Here is the very long awaited chapter of "Princess and Her Mercenary." That's right. That was no typo and you didn't misread. I finally wrote up the next chapter of the second couple brought into this fic.
Into keeping the promise in previous chapter, I have (FINALLY!) rewrote the first few chapters. Adding a few, taking a few words out and have an actual plot. If you read the first chapter (prior to the update) of this couple, you'll probably notice that the Twilight Beast attack is almost exactly as the previous one. The reason for this is, I have taken out the attack out of the second chapter; replacing it with a more qualified reason on Ike's appearance in Hyrule. But fret not, as you read, the attack continues here.
So if you would be so kind, I'd like it if you guys reread the first three chapters of this entire fiction. You don't need to, but it'll show that I have rewrote and revised the first chapters.
Anyway.
Previously on Princess and Her Mercenary. Ike has arrived in Hyrule without warning after being transported by a hooded woman. He is now accompanying Princess Zelda (Along with her personal guard and nurse.) to a secluded area to talk of something.
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Princess and Her Mercenary.
Couple No. 2 - Chapter 2.
(Never thought I see that again)
Ike was still weaponless. He walked behind the Princess while the nurse (Who is still insisting that his hair isn't natural) and the guard stood besides him. They have walked up several steps; with Ike mentally cursing whoever invented stairs and were finally on the top of the castle where Zelda's throne is.
Ike was a bit confused. Usually the royals back in Tellius have their thrones in an easily accessible location so visitors from other Kingdoms can easily see the King and Queen without getting tired of walking up thousands of steps. He wondered if Zelda was the type to seclude herself from the world. She is a princess, maybe her mother and father wanted to keep her identity secret. Just like a certain green-haired Princess (Now Queen) in Tellius. Now if Zelda had a pegasus...
They entered the throne and Ike was amazed to see a giant statue of three female figures. The way they were position reminded him of the Kingdom Emblem which consisted of the three triangles making a larger one. He wondered if these were the dieties they worship.
However, they didn't stop their trek there as Zelda led him behind said statue and to his chagrin, another set of stairs leading underneath the throne room. He then wondered if Zelda made this kind of trip everyday. True, he fought nearly everyday and walked between Kingdoms every now and then, but this is ridiculous.
"Excuse me. Do you take all these stairs every day?" Ike asked as he was lead down the steps.
Zelda continued walking, "Very useful workout." She simply answered as they finally entered a room. (No more steps.)
Ike looked around, it was pretty dark set aside from a few candles keeping the room dimly lit. They were also a set of weapons lying around, including a golden bow and arrows, a thin light sword, and a huge sword. He figured these were her personal weapons. What he couldn't figure out was how she was able to wield this large golden blade that would require both hands to wield it...oh wait, it was his sword.
The guard retrieved his sword and handed it back to Ike, who held onto the blade and kept it at the side.
Zelda stood besides what looked like a canvas and looked at Ike, "I bet your wondering why your in my presence." She replied.
Ike looked doubtful. He wasn't exactly a great judge of character, but he never figured Zelda being one for vanity...still, he only known her for a few hours. "Uh...not really?" He answered. Aside from Zelda apparently being prideful, he wasn't wondering at all why he was at a castle. Maybe it was due to the fact that he is a renown hero within his land and was allowed free passage to many castle walls.
Zelda then looked sincere, "Sorry, didn't mean to sound vain." She replied and cleared her throat, "A few months ago, this land was invaded by a force called Twilight. They nearly covered up this world with Twilight, but left one village unintended. Maybe perhaps they didn't see a simple farm village as a threat, or maybe that village was off the map that they overlooked it. Either way, one man from that village rose up to the threat. First seen as just a pain in the neck, this man overcame many challenges and defeated the Twilight Realm, where true order was restored and both worlds; despite losing ties with each other, entered peace. After that, the man vanished to unknown locations and any attempt to find him was always met empty-handed." Zelda explained a previous event.
Ike heard every word, but he didn't really understand what she was talking about, he has never heard of no Twilight Realm and he hasn't heard about this conflict. Surly a conflict on this scale would reach across continents. "Uh...nice story and all, but how does this concern me?" He asked.
The guard stepped up, "Our Majesty has been blessed with the gift of foresight. She can detect any great danger that is coming." He pointed out.
Ike turned at him skeptical, "Well, doesn't seem to have done you guys any good." He muttered quietly.
The nurse then walked up to him, "Our Majesty can only see the tools needed for such an occasion, not what needs to be done. She has seen in her dreams, this man from the village, a sword in a lost forest, and a mirror that connected both this world and the Twilight Realm." She explained.
Ike had to admit, that sounded more reasonable. He wasn't one for supernatural forces...thinks the man who has fought beings that can shape-shift into various animal forms. However, he was impressed by the ability, "That still doesn't explain why I'm here." He pointed out.
Zelda walked up to a canvas, "After the war, I helped rebuild the land and postponed my coronation until then. Just recently, I began to dream again. I saw a man again and seeing as my previous dream with the previous hero who stopped the war came to past, I sent my soldiers to every village, town, and shacks in the middle of forests to look for this man in an attempt to stop this upcoming threat before it happened." She explained her dream she had recently.
"The Twilight Beasts are going to attack again. I don't know why, but they are and their Queen is probably in danger. They haven't attacked yet, but they will and this man is suppose to fix the bridge connecting this world and the Twilight Realm." She continued her prophacy.
Ike was still a bit skeptical, "And this man...?" He worded out.
Zelda lit a few more candles to reveal the canvas, "That man is you." She replied and showed the canvas of a young man with blue hair, having a majestic red cape, a large golden blade, an lastly, the eyes of a leader.
Ike tilted his head, "My cape isn't that perfect." He pointed out as his actual cape was tattered and worn.
"We may have exaggerated on that." The nurse pointed out.
The soldier then stepped up to him, "Maybe now you have no doubts on Her Majesties gift of foresight." He replied in which Ike nodded. "Lastly, as captain of the guard, I must ask where your from." He added.
"We have searched everywhere, but no area had beings with blue hair." The nurse quickly added.
Ike sighed, it was most likely they were just going by asking if they seen a warrior with blue hair. "I'm from a land called Tellius where I am leader of a mercenary faction." He revealed his location.
Zelda tilted her head, "Tellius? That's not among our maps." She pointed out.
Ike shrugged, "Hyrule isn't on my maps either." He added.
Before they could ponder on that any further, a loud crash was heard, "What was that?" The nurse asked.
The captain hurried out to see what was that noise. When he stepped out, he was surprised and confused when he saw that Goddess' statue on the floor, cracked in several areas. "What happened here?" He asked himself.
His ear twitched (A seemingly common trait among Hylians) and he turned his head to the side and saw something most alongside the shadow. "Who's there?" He shouted, readying his lance. As he approached a pillar, he looked behind it and saw there was nothing there. Dropping his guard, he decided to go report to Princess Zelda. That is, until something grabbed him from above and lifted him in the air before throwing him across the room.
Back in the hidden room, they heard the man yelling. Ike held out his arm, "Wait here." He commanded and went out the room.
"Wait here?" Zelda wondered to herself.
"He has no authority over you!" The nurse quickly pointed out.
Back to Ike, he poked his head over the corner of the statue to see what happened to the man. Answering his thoughts, the man landed near the base of the statue, battered and bruised.
"They're here now." He muttered as he painfully got back onto his feet.
Ike looked around the area, "Your no good in this state, get back into the room." He again commanded.
The captain wanted to object. He was captain of the guard and he's nothing then a common mercenary working for cheap money. However, he was in too much pain to object, so he did as he asked.
Ike slowly stepped along the throne room, keeping his guard up. He looked everywhere, but found to trace of these Twilight Beasts. But he always told himself, "Just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there."
He listened quietly, he felt he wasn't alone in the throne. Hearing a tiny pebble falling against the wall, he quickly held up his sword and slammed it in that direction. Focusing his energy on the strike, his sword let out a blue beam which slammed against the wall. As he done that, three monsters dropped down around him, surrounding him. They were black as night, aside from having their under sides marked with crimson glyph markings that would glow. They had tendrils around their head and they wore some strange mask. "So these are the Twilight Beasts. Funny, I was expecting something more fearsome." He muttered as he readied himself for battle.
The first beast lunged ahead, having Ike stepping back to dodge. He then slammed his sword forward, but the beast managed to block the blade, holding it up. Another beast intercepted and ran past him, grabbing him in the process and threw him across the room. Ike slammed against the wall and quickly caught his breath, looking ahead only to see a Twilight Beast charging ahead. He spun out of the way to dodge the attack and having the beast slam against the wall, leaving a crack on it.
With that one disoriented, he stabbed it in the back and forced it out, having it slump down lifeless. Ike rolled out of the way, dodging a beast's attack who jumped up and slammed down towards him. Ike did another back flip to dodge the third beast swiping at him. He held his sword under his arm and focused another attack. Swinging his blade, he let out another blue beam, hitting the second beast who fell onto its back. Ike pointed his sword at it and threw it in the air before jumping up, grabbing it, and slammed it into the beasts chest where it laid quietly.
Withdrawing his sword, he looked around to see the third beast who noticed its other two comrades were down. Letting out an unearthly screech, which had Ike hold his ears to muffle the noise. Before he knew it, the beast he thought he killed began to stir again. Immediately starting with it grabbing an off-guard Ike and throwing him across the room. When Ike lifted his head to see what happened, he saw the first one he thought killed jumping in the air and threw itself down. Ike rolled out of the way, having it slam on the floor and leaving an empty crater.
Back to Zelda, they heard the unearthly screech and Zelda immediately grabbed her bow and went out.
"Wait, Ike said stay here!" The nurse pointed out.
Zelda stubbornly replied, "He has no authority over me!" So she left the room.
Ike already finished one off again and was parrying the attacks of both remaining creatures, figuring out how to get rid of these three without them reviving each other. He figured he had to kill both at the same time, but they remained at a fair distance from each other, preventing Ike to attack both at the same time.
Ike rolled under the beast and stabbed it within the chest. True, this wouldn't do a thing unless he had killed the other at the same time. Maybe if he struck it from afar with his sword beam, maybe it'll do the trick. So he withdrew his sword and focused his energy within the blade and looked for the beast. However, he was no where on the floor. "Where is it?" He wondered to himself.
Focusing his hearing, he looked towards the entry and so that the beast perched itself onto the top of the door. It inhaled again to let out another unearthly scream while Ike cursed himself, having to kill them again. That is, until he heard a sharp noise piercing through the air. Looking above, he saw an arrow go by and flew towards the beast. Before the beast could screech, the arrow embedded itself in the middle of the mask. As it struck however, light emitted from it, shining brightly. Ike raised his arm to cover his eyes from the light. When the light dimmed, he looked where the creature was and saw that it was gone.
Wondering where it went, Zelda came up from behind, "The monster and its kin have transported back to the Twilight Realm." She answered Ike's question, "But I fear this is just the first of many attacks." She added.
Ike grabbed his sword with the other hand and held it down, "I never seen a beast like that, it was an interesting experience." He replied.
Zelda looked at Ike then at the fallen statue, "As you can see, even though they can be dealt with easily, they can cause some serious damage." She pointed out and turned to him again, "You understand my plight now. You are the one who is going to reconnect this world with the Twilight Realm. I understand your a mercenary and I will pay you when this is all over." She offered, buying his services.
Ike shrugged, he was curious of this world and its people. It there are more formidable creatures then those Twilight Beast, then maybe he'll learn a thing or two in this world. "Sure, why not. As long as money is involved, I won't object." He answered, accepting the job.
"Your Majesty!" The nurse shouted, emerging from the room with the soldier, who was properly bandaged, but was still limping. "We can't trust a mercenary!" She quickly objected. (Out loud no less.)
"Even if you saw him in your dreams, we can't be sure if he's going to be the Saviour of this world or the Harbringer of Destruction." The captain added.
Ike shifted his gaze left and right, "I'm right here, you know." He quickly anounced his presence.
Zelda gave a smile, "I understand that your intentions are pure, but I feel that this man will help this land and the Twilight Realm. Once we figure out how to get there, we'll see what's happening and..." She started out. Explaining the details of what this adventure will bring.
"Wait, we?" Ike pointed out. He wasn't looking forward to lugging a princess around.
The nurse and captain was also surprised, "You can't be serious that you want to go to." The nurse asked.
"I must. As the rightful Queen, I must go see what's happening to this land. I wll not let the forces of Twilight plague this world again." Zelda explained her reason for going.
"My Queen...I mean, Princess." The captain spoke up, "At least allow me to accompany you on this journey." He asked, going on his knee and bowing his head.
Zelda gave another smile, "You are in no condition to travel. I need you to remain here and maintain peace in the castle. We'll keep this from the public for now, but hopefully me and Ike will reach the Twilight Realm and help restore order there." She declined the captains request.
Ike was confused. From what he's been hearing them say, they are apparently friends with the Twilight Realm, but said Realm is attacking them, and Zelda wants to stop the attack with force if necessary. And to top it off, just because he apparently appeared in her dream, she expects him to do it. Are they enemies, or friends? That's what he wanted to know. Not to mention that he has no idea what he was suppose to do.
"You can't just seriously let her go with him." The nurse whispered towards the captain.
The captain looked at her, "I don't trust him, but I trust the Princess' judgement." He answered and stood up. "Please be safe." He replied.
"Not that I understand or anything, but where are we going to reach this...Twilight Realm?" Ike asked, holding out his arms in confusion.
Zelda looked down and thought, "We can try going to the Arbiter's Grounds." She proposed the location. "I'll go retrieve a couple of supplies to sustain us." She replied, walking off with the guard following her.
Ike still didn't know what that was, so he remained quiet.
Then the nurse walked up to him, "Alright, listen bluey. I'm going to be honest here, I don't really like you, but you better keep her safe. She's trusting her life in your hands, don't let her misplace her trust." She stated with a finger, "I swear, if she comes home sick, injured, mentally scarred, or if even a single strand of hair is missing from her head, I will go across this land just to find you and beat you into submission." She threatened.
"For Ashera's sake lady. I don't know why she wants to accompany me, but she does and I will keep her safe. She'll guide me across this foreign land and I'll fend off any enemies. We're not eloping or anything, she'll be home safe and sound." Ike replied, trying to assure her that she'll be safe.
Zelda came along, holding onto a small bag, her small sword and her bow and arrows. "We'll leave immediately." She announced.
Ike looked at her, "Look, Zelda. Are you sure you want to come? I mean, this journey will probably be dangerous and with all due respect, I don't think your much efficent in combat." He replied, trying to dissuade her from coming with him.
"Last time, I remained here, hoping to drive the forces of Twilight back. However, as I stayed here, I watched my Kingdom slowly become consumed in Twilight. I felt useless there, so here, I want to try and make a difference." She explained her reasoning for accompanying him, "Oh, and for the record, I can handle myself in combat." She pointed out.
Ike looked at the nurse, who was pointing towards her eyes and back at him.
"Also, it's Princess Zelda." She quickly pointed out.
Ike again, remained quiet. He always believed in making your own destiny, but with him apparently being the tool to fix this world and the other, even though he has no knowledge of either world. He had to believe in Zelda's choices. Thinking back, he still wondered what happened to that mysterious figure that brought him here. Was this mysterious woman a link to his appearance in Zelda's dream? Was he even the right guy for the job? Was Zelda sure that she dreamt him saving this land or as the nurse put it, destroy it? He supposed her company would provide him with the many questions he had. If she's willing to part with it.
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Sorry if the ending was kind of rushed.
Anyways, there is the second chapter of Princess and her Mercenary. After four long years, the second chapter is now out. As mentioned above, I included the Twilight Beast attack in this chapter after taking it out of the first chapter and replacing it with dialog. I wanted to include a more specific story, explaining the purpose why Zelda had Ike transported to her castle and throne room.
The captain of the guard and the nurse are not named and will not appear again until maybe during the end of this story. I was going to include pregnant along the nurses list of things she better not come home as, but then I was all, "Nah...that's probably going a bit too far." so I left it out. Maybe in a more comedic situation that would have worked. I may have also gotten the statue wrong as I have not played Twilight Princess in a very long time.
As mentioned above, the first three chapters are now revised and rewritten. If you would mind and go read them again, that would be nice. Again, sorry for taking so long for this particular couple to get up here again. If you were here for four years and read the original scripts, sorry for taking so long. Thanks for sticking with me.
Read and review please.