How Zelda Got Her Groove Back

by ZeldaRubix

Seven years after the events of Twilight Princess, Zelda is now queen. However, there are still unsettled matters regarding herself, the Hero of Twilight, and Queen Midna. Zelda embarks on a journey to right the wrongs of the past with the help of an old friend. T-16 for language, action, and adult situations. THIS IS THE REEDIT.

36. Chapter 36

Inspiration: Every cloud has a silver lining. The importance of closure. The Return of the Jedi (the scene where Luke Skywalker unmasked Darth Vader). Buthus tamalus (red scorpion). Military battle tactics: 1) Distraction – An attack by some of the force on one or two flanks, drawing up to a strong frontal attack by the rest of the force; 2) Flanking maneuver – Involves attacking the opponent from the side, or rear; 3) Blitzkrieg– An attack that uses concentrated force and rapid speed to break through enemy lines, named after the GermanWorld War II strategy (in this story instead of tanks, think horses and cavalry); 4) Maginot Line – a battle line used in the French army in WWII; 5) Periclean strategy – The two basic principles of the "Periclean Grand Strategy" were the rejection of appeasement (in accordance with which he urged the Athenians not to revoke the Megarian Decree) and the avoidance of overextension (instituted in the Peloponnesian War against Thebes of Sparta, it didn't work lol); 6) Pincer ambush – A "U"-shaped attack with the sides concealed and the middle held back until the enemy advances, at which point the concealed sides ambush them; 7) Pincer maneuver – Allowing the enemy to attack the center, sometimes in a charge, then attacking the flanks of the charge; 8) Separation of insurgents – A counterinsurgency strategy should first seek to separate the enemy from the population, then deny the enemy reentry, and finally execute long enough to deny the insurgent access; 9) Scorpion attack – A pincer attack that is supplemented by an air strike.

Original Shout Outs: LoveMadness, Chris, Flandre, Miss Topaz, Yuka Muntou, Gssmswssbbdkpz, Cassie Ray, and Nentone (I'm sorry I nearly forgot to add you) thanks for reviewing new reviewers.

Author Note: To the guest with the questions, yes I read everything you asked lol. I will reedit "The Ambivalent Hero". I probably won't write a one shot of Midna after TP because I don't think I would do it justice. I will also write a sequel to "The Girl with the Green Hair" and I got some "Breath of the Wild" ideas I'm playing with. I hope that answers your questions. The chapter is complete. Only three chapters to go. ~ZR~.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Breath of the Wild is beyond incredible. If you don't have it, get it and play it. ~ZR~.

Word Count: 21,698

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Chapter 36

Arbiter's Grounds

I felt as though I were hit with a giant deku shell in that moment. I still couldn't completely fathom that Hylia was gone. Why would she do what she did? Why would she sacrifice herself? The world needed her so much more than me. She was the people's guidance. She was who the people prayed to when they needed relief in their lives, and now she was gone… gone. I still couldn't wrap my head around that reality. I didn't want to accept that reality.

No, I thought defiantly, I refuse to accept this! It isn't possible for a goddess to die… isn't it?

As much as I wanted that question to be answered, I didn't have time to ponder it here and now. In the here and now the crypt was suddenly beginning to tremble and shake. This was obviously some residual effect from what just took place, but what was it? Why was it so spastic? Why was it happening now?

"What's going on?" I asked aloud.

Link, close by, got up and shook his head, not having an answer but knew the danger was imminent.

"I don't know," he replied, "but we're not sticking around to find out."

The hero helped me to my feet then went to help Elbourne, but during the process the dragon prince pushed him away.

"Will you get away from me?" he grunted. "I'm not helpless! I can get up! And don't think that since I'm not dead that we're suddenly friends!"

I couldn't believe my ears. I looked at him in complete disbelief. Why in the world was he concerned about that now? If Elbourne wasn't a charlatan in every way possible, then he simply wasn't Elbourne, and this was with him cured from the effects of Ghirahim's evil. I suppose some of his character traits were deeply embedded. This was just who he was.

I took to scolding him anyway.

"Really Elbourne?" I couldn't help but ask. "That is the last thing you should be worried about! We have to get out of here!"

The prince hobbled to his feet.

"Speak for yourself my lady," he replied, "my pride is my pride."

I groaned in frustration, while Link, looking at the bigger picture, ignored his complaints and helped him up anyway.

"I wouldn't dream of being your friend dragon prince," the hero replied, hoisting the stubborn prince's arm over his shoulder, "trust me when I say the feeling is more than mutual, but right now we have to get out of here."

Elbourne groaned himself and looked away. He allowed the hero to help him and steady him when he realized he had no other alternatives. I knew part of Elbourne's ill advised speech was just the dragon prince's way of saying thank you to the hero, and even with the reciprocate. Link would never openly acknowledge his gratefulness to Elbourne for nearly giving his life to save us, but I knew he was deeply surprised by Elbourne's actions. These men needed to let go of their egos and simply express their gratitude, if not now then soon. They both owed each other their lives, but were too stubborn to say so.

The fragility of the male psyche… I thought.

Realizing that moment wasn't going to this instant, I hurried over to the both of them and wrapped Elbourne's other free arm around my shoulders. This wasn't a time to dawdle. The dragon prince would be limping horribly without the extra help and we needed to escape from here as quickly as possible. Afterwards, we made our way to the escalator around the perimeter and out the door. As we exited, the entrance to Stallord's crypt suddenly became buried under a wall of rock. It was then I understood that the bottom level fortifications were giving way which was the most dangerous precedent in a building collapsing. If we didn't get out of there quickly we were going to be buried alive.

"We have to hurry!" I shouted above the vibrations in the room.

The hero and the dragon prince were well aware of that fact and abruptly doubled their steps.

"Just stay focused!" Link said to me. "We'll get out of here!"

We moved quickly through the deeper catacombs of the vault, as dust and sand perfumed the air, making it harder to see. At several spots we had to claw shot to higher ground so we wouldn't be consumed by the overflowing sand pits. It was difficult at certain points because we each had to take turns getting to higher ground, but we managed with very little time to spare. We were almost free from the stone edifice, when the door to the entrance suddenly started to cave in. I thought we were going to trapped inside.

"Oh no!" I cried out.

The hero quickened his step.

"Double time everyone!" Link ordered. "Now!"

We mustered every ounce of strength we had to get up those last few steps as the surroundings went chaotic all around us. We hurried outside before the entrance completely collapsed and into the sweltering hot Gerudo sun. Even then, we didn't stop our fleeter escape when we exited, we continued to hobble away. We had to get as far away from the entrance as possible. There was no telling what was going to happen with the structure next. The whole building might have exploded if we weren't careful. I had no idea what the blowback would be from the triggering mechanism. Link, Elbourne, and I landed hard on the sand as we lost our footing from a residual blast that happened from deep within the grounds. We got away pretty much unscathed, but we all turned around to look in alarm anyway.

"What was that?" I whispered anxiously to no one in particular.

No one answered as the sand suddenly became seismic. The danger wasn't over yet. Just then, a beam of white light shot forth from within the chasm. The light emitted into the sky and differentiated into five distinct directions. We all looked on in awe.

"What is that?" Elbourne asked perplexed.

I shook my head, unsure of what it was myself.

"I have no idea," I replied.

The purified light was stationary for a moment before zooming through the atmosphere in five specified locations. It was then I think I understood what it was substantiated for. Was this Hylia's last defense? Was she still helping us even now?

"It must be going to stop the other apparitions!" I realized. "Now that Ghirahim is gone his paradox is no longer viable!"

Link helped Elbourne to the ground, then looked heavenward to where the event was taking place.

"It looks like you might be right," he said, "let's hope that's the case. I'm sure the others could use the help if that's its purpose."

Elbourne took in a deep troubled breath as he winced in pain. He looked at his injured leg and tried to get comfortable.

"I wonder…" he trailed quietly, "I wonder if one of those beams will make its way to Dragon Roost?" he asked as if thinking out loud. "I wonder if King Xavier…"

He didn't allow himself to finish, but we all knew what he was hoping for. I looked over at Elbourne knowing he was worried about the king. There was so much the two of them needed to discuss. There were so many unanswered questions Elbourne still needed closure on. He had been given a very difficult hand in life and now he understood it, but that still didn't solve the problems that came with it. I was certain he wanted to know if Xavier even survived this whole ordeal. The look of concern was more than apparent on the dragon prince's face and Link surprisingly went to quell it. The hero sat down next to him on the hot sand.

"We'll go to Dragon Roost first," he suggested, "we'll check on the wounded and see if your kingdom needs any assistance. How does that sound?"

I glanced over at Link and was innately proud with how shrewd he was in reading people. He was going to do well in transitioning as Hyrule's new ruler. He sounded like a king. He even looked and acted like a king now.

Elbourne didn't reply to the hero's suggestion, and simply nodded in agreement. There must have been many things going through Elbourne's head at that moment. I came and sat down next to the two men on Link's side, as a much needed silence overtook us for a few moments. There was so much to digest in that fight with Ghirahim. The three of us were still here, but due to a great sacrifice from the goddess. I was still reeling from the shock of her not being here with us. This was as much her fight as it was ours and now she was gone… gone. She gave up everything to save our lives.

Hylia... I thought, staring out at the warm fronted horizon, why did you do it ancestral mother? Where are you now? Are you really gone from this world? I looked up at the sky and hoped. I still need you. It would be selfish of you if you didn't come back. There's still so much for you to teach me. That's important Hylia... you can't be gone. You just can't be.

I took in a deep breath and tried not to think too much on it. As much as I wanted to mourn her departure from this world, I knew I couldn't. There was still the after math of this disaster that I was going to have to deal with. The people were going to need their ruler and they were going to need her unscathed. I couldn't afford to be an emotional mess. I would have to grieve her loss later and in private. I then looked over at Link and Elbourne as those few silent moments went by to see how they were holding up. I was a little surprised that they both were looking at me. Did I really appear that forlorn? Was it that obvious that I was hurting?

"What's the matter?" I asked of their stares.

As if in tandem with their thoughts, they both shook their heads at my question.

"Are you okay?" Link just came out and asked.

I wasn't surprised at the question.

Was I? I wondered.

"Yes," I verbalized, "I'm just glad we all came out together and in one piece."

I unintentionally looked away after I said that, and knew I was showing that I wasn't being completely honest.

Link didn't reply right away. He simply nodded.

"So am I," he replied.

I stared at the grounds in the distance and sighed.

It all feels like a dream now, I thought, like none of what just took place never happened.

The reality in Hyrule would dispel that notion immediately. When I turned back, I caught Elbourne still staring at me. I had to get my expression in line. I didn't want this to be the norm.

"Elbourne I'm fine," I assumed, "please don't ask me what the hero just asked me."

The dragon prince raised a brow and merely smiled at my supposition. He gave me a long once over before he went to correct me.

"I wasn't looking at you because of that," he stated.

I was slightly taken aback at his reply, having been slightly off.

"Oh..." I said, feeling a little sheepish, "well then, why the stare?"

Elbourne looked me over again.

"When did you change from your other gown, and why is your hair darker?" he asked all of a sudden.

It was then I was cued in to why he was so taken in by my appearance. I had forgotten that I was still bestowed with the goddess's blessing. I was still dressed in my sky blue gown, my hair was still platinum black, and I still had the arrows of light in my possession. I must have been quite the sight to the gentlemen in my company, like a figurative incantation of the goddess Nayru. I hadn't even considered any of that considering where my mind had been in relation to Hylia. I glanced down at my dress and grinned at the prince's segue.

"It happened in a moment in time," I said honestly.

The dragon prince returned my grin.

"Well it suits you," he replied.

I could only imagine how I appeared from their vantage point.

"Thank you," I replied.

The hero added his own thoughts to the conversation.

"Now that Elbourne mentioned it," Link added, "you do look pretty incredible, and I don't even remember when it happened. We were so caught up in everything, I hardly noticed."

I looked up and over at my soon to be king and smiled wider.

"It was pretty easy to be side tracked considering what we just went through," I replied. "Just consider this my true potential," I said of the metamorphosis, "consider this… my last gift from Hylia."

I attempted to catch the glint in my voice, but it was useless. I had to look away so they wouldn't see the tears fill my eyes on Hylia's behalf. The sobering way I spoke made both men get quiet.

"She's… she's out there somewhere Zelda," Link said to me softly after a few minutes went by. "I don't believe she's completely left this world."

I let a couple tears fall, then quickly wiped them away.

"I hope so," I whispered.

There was a brief silence between us before it was broken.

"She better be," the dragon prince spoke up, "I still have to get back at her for insisting that I was an agent of evil."

Elbourne's word made me smile.

"She always liked teasing you didn't she?" I asked.

Elbourne nodded and Link chimed in.

"Not just him," he added, "she had a knack for teasing all of us, especially you Zelda."

I took in a deep sigh and appreciated what they were doing.

"I suppose she did," I said with a half grin, "she loved goading me about everything."

"Indeed," Link said quietly.

I pursed my lips together as memories of Hylia went through my mind. The first meeting was always going to be the most special to me. I prayed to her for help and she answered me in an instant. I would never forget her spunk and zest for life. She was truly one of a kind, unique, and beautiful. If she was out there somewhere, I hoped she would make herself known before this was all over. Hylia had to know how much she meant to me. I let my thoughts run their course when I finally decided to stand up and dust off my dress. I had to be a queen for my people now, and that meant striking a deal with reality, and reality wasn't what I appeared to be. So, I touched my bracelet to transform to my normal appearance. In an instant I was back in my huntress gown and my hair went from black to dark brown. It was a familiar and consistent me again.

"We have to get going," I said, "there's no telling what the fallout may be. I have to make preparations for a medic center and see about the injured in Hyrule."

Link and Elbourne nodded but they didn't jump up right away.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Link asked again.

I attempted to smile and nodded at him.

"I'm what I need to be in this moment and that's strong because of the courage of both of you," I replied, "I'm fine, but we really need to see about the injured."

Link grinned at my statement and glanced over at the dragon prince who was grinning too, but suddenly his face winced in pain. The large wound in his leg was cauterized, but was still very painful.

"Speaking of injured," he groaned.

It was then both Link and I went to help Elbourne up. Link even tore off one of his sleeves to his tunic and wrapped it around the prince's leg to stabilize the injury. It could act to pressurize the wound while we traveled. There was no telling if it would dehisce soon and bleed out.

"We have to get you some medical attention," Link said to the dragon prince. "I have no potions on me any longer and we can't take any chances with your leg."

Even though he knew the hero was right, Elbourne went to be stubborn anyway.

"Will you two stop pandering over me," he said to the both of us, "it's just a wound, and a wound will heal. Let's just get back to Dragon Roost."

That was Elbourne's way of saying he was more concerned about the well being of Xavier than himself. I found it quite telling that he was still so concerned over the king while his own health was in question. I knew deep down Elbourne loved Xavier and wanted his respect, but he was never willing to verbalize how much. I think at this time he just wanted to get back to the king before it was too late. I think Link understood that too.

"Alright," the hero replied then guided us in the direction of the south, "this way."

I turned at Link's lead and Elbourne let guide him towards the desert impasse. While we walked, I looked to the sky wondering how everyone else was fairing. Hoping they were continuing to persevere and realize the end was in sight.

Keep strong everyone, I thought, you will soon all be free.

I only hoped Hylia's blessing would reach them in time.

~SSS~

Dragon Roost Impasse

After my encrypted utterance, the fake Hero of Sky narrowed his eyes and unsheathed his sword for a full on attack.

"Move out!" the apparition ordered its Twili forces.

At its wording , the ranks of organized shadow warriors fell into a flanking maneuver formation and proceeded out of the passageway as they had once before. As their march continued, the shiny, dark hued Twili formed a battle arch around the Hyrulean army and readied their weapons to attack. They were going to try engaging my men with a pincer ambush by attacking from the sides and the center. Considering their numbers they could have been successful, but they were too obvious in what they doing. The fake hero then advanced forward himself targeting primarily me.

I had to give the puppet credit, it was being bold.

Let's hope what her majesty has conjured up works, I thought, realizing that the Hylian paradox hasn't been used in a long time. We have to counter this measure with a distraction, but it's up to me to make sure it works.

I readied myself and sat erect on my horse. By now my men understood what they were supposed to do. The queen's preparations had spread to all of them by means of the coded telepathic message. Our whole strategy now was to do the opposite of what was ordered by their commander. If we pulled this off correctly we could create disarray for the Twili army. The enemy would never see it coming. The Twili proceeded closer readying their offensive strike, when finally I unsheathed my sword and sounded alarm.

"Stay lucid men!" I called out. "En guarde!"

I was very particular in what I was saying. The word 'lucid' was the inverse order for 'distraction.' A distraction in a military setting was a strategy used where certain cavalry, or ground units, would attack the perimeter of an opposing army's defense, but the majority of the force would attack the center. Based on what I just verbalized, the fake hero was anticipating a more even vetted attack on all fronts and not a swell up the middle towards him. However, the deceit was exactly the point. It was multifaceted to be an element of surprise and confusion.

Stay sharp men, I thought.

My men immediately fell out of ranks and surged towards the center behind me in an all out charge towards the apparition leader. The fake hero was completely caught off guard by the maneuver and quickly raised his sword to defend.

"What the hell-?" the impostor retorted when my blade met his. "Break ranks!" he called out quickly. "Just attack!"

However, the specter's orders were sounded too late as the rest of the Twili were caught unawares as well. They were all expecting the anticipated counter strike but were completely overwhelmed by what met them. As such, they quickly abandoned their positions and went on immediate defense. The Twili fought back, and were starting to regain some ground. However, as soon as the shadow warriors thought they were getting the upper hand, my men used another deceptive counter measure.

"Integration men!" I called out. "Integration of the enemy!"

'Integration of the enemy' was actually the inverse known as the 'separation of insurgents,' a battle strategy used to push the enemy back and keep them away from their officiating officers. My men did this maneuver, while at the same time leaving a small contingency in the center to protect me. Again, the Twili were totally off guard with the move and went into slight confusion. The confusion soon turned to mayhem, and the creatures began going rogue. There was very little uniformity in what they were doing now. The counterfeit Hero of Sky saw what happening around him and narrowed his eyes in anger at me.

"You think you're clever don't you?" he snarled, then snapped his fingers once again. "You think you can actually win with your vices, don't you!"

At the snapping, the apparition changed once more. This time he morphed into what looked like a tall phantom with platinum white fitted clothes and black soulless eyes. It only took me a moment to realize who he truly was now. This was the monster Girahim.

Great Hylia! I thought.

"The demon is alive!" I whispered in shock.

The apparition rode his cavalry closer at my words and aimed right for me. He went to strike me and I parried his attack.

"So, you planned something clever did you?" he said angrily through the friction of our blades. "Well, it's no matter, once my master is revived you'll all be dead anyway! This insurrection will be swift!"

It was time I gave this monster a dose of reality.

"Your master isn't coming back!" I replied. "Those delusions of grandeur are over demon! You aren't conquering anything, not even the grave! Your arrogance will be your downfall!"

I didn't know what was happening at the Arbiter's Ground, but I knew somehow someway the queen and the hero defeated the monster. There was no way she would have communicated to me if all hope was lost.

"And your faith in your retched race will be yours!" the apparition retorted. "Your kind is finished!"

I strained, but soon got the upper hand and was able to push the demon lordcompletely off of his horse. The creature landed hard on the ground, which allowed me enough time to jump off my horse and engage him. However, before I could deliver the death blow, the monster countered my strike.

"Damn it!" I grunted and had to redirect.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily!" the phantasm taunted and jumped back onto his feet. He whipped out his blade and readied his battle stance just then. "I've only just begun!"

I had no qualms about that.

"That's fine by me!" the general replied.

I wasted no time getting on the offensive. I lunged at monster with the intent of killing him. The creature was able to counter my attacks again, but he was being pushed back considerably near the entrance of the impasse. Seeing that the otherworldly impostor was in a perpetual state of defense, Twili soldiers then quickly came to their commander's defense. I fought them off, many of them being no match for me. However, the Twili were fighting as more of a distraction than as a direct opposition. I was about to best the rest of them, when suddenly the monster managed a counter strike while my defenses were down.

Damn it! I thought having to hurry to defend.

When my men saw I was in trouble they quickly came to my aide.

"Commander!" two of them shouted and hurried to help me.

The Twili were about to attack once more while the apparition had me engaged with him, but their maneuvers were circumvented by the secondary help of my men. The maneuver freed me up to attack more freely, but the demon retaliated by kicking me onto the ground and trying to stomp me in the chest. I quickly rolled out of the way and got back onto my feet.

This creature is fast! I thought. I can't be careless.

I geared up for a second assault. The apparition was about to attack again when suddenly his attack was halted. For whatever reason, the monster nowstopped himself and was looking up at the sky. I stopped briefly to see what had his attention. Was it more enemy reinforcements? No, I was surprised to see a beam of white light appear out of nowhere and land hard in the middle of our fighting zone. The reverberations forced me and my men back, then pulsed outwardly in a dynamic forceful radius. The blast area was significant, making all fighting on both sides cease.

"What in the-?" I cut myself short.

My men suddenly braced themselves when the light got brighter. They steadied themselves against rock walls, horses, or even lying flat on the ground. The oscillations were proving to be that powerful. Suddenly and strangely however, a loud piercing scream acutely disrupted the sound barrier. It was a deafening piercing scream.

I immediately went to cover my ears.

What in Hylia's name-? I thought.

I looked around to find the source and saw that it was coming from the opposition. Even the demon lord who was once fighting me viciously was now screaming in agony.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" his voice protruded through the air.

I suddenly saw why as he fell to his knees and the white light particles serrated his body.

I looked on in complete shock and awe. The stunning aspect was that there was a direct demarcation between me, my men and the impostor's forces. We Hylians were completely unharmed.

How is this possible? I wondered.

I didn't ponder too much on it as I was grateful for the outcome. The light permeated through all the Twili, until suddenly all of the opposing soldiers were lifted up off the ground and collected into the air like a hub. The leading commanding creature levitated as well. His screaming body joined the rest of his forces, and out of nowhere, the light got even brighter. I had to cover my eyes. Soon the magnified quanta shifted into a ball and all the ingathered bodies with it. The bravura manifestation ended with the sphere of light enlarging even bigger and finally disappearing along with everything it engulfed. The light diffracted across the sky like a cosmic explosion and the only ones left after it were me and my men. The silence afterwards was terrifyingly surreal.

"What was that?" a few of them asked each other.

There was no clear answer given.

"I have no idea," others replied, "whatever it was we need to thank the goddess."

Thank the goddess indeed, I thought, and the hero and her majesty and whoever else was with them. They must have found and stopped the real Ghirahim to make this outcome come about.

I took in a deep exhaustive breath.

"It's over," I whispered.

However, the question boded: was it truly over? Was Ghirahim really gone from this world? I had no idea, but I was grateful to the queen and her hero for their efforts. My men were still in a perpetual state of shock. The battle was finally over. There was a collective sigh of relief gathered, but my men's face's were weary. Battle often made men weary as well as cynical. I hoped this quick outcome gave them some solace. Even more so, I was grateful there were no casualties. At least none from what I could see.

Thank Hylia, I thought.

At seeing everyone awestruck I attempted to rally my men once more.

"Sound a war cry of praise for Queen Zelda men!" I shouted all of a sudden. "Without her we would all be dead! Hear, hear to our sovereign the queen!"

My men were more than grateful to resound with me.

"To the queen!" the soldiers all said in unison.

Afterwards, when the men settled down, I ordered them to help the injured and set up a small medic center. We had no idea what injuries were constituted from this battle. Then I myself set out to help any and all of my ailing men. Several I guided personally to the effacement of the mountain, but I paused in my trek when I saw a particularly severely injured fellow. He was bleeding slowly at the neck and the bleeding was only being slowed by his hand. It was a wonder the man wasn't dead. However, upon closer inspection it only took me a moment to realize it was King Xavier.

"Great Hylia!" I whispered as I hurried to him. I hurried over to him and took him in my arms. "Sire!" I said in alarm.

The dragon king looked pale and gaunt, with his pulse being thready and weak when I checked it. He didn't look like he was going to last much longer. In all the commotion of battle I completely forewent the possibility of the king actually surviving the neck wound he sustained. It was pretty severe on the onset, so I assumed the dragon king had succumbed to it.

I can't believe he managed to survive through all that, I thought.

I sat Xavier up gently, hoping it wasn't too late to help him.

"Hold on your majesty!" I urged, then turned to get the attention of one of my men. "Get me a horse quickly! We have to get his majesty back to his palace where he can receive medical attention."

However, one of my men cautioned me.

"He won't make it back to the palace my lord," the soldier stated, "it would be best if we helped him here once we set up a facility."

I saw his point and nodded.

"Right," I said, "then hurry!"

The soldier then turned at my beckoning and quickly went to gather some supplies. I turned my attention back to the king and saw that he was white as snow. I knew time was running short.

"Hold on your majesty," I urged, "please hold on."

~SSS~

Hyrule Field

I nodded in accordance with Maximillion's words and manned my force field. The next series of events needed to be executed swiftly and without any qualms in order to work. If the Hyrulean army was going to implement a coup within their command set, there had to be no mistakes. Everything had to be perfect. I also needed to be without reproach.

Keep your staid face on Midna, I told myself.

The impostor must have seen the subtle determination in my face because he immediately unsheathed his sword.

"It's time to end this," he said, then gestured for the soldiers behind him to move forward, "put them out of their misery!"

The shadow soldiers moved forward in a scorpion attack formation. I was familiar with that only because of my overhearing the dragon king speaking with my father about it once. The scorpion attack was a pincer maneuver with the added effect of an aerial strike. Since the shadow horde had aerial Shadow Beasts at their disposal, it was the perfect offensive measure for them to take. If the opposition could execute the attack properly, they could cause some serious discord for us and General Maximillion, especially at the center and outer regions of our front lines.

You clever bastards, I couldn't help but think.

However, we weren't without hope. I stayed ready in anticipation of commander Maximillion's order, realizing a counterattack was going to have to be instituted sooner rather than later. I looked heavenward briefly.

Hylia we need your help now more than ever, I thought.

I didn't realize in that moment how significant my thoughts were going to be regarding that. The Hylian soldiers stood ready, ground soldiers as well as cavalry. They had to know this was their last opportunity to best these creatures and stop the insurrection of Hyrule. The general's encrypted utterance permeated throughout the ranks, perking the men immediately. They knew in this moment what had to transpire. This had to work. There were no other alternatives. It was a clever suggestion by Queen Zelda, but we needed to pull it off. If everyone held fast, we might be able to survive this.

It was then the sound was given.

"Center and stay as one!" Maximillion called out suddenly, unsheathing his sword. "Stay centered and as one!"

The assumed reaction was the fake hero scoffing and shaking his head in disbelief at the order.

"Fool, you really standing as one is going to save you? Are you serious?" he replied. "You're more of an imbecile than I mistook you for. You're making this far too easy."

So far he was placating perfectly. The apparition's conceit in his victory was going to be his undoing. I understood completely what 'center and one meant'. 'Center and as one' was an inverse command for establishing a 'flanking maneuver.' A flanking maneuver was a separation of ranks to surround a supposing foe. Instead of the assumed, the Hylians went into a ciphered formation quickly, causing the opposing forces to be taken aback. The apparition's army couldn't actively engage their scorpion attack if the Hylians were countering their surge effectively.

The impostor saw this and looked on befuddled.

"What the hell are they doing?" he muttered more to himself.

I saw the discord in his face and realized it was working. The plan was efficient thus far. However, I knew Maximillion was going to need to charge soon or the phantom was going to catch wind of what was going on. As if on cue that was exactly what he did next.

The general moved forward and sounded another advance.

"Fix the buthus tamalus men!" he called out. "And do not stop until it is completely sealed!"

At that saying, the Hylian soldiers immediately went on the offensive. I wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but what I gathered from what I was seeing was that the 'buthus tamalus' was a codex actually meaning the 'red scorpion.' The red scorpion was an offensive directive in Hylian battle informatics. The 'fixing' of the red scorpion was a play on words that truly meant an assault on the perimeter flanks. This assault was intended to break the enemy lines and draw the opposition back. In accordance to the plans, the attack came as a surprise to the shadow soldiers.

The Twili army was forced to convert to defensive posturing due to them not knowing, or understanding what to anticipate. However, even though the apparition's ground troops were in disarray, that didn't thwart the threat of the aerial Shadow Beasts above. In fact, it was their only play in their favor so far. The beasts were dive bombing towards the Hylian soldiers, knocking some of them off their horses, and creating problems with attacks for others. The buthus tamalus was working, but was starting to lose its edge because of the aerial reprieve. Seeing this, I stayed near the center of the field and aimed for the wind faring adversaries with my Twili force fields. The Shadow Beasts tried maneuvering around it when they saw I was aiming for them, but they were outmatched with every engagement.

"Oh no you don't!" I whispered when a Shadow Beast tried getting away from me.

I had to act as long range offense until it was time for me to intervene. I knew my part in this battle strategy was of great importance. Queen Zelda admonished me personally. I had to do it. I couldn't let everyone down.

It's time to see if your faith in me was well founded your majesty, I thought.

With the strike by air being managed by me, Maximillion went after the leader. He found the fake hero engaged with another of his men. Once he caught sight of him, he charged into the crowd to take him on himself. However, the creature was ready for him with a counter strike. The general pushed the apparition back and struck his sword hard, causing the monster to lose balance. Maximillion then rammed his foot into the impostor's chest, forcing him down onto the ground. The general was about to use the hooves of his horse to trample his opponent, but the apparition rolled out of the way in a hurry.

The fake Hero of Time grunted angrily and then snapped his fingers.

"I'm sick of this damn disguise! I have no further use for it!" he shouted.

At the beckoning, the creature transformed into his true self. The change was instant and familiar. He appeared tall, platinum white, with black baleful eyes, and a large imposing countenance. There was no denying who he was now. It was definitely a specter of Ghirahim, another puppet of the demon lord.

"Now we see who you really are!" I whispered.

The demon lord wasted no time going in to strike the general once again, but Maximillion was apt in his ability to counter. The seasoned soldier kicked the monster to the ground once more, but this time jumped off his horse with his sword ready to kill him. However, the apparition rolled away in time and got back on his feet. Needless to say he was furious.

"You won't kill me you insignificant filth!" the creature retorted. "Yours are a conquered people! You will all die!"

Maximillion scoffed.

"You monsters always say things of the like when you start losing!" he replied. "Go on! Keep telling yourself I'm afraid of you! You see where it's gotten you!"

The puppet growled.

"You're dead!" he shouted.

He lunged at Maximillion and nearly knocked his sword out of his grip.

"Damn it!" the general grunted.

The apparition pressed his blade against Maximillon's forcefully and kept his full weight at him.

"Give up!" he demanded. "You'll only make this harder for yourself!"

"You're an arrogant fool puppet!" Maximillion pushed back with all his might just then to get the apparition off of his blade. He used that moment to sound another alarm. "Maginot Line men! Maginot Line!"

The demon lord narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?!" he demanded.

Maximillon kept his stance.

"The element of surprise you monster!" he replied.

When the general uttered those words, I knew that was my cue. The 'Maginot Line' was another inverse order for the strategy known as 'blitzkrieg.' Both strategies were implemented in the Great War hundreds of years ago. The Maginot Line was effective for stopping ground troops, but not against cavalry. The blitzkrieg was a counter measure for the Maginot line, using a large amount of force to break through enemy ranks causing unprecedented formation upheaval. During the Great War the blitzkrieg had unparalleled success; the Maginot Line used against it did not. It was this double entendre the general was banking on to drive the demon's army back.

"I hope this works," I whispered, suddenly galloping my horse to full speed.

I quickly donned my Twili force field and actuated it to maximum capacity. It engulfed and surrounded the entire Hylian army. With the added protection, the soldiers went on an all out offensive on their counter surge of the Twili horde. Even with aerial dives from the Shadow Beasts, the apparition's forces were beginning to fall apart and dissolve into complete disarray. I then headed towards the general and steadied my force field, realizing my timing with the general's had to be just right.

This must be done in one fell swoop, I thought.

Maximillion and the apparition were still engaged when I galloped up to intervene.

"On your left general!" I called out.

Maximillion sidestepped at my call. I then aimed my force field at the puppet and exerted my horse's strength to make the monster fall backwards again. Once he was down and immobilized, I substantiated my power into the shape of a spear made of Twili energy. I held it over the prostrated apparition's head. It was time to end this once and for all. I narrowed my eyes in complete contempt.

"This is for my father!" I whispered.

The creature only stared back without fear or remorse.

"You're a cursed queen, with a cursed people!" the apparition seethed angrily. "Your vengeance means nothing!"

I said nothing further and steadied my hand. I raised it high, but before I could release it, a blinding bright light plowed into the ground. The sudden occurrence caused a significant blowback to the area of impact. After that, I lost balance and the force field I created vanished. The impact was so great I fell off my horse. I had to quickly re-grip the reigns of my stallion and hang on for dear life.

"Ahhh!" I cried out.

What in the world is going on? I wondered.

The light shined brighter, forcing the Hylians to cover their eyes. The blight was merely sensorial to the soldiers and me, but the opposition wasn't so fortunate. The apparition's forces began crying out in intense fear. The pain the light was substantiating was undeniable. The screams from the shadow creatures permeated throughout the entirety of the field. I raised my hands to cover my eyes when suddenly I was afforded the added protection of the general. Maximillion managed to muster up enough strength to make his way over to me when he saw I might have been in need of assistance. That was bravery.

"Are you alright?" he called over the seismic activity.

I nodded, still covering my eyes.

"I'm okay!" I called back, then felt I should ask anyway. "Do you have any idea what is causing this?"

Maximillion shook his head.

"Not a clue madam!" he replied.

I expected as much, but our conversation was cut short when the screams of the apparition suddenly filled the air. The monster was abruptly lifted off the ground and carried towards the center of the light; him, along with all of his army. Once they were all gathered, the light enveloped the entire force. The luminescence postulated and swelled until it finally turned in on itself and dispersed across the sky. After the occurrence, there was no sign of the puppet or any of the shadow warriors any longer. They had all vanished. There was an eerie silence that followed along with a cautious scouting of the army. With what seemed like the crisis being averted, Maximillon got up slowly and looked around to see if the area was safe. I sat up with discretion myself and scoped the area to see if it was safe. It appeared to be. From what I could tell, all the Hylian soldiers were accounted for. It made me close my eyes gratefully.

Zelda and the others must have stopped Ghirahim at the grounds, I realized. That has to be the reason why that monster is no more.

Maximillion came back over to me and helped me up from the ground before turning to check on his men once again. Everyone was alive, but they were definitely battered from the conflict. Even so, the general sighed gratefully that there were no casualties that he could see thus far. He immediately made arrangements for after care.

"Spread the word to start a camp for the injured," Maximillion said to several of his men, "those with severe injuries will be seen first."

"Yes sir," the soldiers replied, and hurried to follow the order.

Maximillion then turned his attention back to the me.

"Will you be needing any assistance your majesty?" he asked.

I was lost in thought for a moment, but then I shook my head and snapped back to reality.

"I'm sorry," she replied, "what did you say general?"

The gave me a quick once over.

"Are you in need of medical attention my lady?" he repeated.

I shook my head.

"No," she replied, "check on your men, but once you have a medic base established I can help with some healing powers I have. Please let me know if I can be of use to you."

The general looked at me surprised, but took me appreciatively at my offer.

"Thank you for that your majesty," he said, "we will definitely need it."

I nodded.

"I will do all I can," she replied.

With that, Maximillion went about his way, and I just stood looking after him. Did all that really happen? Did we really just survive the brink of destruction? I took in a deep sigh and realized indeed we did.

Ghirahim's gone, the threat has been thwarted, and it looks like Hyrule is going to pick up the pieces and move on, I thought, but what is going to happen after all this? How is everyone going to fair now that the crisis is over?

I watched as two Hylian soldiers picked up one of their injured brethren and carefully and place him on a cot.

Where are you Zelda? I wondered. What has become of you Elbourne? What has become of you… Link?

I hoped soon to find out.

~SSS~

Hyrule Underground City

I was determined to fulfill my task even though I wasn't fully aware of how I was going to do it. I knew Queen Zelda had faith in me otherwise she would have delegated this task to someone else. However, how was her faith going to translate to success? I understood that I had to use my wits and reasoning, but that didn't dispel the apprehension I was naturally feeling.

What if something goes wrong? I wondered all of a sudden. What if I ruin a command set? What if I don't know what something means? What then? The whole plan could be foiled.

I shook my head just then, realizing having a panic attack was not going to alleviate the situation. 'Would be' scenarios were just that, 'would be' scenarios. I had to be clear and rational in my thinking. I needed to approach this the way I approached my work at the castle.

If the queen thinks I can do this, then damn it I'm going to do it! I thought stubbornly all of a sudden. Why am I standing here making myself more anxiety ridden than I need to be?

It was definitely food for thought, and the more I stood there the more time I was wasting. I then went to a cellar nearby and pulled out my blade resting in my sheathe there. It was a sword I didn't use often, but every high ranking official and officer was given one by her majesty. It was time I put mine to good use.

"Let's see if those fencing lessons paid off," I whispered to myself, then looked to the chandelier that was still hanging. "I certainly hope Miss Lydia is doing okay. We need that distraction like never before."

I mustered all the courage I had before I turned back around and looked to the perimeter to see where Lydia was in her venture. I saw she was getting closer to chandelier apparatus stationed on the wall. She only needed a little more time to cut through the threads when she got there. Hopefully her actions would be enough to set the general free. In the mean time I needed to buy Lydia some time and wait for the signal her majesty told me about.

As I was pondering, Lydia had managed to make it to her destination. When she finally reached the holster, she took out the dagger she had hidden in her dress and began cutting the threads of the rope. The young maiden knew she had to work quickly, but I could see that that didn't dispel her hands from shaking. She dropped the dagger three times before her nerves finally got intact. I saw her whisper something to herself before she had renewed focus. Perhaps a little pep talk to keep motivated. With the way she was working, maybe I didn't need to buy her some time.

Lydia began sawing through the thick rope with invigorated haste. When she heard the pluck and twang of the strings, she felt a small sense of relief at her accomplishments. Her efforts were finally being rewarded. She worked faster when she got half way through. The blade was sharp, but the sawing action was dulling the precision of the tang. The result of that was it was taking her longer than she had anticipated.

"Damn!" she whispered of the temporary diversion.

Lydia looked to the right of her and glanced back over at me. She was surprised to find me standing up and walking near the center of the room where the rest of the soldiers were with my blade drawn. She probably thought I was about to engage in something ludicrous. Her eyes widened in shock.

"What in Hylia's name is he doing?" she whispered, working even faster now. "He's going to get himself killed!"

Lydia then turned her attention to General Zelvious and wondered if when she was done would he have enough time to free himself from the fall radius of the chandelier. The last thing she wanted was to kill a high ranking official.

"How am I going to alert him?" she asked herself, and then shook her head of the notion. "There's only one way to do it I suppose."

Lydia sawed faster and when the final pluck sounded she got up and shouted, "General take cover!"

Zelvious was surprised by the abrupt notice, but then quickly worked to obey the woman's command. He pushed his skull backward into the body of the apparition and head butted him, then elbowed the creature's side to let him go. It worked in that the fake king stumbled backwards and was met with a rude awakening. Zelvious rolled forward as the chandelier came crashing down on Daphnes I.

"Ahhh!" the apparition cried out with nowhere to go.

It was then I and the other soldiers went to the general's aide.

"Are you alright?" I asked immediately.

Zelvious grabbed his neck, but quickly stood up and took his battle stance.

"I'm fine," he replied, not making an issue of his capture, "everyone on guard now! I trust you heard her majesty's command."

I looked at the general surprised at his words.

"You were able to communicate with Queen Zelda too?" I asked.

Zelvious nodded and watched as the specter cleared himself of the debris that had fallen on him.

"Yes my good man," he replied, "and you'd all do well to know it's time to turn the tide."

The soldiers initially were perplexed at the saying, but then with sudden immediacy, as if a lantern had switched on in their heads, all the faces of the general's men went from puzzlement to understanding in a matter of seconds.

That was her majesty's cue, I thought.

"Are you ready Sir Shad?" Zelvious asked suddenly, not looking at me. "Will you be able to understand when I give the order?"

I swallowed hard, realizing now this was very real. This was really happening, but nodded anyway. I was the unexpected component.

"Yes my lord," I replied.

Zelvious continued looking on at his opponent.

"Very well," he said, "then you must take your station in front of me."

I looked at the general surprised, but I knew it had to be this way.

Don't panic Shad, I told myself, this is the only way to get this monster off guard. It's no matter, I will succeed at this! I have to, for her majesty's sake.

"Yes sir," I replied, then went and stood directly in front of the general.

Lydia saw what was taking place from a distance and looked on stunned.

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded quietly to herself. "Why is Zelvious allowing Shad to fight with him? This is insane!"

The specterwas beyond angry at his sudden predicament, and when he saw that the surprise attack was implemented by Lydia, he duly sent a Shadow Beast to go after her. When Lydia saw the monster coming her way she felt an unsurprising onset of fear and panic.

"Dear Hylia!" she said taking a step back.

My eyes widened when I realized the woman's imminent danger. I hadn't thought that the creature would actually attack her directly. I hoped Lydia would use discretion.

"My lady get out there!" I called to her quickly.

My plea seemed to have the needed affect. Lydia looked my way briefly then immediately turned and took off running in the direction with which she came, hoping she could gain some ground before the Shadow Beast tried to overwhelm her.

I hoped she hurried, but I was more reassured when two soldiers went after her to aide her.

"We've got it your grace!" both men stated in unison. "We won't let the creature harm her!"

The apparition didn't take too kindly to the help Lydia was about to receive, but it didn't or would do anything about it. The monster simply growled and turned his staunch attention back on me. When he realized that I was going to be the primary source of his engagement, he seemed offended and even more upset.

"Are you kidding me?" he demanded of Zelvious, unsheathing his sword. "Are you insulting me this much general that you cower behind someone who isn't even a man of war?!"

The general put his hand on my shoulder to reassure me.

"On my ready," Zelvious whispered to me, ignoring the fake king, "remember your timing must be impeccable on this."

The pressure could be no greater than this, but I wasn't going to cave under it.

"Yes general," I replied back.

The phantom narrowed his eyes when he saw that he was ignored.

"Fine," he reasoned, "if a swift death is what you're looking for scholar, then I shall be more than happy to give it to you!"

With that, the apparition waited no longer and leapt forward.

In that moment Zelvious called out, "Periclean maneuver men! Periclean!"

I had to work quickly because I understood exactly what was meant y that. The 'Periclean' was a battle strategy used in the Great War that backfired and worked against the militarist using it, in that case Pericles. Pericles believed he could outwit Thebes of Baalam by not appeasing to his demands and that the opposition would eventually draw back and flee. The maneuver was a monumental failure resulting in Pericles' defeat. In this case, the Periclean call out was the codex for implementing the Thebean strategy. I was the decoy while Zelvious and his men were the insurgents. However, we were shouting it to appear to be the opposite.

"Here goes nothing!" I whispered, then lunged forward.

I hoped to Hylia this worked. The whole ruse of the attack was that it was an all out offensive strike instead of a pull back and wait game like the command verbalized by the order. The apparition was shocked at the strike, not expecting Shad to come at him with the force in which he did. The creature had to stay on guard to defend himself. I side stepped in that last second and thrust my sword forward, trying to plunge the fake king in the gut, but missed when the apparition did a sidestep of his own and dodged the attack.

"So you want to get from behind a book and fight like a real man huh?" the monster taunted.

I wasn't going to allow myself to be distracted.

"I find that funny coming from you," I said anyway, "considering you aren't even a man to begin with!"

The apparition growled my comeback, and decided it would be better to just kill me instead of tease me.

"We'll see about that!" he shouted.

However, he was in for a surprise.

Abruptly, I ducked when the apparition tried to attack me once again. Before Daphnes I could recover, his blade was caught by the great General Zelvious's hand. The monster tried to take advantage of the apprehension and attempted to serrate the general's fingers off. It nearly worked, but Zelvious was not sidetracked by it. While he had the creature detained, the general then took his blade and stabbed the fake king in the gut. The monster screamed from the new found piercing and stumbled back.

"Ahhh!" the apparition screamed.

However the scream seemed more of a decoy, because when the blade was extracted the monster appeared unharmed.

Zelvious, as well as everyone, looked on shocked.

"What kind of madness is this?" he demanded.

I wasn't really surprised considering the creature's method of entry. It was obvious we were dealing with an otherworldly creature, and not a personage of flesh and blood. Really this should have surprised no one. Even so, the apparition made it a point to taunt us further.

"It's worse than you think Master Zelvious," he said, then suddenly snapped his fingers.

In that instant, the monster led with his cosmetic deception no longer, and instead showed histrue appearance. We all knew he obviously wasn't a true king of Hyrule, but he did surprise a few of the men when he showed who he truly appeared to be. He was tall, in a platinum white outfit, with dark eyes that had nothing but darkness inside them. He was puppet used by Ghirahim. Even still, that didn't make the situation any less threatening. This creature still had considerable power.

I took several steps back when the monster finally showed who he truly was. However, the changed appearance didn't keep the general at bay. Zelvious was sick of the game of charades. This damned apparition finally decided to show who he truly was, and that was the face he was going to die in.

"It's time we ended this," Zelvious said to the specter, "you've stayed in Hyrule long enough!"

The monster didn't even seem threatened by the boast and appeared unscathed. However, much to my and everyone's surprise, before Zelvious and the rest of the Hyrulean army could make good on their promises of retribution, a striking beam of white light suddenly permeated throughout the room from an open crevice in the chasm. The occurrence blinded everyone immediately, forcing us all to be at its mercy. The sensorial illumination then created a ball and started substantiating itself in the middle of the room. It magnified the quanta within it as it grew.

What in Hylia's name is that? I thought. How is this even remotely possible?

The general wasn't about to waste finding out.

"Take cover!" Zelvious shouted, pushing me and a couple of his men nearby to the floor.

At hearing their commander's order, all the troops dropped to the ground. The light seemed to get brighter in that moment. While we, the Hylians, maintained our ego borders the apparition with his accompanied shadow beasts weren't so eventful. He and the other two creatures of darkness were sucked into the sphere, with only the sound of their screams to console them. It was a deafening pitch.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I had to pincer my ears. I could only imagine the torturous feeling.

Where did this come from? I wondered. How is any of this even remotely possible?

I kept my eyes covered until finally, the light turned in on itself and imploded, dispersing the contained microcosm across the crypt. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it suddenly disappeared. The silence that followed was eerie and deafening. A pin drop could be heard. A few moments later, Zelvious was the first to stand up and look around. I appreciated how he was always willing to look out for the safety of his men. When he deduced that the coast was clear, he signaled for his men to stand up.

"Is everyone alright?" Zelvious called out.

Many of them nodded or verbalized yes. I then stood up and stretched from the cramped position I was lying in, but was immediately alerted to Lydia's absence. I looked around when I realized she wasn't with us when the light dispelled those creatures. I hoped she was able to escape before she succumbed to them.

"Ms. Lydia is not here!" I said in slight panic. "We have to find her! She was over by the chandelier when the implosion happened!"

However, my fears were quickly put to rest.

"We have her sir," a soldier replied to me of him and his comrade.

And Lydia herself soon spoke up.

"I'm fine Sir Shad," Lydia reassured, standing up and rubbing her shoulder, "a little bruised, but fine."

I sighed in relief at the sight of her, then turned my attention back to Zelvious. I was hoping he would give some explanation to what just happened.

"What was that general?" I asked of the light. "It appeared out of nowhere and destroyed our enemies."

Zelvious shook his head just as befuddled as me.

"I have no idea," he replied truthfully, "but whatever it was I'm grateful that it came when it did."

I couldn't deny that and nodded.

"You and me both," I replied.

The general sighed but then raised a brow and suddenly grinned at me.

"Though I must say, you were doing pretty good there with your fighting skills," he complimented, "it seems I've underestimated you as a swordsman Sir Shad."

I was surprised at the compliments, but I appreciated them just the same.

"I'll leave the fighting to you Zelvious," I stated, "I'll stick with my civic duties."

The general laughed at my summation.

"That's too bad," he said, "due to your penchant for maneuverability, I was hoping to train you and then challenge you at the castle one of these days."

I looked at him like he was insane.

He wants to train me then challenge him? I thought incredulously. Now I know why he is sir named the Black Knight of the three riders. He's obviously the most battle crazy.

I didn't even consider the proposal.

"I think not general," I said, "but we can discuss my reasons why after we develop an evacuation plan to get the people out of here."

Zelvious chuckled at my segue and merely nodded in agreement.

"Very well," he replied, "I concur."

Afterwards, the general and I made arrangements to have several of the guards retrieve the citizens still hidden in the deepest part of the catacombs. I was sure they were frightened and would inquire about the ruckus that just took place. An explanation would be provided later. Now the people just needed closure from this catastrophe and a sense of normalcy again.

I took in another deep breath, grateful that no one was dead. From what I could see every guard and officer was accounted for. However, I couldn't pretend that I wasn't worried about the queen and the hero. How were they faring? Were they alright? Were they able to stop Ghirahim? Was this why the light came when it did? I could only hope to find out in time.

I am sure I should hear from the others soon, I thought.

I looked on but my eyes were weary. This had been a tiring venture, but it wasn't over. When I saw the citizens starting to emerge from the deeper recesses of the crypt unharmed I realized that they still needed a leader until her majesty made her appearance. There was still a need for my organizational skills and abilities. It was going to be a much longer day than I had anticipated, but with Hyrule being safe again it was definitely worth it. I watched in that moment as a little girl clutched her doll tightly and held onto her mother's hand. I was happy that such ones no longer had to live in fear.

You're safe now young one, I thought, Queen Zelda and Master Link made sure of that.

It was time to roll up my sleeves and do what I did best. There was work to be done.

~SSS~

On The Way to Dragon Roost: Zelda's POV

I think I spoke for everyone when I stated that it was a relief when we finally departed the hot Gerudo Desert. It was a beautiful place in its own right, but after our recent ordeals, I welcomed the thickets and the trees of Hyrule Forest. We eventually made our way back to Lake Hylia where Hylia's horse was quickly utilized for Elbourne's aide, while Link and I manned our steeds. We then started for the long trek to Dragon Roost. There was much for us to reflect upon, so we were pretty much silent the entire time we traveled. I think we were just trying to compartmentalize everything that happened. Introspection was often the mainstay after a tragedy… that or trauma. In any such case, talking almost seemed inappropriate at this time.

How much carnage is out there? I wondered. How many soldiers had to die because of my actions?

It wasn't something I couldn't not think about. My men were risking their lives because of something I precipitated. If any of them died in this venture it was directly a result of my action. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by guilt. I could reason all I wanted to that Ghirahim was trapped in the mirror without my knowledge and hence he needed to be destroyed. However, the inverse of that was that I could have prevented even that from happening if I had given Hylia the mirror when she requested it of me. Much of this could have been avoided. One casualty was enough, that being Hylia. I couldn't bear to hear if hundreds more were dead because of me. Several hours passed as we rode.

Afterwards, we stopped momentarily by a grassy pond to rest. We needed to if we were to continue forward. We all reclined on the small shore bed and took a brief recess. I offered both men some bread and they took it gratefully. We needed to keep up our strength and a little sustenance was just what was needed. I sighed and stared down at the water after we ate. The crystalline water was clear and crisp. I often wished life had such purity.

It was then I glanced over at Link and Elbourne. Both men were staring down at water with the same expression. I almost had to shake my head because it seemed their resemblance was even more eye catching now than before. They looked like light and dark mirror images of each other, even with Elbourne's now dark brown hair and crystal green eyes. In fact, the dragon prince seemed to favor the dragon queen now than the other dragon masters. But I still couldn't get over the hero and the prince's striking resemblance. It was absolutely uncanny.

Light hair or dark hair, I thought, it doesn't matter. They always seem to have the same face and the same body.

Even more so, I thought of the reaction Elbourne's mother would have when she saw him again.

Won't she be shocked, I thought, but not just her, everyone.

In that instant I had a sobering thought. I couldn't help but ponder the condition of the dragon king. How was he fairing? How was he doing? Was he alive? Had Ghirahim used him somehow? There was so much to consider with what was disclosed to me in the Twilight Realm and now. The transfer of power was imminent considering Xavier's treachery, but unfortunately there was now a huge grey spot of uncertainty. Elbourne was going to be Dragon Roost's next king whether Xavier was alive or not. The problem was how would Elbourne constitute that power? He still admired Xavier greatly and I knew he wanted his approval whether he was his real father or not. Would he reprieve the king to stay in his good graces? Would he go against international law for the sake of approval? Xavier was by all rights and purposes considered a traitor and under Hylian law was to be executed. However, this delicate situation was going to have to play out slowly. There was no way to bring this up now when both kingdoms were in such disarray. The political blowback on this matter was massive to be sure.

I just hope for Xavier's sake, he's come to terms with all he's done, I thought, I pray that ambition has left his heart.

I took in a deep breath and longed for the best. It was all I had really. There was so much that had to be considered, but it could only be done one day at a time.

Just then I looked over at Link and thought about what his new role would be in the future. He was going to be king, but was he ready for it? Was that what he truly wanted? Was he certain that his love for Midna was just a secondary thought? Was he truly being honest with himself when he asked me to marry him? What about the people of Ordon? Was he really ready to leave them? Was that simple life too wonderful to walk away from for courts and public service? I knew it seemed like I was being circular, but these were important questions to consider. Only time and his answers would tell.

Link looked over at me in that moment when he caught me staring at him and Elbourne. He grinned, possibly knowing that I was worried about everything going on around me. Not just for me, but for everybody. They were all important in this scenario too. I blinked several times so as not to cry at the thoughts. I couldn't allow myself that right now.

I have to think of Hyrule, I thought, and with that I stood up and wiped the grass off my skirt.

That seemed like enough rest and contemplation for one sitting. We needed to move on.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked both men.

They both looked up at me from their sitting position and didn't reply right away.

"Zelda... we can rest longer if you need to," Link stated, not coming out and asking me what was truly on his mind.

I appreciated his concern, but I really needed to check on my people.

"I'm fine," I said, "but we should go."

However, neither one of them budged.

"Are you sure Zelda?" Elbourne asked.

I nodded, not wanting to prolong this conversation, but Link wasn't convinced.

"Are you sure you don't you want to talk?" the hero asked me finally. "You look like you have a lot on your mind."

That was an understatement, but I shook my head no anyway.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be more apt to talk once we get back to Dragon Roost," I replied, then addressed the dragon prince, "we need to check on your father Elbourne."

Link didn't say anything at my rebuttal, but he was looking at me with open concern now. He knew something was amiss.

"Will you promise to talk to either one of us later when the time comes for it?" he asked just then. "It's not good for you to keep things inside."

I wasn't making this easier for myself so I agreed.

"I will," I promised, "let's go."

It wasn't the most convincing answer, but it seemed to have the needed affect. Link and Elbourne continued to stare at me before they both got up.

"Alright Lady of Hyrule," Elbourne said with a hint of brevity.

Link grinned at the prince's saying.

"You're more stubborn than Din," he added, "do you know that?"

I couldn't but grin, and I noticed in that instance how Link avoided saying Hylia's name when he referred to a goddess. It was very kind of him to be sensitive to my feelings. I smiled at the both of them for their efforts.

"I suppose so," I said, thinking of the goddess once more, "but it's in my blood… it's in my blood."

~SSS~

Several Hours Later on Hyrule Field

We spent the next several hours traveling through Hyrule Field on horseback, when finally we caught sight of an encampment set up in a large opening near Eldin Fields by a small contingent of the army. I couldn't believe it, but it was a sight my worried eyes.

What's going on? I wondered anyway as we rode closer.

I hurried my steed along and quickly dismounted when I was close enough. Link and Elbourne followed suit, and as soon as everyone recognized who we were they raised their banners and shouted in triumph.

"Hail the victorious queen!" they said in unison.

I stopped short in my tracks when I realized what that meant.

Those apparitions are gone? I hoped. They aren't terrorizing the men any longer?

My inquiries were met with satisfaction when I saw that there wasn't a tent designated for the dead.

No casualties? I thought in disbelief.

This was beyond surreal.

"Everyone's alive?" I whispered in a trembling voice.

On hearing the outcry, General Maximillion quickly came from his tent and hurried to greet me. He bowed immediately, then took hold of my hand and kissed it tenderly.

"Thank the goddess you're alright," he said, " my lady, your strategy worked and we were victorious. We owe you our lives."

My eyes widened and I looked at the general in complete disbelief. I didn't understand why I was so taken aback. I knew if properly implemented the strategy would work.

"This is incredible!" I whispered. "I'm so glad!"

I didn't know what else to say.

"You should be rejoicing greatly my lady," Maxmillion went on, "it was a brilliant idea."

Tears instantly welled my eyes.

You shouldn't thank me, I thought, you should all be thanking Hylia.

I was so over joyed that none in Maximillion's battalion were dead, that I didn't know how to contain it. I couldn't explain what came over me in that moment, but as the general stood up I jumped into his arms and held him tight in a secure hug. Maximillion looked at me surprised, but immediately smiled and hugged me back.

"My lady…" the general whispered in my hair.

I sobbed gently into his chest.

Link and Elbourne grinned at my action.

"I wish I were the general right now," Elbourne said in passing.

The hero snickered.

"You and me both," he replied, "you and me both dragon prince."

I hugged him tighter at their words.

"Thank you so much for your loyalty good sir," I said with a slightly broken voice, "and thank you so much more for not dying."

My words must have touched a soft spot in his heart because Maximillon held me even tighter.

"Anything for you my queen," he replied, "thank you for returning safely as well."

The soldiers watching it all were temporarily shocked, but soon their surprise turned into enthusiastic applause.

"Let's hear it for Queen Zelda!" one soldier cheered while standing up.

The applause heightened, and when the general let me go I turned to see Link and Elbourne clapping as well.

"Here! Here!" Elbourne cheered.

"Indeed!" Link agreed. "Here! Here your majesty!"

I looked around and felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, but was humbled by it and realized this wasn't the end. It was far from over.

I still need to make sure everyone else is okay, I thought. There's still Dragon Roost, the castle, Link's friends in Ordon, and my other men, but wait a minute…

I suddenly looked around puzzled.

"Where's her majesty Queen Midna?" I asked the general abruptly.

As if on cue, the illustrious twilight queen came forth from a central tent in the middle of the encampment, where she was apparently using her powers in the service of others. When she heard all the commotion, she reared her lovely head to see what was going on.

"What are you-?" she started, but then stopped herself when she saw the three of us. "My dear goddess!" she whispered.

I smiled when I realized she was probably incredibly worried about us, but her focus seemed to mostly be on… Link. I could understand that, and when she hurried forward she went straight for the hero. Link looked at her surprised that she was so fixated on him, but she soon caught herself and looked to me and Elbourne too. She was even more astonished when she saw Elnourne and took note of his appearance. In fact, she was the first one to divulge his identity.

"Elbourne?" she whispered in disbelief.

The dragon prince gave her a small smile at her inquiry and took in a deep sigh.

"Yes your majesty," he replied, "that's me."

It was only then that Maximllion and the other men of the army also recognized who this dark haired young man was as well. He looked different, but nothing in his bone structure or musculature had changed. He still had his feature set.

"Your highness?" the general asked unsurprisingly stunned. "Are you… are you telling me that you're the prince of Dragon Roost?"

Elbourne looked to the ground and didn't reply to the general's inquiry right away. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. Finally, he nodded and answered the question.

"Yes," he said, "I am Elbourne of Dragon Roost."

The general was flummoxed.

"My word!" he whispered amazed. "What accounts for your appearance?"

Elbourne just grinned.

"Many things," he evaded, "many things."

That brought no closure to the newly dawned mystery and Midna now seemed transfixed.

"Unreal?" she whispered to herself then took it upon herself to come right up to him.

Elbourne stared directly in her eyes and Midna reached up slowly to caress his cheek.

"I can't believe it's really you!" she was saying to him.

Elbourne grunted and grinned.

"I know," he said, "I'm probably going to be hearing that a lot."

In that moment Midna smiled at him, still marveling at his differences. She reached out, hesitantly at first, and stroked his dark hair. She continued to stare into his green eyes in wonder.

"How?" was all she could utter.

Elbourne looked away for a moment and chuckled.

"I… I had some bad karma removed," he replied.

That made me grin.

That's a clever way of putting it, I thought.

Midna looked at him puzzled, but Link and I knew exactly what he meant.

"I don't understand," Midna replied.

Elbourne shook his head and shrugged.

"It's alright," he replied, "it's a long story and I really don't want to talk about it."

She looked at him surprised, but said nothing further on the matter.

"If you say so," she replied, "I understand."

Midna then turned her attention back to Link. She seemed to be suppressing her true happiness when she saw him. I saw how her eyes lit up when she caught sight of him. It was apparent that her love for the hero was still unwavering, but I understood that. Link was a hard man to forget, especially if he was the reason your kingdom and your country was still in place. In both Midna's and my case, he was. We would be forever grateful.

"I'm so glad you're safe," she said softly.

Link nodded.

"Thank you," he replied, "I'm glad you're well too."

Midna stared deeply into Link's eyes and I almost wished I wasn't there so they could talk. It was apparent she had some things she needed to say to him in private and was restraining herself due to my presence. I knew it was important for all honesty on everyone's part to be manifested in these coming days and hours. I didn't want anyone to have any regrets. Even so, I could tell she wasn't saying what she wanted to say, and it was then I made a suggestion.

"Did you want to talk with the hero alone for a moment my lady?" I asked the twilight queen.

Link looked over at me surprised just then.

"Excuse me?" he said.

I kept my attention on Midna.

"I'm certain there are many things you want to disclose to him," I said softly, "if you need a moment please feel free to take as much time as you feel necessary."

Midna looked at me shocked, but immediately turned her attention back to Link to see if he would comply, only now he was looking at me.

"As a matter of fact…" the queen trailed, "I would like to speak with him if it's alright with you."

I grinned.

"Of course it's alright with me," I said.

It was then Link stepped in.

"But it's not alright with me," he divulged suddenly, "you're having a conversation about me when I'm standing right here. There's nothing else that needs to be said that can't be said in your presence my queen."

I looked over at Link surprised as did Midna. That was not the answer she wanted to hear.

"Link…" I trailed.

The hero then turned his attention to Midna.

"Now isn't the time for this," he said as respectfully as possible, "you know much I appreciate everything you have done and will do, but that conversation can wait."

Midna looked at him surprised, but the hurt was evident in her eyes. I did see how she still felt it necessary to have a clean conscience with herself, and I didn't think it was fair that Link was preventing her from doing that. However, I understood his reasoning as well, and it was probably out of place for me to suggest such a thing at this time. And Midna, being the ever graceful, ever sexy woman she was, simply clasped her hands together and took a small step back. The demarcation was evident now and perhaps she knew it. So instead, she turned her stunning amber eyes back to the dragon prince.

"It seems we're fish without a net, aren't we Elbourne?" she said with a hint of sarcasm.

Elbourne didn't really reply, but I could see the frustration in his eyes too.

"I suppose we are," he said.

Granted, this was all playing out in front of General Maximillion and the Hylian army. If we didn't hinge this quickly, the gossip mavens were going to have a field day.

"Uh…" I started, "perhaps we should rest for a moment in one of the tents before we move on."

There was a brief silence between the four of us before Midna took the liberty to grab Elbourne's hand and guide him to her tent.

"That's a wonderful idea, and since his highness's leg is injured it's only fitting that I heal him before you all go," she said. "That being stated, you can all rest in my tent."

There wasn't very much discussion on an alternative. However, I sensed the trouble brewing. With our quarters now accounted for, we allowed Midna to lead the way. While Midna had Elbourne's hand latched in hers, as he walked by, he stared straight into my eyes and looked at me hard as if he wanted to speak with me alone. It was a determined look that both Link and I caught, which made the hero raise a brow.

Oh no, I thought, not wanting to stir the pot so soon when we were all getting along so well.

I turned my attention back to the general who was looking at all of us in open peculiarity now. I couldn't say I blamed him.

"Is… everything alright my lady?" he asked.

I forced a smile, but knew it wasn't very convincing.

"Everything is fine," I reassured, "just a little misunderstanding."

Maximillion raised a brow.

"I see," he said.

I desperately needed to change the subject.

"Have you heard anything from General Zelvious, and General Gunter?" I asked suddenly.

I sensed he knew what I was doing, but didn't say anything on the shift. The general shook his head and sighed.

"Not yet unfortunately," he said, "but considering how we fared, I think they may be alright as well. However, I sent out a couple scouts a couple hours ago just to be safe."

I appreciated his forward thinking.

"If anything turns out from that please inform me immediately," I said.

Maximillion placed his hand over his chest.

"You have my word my lady," he promised.

I nodded.

"Thank you," I said.

Afterwards, Link then took a hold of my hand, but I sensed he was slightly frustrated with me for trying to force him to speak with Midna alone right now. I knew now wasn't the time for such misgivings and he wanted to say something to me on it, but he wasn't going to do so in front of the general or my men. That would just make the situation more terse. Instead, he just led me into the tent after Midna and Elbourne.

"If you have a blue potion that would be great," the dragon prince was saying to the queen, "my leg hurts like hell."

The twilight queen turned and gave him a flirtatious smile just then as she pulled the tarp back.

"I have something much better than a blue potion," she said suggestively, "you know how good I am with my hands… I'll just use those to heal you."

Elbourne simply raised a brow.

"Your hand usage was for a much different circumstance Midna my dear," he replied, "if it works in this case as well, I'm much obliged."

Midna simply laughed and I looked between the two of them slightly surprised at their overt sexual talk, as did Link, but we said nothing as we sat down. All it was going to do was cause more problems if we addressed it.

Elbourne sat down on the cot across the way and slowly unwrapped the pressurized dressing the hero placed for him. The wound was pretty intact for as bad as it was, but I could understand why the prince wanted it healed sooner rather than later. As soon as Midna saw it she winced.

"My word," she whispered empathetically, "that looks extremely painful."

Elbourne just raised a brow.

"It is," he replied.

Midna nodded.

"Well, let's get you fixed up then," she said.

In an instant she summoned some of her Twili powers and focused them on the wound. It wasn't taking long for the flesh to tighten and close over. I was marveled at her extraordinary abilities.

"Midna you're amazing," I said.

The twilight beauty just grinned at her work.

"I completely agree with you," she said playfully, which made Link laugh.

"As humble as ever I see," the hero said.

She gave him a flirtatious look.

"I try," she said with a shrug.

I glanced over at Elbourne just then.

"How does it feel?" I asked.

The prince just raised his brows and paused before he answered me.

"It feels like its healing," he replied rather dryly.

I was slightly taken aback at his response, but said nothing on it, and once Midna was finished, he quickly retrieved his leg from her capture and binded it up. She was surprised at his knee jerk response as well.

"Careful," she said, having to back away a little.

"Sorry," he said mechanically and hurried to put on his long stemmed boot.

I watched him surprised and glanced over at Link who was studying him carefully now too.

Midna attempted to break the subtle tension starting to generate.

"You… must have been through quite an ordeal to sustain a wound as large as that," she said, "it looked terrible."

Elbourne simply nodded and didn't reply right away.

"So it would seem," he said finally.

He short answers were indicative of his attitude. It was in that moment Midna became concerned with the prince's sudden change in behavior too.

"What's the matter?" she asked in her natural sultry voice. "You look troubled."

The dragon prince seemed annoyed that she was asking him that in front of Link and me. I had a feeling I knew what the 'matter' was.

"It's nothing," he responded, "I'm just tired."

The twilight queen then reached out and touched his arm.

"Are you sure that's all?" she asked gently. "Are you sure nothing else is bothering you?"

Elbourne groaned slightly at the questions and decided not to reply. I looked at him helplessly just then.

Why is he being so rude to her? I wondered, already knowing the answers to my questions.

"Elbourne..." I started, but didn't say anything else.

I was hoping he would get the hint. However, it seemed as though the prince didn't care to have one. He looked over at me and stared at me with another hard, knowing look. His cold disposition was anything but surprising.

Don't do this now, I begged.

Link then spoke up.

"You seem distracted Elbourne," he said, "what's the problem?"

Elbourne took in a deep frustrated breath at his words.

"I have a lot on my mind," he replied, looking away from the both of us.

I sensed he was getting more frustrated with our questions.

Elbourne... I thought, please...

Midna attempted comfort him.

"I'm sure everything will be alright," she said, "once you return home and your father sees that you're okay, things will revert back to normal, you'll see."

Elbourne nodded at her words and sighed.

"I hope so," he said appreciatively.

Seeing that as a positive sign, Midna then looked down and saw the incision in his pants and went to try and fix it.

"Let me take care of this for you," she offered, "it needs to be mended."

However, before the twilight queen could do anything to the garment Elbourne went and stopped her.

"You don't need to trouble yourself," he said politely to her, "I can do that."

Elbourne only nodded, then got up from the cot and bowed slightly. Midna looked up at him surprised.

"Elbourne… what's wrong?" she asked him.

He shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied, not bothering to elaborate, "thank you for your assistance, now please excuse me."

I looked at him surprised.

"Elbourne…" I said, not being able to help myself.

He shot me a venomous glance just then and didn't reply. Link saw that and intervened immediately.

"Is there a problem dragon prince?" the hero asked a little tensely. "Your eyes seem indicate so."

Elbourne shifted his gaze to Link and scoffed slightly in mild disbelief.

"No," he said quietly, "no… not at all."

Afterwards, he didn't wait for another word from anyone else and exited out the tent. I quickly jumped up to go after him, but Link took hold of my wrist to stop me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

I gave him an obvious look.

"What do you mean where am I going?" I replied. "You saw what happened just now."

The hero's grip tightened.

"Let him be for right now," he said.

I shook my head.

"I know what he can be like when he's like this Link," I said, "he needs an outlet."

"And that outlet obviously can't be you," he replied.

I looked at him taken aback.

"Why?" I asked.

Midna merely rolled her eyes at my question.

"Isn't it obvious why he wanted to leave here?" she asked. "He's jealous of what you two have. He wants what you two have." She looked away for a moment. "I can sympathize with him."

Link glanced her way as she avoided his eyes, but I wasn't willing to just let him run off.

"Midna…" I trailed, "I have to try and reason with him."

The twilight queen shook her head.

"You're only going to hurt him more," she said quietly, "isn't it obvious to you that he's in love with you?"

I swallowed hard at her words and looked over at Link. The hero was in agreement with the twilight queen.

"She's right Zelda," he said, "he left here because his heart yearns for you. Seeing you is only going to make that hurt deeper."

I was surprised he said that so freely.

"I can't just let him go like this!" I replied. "He needs a friend!"

Link looked at me with open frustration just then.

"He needs you to let him vent!" he shot back. "He needs to be alone! You won't always be able to be there for him Zelda!"

I looked at the hero dumbstruck. What was he suggesting by that statement?

"But I can be there for him now," I said, "just this last time, then no more."

Link was not in agreement with me.

"You remember what happened the last time you were alone with him…" he warned.

My eyes widened. I didn't think he was going to bring that up in the here and now, not after everything, especially in front of Midna. However, it was a true statement and point.

"I won't let anything happen," I promised, "and he's been healed of his curse. He isn't the same person anymore."

Midna looked between the two of us surprised. She had gotten to see a weak aspect of our relationship, one where I hope we could mend, but I saw it was going to take more time. Link just stared at me for a moment and sighed.

"Zelda..." he trailed.

I implored him.

"Please Link," I begged.

The hero took in deep frustrated sigh and hesitated.

"Fine, just hurry back with him," he said finally, "we still have to check on his father."

I knew I was taking a gamble leaving the hero here like this, but it was a bet I was willing to take. I nodded my acknowledgement of his words, then hurried out the tent. I looked down the row of tents in the distance and caught sight of Elbourne stalking off quickly. He was traveling very hurriedly down the grassy road and I instantly gave chase after him.

"Your highness!" I immediately called to him.

At the sound of my voice Elbourne stopped in his tracks, probably due to the fact that he didn't want to be disrespectful to me in front of my men. He turned around at the sound of my approach.

"Yes my lady?" he inquired, not looking me in the eyes.

I paused for a moment and stared into his green eyes that were avoiding mine, and in a minute decision I took hold of his hand and pulled him away where we could have some privacy. I knew Link wouldn't approve, but I knew Elbourne communicated better when we were alone. I led us to a tent that wasn't being used at the moment and with no one in the adjacent marquees nearby. When I was assured we wouldn't be disturbed, I spoke.

"What is going on?" I asked him. "Why are you being so cold to everyone?"

He didn't answer my question right away. In fact, all he did was stare in my eyes because he knew I knew the reply. His gaze made me feel guilty.

"Am I?" he asked.

"Yes," I said defiantly to his tone, and then looked away from his gaze, "we're just worried about you."

Elbourne was quiet for a long moment.

"Well, you don't need to be," he said finally, "you don't have to worry I'm not going off to start another war. The bad blood in me is gone."

He was blunt, but that was true, and I was glad he brought it up.

"About that," I changed the subject, "how do you feel?"

He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I feel fine," he said.

I nodded for no particular reason.

"That's… that's good," I replied, "my ancestral father told me how to heal you when we were fighting Ghirahim."

He didn't have very much to say in reply.

"Well... thank him when you see him again," he said.

I looked at him in slight disbelief and shook my head. He was deliberately being frigid and distant.

"Why are you still acting this way?" I demanded suddenly. "Why are being so cold to the people who care about you?"

He narrowed his eyes at me just then.

"You have the nerve to ask me that?!" he growled quietly. "After everything, you still don't get it?"

I looked at him defiantly.

"Yes!" I replied. "You're being unfair at this point!"

"Why don't you just ask me the question you're afraid to say?" he shot back. "Why don't you ask me why the fuck am I still in love with you? Huh? Is that what you want to inquire Zelda?"

I took a step back at his words.

I looked at him surprised.

"That's-" I tried.

"What did you expect my lady?" he interrupted me quietly. "Did you think I was going to stop loving you because you conveniently stopped loving me? Because now Ghirahim's influence is gone I'm suddenly going to be cured of my 'curse' of loving you? Did you think everything was suddenly going to be perfect between us because you got what you wanted?"

My throat tightened.

"Elbourne I-" I had to stop myself and recollect, "you know I care about you, but it was never like that between us!"

The dragon prince took a step towards me.

"Correction Zelda," he said, "it was never like that for you! I've always loved you, I've told you this again and again and again! That has not changed because my hair is no longer platinum blonde! You're not going to stand here and pretend you're innocent to what I feel for you! I've loved you! Always! I've been nothing but honest with you!"

I was at a loss. I didn't know what to say.

Elbourne shook his head and went on.

"You coming in that tent with that hero's hand in yours, showing yourself off as his woman is not something I have to sit and watch!" he continued. "But I'm not supposed to feel this way because of what happened between us in the lagoon right? Because I nearly…" He couldn't bring himself to say it. "I'm not supposed to love you anymore because I'm some kind of monster in your eyes, is that it?!"

I immediately went to negate that.

"That isn't true!" I rebutted. "I do not see you as a monster and I never will."

He rolled his eyes and looked away. There was a short silence that ensued afterwards, and I felt terribly guilty for my part in playing with his feelings. He was right. I shouldn't have assumed that because the evil within him was gone that that evil included his love for me. I reached up to caress his cheek, but he quickly moved from my touch.

"Don't touch me, I don't want your pity," he said, not looking at me.

I winced a little at his words.

"It isn't pity Elbourne..." I trailed, "please..."

I grabbed his hand and interlaced our fingers together before he had a chance to pull away. Elbourne closed his eyes at my words and pursed his lips together. He was quiet for a moment.

"I hate being so weak over you Zelda," he muttered more to himself than to me, "you're the only woman I get like this with."

I squeezed his hand affectionately just then.

"You're not weak because you care for a friend," I replied.

He shook his head, still looking away.

"Right," he muttered sarcastically.

"I..." I trailed, and then added, "I think you should come back to the tent now."

Elbourne scoffed and shook his head.

"Don't start with that again," he replied.

I tried to reason with him.

"But we need to stick together," I said, "you can't just walk away."

Elbourne stared into my eyes for a long time before he replied again.

"We can't always have what we want, can we Zelda?" he asked finally.

My throat tightened more at his words.

"Elbourne-" I tried.

"Can we Zelda?" he interrupted.

I bit my lower lip and looked down.

"No," I replied softly, "I suppose not."

Elbourne was silent at my reply for a few moments.

"Then will you please do me a favor?" he inquired suddenly.

I looked back into his eyes.

"Of course," I replied.

Elbourne narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Will you please go back to the tent and let me be?" he asked. "Stop meddling in affairs that are none of your concern?"

I looked at him taken aback.

"Elbourne I-" I tried.

"I just asked you a question," he interrupted softly, "and I want an answer."

I took in a deep breath and hesitated for a second before I replied.

"Alright," I replied finally, "you're right, I'm sorry, I won't meddle in your life anymore."

Elbourne took in a deep sigh and looked away from me.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

There was a brief silence between us. I thought that was going to be the end of it, considering we weren't going to come to any other amiable agreement. When suddenly, he grabbed hold of my hand, caressed it tenderly, and then kissed the back of my palm gently. It was a loving respectful gesture. He avoided my eyes when he asked me what he asked me next.

"Why don't you love me Zelda?" he inquired suddenly. "Why… why aren't I good enough?"

I looked at him surprised, wishing I had the answers he wanted.

"I... I do love you, and you are good enough," I said honestly, "I'm just... in love with Link."

Elbourne paused for a long time after hearing that and sighed. He finally looked into my eyes and eventually released my hand. He ran a hand through his dark hair and must have come to his own resolutions.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," he said abruptly, "but I had to tell you those things."

I shook my head at his apology.

"It's okay," I replied, "I understand why you did."

Elbourne closed his eyes and sighed.

"I just want to be free of you Zelda," he said suddenly, "you haunt my thoughts too much, and I feel bewitched by you. I hate that I love you as much as I do."

I didn't know what to say.

"I-" I tried.

"Please don't say anything," he interrupted quietly. "Let's just let it be, okay? Just let it be."

I immediately closed my mouth and kept silent. The silence lasted for a short while, until finally Elbourne took hold of my hand again and exited us out of the tent. Outside, the sunlight made his piercing green eyes stand out even more. They were magnificent.

"I can't go back to the tent right now, so I'll wait for you and the others out front," he said, "I just want to be alone for a little bit and I really need to know if King Xavier is okay."

I nodded.

"I understand," I replied.

With that, he bowed and walked past me to the encampment entrance. I watched after him and sighed, thinking about everything he disclosed.

I hope this isn't the end of this, I thought, I really want to clear the air so we can both be happy.

Afterwards I headed back to the tent where Midna and Link were waiting. When I entered they looked at me hopefully, but saw that I was alone. Midna was the first to ask.

"So... how did it go?" she inquired.

I shrugged and sat down next to Link.

"You both were right," I admitted, "and he said he'll wait for us at the gate of the encampment."

Link sighed and sat forward to look at my face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Yes..." I said, "just a little wiser now."

The hero studied my face just then.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

I paused for a moment.

"It means I need to mind my own business," I replied.

Link glanced over at Midna who understood completely.

"That sounds like Elbourne," she said, "but at least now you know where you stand."

I grunted.

"True," I whispered.

Link wrapped his arm around my shoulders just then and held me close.

"Everything is going to be alright in the end," he reassured, "you'll see."

I attempted to smile and reached up and caressed his cheek tenderly.

"I hope you're right," I said.

He was more forthcoming.

"I am right," he replied confidently.

I hope so good hero, I thought, closing my eyes, I certainly hope so.

~SSS~

Several Hours Later, Dragon Roost Impasse

The ride to Dragon Roost was quiet, and we arrived at the impasse around dusk. There was another encampment stationed with a medic's bay and supply tent taking care of the wounded. I was grateful my men were so resourceful, and again I was happy to see no tents for the dead.

Thank Nayru, I thought.

Once we were stationed, I dismounted along with everyone else. Elbourne in particular was in haste as we walked through the campsite. He looked in marquee after marquee as we followed. Some of the soldiers were surprised to see my and Link's faces. Due to the time of day, and the method of our arrival, we didn't get the same fanfare as we did before on Eldin Field. However, my men were quick to greet us when they recognized us. Still, our appearances were brief as we were still looking for the dragon king. The search continued and once again Elbourne's new appearance provided a mystery to what we were doing. The men had no idea who he was. We finally found General Gunter tending to the dragon king in a tent at the back of the camp. When we all caravanned into the site, the general's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Your majesty!" he said to me. "You're alright! Thank the goddess!"

I nodded at his acknowledgement, but turned my attention back to the person he was caring for, the dragon king.

"It's wonderful to see you too," I said, "but how is his majesty?"

Gunter took in a deep sigh and shook his head at the question.

"He's not looking too good," he replied, "he may give out before morning."

At his utterance, Elbourne looked over at the general in complete disbelief. His fists involuntarily balled at his sides.

"Before morning?" he repeated.

Before he answered him, Gunter gave the dragon prince an offhanded look, sensing a familiarity, but uncertain of what it was. I was sure there was a question boding on the lips, but he never asked it. There wasn't time for it, he probably naturally assumed the dragon prince was an important man if he was traveling in my company.

"Unfortunately yes my lad," the general went on, "the doctor told me he lost a lot of blood from the wound that bastard specter gave him earlier in the day. I was able to finally give him some potion when the fighting was over, but I fear it may have been too late."

Elbourne too in deep breath and swallowed hard at hearing that.

"Too late?" he inquired.

Midna came up behind him just then and touched his shoulder gently.

"He's still here now…" she soothed, "at least you made it before then Elbourne."

At the recognition of his name, Gunter's eyes widened in disbelief. It was only then the general recognized who the dragon prince was.

"Your highness?" he asked.

Elbourne was staring at the fallen king while he nodded his reply slowly. He came up to the side of his father's cot and knelt down next to him.

"Thank you for all your efforts general," he said quietly.

Gunter was still too busy marveling at his appearance to accept the compliment.

"It was no problem your highness," he replied.

Elbourne then took his father's cold clammy hand in his and stared at Xavier's closed eyes.

"Can you hear me sire?" he asked gently.

I felt a stirring in my heart at the sight of Elbourne embracing his father's hand. Xavier's approval had been all the dragon prince ever wanted, and now at the cusp of his father's death, he still might not get it. Would Xavier finally acknowledge him and give Elbourne the solace and closure he so craved? I had no idea… only the next few moments would tell.

Midna stepped back and stood next to Link when she saw how important this moment was going to be for Elbourne.

"Maybe we should leave them alone for a while," she suggested, "I'm sure he'd like to visit his father in peace."

I nodded in agreement, seeing it was a private moment that should only be shared between Elbourne and his father. I too stepped back and joined the others.

"I think that's a good idea," I replied, "I'm sure they have many things to say to each other."

"I agree," the hero said, but Elbourne had a different notion.

"I want you all to leave except for her majesty Queen Zelda," he called out suddenly.

I froze and everyone looked at the dragon prince surprised, especially me, but no one disputed his request. I knew this was an especially difficult time for him, and to avoid and controversies, it would be best to just give him what he wanted. I looked at Link, hoping he wouldn't protest, and silently begged for his approval with my eyes. He naturally gave it because he wasn't an unreasonable man. Midna had no qualms with the request either and waited for Link so they could walk out into the campsite together. Link sighed before vacating and caressed my cheek.

"Be his rock if he needs that from you," he whispered.

I nodded.

"I will," I promised.

He reached over and kissed my cheek before turning to leave with the twilight queen. When the two of them left, I turned and approached the bed quietly and stayed back. Elbourne was still kneeling at the bedside, holding his father's hand. I could only imagine what was going through his head. This had to be so hard for him.

General Gunter, who was on the other side of the bed, bowed to the both of us before he took his leave.

"I'm… I'm sorry your highness," he consoled, not knowing what else to say.

Elbourne nodded his acknowledgement of the general's condolences, but kept his eyes on his father. With that, the general left, and I continued to stay back to afford the prince and the king some measure of privacy.

"Sire?" Elbourne said again, shaking the weak king slightly on his chest. "Sire?"

After a few moments, Xavier's eyes opened slightly at the sound of Elbourne's voice. He blinked several times before he recognized his son's face and even then he looked upon him surprised.

"Cadence?" the king said stunned.

My eyes widened a little at the utterance because Cadence was Elbourne's uncle on his mother's side. Now that I looked at him, he did resemble his uncle a great deal now with his dark hair and light eyes.

The dragon prince grinned at the mistake.

"No sire," he corrected, "it's… it's Elbourne."

Xavier looked at him perplexed just then.

"Elbourne?"

The dragon prince nodded.

"Yes."

The king shook his head.

"What happened to your hair?" he asked. "Why do you look just like your mother now?"

Those were much harder questions to answer than Elbourne was ready to give the answers to.

"I had a little accident," he tried to joke.

Xavier continued to look confused.

"Accident?"

Elbourne didn't bother to elaborate.

"Yes sire."

The dragon king still didn't understand, but thought better to leave the subject well enough alone.

"I see."

There was a brief silence between the two of them after then, but it was short lived.

"I have to say," the king started abruptly, "I always wanted you to have your mother's dark hair instead of my side's platinum blonde locks. They seem to have more majesty for you."

I looked to the ground when I heard that.

That platinum blonde hair didn't come from you Xavier, I couldn't help but think.

Elbourne looked at his father puzzled.

"Why's that?"

The king scoffed.

"I just liked it more," he said, "it reminds me more of your mother and she's a beautiful, good woman. As you can see now, it suits you."

I pondered the king's words for a moment. There was so much unspoken candor there, and another silence fell upon the room. It too was short lived like the first.

Xavier sighed and broke it.

"You should be glad I'm dying Elbourne," he said suddenly, "now you'll have no one to torment you any longer."

I winced a little at those words and kept my eyes fixed to the ground.

Elbourne's throat tightened.

"Don't talk like that," he said, "you won't die."

Xavier tried to chuckle at that, but it came out as more of a rasp. The dragon prince got a little worried and reached up and rubbed his father's shoulder gently. I looked him over and he looked so frail and weak.

He's going to succumb soon, I thought, hating myself for thinking the worst.

"Don't work yourself too hard your majesty," I said, "you need your strength."

Xavier looked surprised when he heard my voice.

"Queen Zelda?"

I bowed at his acknowledgment of me.

"I'm at your service my lord," I replied.

The dying king looked at me dumbfounded.

"How long have you been here?"

I shook my head, realizing that wasn't important.

"Not long my lord," I said honestly, "is there anything you'd like me to assist you with?"

The king tried to sit up, but found the activity too strenuous.

"It is I who should be saying that to you," he said with a labored breath.

I tried to smile.

"We're allies," I said, "...remember?"

Xavier looked at me incredulously and sighed.

"Yes…" he trailed, "I remember... that feels like so long ago your majesty."

Elbourne went to let the king's hand go, when surprisingly Xavier gripped his tight. The dragon prince looked at the king surprised.

"What is it sire?" Elbourne asked.

Xavier shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn't answer him for a long time.

"Forgive me Elbourne," the king said all of a sudden, "forgive me for being such a fool."

I looked down when I heard that, knowing there was so much unspoken anguish in those words.

You weren't the only one sire, I thought with a measure of guilt.

Elbourne went to stroke his father's now white hair.

"I understand why you felt the way you did sire," he said, "it wasn't easy."

Xavier looked at his son.

"Did you?"

It was an earnest question, and the way Elbourne replied was going to speak droves to his father in these last dying moments of his.

"Yes father," Elbourne replied, "I understood, and now I completely understand."

There was another silence. This one was a hard one to break, because the unspoken truth about Ghirahim had just been revealed. Neither one of them openly acknowledged it, but it was there.

Maybe it's better this way, I thought, maybe it's better that it doesn't need to be said.

The silence went on for a few more minutes before Xavier finally decided to dispel it.

"You were always good enough," the king said all of a sudden, "you and your mother. It was my greed and pride that made the both of you suffer. I had no right to receive your mother's love, or your respect you tried so desperately to give me. If you hate me Elbourne… I understand."

Elbourne turned away from looking at his father for a moment and blinked several times, not wanting to discuss this.

"I-I don't hate you your majesty," he honestly.

Xavier closed his eyes tight at hearing that, he seemed relieved.

"You don't know what that means coming from you," he said honestly, "I'm glad you are a better man than I am," he went on, "I'm glad you didn't wait until your dying day to see things for what they really are," he replied. "Tell your mother I did love her, even if it wasn't in the way she deserved."

The dragon prince looked down.

"I will sire," he promised.

"Tell her-" Xavier stopped himself as he suddenly coughed up a glob of blood that spewed out of his mouth and onto his white medical gown shirt.

Elbourne looked on horrified at the sight.

"Are you alright?"

The dragon king just nodded, not at all telling the truth.

Elbourne swallowed hard at the sight of his dying father.

"Let me get you a doctor!" he turned to go, but the king grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Let it be," Xavier rasped.

The prince shook his head in disagreement.

"But sire-" Elbourne tried.

"I said let it be," he interrupted, "I'm ready to die."

It was then the realization hit the dragon prince. He knew in a short period of time he was about to become the dragon king.

"Don't say that!" Elbourne said in a slight panic. "Who will rule Dragon Roost if you die?"

Xavier squeezed his son's hand.

"I leave that to you now," he replied.

Elbourne's eyes widened.

"I-I can't rule the way you could!" he stammered. "I'm a hedonist and a womanizer! I would make a terrible king!"

The dragon king managed a smile at hearing that.

"Find a wife and settle down," he said simply, "you're getting too old for that life Elly. Every playboy has to turn in his playing cards."

I raised a brow at him saying that.

You would know sire, I thought.

I knew it seemed out of place, but I chuckled at hearing that. It was about time the king set his son straight about his philandering ways.

Elbourne smirked at his father's words and nodded.

"But I won't have to do that if you're still around," he replied with brevity, "don't you see, selfishly I need you to stay alive."

The dragon king shook his head.

"Make monogamy your first order of business," he joked, "find a good decent girl who'll take care of you."

Elbourne sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"Alright sire," he replied.

Xavier then turned his attention back to me.

"Make sure he does this your majesty," he said, "tell him to stay away from the Red Lantern District."

I blushed at hearing that.

"I will sire," I replied.

The king was starting to rapidly lose strength. I saw that, and looked to Elbourne who was holding his father's hand tight.

"Sire?" he said in a slight panic. "Don't talk if it's making you weak."

I bit my lower lip at Elbourne's wishful thinking.

This is beyond mere weakness dragon prince, I thought.

Xavier's gaze was getting glassy.

"I have one last thing to tell you," he rasped, his voice was getting strained, "it's... it's about your real father."

I felt my eyes widen at hearing that.

Dear goddesses, don't do this to yourself on your deathbed Xavier, I thought, have some solace, Elbourne already knows.

Elbourne took in a deep sigh, and looked away, thinking he already knew what he was going to say.

"What about him sire?"

Xavier turned his head and stared at the dragon prince for a long time.

"…I'm your real father," he said softly, "not that… not that monster."

Elbourne looked back at him shocked at hearing his words.

"What?"

I couldn't lie, I was shocked as well.

The king's gaze was getting evermore glassy.

"I'm your father Elbourne," he repeated, "it doesn't matter what anyone else told you. You will always be my son. You are a crown prince of Dragon Roost."

My throat tightened. I knew that was what Elbourne wanted to hear. I knew that was what Elbourne needed to hear.

He's only ever wanted Xavier's acceptance, I thought.

Elbourne looked away for a moment as the tears just burned his eyes in that instant. He tried to control it, but he couldn't help it. I went up to him immediately and tried to steady him by putting my hands on his shoulders. Elbourne wiped his eyes and wouldn't look at me.

"It's okay," I said, getting a little choked up myself, "you can let it out."

That's all he wanted, I thought again, that's all Elbourne wanted ever since he was a child. He just wanted his father's approval. Now he has it.

Elbourne took in a deep breath and smiled… a real smile.

"Thank you father," he said gratefully.

The king smiled back at his son and closed his eyes. He took in a deep labored breath and looked like he went into a deep sleep. Elbourne sighed at the sight of his father's sleeping eyes. There was a reflective silence that filled the air between all of us, and then a final billowed sigh from Xavier. Elbourne grinned thinking his father was trying to get some rest.

"Mother is probably beside herself in worry," the dragon prince said shaking his head, "did you get a chance to send word of your condition to the palace?"

Xavier's eyes stayed closed and he didn't answer. The dragon prince sat quietly, waiting for a reply. He nudged him slightly to rouse him.

"Father?" Elbourne asked again.

The king didn't stir. In fact, he wasn't moving at all, even when Elbourne went and shook his shoulder once more.

There was still no reply.

Oh no... I thought suddenly, sire... the king is...

I covered my mouth when I realized the king wasn't going to wake up.

Elbourne's eyes widened at the sudden realization.

"Father!" he said again as panic started to take over him. "Father! Stop this! It isn't funny!"

The dragon king's body was unmoving, and when Elbourne let his hand go he saw that it was limp and lifeless.

"No!" he whispered, standing up over the king. "No! No! This can't be happening!" he reached for him and started shaking him. "Wake up!" he demanded. "You can't be dead! Wake the hell up!"

I came up to the prince and took hold of his shoulders.

"Elbourne don't..." I said, "please... he wouldn't want you doing this."

He turned and looked at me.

"He can't be dead Zelda!" he said with a broken slightly raised voice. "It wasn't supposed to be like this! He wasn't supposed to die like this!"

I hugged him tight at hearing that, realizing the denial was natural.

"Elbourne…" I trailed as tears filled my eyes, "I'm so sorry."

He hugged me back, not wanting to accept this. I pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"I'm going to be there for you the same way you were for me my friend," I promised, "I swear."

Elbourne looked away from me as his eyes refilled in anger.

"Goddamn it!" he muttered to himself. "Why did he have to be so damn ambitious?"

I didn't have an answer for him. Ambition could make even the meekest of men the most vicious of tyrants.

"I don't know," I replied, "but the important thing is that you now know he loved you."

Elbourne closed his eyes when he heard me say that. I held onto him tight as I tried to comfort him. It was a dark moment, where only people who had ever lost a loved one could truly understand. I glanced over at Xavier's lifeless body and realized for the first time in that moment he was truly gone. I couldn't believe it, but the king of Dragon Roost was… dead.

---

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