling from the shocking loss -showing no distress nor sadness to anyone at anytime- not even her mentor.

Although in retrospect, it could rightly be said that it was her iron grip behind the scenes and tireless reconstruction efforts (link) which enabled Hyrule to cling on and paved the way for the smooth coronation of her brother. She was said to have disappeared herself for over a year, before returning battered and in a very rough shape (link) the circumstances which The Queen had kept secret still. But Marianne who returned was even stronger-willed than ever, immediately and ruthlessly whip her kingdom into shape (link) after the disastrous Battle of Eldin. The results which could clearly be seen now.

And overall, she had always been a bit of enigma for Oron, hadn't she? Leon was forthcoming and they shared many of their military trainings. Beatrix was the definition of exuberant and was rightly the one who always strove to keep the family together. But the black-haired Marianne.... The one who had always looked like a shadow beside her siblings golden glory....What was she? She squirmed when Oron interacted with her when they were little and generally kept to herself, as if making herself harder to approach. Except Beatrix, none of the Princes and Princesses could rightly say that they were close to her. A few times Oron would have caught her alone or looked very sad, but always she brushed it off with a smile, saying that everything was okay and that there was no trouble with her friends. Rumor had it that she had been severely ostracized in her youth due to whispers of her being an illegitimate child, but neither of those things had been proven. And Marianne, for one, would not say anything about her troubles.

To think, that the black sheep would rule as Queen in her own right....

"Good morning, Big Brother Oron," she replied, smiling (she was the youngest of the Princes and Princesses, thus she used honorifics for all of them), "How are you today?"

Light, easy, and startlingly mundane. It was as if Oron had been in bed and was only just now made his way to the business center; The Queen was surpisingly calm.

"Oron...?"

"That can't be- Prince Oron?!"

"But- but wasn't he...?"

"No No! It is true! Look! It's him! It's really him!"

And whispers began to spread from those closest to door and rapidly flared like wildfire. No doubt it would have engulfed the castle came noon. Lord Haakon was taken aback, needing to hold onto the Queen's table just to keep himself from falling. Only Marianne herself sat there smiling, as if nothing happened. Behind her, Miss Eva quietly put the law tome back on its place.

How are you?

For a while, Oron just seemed to stare at her in near-silence. His emerald eyes were met with the Queen's argent ones. One looked conflicted, the other hid it perfectly. Marianne with the Princess Tiara was the definition of a monarch: calm, alert, and wholly calculating.

"... About as well as I can be right now..." he answered, "Um. Pardon me if this seems a bit insolent, 'Your Majesty'..."

And he then walked up to Marianne and lightly gave her a hug. Marianne's eyes widened.

'Oh....'

For a moment, just a fleeting moment, Queen Marianne looked unsure. Her arms hung uselessly besides her, half-hugging, for a moment torn between her mind and her reflexes. It went for a second, before Marianne's expression returned and she returned her cousin's gesture, giving him a light, but firm, hug.

Whispers were exchanged among the onlookers. The Queen, her head barely reached his chin, nodded on his chest.

"Welcome back, Prince Oron."

Subtly but surely, she pushed him away to separate their hug before returning to her seat. Her eyes moved to Evanidus, then to Lord Haakon and everyone present.

"I need a few minutes alone with my cousin."

Evanidus and Lord Haakon nodded, moving towards the door without resistance. The scribes began gathering their papers, while the guards gently herded the still gawking nobles and ministers out. In no time at all, the guards closed the door, and Marianne and Oron were the only ones left inside.

With a wave of Marianne's hand, an invisible barrier was put up on the door. No voices would escape from this room to the outside.

"Please take a seat, Big Brother," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of her, "You must be quite tired still." She herself sat with her fingers steepled, watching him.

How are you?

"Your normal normal, I hope," she replied, her silver eyes scanning the returning prince in front of her so thoroughly in just a glance it almost felt intimidating. With her hands steepled, her expression serious, and her whole body focused, one would realize how much the Queen took after her mentor, Lady Ursula von Brandt. King Daphnes the VI was a personable and jolly fellow. Rather silent, but never intimidating when he did not want to. Queen Celeste was the embodiment of grace and compassion, a soft-spoken lady whose kindness and strength of heart shone so brightly from her person that she could inspire awe just by a simple smile.

Marianne however, seemingly possessed none of their characteristics. In her formal conduct she was cold and brooding, sucking up light and exuded pressure just like Dark Magic tutor was when she was serious.

"I simply wish to ask one thing, Big Brother," she said, exhaling audibly. Her eyes she kept on Oron's.

"...Why?"

Why hiding himself? Why doing all this? Why return? Seemingly endless why from the young Queen, who did not elaborate, but whose intention was clear as day.

And to deflect this with a joke, would be very bad indeed.

Why?

Did The Queen really meant anything by that? It was impossible to tell. Those silver eyes and well-controlled expression betrayed nothing, only that she was listening. And watching. In the short space of time from when she began to assert herself out of her siblings's shadow to the death of the King and Queen, Marianne had been the first choice to handle diplomatic affairs in the castle. It was not hard to see why.

But to state that she was wholly heartless would be incorrect. Her eyes softened and her expression changed in tune with Oron's story. From understanding to quizzical to empathetic, Marianne was a delightful listener. Twice she looked like she was about to reach across the table to comfort him; twice she reigned it and kept her stance. Same little Marianne. Never comfortable in showing her true feelings, even in private.

When he finished, the queen held a soft smile.

"There are so many questions there, Big Brother. But I guess we will unravel it in time." She leaned back and, for the first time, she let out a small yawn, though she hurriedly cover it in embarrassment. The sight of the queen rubbing her eyes and smiling sheepishly dispelled almost all of her queenly aura. She was simply Marianne, a young girl tired from working herself to the bone.

"What I want to make certain is," she returned, leaning towards Oron again, "Are you satisfied with yourself now, Big Brother? After all that you have gone through, are you satisfied?"

The question, light in tone, seemed to reverberate in the room in ghostly echoes.

'Are all of those journeys worth it, in the end?'

"Because if you are not," she continued, "and wish to continue doing what you originally set out to do, no one will prevent you. I am... grateful for your sentiment -that you worry about me and everyone.... But this burden is mine and I will do just fine. I will not force you to take your place if you are not entirely sure about it."

Her fingers met again in front of her.

"So I ask you, Big Brother. Are you truly satisfied? Because after this, there will be no turning back."

'Don't be like me,' she thought bitterly, 'who wake up everyday wishing I don't have to.' But her voice and tone -they were confident as always.

Marianne's mind and her words did not have to operate at the same understanding.

Rubicon

The two argent eyes watched her cousin's face, unblinking, making sure he knew that she was listening and analyzing every word he said yet somehow looking immaculately polite at the same time. It was perhaps one of her gifts -to make her partner always felt appreciated and heard. Inwardly though, she could be as devastating as she came.

And in the end of Oron's words...

... A smile.

A small one, but which infinitely looked better on her pretty face. Marianne looked much much better when she smiled.

"That is enough for me," she said, nodding in appreciation, "I have no doubt that you have your own reasons that you haven't shared, Big Brother. But that is your secret to keep, and I shall not pry. That you return to us entirely on your own volition -that is enough for me."

Her eyes glinted in tease. "I hope you will not come to regret this. Because once you have joined us in this mud, no way we are letting you out again~"

Chuckling slightly, The Queen of Hyrule rose from her seat, approached Oron and, quite surprisingly, pulled him in a tight hug. The black and red-tipped hair, her glittering Princess Tiara included, would block Oron's eyesight, filling his nose with floral fragrance. While which part of her neck and shoulders laid bare by the neckline of her dress grazed against his chin, cool and soft and delectable to the touch. The small, frail shoulders, upon which the fate of an entire Kingdom rested.

"I am... glad you are back...." her breath felt warm and moist on his cheek, "Truly I am.... Welcome back, Big Brother...."

Welcome home.

"The important thing is that you choose to return," replied Marianne in a kind tone, smiling. Gingerly she let go of her hug and stepped back, though the sweet smell of her skin lingered. "And I am quite used with people keeping me waiting, no worries...."

But for a split second, sadness swept across her face.

"...or people leaving me on my own."

She was unable to hold the bitterness in her tone on that last sentence. If Oron knew anything about the circumstance of Leon leaving Marianne to manage everything on her own, he would know why the young girl felt betrayed like that.

But it was just a fleeting moment of frailty in the perfectly crafted mask of The Queen of Hyrule. The next moment her expression had returned to her earlier genteel look. "You said you'd help us, Big Brother, so... when do you want to start?" she teased him as she returned to her chair with light steps. "If you need a rest first I really would not mind. You have been through a lot.... Do you already have an idea of our kingdom's current situation or do I have to explain everything?" she offered, kind and earnest in tone.

Welcome home.