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 Secrets

Chapter 34

Sapphire smiled as she stood at the top of the waterfall, looking down upon the subterranean lake that the Zora of Hyrule made their home. Watching her plan, on which she had worked for years, succeed to such a degree was...cathartic. How many times hadn't she stood here, at night, after everyone else had gone home, and wondered when her time for revenge would finally come? Too many...and many more nights had been spent fantasising about it after she'd left Hyrule. And now she was back...and they would soon be gone.

The air smelled of rotting fish, and the pained voices and cries were audible even over the roar of the waterfall. It had taken a few days to start working, but the poison was doing its work. She glanced down at the water beside her. She was careful not to let any part of her body touch it, the deep purple hue warning her of its danger.

The lake below was filled with bodies, all in the process of falling apart. It was a devious poison—working its way through their systems, quickly causing them to wither and fall apart. Sapphire wasn't sure who'd invented it, or what it was called, but the creator had clearly harboured an intense hatred for the Zora...just like she did...though she didn't hate her kind entirely, just the ones in Hyrule.

Infiltrating the Fountain had been easy enough. She'd killed a guard and stolen his helmet, obscuring her deviant appearance from view, allowing her to walk unhindered through the entire Zora Kingdom. Even the king himself hadn't spared her a second glance as she'd done a fairly impressive attempt at a military march towards the reservoir behind the throne, once the domain of Lord Jabu-Jabu. Whatever had happened to the old flounder, she didn't know, but his absence had clearly done the reservoir some good—the waters had never been clearer.

It was almost ironic that she had polluted it again. It was a simple process. The poison came in the form of a solid, purple ball about the size of her fist. On its own, it was inert, but when submerged in water it would begin to dissolve, quickly creating a solution that would kill anything that drank of it. The poison was mostly designed to kill Zora, but it would work reasonably well on Hylians, humans, Gorons, Gerudo, Sheikah...the list went on. But it was to the piscine people of the rivers it would be most gruesome.

Still, the fact that many villages and cities in Hyrule got their drinking water from the river that ran from the Fountain was a most welcome fact, and she couldn't help but wonder how many people she was killing right now. Iari would certainly be satisfied.

She looked down at the lake again. The water was a disgusting shade of brown and purple. Once the bodies had been submerged long enough, they too would start to simply...dissolve, leaving nothing but primordial slurry. The only evidence that it had once been something alive, something that had walked, talked, lived...would be the scales and pieces of clothing that floated in it.

This is what you get, she thought. This is what you deserve. Wherever you are, Mother, Father, I know you are smiling. Your daughter finally succeeded.

They had never seen how she was treated here, had never seen the hell to which they'd condemned her after they died on the road to Hyrule. Had they known how the Zora of Hyrule treated those of outsider schools...they would never have attempted to make it here.

"You..."

She turned and saw the male Zora standing at the other end of the tunnel. He was part of the military, his insignias marking him as a general. His arm blades were drawn and sharp, ready to attack...but his stance told her that he was of no risk. The large patches of missing scales all over his body was a big sign, too, that he was in the advanced stage.

"General," she said, inclining her head. She couldn't remember him. It didn't matter. He'd probably been one of them. They had all condemned themselves, especially those who had done nothing, those who had simply stood by and watched. "You don't look so well. Perhaps you should take an invigorating swim."

"You...freak...you've...killed us!" he was barely able to force the words out of his mouth, slurring badly. Blood poured down his chin, his eyes looking milky. He stepped forward, nearly collapsing and supporting himself against the cavern wall.

"So it would seem," she agreed with a nod. "Just like I planned. Tell me, is the king dead yet?"

The general didn't answer. With a snarl, he threw himself forward and tried to slash her with his blades...but he tripped over his own feet and nearly fell over the waterfall...had it not been for Sapphire catching him. She was careful not to touch him with any parts of her body not covered in clothing. To let even a diluted drop of the solution touch her would start the process, and she was not going to die now!

The man was practically putty...both figuratively and literally. His insides were already liquefying.

"Is it painful, general?" she asked him. "I hope it is."

He tried to spit in her face, a last act of defiance, but he lacked even the strength for that. His eyes grew unfocused, and he soon after drew his last breath. Wrinkling her nose at the smell that was emanating from him, she braced herself and threw the body over the falls. Something split open when he hit the surface.

The king had to be dead at this point. The fat pile of midden bloody sat in the reservoir water, after all. It was impossible to say, though. The throne room had been barricaded from the inside the second trouble had started about a day earlier. By then it had been too late—every single Zora had been infected by then. The voices were growing weaker, and there were fewer of them echoing throughout the cave by the minute.

She gave the dead general's floating carcass one final look before heading back through the tunnels, soon emerging into the main part of the cave. The dead and dying littered the floor, lying where they'd died because there'd been no one to move them.

Men, women, children...

Oddly enough, despite the relief of her plans finally coming to fruition and the immense satisfaction at finally showing them all just what "the freak" was capable of, there was a sense of...loss, as well. She doubted it was regret. She had felt no connection with these people—only an immense hatred.

It took her a few minutes before she realised what it was. Having achieved her revenge, she now had no sense of purpose. Her entire life had been about reaching this moment...and she'd never made any plans for what she would do afterwards. Iari would be expecting her to return soon, but was the Sun truly an organisation she wished to return to? She had nothing against the rest of the peoples of Hyrule, even though she considered them little else but collateral.

On the other hand, she felt no loyalty to them either. She glanced towards a tunnel opening that she knew had been sealed only recently. The poison had not been allowed to enter it.

Well, there was only one thing left to do, then.

Lake Hylia would never be the same.

It was a nice night, Sheik decided as he leaned on the balcony railing and watched the moon hanging above Death Mountain, shining its pale light on the land. Even the stars were twinkling, which was a rare sight these days. It all seemed so...peaceful. The only sounds he could hear were the wind whistling through the trees in the garden, the occasional footsteps of the castle guards and his own breathing.

It was hard to believe all the chaos that was going on behind the scenes.

He'd been expecting the shock of the events at Kakariko to wear off soon, to be hit by the devastating despair that would surely ravage him for years to come...but so far it hadn't. Instead, he felt cold, and oddly calm. He couldn't identify the mood he was currently in, and it was scaring him.

The idea of returning to his and Link's chambers, however, filled him with dread. He had never seen the Hero so angry before, so...furious. It had almost bordered on hate...and Sheik wasn't sure if it was directed at the Sun or him. Of all the people in the world, Link was the only person he had expected to be...well, if not understanding, then at least...comforting? The Hero of Time was notoriously quick to forgive; he was one of those people who didn't cling to anger and perceived wrongs.

But earlier that day...he had truly blamed Sheik for what had happened...and it had thrown him for such a loop that he still hadn't recovered. Yes, it was Sheik's fault, he had no problem admitting that...but if even Link saw Sheik as the one at fault, whom did he have left on his side? Zelda, surely, but she was far too busy trying to keep the kingdom from falling apart, which was starting look more and more likely by the day. Kaura, perhaps...but her attention was on the princess. Rinir...definitely, but she was in no position to help him, other than offer a testimony, which was suspicious given her general involvement in the situation. Leonthal...Leonthal was still a wildcard.

There was one more person to go, and just as his face flashed before his mind's eye, Rial Vortan stepped onto the balcony, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Chilly tonight, huh?" he asked the surprised Sheik, rubbing his arms through the thin tunic he wore. "I thought Lumina was bad during winter, but Hyrule has her beat in the fall."

Recovering, Sheik nodded. "It creeps up on you, the cold," he said. Truth be told, he had barely noticed the rapidly dropping temperature of that night. He'd been too preoccupied with...what, feeling sorry for himself? No, he did not care much for self-pity... No, his pity was with the victims of Kakariko...and his mind occupied with trying to make sense of it all, a task at which he was failing.

Rial leaned on the railing next to him. "I'm sorry about your students," the former general said. "When I heard...I couldn't believe it. Even at the height of his madness, I don't think Rehm would have been able to do that. Wipe out the world, sure, but to coordinate such an underhanded, cowardly...downright despicable act?" He shook his head. "Disgusting."

"I keep going over it again and again in my head," Sheik confessed. "I'm still not sure how I should be feeling."

"I'd go with furious, personally," Rial said.

"It would certainly be nice to be able to settle on one mood."

Rial nodded. "I know how that feels..." He glanced at Sheik. "It sounds wrong, I know, but I felt much the same on the night Rehm launched his coup, when I was still just a captain of the guard. I almost lost every single one of my men that night...men I'd trained and fought with for years. It probably cannot compare, but...I know what it's like...or almost, anyway."

Sheik didn't say anything. Rial was right—they were difficult things to compare. Whereas the royal guard had all been experienced soldiers, the students...

"I don't have any solutions," Rial admitted. "Other than 'keep fighting', but I'm sure that's what you tell yourself every day. What I want you to know, however, is that I'm on your side. It wasn't your fault—you couldn't have known that the soldiers would turn. If you had, I'm sure you would have been there to personally slit their throats."

"I wouldn't make it that easy on them," Sheik said darkly. Deciding on something he'd been debating for the past week or so, he withdrew the lion pin he'd found at Blackbrook from his pouch and handed it to Rial. "Recognise this?" he asked.

Rial didn't seem surprised at all that Sheik was in possession of it. "The prince's men wear these," he said. "Where did you find it?"

"In the mine," Sheik answered. "It was on a bedroll."

"I see..."

"There were soldiers bearing Leonthal's colours among the enemy combatants," Sheik continued. "Do you know anything about that?"

Rial gave him an apologetic look. "Only what you probably already know yourself," he said. "Since we arrived in Castle Town, there have been some disappearances among the prince's troops...but it is not unusual for soldiers to desert while the army stays in large cities. It's easy to hide in them, to wait until pursuers give up. I suppose it was wishful thinking on our part to believe that it was for the brothels and booze our men were disappearing, but...it appears they've joined the enemy instead."

Sheik nodded. "I arrived at that same conclusion...but I still cannot help but feel suspicious."

Rial chuckled. At Sheik's confused glance, he tried to rein it in. "That's perfectly normal," he said. "The princess is like a sister to you, is she not? Brothers are always protective of their sisters when it comes to men. You perceive Leonthal to be a threat...just not in a traditional way...or perhaps both?" He chuckled again. "I pity whoever ends up marrying her...for they will have to through you first."

Sheik couldn't help but smile wryly at that. It had been so long since he smiled that it almost hurt...or so it felt like, at least. "You're right...I'll be an awful brother in law."

The balcony door opened again, and the pair was surprised to see Zelda join them. "Ah, Rial, I didn't expect to find you here," she said.

"I was just leaving," he replied. "Sheik, princess."

Sheik saw her face fall the second Rial was out of earshot, and tried to recompose himself. "The meeting?" he asked.

"What do you think?" she said with a snort. "It's like trying to control a room full of infants. It's tempting to start all over again, form a new one...but that will only cause more trouble, I think."

Sheik's eye had never left her face as she spoke. Something was wrong.

"You're hiding something," he said. "What happened? Another attack?"

She paused. "In a way," she said. "Not a physical one, but one of...character, I suppose. The nobles..."

Sheik felt his heart sink. He'd almost forgotten about where many of his students had come from. "They blame me, don't they?" he asked.

"They've...given me an ultimatum," she replied. "Sheik, they want your head."

His grip on the balcony was so tight it was hurting his hands. "Or else?" he asked.

"They'll withdraw their forces and go home to their lands." She made a frustrated noise. "As of right now, well over half the royal army consists of men and women with ties to the great houses. If they leave, Hyrule as a whole will be greatly weakened, with no real way of defending ourselves..."

"And what did you tell them?"

Perhaps it was selfish of him to have expected the princess to answer immediately with a resolute "I said no!" but Sheik was nevertheless disheartened when Zelda didn't answer at all, but simply stared into his eyes with a look of utter sadness in her eyes.

She didn't really have a choice, did she?

Garrett was impressed at the size of the man in front of him, not to mention the amount of chains and weights needed to keep him immobile. His little birds had been hard at work, bringing the impressive specimen to him after finding him wandering through the fields. Several had been killed, apparently, torn apart by the giant's bare hands.

He sipped at his tea, crossing his leg delicately in the chair as he held the giant's gaze. At first, he'd assumed the brute was all muscle and no brains...but he could see a keen intelligence in there, carefully hidden. A clever disguise—allowing other people to think he was stupid was a good way to have people unintentionally reveal secrets. After all, who expects an idiot to understand grand schemes?

"So," he said, "Mister...?"

The man didn't answer, merely continued to stare.

"You do possess the gift of speech, do you not?" Garrett continued.

"I do," the giant answered. "I simply do not wish to speak with you."

His voice was deep and booming, but his words and pronunciation elegant—a sharp contrast that Garrett couldn't help but find intriguing. It was a pity what he'd be forced to do to him very soon.

"Ah, that is a pity," he replied. "I was hoping to have an intelligent conversation between two equals. Your disguise does not fool me—you are far smarter than you portray yourself."

"And yours does not fool me," the giant said in turn. "You're like him, aren't you? A shape shifter."

Garrett smiled. The giant saw right through him. "We possess the same ability to change our forms as we please, yes...though I believe mine is a bit more...refined. Tell me, what has he promised you in exchange for your help?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You are clearly a shrewd individual—I'm certain you could have had him promise you the world if you wished."

"Why would I want a world that is soon going to be a ball of dust?" He smiled. "He offered me power. Women. More food and beer than I would know what to do with. Typical promises made to those with little ability to think. But I am different."

"You are different," Garrett agreed. "Though in what way? Your brains-to-brawn ratio is very impressive, certainly, but what else is it that makes you willing to help him? You do realise that, if he succeeds, Hyrule will be torn apart?"

"I know," the giant said, nodding. "I am very much looking forward to seeing it."

"But why? What has Hyrule ever done to you?"

"Nothing. I bear no grudges towards any of the people in this kingdom. I do what I do...because I want to. I have never seen a kingdom burn—I should very much like to experience it. Hyrule simply happens to be the unfortunate target...and if his stories are to be believed, for a very good reason. Condemning an entire world to a slow death is surely a mitigating cause for destruction? That is the way he thinks of it...or so I believe. But then, his goal seems different to the group's in general."

Garrett perked up. He hadn't expected such a tide of words...though the last part... "And what do you think that goal is?"

"Your death," he said calmly. "He knows you're here."

"I should hope so, I've been dropping hints like it's going out of style," Garrett said, snorting. "I'd hoped he would veer off his target in order to get to me, but it seems he has chosen Hyrule as a contingency."

"So it would seem," the giant agreed.

"And you're going along with it...why?"

The giant made what approximated a shrug in his bound form. "Boredom comes easily to me."

Garrett took another sip of his tea. Ah, there it was. No great mystery after all. The man was a psychopath. Naturally brawny, most likely, and an overwhelming sense of boredom from the day he took his first steps, leading to reading everything he could come across to stave it off. No feelings, no nothing—simply never-ending boredom and an eternal quest to see it quenched. Garrett couldn't imagine anything worse.

The giant seemed quite willing to talk to him, though, despite his earlier statement. Garrett wondered why that was.

"You're weak," the giant said, as if reading his mind. "You don't have what it takes to hurt me—not truly. I can see it in your eyes. You're the type who pays others to do his dirty work for him, preferring not to get your hands dirty. Coward."

Garrett finished his tea, gently setting the cup on the small table beside him, and stood up. The basement was soundproof, or so he'd been assured. "You're right in that I don't like getting my hands dirty," he said jovially. "Manual labour has never appealed to me in any significant way...and, like you say, why do it myself when I can pay someone to do it for me? I embrace this way of thinking, and that is why I have survived for as long as I have."

The giant chuckled. "Ah...even more like him than I believed, then."

"Two sides of the same coin, you could say," Garrett said, stopping in front of the giant. His fists were the size of Garrett's head. They would do nicely. "And, seeing as I have no intention of getting involved directly...I'll have someone else getting their hands dirty for me."

It seemed to dawn upon the giant what he was planning, and he began to struggle against his chains. "You wouldn't."

"I don't see why not," Garrett replied with a shrug. "Your intellect is the result of an utter lack of emotions and a driving need to end your boredom. I'll relieve you of it." He put his hands on the giant's temples, and began to gently probe at the consciousness contained therein. "Hm...no real name," he muttered. "You've simply been called 'Ogre' for all your life?"

Ogre's head began to thrash from side to side, trying to get away from Garrett's hands. The sensation would be akin to someone very carefully inserting needles into his head, from what Garrett had gathered from the other times he'd done it. Very unpleasant, which was why he always tried to make it quick. Until he found memories of Ogre's attempts at alleviating his boredom.

"Your name is apt," he said. "You are a monster."

"Grrrgh..." Ogre groaned.

"I felt a small amount of guilt for what I am about to do...but now I am just...bored. Goodbye, Mister Ogre."

Uprooting a mind was easy, like pulling out a weed. One simple jerk, and Ogre was as idiotic as everyone had assumed he was. The intelligence was gone from his eyes, his mouth hanging open in an empty expression.

"Hmph, intelligent indeed," Garrett muttered. "Ogre, can you hear me?"

Ogre nodded meekly.

"I am your new master now. Do you understand?"

Another nod.

"I want you to find your old master, Iari...and I want you to tear him apart. Do you understand?"

Yet another nod.

"Good boy," he said, patting the bald head. "Let him down," he told his little birds, who immediately began to work on untangling the chains that held Ogre at bay. "He will be somewhere in Castle Town. I am certain he will contact you once he learns of your return. Go, now."

Despite his size, the giant moved with surprising speed, and he was out of the basement within seconds of Garrett telling him to go. Dismissing his little birds, he returned to the ground floor of the house he had been occupying for the last month or so. It was an old estate close to Castle Town, apparently the seat of one of the great houses that had been destroyed during the first war with the Gerudo over a quarter of a century ago. House Ri-something. He couldn't quite recall.

Finding his evening meal hot and already on the table, he began to eat with gusto. Such work really brought up an appetite. As he cleaned off his plate, his thoughts returned to the enigmatic Sun leader...or not so enigmatic after all.

So, he thought. Iari, is it? You never were able to choose normal names. Good luck dealing with your giant now.

Smiling, he looked at the pie that was being served for dessert. Despite its setbacks, today had been a good day.

Iari couldn't contain the smile on his face once the warehouse doors were opened, allowing him to see the rows upon rows of wonderful toys. "Incredible," he said and looked at the newest disciple to join his flock. "And this is all manufactured here?"

"Yes, sir," the artificer said. "The forge is several blocks away, but every bit has been produced in Castle Town. The princess didn't trust it to be made anywhere else."

"Clever, constructing these things beneath everyone's noses," Iari said. The doors closed behind them, and the other man lit a lantern. "Especially after banning them from the realm. Such hypocrisy, tsk tsk tsk."

It had been a simple act to extract the information from the Hero's mind. It had been one of the last things he'd seen before ending up in his cell, after all. Iari had been surprised at first, but his plans had quickly incorporated this wonderful piece of news quickly enough. Of course, he'd made sure that the Hero wouldn't remember it himself. The longer the princess believed her secret was safe, the better.

"How many of these have you made?" he asked, stopping by a cannon and stroking its barrel lovingly. Magic was all well and good, but engineering was a truly fascinating field he was sorry he hadn't explored earlier.

"About...forty, or so," the artificer answered. "Twenty are kept here, twenty in the secondary warehouse. We also have several unassembled ones at the forge."

"And they are...ready to be used?"

"Aye. Test-fired each and every one of them myself."

"And you can teach others to fire them?"

"Of course."

"Good, good..."

"Sir, with all due respect, do you think this will be necessary? I hate the nobles as much as the next guy, but these weapons are...devastating. I'd rather not see them used on my own countrymen."

"If there is a chance of a peaceful surrender, then that is of course what we will pursue, my good man," Iari reassured him with a gentle pat on the shoulder. "These," he said, gesturing at the cannons, "are merely what will give the nobles and their forces an...incentive to surrender quietly." He took a breath. The air smelled of wood, resin, and metal. "In time, this will be seen as the turning point for Hyrule," he said. "The moment when the people finally took power into their own hands and did away with the debilitating ways of old. No longer will certain names be more important than others!"

The artificer didn't look impressed. "I just don't want there to be bloodshed because of something I've made," he said.

"Then, my good man," Iari said, grinning, "you've gone into the wrong line of business."

After paying the man handsomely for his silence and ensuring that the warehouse was locked up tight, Iari headed back to his hideout. Everything was progressing nicely. All he needed now was a confirmation of Sapphire and Zendine's successes, and practically everything would be set. Sapphire had clearly done something, if the colour of the city's moat was anything to judge by, but Zendine had not yet reported in.

Nor had Ogre. Gods knew where that idiot had gotten off to.

Stopping in the middle of the street, making sure there were no guards about to try and apprehend him for breaking the curfew, he turned and looked at the imposing mountaintop that could be seen from almost any point in Hyrule.

Death Mountain, he thought. I wonder if there is something I could do with it...

Shrugging, he decided to leave that for later and continued on his way, a little skip in his step.

Tonight was a good night!

Kaura watched the younger woman as she read a leaflet about the latest news in Hyrule. Half of it was gossip and gibberish, of course, but it seemed to entertain her nevertheless.

Captain Rinir noticed the physician eyeing her, and cleared her throat. "Is there anything wrong, doctor?" she asked.

"Not at all, just watching for signs of pain," Kaura replied, lying on the spot. "I know you soldier types—you like to pretend you're all tough and can take it more than anyone...but you're all the same underneath, and want someone to blow on your booboos."

Rinir laughed. "Heh, yeah, we do like to think that...but I can assure you that I'm in no pain whatsoever. I'm almost surprised...but then, your skill is fabled throughout the land. Again, thank you."

"The wound wasn't life-threatening," Kaura said, shrugging. "All I did was clean it and sew it up."

"Ah, but our surgeon would have made a hack job of it, believe you me," Rinir said. "I'm glad Lord Sheik brought me here."

"Indeed," Kaura said. "He has been bringing me a lot of people lately. It's like he's collecting you."

Rinir sighed. "What is it that you truly want to say, doctor?" she asked. "I can tell when someone is biding their time."

"It's the small talk, isn't it?" Kaura said. "It's an aspect of social interaction that has always baffled me."

"I can tell," the captain said helpfully.

"As for what it is...during the war with Ganondorf, I had trouble sleeping for a time, and I would help myself to one of the princess' books at night. One of them was a compendium on the noble houses of Hyrule. It was an older volume, but I distinctly remember a House Rinir being mentioned. It was quite powerful, but it fell during the last war with the Gerudo, twenty-six years ago." She could tell by the look on the captain's face that she had struck a nerve, but ploughed on regardless. "You wouldn't happen to be a descendant, would you?"

She didn't look happy, but Rinir nodded. "Sole heiress, in fact, though it does me little good seeing as the name was stricken from the records after the war."

"Why?"

"My father," Rinir replied bluntly. "He was a fiend. What my mother ever saw in him, I do not know...but then, it was an arranged marriage, so I guess she never had much choice in the matter. He, and all the other heads of houses, really, never liked the idea of allowing the Gerudo their territories, believing that it belonged to Hyrule. They urged the old king to annex the valley, but he refused. They began to provoke them...and soon after the war was a reality. They did not anticipate the Gerudo to go after the nobles first, though...and my father's house was the first on their list."

"I'm sorry," Kaura said. "I did not mean to dredge up bad memories."

"Bad memories?" Rinir asked. "I was four years old. I can barely remember anything apart from their faces. I've learned all this later in life...and frankly, I only feel sad for my mother, who surely had nothing to do with it at all."

"How did you survive?"

"The Gerudo let me live. They even took me to a remote village, which they left untouched. Lived there until someone from the city came to find me. It's all a bit of a blur, really. What I do know, however, is being told that my house was being erased from Hyrule's history, and that I was but a commoner now. My father's crimes never became public knowledge, but when the king issues a decree... I liked that. I wanted to be a soldier, and no daughter of a noble would be allowed such a career." She carefully folded the leaflet in her lap. "I've never looked back."

"I see...thank you for telling me."

"You fixed me up, doc," she said, grinning. "I figure the least I could do in return is to give you a little background on me. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone, though. Fallen or no, soldiers give each other a lot of shit for being part of big houses. And...the Sheikah were nearly wiped out in that war—I would rather not have Lord Sheik know that my father was partly responsible."

"Of course, you have my word," Kaura replied.

"Thank you."

Kaura made to leave the room, but then another thought struck her. It was one she'd harboured from the moment of meeting the captain, but not one she'd wanted to voice...except for now. "One more thing, captain..."

"Yes?"

"The compendium mentioned a second child..."

"I wouldn't know anything about that. I was too young to remember...and much has been repressed. I would rather not think about it."

A trained answer. Kaura nodded, satisfied either way. "Good night, captain."

"Good night, doctor."

Far away to the west, in a dry valley surrounded by sheer cliffs, an alarm was sounded. A large fortress was lit up by hundreds of torches, its façade showing signs of recent restoration.

The huge gates swung open, and a large party of riders set out. Heading east, they made haste towards Hyrule.

To be continued…

Shit's going down!

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