Chapter Four: Ulron-Chi
Zelda paced back and forth across her room as she contemplated the events that were to take place that day. The king of Hyrule had created an army to aid the Lorsimnenites in their defense of Ulron-Chi and the troops were to ship out that evening. Before the men departed, Zelda was to inspect the troops along with her father, but the princess was far more concerned with what she would say to the king when she saw him next.
"You still haven't figured out how to tell your father you wish to accompany the troops to Lorshimnen have you?" Impa inquired in a sympathetic tone as she entered the princess's chamber.
Zelda shook her head and replied, "How can I persuade him to allow me to leave the safety of Hyrule and travel to the war-torn east?"
"You will find a way," Impa said encouragingly. Zelda nodded her head slightly, not conviced she could do what her atendant claimed. "Come now," Impa said seconds later, "the king is waiting for you." With out another word the princess and her Sheikah protector exited the room and began to make their way down the halls of Hyrule Castle.
As Zelda walked she began to dread the inevitable conversation with her father even more. The fear forced her to remind herself why exactly she wanted to go to Lorshimnen. Ever since the messenger from Asrenath came to Hyrule, Zelda had been constantly contemplating her recent dream. She could not help but feel that something was hidden at Ulron-Chi that could change the world and she intended to find out what it was. However, that was not the only reason she wished to go, though she would have never admitted it to anyone. Zelda had strong feeling that she would find clues as to the whereabouts of the Hero of Time in Lorshimnen. The princess had been waiting for Link to return to her for thirteen years and had not done so. For the first time during that period, Zelda had an idea of where to start looking for him.
Once Zelda found the king, the two of them proceeded to the royal stables, where they mounted their horses and started to ride to the outer wall of the castle where the men were waiting. While they were riding, Zelda managed to gather up enough courage to tell her father her wish.
"I want to go with the men to Lorshimnen!" Zelda blurted out.
"What? Why?" The king asked in confusion.
"My dream," Zelda answered, "In my dream I saw a shadow consume Ulron-Chi. I believe that the Siragons will conquer the fortress and take whatever treasure lies inside."
"All the more reason for you to remain here, where it is safe." the king said sternly. "The eastern lands are too dangerous. If I let you go… I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."
"You would not have such concern if I was you son," Zelda said furiously, "If I was a man you would you would praise me for my bravery. There is no need to worry father. The power of the goddesses will help protect me from the demons, or have you forgotten that I posses the Triforce of Wisdom."
The king whispered something to himself inaudibly with a slight nod of his head. Zelda could tell her father was not holding his ground and continued to speak in a less harsh tone. "Besides, Impa will be with me the entire time," she said, "nothing will happen to me."
The two royal family members continued to argue for a few more minutes before the king finally gave up
"You're just like your mother," the king said with a half smile, "Very well, you may follow the troops to Ulron-Chi, but you must promise to stay out of danger. And though I do not doubt Impa's skill with a blade I shall order a portion of the royal guard to accompany you on your journey. Also, if Ulron-Chi comes under siege I want you flee from that place and return home."
"Father, I don't need," Zelda began to protest, but her father cut her off before she could finish.
"Those are my conditions," the king said, "they are not negotiable."
"All right," Zelda sighed and kissed her father on the cheek in thanks. Because of the king's decision to allow his daughter to go to Lorshimnen, the troops were held up for an hour while Zelda prepared to leave. While the princess insisted that she did not need any thing the soldiers did not have, her father would not allow her to depart without the comforts of home. He ordered Zelda's maids to pack up many of her belongings including several different dresses to send with the princess on her trip. It also took awhile to ready a portion of the royal guard to send on the journey.
Once the army and Zelda were ready the king and hundreds of the residents of Hyrule Castle Town saw them off. After they left the city they turned east and marched through a mountain pass that curved around Death Mountain. The journey to the nearest port took the army three days to travel, seeing as most of the men were on foot. Zelda on the other hand rode atop a white horse, which made her feel very uncomfortable. She was clearly receiving royal treatment, but she did not consider herself any better than the brave men who were traveling half-way around the world to defend a nation that was not their own.
Once the army reached the port, they discovered a small fleet of ships ready to carry the army of five hundred soldiers across the ocean. Most of the soldiers were Hylians, but there were also a couple dozen Gorons and Zoras among the ranks as well. It took the ships approximately two months to travel from Hyrule to Lorshimnen, during that time Zelda stayed in a room that was intended to house several officers. However, the men gladly surrendered their quarters to the princess and in turn made her feel even worse about receiving special treatment.
Zelda spent a lot of the voyage recalling the time she spent as Sheik in the alternate past. During that time she did not have anyone to wait on her, nor did she need anyone to. The only one she had was Impa and during the seven years Ganondorf ruled Hyrule, Impa was more of a friend than an attendant. In her heart she secretly wished to return to that life when she was not treated better than anyone else was.
Once the fleet reached the island of Lorshimnen they headed to one of the nation's largest ports, but they did not disembark. Instead a Lorshimenite ship joined their fleet and led them to the north side of the island, which took an additional two days to travel. Once the ships reached the north side they sailed to the entrance of a cave large enough that ceiling of the structure cleared the mast of even the tallest ship in the fleet by more than twenty feet. After a few minutes of sailing through the dark caves, the fleet came to a large underground seaport. The Hyrulians were all in awe as they saw about a thousand ships of varying size docked at the subterranean harbor.
The Hyrulain ships docked as soon as they were able and the soldiers immediately began to disembark, carrying with them whatever supplies they could manage. Before many of the men got off the ships, a royal messenger of Asrenath met them.
"My master, prince Anthros of Asrenath, welcomes you and thanks you for your aid," the messenger said to general Hatatk, the commander of the Hyrulian army, with a bow. "Anthros requests that the highest ranking officials of your army meet with him immediately, so that you may be briefed on our current situation." Hatatk nodded respectfully and immediately gathered together all of the Hyrulain officers.
"Impa and I shall accompany you and your men to meet with the prince of Asrenath," Zelda said to general Hatatk, just before he was about to take his men to the fortress.
"You are no officer," Hatatk said as if he was pointing out something that Zelda did not already know. "I can not allow you to follow us."
"That was an order not a request," Zelda said sternly, "You forget general, that I actually outrank you. Now let's get moving."
"Yes, your highness," Hatatk sighed and told the Asrean herald to lead him to the fortress. The messenger did as he was told and led the Hyrulians to the very back of the cave. The back wall of the grotto shot up directly out of the ground. Zelda raised her head and discovered that she could no longer see the cave ceiling. Instead she saw the rear wall reach up perfectly vertical as if it rose straight up to the sky. The herald motioned for the others to join him atop large square platform, which sat just under the large shaft.
"Hurry up," the messenger said, "We only have a moment before the lift activates." A few seconds after all the Hyrulians were a board, the platform suddenly shook and then began to ascend up the shaft. As they rode the platform none of the passengers could see anything, but they could tell they were moving fast. It took the elevator nearly twenty minutes to reach its destination. Once they reached the top the Hyrulian officers found themselves in a large hall with at least forty men, all looking intently at the new arrivals.
"State your country of origin and your purpose here," one of the guards ordered.
"We hail from the land of Hyrule," Hatatk replied authoritatively, "We come to aid in the defense of this fortress against the demons of Siragoth. We have been ordered to report to prince Anthros."
As soon as Hatatk finished speaking, a part formed amongst the guard ranks and two men, both with long brown hair, neatly trimmed beards, and dressed in fine clothes embroidered with gold thread, stepped out from amongst the men guarding the lift. The taller and more muscular of the two men bowed to the Hyrulians, "Greetings," he said, "I am prince Anthros of the realm of Asrenath, and this is my younger brother prince Vilamaros," the young man stated as he pointed to his companion.
"We are glad to see help come from the west, "Anthros continued, turning back to the Hyrulians. "You are the only nation west of Cyntir to send any aid. Hopefully your presence here will inspire others to do the same. How many men did you bring?"
"Five hundred," Zelda answered before Hatatk could say anything.
Anthros turned his gaze to the princess and said, "What are you doing here? This is no place for a woman."
"Do not treat me as you would the women from your land," Zelda retorted angrily, "I am the princess Zelda and I have much skill with a blade. I'd even wager I could defeat you in a duel."
"Ha! Don't make me laugh," Anthros chuckled. Zelda scowled at the prince and was about to challenge him to a fight right there, when Vilamaros stepped in.
"Ignore my brother princess," Vilamaros said and then took Zelda's hand and kissed it. "He believes himself to be the greatest swordsman in the world. He gets upset when anyone thinks they are a greater warrior than he is."
"That's not true," Anthros argued, "It's just that women should not be here, not while the Siragons have their eyes fixed on this fortress."
"I disagree," Vilamaros said with a smile, "If the Siragons were to take but one look upon this fair lady, they would be paralyzed by her beauty." Zelda gave Vilamaros a look of disapproval, showing the young prince she was not impressed by his flattering techniques.
"Yes, well, If you and your troops are going to help us, it would be best if I gave you a tour of the fortress," Vilamaros said, trying to hide his embarrassment. He then quickly turned and led the Hyrulians out of the large chamber to a wide walkway overlooking the fortress.
"May I present to you the legendary fortress, Ulron-Chi," Vilamaros said as he stepped out onto the walkway. Once Zelda followed him she was awe struck by the stronghold. Ulron-Chi was larger than the whole of Hyrule Castle Town. The outer wall was a perfect circle and made of a green marble and was over a hundred feet high. Ulron-Chi's inner walls, which stood about fifty feet tall, weaved all through out its interior and effectively turned the inside of the fortress into a labyrinth. At Ulron-Chi's center a great tower stood at about one thousand feet high. The fortress was located in narrow valley concealed by the snow-covered mountains of Lorshimnen. The mountains had kept Ulron-Chi hidden for thousands of years and also gave the fortress additional protection, making an assault only possible from two directions.
"Amazing," Zelda said almost out of breath. "How long ago did you find this place, Vilamaros?"
"A little more than four months ago," Vilamaros answered. "The Lorshimnenites claim a young Sheikah man led them here, just before the Siragons arrived.
"Where, is the man that revealed Ulron-Chi's location?" Zelda asked.
"He left as soon as the Lorshimnenites occupied the fortress," Vilamaros replied.
"Did the Lorshimnenites find any sort of treasure here, when they first arrived," Zelda continued with her inquiry."
"What kind of treasure?" Vilamaros asked confused.
"I don't know," Zelda said, "Any item that might have been left behind by Ulron-Chi's previous occupants."
"No, there was nothing here, when the first troops arrived," Vilamaros answered.
"I wonder if the legends of this structure's great treasure were false," Zelda said to herself, so that the prince could not hear her. Vilamaros and Anthros then proceeded to show the Hyrulians where they would be stationed and where they would get their food. Once the Hyrulians reached their station, the Asrean princes were overtaken by a man from Carthor.
"Prince Anthros, your highness!" the man called out when he arrived.
"What is it now Aramoth?" Anthros asked in an irritated tone.
"I have a suggestion on how we can use some of my troops," said Aramoth, "I want to form several small scouting parties to go out and locate the Siragon encampments hidden in the surrounding mountains."
"No," Anthros said more than a little annoyed. "The Siragons would probably catch and kill the spies before they could report back to us. Besides, the whole point of holding this fortress is we know that sooner or later the Siragons will attack us. Why should we look for our enemies when they will come to us anyway? Especially considering the advantage Ulron-Chi gives us."
"But you highness," Aramoth protested, "I believe that…"
"Captain, have you been talking to the green drifter again?" Anthros said cutting Aramoth off mid-sentence. Zelda began to listen in on the conversation intently at the mention of the "green drifter."
"I told you to stop talking to that man," Anthros said angrily.
"He has been fighting the Siragons longer than you have, sire," Aramoth argued. "He knows how the demons fight, better than anyone else."
"But has he ever defeated them?" Anthros asked already knowing the answer.
"No," Aramoth admitted, "But I'd bet the reason for that is the people he fights with never listen to him."
"No one listens to him because he does not command any troops, nor is he officially fighting under a national banner." Anthros growled, "He's just a loner, who wants to destroy the Siragons for his own reasons. He doesn't have any sound tactical strategies. Now I've heard enough of the stranger's plans. Don't tell me any more ideas unless they're your own."
"Yes sir," Aramoth said angrily and withdrew from the prince's presence, but before he got far, Zelda stopped him.
"This man, the green drifter that Anthros spoke of, what is his real name?" Zelda asked anxiously.
"Most know him only as the green drifter or the green stranger because of the way he dresses," Aramoth answered. "However, I have talked much with the man and he told me his real name is Link."
Zelda gasped even though Aramoth had only confirmed what she had already guessed. She then turned to look at Impa and said, "He is here, after thirteen long years, I've finally found him. I knew he was here. He is not one to sit idly back when a battle is going on." Zelda then turned back to face Aramoth and asked him to take her to where Link was.
"Of course, your highness," Aramoth answered, "He has stationed himself at the outer wall, so we'll have to do a bit walking first."
"That's all right," Zelda said, "lead the way." Aramoth nodded and began to walk towards the wall followed by Zelda and her attendant.
"Princess," Impa said with a serious tone, "Are you sure its wise too seek out Link? After all, it has been a long time since you last saw him and in all these years he has never once made an attempt to seek you out. Perhaps he does not want you to find him."
"Perhaps," Zelda admitted, "but at least this way I'll finally get some answers, at least I'll know why he never returned." Impa nodded her head slightly at the princess and the two of them continued to follow Aramoth.
"I met Link in Carthor when the Siragons were there," Aramoth explained as he and his companions walked. "He tried to advise my king on how defeat the Siragons, but my lord would not heed the stranger's words. In the end, Carthor fell, though unlike the other nations the demons destroyed, many of the Carthorian warrior's lives were sparred. My king unfortunately, was struck with a sickness, from which he can not seem to wake up, but he still lives. Because the king is not actually dead, no successor has taken his place. I was the Captain of the king's guard and have since been commanding the remaining soldiers of Carthor.
"I ordered my men to Ulron-Chi the instant I heard the Siragons sought to take it, for I believe one of the Siragons, posses the cure to the sleeping illness my king has. I met Link again, here in the fortress a few days after I arrived. I have since been trying to convince the princes of Asrenath to take Link's advice in defending this place from the demons, but I have had little luck in doing so. This Link is a brave man, he has fought the Siragons in many different lands and yet he still tries to battle the loathsome beast whenever possible. His courage is astounding!"
"It certainly is," Zelda said under her breath.
After their long walk across Ulron-Chi's inner walls, Aramoth finally led his guests to a small chamber within the outer wall of the fortress. The ceiling was about seven feet high and the floor was littered with all manners of supplies.
"Link comes here to sleep," Aramoth said once they arrived, "It will probably be night fall before he returns. I don't have any idea what he is doing now, but I suppose you could wait for him till he returns. Unfortunately, I have duties to attend to and I must leave you now, your highness."
"Thank you, kind sir," Zelda said with a smile. Aramoth bowed and then left. Zelda sat herself down on a barrel of foodstuffs and Impa did the same. The princess did not speak much for the next several hours. She was too busy worrying what she would say to her old friend when he returned to his quarters. She played in her head all the possibilities of the reunion.
As the princess was thinking of such things after the sun had set, Impa got up to ignite a torch for light, but before she could do so, an unseen enemy struck her from behind. Impa was shocked that her extremely attuned Sheikah senses did not alert her to her attacker's presence before she was knocked down. Impa recovered quickly from the blow, but not before the assailant managed to get behind Zelda and press a knife to her throat.
"State your name and purpose," the attacker said in a voice somewhat familiar to the princess.
"I am the princess Zelda of Hyrule. I come in search of man named Link. We mean you no harm." Zelda said in a remarkably calm voice. Once Zelda finished speaking, the knife remained at her throat for a few more seconds before it was finally pulled away.
"You have found your man," the aggressor said without a hint of emotion in his voice. Seconds later, a torch was lit and the light revealed Link to the two women in the room.
"Link," Zelda gasped as she laid eyes upon her old friend. "It has been too…"
"Why are you here?" Link said cutting Zelda's sentence short.
"We came here with troops from Hyrule to aid in the battle against the Siragons," Zelda answered a little offended that she was not allowed to finish speaking.
"No," Link replied in a softer tone, "Why are you at Ulron-Chi, Zelda? This is no place for you," Zelda was more than a little startled that Link addressed her by name without adding princess, or your highness. She recalled how when she and Link were children that he would never simply call her Zelda, no matter how many times she asked him, but the way the hero had just addressed her lacked a certain respect for her position.
"I'm not really sure," Zelda lied, she didn't know why, but she could not tell Link that she had come to Lorshimnen in hopes of finding clues to his whereabouts.
"If you do not have a reason for being here I must suggest you leave," Link said coldly. "And take your men with you. They will be of no use here."
"On the contrary," Zelda replied, wishing that the topic of conversation was something other than the Hyrulian soldiers. "I believe Hyrule's soldiers will be an excellent addition to the garrison already stationed here."
"When the Siragons come, the armies of Hyrule will only give into fear and spread panic throughout the ranks," Link said grimly, "They will do more harm than good."
"My troops are made up of valiant men, they are afraid of nothing," Zelda retorted with a slightly harsh tone, "They fear not death and certainly not demons. They are ready to face anything the Siragons have planned."
"You know nothing about what you speak," Link growled. "Your men have never seen these demons or their weapons before. I have witnessed entire armies cower in fear before the terrible onslaught of the Siragons. Armies far more experienced than yours. How many real battles have your men been in?"
"I don't know for sure," Zelda answered.
"It can not be many," Link continued, "Hyrule has not been to war in almost a quarter of a century. You come from a peaceful land Zelda, you and your men were not meant for this place."
"Why are you here then?" Zelda asked finally seeing an opportunity to question Link about the last thirteen years. "You are also from Hyrule. Lorshimnen is not your home, why are you willing to die in its defense."
"I am not fighting for Lorshimnen," Link answered sternly, "I am fighting against Siragoth."
"Why?" Zelda asked in confusion finally seeing a chance to steer the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go. "Why are you even out here? Why didn't you ever return home?" Zelda's question caused memories to come flooding back to Link of the incident in Termina that took place shortly after he first left Hyrule, memories the hero had desperately tried to forget. Images of the moon growing ever larger as it threatened to collide with the earth, forced their way into Link's mind as well as the terror on the faces of all the inhabitants of Termina as they realized their doom was inevitable. In an instant Link remembered all the times he failed to stop the world from ending.
As the horrible memories came back to Link, Zelda looked into his eyes and she could tell that something awful had happened to him.
Link wanted to tell Zelda the whole story of Termina and Majora's Mask and explain how after that experience he knew no one would ever understand what he had been through. And for that very reason Link could not manage to say anything to the princess except, "I have my motives."
Zelda could tell Link wanted to tell her the reason for his absence, but was holding back. In an attempt to persuade the hero to tell her what was troubling him, Zelda said, "You can tell me why, Link. We are friends after all."
Link then scowled at Zelda and in an angry voice said, "I have no friends and I have no home either! If you came to here to reestablish our so-called friendship, you wasted your time. I have neither the desire nor the time for it!"
"What happened to you?" Zelda asked with a quivering voice as she fought back the tears that started to coming to her eyes. "How could you risk your life to save Hyrule and then never want to return?"
"There is nothing for me in Hyrule," Link said grimly, "There is nothing for me anywhere."
"What do you mean there is nothing there for you?" Zelda inquired. "The only reason you haven't returned is because you didn't want to. Why would you banish yourself from a land you have given up so much for? You did save Hyrule, after all."
"Hyrule never would have needed saving if it had not been for me!" Link snapped. "It would have been better off without me!"
"How many times do I have to tell you…?" Zelda tried to explain to Link that what happened was not his fault, but Link was tired of talking about his past. He spent the last thirteen years of his life trying to escape it and Zelda was forcing him to recall all the pain he had endured.
"Leave, Zelda," Link growled cutting the princess off once again. "My place is here and regardless of what you think, it is not yours. Go back to Hyrule, where you belong." Zelda was deeply hurt by Link's statement. She could tell her old friend no longer wanted anything to do with her. She could not fight the tears any longer and rather than let Link see her cry, she stormed out of the room without another word. Impa started to follow after, but Link stopped her.
"Impa," he said in a more compassionate voice than he had used with princess, "Please, take Zelda away from this place. It is not safe here. The Siragons will soon destroy this place and its garrison along with it."
"This fortress is nearly filled to capacity," Impa glared at Link, angered greatly by the way he had just treated the princess. "No army in the world could conquer this place."
"The Siragons will find away," Link said grimly, "They are a very cunning race. They will find some way to conquer the fortress. Zelda and the other Hyrulians should not be here when Ulron-Chi falls."
"I think you underestimate the strength of our armies," Impa growled as she followed after the princess."
"I know you underestimate theirs," Link said under his breath, "Just as everyone else has."
As Impa chased after her ward, she discovered the princess had managed to put quite a bit of distance between herself and Link's quarters.
"Princess!" Impa called out once she managed to catch up, "It is not safe for you to wander the streets of Ulron-Chi on your own."
"Why did I come here, Impa?" Zelda asked with tears streaming down here face. "I should have known Link did not want to see me. It's just like you said, if he wished to see me again, he would have sought me out on his own. He would have returned to Hyrule."
"People change over time," Impa stated, "Link is no longer the kind young boy you knew before. He is not the same man who rescued Hyrule from Ganondorf."
"You're wrong!" Zelda shouted suddenly, "He is still the Hero of Time. He still…" Zelda stopped mid sentence. She knew whatever she said would not change her opinion of Link
"Princess, perhaps we should leave Ulron-Chi," Impa said ignoring Zelda's outburst. "There are enough men already here to defend it from any invasion and obviously Link does not want you here. We should return to Hyrule."
"No," Zelda said sternly, "Despite what Link says, I am still his friend. Something is troubling him and I will not leave this place till I find out what it is."
"Princess Zelda, is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," prince Vilamaros told his brother several hours after night had fallen and they were retiring to their quarters for the night.
"Yes I know," Anthros sighed, "You have told me at least a dozen times by now."
"I am sorry my brother, but I can not help it," Vilamaros continued, "I can't get her out of my head."
"I knew having her here would cause problems," Anthros growled, "You came here to fight the Siragons, not find a wife."
"Why can I not do both?" Vilamaros asked.
"Good night, Vilamaros," Anthros said as the princes reached their chambers. "I am sure I will hear more of the princess much more tomorrow, but I must get some rest if you are to talk about her all day." Vilamaros laughed and then bid his older brother good night and entered his room. Once the door was firmly closed, Vilamaros heard an unexpected yet familiar voice, which caused him to jump a bit.
"You have more important things to worry about than women," the voice said. A dark figure then stepped out of the corner and revealed himself to the prince.
"Lugath," Vilamaros said, "you startled me."
"I told you to never call me by that name! Lugath is dead remember?" the figure said angrily.
"My apologies Mygar," Vilamaros responded, "It will not happen again."
"Make sure that it does not," the Siragon growled. "Now give me an update of the current situation here.
"Five hundred troops from Hyrule arrived today, but few of them have ever seen a real battle before. They will cause you little trouble," Vilamaros began, "However, there are some pressing matters, which you need to know about. As you know, the Asreans, in cooperation with the troops the Tyfirians sent to Ulron-Chi, have been sneaking some of their cannons into the fortress with the food supply shipments. However, the number of cannons they have managed to bring is nothing compared to the number the Siragons have."
"Indeed," Mygar said, "Nor are they as powerful or maneuverable."
"Yes, well," Vilamaros continued, "A few days ago, I received word from a Tyfirian supply convoy that was attacked by a Siragon ship while on their way here. They have been forced to approach the fortress through the mountains on foot from the south. The convoy is expected to arrive tomorrow.
"One of the Tyfirian blacksmiths who was recovered from the Acromiar incident, Ekrin I believe is his name. He is one of the only men in the world with the knowledge of how to create weapons similar to yours, and he is one of the members of the approaching party. He will be disguised as one of the soldiers watching over tomorrow's supply shipment. Also, he is being escorted by general Syrus, the Tyfirians best strategic mind in regards to the use of cannons.
"Once they arrive here Ekrin will begin instructing blacksmiths from other nations on how to build cannons and Syrus will begin teaching my brother and other Asrean officers in the effective uses of the weapons. We can not allow that to happen."
"No, we can not," Mygar agreed, "I have a regiment of Rimgard riders stationed near the southern pass. Tomorrow my troops and I will attack the shipment and capture ol' Syrus and Ekrin."
"Forgive me for my imprudence," Vilamaros said confused, "But would it not be better if you killed the men rather than capture them?"
"No," Mygar answered, "I want your brother to believe he can rescue the Tyfirians and follow my troops and myself into the mountains after we attack."
"Do you mean to say you will finally kill Anthros?" Vilamaros asked excitedly. Mygar simply nodded and then the Asrean prince laughed with satisfaction. Then I will be next in line for the throne instead of my foolish brother and because you already took my father's soul, I will effectively be the ruler of all of Asrenath."
"Just never forget who helped you gain the throne," Mygar said sternly. "Now listen carefully, when I attack on the morrow you must convince your brother to follow after me with as many men as possible. We will leave tracks for you to follow, but be warned, there will be mines placed off the immediate path, so be sure not to stray too far. Now when you and the rest of the army reach the end of the trail…"
"Me?" Vilamaros asked anxiously, "You don't want me to follow my brother to destruction do you? Forget it! I will not go."
"If you want Asrenath for your own, you will obey!" Mygar growled, while still trying to keep his voice low enough, so that no one outside the room could hear. "Do not fear, I will have some of my soldiers guide you away before your brother and his troops are destroyed. You shall be led to a small Siragon encampment where you will receive further instruction from general Torqin.
"I feel the need to warn you now. Neither your brother, nor any of his men will return from this ambush. This is your last chance to change your mind. I will not seek retribution against you if you should decide to save the life of Anthros and your fellow Asreans. I understand how they would be important to you."
"Do not think me a fool, Mygar!" Vilamaros snapped. "I delivered my father to you, I will deliver my brother as well. I will be king of Asrenath, and Anthros will fall by the hands of the Siragons."
"If that is your decision," Mygar said mechanically, "Than I shall uphold my part of the bargain. Now I must leave. Tomorrow will be an eventful day and if all goes according to plan, you will get what you want." Mygar then lowered his voice so that even Vilamaros could not hear him and said, "and I will obtain what I desperately need." With that, Mygar headed towards the nearest window and jumped out of it. Vilamaros rushed after him to see where the Siragon would go next, but the demon had disappeared by the time the prince poked his head out the window.
