Treacherous Intentions

By: dontwaitupxx


Chapter Ten


The great bell chimed precisely at seven in the morning. Everyone in the entire castle was already present, standing in observation. King Rhoam had made it quite clear that everyone was to be in attendance this morning, from servants all the way to Royal Advisors. The entire castle knew better than to ignore a summons from their King. The sun shined brightly from the east, with not a cloud in the sky, and birds all around chirped their good mornings.

Link stood just behind and to the left of the Princess and her father. They were on a balcony, intended for the Royal Family as they looked out onto the courtyard below. This courtyard was generally used for celebrations, for parties and gatherings and the like. Yet today, Link noticed with a sly sort of smile, it was being used for a different sort of celebration.

It really was a beautiful day for a beheading.

The executioner stood on a stone platform in the center of the courtyard, sharpening a sizable and weighty axe. The weapon shined brightly, and Link could see even from his vantage point how well cared for the axe was – it's blade sharp and reinforced. Link felt a sense of appreciation towards the man: not many took such refined care of their weaponry.

The girl was brought out bound in shackles, a gag tied around her mouth, and her face streaked with tearstains. The entire castle was in observance of this execution: It was clear to Link that King Rhoam meant to make an example of her.

His lips coiled upwards.

The small girl couldn't have been any older than thirteen or fourteen. It was tragic, he supposed, the way things had turned out. Tragic, yet necessary. When he had tossed the bloodied knife into her chest after killing his clan brother, he hadn't put two and two together that the Commander would have found it in her search, or that she would blame the dainty little thing for it.

For shame, too: it was so hard to get good handmaidens nowadays.

In front of him, Link could see the Princess's shoulders shaking; whether it was in anger or anguish he wasn't sure, nor did he quite care. The accusation had been simple: the handmaiden, assigned to the Princess, had been found guilty of being of the Yiga Clan, due to the knife in question being found in her chest.

Link remembered hearing the handmaiden's cries as she was dragged from the servant's quarters. He had just returned from the Gerudo Desert with the Princess. The Princess, just following the Yiga attacks, had panicked, and demanded to be taken back to Hyrule Castle at once. The Yiga could be anywhere, she had said, and she would much rather be within the walls of Hyrule Castle, than out in the open Gerudo Desert. Against his better judgment, and the demands of his King, he had obliged. Truth be told, he was still reeling from the Yiga attack in the desert, and was in no state to argue with her. However, the timing of their return could not have been better.

As they returned from the desert and entered the heart of the castle, the Commander Impa had quickly intercepted them, in an attempt to spare the Princess from the screams. It had been music to his ears, and yet it had snapped something from deep inside the Princess, as she ran after the guards apprehending her maid – her friend, as she had called her – and had to be restrained by the Commander.

It would seem that the lockdown had just been lifted.

The execution was really nonnegotiable. Her handmaiden assisted the Princess with everything: with dressing, with bathing, and was in her quarters frequently. Had they waited even one more day, her handmaiden could have assassinated her with the very same blade used to kill the Yiga Clansman down in the lockup. She could have finished the job that the three Yiga Foot Soldiers had started not a day prior in the Gerudo Desert.

Yes, it was really in the Princess's best interest that this girl be executed.

The girl was brought up to the stone platform, and when the girl became face to face with the executioner, her cries rang true throughout the courtyard. Commander Impa was nearby, her face stony and impassive, as the girl was forced onto her knees, her neck pushed down, a basket placed below it.

Whether or not the Commander believed him to be the second brother was inconsequential at this point, and she knew it: with that dagger found in the girl's chest, it laid indisputable evidence on her from the perspective of the King. With no evidence to back up her claim, she too, had to back the Crown's decisions.

The Commander's voice rang clear throughout the courtyard, "This girl has been found guilty of high treason, of conspiring with the Yiga Clan. She is found guilty of tampering with evidence, espionage, homicide, and of planning to assassinate the Princess of Hyrule. For this treason, she is sentenced to die by beheading.

"Let this serve as a warning to all of you: those who conspire with the Yiga Clan, those who go against the Goddess Hylia, and those who downright plot against the Royal Family will face the same, if not worse, punishment that you will see here today. There will be no leniency; no second chances," Commander Impa turned towards the girl, her face blank, impassive, "May the Goddess Hylia have mercy on you."

With that, Commander Impa nodded towards the executioner, and from below their balcony, drums began to roll. In front of him, Link saw the Princess begin to shake again. She had to watch: she was the Princess of Hyrule, and she had to back the Crown's decisions.

The drums grew in crescendo, as the birds chirped cheerfully in the air. Then, the executioner swung his axe behind him, and then up and over, the force of the axe going down, down, down, until it sliced cleanly through the girl's neck.

The courtyard was silent, and all heard as the Princess of Hyrule cried out, her head snapping away from the scene. Her eyes were screwed shut, tears rolling down her face, as she tried to hide herself away from the horror.

To look away was a sign of weakness, or worse: of remorse. It could be viewed as a sign of treason.

Sadly, no one would think the Princess of Hyrule treasonous. Wouldn't that be an interesting turn of events?

The next moment had her running, away from the scene – away from her deceased friend. Commander Impa looked up into the Royal Family's balcony, a stony, yet sad look upon her, as the executioner lifted his axe from the platform, the shining metal dripping with dark, red blood in the early morning sun.

It really was a beautiful day for a beheading.

The next couple of weeks went by without much consequence for Link. He and the Princess had been scheduled to make their way up to Zora's Domain to see Mipha and look over her Divine Beast, but seeing as the Princess would hardly leave her room following her handmaiden's execution, that trip was postponed indefinitely.

Indefinitely worked well for the Yiga Clan and Calamity Ganon. Let the Princess spend her last couple of months pouting prior to the Demon King's return.

Because of this, Link found that he actually had a bit more time to himself, and did not have to spend the entirety of it stationed outside of the Princess's chambers. He had an entire rotation of the Royal Guard to do that, and so he found himself actually being able to fulfill his role as Captain of the Royal Guard: train his knights, develop new training regiments, and sneak into the King's study to apprehend information for the Yiga Clan.

Certainly, that was part of the job description.

Truth be told, he wasn't able to find much. It looked as though many of the documents he had seen in there had been moved elsewhere, and most of what he found was inconsequential to the clan's efforts.

The Yiga Clan did not need to know about the King's innermost thoughts from his diary.

And then, later on, something bizarre happened.

Link was summoned to the Commander's study.

Naturally, he was kicking himself for being so sloppy. Of course someone probably saw him sneaking into the King's study. How was he going to explain his way out of this one?

The Commander's study was located just above the second gatehouse. As Link let himself into the small study, he was genuinely surprised that the Commander didn't greet him with his face pressed up against the stone, and his arm twisted behind his back. Instead, she sat at her desk, cradling her head in her hands, as she pondered over a document in front of her.

She gestured for him to have a seat in a small chair across from her desk. The room was quiet, and overlooked the small grounds beneath them where the Royal Guard often trained, always in sight of their Commander. She looked up at him then, a blank, weary look on her face, and for the first time he had ever seen, her fiery red eyes were dulled.

"I must apologize," Commander Impa began, "for the way that I have regarded you in the last few months since you have pulled the Master Sword."

Well, this certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.

"In light of recent events," the Commander continued, "I can see now that I had only been seeing what I had wanted to see. Because of this, I had almost been blind to not one, but two traitors within the castle, and had it not been for your quick thinking out in the Gerudo Desert, the Princess would very well be dead. Not every knight would have been able to hold their own against three Yiga Foot Soldiers with not so much as a scratch, and seeing as you performed your duty faithfully to the Princess, I must thank you."

This blasted Sheikah was apologizing to him. This foolish Commander was thanking him.

Oh, things were just getting better and better.

"It is an honor to serve the Princess of Hyrule and that of the Royal Family," Link responded, his face set in perfect neutrality, "and I will do so until the day the Calamity Ganon is defeated or my blade falls."

"May Hylia guide you," Commander Impa actually bowed, standing up to show him out, "Should you ever need any additional support, know that you have mine and that of the entire Hyrulean Royal Army."

Link nodded, returning the bow more out of protocol than anything, and walked out.

In this, Link failed to notice the inferno and sharpness return to the Commander's eyes, the way she focused on him: watching his every move.

Link descended the stairs from the second gatehouse, making his way towards the other side of the castle, towards the Guard's Chambers. He had a report that needed finishing before the end of the month, regarding his Royal Guard. It would seem that some knights were becoming too skilled – too adept in their training, and it certainly wouldn't do to have their talents wasted here, at Hyrule Castle. Certainly, they would be a much better fit for a garrison up in the Hebra region, or in the Gerudo Highlands.

Someplace far away from him and the Princess.

Yes, a transfer was certainly in order, and he planned to word it as a strongly recommended promotion to captain a remote garrison. With Commander Impa now trusting in him, and having the entire Hyrulean Royal Army at his disposal, as well as being the Hylian Champion and Captain of the Royal Guard, he certainly believed that he had enough weight so that his actions would not be questioned.

"Captain!"

Good grief, what now?

Link spun around on his heel, his cold blue eyes leveling one of his knights of his Royal Guard, who was making his way over towards him with haste. Link didn't make a point of learning his knight's names, but this man's name was just on the tip of his tongue. Actually, he was one of the men that he needed to transfer out of Central Hyrule. Too strong… too burly. His named rhymed with an animal, that much he was sure. Was his name Goose? Moose?

Did it even matter?

"What is it?" Link sighed, running a hand through his hair, where a small headache was beginning to form. He really didn't have time for idle conversation in the midst of all of his work. The Princess would eventually call on him again.

"The Princess calls for you."

So much for that.

"Did she say what for?" Link asked.

"No," the knight responded, "But she did tell me to prepare both her horse and yours for a trip out towards the North Hyrule Plain."

This man was about as bright as a bag of bricks. Clearly, the Princess was planning a trip out towards the Royal Ancient Lab. Perhaps, with how dumb this man was, a transfer was not required.

It wasn't as though Link was going to have time that day anymore to send out the recommendation.

Link made his way up the winding staircases towards the Princess's tower, noting dryly that it really had been a while since he had seen her; just about two weeks. It had been a wonderful break away from the insufferable thing, but he supposed he did have his mission he still had to carry out. Couldn't exactly do that if he never saw her.

Then, as it just so happened, he rounded the corner leading to her quarters, and very nearly smacked into the Princess of Hyrule herself, who was donned in her riding gear and Champion's tunic, with the Sheikah Slate attached firmly to her hip.

Surprisingly, she looked almost relieved to see him, her features softening to something almost akin to a smile, "Oh good, you're here! We haven't a moment to lose."

Link followed quickly behind her, keeping his pace to match hers, so he was a few paces behind her at all times, "Where are we headed, Princess?" Link asked, even though he knew exactly where they were going.

"The Royal Ancient Lab to see Purah and Robbie," the Princess said over her shoulder, though she refused to meet his eyes, "They said that they made a discovery about how the Guardians work."

"I'll be sure to bring my shield, then," Link said, dryly, a sly look on his face, catching the Princess's eye.

"Oh, there will be no need for that," the Princess admonished, a small smile creeping on her face, "but feel free to bring it with you, if only to appease my father and to make you feel better. The Guardians are on our side."

They made their way out into the Hyrule Fields, to the ranch where their horses were kept. True to the knight's word – Bruce? Caboose? He felt like he was getting colder – their horses had been prepared for them, and with a swift squeeze on Storm's sides, the Princess was off in a gentle trot, off towards the northeast.

Link clicked his tongue, following behind the Princess on Epona. The Princess seemed to be in better spirits than she had been in a long time, especially with him. She made idle small talk, which was more than she had ever even attempted with him, and Link had to wonder briefly if she were sick.

Especially because she was heading the wrong way.

They were just outside of Castle Town, on the side nearest the cathedral, and though Link had never been to the Royal Ancient Lab before, he definitely knew that it was on the other side of the moat.

"Uh, Princess," Link called ahead, as the Princess just trotted away on Storm towards the Hyrule Forest Park, "Aren't we going the wrong way? The lab is towards the northwest, isn't it?"

"It is," the Princess affirmed, squeezing the sides of her horse to bring Storm up to a canter.

What the hell was the Princess up to?

He responded in retaliation to the Princess, bringing Epona up to a canter and bringing her side by side with Storm, "Princess, where are we going? The lab is back that way. Aren't Purah and Robbie expecting you?"

"Purah and Robbie aren't even here," the Princess responded, sparing him a glance backwards with a roguish look in her eyes, "They're back at the castle."

"But didn't you say that they were doing a Guardian experiment there? That they figured out how they work?"

"You should know as well as I do that Guardian experiments are done strictly at Hyrule Castle," the Princess said, her eyes shifting for a moment towards the castle, "And as for how they work, if you must know, they are powered by an ancient core, the inner mechanisms of that specifically being something that we are still studying. However, I found this out weeks ago."

"Then what are we doing out here on the opposite side of the moat?"

"Taking a break."

"Taking a break?"

"Precisely."

"I don't understand."

The Princess sighed, slowing her horse as she looked back towards the castle. They were stopped now, just on the outskirts of the Rauru Settlement, and the Princess turned to look at him, a glint in her eye, "In my childhood books, stories tell of the spirits of the forest, of the childlike Koroks that live within the Korok Forest. I know it's all myth and fairytale, but one of my tomes suggested a sighting of one of these creatures on the slopes of Eldin, above the Minshi Woods. I wanted to check it out."

Link was confused, "But then why tell everyone that we were heading to the Royal Ancient Lab?"

"It was the only way I could get out of the castle," the Princess said, "Father would never allow me to follow a lead on a whimsical and mythical creature, and though he does not think kindly on me tinkering with the Guardians and the Ancient Sheikah relics, he does permit it. My entire life is to be spent devoting myself to the Goddess, he says. It's enough to drive me mad. Sometimes, I just cannot stand to be in there any longer. It has always been told to me that the castle is a stronghold meant to keep the bad people out. What has never been told to me, but has always been made clear, is that it is also meant to keep Princesses in," she sighed, moving her horse into a slow trot, "Thus, I told father I was needed at the Royal Ancient Lab for a Guardian experiment."

"But… doesn't your father know that Guardian experiments are done strictly at Hyrule Castle?"

"I never said he was smart enough to put two and two together."

Ah, finally – something both he and the Princess could agree on.

At this, the Princess looked at him again, the mirth in her eyes overflowing as her lips turned upwards in a mischievous grin.

They moved onwards, and left their horses at the Woodland Stable. The excursion wouldn't take long, the Princess had promised him – just an afternoon atop the slopes beneath Death Mountain, and, by the Princess's calculations, where they were going, it wouldn't nearly be hot enough for their clothing to catch on fire, or for them to need any fireproof elixirs.

Oh, joy.

They travelled onwards, on an eastern trail above the Pico Pond. This trail, Link knew, was only marked on a map to a point, before the way became treacherous, littered with monsters and perilous slopes. From his memory, the trail was mainly comprised of Lizalfos, with the occasional Moblin or two – nothing to cause any worry over. He made sure to walk behind the Princess, lest she fall and begin to slide backwards.

That, and the view was not half bad, either.

He kept an eye out ahead for signs of any monsters, scouting for any threats. The Princess breathed in a heavy sigh, as they began their trek up the mountainside, the greenery of the pond turning into rocky outcroppings, "The past couple of weeks I have been stuck in vicious cycle, of not wanting to leave the comforts of my room but also wanting desperately for a change of scenery, "she confided, falling backwards so she could walk side by side with him, "I also wanted some privacy with you so that way I could properly apologize."

She was apologizing? Two apologies in one day: first the Commander and now the Princess? How in the world did he get so lucky?

Link honestly had half a mind to tell the Princess to save her breath.

"Firstly, I wanted to thank you," the Princess began, "For saving me from the Yiga Clan. I did nothing to warrant or deserve that."

"I swore an oath to you," Link responded, and it was the truth, "I did nothing more than what was expected of me."

"Yes, but I have treated you so horridly," the Princess said, "I would like to formally apologize, for everything I have done to you, every way I have treated you. I had every intention of speaking to you and apologizing once we had arrived back to Hyrule Castle… but then… with my friend's execution…" her voice broke on the last word, turning her head away slightly. She looked up towards the sky, blinking back tears, as she continued, "I really just didn't want to see anyone. I really didn't want to do anything, as much as I desperately needed to get out of the castle.

"I know I haven't exactly made your role as my knight very easy," the Princess said, softly, "But I am sorry, and I hope that you can forgive me," the Princess said, her eyes twinkling, "What do you say?"

Then, the glint of a blade, and Link's instincts kicked in as he pushed Zelda out of the way, as a spear from a Lizalfo cut through the air, where she had been not a second prior.

The Master Sword was out in his hand before he even realized it. He was getting distracted, he thought, not having even noticed the loud, croaking noises, which gave away a Lizalfo's position. He kept the Princess behind him, his eyes darting around the canyon as he tried to spot any other lingering monsters. To his relief, he found that it was just this lone Lizalfo in the area, but he did not let that comfort him. Where there was one monster, there was always more.

The Lizalfo kept its distance, jumping from side to side, surveying its enemy. Lizalfos were more predictable than they thought they were, and as if on cue, the monster scurried forward, its spear tucked close as it prepared to strike.

The Lizalfo was dead on the ground in three swift strikes from the Master Sword, and a quick survey told him that the monster must have wandered off from his pack. For the time being, the coast was clear.

The Princess let go of the breath she had been holding, a small laugh bubbling out from her chest, "That monster just came out of nowhere, didn't he?"

"So long as his pack is just as predictable as him, we should be fine the rest of the way up."

The rest of the way up the mountainside was indeed met with the occasional Lizalfo. They were not strategic to be so far away from one another, but Link wasn't there to critique their battle strategies. He was there to protect the Princess.

What had his life come to?

Sure, they were technically agents of Calamity Ganon, and Link himself was an ally to them. However, these monsters were not intelligent, and did not distinguish between any regular Hylian and of the Yiga Clan, and so when it came down to succeeding in his mission and keeping his life, he didn't mind doing so with a flick of his wrist, and a bloodied blade.

A few Lizalfos later and a couple of nearly twisted ankles from the Princess, they made it to the top of the peak. They were venturing close to sunset now, and from their vantage point, had a spectacular view of Hyrule Castle on one side of the Hylia River, and of the Great Hyrule Forest on the other side, its cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

The Princess looked distraught, looking down at her Sheikah Slate and then back up towards the view, "These are the coordinates from my tome, but I don't see what we are supposed to be looking for," She looked down towards the ground, and for the first time that day, a sour look crossed her face, "Well, it looks like we weren't the only ones here. Look at these stones!"

Looking down, Link could see what the Princess was talking about. Various stones had been placed in a startling near perfect circle at the base of the peak, with all but two stones missing, "It looks as though some kids already made their way up here. They must have scared the spirits away, and then left in the middle of a game."

"What should we do now?" Link asked, eager to make his way back down the mountain. His palms itched, and the wind shifted, a foul scent on the breeze as the sun made its course down towards the horizon. Something didn't feel right to him, and he did not want to stick around to find out.

The Princess sighed, placing the Sheikah Slate back on her hip, "Well, there's no use in staying up here if what we're looking for is long gone. We should begin heading back…" Suddenly, her face drained of color, as her eyes blew wide open. To her left, Link could see what looked to be the shadow of a figure, with a bat held high above its head, "Link, look out!"

Link ducked at the last second, feeling the wind shift over his head as the bat swung around, its wielder screeching out a cry of anger. In the next second, Link had the Master Sword unsheathed and swung the blade upwards at a diagonal, cutting the red Bokoblin deep and sending it tumbling down the mountainside.

Looking up, the sight that beheld him made his blood run cold.

Three silver Lynels.

Three fucking silver Lynels.

Amongst a hoard of red and blue Bokoblins.

"Princess," he said, lowly, as to not instigate the monsters ahead of him, "Don't make any sudden movements. Walk slowly to that boulder and hide behind it. If I whistle, I need you to run. Do you understand?"

"We should run now."

"Do you understand?"

From his peripheral vision, he saw her nod slowly, and begin to move carefully towards the rocky outcropping. The first of the three Lynels snorted loudly, tapping its hooves into the ground erratically.

Once Link was certain the Princess was hidden away as well as she could, Link slowly moved to unhook his Royal Bow from his back, and slowly began to nock a bomb arrow.

The Lynels were smart creatures, but the Bokoblins were not. He intended to be rid of them with as little effort as possible.

The first arrow flew and landed true, its bomb exploding brilliantly, sending red and blue Bokoblins flying. This got the Lynels angry, but he supposed that their anger was inevitable. Lynels were prone to anger quite quickly.

With that, Link sheathed his bow and ran in with the Master Sword, with the intention to keep the fight as far away from the Princess as possible. The three Lynels roared, shaking the mountainside with a similar ferocity as Death Mountain, before charging in towards the young Hylian.

Link feinted to the left, causing the first of the two Lynels to smack head first into one another, while diving underneath the third, slashing the underbelly of the beast. The Lynel roared, its hooves stomping erratically around Link, before he rolled out of the way and struck his sword up through the underside of the Lynel's chin and out through the top of its skull.

Before Link could pull the sword out from the massive beast's skull, the Lynel, in its dying breath, swiped out at Link with one of its massive claws. Link twisted to avoid being swiped at across the chest, but was not able to move out of the way to avoid a direct blow. The Lynel's claws scratched deeply across Link's right arm. White-hot pain flooded his senses as he was tugged forward like a ragdoll, as the attack finished its follow through.

With that, the Lynel collapsed in death, and before Link could look down to access the severity of the wound, Link bolted backwards into a backflip, the edge of a Savage Lynel Sword smashing into the ground where he stood not a second prior.

Link shook the pain off from his arm, assessing the situation. The Princess, as far as he knew, was still hiding behind the outcrop out of sight, and the Master Sword was still lodged in the skull of the first Lynel. Around him lay the carcasses of various Bokoblins of the red and blue variety, and in front of him, the two remaining Lynels stalked forward, considering their prey.

One silver Lynel was bad enough, but three? Such a thing had never been heard of.

Link whipped out his bow again, knowing realistically that he wouldn't be able to make it over to his sword, and get it pulled out in one piece. He nocked an arrow, and ran, aiming backwards and pulling the bow taut, aiming straight for the face, and landing with a satisfying ping. He did the same for the second one, and was rewarded with two doubled over silver Lynels.

Revali could never.

He grabbed the Master Sword and ran towards the closest Lynel, the one he had shot second and mounted himself onto its back, like he would an oversized horse. Something within the Lynel snapped and Link found himself being bucked violently around, holding onto its white, greasy mane for dear life. With the Master Sword in hand, Link gripped as tightly to the Lynel's back as he could with his legs, and plunged the blade down between the shoulder blades of the beast, before pulling it out and shoving it straight through the neck of the beast.

Two down, one to go.

There's an old saying in Hyrule that a Lynel's power comes from its level of anger, and Link was beginning to see the truth in that saying. The final Lynel, with its two brothers slayed amongst the deceased Bokoblins, roared with an intensity that left Link's ears ringing and bones ratting. The Lynel reared forward on all four legs and abruptly charged at him, its hooves smacking angrily into the ground.

Link had not the time to avoid this attack, and could only brace himself as the beast collided with him, sending him flying towards the side of the outcrop.

He smacked against the rock, feeling a giant bruise already beginning to form on his back, as he saw the Lynel stalk closer to where the Princess was hiding. He was inching awfully close to the Princess, and Link realized with a harrowing realization that the Lynel was privy to the Princess's location. From his vantage point, he could see the Princess desperately trying to lock eyes with him, unaware of how close the Lynel actually was to her. Link gasped as he pushed himself onto his feet, feeling his back and his arm protest from the movement. The Lynel had its Savage Lynel Sword rising up in the air, ready to swing down and strike true on the Princess.

Oh, the world just could not understand the effect timing had when it came to an assassination, could it?

Link had only one option to stop the beast.

He charged the blasted thing.

With a war cry more akin to a shrill creature, Link ran towards the beast, the Master Sword lifted above him, stained in both the monster's blood and his own. He managed to parry the Savage Lynel Sword, but the beast had much more power and weight to him than Link could ever have. The Master Sword was knocked from his hand, out of reach, and suddenly, Link could feel the Lynel's hot breath as it loomed over him, the Savage Lynel Sword in its upwards swing, ready to come crashing down, down, down, until it sliced cleanly through Link's neck.

Desperate times called for desperate measures, and in the next second, Link reached into his quiver for an arrow – any arrow – and rolled forward to plunge the shaft of the arrow into the beast's heart.

His karma was going to catch up with him someday, but someday was not that day. Link had somehow managed to grab a shock arrow. The beast shook as the arrow was lodged deeper and deeper, its Savage Lynel Sword clattering off to the side. In holding the arrow firmly to the beast's chest, Link could feel residual effects from the electric shock coursing through his veins, though he thought not to let go. Not until the beast was still and cold and dead.

He had his wish in the next moment, as the beast teetered off towards the left, landing on the ground in a huge heap. Around him, lay the remains of the monsters, their black blood pooling and beginning to smell rotten.

Link looked to the left and saw the Princess staring at him with a bewildered look in her eye, before that bewildered look was overtaken with a smile.

That smile quickly turned to horror as Link saw the ground coming up to meet him at an alarming rate.

He must have blacked out for a moment, because when he opened his eyes next, he was in the arms of the Princess, being propped up to sit against a rock at the top of the hill. His ears rang and his limbs buzzed from the electricity, his back hurt and his arm stung from the gashes, but other than that, a quick survey of his body told him that he was fine, and he would live.

The Princess, however, did not seem to get the memo.

She was leaning over him, her index finger moving from side to side in front of his eyes, with instructions to follow it. She was holding up three fingers, asking him to tell her how many she was holding up.

He hadn't even hit his head, for the love of Ganon. None of that was going to help in this situation.

Link waved her insistent hands away and sat up, sitting down on the rocky outcropping and stretching out his bruising back. Really, the thing that gave him cause for worry was the gash on his arm, which was flowing freely, with bits of dirt and rock embedded into it.

"Oh, let me see," the Princess murmured, pulling out a handkerchief and her waterskin, dabbing the cloth before reaching towards his wrist. He hissed as she began dabbing at the wound, clearing away the blood and grime.

After a while, she put away the handkerchief and inspected the wound, "That cut doesn't look too bad, actually, and it looks to have stopped bleeding. You're fine for now," she sighed, looking up into his face, her haunted green irises imploring him, "But Link, what were you thinking? Taking on an entire encampment like that?"

"It's my duty to protect you," Link said, a wave of brashness overtaking him. Was the Princess really scolding him for protecting her?

"We should have ran," the Princess said, shaking her head, "You know, there's a fine line between courage and recklessness."

"Princess, we could have never outran those Lynels," Link admitted, "Lynels will stop at nothing until they get what they want. Our best bet was to stop and fight."

"Well, as brave as you are, that does not make you immortal," the Princess quickly admonished, turning her head towards the graveyard of monsters, "It seems that, not only is the frequency of these types of attacks on the rise… but the scale of beasts we are facing is intensifying as well. I'm no fighter, but I do know that three silver Lynels in one territory is completely unheard of."

Link nodded, the Princess having echoed his thoughts precisely.

"I fear that-" the Princess whispered, "I fear that this is an omen, which portends the return of Calamity Ganon."

She really was too clever for her own good, and Link realized with a perfectly schooled expression that that was exactly what was happening here. With Ganon's return being in just a couple months time, it would make sense that his agents amount would double, or even triple.

"And, if that's the case," the Princess stood up, dusting her pants off, "I'm ready to expect the worse. We'll need to make preparations as soon as possible."

With that, she reached her hand down, and Link grasped it, hauling himself up, and following the Princess down the hill.