A/N: It's here. Chapter 23 has finally arrived!
To Hyrule and Back Again
Part 2: The Antitriforce
Act I
Back in Hyrule, things aren't going too well.
The monarchy was overthrown and replaced by a dictatorship.
Ganondorf escaped from his execution.
The Hero of Time is nowhere to be found.
And so after enduring this for far too long, I decided to find Link using my Triforce of Wisdom; I found out he was in another universe, and the man that overthrew the government had already sent two people after him.
I take matters into my own hands and sneak into Hyrule Castle. I find the portal created by our new king and enter it.
I, Princess Zelda, will find Link and warn him about Hyrule before it's too late. And this time, we'll hit hard, and I'll make sure Hyrule doesn't end up like last time.
Link's Point of View
"Link..."
"Link, wake up…"
"Link!"
I open my eyes to see Mikasa standing in front of me. I'm leaning up against a large oak tree in the middle of a field… I feel really damn tired, as well, for some reason.
"Come on, let's get back to HQ before it gets dark," she tells me, holding her hand out. I grab her hand and she pulls me up.
I look out in the distance at the plains surrounding me, and the wall even further out in the distance. It's peaceful, and quiet. Life has been that way for quite some time now.
"There hasn't been any titan spottings for a few days," I say. I turn my head to Mikasa. "You think all of them are dead?"
She gazes at the sight in front of us.
"Maybe. We can't be too sure, though. It's… It's always when you least expect it that everything changes."
I hold up my left hand and look at my Triforce. The bottom two pieces are still resonating. It's even emitting a low noise. Weird.
"What's that?" Mikasa asks.
"The Triforce… It's… it's been shining like this for a while now. Ever since the day Annie died. It's very distracting."
"I've noticed," she replies.
I take out my map I've been working on since I arrived here. I mark "Resting Tree" at my current spot. Then, Mikasa and I begin travelling back to the Scout HQ; I've been staying there for a bit. It's a fairly nice place. I even have my own room.
Over to the left of me is what's called "Misery Hills" - a very hilly terrain that I hate travelling through. I notice a figure standing atop a hill. Upon closer inspection, I realize who it is.
It's Shadow Link. He's holding his right hand up. His upside-down, dark Triforce is shining. He doesn't attack me or run away; he just holds the position. It's kinda unnerving. He's pointing his Triforce towards me… kind of like he's trying to tell me something.
I wonder what that thing's called, I think. His upside down Triforce...
I know. I'll call it the Antitriforce. Yeah. That sounds catchy.
I look at Mikasa, who isn't staring at Shadow Link, and then back at Shadow Link. Except he's not there. He's… gone. Disappeared.
That was… creepy, to say the least.
"Mikasa," I say. She turns her head to me whilst walking about the field.
"Yes?"
"Remember when I was in that restaurant in Ehrmich, and you confronted me?"
"Yeah."
"It feels like that was yesterday. You know? Time passes so quickly."
"You're right," she replies. "They say time passes quicker as you get older…"
Time is weird, I think. I have a love-hate relationship with time.
It's a problem every living thing in the universe faces…
We approach the Scout HQ. Mikasa knocks on the giant, wooden door. We're greeted by a few people all wearing green garbs.
Most of the scouts were wiped out in Utopia… I'd say there's about twenty left, give or take.
And a kid, merely eleven years old, had his arm torn off… Alex is his name. He no longer has a home, so he hangs out here.
"Usually, us scouts are allowed to roam freely in between missions and training," Mikasa tells me. "For now, though, we all have to stay here…"
"Then why were all of the scouts here when I came?" I ask.
"I don't know…"
I walk upstairs and into the dormitory section of HQ and enter my room. I crash onto my bed. I reach into my pocket for my ocarina. The cold realization that my most precious possession is now gone hits me, and hits me hard. That instrument was the royal family's, it's what Zelda gifted to me, it was… it was what saved two different universes.
I guess you could say it saved this one, as well…
Someone knocks on the door. I sit up in the bed and say, "Yeah?"
"Can I come in?" asks Sasha. I hop off if the bed and open the door. She has a serious expression on her face.
"What's up?" I ask.
She sits down on my bed.
"I… I need some advice."
She continues, "I don't want to ask you about your past, because obviously you don't like talking about it, but… I… Just… I can't… Link, how do you deal with death?"
My eyes widen when I realize she's still mourning Connie's death. She hasn't seemed that sad lately.
"Is this about Connie?"
"I'm talking in general, but yes."
"People go about dealing with loss in different ways, Sasha. Some shut everyone out for a while. Some act like nothing's wrong. Some cry themselves to sleep every night."
"And some… Like me, some latch onto their closest friends and family, and let them share their grief. Guide you. Build you back up."
As I'm talking, memories of my past flood my mind. I remember all of my friends. I remember sleeping in really late, and waking up to Saria, and her blissful smile… I remember when I would occasionally spend the night at Lon Lon Ranch with Malon and her father. I remember that first moment I met Zelda, and her expression when we first made eye contact… I snap out of it when I realize Sasha's repeating my name.
"Link. Link!"
"W-what? Oh, sorry," I tell her.
"You're… crying."
I feel my eyes and wipe the tears off of my face. Sasha looks at me for a moment, and then hugs me.
"Link… thank you."
I spend the rest of the day sitting in that same room. While sitting in said room I take out an empty book I had found in HQ. I write the word "JOURNAL" on the front. I take a look at its cover.
I've always thought about documenting my adventures. Never went through with it though, because I was always on the move. Now, I have more time…
I turn to the first page. I write about my time in this universe, from the moment I was transported into that field to present day; I describe my thoughts as best as possible. Once I'm done with that, I turn to a new page. I write "Day 1" at the top.
In case you're wondering, the reason I put "Day 1" is because this is the first day I started writing in this journal. I was really bored and decided to start jotting down my time here… So, now that I'm done with that, I've got nothing else to do. Maybe I'll keep writing in here. Maybe I'll forget about this in like a week or not feel motivated enough to do so. Who knows?
After I write that last word the door opens, and I see Armin standing in the doorway.
. . .
"Just a week and a half ago us scouts faced the greatest threat humanity's ever had," the tall, blond Commander Erwin says. He's standing in front of all of the scouts, as well as me, outside of HQ. Oak trees surround the area.
"We triumphed, but there were casualties. Lots of them. The Female Titan and her two allies wished to destroy humanity for unknown reasons but we didn't let her."
"I've also gotten reports that most, if not all of the titans in Wall Rose have been wiped out. If that is true, then we can rest easy knowing we've saved the world. But our journey does not stop there - the Colossal and Armored Titans are still about, and other enemies who seem to have interfered with our mission exist as well."
"Fraternity Rose," Sasha says under her breath.
"Defeating Annie, without a doubt, was and always will be our hardest challenge. The fact that we've beaten such a monstrosity only comes to show how we can handle further problems. "
"I've come to bring you all here today to tell you that we're merging with the Garrison Regiment - we will restore order to this land and work together to protect it."
Everybody gasps, and a few seconds later seem very happy. There are only about twenty-five of us, so I'm guessing a merger wouldn't be too bad.
"Our first mission is simple: help the people. The cities of Zingi, Merchant's Heaven, Ragako, and the districts of Yarckel, Stohess, and Ehrmich are among the places that were subject to Annie's destruction. Some were hit more than others, but all need to be brought to attention."
The commander assigns us into groups and tells us to travel to a certain town. Luckily enough, I'm with Sasha, Armin, Mikasa, Krista, and Jean - we're in a group since we were one of the original groups to take down Annie. Another scout is assigned with us, as well.
We're told to travel to the city that was hit the hardest: Zingi.
. . .
Day Two
Very, very early in the morning
So, I woke up just a few minutes ago and can't go back to sleep. It's about five o'clock AM.
Might as well write stuff. Where do I start…
Well, me and a few friends are supposed to go to Zingi to help the people there because their home was destroyed, at least a good chunk of it. We leave in about two hours. We're also supposed to "spread the word" about the new merger with another regiment… It starts with a G, I think? I don't know.
I'm going to pack everything I own just in case. I'll be back.
Alright, I'm back. I packed everything. Really wish I had my hookshot. And ocarina. And Fierce Deity Mask. I have a few pieces of my FD mask, but that's it. Maybe some magic stuff can heal it one day.
I close the journal and stuff it in my items bag. Two hours later, everyone's awake and ready to go. I slurp down my third cup of coffee and walk outside. Mikasa and the others are standing there.
"We ready?" I ask.
"Yeah, we're waiting on one more person," Mikasa answers.
"I'm right here," a voice says from behind. I turn around. There's a tall dude standing there, with shaggy, blond hair.
And we head off. I ride my horse, Epona, alongside the carriage in which everyone else is riding in. Our group traverses the semi-hilly terrain whilst gaping at the sunrise to the left of us. It's very beautiful. We stop by a place known as Lake Scintill; I remember the lake from the time I was trying to find Scout HQ. After a short break, the journey is continued, and we move our way south.
A few hours later, we pass by District Yarckel. We don't stop, but I do reminisce my time there, even though it included quite a few bad experiences. Shadow Link, Crespo, the Arrowhearts… That place had a lot going on. Yarckel has a small neighborhood residing just outside its exit, but it's abandoned due to the fear of titans out and about.
The sun's directly above us when we pass by a city known as Merchant's Heaven. Mikasa, apparently, had quite the time here; it isn't that badly damaged, though, so none of the Scouts are coming there to help. Plus, I've heard they've got a good deal of FRs with ODM gear so I think they're good.
Not too long later, I notice the grass around me seeming familiar. Wall Sina is visible to the left of me, and according to my map, Zingi's directly ahead.
Zingi Field, I think. Good 'ol times.
Out of nowhere, the carriage beside me stops, and gasps & yells erupt. I hop off of Epona to see the commotion.
One look inside of the carriage gives me all of the information I need: the one-armed Alex, hiding beneath some kind of trapdoor that's opened on the floor of the vehicle.. Everybody inside looks at him in confusion. He climbs out.
"Wha- how?" asks Jean. "How are you - why is the -"
Mikasa interrupts Jean, and firmly asks, "Alex, what the hell are you doing here?"
He stutters, "I-I wanted to come along."
"Wait. Who is this kid?" Eren asks. Krista and the other blond scout looks equally as confused as Eren.
"He's Alex, someone who came along with us while we were hunting Annie. He lives at the Scout HQ, or at least he's supposed to be," Armin says. "Alex, when did you get in the carriage? How long has this fake-floor thing been here?"
"I've been working on it since I heard you guys were leaving."
Underneath the trap door is a small room-like place that Alex has been apparently staying in for the entire ride. There's a pillow, a couple of blankets, food, and a lantern.
I knew the room inside the carriage looked a little small…
"Are we going to bring him back or something? Because we're burning daylight, and we probably need to be there pretty soon," I say.
Armin thinks for a second.
"He can come, it's not like we're dealing with anything dangerous anyway."
We continue, this time, knowing Alex is tagging along. Around the time we make it to Zingi, the sun is already beginning to set, and everybody's ready to settle down.
Like last time, some portions of the city are untouched, and others are completely demolished. There's also much more people here than I thought there would be. Most are living in tents outside their destroyed homes, some are helping the ones who lost everything, and some are seemingly going about their daily lives.
"Alright," Armin says. "Erwin wrote a letter that we're supposed to give to some ranking official here, or at least spread the word of the message."
"What message?" Jean asks.
"That the Scouts have taken care of everything are are willing to help. Also that we're merging with the Garrison."
Armin continues, "That's the gist of the letter, it's just that the letter goes into detail about everything that happened. It doesn't however mention the fact that the Armored and Colossal titans are still out there, just that we 'won' in Utopia."
"Won isn't the word I'd use," Jean says. "I'd say… Survived."
"Alright… Time to assign jobs.
In the midst of Armin's conversation I notice a certain dark figure in the corner of my eye. I can almost… sense it. Sense some kind of dark, growing power… I swerve around to see nobody there.
"Link," Armin says.
"Yes?"
"You and Mikasa are going to this area," he tells me, pointing somewhere on a map of Zingi.
"It's the most dangerous part of Zingi, or at least it was, so you two need to go there and sort things out. We'll handle everything else. Got it?"
"Got it."
The sun looming out in front of us, Mikasa and I travel through Zingi. As we do so, I recognize some of the areas I was fighting Annie in… I stare at the demolished buildings surrounding me. That one night, as I sprinted across those rooftops, when I had all the power in the world… That was the night I saved the city.
Or at least I convinced myself that I did. Seeing all of the destruction the battle caused, all of the lives taken, I wonder if battling her then and there caused more harm than it did good. All it did was let her know how powerful I was, which wasn't very good in the long run.
Whatever. It's in the past.
"Link, we're here," Mikasa says.
"Already?"
"Yes. Do you remember what Armin said to tell everybody?"
"No, not really."
"Then I'll handle it. Just keep an eye out, okay?"
I nod, and Mikasa walks off into a very shady part of Zingi. It doesn't seem to be affected by Annie; well, at least not directly affected. The streets are dark, there are no horses or carriages around, and all of the windows & doors are blockaded. It seems like a great deal of looting has been happening here; all of the non-blockaded buildings have broken windows, demolished doors, and an interior with nothing but broken glass & wood inside.
At the same time, there are plenty of people walking about this portion of town. They don't really interact with one another, but don't seem to be afraid of each other's presence. Most are carrying weapons; the ones that aren't are accompanied by ones that do.
This is a peculiar place, I think.
I spot Mikasa talking to a group of people in front of a relatively large building.
One of them says to her, "You don't get it! The Scouts… They aren't saviours! Every group claims that… FR, Z-Guild, even the corrupted Military Police say they're the good guys. I should know, I've been apart of the latter two."
"What will it take to convince you?" Mikasa asks the man. Everybody else looks at her questioningly. "Whatever it is, it will happen."
"Look, girl, I know you mean well, but I've been through this several times… New guild comes along, says they're the good guys, ends up doing shady stuff and collapses. It's the same thing. If you're that hell-bent on getting your message across, why don't you protect us until we're able to defend ourselves?"
"From who?"
"Are you braindead? Fraternity Rose!"
"W-wha?" she says, bewildered.
"Yes! They captured this city yesterday, and are already headed for some other districts! It was an easy taking, you remember what happened a couple of weeks ago, right? Giant titan attack?"
Fraternity Rose… In this city…
This is bad.
"Mikasa!" I yell. She looks over to me, still with a bewildered expression.
"We gotta go get Armin," she says. "Right now."
I haven't seen any FRs since I've gotten here. Could it be, I think...
Could it be they're hiding in the form of normal citizens?
One of the people in the group Mikasa was speaking to pulls out a handgun and points it at the man who was previously talking. Said man immediately punches the gun out of his hand and stabs him in the chest.
"F-fraternity Rose… They've taken over Zingi…" I say.
The stabbed undercover FR man bleeds out in a matter of a few minutes; Mikasa and I frantically run around the area, scared out of our minds. Was that the only FR here? I think.
That man who killed the FR finds us running around and says, "They've arrived."
And suddenly, blue-shirted people start appearing around me. Gunshots erupt, and in a matter of seconds chaos has ensued the area. I shoot a couple with my bow. I quickly realize we're outnumbered. All of the people in the city are forced into an alleyway, including me and Mikasa; one FR, wearing a green shirt, steps forward.
"Looks like things around here have gotten out of hand pretty darn quickly," he says aloud. "Worry not, as we're only here for the bad guys."
Bad guys? I think, ready to take out my sword. But you are the bad guys…
"You there, I was told you were a former Z-Guild member," the tall, dark haired man says. He's talking to the man who stabbed the undercover FR.
"Is that true?" he asks him.
"Yes, is there a problem with that?"
"Yes, there is."
And the green-shirted man pulls out a knife from the side of his large belt and throws it forward. It strikes the man's neck, and he falls to the ground.
"Listen, fellas, we're not here to cause trouble. We're here to bring order. See, to have order, you have to get rid of disorder."
He walks over to the dead man and pulls his knife out of his neck. He casually places it back in his pouch.
"When disorder such as this man exists, it needs to be eliminated."
I notice the nametag on the green-shirted man: Lex Arrowheart.
Arrowheart… I know that name…
"And as for you two," he says, looking at me and Mikasa, "there is no need for you Scouts to be in this city - in any of the southern Wall Rose cities, in fact. You don't cause trouble, we won't as well."
Mikasa shoots Lex a threatening glare.
"We aren't going anywhere."
Lex sighs and looks to the ground.
"Very well."
He looks towards one of the blue-shirted FRs, a girl FR.
"Avery, be a dear and go tell him there's a code blue, if you will."
"Y-yes sir!" she enthusiastically responds before she runs off.
"Listen up, everyone who's not an idiot, go into your homes. Stay there until told otherwise. Anyone who fails to comply will be shot on sight."
All of the men and women shuffle off into their blockaded homes. It's just me, Mikasa, and Fraternity Rose.
I look at Mikasa. She nods at me before I even speak; I assume that means she's ready. I nod back.
"As for the others," Lex says, "pray for a quick and painless death."
Lex bites down on his hand. Lightning strikes down from above, and the surrounding area is instantly blown to bits; I'm thrown backwards, as well as everyone else. Once I'm back on my feet, I see a very tall titan standing before me.
Armin's Point of View
The sound of a lightning strike resonates in the distance all of a sudden; I stop what I'm doing and look in that direction.
"What in the world?" I mutter to myself.
I drop my papers and head for my group. I first see Eren.
"Did you hear that?" I ask him. "Could it be?"
"A titan," he says. "It must be Reiner."
Why would Reiner be in Zingi?
All of my group meets up, and seems as equally confused. The citizens of the tent village we've been at for the time being look to us.
Sasha spots something in the distance. I look in that direction and see it… an FR.
Fraternity Rose is in Zingi.
"Guys, something is happening, and I have a feeling we're right in the middle of it…"
The FR Sasha spotted closes in on our position, and upon closer inspection I notice it's a girl FR. Once she sees us she freezes.
Sasha aims her bow at the girl. After a few seconds of silence, she shouts out, "CODE BLUE!"
Sasha lets the arrow fly, and just before the arrow lands the FR another arrow flies out of nowhere and strikes Sasha's arrow. On a rooftop of a half-destroyed building is none other than Jessica Arrowheart holding a bow.
"I got here as soon as I heard the lightning. You said it's a code blue, Aves? What the hell did Lex get himself into this time?" she says to the FR.
Jessica spots Sasha and I.
"Oh. That's what he's gotten himself into. Alright, remnants of Z-Guild are north of here trying to cause problems, so we gotta choose what's more important. Scouts, or Z-Guild. Hmmm… SCOUTS."
She shoots an arrow at us, and we all duck for cover. The arrow doesn't hit anyone. Since none of us bothered to bring along ODM gear, everyone resorts to running away.
A few minutes later I find myself hiding in a house with Sasha and the other Scout named Peter. I can see Jean and Krista from the window; they're hiding on the other side of the road.
This is bad, this is very bad… I think to myself. I had a feeling something would happen if we came down here… I should've said something.
"Sasha, Peter, please stay here, I need to look for Eren and Alex. We need to stick together, that's how we're always beaten…"
Sasha nods, as does the blond Peter. The two stay in that same house, looking out its cracked window.
I run outside and am immediately greeted by an FR with a knife; he's initially surprised by my presence, then tries to come at me. I run in the opposite direction. A few moments later, I'm on that same street Jessica found us on.
I spot Alex and Eren on a rooftop, looking down below. They notice me, and signal for me to get up there. I check behind me and spot the FR I saw earlier, still pursuing me.
I climb onto the roof and watch as the FR tries to do the same. Just before he places his hand on the ledge Eren kicks down at him and he falls down to the ground. He doesn't get back up. I look to Eren.
"We need to group up, find Link and Mikasa, then… then…" I say. "Then get out of here."
"Screw that," Eren says. "These fuckers need to get out of here. I'll slaughter them all."
"Eren! We weren't prepared for something like this, Reiner might even be here! Nobody has ODM gear, not even Mikasa! We have to go!"
Eren looks down at the ground with an angry look.
"Fine. But we're coming back."
I stand back up. "I don't doubt that at all, it's just… Nevermind. Let's get moving."
I help the silent Alex climb down and we all group up with Sasha, Jean, Krista, and Peter, all of whom ran into each other earlier. Then, we begin running to the place I told Link and Mikasa to go to.
We run past demolished buildings, a few dead bodies, turned-over carriages, just as the sun disappears from the sky. In just a few more minutes of running there's barely any light in the town. It's very difficult to see anything two meters in front of us.
We halt and look around us. Jean's armed with a knife, Eren's ready to transform, and Sasha is clutching Alex to make sure nothing happens to him; it's completely silent, as well. No other living souls are in sight. A feeling of worry and terror begins to overwhelm me as I peer out into the darkness surrounding us.
"Guys, I'm sorry, I should've brought weapons…" I say solemnly.
Jean shoots me an angry yet determined look.
"This is not the time to feel sorry, Armin."
Jean's right… Just focus on getting out of here.
An arrow zooms from the darkness and flies through Sasha's leg. She lets out a shriek before quieting down.
"Dammit," she says to herself. We run in the opposite direction.
Someone with a torch appears in front of us out of nowhere, and Jean sprints forward at him. He slashes at the man with a knife, but Jean's kicked to the ground easily. He gets back on his feet and stumbles back to the group. We run through the streets, only to keep running into more FRs and mysterious, shadowy people who are seemingly trapping us. Eventually, we find ourselves hiding in the second floor of a house.
"Take the arrow," Sasha says, in pain, "and stab them with it."
"No. You'll be in too much pain. We just need to get out of here," I say.
Krista says quietly, "Don't you get it, guys? There is no getting out of here. We're trapped."
"Krista's right," Jean says. "I don't think we can make it out of this one."
We have no weapons but a knife and Eren's titan ability and we're being hunted by an entire guild..
And, on top of all that, Reiner or some other titan shifter is in this city…
We're doomed.
Fraternity Rose eventually figures out our location, surrounds us, and sets the building on fire. We're forced to jump out of the nearest window to survive; all of us crash onto the ground, bloodied up, bruised, and exhausted. In front of us are over fifty men, all wearing blue shirts, except for one. That one person is in a black trench coat.
That man in the trench coat steps forward after we prop ourselves up.
"I was recently informed that the Scout Regiment and the Garrison Regiment were merging. Is this true?" he asks. None of us answer.
"If that is the case then we should not be in such a predicament. We're on good terms with the Garrison, so may I ask why you all are here? Causing havoc?"
"We're here to help the people," I say. The man glares at me.
"Trust me, helping you are not. You are merely setting us back an evening in work, because, see, we're supposed to be in Ehrmich right now. We're supposed to already have dealt with any problems left in this city and moved on. Ah, but no, a code blue had to appear at the very last moment."
"Look, I don't want to hurt you guys. Your base is up north, and we rest down south. I wasn't anticipating any problems from the Scouts ever since Utopia, but I was wrong."
His tall, slender figure steps forward some more. He takes out a knife. Before he gets any closer, someone shouts a name.
"Mr. Riverwell!"
"What do you want?" he asks to the FR approaching him. Behind the FR is revealed to be a knocked-out Link, with no sword and without his pointy hat.
"We managed to capture one of them but the other escaped. What shall we do, Maxus?"
He looks back at us as Link awakens. The man apparently named Maxus thinks for a moment.
"What we usually do," he replies, suddenly throwing his knife forward. It goes through Krista's neck, and she falls to the ground.
Eren screams at him and begins charging forward. Jean tries to pick up Krista, saying, "No, no, no, no, no!" and I just sit there in bewilderment. Eren is forced against the ground by a few FRs.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!" Eren shrieks, trying to escape from the FR's grasp. Sasha backs up against the burning house's wall in horror, as does Alex. Peter…
Peter is nowhere to be found.
"Alright, men and women, let us take these people to Ehrmich with us. That girl's body could even serve as a warning to the district," he says. "A portion of you will have to stay here and search for that other Scout, they could be a threat."
We're taken into these giant carriages and hauled out of Zingi, and to Ehrmich…
"Sir, it appears your sorceress has perished," she tells me as she approaches my throne.
"To whom are you referring to?"
"The one you sent to hunt for the Hero of Time. The girl."
"Ah. I had a feeling she wouldn't be enough."
"We have a lead on Ganondorf's whereabouts, and it's confirmed he still has the Triforce of Power. Should we search for him? He might be willing to help."
"No," I tell her. "He will not work."
I stand up and walk to the red-stained window closest to me. The kingdom of Hyrule is before me; it is a kingdom I easily took over. A strict government is in place, and I trust said government can retain itself in my absence.
"I'm going to do it myself," I say.
I'm going to kill the Hero of Time.
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