Part I: Hyrule Field

Chapter 2: We March Now

-/_\-

[?]

A lone fire in the middle of black emptiness. She sat near it, shivering. The fire looked warm, but she felt cold. She looked around, and she could see tiny pinpricks. Not pinpricks, she realized. Eyes. They were attached to vague shadowy figures. She looked down at the fire, resigned to her fate of being attached to the fire. If the fire ever went out… the nightmares would come back.

Suddenly a tornado formed in front of her, and the fire was engulfed.

-/_\-

[Ilia]

She gasped and bolted upwards. Just like yesterday, the sun was in her eyes, though this time it was coming from in front of her. The thin triangle of space that was the tent's flap was bright white, beckoning to her. She panted, then steadied her breathing. She looked to her left, where Link slept on a separate pad. But Link wasn't there. She stretched, yawned, then got up. She felt much better today, so she decided to walk out of the tent. It was sunrise, the sun barely peeking out from the top of the hills. She nearly walked out, hesitated, then she went back to get her rod.

"Ha! Hyaa!" A voice rang out over the clearing, one which she had never heard before. She tracked the grunts and yells to its source, and she found something familiar. Familiarity was very important to her these days, it seems. In an open area, she found Link doing some sort of exercise involving his sword. He would hold the sword upright in front of him, calmly. Then he would suddenly swing back behind him with a grunt. Funny, she thought he had lost his voice entirely. Perhaps he was just the silent type. Just then, he turned, and caught her eyes.

She looked away, shrinking within herself. Link must have thought she was a weirdo, looking at him without saying anything. But Link smiled and waved her over. Proxi wasn't around so all he did was nod to her, then resume his training, looking back at her every now and then. She was still clutching her rod. Then suddenly, he went to her. He had a serious look on his face. He pointed to her rod, then he held the sword just as she was holding her rod. Ilia was confused for a moment. Link did a basic whirl and slash with his sword, then nodded at Ilia. Ilia decided to copy the movement with her rod, then Link nodded again, excitedly. Ah, so Link wants me to train with him? But… why?

"Link… I'm not a fighter like you."

He continued to encourage her, though, and she found herself following along. She waved the rod gracefully at first, then with force when Link started doing the same. She found herself smiling. Yet, she thought back to her first encounter with monsters. She was so scared that time, she was barely able to do anything. Surely she wasn't expected to fight? But, now she thought about it, she first woke up on a battlefield. She didn't have anywhere else to go. She lost her smile, then she looked away. Link saw her, then sheathed his sword. He looked at her quizzically.

"…Sorry, Link. It's just… I don't know where home is. I don't know if I even have one. I'm very grateful to you for helping me, but… What's the next step? What am I supposed to do? I don't want to be a burden to you, but-"

She heard a chirp, which was also familiar to her. A blue ball of light flew towards the clearing, followed by the figure of Princess Zelda and Impa.

"How did your training go, Link?" Proxi asked. "Oh! Ilia! I thought you were still asleep!"

"I thought so as well," Zelda said. "With the state your body was in yesterday, it is surprising to see you up so early."

"I… I just felt better this morning. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you worry."

"No need. I'm glad to see you well. But we do have business to discuss. Meet me at my tent in an hour. Link, you as well."

They nodded, then Ilia decided to continue exercising. Her rod… she knew it was made of stone, so it should have been heavy. But… it felt almost weightless in her hands.

-/_\-

[Volga]

The tree burst in flames. His fireball's range had gotten better. He looked over at another tree, further away. He breathed in, then spit out another fireball. It fell short, however, and ignited the grass just in front of it. Disappointing. He stabbed his pike into the ground, then paced about. His pathetic minions, the Bulblins, were going through some very standard training drills. They weren't getting any better, he knew, but then again neither was he. Since his defection from Cia's forces and subsequent loss to Link, he had felt rather… inadequate. Link, a mere Hylian, defeating the strongest of the dragons? It was unthinkable, or so he had thought. Yet, it had happened. Throughout their many battles, Link had grown stronger and stronger, then at that final moment, at the Temple of Souls… he had fallen. On that dark and rocky field, he was so sure he would die. In fact, he had already died when he lost, his pride utterly in ruins.

At that time, he had thought… just what was it that made Link so much more powerful than him? His body? Link was just a mere Hylian, there was no way Volga could have been physically overpowered. His sword? Although the Blade of Evil's Bane was indeed mighty, as he had saw from the way Wizzro was… pretty much obliterated, it did not demonstrate the same power against him. But, he had seen something in Link's eyes. A fierce determination, that went beyond simply wanting to get stronger. At that final moment, he had grown to respect Link as an opponent, though he did wonder about the source of his power.

This was why he was marching against Hyrule. He wanted to battle Link again, free from the control of that accursed Cia. He roared. All the Bulblins dropped what they were doing and looked at him.

"…Now. We march now."

-/_\-

[Zelda]

She was staring into the fire pit in the center of her spacious tent when everyone arrived. It wasn't lit at the time, but there were still a few glowing embers deep in the center. Impa was already there, of course. Zelda didn't even have to look, as that was how dependable Impa was. Some Hylian Captains and their squads marched in and took their usual seats, no doubt awaiting another military briefing. Link came in shortly after, looking just a little bit winded. The new girl, Ilia, followed her, looking more so. They had been training for the last hour, though she did not fathom why Ilia took part. Perhaps it was just Link's influence. It was time. There was one more warrior who was supposed to come, but this could not wait any longer.

"Greetings, my warriors. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. As you know, we are gathered here on this battlefield to investigate the source of the Bulblin attacks. It is unclear, but I believe I may have found the reason why. That reason is sitting here in this tent. Ilia, would you stand up please?"

Looking surprised and uncertain, the girl stood up. Zelda looked to confirm that she was holding the rod, and indeed, she was. She seemed to have become attached to it. Clearing her throat, she continued.

"Thank you, Ilia. Just the other day, Link found Ilia out near the Central keep. She has no memories at all, but she had what appears to be a powerful magical artifact." At this, Ilia gasped and looked at her rod. "It appears to be dormant now, but I have studied it thoroughly, and it seems to be an artifact from the past. If its power is awakened, it may have great powers. Thus, I have decided. After we drive off the Bulblin attacks, we will go to the Temple of the Sacred Sword and talk with the Guardian-"

Just then, her last warrior burst in the room, gasping, looking like she had run over here at full speed.

"Ah, Linkle. I see you finally found your way here…"

"No, Princess…! It's not that! I mean, yes, I may have lost my way for a bit, but you have to hear this! I somehow ended up in enemy territory and I overheard some things. Apparently, Volga is at the head of this army, and he's marching here right now!"

A deathly silence stood over the room. Everyone in this room was well aware of Volga, and the chaos he could bring with him. Although he was defeated in the past by Link, it was quite a difficult battle, and even Link gulped nervously. He wasn't sure whether he could beat Volga again. Suddenly, everyone started muttering about why Volga was back. Apparently, he was supposed to have perished at the Valley of Seers. Zelda cleared her throat, and the room fell silent once more.

"I see. Thank you, Linkle. I think I understand the situation now. The Bulblins have been marching from the direction of the Mountain keep, so we can expect most of their forces to be concentrated there. We are north of the Castle Keep. Impa, you head over to the West Rockface keep, and bring the Defense Specialist squad with you. Close the Rockface checkpoint on your way over there."

She nodded, and grabbed her trusty naginata from the wall of the tent. Half of the soldiers followed her on the way out.

"Linkle, the Central keep is currently occupied by Bulblins. I need you to bring the Attack Specialist squad with you, and capture that keep."

"Aye, aye, Princess! You can count on me to be a hero!"

She ran off, her stamina seemingly undiminished. The rest of the soldiers followed her.

"Link, you go with Linkle, but don't stop at the keep. I need you to confront Volga directly before he can cause any more damage. Can you do that?"

Link nodded, and went off as well, Proxi in tow. Only Ilia remained.

"Ilia, you must stay. We are safe here."

"I- um. Okay."

-/_\-

[Linkle]

Shoot, reload. Shoot, reload. As Bulblin after Bulblin kept coming at her, she kept shooting each one, then reloading, avoiding their attacks the whole time in a series of acrobatic flips. It was all she had ever known, growing up on her farm. She had always wanted to be a hero, so she had spent hours in the yard shooting at the trees around her. The villagers would always disapprove of this, saying she should focus on being an honest worker. Every time this happened, she would hold up her compass, and proudly declare that she would be more than just a farmer.

Finally, the leader of the keep appeared, and without even a pause in her motions, she leapt forwards, kicked off the keep boss's head, then unleashed a volley of bolts into its torso, claiming the keep. Dusting herself off, and reclaiming whatever bolts she could, she looked behind her. Link was coming. They looked at each other. Green clothes, blond hair, blue eyes. They were so similar. Linkle hadn't much time to really talk with Link since she came here, but even so, she knew Link was another true hero like herself.

"Hail, fellow hero!" She proclaimed. "I have claimed this keep for the glory of Hyrule! You can go ahead now."

Link smiled and waved at her, before moving on. Proxi looked at her funny, but left without a word. As Link ran off, her enthusiastic face slowly melted off. She wasn't dumb, despite what some villagers would have said. She knew Link was the Hero of Hyrule people always talked about, not her. Although she saved many people on her long and winding journey to the castle, it was him they talked about. With a resigned sigh, she looked around for more Bulblins to snipe. Might as well do what she could for now.

-/_\-

[Ilia]

They sat around the fire, watching the ember. There was only one left, as the others had all gone out. It was extremely dim, pulsating every so slightly. Orange, yellow, orange, yellow, red. It was like her. She felt so confused, so full of questions, yet unable to ask any of them.

"If you have any questions about us, you may ask them," Zelda kindly offered, shaking Ilia out of her stupor.

"You… How did you know what I was thinking?"

"It's all over your face. You don't need to be embarrassed. I'll start by properly introducing myself. I am Zelda, the Crown Princess of the Hyrule realm."

"Ah… Can I ask why a Princess is on the battlefield?"

"You certainly can, and that is a good question! As Crown Princess, I believe my duty is to the people first. You saw that castle just outside, right? That castle is not only my home, it is also the home of our people's hope. I cannot allow it to fall at any cost. For that, nothing is too precious to sacrifice, not even my own life. But do not worry, I am more of a capable warrior than you might think."

"So… we are at war, then?"

"…No. Not anymore. But…" Zelda looked down solemnly, then composed herself. "We just survived a colossal war. Technically, we are in a time of peace. But there has been a lot of unrest lately, despite that. I fear that this was only the beginning."

"I see… then… do you think I can fight?"

At this, Zelda could only look up, with an odd look in her eyes. Ilia did not blame her, however. She wasn't even close to being trained for battle. But she had a feeling. A feeling that, one day, she would have to stand up for what she believed in. Like so much else that she knew, she couldn't explain it at all. But she supposed Link might have helped her with that. Training with him, even if his skill level was so much beyond that of hers, felt natural. It made her feel more confident. But, why was she saying this all of a sudden?

"I'm sorry, that came out of nowhere! You wouldn't want someone weak like me…"

"No, it's a perfectly natural sentiment," Zelda reassured her. "An admirable one, at that. Although it is true that you are untrained," and here, Ilia flinched. "Your bond with that rod lies deeper than you know. I can detect it with my magic. If you were able to harness the power of that rod… You would become strong."

"… Link is so strong. But… do you think he can win?"

"Make no mistake, Volga is an incredibly powerful opponent. He is strongest one of the Dragon clan, who live in the Caves of Eldin. Along with his powerful attacks, he can turn into a dragon and perform powerful fire attacks. However, there's one thing Volga doesn't have, that Link has. Can you guess what that is?"

"…Um. I don't know."

"Companionship, Ilia. That is where true strength lies. As long as you have friends worth fighting for, that is where true strength comes from."

-/_\-

[Link]

Link wasn't doing well. He had been training, sure, but so had Volga, clearly. Volga's attacks had more force to them than ever, more confidence. It seemed that now he was free, he had more control over his fighting. And it showed. Already, parts of him were badly burnt. But Volga was starting to lose energy as well. His flame attacks were losing their power. Suddenly, Volga turned his arm draconic, and swung it down with excessive force. Link backflipped away, but a burst of flame erupted from where Volga's fist struck the ground. Charging his sword up with the energy of Light, he slashed at the flames, sending a sword beam out to dissipate the flames. Both Link and Volga stood there, nearly out of energy.

"So, this is it," Volga said. "This is your limit?"

Link said nothing. Volga chuckled.

"I say that, but it's the same for me. Very well. This will decide everything. Come at me!"

Volga lunged forwards, pike pointed directly at him. In response, Link ran forwards, mustering all of his remaining energy, and channeling it into his sword. Their weapons met, and with incredible power behind each one, a great explosion formed and threw them backwards away from each other. They were both down, simultaneously knocked out.

A ripple formed in the air between them, and a large shadowy figure appeared from it. It looked between the two of the downed warriors, then it turned towards Link. A shadowy aura surrounded Link, and he was raised into the air. The gigantic shadow formed another portal, and went through it, taking Link with it. The portal disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

-/_\-