Chapter Three
Rusl
He woke, hoping beyond hope that the events that had transpired had been nothing more but a dream, rather a horrific nightmare. He would wake in his own bed at home, his wife's smiling face there to greet him. He would eat with his wife and son, they would discuss their plans for the day, he would ask Uli about the baby who was to be born any day, he would kiss her, and he would leave for work. Link, who he had raised and loved like a son, would run into him on his way to work at the ranch, the two would chat and smile, and they would repeat the cycle again the next morning.
But none of that could ever happen again. Link was dead. He had fallen at the hands of the Usurper King, Ganondorf. Ashei and Auru had seen it themselves.
They had taken refuge in an abandoned military training post, but they could not stay there. Already, Ganondorf had sent scouts to kill all who had stood in his way. They were not safe in Hyrule. They were not safe anywhere. They planned to make their way south, through Ordon, so that Rusl could take his family with him into hiding. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be harmed, should he not be found. From there, they would proceed to the wetlands of the south, where they would wait for their moment to strike the castle once again. They were severely outnumbered, though, and he doubted they would ever have the numbers needed for a victory.
He had tried to withdraw himself, to keep alone with his thoughts. Link had been so very young when he and Uli took him in. They had been young themselves. He had just turned twenty, and Uli was merely eighteen. They had recently wed, and had not planned on having a child for several years. But when Link's mother, a close friend of Uli's, passed when the boy was only five or six, they had taken him in willingly, raised him as their own. He sat on the ground with his head in his hands, wondering how he was supposed to break the news to her, or to Colin, who had adored the Hero.
He sighed when he heard someone sit beside him. He did not need to check to know that it was Auru. Ashei had been studying maps since the Resistance had arrived at the hideout. Shad had been advising her on the best locations to avoid capture, and Telma had gone back to her bar, trying to keep the trail off of them.
Auru sighed deeply and was silent for a long moment before speaking. "None of us expected this," the older man said. Rusl nodded, but said nothing in reply. "He was in his prime, and in practice. We all thought victory would come easily." Rusl nodded again, wondering if the man's words were supposed to bring comfort to him. If so, Auru was doing a poor job. "There is nothing that prepares you for such a tragedy," he continues. "No words of comfort strong enough to dull the pain." The older man turned to face Rusl, who reluctantly met his gaze. "I pray that the Goddesses bring you comfort."
"Fuck the Goddesses," Rusl spat into the ground. He had never been a religious man, and what had transpired was not going to convert him. The Goddesses, if they existed, were nothing short of cruel, cruel to take Link at such a young age, cruel to allow Ganondorf to rule over the kingdom, cruel to allow so many prayers to go unanswered, to allow so many lives to be lost, and to remain silent.
Auru sighed deeply, but said nothing, something Rusl was grateful for. He had learned as a young man that silence was sometimes the most comforting thing one could offer. When Link's mother passed, there had been no words Rusl could say to ease the boy's distress, his pain, his sorrow. He had simply been around, even if silent, allowing the boy to know he was not alone.
He glanced over at Ashei, who approached him with Shad at her side. "We leave at nightfall," she said. "Rest up. We will not stop until we've put several leagues between us and this place." Rusl sighed and leaned back on his elbows, watching the sky above. They only had a few hours before the sun would set, by his gauge. He was grateful she had taken the lead. He had trained under a royal knight, but strategy had never been his strong suit.
"I'll take the watch," Rusl volunteered and stood. Ashei started to protest, but he held a hand up to silence her. He doubted he would be able to sleep anyway, and he might as well be of some use to the group. "Rest. You'll need it to navigate us away." Ashei reluctantly nodded and sat on the ground. Rusl grabbed his sword and sat as high up as he could manage, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. He almost wished the Demon King himself would arrive, just so Rusl could plunge his sword through the man's chest himself.