"Oh, glorious day! Lord Taurean may finally have his son!"
"Lady Penelope seems most upset, however."
The other servant women seemed perplexed.
"I don't know, but she has been quite unhappy as of late. And, well...."
"Well what?"
"She seems to be rather... large... for her time...."
Three months after her affair with the Sheikah man Razi, the news of Penelope's pregnancy had spread like wildfire among the servants in the manor, and it wasn't long before commoners knew and were openly discussing it.
But the older women, who had seen many a pregnancy in their lives, suggested the idea that perhaps the Lady of the manor was further along than she had suggested. Why she would hide it wasn't known, but the rumor was spreading as fast as the truth had, if not, faster. Penelope knew this as she looked out of her window and out onto the square. She put a hand on her stomach and sighed deeply. She knew the rumors were right, but the important thing was that Taurean didn't believe them. As long as they stayed rumors, she should be okay.
"Lady Penelope, push! Push!" the midwife cried urgently. "You're almost done, just one more!"
Penelope clamped her eyes shut, ground her teeth together and gave as much as she could. She was so tired from labor, and didn't know if she would be able to keep up much longer. The midwife's cheers had long since become noise in the background; the only thing that mattered was getting. This. Child. OUT. She kept pushing; would this never end? Could the Goddesses not have mercy?
A baby's cry broke through her muddied thoughts.
"It's a girl! A girl, a girl!" the midwife announced. "You can relax, Lady Penelope. You're going to be fine, and so is the little one."
Penelope let go of the breath she was holding and opened her eyes. Her jaw hurt from having been clenched for so long, and her head swam. Colors and shapes were swirling before her eyes. But wait, didn't she just have a daughter? Where was she? ... A daughter? Taurean would be displeased.
The midwife brought the cleaned baby back to its mother. Penelope stupidly looked over in their general direction. She was falling asleep, and fast, but determined to see her daughter, the one that Taurean would come to despise.
If he knew the truth, he'd hate her even more.
When Penelope saw her daughter, she was met with a comforting sight. The little girl, with her face still screwed up like she'd bitten into a lemon, had a patch of fuzzy blonde hair on her head, good enough to match her "father's." No one would know. Penelope smiled.
"Hello, sweetheart," she said softly. "Hello, Talasi."
As though she understood, Talasi decided to get a good view of her mother and open her eyes.
Her dark red eyes.
"Girl! Get over here!" Taurean barked.
"Yes, Father," she obediently replied.
It was very obvious that Talasi was not Taurean's daughter. It was horrible for the family, disgraced by such scandal. And then, of course, there was the mystery of the identity of the girl's father. He was very obviously a Sheikah, Talasi's eyes gave that away, and her features harkened back to Sheikah heritage even more so when the blonde fuzz she was born with turned into shimmering silver. There were, however, only a few Sheikah men left. All had families of their own, and none would confess. It was pointless anyway. Those Sheikah had a nasty habit of disappearing at will, so jailing them would not be effective. Killing all of them wouldn't work, either, as they were a force to be reckoned with when so strong in number. It was difficult enough to take down even one, and after seeing their population slashed to ribbons, it was essential for their survival that they stuck together.
Taurean, suffice it to say, was unhappy. The first thing he did was throw Penelope out of Court. If she could carry the burden of bearing another man's child, then she could surely carry the burden of lifelong embarrassment. She was not allowed to take her daughter with her, and kicked and screamed until she exhausted herself. She tried to reclaim the girl, but it was no use. The manor was under strict watch at all times. Penelope eventually gave up and seemed to melt away into the shadows. It was perfect, considering how she longed to be one of them, and would even give up her nobility -- although forcefully -- to be with them. It is not known amongst the Hylians what happened to her. Most believed she went mad and died soon thereafter.
Taurean also hated his "daughter." As punishment for a so-called crime in which she was helpless, she was worked almost as hard as the servant women. Taurean made her call him Father, forbade her to speak with anyone but him, and did not permit her to ask questions about her mother, or her family. He would often get drunk and then violent. Talasi almost always got in his way, no matter how well she tried to hide, and would have to suffer abuse until Taurean either passed out or kicked her away. Talasi became afraid of him, because he was so irrational, and it was on another drunken night many years later that he had called to her.
Determined to get some of his dignity back, Taurean thought up the brilliant idea of getting Talasi into the favor of young Prince Harkinian. It would be perfect; his daughter would be the wife of the future king, and would soon be Queen of Hyrule. You couldn't get more noble than that. And he, her father, would reap the benefits that came along with the deal. No more would he have to suffer embarrassment for his wife's past transgressions. His daughter, the one he loved so much, would be Queen.
"You will listen to me well," Taurean went on, and took a sip of ale from the tankard he clutched.
Talasi shrunk back against the nearest wall, looking scared. Her latest bruise had just healed and she didn't quite feel like getting a new one.
"Yes, sir," she said meekly.
"You and your kind know of the Hyrulian King, do you not?"
It was funny how Taurean treated Talasi. She knew she wasn't Hylian like her "father," and though she was supposed to be raised as one, she was never treated as an equal. Taurean often said "your kind" instead of "you" to the young girl, making sure she knew her place as different than he and less than human because she wasn't a pure Hylian.
"You even look just like those nasty Sheikah."
"Am I Sheikah?"
"Do not waste my time with such foolishness! Do not mention them in this house, or I will see to it that you do not leave this house for a solid year, is that understood?"
Slap.
Tears.
"Yes, sir."
"Father!"
Slap.
More tears.
"You'll listen to me the way your filthy whore of a mother didn't, you hear?"
A raised arm twirled a belt in the air like a lasso.
Crack!
"Yes, F-father."
"Yes, Father. He rules the country most graciously."
"Well, at least I've done you some good. You weren't born to be noble, as I was, but at least you have the ability to learn our ways, even though you're no better than the rest of them."
"Yes, sir."
"I have been blessed by Nayru Herself with a beautiful idea. You are not a fine Hylian woman, but there is no reason that a slip of a girl such as yourself cannot attempt to imitate how one would act. Therefore, you will attend Prince Harkinian's ball next month, which I have been invited to. You will find yourself in his favor and restore some of my lost dignity by becoming his wife. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Father. I am honored to be entrusted with such a task."
"You should be more than honored, you little brat. You should be humbled, and feel lucky that I even consider taking such trash like you with me. You had better come through, or you will be in very deep trouble. Do not fail, you will be sorry."
"Yes, Father. I will succeed."
I hate him so much, Talasi thought.
The following month, Talasi found herself in the middle of a grand ballroom in the castle on her own. Taurean had taken her there, but abandoned her as soon as he caught sight of the bar, and was drunk before long. He was schmoozing it up with the rest of the nobles, laughing with the men and harassing the pretty women.
At least he's comfortable. I don't even know what this Prince Har-what's-his-name looks like. How in Hyrule am I supposed to get out of this one?
"You...." a voice said behind her. Talasi turned around and was greeted with the smiling face of a very well-dressed young man.
He saw it all in slow motion, the sheet of white-blonde hair that tumbled to her waist flung around like a curtain in a breeze as she turned to face him. He found her eyes, dark blood red, and his suspicions were confirmed. He grinned stupidly.
"You're Lady Penelope's daughter, are you not?"
Talasi gasped. She didn't know how to reply. She'd been taught, since she could remember, not to associate herself with her mother or any other Sheikah. They were evil, and so was she, even if she had Hylian blood in her. Worthless blood, but still Hylian.
"I am the daughter of Lord Taurean Hallern, sir. My name is Talasi."
"So it's true, then. Lady Penelope was your mother."
Talasi went red in the face and her eyes found the floor.
"Forgive me, I know not of whom you speak. My mother died shortly after I was born. I, I--"
"Nonsense," he laughed. "I was a child when it happened, but you expect me not to know of the betrayal of my best Lord?"
Talasi didn't appreciate being called a betrayal, and glanced at the bar, where a red-faced Taurean was still laughing merrily.
"By the Goddesses, I haven't introduced myself. I am Prince Harkinian Joseph Atarani the Third of Hyrule."
At this, Talasi curtsied as low as she could before him. How stupid she must have seemed to have not known her sovereign!
"Your Majesty, I am humbled befor--"
"That will not be necessary. You, Talasi Hallern, are the most exotic looking girl I have seen in my life, and I have traveled the world several times over. I care not how you came to be here, only that you are here, and I would be honored if you could give me the pleasure of this dance, fair maiden."
"Are you quite certain, Highness? Surely you must realize that I am the lowly--"
"None as beautiful as you should dare claim to be lower than the Golden Goddesses themselves."
"Then I dare not refuse my prince, especially when he is so persistent."
"You can relax, Talasi. It's much easier from here on in."
For the first time in the longest that she could remember, Talasi genuinely smiled.