Chapter 1
"Annoyance"
Lord Zeren was not happy. It had taken him fifteen years to get to this point, to amass his resources and troops, and this happens. Zeren huffed angrily and shooed the messenger away. He momentarily contemplated ripping the young messenger apart, but he dismissed the notion. No need to lose a good messenger in such a way; Hell, it might even add to his newly-founded problem.
Zeren closed his green and amber-flecked eyes and rubbed his temples. He stalked back to his stone carved chair and flopped down on the padded cushions. Zeren's dark grey cloak was clasped at his neck; but it hung open the rest of the way down his body revealing his light grey tunic and pants. Though quite tall, Zeren was lanky and not very muscular, not that he would ever need to be.
The door opened, shedding light into Zeren's dark sanctuary. The light revealed Zeren's pale skin and piercing glare. He hated being disturbed while in his room. His expression softened slightly when he saw who it was. Two very different men strode into the room, 'no doubt with more good news,' Zeren sighed inwardly. Zeren shook his silvery-grey, unkempt hair out of his thin face. It hung down to his shoulders and it never seemed to be combed or arranged in any way. Many of his soldiers thought that Zeren simply didn't care about his hair, and thought it trivial to spend time taking care of it.
The bigger of the two men hooked his thumbs in his pockets and grinned.
"Inse ess happy to see you well, Lord Zereen."
Inse was a simple man whose whole life was dedicated to war. He came from the far eastern territories, beyond the borders of Hyrule, and had a thick accent. A dull, brown tunic and moss green pants did little to cover his bulging muscles, and Inse knew it. He often wore a sleeveless black vest or cut off the sleeves of some of his shirts so he could show off his physique.
Inse crossed his arms and sighed, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
"Inse has got some bad news Lor-."
"I KNOW, Inse."
Inse instantly went silent and stood straighter. Ever since Zeren could remember, Inse always spoke in the third-person, never bothering to try to speak normally. That, coupled with Inse's dark tan, odd accent, and the fact that he was nearly seven feet tall, truly set him apart in a crowd. But oddly enough, Inse was a pretty smart tactician, and an unstoppable force on the battlefield with his mace. He rose through the ranks until he eventually became one of Zeren's three top commanders. Inse commanded Zeren's regular troops and army in the field.
The man to Inse's left sighed and shook his head.
"I apologize for Inse's rude behavior, my lord. Please forgive him." The man stated dryly.
Inse shot a glare at his counterpart before straightening again. Zeren waved his hand dismissively, mumbling a "whatever" under his breath. Another of Zeren's three commanders, Dri was quite possibly the exact opposite of Inse. Whereas Inse was muscular, absurdly tall and tan; Dri was very thin and lean, pale, and of average height.
Inse's hair was reddish-brown and cropped short; Dri's hair was a long, silky black and was tied back into a ponytail. Inse was brash, loud, and overly aggressive. Dri was always calm, cool and collected, even in tense battle situations Dri kept his cool and never lost his composure. Dri rarely smiled, and had dark rings under his eyes. Dri's simple black tunic had silver armbands on the sleeves and had many steel knives on his body, both hidden and in plain sight.
Dri commanded the Special Forces of Zeren's army, and the infamous soldiers and assassins that made up the Special Forces were feared by all who had dared to challenge the might of Lord Zeren.
"If you know what happened, my lord, then what do you plan to do about it?" Dri flatly stated.
"We must be delicate," Zeren said as he resumed rubbing his temples, "if we don't play this right, the whole invasion could fall apart."
Inse shifted uncomfortably. Subtlety was not his strong point. Dri nodded slightly and glanced at Inse. They both knew that if Hyrule ever realized what was going on, all their planning and preparation would be for naught.
"So…can we keel zem?"
Zeren glared up at Inse.
"I would prefer not to, and keep this under wraps and away from the public eye. But if Luuminos continues this little 'revolt' of his, we will have no choice. We cannot risk Hyrule finding out about our plans." Zeren sighed.
Inse grinned at the prospect of battle, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"Inse will tell ze men, ounyah?"
"Fine. But don't reveal too much, I don't want this spreading. You should do the same, Dri."
Inse smartly saluted by slamming his fist to his heart and strode off. Dri watched him for a second, then bowing deeply and following after Inse. Dri stooped at the doorway and looked back at Zeren.
"So, Commander Luuminos of the First File, made up of your strongest and most formidable troops, is now our prime target?"
Zeren glared at Dri for a moment before nodding grimly. Dri bowed again and left. After the door closed, Zeren sat back in his ornately carved "throne," fitted with beautiful and soft cushions. Zeren sighed deeply, closed his eyes and leaned back. 'Why now of all times? We were so close to being ready, but now because of Luuminos, everything could fall to ruin.'
Zeren sat up with a glare. 'No. I will not let that happen. If Luuminos thinks that running away with his…no…MY troops, will cripple my plans, he has another thing coming. I shall make him and those traitors pay dearly for this insult.' Zeren found himself smiling again, but it wasn't a smile of mirth.
"Yes, only a minor setback. After I deal with them we can finally get back on schedule. Hyrule shall fall, and I will finally control the Triforce!"
Zeren openly grinned. He was feeling better already.