Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.
Soul Remnants
Chapter 26
Sheik had never seen such a tense and strained atmosphere as the one that was filling the fortress three days after his encounter with Ard. The usually cheery and frivolous conversations and comments between the soldiers seemed to have been killed stone dead, most of the men and women milling about in silence, casting glances towards the entrance to the dried lakebed, as if they were waiting for the heralds of the apocalypse themselves to appear on the edge with the fires of hell licking at their backs. The blacksmiths and engineers were biting each other's heads off over a seemingly insignificant accident in the forge, and Riveth's breakfast had been burned quite badly by the cook, who seemed to walk around with an inner tension equivalent to a tightly coiled spring, just waiting to unleash mayhem upon anyone who happened to be in the same room as her.
After finishing his morning training routine, Sheik had finished his message to Zelda and sent Kaiza on her way. He had meant to send it earlier, but he had found it difficult to thoroughly sum up the situation unfolding in Lumina without making Kaiza's burden too heavy for her to bear. He'd finally resorted to drastically cutting down the lengths of his sentences by removing certain pronouns and such. The end result was a letter that, while explaining quite clearly what was going on, appeared to have been written by someone with a very loose grasp on basic grammar and an extremely limited vocabulary. He could only hope that Zelda wouldn't lambast him for turning his back on the concept of language.
As he watched Kaiza's form disappear high in the skies, he became aware of someone staring at him from behind. He turned his head and saw Ard standing in the doorway to Riveth's headquarters, glaring at him. Sheik felt his temper rise, remembering the rude words the boy had spoken to him three days ago, and met the glare with one of his own, honed by many years of practice. After standing there for several minutes, Ard finally broke his gaze and retreated inside, leaving Sheik feeling triumphant.
Nothing clever to say? he thought. What a pity...
He heard laughter and spotted Angen approaching the building. He was walking alongside a thick-set woman wearing a doctor's white uniform, though she also had a wicked-looking sword in her belt, on the hilt of which she rested her hand. She seemed to be older than Angen, but not by much, a few years at the most. Her hair was a dark brown colour, quite similar to Angen's, and was tied back in a loose ponytail, though a few messy bangs had escaped from it and were dangling in her face, much to her annoyance judging by the way she kept trying to blow them away and tucking them behind her ears. He caught a snippet of their conversation as they approached.
"...turned around and punched the other one right in the face—by accident! He meant to hit me!" Angen finished, his deep voice turning into a rumbling laugh.
The woman burst into laughter as well, slapping Angen on the back, her bicep straining against the fabric of her uniform. "Bah, I wish I'd been there!" she said upon regaining her breath. "Sounds like you needed someone to handle rowdy customers."
Sheik stood staring at them, the only two people who didn't feel the ambient pressure in the camp. Or perhaps they didn't care? Angen noticed him and nodded. "Well, if it isn't the boy responsible for the burning of my inn?" he said and grinned, showing Sheik that he was joking. He gestured towards the woman. "May I introduce my dear, esteemed and quite fearsome mentor Doctor Agneta?"
Sheik shook her hand and introduced himself. It was a very firm handshake. He almost felt lucky upon getting his hand back without any broken bones, in fact. What had appeared to be fat turned out to be pure muscle now that Sheik saw her up close. She had very intense eyes—appearing nearly purple in the light of day.
"A pleasure to meet the one accused of everything that's gone wrong in this kingdom in the past thirty years," Agneta said, grinning. "Can't say I'm impressed, though—you're a scrawny little thing, ain't ya?"
"It has been...pointed out to me that I could do with gaining a little weight, yes," Sheik said, not comfortable with having a stranger making fun of his severe lack of corpulence. "I cannot say that I am used to doctors carrying swords around. You do not trust a scalpel to do the job?"
"And he's got a sense of humour too, how adorable!" Agneta exclaimed. She leaned in close, tapping the hilt of her sword with her hand. "Nah, I keep this close to deal with annoying little pests—whether we're on the battlefield or not." She straightened up, grinning. "I'm a field surgeon, kid, and we're always facing the danger of coming under attack in the middle of surgery—that's what Emma here is for."
"Emma?" Sheik said.
"Don't ask," Angen said, shaking his head viciously. "You don't want to know."
"Pfft, you boys are always so squeamish," Agneta said, rolling her eyes.
"So, you were Angen's teacher?" Sheik asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Teacher, mentor, older sister, you name it," Agneta said, slamming Angen on the back with a fist, causing him to cough. "Taught the little bastard everything he knows, didn't I?"
Sheik had difficulties with using the word "little" in conjunction with Angen in general. He supposed he could see some family resemblance there, at least in stature, but not a lot else. Is everyone related to everyone around here? he wondered.
"Adopted sister," Angen corrected after regaining his breathing, glaring at her. "And you didn't teach me everything I know."
"Fine, everything you know about medicine, then," she said, sighing. "You always get hung up on the little details, don't you?"
"It's what a medic is supposed to do, isn't it?"
"Not if it ends up killing the patient."
"Oh for fu—"
"Anyway, would you look at the time, need to get back to my patients, toodle-loo!" With that Agneta sprinted back the way they had come, cackling madly, leaving Angen to curse at her retreating back.
"That was...interesting," Sheik said after a few seconds.
"She's insane," Angen said flatly. "Didn't even expect to find her up here. She was never part of Riveth's unit, but when they were exiled she apparently thought it'd be a jolly good time to tag along. I haven't heard from her in years..."
"Must be good to see her again, then," Sheik said neutrally.
"Not really, no," he replied. "I can never stand being around her for more than a few hours at a time—imagine being stuck with her for days as she berates you for getting doses of medicine slightly wrong and screwing up when trying to sew a wound shut."
"One would usually hope for a wound to be stitched correctly..."
"It was my first time! She said she practically gave up on me there and then." He shook his head and turned to Sheik. "Anyway, it's not her fault—her teacher was practically insane herself. Apparently she once threatened to castrate each and every one of her patients if they didn't do as she said—even the female ones!"
Sheik paused, feeling the eerie sense of recognition creeping up on him. "This...teacher of hers," he said slowly. "She wouldn't happen to be from Termina, would she?"
Angen grimaced. "How'd you know?" he asked.
"Just a guess," Sheik said. "I think I've met her."
"I pity anyone who has."
There was no sun today. A thick layer of clouds hung far above them, some of them dark and threatening to burst apart and shower them with icy cold precipitation.
"It's quiet today," Sheik said suddenly.
"Aye," Angen said, nodding. "You feel it too, eh? The tension could be cut with a knife."
"It's like they're waiting for something," Sheik said.
"They are," Angen said. Upon seeing Sheik's questioning glance, he elaborated: "One of Riveth's scouts has spotted a group of lightly armoured soldiers bearing General Agon's banner and insignia making their way here."
"Attacking?" Sheik asked.
"It'd be suicide attacking this place with only twelve men, despite how vulnerable the 'fortress' is," Angen replied. "Most likely they come bearing a message for her to stand down and surrender her army. Someone's trying to take over the kingdom peacefully, it seems."
"Do they expect her to? Surrender, I mean."
"Who?"
"The men."
"Hers or Agon's?"
"Both."
Angen sighed. "Agon's men are most likely hoping for but not expecting surrender," he said. "Riveth's men...well, I can only assume that they're hoping for and expecting the opposite."
"And you?" Sheik asked.
Angen took a deep breath, thought about it for a second, and answered, "I've known Riveth for a long time, and if there's one thing I've learned about her, it's that she rarely gives up. And if she does, it's on her terms. When she took an arrow to the shoulder during the civil war and I tried to patch her up, I had to have three men restrain her while I attended to the wound—she was desperately trying to get back into the fight. She also hates Agon with a passion because of some unfortunate party incident when she was still a junior officer."
"So...?"
"She won't take kindly to the orders," Angen said. "She'll want to fight. But she also knows that her army is vastly outnumbered by Agon's. To go up against him would be suicide. She won't throw her men's lives away for a lost cause." He thought again for a few seconds. "I think she will do the right thing."
"I see," Sheik said, nodding. "I suppose I should leave the camp as soon as possible, then."
"What, why?"
"Think about it—Agon is probably on his way here to disarm Riveth and her men. The twelve that are currently on their way are just a vanguard to ensure that there's no surprise. And perhaps the process will go smoothly and peacefully—but if they see Riveth harbouring me, the most wanted fugitive in the entire kingdom...do you really expect things to go well?"
Angen looked ready to protest, but conceded with a shake of his head. "I suppose not...though I'm pretty sure she would do her utmost to protect you."
"It's not my safety I'm worried about," Sheik said. "Anyway, I need to go pack my belongings and be on my way. Thank you for your assistance. I owe you my life—and I shall find a way to repay it as soon as I can."
"No thanks or debts needed—you escorted me here, and that's more than enough," the large man responded.
"Your magnanimity does you credit," Sheik said, "but I shall still find a way to settle the supposedly non-existent debt I owe you."
"You never give up, do you?" Angen asked.
"It is not in my nature," Sheik admitted.
"Very well, I will look forward to the day the debt is settled, my lord Sheikah." He held out a hand, smiling. "Good luck on your journeys—and I hope you find your Hero soon."
Sheik shook Angen's hand, smiling, and went back inside Riveth's headquarters, ascending to the second floor and entering the room he shared with Jeryd—who was currently snoring quite loudly in his bed. Sheik kicked the frame, jerking the older man out of his blissful sleep.
"I'm leaving," he said firmly to the bleary-eyed Jeryd. "Pack your things and meet me outside in five minutes if you wish to join me."
To Jeryd's credit, it took less than five seconds for the haze of sleep to disappear from his eyes and the sharpness of his mind to return. "Something's wrong," he stated.
"Not as such," Sheik said, retrieving his pack from underneath his bed. There was not much in it. His clothes had been laundered, his daggers cleaned and sharpened...and that was it, really. He'd lost everything else either as he fell into the river or when Angen's inn had been burned. Even his lyre. His lyre. All he really needed was food and water. "General Agon's men are approaching, and I believe it is in our best interests to be well away from here when they arrive." He glanced over at Jeryd, realising that the young man did not have much in the way of possessions either.
"Agon," Jeryd said, the name apparently leaving a foul taste in his mouth—which wasn't strange, all things considered. "Have to say that 'flee' isn't my first instinct when it comes to him..."
"It's not the man himself that's coming," Sheik said as he tied a dagger holster around his thigh. He had a feeling he'd need them very soon. "Only twelve of his men. They are probably here to demand Riveth's surrender before she can become a problem."
"Hah, that'll be the day!"
"You don't think she will lay down her arms?"
"She'll certainly lay them down...after having stuck them through Agon's fat gut." Jeryd smiled, obviously enjoying the mental image. "Wish I could be there to see it."
"Well, we won't," Sheik said flatly, crushing Jeryd's daydreaming. "I've no intention of getting more involved in this war than I already am." The human opened his mouth, but Sheik interrupted him with an index finger raised in warning. "And I realise I may have escalated a few things by my mere presence, but it was not intentional, so there!"
Jeryd surrendered and continued packing his own things. Sheik located a big roll of bandages, thought for a few seconds, and then went about making himself an improvised mask to cover the lower half of his face. He'd gone far too long with everyone being able to see what he looked like lately, and had decided that enough was enough. He really wished he had his tabard with the cowl, but that too had been lost in the river, much to his chagrin.
They were exiting the house when a loud droning sound could be heard in the distance. The activity in the camp, which seemed to have been on the backburner so far, was suddenly kicked up ten notches as all the tension in the men and women was released as they sprang into action, equipping their armour and weapons in a matter of seconds, all of them forming into orderly lines and formations just before a group of soldiers bearing the blue banner of General Agon appeared on the edge of the lakebed.
"Ah, great, here we go," said a weary-sounding General Riveth as she emerged from the house behind Sheik and Jeryd. She spotted them and nodded. "Gentlemen," she said before striding beyond the palisades, not about to let Agon's men into her inner sanctum, apparently. She was wearing her finest armour; she carried her helmet carried under one arm while the other rested on the pommel of her sword, which managed to gleam despite there being no sunlight to speak of. Rial emerged from the house soon after, nodded wordlessly to the two assassins and followed his aunt in silence. Angen was nowhere to be seen, though Sheik had a feeling he was with his half-sister somewhere.
"Looks like the fate of Lumina is about to be decided," Jeryd said quietly. "Or, rather, if there's going to be a devastating civil war or not."
"A historic moment, to be sure," Sheik said, his voice slightly muffled by his new mask.
"Indeed," Jeryd said, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. "Something to tell one's children and grandchildren..."
"You want to go and watch, don't you?" Sheik asked. His breath heated the mask uncomfortably, he noticed. That was going to be...annoying.
"Can we?" Jeryd asked, eager like a child.
"Sometimes you disturb me," Sheik said. "But fine, we can watch, but let's stay out of sight, yes?"
"Fine with me!" Jeryd exclaimed and legged it in the direction Rial and Riveth had gone in, leaving Sheik to trail slowly behind, wondering how it had come to this.
The men Agon had sent were not impressive by any means. They looked tired, their uniforms were filthy and they had clearly not been eating right judging by the ravenous looks in their eyes. The fact that Riveth's men had been in the middle of breakfast probably didn't help matters. It was obvious that they'd been travelling for days with little to no rest, though Sheik wondered if it was just to deliver the message or something else.
Riveth's men lined up and formed a corridor for the new arrivals to march down, with Riveth and Rial waiting at the end of it, their expressions grim and severe. They were flanked by several of the general's personal bodyguard, a collection of the most grizzled and battle-hardened soldiers Sheik had ever seen. They seemed to scowl at everything and everyone, surely to discourage any kind of disrespect towards their beloved leader.
Sheik and Jeryd positioned themselves quite a distance away from Riveth and Rial, trying to blend in among the soldiers to avoid being spotted—though Sheik's idea of his presence provoking Agon's men and his plan to avoid such a thing were moot since Rial stood right next to his aunt.
The twelve weary men paused a slight distance away from Riveth, saluting tiredly. Their leather armour had seen much better days. One of the men, obviously the leader stepped forward and saluted again, which Riveth acknowledged with one of her own.
"General Riveth!" the man exclaimed. "It is an honour to finally meet such an infamous and illustrious personality as yourself!" He was young—they all were.
"Illustrious? Hardly," Riveth said, her voice quite neutral. "And infamous? More notorious, I'd say. And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
"Corporal Michel of His Majesty's Royal Army, 8th infantry group, ma'am!"
"At ease then, corporal," Riveth said. "You have come a long way, and your party seems exhausted."
The soldiers relaxed gratefully. "We come bearing a message from His Royal Highness the King Victor," Michel said, withdrawing a sealed scroll from his pocket. "We have travelled day and night with no food and no sleep for over a week, ma'am!"
Riveth made a sound that was either a snort of derision or a hum of admiration. "Must be quite an important message, then," she said. "Very well, I shall hear it." Michel made to hand it to her, but she stopped him with a look. "No, corporal, I believe it would be best if you read it aloud."
"But your men—"Michel tried.
"There are no secrets between my troops and I," Riveth said, raising her voice so that everyone could hear. "I trust them with my life, and they, hopefully, trust me with theirs. All that is mine is theirs, and vice-versa, and that includes any and all correspondence with the rest of the kingdom, which they have apparently been denied this past decade. It is a bond forged in the heat of battle, based upon mutual trust and respect. I could not in good conscience keep information from them. So, corporal, I invite you to play the role of orator today, if you please..."
Michel looked hesitant, but obeyed and broke the royal seal and unrolled the scroll. He made a few false starts, his voice betraying him by cracking. The poor man was practically shaking with either fear or fatigue—Sheik guessed a mixture of both.
"By the command of His Majesty the King, General Drena Riveth is hereby ordered to stand down and disband the 4th Batallion of His Royal Army! No man or woman who was once part of the 4th Batallion shall ever be allowed to bear arms again! They are to return to their homes and never again trouble His Majesty! The good general is then to lay down her arms and surrender herself into the custody of the first officer of equal rank she meets! She will then be taken to the Capital to be tried and sentenced for her treason ten years ago! His Majesty has seen fit to finish the ugly business that his father, alas, was too weak to see through! Signed, His Majesty The King of Lumina!"
The tension was returning among Riveth's men, and an unmistakeable atmosphere of anger was building up. It was mostly directed towards Agon's men, who were obviously picking up on it and subconsciously drew closer together, their hands close to their weapons.
Riveth stood staring at the terrified Michel for a good minute before she drew a deep breath, opened her mouth and said, "No."
Michel looked confused. "General?"
"I said no. Is that so hard to understand, despite your exhausted state?" Riveth said. "In that case, I shall spell it out for you: I, General Drena Riveth, reject those orders. That means I will not follow them."
"But...but the king—"
"I do not believe it was the king who dictated these orders, in fact," Riveth continued. "Based upon testimonials from several wrongly accused traitors, I am under the strong impression that control of this kingdom has been wrested quite forcefully out of his hand by one of his most trusted advisors and a circle of conspirators, of which I strongly imagine General Agon is a member. It would not surprise me, in fact, if he was the author behind these empty words. That, my dear corporal, is why I will not obey these orders."
"You...you believed the traitors?" Michel asked, fear turning into anger, spitting out the last word. He spotted Rial, apparently just now recognising him. "That man tried to assassinate the king! He should be arrested!"
"Oh, I would if I didn't risk bringing the rage of his family down upon me," Riveth said. "Oh, and I don't think he did anything wrong—that might be a factor as to why he is still enjoying his relative freedom as well." All of this was said in a deadpan voice that could have rivalled Impa's at her worst.
"This is an outrage!" Michel exclaimed, using his anger to temporarily restore his energy. "You will make traitors of all your men?"
"As far as they are concerned, they were made so the second we were deployed here, corporal," Riveth replied calmly. "For ten years they have suffered in this hellhole, ignored by their friends and families, by their king, and just now they are officially being named traitors?"
Murmurs of agreement went through the gathered soldiers. Sheik and Jeryd were pushed forward as the people behind them wanted to see what was happening up close. Suddenly, the crowd opened just in front of them, and they stumbled forward, suddenly in full view of Michel, who immediately reacted.
"More traitors!" he exclaimed. "Those two assassinated the old king! And you harbour them as well?"
"What can I say, I like taking in strays," Riveth said good-naturedly. "So, there you have it, corporal. I reject the orders you bring me, and I must insist that you leave immediately to tell your masters."
"We are not leaving without your full and unconditional surrender," Michel said through clenched teeth. He held out a hand, letting the orders drop to the ground. "Give me your sword, general."
"I think not, corporal, and if I were you I'd be very careful about making demands here."
"Your sword, general," Michel insisted. The rest of his party was absolutely terrified now, the men huddling together under the glares from Riveth's men. Sheik had to give credit where it was due—Michel was truly admirable in his ability to ignore his own trembling voice.
"No, corporal," said Riveth. "I am trying to be kind here, but my patience has its limits."
A staring contest ensued between the general and the corporal. It did not last for long, and Michel broke Riveth's gaze, looking at the ground. "Fine," he said quietly. "You are bringing doom upon yourself and your men, but fine! Let's see how high and mighty you are after General Agon crushes your pathetic army!" He turned to his party. "Men, we are moving out! But...not without the traitors," he added, looking at Rial, Jeryd and Sheik. "Men of the Eighth, arrest them!"
Michel and his men men drew their swords and began to move towards their targets, but then Riveth whistled, at which point every single soldier in the camp drew their weapons as well. The sound of hundreds of swords leaving their sheaths was deafening and echoed in the lakebed.
"That...would be most unwise, corporal," Riveth said after the sound died down. "These traitors are my guests, and I will not see them harmed."
"Unfortunately, Riveth, that is not up to you," Michel said and marched up to Rial, who remained passive. "Captain Rial Vortan, I am officially placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of—"
Rial batted away the hand Michel had placed on his shoulder, drawing his weapon. "You will have to take my cold, dead corpse back to your general!" he growled.
"That can be arranged!" Michel shouted and lunged at Rial with a tired thrust of his sword. Rial easily side-stepped the blow and made to strike at his opponent, but Riveth suddenly appeared in front of him and stabbed Michel in the gut with her blade. The corporal made a surprised sound, dropped his sword and fell to the ground, groaning. Riveth then made short work of him by stabbing him in the heart. He died almost instantly, blood staining the dirt beneath him red.
The entire camp was silent, everyone staring at Riveth and the dead body of Michel. The corporal's men didn't know what to do, standing at the ready with their weapons.
"Agon knew I wouldn't surrender," Riveth said, looking at the blood on the blade of her longsword. "He sent you here to prove a point and to send a message." She gazed at the eleven remaining men. "Well, I'm more than prepared to counter him. Kill them!"
It was over in seconds. Michel's men never stood a chance as dozens of swords descended upon them from every direction. They didn't even have time to fight back before they were all lying dead on the ground. Riveth's soldiers cheered, but it was clear that the general herself did not enjoy the slaughter.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" She shouted, sheathing her weapon. "We are at war once again! Of that there is no doubt! His Majesty is being held hostage in his own castle by a very old friend of ours! It appears the good Councillor Rehm is up to his old tricks again!"
Boos of disapproval and hatred rose up among her men.
"But!" she shouted, forcing them to quiet down. "I am prepared to resume the work I started a decade ago! We will rid the kingdom of this plague of a man and free our royal family once and for all!"
The soldiers cheered, and Riveth smiled.
"But there is an obstacle in our way! A veritable beast blocking our path! General Agon is probably marching here as fast as he possibly can, intending to finish us off before we can begin our liberation of Lumina! He never intended for you to go home! He just didn't want you to put up a struggle as he wiped you all out!"
"Murderer!" someone shouted. "Traitor!"
"We have all suffered the brand of treason wrongfully," Riveth said. "And we have suffered in silence! Well, now is our time to prove that we have been loyal all along! And the first step on that path is to wipe out Agon and every last shred of his betrayal of the king! So let us march, men and women of the Royal Army! Let us march towards our redemption! Death to the conspirators! Death to General Agon and death to Councillor Rehm!"
The cheering became deafening, the speech reaching its climax. Swords were banged against shields, adding to the din. Sheik and Jeryd looked at each other, both probably thinking the same thing.
It appears war has been declared.
Sheik had no idea how he'd been talked into this. He was currently riding beside Jeryd, just behind Riveth and Rial at the head of her army, heading south. According to the general, it was safer to travel with them as far south as possible before separating because, as she had said, they were bound to run into more trouble.
Æsir Fortress had been abandoned in a hurry, the only evidence of an army having once camped there being the buildings and palisades and the remains of hundreds of bonfires. Michel and his men had been left where they lay, no one bothering to give them a decent funeral. It bothered Sheik greatly. Whether Agon was a conspirator or not, Michel had just been following orders. He had known nothing about what was truly going on behind the scenes. The slaughter of him and his men had left a bad taste in his mouth. Looking over at Jeryd, he could tell that the human was having similar thoughts.
Had we not been there, he thought, would Michel and his men still be alive?
It was not a good train of thought, he knew. Blaming himself for the actions of others was the stupidest thing he could do, and he knew this...and yet...
He shook his head. No, it was not my fault. Rial didn't help things by picking a fight with him.
Then a voice inside his head spoke, one that sent shivers down his spine with its cruel mockery, its velvet tone, Are you absolutely sure about that? You do have a way with bringing death and destruction in your wake, have you not?
Sheik's eyes widened, and he shook his head. No, no, no, you're not real...I'm just tired and imagining you.
Oh, only if it were so, laughed the voice. I told you, didn't I? You will never be rid of me.
Leave me alone!
Ah, but tormenting you is so much fun!
Go to hell! I'm done with you!
But I am not done with you...
"—eik? Sheik?" He was shook out of his reverie and forced to look at Jeryd, who was staring at him with concern. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You're talking to yourself."
"Oh...I'm fine," Sheik said, smiling before remembering that his mouth was invisible to the human. "I was just...strategising."
"Ah, I see," Jeryd said, not sounding convinced at all. "Do keep me in the loop, okay? We're together in this, after all."
"Sure," Sheik replied, falling silent. Speil's voice had rattled him to the core, as it always did. He'd thought for certain that it had all been a figment of his imagination and dreams, that the shadow truly wasn't back, but it seemed he had been wrong all along. It made him frustrated. If killing Speil in Hyrule had not been enough, then what would be?
Good question, let's ponder on that for a while, it said mockingly.
Sheik ignored it, tried to focus on the conversation going on ahead of him between Rial and Riveth.
"—a few miles further down, I think," Riveth said. "There is no way he'd be clever enough to go any other way. As far as I know, there are no other roads."
"Wouldn't call that a road, to be honest," Rial said, sounding sceptical. "More like a muddy field."
"Exactly," Riveth said. "Which is why we're going to wait there for him."
"I'm not sure if I like the idea of being a sitting duck."
"Trust me, the only sitting ducks will be them, and furthermore—yes, Ard, what is it?" The black-clad teenager had ridden up alongside the general and leaned in close to whisper something in her ear, to which she nodded. "Thank you, tell Erd to report to me the second he arrives."
Ard nodded and fell back, glaring at Sheik as he passed him by.
"He really doesn't like you, does he?" Jeryd asked when they were a sufficient distance away from Ard.
"Apparently not," Sheik said, wondering if Speil was the great evil Ard had spoken of. Of course it is, he reasoned. What else could it be?
I have a few ideas!
Shut up!
They made camp that night in a small, wind-blown valley. Spirits were high among the soldiers, despite the fact that they were going to war. Sheik supposed that it was a relief to finally have something to do after so many years of stagnancy, but he feared that Riveth would be biting off more than she could chew. It had been some years since she had fought a war last, after all, and Agon's forces outnumbered hers quite heavily.
"That is very true," she had said after Sheik voiced his worries. "But I am in the right, and Agon won't be expecting me to march out so soon. He'll be expecting me to wait in my fortress and try to resist him there."
"But that's impossible to defend, everyone knows that," Jeryd said.
"Yes, but he thinks I'm a dumb woman, doesn't he?"
"With all due respect, general," Rial piped in, "don't you think that relying on an element of surprise we're not even sure exists is a very...risky bet?"
"Nephew, we only have two choices here," Riveth said. "Sit and wait like good little boys and girls for Agon to come slaughter us all like cattle, or march out and meet him on the field of battle. Now, we may be marching to our deaths, but as far as I'm concerned, we're all dead anyway, and I intend to die with my sword buried in some bastard's chest—preferably Agon's."
"I do not wish to sound like a coward," Sheik said, "but I'd rather not be here when the fighting starts. I have important matters to attend to—"
"I know, I know," Riveth said, waving a hand. "You're looking to find your Hero of Time and get the hell out of Lumina as fast as you can. Believe me, I don't blame you. It's not your war, after all. As I said, we'll be going south for quite a distance, and you can tag along until we reach a road where you won't risk running into Agon's army. There, we will split up, and I'll wish you both the best of luck in your future endeavours. Sound good?"
"So...you're protecting us until then?" Jeryd asked.
"I wouldn't call it that, but sure thing," the general said, smiling. "You're still my guests, after all."
A few hours later, Sheik was sitting on an outcropping of rocks overlooking a steep drop into a quarry-like depression in the ground. He felt like he was losing control over everything—which, in a sense, he already had—and was trying to take stock and rearrange everything so that it made sense in his head. It didn't work, but he still tried.
What about you? He thought. Anything to add? Some sarcastic comments, perhaps, or an insult or two?
There was no answer. He realised then that the shadow's voice had sounded tired when it spoke to him earlier that day, as if the mere act of vocalising his thoughts was exhausting. Perhaps it was just a trick to evoke sympathy or maybe it was genuine—Sheik didn't know. What he did know was that if the shadow was just taunting him with its silence, there'd be hell to pay.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't even mention the black-clad teenager sitting beside him until he spoke, "Whatcha thinking about?"
To his credit, Sheik didn't jump, but he was definitely surprised by the sudden appearance. "So, you're going to be jovial to me now, are you?" he asked, glaring.
Ard cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, are you done with accusing me of being evil and that you'd kill if me I risked Riveth's life?" Sheik said, not entirely sure what was going on.
"Kill you if...?" Ard trailed off, but then he perked up and began to laugh. "You think I'm my brother, then?" he said.
"You're...you're Erd?" Sheik asked, suddenly feeling foolish. Of course it had to be. Riveth had said that Erd was the one with social skills.
"That's me," Erd said, holding out a hand. "And you're Sheik of the Sheikah, Earl of Hyrule. Nice too meet you."
Sheik took it hesitantly, wondering if this one was going to see Speil's taint in him as well. "I apologise for my rudeness..."
"Nah, don't. If anything, I should be apologising for my brother's less-than-polite behaviour," Erd said. "He has never really liked dealing with other people, especially not after our parents left us in the forest to die. There's a wall there, and I'm the only one who knows how to get past it."
"I do not presume to know you well enough to ask this, but I am still curious as to why your parents saw fit to abandon you," Sheik said.
Erd paused slightly and fumbled with his hands. "It...happened because of various reasons, but I suppose chief among was the fact that they could no longer afford to feed us."
Worst lie I ever heard, Sheik thought, but nodded. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault," Erd said. "Besides, General Riveth found us and took us in instead, and we couldn't be happier about it. So, you have asked me a personal question—"
Which you did not answer honestly, Sheik added mentally.
"—and it is only fair that I get to ask you one in return, isn't it?"
"I suppose so," Sheik replied. Can't promise I won't lie in return.
"How long have you had the evil presence within you?"
Oh, goodie...
"I do not know what you are talking about," Sheik said. "Your brother said something to that effect as well, but I do not understand what you are talking about."
Erd chuckled and removed his hood, revealing very light blonde—practically silver—hair that was cut short. His eyes were a peculiar shade of green that seemed to almost glow. He then pulled down the mask covering the lower half of his face, revealing the visage of a handsome young man. "You are not a very good liar, Sheik of the Sheikah," he said, smiling.
"I could say the same about you, Erd," Sheik replied, lowering his own mask. He did not know why, but it seemed to be a sign of trust between them.
"It seems we both understand the value of withholding information from strangers," Erd said. "Refreshing."
"Indeed."
Silence. Uncomfortable silence at that.
"So, you are going to go to war with us?" Erd said, changing the subject.
"I was not planning to, no," Sheik replied. "My companion and I were separated some time ago, and I need to find him."
"That would be the Hero of Time, correct? I understand. It's not wise to involve yourself in a war that doesn't concern you."
"I'm glad you see it that way." How much did Erd know about him, anyway?
More silence before Erd spoke again. "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, however."
"Why is that?"
"Because you'll be a part of the first battle of the war no matter what you do. Agon's army is approaching fast from the south. Riveth intends to meet him in two days' time—long before we reach a road you can take without running the risk of encountering his men."
"Huh..."
"Do not worry, though," Erd said, smiling a bit wider. "Stay close to the general and you'll be fine—she'll protect you."
"I can handle myself just fine in battle, thank you," Sheik said, a bit more bite in his tone than he intended. "I mean...I don't need anyone to protect me."
"As you say," Erd said, standing up and replacing his mask and hood. "Just know that the closer you are to her, the safer you'll be. If you'll excuse me, I have yet to have supper. Good night, Sheik of the Sheikah."
Sheik hadn't thought it possible, but the condescending tone in Erd's voice had managed to infuriate him to an even greater degree than Ard's insults. And how could they both know about Speil? He went to bed that night with even more questions floating around in his head than before, and no answers came to him in his sleep either.
And neither did they come during the next two days of travelling. Ard and Erd had made themselves scarce the morning after Sheik and Erd's conversation, apparently scouting ahead of the army, forcing Sheik to mull over it by himself. He couldn't tell Jeryd—that would just introduce problems. The brothers had not told Riveth or Rial, apparently, or they just didn't bother bringing it up. Sid had winked at him a few times during dinner, but Sid winked at everyone (which earned him a punch in the face or two from several female soldiers) so that didn't seem out of the ordinary.
The army had arrived at a flat plain, at least a mile across, at the end of which a thick line of trees blocked any view of the terrain behind. Several roads broke off from the main one the army had travelled on and disappeared among the cliffs surrounding them. Riveth divided a hundred men from the main army and sent them down the different roads, intending for them to set up blocking positions.
"The roads are too narrow to fight on," she reasoned. "You don't need more than a few dozen soldiers with spears to hold one."
She, Rial and her officers were consulting a map over the area and discussing how best to proceeed.
"Agon knows it's foolish to come down the roads," Riveth continued, "which means that he'll try to break through the trees over there." She pointed at the line of trees. "Before that, however, he has to navigate through the nasty marshlands just beyond them. He'll exhaust his men going through it, leaving us to pick them off with our archers as they end up in the mud at the end of the field."
"How can you be sure that'll work?" Rial asked. "How is mud going to stop them long enough for the archers to do much damage?"
"Ah, nephew, do you remember nothing of your tactical training?" Riveth asked, shaking her head. "Agon won't be taking any chances and will have his men wear heavy armour. They'll have a hard enough time going through the bog, but the final straw will be the mud, which will slow them down even further. By the time they're out of it, they'll be far too tired to run, let alone walk. Sitting ducks for archers. Our longbows have a range of about three hundred yards. The infantry will finish off the rest."
"And what if he decides to take the roads?" an officer asked.
"He won't, but just in case, I'll have two hundred spearmen standing ready to be diverted, just in case."
"Surely Agon will not be stupid enough to attack us here?" Rial asked. "We hold every advantage! He'd be smarter to wait for us to come to him, not come charging through a damn swamp!"
"He's realised he's shot himself in the foot by sending the corporal and his men to announce his intentions, so he's in one hell of a hurry to stop us before we descend from the mountains. He's not familiar with the terrain, and he never fought me in open battle. He has no idea what he's walking into." Riveth grinned. "Is he going to feel stupid or what?"
"I feel pity for his men, though."
"It's war, captain. Casualties will happen, and I'd rather have those casualties be military personnel than civilians, don't you? We stop Agon here, we stop the war completely and save thousands of lives."
That was the end of it, and an hour later the army was preparing for battle. Spearmen stood in front of the archers, ready to protect them from any approaching enemies. Swordsmen stood behind the archers, ready to charge through the archers' ranks and smash into enemy ranks. The roads were being blocked with temporary barricades.
It was getting dark, the sun setting earlier and earlier. At least it appeared that the moon and stars would provide some light for the battle. Bonfires had been lit by Riveth's position.
Soon, the sounds and voices of hundreds of soldiers cursing their way through the marsh on the other side of the tree line could be heard. Scouts estimated it would an hour or so for the enemy to get through.
Sheik and Jeryd had found a prime viewing spot from the top of a large rock close to one of the roads. From there they could see everything. It had, of course, been Jeryd's idea to watch the battle from there—the human not wanting to miss a thing, leaving Sheik to wonder just how bloodthirsty he was.
"I'm not bloodthirsty," Jeryd said, apparently reading his mind. "I just can't let an opportunity to see Agon getting his ass kicked go by."
"Of course," said Sheik, shaking his head. He felt nervous. He had been briefed on the plan by Riveth, but he felt like there were far too many things that could go wrong. The scouts had reported that Agon's army also outnumbered Riveth's by at least three to one, so that was quite worrying too, which was why he was planning to get the hell out of there the second it seemed like Riveth was going to lose. She could get herself killed along with her army all she wanted, but Sheik did not intend to go down with her.
I wonder what Link would think of this? he thought. He'd probably insist on fighting alongside them, Hero that he is...
He didn't get further with this line of thought, for there was suddenly a shout from the other end of the field, and several soldiers broke through the trees, stumbling over their own legs from fatigue. There was a murmuring of excitement among Riveth's men, and the archers drew their arrows, preparing to let loose a deadly shower—though they had clearly been surprised by the sudden appearance of their enemy, as several of them had yet to string their bows. Riveth herself was surprised and quickly barked at her officers to make ready for battle.
"The scouts were wrong," Jeryd commented.
"So it seems."
To be continued...
No excuse, as usual. Sorry for the lateness. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you all so much for the reviews!
Like the story? Please leave a review!