The next day…
"Your Majesty, the prisoner."
Alduin sits on his throne within the illustrious throne room of Hyrule Castle. Royal guards stand alongside the elongated red carpet, ready to strike the prisoner down if so need be. Alduin himself has his own sword but prefers the comfort of his guardians since he isn't a mage (or graced by the gods as Link) by any means. Grabbing his crown from his lap, he stands up to receive his guest. Gazing at the crown of the king, he feels his stomach churn at the four central stones, representing Din, Farore, Nayru, and Hylia. Turning the crown face forward, he settles it on his wavy black hair as Ordon Unit escorts the captive down to Alduin.
He has only seen Dodonga from a far view and heard descriptions of Volga, so to see a Dragon Knight up close...it doesn't frighten him as it should. With no helmet, the Knight's brown hair waves in front of his feral blue eyes and chiseled face with each step he takes. His scaly armor, murky green in color, clinks in tune with the anti-magic chains on his wrists. Alduin is taking every precaution to not have a rampaging knight in his castle, yet he can't blame the knight for it. He can only imagine how it feels to wake up in a world you don't know, with faces that you've never seen, chained for a crime you know naught of.
Beside Alduin, surrounding him like fleas to a wolf, are the Councilors of Hyrule. At one point, early in Zelda's reign, there were twelve councilors; one Hylian representative from each province of Hylia (Lanayru, Faron, and Eldin), one representative from the Gorons, Gerudo, and Zora, the five Ministry chairs (Military (General Auru), Peasantry, Nobility, Commerce, and Environment) and Zelda herself. Since Alduin's reign, the number hasn't shifted but the placement has. Since Gerudo ceased affairs with Hylia, that council seat was vacated. To his left stands the provincial councilors: Darunuk of the Goron, Ralisia of the Zora, Renad of Eldin, Talonuis of Lanayru, and Fledge of Faron. On the other side are four of the Ministry Chairs: Malo of Commerce, Kafeu of Peasantry, Jovani of Nobility, and Commander Shad of Environment. To his direct left stands Sahasrahla, Hyrule's most pious and knowledgable man as he oversees the religion and history of the land. To his right, where Zelda should be standing, is Impa in her stead. Since Alduin deemed that Joshua can deal with Gerudo affairs, for now, he allowed Impa (or more so demanded) that she attends, but on the notion that only he will question the prisoner.
Colin and Karene aimed to drop the captive on his knees at the end of the carpet, but Aalduin holds them from doing so. As the Ordonians step back, the king takes his seat and interlocks his fingers in thought as his green eyes glare at the Dragon Knight. Never has he, or anyone in this room, conducted an interrogation such as this. Not even the absent Zelda or Link. Maybe Joshua has, but he has his own problems to deal with. How does one begin… Alduin decides with a simple conversation, with a piece of information Impa so kindly decided to give him. "Aquamenta, that is your name, correct?" The man doesn't respond, but perks up at the mention of his name, Alduin notices. Could it be… "Pipit, have you spoken to the man at all?"
Pipit nods. "Yes, sire."
"How well has he responded?"
"Not vocally. I don't know if he understands us or not."
Alduin sighs and turns to Sahasrahla. "We know the other knights can speak Modern Hylian. Is there a spell to translate my language to his, and vice versa?"
"The most ancient I can get is close to the Era of Sky. I don't know if their Hyrulean reflects ours, but I'm sure Skyloftian is a common ground for us and them."
"I hope so. We did send Zelda there, after all. Perform the spell."
"I wouldn't worry. She's adept enough in that tongue and has the Triforce of Wisdom. She'll be fine." Alduin neither agrees or disagrees with the historian, only focusing on the slight glow around Aquamenta's ears, the same heat pricking his ears too. Once the spell vanishes, Alduin makes a second attempt.
"Aquamenta, that is your name, correct?"
"Yes." Murmurs spread throughout the room. Alduin doesn't know if Aquamenta spoke in the modern tongue or more than one person understands Skyloftian, but whatever is the reason, Alduin quells it with his hand. Once silence resumes, he continues.
"My name is Alduin Paarthurnax Tamriel, King of Hyrule. Every blade of grass out there, every drop of water in the lakes and rivers, every chunk of rock, that is my domain. It is their domain. It was once your home."
Aquamenta looks down in confusion. "I know not a Hyrule. The land I come from is called Génesi."
"Génesi, huh? Sahasrahla, you might get something out of this yet. As for you, Aquamenta, I suspect our worlds are one and the same. Look up. Do those figures look familiar?" Alduin points to the stained glass far above the throne, depicting the three goddesses, the people of the land, and the center of it all, the Triforce. As if the creator respected the legends, the Hero and Princess stand underneath the Triforce, though a certain important figure is missing. Yet Alduin watches as familiarity embraces Aquamenta's face. "The goddesses. The Triforce. The hero. Thousands of years have shaped this land in more ways than you can count, but that has stuck." He points to Impa and Darunuk. "Even the Gorons and Sheikah stuck around to this day, as they were around in yours. But the evils of your world are far different than ours...well, actually, not that different at all."
"Your Majesty," Councilor Jovani calls out, "shouldn't we be questioning his intent for-"
"Councilor Jovani," Alduin venomously calls back while flashing his green eyes at the Nobility chair, "shut up." Jovani backs down, but not without some mumbling that Alduin will take care to address at the next meeting. "As I was saying, the evils of our world are not so different. If I am correct, your world was at peace until dragonkind descended from the sky and, quite literally, rained hellfire. You trusted in Hylia, who came down from heaven and fought alongside you. You trusted in the Hero, Hylia's chosen warrior. Yet they were nothing compared to you and your kin, the Dragon Knights. You won the war, yet was betrayed by those you trusted most. A horrible ordeal...one that hasn't been learned by us today." Alduin watches as Impa frowns at the final sentence. Yes, he aimed it at her, but not because of yesterday. She knows he means of Joshua and how everyone handed Lana instead of him the Triforce of Power, of Link and the vote Impa cast that made Alduin king, of Zelda and how she calls to the men at the first sign of trouble. If Alduin didn't need them to work together, he would enjoy the brewing tensions.
Aquamenta's eyes are still on the mural, Alduin seeing the knight's anger rising. "Hylia… Link… The dragons… They took my power away from me, sealed me and my kin away. You said it's been thousands of years… It feels like yesterday."
"We know of three of your kin. Morpheus found you. There's also Dodonga and Volga, though from what I've heard, he replaced the original Knight of Fire. Four of you are free from eternal damnation...one of you is here, while the others exact their revenge. I'm sure you know of this. After all, you are Aquamenta, the leader and strongest of the knights, the Dragon of Time."
"Indeed," the knight growls.
Alduin smiles as he leans back in his chair. "I understand all too well. The gods, Din, Farore, and Nayru… Fools, we are, to worship them." The expected clamor takes place. From shouts of surprise to defensive anger, the throne room erupts at Alduin's claim. Even the Royal Guard, expected to stand at attention the entire, loses their composure. At this, he stands up and holds his hands to call for quiet. It takes a long moment, longer than Alduin desired, but silence resumes. "As you can see, Aquamenta, these people are religious. Say anything against heaven and they'll enact hell on your ears. But, my friend, you actually have a valid reason for wanting to burn this land. You saved it and your payment was damnation. You and I, we're the same."
Aquamenta chuckles as he finally looks at the king. "Are we? I do not remember my true name, but I remember my life before the war. I was a farmer, had a family, friends, a community. Peace was all we knew. Then, one day, hell came from above. We weren't ground zero for the arrival of the kings, but for the arrival of war. Aquamentus, the Dragon King, he razed my home himself. Everyone but me died. No, I died there too. My humanity died that day, yet my soul desired vengeance. For eight years we fought a losing battle, then Hylia, Link, Impania, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, they joined us yet it did nothing but equalize us with the seven strongest dragons. Yet I believed in them, and so did the other six. So we volunteered to become hybrids. Seven warriors, both man and beast, and with our power, we took flight. We took the dragons down. I killed Aquamentus and stole his name. We won the war, became heroes...but as much as we were human, we were becoming dragons. We desired a worthy fight. We became hunters, mercenaries, brawlers, whatever we could be to sate our thirst for battle. It was hell for us. In the end, we became what we sought to destroy as we challenged Hylia to battle. She agreed to fight us, even offering up her divinity...but it was all a lie! She, the hero, the lapdog, the other dragons, they stole my power and trapped us forever! And now, as everything comes back to me, my anger boils. Where is Her fucking Grace now? Where is she?"
Alduin chuckles. "In one way, she's dead. She gave up her immortality years after sealing your lot away because the of the devil himself slew the hero. However," he points up to the glass, "in another case, she lives. Nine times has she lived since your time, reincarnating alongside Link to fight the good fight against evil. How bloody ironic, she gave up immortality yet her soul is as immortal as they come. That's because they are liars and deceivers." He cuts his eyes to Pipit. "No god is all-powerful, no god is all good. They just sit back and watch as heroes after heroes, evil after evil, war after war ruins the land. Then when they do come down, they unleash more destruction. Your war, Aquamenta. The war between light and dark that births the premise of the Era of Twilight. The other world, when the gods drowned Hyrule. Their intervention is just as catastrophic as their disregard. Even in my own life… I have learned this."
With the room silent around him, Alduin takes off his crown and sets it on his lap again. "Let me tell you my tale, Aquamenta. I am a Tamriel, one of the oldest houses of Hyrule. I do not know how old, but of the noble houses now, I'm sure we're one of them. But my family is low on the noble standing. I do not know why, but it is the way it is. As such, my father, Akatosh, raised me to be a simple nobleman, yet also as a peasant. He taught me the sword, he taught me reading and writing, how to raise crops and animals. Do I know why? No. I believe he saw potential in me. I will never know. Thirteen years ago, when I was fifteen years old, bandits raided my family's village of Whiterun, down in the Eldin province in Central Hyrule Field. I was out with a childhood friend of mine, Lydia, gazing at the night sky. She was the daughter of one of the farmers, so because I helped with farming a lot, we would meet up almost every day. She was the first girl I loved...and those bandits… Those who we were able to protect did nothing but pray to the gods, asking for protection, and I was one of them. I devoted myself to them as any other Hylian, but when I needed them, the leader of the bandits had Lydia. We had gotten separated in the confusion, so seeing her with him enraged me. But I continued to pray and pray and pray and pray because Father raised me to believe and trust in the gods. That when we call on them for help, they would come. They blessed our family for generations with peace and prosperity, year after year, decade after decade. My father never recalled a season of drought, neither did my grandfather or his father. But, at the moment I needed them most...where were they?"
"Your Majesty." Impa's sharp tone gains Alduin's attention. He looks to her on his right0 and around him, not realizing he's now standing, staring up to the stained glass. His crown, his symbol of power, lies at the feet of the Dragon Knight. He must've begun to rant, yet his story is not yet finished.
"I managed to save her by shooting an arrow between the eyes of the leader, but she had already suffered a major wound. We rallied and killed every single one of them. But the damage was done. It took us an entire year to get Whiterun back on its feet. I lost Lydia, my father fell to sickness, so I suffered much. Then the war came. By that time, I was lord of Whiterun. I realized where the gods were, they were planning Hyrule's next cataclysm. That's when I learned this truth. The gods either don't care for us, or they've totally abandoned us." Opening his eyes, Alduin looks at Aquamenta, stepping down to his level. "So I decided that, if the gods won't protect Hyrule, then a man should. Not the gods who became men, or the man who has the respect of gods. No, every religion has its figure who is a man born a man whose life is made trouble by gods and demons. Yet, through all adversity, he rises to the top. I am that man. I rose from being a low-ranked lord to the king. Unlike some nobles, I had nothing to gain, all to lose. I didn't promise Zelda wealth, power, or whatever they offer in a bid for marriage. I never intended to truly love Her Highness at all, yet I do while she… I brought three years of peace to Hyrule, we've finished rebuilding from the war with Cia and Ganondorf, and just as normality returns to my land, your kin arrives. Volga, Dodonga, Morpheus. Your people threaten the peace I've built. You people threaten my mission. As I have said, the evils of your world are not much different from mine. Your evil came from the heavens and so does ours. Your fight was with dragons, our fight is with dragon-men. You and me, Aquamenta, we are very much the same."
Aquamenta growls threateningly as Alduin sizes him up. "And what are you, some low-life noble, are going to do? You have no power of your own."
"I have a very angry Sheikah right behind me. I have the descendant of Hyrule's greatest enemy and a powerful witch preparing for a rematch against your brothers. I have my best swords right behind you. I have my great general leading my great soldiers. And somewhere, lost in time, I have them." Alduin points up to the stained glass, at the Princess and Hero. "I don't trust the gods, but I trust these men and women. I am putting my faith in the Hyrule Warriors, into the Hyrulean Army, into all of us. We don't need the gods when we have each other. You want your revenge against the gods?" Alduin turns around, feigning walking back to his throne, but just as quickly as he takes the second step, he draws his sword and cuts through Aquamenta's armor. To the surprise of many, including the knight himself, Aquamenta gasps as blood pools from the wound and drops to his knees. Alduin steps back, flashing his steel blade. "Dovahkiin. That's the name of my family's most precious heirloom. It cuts through all armor, magical or not. Seems your armor is susceptible." Alduin kneels down to Aquamenta's level, taking the Dragon Knight's hand. "You want your revenge against the gods? You shall meet them soon enough, but not today.."
Aquamenta glances up at Alduin, snarling in pain. "You say we are the same? Then... Once the scales are assembled, I hope time is on your side!"
Alduin scoffs and gestures for Ordon Unit to come closer. "We're done here." Pipit and Ralph grabs Aquamenta, shuffling the wounded, enraged knight out the throne room. Alduin returns to his seat, looking at the various faces gazing at him. "Leave. Except for Impa, everyone else leave." It takes some time before the room is left to Impa and Alduin, but once the last noble and soldier exits the room, the king rises again. "Impa."
"Alduin."
"Any reports?"
"Dodonga, Volga, Morpheus, and two other knights were spotted about five minutes ago passing in proximity to Eldin's Bridge. That's between Kakariko and here, in the direction of Gerudo."
"So they're en route to the desert. Good. What of our people and the Gerudo?"
"Auru just arrived at the border. The Gerudo are posing as a force to us, but Joshua has the majority of his soldiers back in the capital on evac and standby. Lana has joined him as well."
Alduin sighs with some relief. "Everything is going well. But Impa... I don't care what you must do, you must win. I don't care how you do it, you must win. I don't care for politics right now, you must win. We had them tricked now, for now." He reaches inside his robe and takes out a yellow scale. "We don't know if Aquamenta could have sensed it since his magic was cut off, but we do know that his kin cannot, or else they'll be coming here. So whatever you do, end the Dragon Knights, because we know where their final destination is, whether it is for this or for their leader."
Impa nods. "Yes, Your Majesty...but what is your plan for Aquamenta? He said something to you in his native tongue."
Alduin turns away, shrugging his shoulders. "I got enough to worry about… Is there anything to report?"
Before Impa can speak, a soldier hurriedly bursts into the throne room. Exhausted, he shouts from his fallen position by the doors. "Your Majesty! We have a problem!"
Gerudo Desert
Joshua stands on the outer north wall of his city, gazing at the empty sand plains. Where his domain meets Zelda's lies their respective armies standing in a "tense" stalemate. The story produced around the villages close to the desert is that the Gerudo have the final scale needed for the Dragon Knights, and that Hylia is "aggressively" threatening to use force if the Gerudo doesn't give up the scale willingly. In response, the Gerudo are taking it as an act of war. General Auru concocted this plan perfectly, for it gave their side time to get the scale to Alduin. With confirmation that the Knights cannot detect the scale from afar, Joshua now watches the sky for signs of the true enemy.
With the Magic Rod in his right hand, he feels the joined elements of lightning and fire circulating within. He'll set aside his trident for now in place of the more familiar weapon, as the situation he's now in feels just as familiar as the invasion of Cia. The only difference now is that he's personally prepared and so is Hyrule as a whole.
"Joshua." Riju steps up beside him, the Second twirling a single scimitar in her sword hand. "Buliara just checked in. They just flew over the border, not even stopping to see why we're fighting."
"Very well. This is the battle. There will be no retreat like last time."
Riju sheathes her blade and leans on the top of the wall. "Permission to speak freely?"
"You're my Second, you always have such permission."
She chuckles. "Not as that, but as the only person who might be your friend."
Joshua clicks his tongue but nods nevertheless."Proceed."
"Having her here is bad. Now I trust you know what you're doing, and Lana did help us out once...but how can we look at her as an ally when we also see the face of the enemy?"
"I am with you, Riju." Josh lowers himself with a sigh. "As much as I know Lana is there, there's also Cia. I want to believe that this 'Lanacia' is more of the White Sorceress than the Black Witch, yet… I've been burned by both. So believe me, I know how you feel. I do not trust her in this operation. I barely trust Impa as of now. I trust only one woman in this world, and that's every last Gerudo out there and right beside me. Everyone else, whether a Dragon Knight or a Knight of Hyrule, treat them as an enemy, one way or another." Joshua turns to his left, hearing the footsteps of Lana incoming. Riju dismisses herself as the Guardian of Time steps to the Gerudo King. Standing back up, he takes a glance at Lana's tome. It looks and feels the same as yesterday's but the power within contains an additional element.
Cia's darkness mixed with Lana's lightning.
He ignores his tense feeling for greater trouble. "They're here."
"Dodonga, Volga, Morpheus, and two of the females, right? They're not heading for Aquamenta?"
"He's powerless right now. Unlike his kin, his power cannot regenerate with the elements. Even if he did have some abilities, their objective is to free his true power from the scales. That is what brings them here. Now if only we can-" Joshua and Lana's senses spike in their heads, warning them of a flicker of light in the sky. They barely dodge and take cover as the bolt of light magic bombards their position.
"Joshua, look!" They look up from their hiding spots to see the first female Dragon Knight in the sky above the north oasis. With a bow in her hand, she fires once again the arrow of light splitting into multiple smaller arrows. Lana raises up and produces a barrier, blocking the arrows directed at her while Joshua deflects them with a spiraling dragon flame.
"The Light Dragon Knight." Joshua looks to Lana, angrily letting his power spill out around him, but not leaping directly into Focus Spirit. She looks okay, so Joshua turns his attention to the situation. "Riju, one of them is here. Find her allies and-"
An enormous amount of power erupts from the eastern side of the city, temporarily disrupting communications between Josh and Riju. When the disruption returns to normal, Riju's voice immediately blares in his head. "Joshua, there's another female Knight here! She just summoned a sandstorm!"
"Sandstorm? Mogera. Have you seen the male knights?"
"No, just these two."
"Joshua!" Lana points towards the sky, just as a funnel of sand soars over the city. The pair direct fire and lightning-based attacks towards the swirl, but both are repelled as the wind zips down to them. Lana creates barriers in the path of the attack, but each is broken through easily before impacting a barrier close to the pair. The attack circles around them but doesn't hit, so once the attack is gone, Lana and Josh uncover their eyes to see the one responsible for their salvation.
Joshua sighs, though he doesn't know if it's in relief or annoyance to see three familiar blondes. "About time, although you're stealing thunder as usual."
Zelda turns around as Nayru's Love vanishes. "And you're handling the situation your way, as usual."
Joshua smirks and steps up to the trio of Link, Zelda, and Linkle. "Well, we can talk later, we have an issue at the North Oasis in the sky there and over there at the South Oasis. There's a sandstorm dividing my forces from the city and the Arbiter's Ground formed by-"
"The Wind Dragon Knight," Link interrupts to Joshua's surprise. "Yeah, we know them by their special abilities.".
Lana laughs at the king's confusion. "That saves us some introducing. Her name is Mogera, and that one up there is Glero, the Knight of Light."
"So shall we split up?" Linkle asks. "Link and Joshua are better suited for Mogera while us girls take care of Glero and her bow." The others nod and prepare to go their ways but Lana stops Joshua.
"Hey, have you been able to get in touch with Impa?"
"No, I haven't thought of it. Why?"
"Because I'm unable to."
Alarmed, Joshua closes his eyes and begins to focus on Impa's presence outside the desert. He doesn't get far. "You're right. There's something wrong. Hold on." He tries again barely able to sense people at the border, so as he checks there, he finds the commanding officer of his forces, Buliara. "Buliara, what is going on? The Knights are here but only two of them."
"Your Majesty…monsters...at border...three of them...Hyrule...Castletown!"
Hyrule Castle
Aquamenta is pushed into his cell rolling on the cold floor as Ralph shuts the cell door. "Enjoy your stay."
"I will enjoy it." Ralph and Ashei pause as they hear Aquamenta's jovial speech. Turning back, they see the knight snickering.
"What's so funny, yeah?"
"That you believe you have won. That you believe this cell can hold me. Sure, my power is dampened quite a bit, but you forget that I was once on the league of gods. I did what Hylia couldn't. Do you think these chains and this cell is beyond me? It's only a matter of time." As he says that, the ground begins to quake violently, causing the two soldiers to fall on the ground. Aquamenta, however, holds his position with ease. "Dodonga and the others shall be here soon enough. Your vasiliás told me everything, except for the small bit that he possessed a scale. Probably thought it was safe here with me in those anti-magic chains. But my power is the greatest of the Dragon Knights, and in a short time, I shall have my revenge."
Ashei grits her teeth and rises to her feet, then help Ralph to his. "Ralph, get to your squad and protect the king! I'll rally the soldiers!"
"Yes ma'am." Before he follows the commander, Ralph turns to the wounded, caged, calmly sitting knight. "You're not going to win."
Aquamenta chuckles to himself as the humans leave the dungeons. "That's what the dragons once said."
