Author's Note: Alright, we're on schedule to not disappear off the planet for a year. Woo. Let's keep this up even when not reuploading old chapters...
Chapter 1: Person of Interest
(Station_of_Awakening)
-2432 A.C.-
-The Lost Woods-
The darkness was absolute, stretching in all directions. He waved his hand in front of his face, but he couldn't see it, even when he tapped his nose. The silence was nearly as absolute, but if he strained his ears he could hear the faint sound of…singing? The melody was soothing, a lullaby borne on the voices of an angelic choir.
"Link!"
With no warning, the darkness began to rise, revealing a circle of light underneath his feet as his body was overwhelmed with the sensation of being surrounded by a flock of birds. He covered his eyes, feeling a slight pain as they began to get used to the bright light after such a deep darkness.
"Good morning, Link!"
As he lowered his hands, his eyes refocused and he could make out a design on the ground. Three equilateral triangles were connected at the corners so that they enclosed a fourth. All of the outer triangles were ringed with gold edges, but only the triangle in the lower-right glowed brightly. The others were empty.
"I said 'good morning', Link!"
The central triangle appeared to expand slightly into a circular shape, forming a vortex of black smoke that started to rise. It grew larger and larger until its base eclipsed the original design. Link backed away slowly as two small points of red light emanating from the center of the maelstrom enlarged...were those really lights? Because looking more closely they seemed like gigantic, glowing eyes—
Link was jolted into wakefulness when the blankets covering him were suddenly and forcefully removed. The man who had performed the removal was staring down at him disapprovingly, his blue eyes contrasting the red jacket he wore.
Mind still reeling from his bizarre dream and the sudden change in his surroundings, the only thoughts rushing through his head were variations on oh Farram it-
He brought his hand to his forehead and down in the gesture for "sorry" as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, touching his bare feet to the ground.
"I know it's your day off, but you haven't missed a morning run in weeks, so I decided to check on you. And what do I find but my running partner, sleeping the day away."
Sleeping the day away? Alarmed, Link padded over to the small window, sweeping the curtains back and noting the sun's position. After nine.
Whoops.
Ernest smirked at the mixed surprise and horror on Link's face but declined to comment further.
Link crossed back to his bedside table, plucking his stylus from where it lay beside his trusty wax tablet and scrawling weird dream at the top of his blank slate.
Link counted himself lucky that he knew how to read and write, because this allowed him to communicate with others as long as writing implements were available. Assuming they were literate, of course, which was a common impediment. Link made sure to keep both a tablet and ink and parchment as some of his few belongings.
Ernest's face softened slightly as he asked, "Weird like a nightmare?" Link shook his head 'no' and Ernest shrugged, turning to the door. As he strode out, he called over his shoulder, "Well if you wanna talk—er, you know what I mean…you know where to find me."
Link smiled and nodded before closing the door to begin getting dressed for the day. As the door shut, he heard Ernest muttering "You never realize how many idioms have to do with speech until you've been training a guy who can't speak…."
/_\
The mess hall was small, but at the moment it wasn't crowded. Even though Link considered the current hour to be late, most people (some would even say "normal" people) preferred to sleep in a little more on their days off. Of course, not everyone had leisure time today; Link could make out the thudding of practice weapons and the yells of his fellow soldiers - not soldiers, "knights" - in the distance.
When the Lord Regent had consolidated his power after the plague, certain members of the Royal Knights and their allies had disliked the direction in which they sensed the Regent had wanted to take the kingdom. The creation of the so-called "Sheikah Squad" in 2427 A.C. had been the last straw for many; Link had not been alone in his feeling that the name of the proud ninja-like warriors who had faithfully served the royal family should not be attached to a glorified secret police squadron. Several senior Royal Guards resigned in protest, taking many of their subordinates with them.
Instead of taking up new occupations, however, most of the former guardsmen seemed to vanish off the face of Hyrule.
While he had been at the orphanage, Link had heard various rumors about their fate. Some claimed that they defected to the neighboring kingdoms of Labrynna or Holodrum. Others were convinced that they stalked the cities and towns of Hyrule at night, fulfilling their duty to protect the citizens through vigilante actions instead of state-sanctioned operations. The more pessimistic among them maintained that they were hunted down and killed by the Sheikah Squad to prevent any kind of skilled resistance movement from forming.
As Link collected his portions of meat, vegetables, and milk, he smiled ruefully, imagining the looks on his friends' faces if they found out that he actually knew what had happened to the Royal Guard.
Breakfast in hand, Link started looking for a place to sit. It took him longer than he expected to spot Ernest's red jacket as he was currently surrounded by a group of admirers. The lieutenant was a minor celebrity among his peers, which was only natural given Ernest's many talents.
Ernest Siegerkind was 9 years old when he lost his parents to the plague, leaving him and his younger sister, Erica, to fend for themselves. They moved in with their uncle Heinrich, a Royal Guardsman, in Hyrule Castle Town. Under his tutelage, the young orphans learned the ways of reading, writing, and weaponry, with Ernest favoring the longsword and Erica becoming a peerless archer at a young age. When the Sheikah Squad was formed, sparking the mass exodus of Royal Guardsmen, Heinrich was one of the leaders of the resignation movement, and he took his niece and nephew with him for fear that the Regent might strike at him through them.
Heinrich was a man of honor and duty, however, and he was loath to abandon the citizens of Hyrule to the rule of this tyrant. With several of his most trusted colleagues, their families, and talented people sympathetic to their cause, the group trekked south to the legendary Lost Woods, an enchanted forest that was said to swallow up foolhardy explorers who entered unprepared. Heinrich and his group came prepared, however, and following the sweet notes of a mysterious song, they stumbled across an old, abandoned, monster-infested temple.
A year's work turned the decrepit temple into a functioning base of operations for Heinrich's resistance movement, which took the name of the "Bannerless."
Despite their youth, Ernest and Erica quickly became renowned in the newly-formed Bannerless. At 14, Ernest was a gifted swordfighter, able to take down men twice his size through exploiting his superior speed, agility, and technique. At 16, he ran across three soldiers during a solo hunting expedition. These particular men had been terrorizing the Faron area for a good while, focusing mainly on stealing from the farming village of Ordon, but the Bannerless had been forced to let them be since their main forces were scattered thin across Hyrule.
Ernest's surprise at running into the banes of Faron province was mistaken for fear by the brigands, and they tried to rob him at sword- and lance- point. Armed with only a short sword, his hunting knife, and a sling, Ernest had killed all three men—fully armed, fully armored soldiers—and recovered the money and goods stolen from Ordon Village. Among the contraband was a beautiful red leather jacket made by an Ordonian leatherworker. When he arrived in Ordon to return the money, the grateful villagers had insisted that he keep the jacket as a thank-you, and upon his report to his uncle at the Bannerless Temple, he'd earned both the rank of Sergeant and the nickname 'The Vermillion Swordsman'.
He continued to rise through the ranks, and presently he was a Lieutenant and the de facto right hand man to General Heinrich, all before his twentieth birthday.
His feats, connection to the general, and his youthful good looks—a handsome face, tall stature, windswept blond hair and piercing blue eyes—earned him the attention of many Bannerless members, much to his displeasure.
Which brought Link back to the present - their morning run was not the only reason Ernest liked to have breakfast extremely early. Even though the current hour would be considered early for a break day, word that the Vermillion Swordsman was currently dining in the mess had traveled quickly, and a group of people had gathered to breakfast with him and hopefully gain his attention or favor. Judging by the large number of blushing women around and smaller but still significant number of blushing men, Link guessed that some might be hoping for even more than that….
To Link's eye, Ernest was making a visible effort to not shut his mouth and reply to every comment with a monosyllabic answer, but it was clear that he was flagging. Ernest looked up as if trying to find a way out of this predicament, and met Link's eyes across the room. While he pretended to focus on cutting a piece of meat, he mouthed 'help' and looked back down quickly.
Link looked away as some of Ernest's admirers tried to find where his eyes had darted to, and upon confirming that he was not a target, he smiled apologetically in Ernest's general direction and decided that today was a nice enough day to eat outside.
/_\
The central courtyard training area was lively at this hour. In one of the back corners, newer recruits hacked at dummies made of wood and straw with various melee weapons while the other corner was decorated with archery targets of differing sizes. The central area could be used for formation practice and even small mock battles, but at the moment it was a dueling arena.
Link took a seat at a bench near the door he'd entered from, shifting left and right until he had a clear view past the spectators ringing the arena. He could see a tall girl with silver hair wielding a practice spear with effortless speed and precision, but her body blocked his view of her opponent. She hopped to the left on one foot, spinning 90 degrees to face her starting position and bringing her right knee up for a snap kick. With that motion, Link could now confirm two things: Her opponent was a brown-haired boy who had just brought his practice axe down in a thundering strike, and the girl was someone he knew, a fellow trainee named Raynie.
The axe-wielder, recognizing the windup of a kick, decided to delay pulling his axe up from the ground for a fraction of a second, instead using where the blade had impacted the earth as a pivot to move clockwise and avoid the kick…a kick which never came as Raynie instead brought her right foot down, stomping on the haft of the practice weapon right as the boy began to attempt to raise it. In a smooth motion, Raynie placed her weight on that foot, jumping into the air to bring her left foot across his face with a solid spin kick that elicited gasps, cheers, and applause from the spectators. The force of the kick, combined with the already-loosened grip of the boy as his pull met unexpected resistance, resulted in the boy losing his grip on the weapon altogether and stumbling back a couple of steps as Raynie landed gracefully facing away from him—and towards Link.
She spotted him instantly and winked. He scoffed.
Raynie turned to face her opponent, who had regained his footing but was still in a rather precarious position, what with his weapon still stuck in the ground next to his opponent. Recognizing that she had all the advantages, she relaxed, twirling her spear like a quarterstaff in a nonverbal taunt. The crowd hooted at her antics.
The boy sighed and said loudly, "I yield."
The onlookers erupted into cheers as some turned to their fellows and exchanged money, while Raynie retrieved the axe and handed it to her opponent before they shook hands. A giant of a man who towered over even Raynie—the combat instructor—entered the circle, favoring his left leg slightly. The combatants turned to bow to him as the crowd fell silent.
"Niall." His voice was surprisingly soft, but the boy snapped to attention. "Remember that what works against one will not necessarily work against all. Quick, agile fighters like Raynie must be outmaneuvered or tricked into a position where they cannot dodge your powerful blows. Otherwise, you will tire yourself out and open yourself up to counterattacks like that one."
"Sir! I will keep that in mind. Thank you sir!"
With an approving nod, the instructor turned to the spear wielder. "Raynie." Unlike the calm intonation he had used with Niall, Raynie's name came out in a long-suffering sigh. Raynie snapped to as well, or at least tried to, but her stance was a bit too relaxed for someone supposedly at attention.
"Yes sir?" Her words were polite, but her tone was playful and Link knew that she was smirking even though he couldn't currently see her face.
The instructor sighed again. "Raynie, you're a good fighter. Everyone knows you're a good fighter. Unfortunately, that includes you. Spear-twirling routines and spin kicks work fine when you're fighting someone whom you know you're going to win against, or in a practice setting. The battlefield, however—"
"Is no place to play around," Raynie finished, clearly having heard this speech many times.
The instructor heaved his third sigh of the conversation. "You hear, but are you listening? I hope that when you do learn this lesson, the price isn't your life—or someone else's." His left hand unconsciously drifted to his leg, where Link knew a scar rested under his clothes.
Raynie stiffened and Link could tell that she was dying to say something, but with a colossal effort, the only words she uttered were a low "Yes, sir."
The instructor nodded and called up the next two combatants as Raynie placed the practice spear back on its rack and stalked over to the bench where Link was halfway through his meal.
She was still clearly seething as she plopped down next to him, folding her arms and muttering under her breath. Link, used to this, started watching the next fight as he waited for her to calm down. Out of the corner of his eye, he idly noted some recruits staring at their bench, shooting Raynie admiring or sympathetic glances. Those who looked at him wore expressions more akin to anger or envy.
Why do my supervising officer and my teammate have to be some of the most popular people in the Bannerless?
"You're up late today, kiddo." Raynie's voice cut through the silence that surrounded them, startling Link slightly until he registered that she was actually rather calm. She had always been good at keeping an even temperament in the face of raging emotion.
Without writing equipment at hand, Link placed his fork and knife down to mime sleeping before continuing his meal. In the dueling circle, two practice swords clashed as their owners strained to overpower the other.
"Kinda unusual for you, but eh. It's your day off and you deserve a little slack, mister 'Southpaw Swordsman'." She grinned and elbowed him in the side as he groaned at the nickname that his fellow recruits had given him. Since he had been selected to train personally under Ernest two years ago, the Bannerless had collectively decided that the Vermillion Swordsman's protégé needed a descriptive moniker as well, and the alliterative reference to the fact that his left hand was his dominant hand had been a hit from day one. Raynie didn't have a nickname yet for some reason.
She scooted closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. Link was now hyperaware of the point of contact, her hot breath on his ear, the blood rushing to his face and the increasing rage in the expressions of Raynie's admirers. She whispered "In any case, I owe you one, kiddo. Thanks."
He nodded dumbly, waiting for her to back out of his personal space. Despite the annoying nickname—she's just two years older than him—Raynie was still a very attractive woman and Link was still going through puberty.
Behind them, the door opened and Raynie languidly looked back to see who it was, shifting her head to rest on his shoulder before suddenly moving. Link let his breath out at the removal of contact and stifled a chuckle when he turned to see Ernest's trademark jacket and Raynie's reaction. Her back was ramrod straight as she stammered out "Uh h-h-hi sir, we weren't doing anything, I swear!"
Despite her flirtatious behavior towards her friends, there was one guy whom she never toyed with: Ernest. Link had realized her attraction to their commanding officer fairly quickly, but the normally perceptive Ernest was apparently denser than lead as far as romance was concerned.
Ernest turned a puzzled look at Link, who through experience already knew the question his eyes were asking: why does she always act so startled whenever I walk in on you two?
Link's own eyes tried to reply: she doesn't want you to think she's flirting with me, man. Ernest didn't get it, of course. Denser than lead.
Ernest shook his head, mentally chucking this incident into the "weird Raynie and Link interactions" bin as Raynie composed herself.
"This is convenient, I was looking for you two."
"What do you need us for, sir?" asked Raynie, much more calmly.
Ernest sighed. "Honestly, I don't know myself. The General has called us in for a special meeting. Have you eaten yet, Raynie?" The question caught the girl by surprise, but she quickly nodded, clarifying "After our run, when you went to get Link."
"Alright. Link, finish your meal, and let's go see what my uncle has to say."
At least he didn't seem angry about Link ditching him earlier, although he might just be deferring punishment until later...
/_\
The general's office was small and austere. The window across from the door let the morning light through to illuminate the general's wooden desk. A bookshelf on the right side held various atlases, Master Sun's The Art of War, Howard Grooson's Hyrule Historia, and other treatises on war and tactics, while the wall next to the bookshelf featured a large map of Hyrule. Opposite the bookshelf were Heinrich's armaments: a set of light armor and his famous twin claws, which were said to have been formed from the claws of a bear he had taken down with his bare hands as a teenager.
The man himself sat behind his desk, leafing through a small black book. His dark, narrowed eyes and long, beaked nose gave Link the impression of a hawk scrutinizing its prey. He'd yet to acknowledge the entrance of the three, but Link knew that he had recognized and identified them as the door had swung open. The Hawk of Hyrule, as he had been known during his Royal Guard days, had a reputation for being impossible to sneak up on.
Ernest led the group into the office and stood at attention in front of Heinrich's desk, with Link and Raynie slightly behind him.
"Good morning, General. I've brought my subordinates as you requested." Heinrich set the book aside, smiling slightly.
"How many times have I told you, nephew, you don't need to be so formal all the time."
"When I am receiving a mission from my commanding officer, General, I will be as formal as the situation demands." Link could tell that this was a sentence Ernest had uttered many times, and Heinrich's widening smile confirmed to him that this was a running joke between the men.
The general turned slightly to look at Link and Raynie, who both bowed slightly as Raynie said, "Good morning, General."
Heinrich inclined his head in return, replying "And good morning to you two. I hope you've been treating my Ernest well."
Raynie flushed for some reason. Mind outta the gutter, please.
The general ignored it, though. "I've heard good things about the two of you, and I hope you don't disappoint. Granted, this shouldn't really be the kind of mission to show your skills, but…anything can happen."
A feeling of unease washed over him.
With pleasantries concluded, Heinrich sat forward, folding his hands before his face. The smile was gone from his voice when he began to speak.
"Your mission is simple. Find and retrieve a person of interest to the Bannerless."
Link and Raynie glanced at each other with mirrored expressions of puzzlement.
Ernest was a bit more direct. "With all due respect, sir, this doesn't seem like the kind of mission you would send all three of us on. If we were extracting a spy, one person should suffice, and if it were a rescue mission, even a stealthy one would require more people than just us."
Heinrich nodded, apparently pleased at his nephew's analysis. "Very astute, Ernest. The truth is, there are going to be many irregular things about this mission. Let me brief you on the circumstances." He stood up abruptly, leading the three to the map of Hyrule hanging next to his bookshelf. "As you know, the Postmen are sympathetic to our cause, and when they stop in Ordon Village, they relay messages and information. Among those was a report from the postwoman assigned to the Gerudo Valley. Her report was standard, except for one thing: she spotted someone she didn't recognize traveling across the desert, alone, on foot."
After the Twilight War, the Queen had ordered the construction of a scaffolding and elevator system so that the Gerudo Desert could be reached from Lake Hylia without the use of magic or cannons. In doing so, they had reopened the Arbiter's Grounds Prison—without the ability to use the Mirror of Twilight for executions, of course—and the Gerudo people had happily resettled their ancestral lands, which came to be known as the Gerudo Valley once again. As the Gerudo population grew, they established a transit system to allow Hylians to visit the Valley and ensure people who were lost in the desert had at least a decent chance to be found before the punishing conditions took their toll. Even the Postmen, who traditionally delivered non-express letters on foot, would use the transit system to reach the population centers and then walk to the more remote locations.
Despite having never been to the desert, most Hylians knew that for the layperson, walking alone in the desert was not something to be taken lightly.
Heinrich continued.
"Upon drawing closer, the postwoman noticed that the traveler was wearing light armor, a green tunic, and combat boots with a crossbow strapped to each one. Blue eyes, braided blond hair, and a large compass hanging around her neck."
Link stole a glance at the armor to his left, using its reflective surface to catch a glimpse of his own blue eyes and blond hair. He was currently in casual clothes so no green tunic or armor, but the girl could be a dead ringer for him.
Raynie was apparently thinking along similar lines as she muttered to him, "Sure you don't have a sister wandering around?"
He shook his head.
"The strangest thing about this girl was that she had no supplies for a desert trek—no sleeping bag, no waterskins, no flasks. Just an item pouch, various potions hanging off her belt, crossbow bolts, and…" Heinrich trailed off.
"And?" Ernest prompted.
"…and an injured cucco in her arms."
Silence descended on the room as the three tried to make sense of this information. Raynie voiced her idea first.
"Uh, what's she doing with a cucco in the middle of the desert? Did she bring it up from that weird funhouse place in Lake Hylia?"
Heinrich stifled a snort. "No, Raynie, she didn't. We actually checked with one of our agents who is stationed near Lake Hylia, who told us that no one matching that description had been seen in the area, much less visited Falbi's Fly by Fowl. You assume correctly, though, that the cucco was not a native of the Gerudo Valley. Luckily, the traveler actually told the postwoman where it, and she, originated from." He paused, smirking slightly at their expectant looks.
"She had apparently arrived in the Gerudo Desert from…Kakariko Village."
Ernest gripped the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as Raynie tilted her head slightly and Link studied the map. It confirmed what he already knew, of course: Kakariko Village was located on the exact opposite side of Hyrule from the Gerudo Desert, as it had been for thousands of years. Furthermore, the only way to get to the Gerudo Desert from Kakariko is to pass through Lake Hylia.
Which their agent had said she hadn't done.
So did she glide from Snowpeak? Find a way to warp around like the Hero of Twilight? Link forced himself to think simpler. She's probably one of those animal lovers who managed to steal a cucco from a food delivery or something.
As the three of them came to separate conclusions, Heinrich raised his hands to forestall further questions. "This girl has a lot of questions surrounding her, but the meat of the matter is, why am I sending out three of my best warriors to retrieve a girl who's a possible lunatic? There are two reasons." He raised a finger. "One. The day after the encounter with the girl, the postwoman returned to the city of Madinat Dina, where she observed a Shiekah Squad member questioning the townspeople about someone matching her description. The fact that a Sheikah is involved, not the local law enforcement, necessarily means that the Lord Regent himself—or at least someone involved with him—has something to do with the girl."
The three nodded.
He raised another finger. "Two. The girl wore gloves, but at one point during the conversation between her and the postwoman, the cucco cried out in pain and the girl took off her left glove to soothe it. This allowed the postwoman to glimpse the back of her left hand…on which was marked the symbol of the Triforce."
Ernest and Raynie gasped as Link recalled his dream—a stained glass circle underneath his feet with the glowing Triforce design in the center—and an urge that he had to meet this girl surged up within him.
Ernest asked, "But couldn't she be, I don't know, a fan of the ancient legends decking herself out in matching clothing and getting someone to tattoo the Triforce on her? There's no law saying that you can't put a fake Triforce on you…"
"Correct. It could very well be fake. However, given all of the information we have, it would be prudent to assume that she has some connection to the Triforce, no matter how small. If she has some blessing from the goddesses, then the questions surrounding her appearance in the desert with a cucco can be easily explained as the various powers that the heroes of legend were said to possess. And if she turns out to be the hero of legend! If the Regent gets to her first, there's no telling what could happen.
"If, on the other hand, we assume she's a deranged fan of the heroes, we still have the Sheikah searching for her—unless there are multiple crossbow wielding, cucco carrying girls in green wandering the desert at the same time. And even if she's not related to the goddesses or the Triforce, the fact that the Regent is searching for her along with all of her weird circumstances make her, at the very least, a person of interest."
"Which is why you're sending the three of us: not just to bring her back, but to investigate just how important she is and provide her with protection while still being mildly covert," Ernest summarized.
Heinrich crossed back to his desk and sat down. "That is your mission. Do you accept, Ernest, Raynie, Link? Bear in mind that there is a better than even chance of your encountering a Sheikah Squad agent."
Raynie and Link stiffened, Link remembering his kidnapping from the orphanage. As for Raynie, the same rage that had entered her eyes after the training bout earlier returned for a split second.
Heinrich continued unperturbed. "However, having observed your training and knowing of the talent that Ernest possesses, I have the utmost faith that you two have the capability to succeed alongside Ernest despite your young age. Do you share that faith in yourselves? There is no shame in admitting that you do not, and there will be no consequences for refusing this mission."
Ernest and Raynie shared a glance before both turned to look at Link. In Raynie's eyes he saw fear, confidence, and excitement; Ernest's gaze warred between trepidation and curiosity.
When the two of them looked at Link, they both gave a start of surprise at seeing the fire of determination in his piercing cobalt gaze.
This was, he felt, something he had to do, something he'd regret dearly if he didn't. Why exactly he felt that, he could puzzle out later.
Link simply gave Heinrich a thumbs-up, nodding decisively to drive his point home.
"Are you sure, Link?" asked Ernest. He'd never seen the boy this driven, even in fights, and frankly it was a little unsettling. Link nodded emphatically, pounding his closed fist to his chest a couple times for emphasis.
Heinrich smiled upon seeing that gesture. "A good warrior uses his head, but a great warrior trusts both his head and his instincts. You are well down that path, Link." His smile turned slightly mischievous. "Of course, your instincts may lead you into a less beneficial course of action, as well. The greatest warriors know how to balance their gut feelings and their reasoning."
"And how do you attain that experience, General?" asked Ernest warily.
"You complete the mission and see if you survive, of course." Heinrich weathered Ernest's unamused glare, saying "I never said all warriors succeed at attaining greatness."
Raynie made up her mind. "I don't know about being a great warrior, but I do know that I'll be damned if I let my partner do something this dangerous without me there to watch his back. I'm coming too."
Ernest nodded with approval. "Then put us all down for it, General. When do we leave and where do we start?"
"I know it's your day off, but time is key, so you should leave as soon as possible. Start by making your way through Lake Hylia to the desert." He scribbled something on a parchment, signed it, and handed it to Ernest. "This will get you any supplies you feel you need, as well as clearance for three horses from the stables."
Two more pieces of paper were handed to Link and Raynie. "This isn't standard procedure, but your combat prowess, as well as the recommendation of your commanding officer, has in my eyes qualified you for the 'fast track', as it were. By the power vested in me, I declare you, Raynie Halm, and you, Link Yuuki, to henceforth be Corporals in the Bannerless. You are assigned to Lieutenant Ernest Siegerkind. Go forth, and bring honor to the Bannerless. Regina Populusque Hylia!"
Link and Raynie snapped out of their surprise to stand at attention, salute, and (in Raynie's case) echo "Regina Populusque Hylia!" For his part, Link brought his hands together, arranging his fingers to approximate the insignia of the Triforce, and placed them in front of his heart.
With a smile, Heinrich sat back down. "One more thing, then. I didn't want this to affect your decision regarding the mission, but since you've accepted, I will give you one more piece of information.
"The girl in the desert did, at one point, introduce herself to the postwoman.
"Her name…is Link."