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| Chapter One: My Three Parents |
| The only way to begin is with my parents. Without them, I wouldn't exist. I'll begin with my mother then, since it is she, they say, I most resemble. My mother was Princess Amanda Harkin, the crown princess of Hyrule. She was born during a massive conflict between the kingdoms of Hyrule and Catalan. In other words, a war. Being brash and headstrong, she ventured past the safety of the castle grounds and, unfortunately, one day found herself in the middle of a military raid by the Catalan navy. Along with many other Hylians, she was taken prisoner, the soldiers having no idea that they had captured the daughter of the Hylian king. She was |
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| taken to Catalan's capital, Ferris City. Although most of the prisoners of war were put to work in the fields, Amanda was singled out to serve a lady named Isis Cornwall. As it happened, Isis was to be married to the crown prince of Catalan, Artem Barr. While serving her mistress, my mother met |
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| the young prince. He was immediately taken with her and she with him, although they masked this mutual attraction with banter and insults. Yet, nothing could suppress their passions and soon they both had to admit they were in love. Isis discovered this and, realizing that their marriage would bring peace to the warring kingdoms, killed herself, leaving Artem free to marry. Although in grief for Isis, Artem was encouraged, by Isis' brother, to broach the subject with his father. The situation seemed pleasing to both kings and soon a truce was declared under the engagement of the crown prince of Catalan and the crown princess of Hyrule. To be |
| certain this was a touching story, and, had it ended there, it would have had a very happy ending. However, things grew more complicated. Things continuously delayed the wedding. The most difficult, however, was a brief affair that my mother engaged in. For many years after, she would claim she didn't know why it happened, but somehow, perhaps out of fear, she fell in love with her own bodyguard and escort, the Captain of the Guard of Hyrule, a knight named Jono Baagel. Jono was a widower and a loyal |
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| servant to the crown. He found Amanda to be charming and a welcome change to his solitary life. The day after her wedding to Artem, Amanda ran away from Catalan, secretly settling down with Jono in a quiet neighborhood of Hyrule, far from the political scene. It wasn't long after that, however, that my mother learned she was pregnant. When I was born, it was very clear that I was Artem's child. I had his green eyes to prove it. What's more, everyone could tell I was a half breed, a Bui Doi, as the Hylians say. A few months later, my mother realized that her heart truly lay with Artem, so she returned to Catalan, but left me behind to be raised by Jono instead. |
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