Dragmire's War – Part 13

-Qin Army, Link-

The following morning the one hundred woke to a head splitting migraine. They had passed out drunk the night before in all manner of positions. Some wondered what happened to their clothes, others wondered why they had too many. One woke wrapped up in a tent rather than quilt or blanket and another woke with his head lodged in a giant wine vase. It took three men to get it off.

At first it was but a few men, but as the sun peaked over the distance to give a hearty hello, the rest quickly woke to raise their fists, cover their faces, and curse at it.

Not one soul did not suffer this morning. All had drunk, even Solitare had a bit while Ganon had quietly gorged himself. Solitare did not take much, with his small size, to be affected while Ganon took two entire vases before passing out. The wine had spilled over and Kagami lapped at it before following his master in an alcohol induced coma.

There was only one soul among them who did not drink.

"Good morning, boys! Who's ready to-"

A large man grabbed Link and threatened to beat him senseless if he uttered another word. Everyone in earshot groaned painfully. Ganon stepped in, grabbed the man by the wrist and in one motion popped it out of place. Link coughed.

"No one threatens to kill him but me." Ganon whispered. He still had his wrist in his hand. In another motion he snapped the wrist back. "Now leave."

Link said, "Thank y-"

"Utter one more syllable and I will gut you." Ganon whispered harshly at Link. His eyes were more red than usual and he groaned in pain. Link nodded and decided, wisely, to have a quieter morning.

From the look of things, there had not been another engagement overnight. The armies were both licking their wounds for the night. There was faint movement on the Zhao hill, and the call went out for some to gather and line up. Link, his squad, and the one-hundred who had celebrated with him were not called to the front lines this time, but were told they would be in reserve behind the front and to join another thousand-man commander who had lost some men.

This was the plan at first, but another notice was given for them to gather on the main hill where Ouki Mitagi was stationed with his personal bodyguard battalions and his officers. They were not allowed entry inside. They were told to station themselves outside of the command. From where they stood they could see Ouki Mitagi sitting on a chair overlooking the battlefield.

It was a surreal moment. None of them, save two, had ever met Ouki, and to see him for the first time was breath-taking. He had a powerful presence and his body oozed strength. His gaze was not upon them, yet they were intimidated by the sight of him.

From there, an officer questioned them all as to who their leader was. No leader could be presented. They were an assortment of squads with many leaders among them. The one leading Link's squad was Ganon.

The next question was who it was that lead them against the chariots. To this question the answer was unanimously Link. Link was ordered to enter the command structure. This left the one-hundred with mixed feelings. Some feared Link had wronged Ouki in some way and told him to beg for forgiveness, others wondered if Link had accomplished something worthy of recognition from the High General, and their response to the latter was to see him in awe. Yet others wondered if Link was just confused for someone else, or had a message to deliver to Ouki from someone important, if Ouki wanted him as a servant, or whatnot. All in all a very mixed perception and beliefs were whispered among them.

Even Ganondorf was left completely perplexed by this.

Link looked up at Ouki, and felt the pit of anger in his stomach burn. He had questions for the general, and if the general wanted to oblige him, then who was he to pass up the opportunity?

Link, to everyone's amazement and awe, entered the perimeter. The Englishman stopped and stared on seeing Link approach. At first the Englishman thought he saw the dead rise, but he knew better. This boy was not a ghost. He was either a twin, a most interesting twist to his day certainly, or, more likely, Ouki had deceived him. For his part, the Englishman was not hurt by this thought. What he was told and not told was at the whim of Ouki. If It was Ouki's will that the Englishman believe something untrue, than he would bow to the superior ways of his mentor and friend.

"Leave us." Ouki said.

"My Lord?" The Englishman questioned.

"I will explain all to you, have faith. But for this moment, I desire to be alone with him." Ouki replied. Ouki continued to sit, his gaze rested on the battlefield and Zhao in the distance. He had not turned his head to perceive Link approach from behind.

The Englishman bowed and left to a distance from where he could not hear them, while still seeing them if his presence would be requested once more. Ouki extended his hand and waved Link forward. Link approached further and stood by his side.

"I must say… you surprise me," Ouki said.

"Because you expected me to be dead or?" Link asked.

"Not at all. I do apologize for my action, but it was necessary. I am loyal to the princess, and I believe you to be as well, but we both stand in a position where loyalty to her has become… complicated."

"What?" Link was confused.

"Tell me, Link. Did you spend time with the Zora?"

"I did."

Ouki nodded. His countenance was unusually pensive for his upbeat personality. "That is good. You have grown in the last year, I am pleased. What I am surprised by is the knowledge that you would leave the Zora at this time, join my army, and for it to be against Harken of all people… and for you to keep company of a Dragmire and Sheikah." Ouki cast his gaze briefly on the one-hundred who Link had saved. "Did you time it this way on purpose or was it divine chance?"

"Neither." Link answered. "I just so happened to see an army was gathering and joined it."

"Because you wish to grow to becoming a general…" Ouki mused.

"Yes…" Link growled. "Which I had come to you for! Only for you to almost kill me!"

"As if-"

"The Zora doctor said you broke nearly every bone in my body!"

Ouki stopped, stared at Link a moment, returned his gaze to the battlefield, and muttered, "Woops."

"'Woops' my ass! I should be dead! Why did you do it?! I had gone to you for training and instead I get a boot to the chest, took weeks to recover from the fall, only to be tortured, beaten, and spit on by the people you knew I was landing on the front door of! I had to get involved with their politics, and I didn't ask for that! I didn't sign up for politics!"

"Unfortunately you will find war and politics are inseparable." Ouki replied. "As for the rest… all I can do is apologize again. You see… I cannot tell you, though I know it, why they want you dead, only that they do. The alternative was insured death."

"'They'?"

"The Sheikah." Ouki answered heavily.

Link's breath hitched. The Sheikah wanted him dead? "B-but why!? I haven't done anything to them! Unless you mean the radicals following Zant, in which I can guess why they want me dead…"

Ouki shook his head. "No. It is the loyal Sheikah that want you dead. If anything… the radicals would be the ones to follow you."

"F-follow… me. What?" Link's eyes widened. His legs felt like jelly and his mind blanked.

"In chess… there is a single piece that is the most deceitful. A pawn. If one can bring it across the board… the pawn can become anything. A queen. A knight. A bishop. A rook… even a king, if the rules could allow it." Ouki turned to look at Link. "You are that pawn, boy. I wish I could tell you of the power you hold, but I sold my soul long ago to seal it. Just know this: You have the potential to become anything you want. You can be the most loyal soldier in the history of Qin, or you can snap it in half with but a word. You can gather all of Zelda's enemies to your flag against her, or you can raise her kingdom high."

"Th-that doesn't answer anything." Link murmured. "I don't understand. I never asked for this!"

"We never do ask to be born."

"Why… Why are you telling me this?"

"So you may understand, even if just a portion of it." Ouki closed his eyes sadly. "I had hoped you would stay hidden, but you have placed yourself in the most crucial war of these days, and have accomplished an achievement that will reach the ears of the Sheikah… and you have a Sheikah in your company. You almost seem to insist on being found out by your enemy."

"I have done nothing to them! I am loyal to Zelda!"

"As am I. As is the Sheikah. We are all loyal to her, of that I have no doubt. But Link… this is politics… this is the kind of game of power I have never wanted to be in. I am poor at it. The fact is in being loyal to Zelda, the Sheikah must kill you or risk hurting her. And I, in being loyal to Zelda, must kill you. Zelda would not wish for your death, but it would be better for her."

Link realized, "But you didn't… You betrayed her to save me."

"My loyalty is divided. I fully expect there will be grave consequences. I may lose my head for it."

"Even you?! The greatest general of Qin! The pillar of our military!?"

"Even I am a slave to some things, and have made vows I must hold to… or risk it all."

"But… Why?" Link asked desperately. He felt he was being given more questions than answers. He was being threatened by his own allies for a reason he could not grasp. He was just a slave boy who wanted to become a great general and help Zelda! "Why risk it for me!? I'm just a slave! You're a high general!"

"You're not just a slave!" Ouki barked loudly. The large man stood and looked down on Link.

This quieted Link, who stared up at him frozen in terror of what he was told, as well as fear at the sheer power of Ouki being displayed in his sudden rage. Tears of pure fear, frustration, and confusion fell from his eyes. All around them men stopped to stare. The one-hundred below became convinced Ouki was going to kill Link now.

"You're-" Ouki stopped short. He wanted to say more, but he knew he should not. Already he sensed the boy was vastly in over his head. To tell him the reason. The single sentence that could explain all of it… it would break him. It would also break every vow Ouki had made. It could easily be even considered treason… and could destroy the kingdom. Yet he so desperately wished for the boy to understand, to be able to see clearly what course to take from the knowledge of what paths he could choose in life…

It frustrated Ouki greatly.

He settled for a simple statement. He forced his rage to subside and said gently, "You're not just a slave. You may have been, but now you have the potential to become anything you want. So no matter the political games… no matter the fact that your allies may see you as a threat… What is it you want to be?"

"I-I… I want to be a general. I want to support Zelda… support the whole kingdom."

"Like a pillar?"

"If it reaches that far, yes." Link nodded. He used his sleeve to rub the tears from his eyes. "I will go as far as I can. If I die on this battlefield, then that's that. But I know what I want to do. I always have."

"Then chase that dream!" Ouki insisted heavily. "You want to defeat the Sheikah? You want to stay loyal? Then make yourself indispensable. Make yourself great. Accomplish so much on the battlefield, that the Sheikah will hesitate. Don't put yourself in the game with them, lest they think you a player of the game. Create a strong friendship with the princess, until her allies fear removing you from her!"

"I will!" Link proclaimed.

"Good." Ouki breathed a sigh of relief. His heart was not at rest, but it would appease him if Link followed his advice, and it worked in keeping the Sheikah off his back. "Let us go, there is a reason I had called for you besides to talk with you briefly."

"Where we going?" Link wondered.

"Not far."

Ouki, without any prompts given to his officers, left his seat, walked out of the barricades, and approached the one-hundred from before. The one-hundred men bowed with their faces to the ground, save Ganon, who merely bowed at the hip slightly, enough to show respect.

Ouki said to them, "Raise your heads." They did. "I have listened to the report given by my officers, and inquired with General Moubu. They all agree you have accomplished something worthy of recognition. It is common for a commander or general to bestow rewards for achievements on the battlefield, so you will all be given a portion of the spoils equal to your achievement. You stood as the last of the one-thousand man unit and held your ground against Zhao. For this you have one portion. You then stood your ground against a unit of chariots that had devastated the other units. For this, you have a second portion. You not only stood against this unit of chariots, but you defeated them! For this, you have a third portion. Congratulations, men of Qin! When you walk away as victors, I have instructed the palace that each of you are to receive thrice the portion than had you not accomplished anything!"

Cheers of thanks came from the men. Many wept as they realized they would no longer be poor. It did not mean they would be necessarily wealthy or could retire, by any means, but it at least meant that they would be rewarded. Naturally, though they did not consider it, all men in the army received portions on their accomplishments. Had they stayed in reserves, they would not risk their lives as much, but they would also receive only a basic portion. They were regular infantry. They were not officers nor had their accomplishment included defeating any commanders or generals. So one could say the size of the portions are relative. At the very least they would be better off and their time away from their normal occupations would be worth their time and risk to their families.

Ryo had established a law years ago that widows of war would be given the portions in the stead of their husband, rather than it all being confiscated by the generals or palace of Qin. It had become well known and is yet another part of why he is popular.

"In addition, I have a proclamation to make." Ouki stated. "In the battle, your one-thousand man commander died. A replacement has been placed, but there is a special portion given to Link." Ouki looked to Link. "You took up the flag of Qin, and lead these men to accomplish what they did. Such a talent and loyalty is worthy of its own portion. For this: I give you this." Ouki pulled out a jewel.

The jewel was a jade rupee shaped as a small bird and had writings etched into its surface.

"Keep it on you at all times, it is the token of your rank."

"My what?" Link asked.

The men collectively gasped. Ganon coughed.

"… Read it."

"I can't read."

"You can't read." Ouki repeated.

"Slave remember? Duh."

"Don't speak to him so casually!" Hei hissed quietly. "He's a general!" Many were terrified Link would be executed right then and there for his casual tone. On Ouki's part, he wasn't affected.

"… Right. It says: One-hundred man officer. Independent unit."

Link's breath stopped. "Y-you mean-"

"You are promoted from a foot soldier, to the leader of one-hundred men. These men. As an independent unit, meaning you are not part of a larger unit, such as a thousand-man or ten-thousand man unit, but are your own unit with your own order and your own command structure. The only orders you take are directly from a general. You answer only to me."

Without skipping a beat, Ouki presented Link with a small scroll, who numbly took it. Ouki said, "These are your orders. I look forward to your results." He turned and left.

Link turned to see ninety-nine gaping men with almost stars of amazement, awe, and admiration in their eyes. (Ganon was stunned beyond belief as well, but refused to have such an embarrassing display.) Link, the boy who had lead them against the chariots, had been requested a personal audience with the high General and legend, yelled back and forth as if they knew each other and had that kind of relationship, and then was given command over them… as an independent unit that answered to no one but Ouki himself.

"Who the realms are you!?" A random one exclaimed.

-Kanyou, Capital of Qin-

The days following Ouki Mitagi's departure were stressful ones. The work had not ceased by any means, but it was put on hold. All parties involved felt they had done the best they could to prepare Ouki, and Qin, for the battle to come. Now all that was left was to carry it out. Logistics were established and a backup base of supplies was set up nearby Ouki's estimated location, reinforcements and supplies were sent to Bayou to resupply and help them recover from their losses. The Qin to scatter from the Zhao invasion, who survived at least, were met by humanitarian efforts by their neighbors, and to Zelda's pleasure, Lady Reiga and her father stepped up to take in as many as could make it.

It was a large-scale project that made Zelda feel she was drowning. As it was, she could only watch as Ryo and Impa took the reins with a smoothness that made her feel inadequate. Zelda could only sit in silence, struggle to keep up with their thoughts and plans in both its grand scope and miniscule detail, and nod when requested for permission for an action to be taken.

Zelda knew the power of a united palace could accomplish much, but the combined knowledge, wisdom, adaptability, intuition, and experience of the combined factions could move mountains. Ryo was a powerful man. Zelda knew this. She had played games with him, but now she understood more than ever just how far ahead he was in every way. And a thought came to her that made her both fear him, and admire him.

Up to this point Ryo had merely been playing games. Now the games were over, and he was serious.

What she saw terrified her.

When Zelda did not always work. With the primary work done, Zelda tried to do what she could to relax and ease her mind as the tensions rose with each day. During the day she spent time with Andim, perused the gardens of the Fae Grove, focused on her private tutoring. During the night she would relax and seek some company from the concubines of the royal harem, but inevitably, as is the way of the harem, Zelda would cast them out when they got a bit too… assuming as to what she desired, so ultimately they proved to be a source of stress and annoyance rather than a diversion from it. Zelda was expected to accept a variety of night servants despite having a favored, and Zelda had come to accept that, but these days her tolerance was slim.

With each day she grew more icy, more cold, more closed off, more stressed, and with it grew more volatile. Her decreasing state of mind gave rise for Impa to implore the Royal Harem for Sarah to be returned. Sarah did, and this helped Zelda greatly for a time. Sarah had come to be one of the few Zelda trusted most, even swiftly becoming loved like a sister Zelda never had, though if one were to remember Zelda's perspective of family, then perhaps Sarah could be considered even closer. She found Sarah's perspective of a normal life to be utterly fascinating as Sarah recalled her family before joining the Harem.

Sarah was the daughter of a poor family, one among many siblings. She had sisters, she had brothers, a mother, and a father. Too many mouths to feed and too few hands, life was difficult, but worth it. A survey went out to see the beauty of all the girls in the city upon Zelda's return, and Sarah was found to be acceptable, if barely. Being one of the youngest siblings, she did not take on the burden of the family as much as the others and was unscarred, unblemished. She desired to help in what way she could and sold herself to the Royal Harem.

The stories of the Harem were horrifying when Sarah entered in. Rivalries, gangs of women within its walls, were everywhere. It was a saying that two woman in one house is trouble, but to have a thousand woman in one mansion was a war in its own right. Sarah was, thankfully, unnoticed by the major players and most beautiful or popular of the woman, as she was normal by every standard imaginable. This allowed Sarah to virtually disappear within its walls and not be seen as a threat to the popular woman's chances at being favored by the king. It also meant Sarah's chances of earning favor, and thereby earning her family some money as well, was gone. Though it was a bitter pill to swallow, she thanked the Goddesses that it was not as bad as said to be in past generations. In the time of past kings, any woman found with the slightest favor of the king would wind up dead. A woman found with child could not expect to last the day. Death filled the halls as the master of the Harem employed no controls. The new master employed many controls, ensuring every woman knew her place. So Sarah considered her life comfortable… but also quickly empty.

Then Zelda desired a concubine who was as plain as possible, and Sarah was chosen, not because anyone believed Sarah had the slightest chance, but because they believed she did not.

Sarah had an idea to help put Zelda at ease, something she had done many times with her sisters and mother. Bathing together. For her it was as normal as anything else. Commoners did it among the same sex with a shortage of baths. Nobles did it with their servants, even the female ones, which lead to many a scandal. But she understood Zelda's reluctance. However, Zelda conceded and to her surprise it was not an evil to relax in a warm bath with one's friend. Though she did vow Sarah to silence on the matter, which only lead, understandably, to rumors and wild speculation among the servants that it had gone much further than it really had, where it would only spread among the nobles until it returned back around to Zelda's ears and she was highly embarrassed.

So… once again Zelda was stressed, cold, and closed off.

The first day of battle came, but as is the nature of the times, the palace would not hear of the earliest report until several days after the fact. The days following the estimated time for the first day of battle were the most stressed and quiet of all. Zelda could hear mourning in the city as some woke, believing their child or husband dead that day or in the days to follow. She called for the palace to hold no meeting, but for each man and woman, both in the palace and outside, to pray all the day. Ryo and Impa both gave their immediate consent, so their factions did not dispute or argue, and so there was a day of peace and prayer at least in one corner of the world.

Several days would pass before the first messenger arrived from Ouki Mitagi from the first day of battle. The men were gathered to hear the words of Ouki. Ryo took the scroll, opened it before all, and read it aloud.

"By the words of Ao Zhang, scribe to Ouki Mitagi. This day the morale is good and discipline is strong. There is smoke in the distance. Qin has assembled on the hill overlooking Bayou. Bayou is filled with smoke and fire. The army of Zhao sieges Bayou on all sides and rain arrows of fire upon it, but there are yet some defenders on the walls. Zhao moves east to the plains of Badong. Qin moves to meet them. We have established ourselves before the castle of Badong. The ruins of the city lie on our west, and the haunted forest on our right. The castle is behind us. Men of the seven nations have been found within the castle sent to observe the coming battle, including Moubu's son. Harken Dragmire rides alone to meet us. Ouki Mitagi, Moubu, and Ganondorf Dragmire ride out to meet him. The words exchanged are written by Ouki in another scroll."

Ryo paused to check, and the messenger presented several more scrolls. They would get to them later. Ryo continued, "Ouki has sent Kei Ki, the Beheader, to lead Qin on the far eastern flank. Ouki has sent Matsubi to lead the far western flank. Ouki has given Moubu the vanguard flank in the middle. Qin, lead by Moubu ride out to meet the Zhao in battle. Zhao ride out to meet us. Moubu swept into them like a great spear penetrating deep. Chariots come from Zhao to cut Moubu off and surround him, they cut down and trample all of Qin before them. Great smoke rises from their wheels and horses. The losses are great. The chariots return from the smoke only to flee in small numbers. Moubu leads the return of Qin from the battlefield, the head of Zhao's ten-thousand man commander in his hands."

A cheer erupted from all men, guards, and servants in the meeting. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. It was a small victory, but a necessary first step.

Ryo smiled and lowered the scroll while the men cheered. Impa said, "Now, now! Let us not get ahead of ourselves! I share in your relief, but let us remember this is the first commander to fall among many, and we must not delude ourselves from how easily it can turn against us. We must remain vigilant." She looked to Ryo, "Continue, please."

Ryo briefly picked up a cup of tea from a nearby table, sipped it, and continued, "There has been no word from Kei Ki, and nor has there been any report on Zhao's movements within the forest. It is believed them to be occupied with each other and are beyond communication with the outside world until a command structure can be reached. Matsubi reports that Zhao has made slow movements toward them, but has not engaged in battle this day. Moubu has given special recognition to a group of one hundred soldiers lead by-" Ryo's eyes briefly widened and he very nearly paused. But he did not. He knew to pause here would give them reason to think it special that he read this name. "Link of Jouto and Ganondorf Dragmire of Majora, for they led one-hundred soldiers against the chariots and prevailed. Ouki means to give Link a temporary promotion in leading these one-hundred, as in the loss of their one-thousand man commander, Link took up the flag of Qin and lead them. This night has ended in good spirits and much hope. In closing, Moubu insists I request for a wagon of Ryo's best wine, as he gave it-" Ryo blurted out theatrically, "Damnit man, that's my best stuff!"

The men laughed, including Zelda who laughed quietly, and Ryo put on a bit of a show of pouting and putting his hand over his face and shaking his head. "What will I ever do with the man! I guess this is to be a lesson to me! As the wise say, 'do not give your pearls to swine', and I shall say 'do not give your wine to Moubu!'"

Ryo rolled up the scroll and placed it on the table.

Zelda felt suddenly in very good spirits, enough so to laugh at Ryo's attempt at humor in lightening up the meeting. Much of her unease seemingly disappeared. Link was not just alive and well, but was there so suddenly, and even achieved something! In the grand scale of things, perhaps it was small, but Zelda knew it was a step in his dream. The slave had become a one-hundred man officer. She had not heard from him in the last year since he left to be trained by Ouki, and Zelda had worried since she heard nothing, but now she felt Ouki had taken Link to war and the training was paying off!

And Ganon… despite Zelda's reprehension of him being there, he was proving himself to be an ally despite his potentially divided loyalty. She was thankful most of all.

"My dear, Impa. Whatever is the matter? You look as if you have seen a ghost." Ryo said suddenly.

Zelda had not noticed, but now that Ryo said something, Impa did look surprised, even a little shaken. It drew Zelda's concern.

"Nothing." Impa quickly replied. She straightened her composure. "I am merely worried. The first day has passed and already we have come close to losing a general. Moubu succeeded, but it sounds as if it was closer than I would like."

"To that I can agree." Ryo nodded. "Chariots are an invention of a distant land… and are a scattered few here. No one should have to predict such an oddity, but that is the way of war. We should only be thankful that close, personal friends of the princess-" Ryo motioned to Zelda, "-were there to save my own friend. To that, I thank you on his behalf, princess."

"Not at all, chancellor." Zelda replied with a smile. She felt it was a bit off that he would thank her, but took it for what it was worth.

"Ganondorf I know of, we have spoken. But this 'Link'… I know him to have been in your company, so I have no doubt of his loyalty to you. Where did you find him? He was of no nobility that I can recall. Jouto is… it is a distant village, is it not?"

"It is." Zelda nodded. "Link was a slave boy who served me well. In return for his service in following me in reclaiming the throne, I freed him."

"Yes! I remember that now!" Ryo said. "He also helped in Zant's attack, if the rumors are to be true."

"He did that as well," Zelda nodded. "He served me then, putting his own life on the line and helping me defeat Zant."

Ryo marveled, "Such loyalty! Truly worthy of a bodyguard, or even a champion were he to be more skilled or of higher birth. Princess, do tell me you did not let such a rarity go so easily."

"Indeed, I did not. I asked him for his choice of reward, and he desired to be trained by Ouki Mitagi himself, so that he may serve me better in the future."

"Truly a man that any soldier of Qin should take as an example!" Ryo replied. "Truly a rare marvel… a slave that would do so much in the name of his princess. I have never met a slave so loyal to a fault, have you, Impa?" Ryo suddenly directed his attention on Impa.

"I have not." Impa replied.

"And so it seems the training you sent him to have, princess, has borne fruit. He has saved the life of my friend, and so has served you well." Ryo smiled. "It is truly a pity I had not picked him first, but alas… let us hope he continues to have a long, healthy life in service to you, princess."

Zelda nodded in thanks. At this point, she saw that Ryo was putting on a bit of an act, but that was to be expected in a full room of ministers from all factions. Zelda tried to see what angle Ryo was pulling at or how, but all she could see was him giving her a moment of praise for the work of her loyal servant.

Truly, Zelda could not grasp the mind of Ryo, but then that was because she did not understand that the scheme of words was not aimed at her. It was aimed at Impa. Impa was shaken, disbelieving the boy lived, and troubled by Ryo's sudden attention on the matter. It also did not help Impa's soul to be reminded of the boy's strong loyalty to Zelda… the very person that loyalty may destroy. Impa did not show how shaken she was despite being caught off guard, but Ryo saw it. It was a rare opportunity to see her squirm and to confirm his suspicions. He made sure not to assuage in any way that he knew of the Sheikah's scheme. Instead his aim was to observe. He saw the fear in Impa's eyes, ever so brief as it was, and how deeply troubled she was, and from this Ryo knew there was far more to Link than was let on.

It was nothing new, really, but it was a confirmation. It was a foundation he could work from.