Zelda watched in dismay as the leader of the Desert Army and the Gerudo walked the length of the throne room to smile at her father cruelly.
"The Red Lion, at last we meet."
"Lord Gannondorf," her father said tiredly. In the month since the disaster in the Hylian Fields what had remained of the Hylian Army had fought a losing battle with Gannondorf's forces before finally being driven into Castle Town itself. In that time every facet of Hyrule's vaunted military had collapsed into disarray and many had refused to fight. It was ironic then that the only group not to despair had been the Wolfos, they had kept fighting against all odds, even against the now dreaded undead that Gannondorf seemed to summon at will to do his bidding. Even the two massive drakes, which she now knew the names of, Volvagia and Argorok hadn't cowed the Wolfos into surrendering and without fail they'd been the first to charge and the last to retreat during each clash. A courier had finally been sent to Castle Town, offering terms, unconditional surrender in exchange for the lives of those in Castle Town and throughout Hyrule. If the Red Lion had not complied with this, Gannondorf would have had his armies sack and torch every town across Hyrule. What choice had her father had?
He no longer seemed the regal lion that everyone had seen him as; he looked tired, aged beyond his years. Zelda looked over at the handful of Wolfos that had been asked, as leaders of what remained of the Wolfos, to attend. The woman she'd come to know as the matriarch stood stoically in her farmer's clothes. Somehow, she managed to look regal even given her state of dress. Those that stood with her were no different, each stood proudly besides their leader.
"We've surrendered to you as you requested Lord Gannondorf," her father was saying, "what more can we do than that?"
"Much, much more," he said with a dark smile. "First though," his eyes fell upon the matriarch. "You lead the Wolfos?"
She nodded quietly, he beckoned her towards him, after a moment she stepped forwards, he towered above her, but she stood her ground, her one good eye glaring at him defiantly.
"Your people fought well, and for a cause that was not your own. For that you are to be rewarded."
The matriarch was justly cautious, Zelda met her gaze and they exchanged the same thought: betrayal.
"What reward would you give your enemy?" she asked tacitly.
"Freedom," Gannondorf said simply.
There was a hushed silence as the words sunk in, and then the matriarch spoke again. "Why free your enemy?"
"Divide and conquer," he said, strolling around her quietly. "Your people are bound to the Royal House of Hyrule. So long as that remains true your kind will be a problem for me. Now I could go into your forest and burn you out, but that would take time which I do not wish to spend. So I am giving you your freedom and the promise that you will not be punished for your role in the fighting."
"Lord Gannondorf, you cannot release my bondsmen as if they were your own!" protested the Red Lion, he, like everyone else in the room suspected that, if released of their bonds, the Wolfos would gladly watch Hyrule burn instead of helping to free her at a later day. Zelda had to admit, if only to herself, that it would serve Hyrule right if the Wolfos did just that, she watched the matriarch's face, trying to read the impassive features as she considered her options.
"Your answer," Gannondorf pressed, ignoring the King's protest.
She drew a deep sigh, her eyes meeting Zelda's, as if to giver her apologies. Zelda didn't want her apology. She understood, even if she didn't like it. The Wolfos had suffered enough for Hyrule.
"I choose freedom for my people."
"Good," Gannondorf said cheerily, "now there's just one last thing." he drew his sword and in the same motion took the matriarch's head off. Her body stood there for a moment before toppling to the floor, her red blood in stark contrast to the white marble. Her head rolled across the floor, leaving vibrant slashes of red in its wake before coming to a stop at the feet of one of Gannondorf's guards. The man knelt to retrieve the head, handing it to his lord with a bow.
Gannondorf turned back to the remaining Wolfos, holding up their leader's head by her scalp. Her long white hair severed at her neckline where his sword had cut. "Her life for your freedom, take this with you to your forest, let it be a reminder what awaits you should you decide to challenge my will in Hyrule; and be sure that the Kokiri their precious tree understand as well."
One of the Wolfos, brown and gray male, stepped forward cautiously. He took the head and cradled it in his arms tenderly as if it were an infant. Wordlessly the four remaining Wolfos shifted into their wolf forms, the head of the matriarch clenched in the lead wolf's jaws as they trotted out of the throne room their claws clacking on the polished marble. Once they were through the door, Zelda heard them break into a run. She hoped no one attacked them.
As soon as they left Gannondorf turned back to the King of Hyrule, "now your Majesty, we have much to discuss."
"There is nothing we can do," Impa said as Sheik fumed.
"We're supposed to be master assassins and spies, how can you say there is nothing we can do?"
She regarded her son impassively for a moment before speaking. "We sent some of our best against the Mage King, and he killed each of them."
"Send me," Sheik said, turning around to face his mother.
"Absolutely not," she said instantly.
"Because I'm your son," he said stonily, his anger building.
"Yes, because as my son you are the heir to the Shiekah lineage and if you die so does that lineage."
Sheik scowled and glared out the window at nothing in particular. He and Impa had barely managed to pull the Princess from the jaws of the undead horde that had assaulted the Hylian Army that fateful first day, he'd hated himself for days following for the words he'd spoken while looking at the Wolfos. The Gerudos had possessed a trump card; the most powerful Mage King they'd seen in centuries. He'd been able to bring under his banner the Goblins and the two dragons, Volvagia and Argorok in addition to his prowess at raising the souls of the dead to do his bidding. Now the King was being forced to give everything but his title to Gannondorf and there was nothing the Shiekah could do. He hated feeling helpless. The door to the chamber opened and Princess Zelda stalked into the room, if anyone had a fouler mood than himself it was probably her he realized.
Both Impa and Sheik bowed, but she waved them off distractedly, "my father has agreed to every one of the Mage King's terms, including turning what remains of our military over to his control. In his infinite generosity," she all but spat the last word, "he's even offered to rebuild our army for us."
"Which he of course will use to extend his reach," Impa said.
"Of course," Zelda agreed, "I don't know how the Zora or the Gorons are taking this, their emissaries left the city as soon as they sensed the end; no doubt they're bolstering their defenses against a possible attack." She paused and sighed, taking a seat in a gilt chair and placing a gloved hand to her forehead. "He's set the Wolfos free, dissolved their bonds to the Royal House, and to make sure they understood the gift, he killed the matriarch."
Sheik couldn't believe his ears, he'd watched the matriarch fight this past month, to think that she had been killed, it was frightening. "What will they do now?"
"Hide in the forest no doubt and watch Hyrule be crushed under the Mage King's fist."
Sheik didn't like what his mother said, but he couldn't think of anything else that the Wolfos might do. "What are we going to do your Highness?"
Zelda shook her head despairingly, "I had thought to use the Wolfos to fight Gannondorf's rule. Can you believe that? I wanted so desperately to set them free, only to find that now I need them more than any of my ancestors ever have."
"There might still be a chance of that, if we move quickly." Impa said quietly.
Zelda looked up with a sad smile, "Impa, I watched them leave, do you know how many answered the call to fight? Nearly two thousand, do you know how many walked out of Castle Town today?" Tears filled her eyes as she continued, "less than four hundred. How could I ask them to fight for us again when we've already taken so much from them?"
Sheik's mind staggered at the figures, there had only been some three thousand Wolfos in total according to the last census, and they had apparently lost half of that population in the month of fighting and most of that would be their prime breeders too. Zelda was right, there would be nothing short of a miracle that would move the Wolfos to fight for Hyrule willingly.
There was a long silence, until Zelda spoke again, "Gannondorf wants the Triforce, and he knows that the Royal House has the secret to unlocking it."
Impa's eyes narrowed, "but he doesn't know who I imagine."
Zelda nodded, smiling bitterly, "he believes it's my father, after all, why would a mere princess be entrusted with such knowledge?"
"We must get you out of the castle tonight your Highness," Impa said suddenly. "Sheik, I need you to acquire three horses, traveling clothes, and supplies for the three of us. Steal them if you have to."
Sheik looked from his mother to the Princess in confusion; did Zelda really know the secret to unlock the Triforce? The power to forge the world left behind by the Goddesses upon their departure from this plane; if Gannondorf found it….he shuddered. It all sounded insane, but a few weeks ago, undead legions rising from the earth had seemed equally insane. He didn't ask, leaving the room to fulfill his tasks.
Link awoke with the cucco calls, stretching stiffly and taking in a deep breath before moving. This had been his routine every morning for the last month, his side was still troublesome and the stretching and deep breathing helped it to loosen up each morning, allowing him more freedom of movement. Below his loft where he'd been quartered he heard the cows and horses beginning to stir as the cuccos continued to crow outside; he rolled over in the bed, almost a nest, or hay he'd created for himself, tossing the blanket and pillow aside as he got onto all fours and yawned stretching out his back before standing and dropping from the loft to the barn floor. He went to the big doors and pushed them open, letting in more sunlight into the barn, before he went to the stalls and opened them up. The horses were the first out, bolting excitedly out the door as soon as their gates were open and into the pastureland beyond. Once the horses were clear of the barn Link retrieved the bucket from the wall and knelt beneath the first of the cows to get the daily milk.
As he worked, his mind turned back to what had been happening in the world and to him these past weeks. He still had nightmares about Davos and Farva, about lying pinned beneath the latter's body for well over an hour amongst the dead from both sides of the battle; the smell of dead and burned flesh driving his mind slowly insane. He'd been so weak that transformation had been impossible and whatever semblance of a human mind he had left had retreated so deep into his being as to be meaningless. He still wasn't sure how they found him, but the rancher and his daughters, he had only known Malon's name at the time, had heard him crying when they'd come to help bury the dead. He hadn't even been aware the he was calling out to be truthful, but apparently he'd been whimpering pitifully, lying in the blood soaked earth with Farva's corpse atop him, the lance pinning both of them to the ground.
The youngest daughter, Romani, had found him first; he hadn't been pleasant. His mind was so traumatized by that point that he had been little more than a crazed feral animal snapping at his would be savior viciously when she drew too close and snarling dangerously. She had hesitated at first, but then run to find her father who had returned with meat and milk, which he'd carefully placed just out of Link's reach until Link had calmed down somewhat; once that was achieved he'd moved the food close enough for Link to eat and drink which he'd done with great gusto. It was during this time that Malon had come up and begun singing softly to him. Once he'd been calmed further, and with more food readily available, she'd been able to get close enough to stroke his head while he ate. That had been when Talon had gone around his side and lifted Farva's body from the lance before sawing off the haft of the weapon so he could lift Link off of the weapon's spear head without further injuring him.
The ride back to the ranch had been less than comfortable; he remembered mostly the bumps and agony from his freshly bandaged wound. The one bright spot had been Malon's soft voice as she sat besides him cradling his head in her lap as he'd whimpered at each lurch of the wagon. It had taken him an entire week before he had the strength to shift between human and wolf again, and even then he remained in his wolf form simply because if he shifted while seriously wounded it would change the anatomy of the wound, potentially making it worse. When he'd finally shifted, it had been in his sleep and he hadn't woken the next day until Malon had brought him his breakfast in the loft hay-bed they'd given him in the barn. When he'd woken up he'd found her staring at him in surprise, she hadn't realized that the gray and black Wolfos she had been tending to had been the same boy she'd given milk to on the eve of the battle. It had come as a bit of an embarrassing shock really considering how tenderly, even intimately, she'd treated him.
The pair got to have the conversation she'd tried to have before though, and they'd become quick friends as she'd rebound his injuries and for once, shared breakfast with him. It had come as a bit of a surprise to both of them to see how well they got along and after those first two weeks Link started helping her in her chores around the ranch under Talon's approving, if watchful, gaze. Now a month later he'd proven himself to be a valuable ranch hand, somewhat strangely, though perhaps not surprisingly he'd turned into her herd's dog; and the fact that he truly understood her commands made him that much better. When they weren't keeping the cattle in line, they spent their time with the horses on the ranch, which were Malon's true passion. She spoke for hours about husbandry and the different breeds and their qualities and countless other things equine. Link listened intently, soaking up the information, but also just listening to her voice. It soothed his troubled mind and kept him from thinking of his dead friends and kind. Over the course of the month, they heard bits and pieces about the fighting across the massive expanse of Hyrule Field and none of it was good.
Link had thought of leaving on more than one occasion during that month, of returning to Kokiri and his home but in the end he'd decided against it. The Fields of Hyrule were now covered with wandering bands of undead, and it was a very dangerous idea for a lone traveler, even a Wolfos, to make that journey without companions. So he'd stayed on and continued to work, gradually increasing his workload as his wound healed, the nice thing about being a Wolfos as opposed to a Hylian or a Human was a more active metabolism, which lead to faster recovery from wounds. So now, by the end of the month, all that remained of the injury were two scars, one on both flanks, and the stiffness that plagued him every morning.
"You're productive as usual," Link looked up to find Cremia smiling at him. "You know this is my job Link, you don't have to do it."
He shrugged, "I like to help."
"Well go help Malon," she said with a wink. "I can finish up here."
"Bu—" he didn't get to finish as she shooed him away from the cows and out the door into the morning sunlight.
He looked around at the fenced in area that made up the pastureland for the ranch, there was a sizable artificial pond in the center, it was artificial because it was fed not by anything conventional, but it was placed over an ancient Fairy Fountain, which kept it filled with crystal clear water, and even kept the grass in the pastureland healthy. Despite the fact that there were twenty-three horses and thirty-seven cows that grazed the pasture, the grass never diminished, each evening it replenished itself thanks to the properties of the Fairy Fountain. Link had been surprised to learn about all of this, it had never occurred to him to use a magical font as a source for a self-sustaining ranch. It was amazing to him, and part of the reason he had chosen to stay here. Another reason was standing by the water, with a brush, accompanied by several horses which she was working over as she crooned to them soothingly as she groomed them.
She looked up as he approached, reached down and tossed him a second brush; he went to work on a bay mare while she continued with a roan stallion.
"Did you sleep well?" She finally asked.
"It was beautiful. I opened up the loft door and watched the moon rise." Link said animatedly.
"Does that help you sleep?"
"The moon, no it wakes me up, it's like…I guess it gives me energy."
"Is that true of all Wolfos?"
He nodded, stroking the horse's nose as he brushed her neck. "We're most active at night when we're in the forests, it's when we do most of our hunting, we sleep in the morning just before the moon sets until the sun rise, and then we're up for most of the day until dusk when the suns sets and we go back to sleep until the moon comes up again."
She chuckled, "your people sleep less than the average rancher."
Link nodded bashfully, "I sleep more now than I ever did living at home."
That made both of them laugh, further conversation was interrupted by: "Link!" as Romani leapt onto Link's back. She wasn't being inconsiderate of his injury. He'd told her it was fine for her to do it after his wound had healed enough, even if it did make him wince a little at the impact.
"Time for your morning exercise," she declared happily.
Link and Malon exchanged smiles, "think you can beat me today?" She asked playfully.
"I think I'll try." He said good naturedly.
Author's Note: You know I just realized I'm giving character attributes to a character (Link) who you only ever really know through how other characters react to him. That, as a writer, I can safely say, is a bitch….if fun.