AN: My computer is giving me the virtual finger again. I don't think it's a virus this time, just the overall crappiness of it. Don't worry though; I can obviously still update this. Just thought I'd share that…
Responses:
Anime Wildfire: Thanks for the review, wish I was updating faster but I just don't have the time.
ZombieDragon: Thanks for the chapter names. I used one, hope you don't mind. As for the temples, he'll get around to it… in another couple of chapters. About the other POVs, I hadn't forgotten. In fact, this chapter is devoted to them.
Spiritual Stone: You're right; shortening things would have been the way to go. I have no real excuses. I changed my entire plan partway through, and it was too late to cut off what I had written. Thanks for the review!
A couple days earlier, in Hyrule castle…
"General Gorman has reported back from the ranch. He brings troubling news." A messenger stated.
Elisa sighed. She was staring out a window in the castle, in the lounge reserved for members of the war council. The messenger stood in the doorway behind her. She waited for him to continue.
"He says that the ranch has been recaptured, but the deserters escaped." The messenger continued.
"How?" Elisa asked, not really caring. As long as they had the ranch, the rabble of traitorous Gerudos didn't matter.
"That's the trouble. Link let them escape. In fact, he helped them. According to the general, as soon as he was freed he put a knife to the general's throat. The army had no choice but to watch the deserters escape. One of them picked up Link and so he escaped too. We tried to follow, but lost them somewhere over the field." He replied.
Elisa spun around. "Link? Link betrayed the Hylians? That can't be right. I saw him in Jarmania. He was devoted to the people of Hyrule. Too virtuous for his own good, in fact. Could the general be mistaken?"
The messenger shook his head. "The king has put a bounty on his head. He told me to inform you, as you may want to adjust your plans against Jarmania accordingly. Permission to take my leave?"
"Granted." Elisa said, sitting down. He turned and left. She couldn't believe it. Link could have no possible reason to do what he did. There had to be more to it.
Elisa stood up. She couldn't let him be caught until she had learned the truth. Perhaps confiding in Zelda would be smart. She had somehow sensed that Zelda didn't really like her much, but Zelda knew Link better than her. Besides, she would probably have the same doubts Elisa did.
Elisa left the lounge, heading downstairs. She had gained the trust of the Royal Family despite a somewhat shaky start, and she was treated just as any other Hylian. She was free to roam the castle; she had a steady paycheck, a position of power, and a place to live.
Zelda was in the courtyard again. She spent a lot of time there, reading, practicing magic, or just sitting and staring. Elisa entered the area looking around at the flowers, ponds, and the bright sky above. Zelda was sitting and leaning back, now looking at Elisa.
Elisa bowed slightly. Zelda smiled, and stood up. It was a smile concealing a troubled mind. "I suppose you've heard?" Zelda asked.
Elisa nodded. "I figured you were the only one besides me who might doubt it. You know Link better than me… do you know where he would go?"
Zelda replied, "If I were him, I'd return to Kokiri Forest. He would be safe from the outside world. But he was seen going the other way, and he doesn't always make the smartest choices. I actually have a way to find him for sure… you wouldn't be opposed to acting behind my father's back a bit?"
Elisa shook her head. Zelda smiled a bit, sitting down again. She unfolded a map of Hyrule and laid it out in front of her, holding a quill over it. "I'm going to track the piece of the triforce dwelling within him. Don't worry if I stop responding. Just make sure no one comes."
Elisa nodded. Zelda held the quill in her right hand, her left resting on the ground, palm flat. The triforce on the back began to glow, pulsing. He eyes rolled back in her head, and she closed them. He hand twitched and shook, and she lowered the quill onto the map, right on the castle where they were now. With spastic, jerking motions, she began drawing a line. It led shakily up the field to the west, through the mountains at the edge of the field, and into the desert. She drew a dot suddenly, and snapped to it. Elisa looked down at the map.
"They took him to the desert? Is he a prisoner?" She asked.
Zelda shook her head. "Didn't look like it. I have to see for myself… are you coming with me?"
Elisa nodded. "So all we do is follow the map, and that takes us to Link?" She asked.
Zelda nodded. "As long as he doesn't move. We should get going, in case he does. I'll check again later."
With that, the both headed for the courtyard exit. They stopped short in surprise, however, when the king stepped into their view.
"Father!" Zelda gasped, still holding the map.
He looked at them kindly, and said "I heard what you said. If your map is correct, you have saved us a lot of time."
Zelda shook her head fiercely. "We need to see Link first. You know what he has sacrificed for Hyrule. How can you turn your back on him so quickly?"
"Ever since he was first caught by the deserters he has been trouble. Give me the map, Zelda!" The king said, raising his voice.
She tried to run past, but he reached out and snagged the map. Two guards who had been waiting in the background grabbed Elisa as she jumped forward. Another grabbed Zelda before she could take the map back.
"Elisa had nothing to do with it. Let her go." Zelda said.
"Very well… only because you're my daughter." The king said. "Let that one go. Take Zelda to the dungeons for now."
The guards saluted, doing as they were told.
The king looked at Elisa. "Well? Get out of here, surely you have some meetings or something."
She bowed, and withdrew. She ran upstairs, angrily. The king had changed recently… the war was taking its toll. She sat in the lounge, collapsing against a wall. She had no idea what to do next, but wait and watch.
Several kilometers away, on the Blood Fields…
"Fall back!!! Back to the mountain pass!!!" screamed the Hylian general. Agraros and his group was fending off the enemies up front while the soldiers behind fled. This whole time the Jarmanians had been assembling an army, and now they were taking the fields in one decisive strike. The Hylians were driven back all over, towards Hyrule.
Agraros spun and thrust his two swords through a soldier. And where was Link? He wasn't supposed to be gone this long. Did this have something to do with the civil war? Wouldn't matter soon. The desert would be a great natural defense, but sooner or later they would fond the way. The Gerudo fortress would fall first. They would flood across the valley, infesting the fields. A constant siege against the castle would eventually fell Hyrule.
Most of the soldiers had escaped into the pass. Agraros called his knights back, and they fled as well. The enemies stopped to regroup outside the pass, letting them go. Agraros sighed, and they slowed down before coming out into the desert. He looked around. The knights were exhausted, and they had lost two more out there. Plus, Kyra, who had been causing all the trouble, had been badly wounded. She was up ahead on a stretcher with the bulk of the army, and likely wouldn't survive.
They gathered around the Hylian general. He decided to retreat to Hyrule. They would do no good fighting in the desert. Let them lose some troops first. So began their journey back to Hyrule…
Link arrived at the castle the next day. Elisa watched him be carried in, slumped over a horse unconscious. A soldier dragged him into the castle, and he was brought to the dungeons. Elisa didn't have time to dwell on it though. She turned and entered the council room. The other three were chatting around the table, but they quieted after she sat down.
"Any reports yet?" Elisa asked.
"Not for a week now." Jerry Swanson replied.
Cecilia asked, "What do we do?"
Elisa shrugged. "I don't know, and I won't until we get an updated report. You people know Hyrule better than me. Do you have anything? I've seen magic, don't you have a secret weapon or something?" she asked, clutching at straws now.
Kip shrugged. Cecilia however looked thoughtful, and said "There is one legend. You have to understand, in Hyrule most legends are truthful, which I know is rare in other lands. It tells of the Hero of Time. Many believe wholeheartedly that he exists, ever since an incident that occurred two years ago. A powerful dark wizard took control of Hyrule, enslaving the people. He seemed impossible to kill; no matter what was tried he would survive. His armies of monsters infested the land, and all hope in the hero faded… but one day the wizard vanished. His castle was found crumbled, his monsters died off or fled, the evils he cast over the land faded. That was it. Gradually we took control, and he hasn't shown himself since. Everything was still around and restored, and Hyrule was back to normal within a year… just in time to engage in this war."
Elisa listened attentively. Link had mentioned something like this on their way to Hyrule, but he had been vague on the details. "So, you believe this hero did it?" Elisa asked.
"It's not just a belief. The king informed his most trusted people, and the original war council was in on it. He confirmed there was a hero, although he had to keep the identity a secret, and he never told us that. He said something about the hero appearing, but being sent back in time to relive life. I don't know, it was confusing. But it can be assumed if Hyrule has any hope, its all in the hero of time, who is out there still." Cecilia said.
Elisa nodded. "I don't believe our trust should be placed in this hero… but there is nothing to do now, no matter how you look at it. We will meet again next time a report arrives. Dismissed."
Link awoke in a cold, dark cell. He was lying on damp earth, and got to his feet quickly. His first thought was the coliseum, but it was different. He walked to the door, looking out. He was shocked and worried to see Zelda in the cell across from him. She looked up at him, and ran to the door of her cell quickly.
"You're awake!" She exclaimed.
Link nodded. "Where are we?" He asked.
"Under Hyrule castle." She replied.
"That's what I thought until I saw you here."
"I and my father had a… disagreement."
This surprised Link. "He sent you to the dungeon? I can't believe it."
Zelda nodded. "Yes. But that's not important. I almost forgot. Remember that gem you brought to me, a long time ago? I looked into it. I searched the hall of records, looking at legends, whatever I could. It seems to resemble a summoning stone."
Link tilted his head questioningly. She continued, "Essentially, its only power is that useless magical pulse. The one that hurt me. The more sensitive to magic you are, the harder you feel it. There is one record telling of a summoning done with the same type of rock. The story says that they accidentally summoned a small, vengeful spirit. It created chaos, but eventually faded away. This village branched off and became its own tribe, excelling in necromancy and evoking spirits, and gems like these were their primary tools. They were eventually destroyed, no doubt summoning something too strong."
"So, you think Jarmania is doing the same?" Link asked.
"They knew enough about the stone to protect it. I think that seems likely. I wonder how they could have learned about this though…" She said.
Before Link could say anything, they heard footsteps. Several Hylian guards were coming down the hall. They opened Link's cell door, roughly pulling him out. "You are to be tried immediately." One of them stated coldly, tying his hands up and guiding up towards the stairs. Link went along, biding his time. He had a definite reason to escape now, and whatever happened, he would get out of here.
AN: Link was barely in that one. Pity… please review.