The fiery sun slowly set on the horizon until it disappeared, casting the world into shadow. The bone-chilling cry of a wolf could be heard in the distance, suddenly cut short. Up in the night sky, dark clouds shrouded the moon and stars. On Death Mountain, a bitterly cold wind blew softly and constantly, with a small gust now and then. Some wise men say that if you listen carefully, the spirits of the past can sometimes be heard in the wind.

Veran wouldn't have any of it. Once a person was dead, that was it. No lingering spirits, no afterlife. Alone she stood on a small plateau near the top of Death Mountain. A tall, slender woman she was, her long dark hair drifting in the breeze. The icy wind didn't affect her. Over the years, she had learned how to ignore the biting winds on the mountain.

Veran swept her gaze across the land. With malice in her eyes , she could still see the smoke from Saria wafting away. A thin smile crept to her lips.

Perfect, she thought. Now, those wretched Hylians will realize that all is not safe anymore in their little world.

Suddenly, she heard approaching footsteps and turned around. A large, pale man, a messenger, stood there and shivered in the cold. He pulled his cloak over him.

"Yes, what is it?" she demanded.

"Ma- m- ma'am, it a- appears that the Hylians are a- alerted," the man stammered. "There are m- many s- so- soldiers now stationed in the towns in the w- w- west."

"I know that," she hissed. "I want you to tell twenty of our most experienced warriors that I want them to sail to the east island tomorrow. Be sure that at least two of them are able to command a ship. They will board, unnoticed, on two freight ships, headed for East Hyrule. They will remain in the hold until the ship is far enough from land, which shouldn't be a terribly long wait. Then they will kill the crew and throw the bodies overboard with weights tied around their ankles. When they reach the eastern shore, they will split off, with one team attacking Darunia and the other attacking New Kasuto. With those two towns demolished, Nabooru will have no back-up. If their deeds are accomplished successfully, they will be greatly rewarded. Leave."

"Y- yes, ma'am," the cold man said. He bowed quickly and left.

Veran turned and looked up at the night sky. Far off into the distance, the gray wisps in Saria and faded away. She sighed. Only a matter of time.

"She wants us to do what?" Shola asked incredulously.

A group of men were sparring within a large cavern. Around the outer walls, torches flickered. The stalactites above and stalagmites below were dripping with water, like brown icicles. Shadows shivered on the walls, and resembled the open mouth of a dragon.

"I believe she said that she wanted the twenty of the best warriors to sail to East Hyrule and to attack the towns there," the messenger sneered. A change seemed to come over him, and he had a strong, but bitter voice.

"That's crazy! I can understand attacking one, maybe two towns, but three is suicide," Garo said as he blocked a kick to the stomach from his partner. Garo retaliated and struck the side of his opponent. He backed off and wheezed.

"You will split up into two equal teams, and go into hiding in the holds of two separate freighters. Once you are far away from the shore, you will kill the crew, tie weights to their ankles, and toss them overboard. When you get to the eastern shore, you will make your way around Nabooru undetected, and you will lay ruin to Darunia and New Kasuto. After you have accomplished your task, you will wait on the outskirts of town for the other group to return. Once you see them approaching, begin the attack."

Shola skillfully dodged a blow that would have knocked him unconscious, then grabbed his partner's arm and flipped him. He landed hard with a dull thud.

He panted, "Do you think that it is that simple? The Hylians are probably on their way to the east to warn of the attack. We will lose our element of surprise, and chances are, we will walk into an ambush."

The messenger stood still, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Very well. I will go back and tell Veran that the lot of you are too cowardly to accept this task. After all, you are supposed to be "great" warriors." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Shola said. "My comrades and I will take this task. That is, unless anybody here is a coward. Speak up, if you do not wish to go."

No one spoke.

"Good. However, we are short a few men, after our raid on Saria today."

"That is not a problem. Veran will gather more warriors."

The messenger left to report to the mistress, and the others resumed their training.

"Oh, yes," the messenger said. "Before I forget, does anyone here know how to handle a ship?"

The princess paced back and forth rapidly in her room. She felt as if the nightmares from her sleep had somehow come to life. She fingered her hair worriedly.

"Your highness?" one of the soldiers nearby said. "Link and Sir Garrick are on their way to Mido right now. They will leave for East Hyrule in the morning to warn the other towns."

"I hope they'll be all right," Zelda said.

"Princess, don't worry," Impa comforted. "That Link is a crafty young fellow. I'm sure he'll come back with no more than a scratch."

"I suppose you're right."

"Your highness, may we take leave?" the soldier asked.

"Hmm..?" Zelda seemed to be coming out of a thought. "Oh. Yes, yes."

Joined by the two other messengers, they all bowed and left.

Impa said, "Princess, you should get some more sleep. There's nothing more that you can do but pray and wait. They'll be all right. Good night." She picked up a candle and left the room, closing the door quietly.

Zelda sat on the edge of her bed. She grabbed a pillow and held it tightly in her arms. Outside, she could see the clouds hovering over the land like the shadow of a giant. There was neither moon nor star in the sky. Desperately, she wished that she could do something to help. A thought suddenly flashed back to her past. Perhaps she could.

Although it was late, the port town of Mido was wide awake. The entire town glowed with a warm yellow light. Merry voices could be heard from within, especially from the inn. Around the town, a forbidding stone wall had been erected to deter enemies. Archers kept a strong vigilance on the wall, one hand always on their bow. Further away, the dark, massive silhouette of ships could be seen sailing in the background. Coming to port or sailing away, it was hard to tell.

Link and the other three groups were only about a mile distant from Mido, with nothing but fields in between. Their tired horses neighed miserably, yet their masters urged them on. They were looking forward to a night's rest after their journey.

"Don't worry," Garrick whispered to his horse as he stroked his mane. "It's not too far now."

The horse swished his tail and gave a snort.

As the company drew ever closer to the town , the cluster of lights appeared bright in their eyes, as bright as the midday sun. From the dazzling glow, the riders could make the pale forms of archers on the wall. Swiftly and skillfully, the archers had strung their bows and carefully aimed it at the riders.

When the caravan halted before the gate, they heard a voice from the other side of the wall.

"Who goes there? What business have you in Mido?" the voice demanded.

Captain Dias looked at Link, then answered, "This is Captain Dias, captain of the third regiment of the Hylian Army. With me is Sir Link, and company. We are looking for a place to stay the night."

"I thought I told you not to add the 'sir' to my name," Link grumbled.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Dias whispered back.

A long silence passed between the company and the guards. The archers still aimed their bows at the company, fingers itching to let go. The riders shifted in their saddles uncomfortably.

"I can't believe this," Garrick moaned. He called to an archer, "Hey, you up there! Tell me, what is taking so long?"

The archer just looked coldly at Garrick and aimed his bow at him, ready to release the arrow if he so much as twitched.
Finally, the voice spoke.

"All right, it appears that you are who you say you are. My sincerest apologies, captain. Let them in!"

With a loud groan, the iron gate slowly lifted, but the archers held steady.

When the portcullis was lifted over their heads and secured, the company slowly passed beneath the gates. A tall man with brown, unruly hair, and clad in armor that glinted in the torchlight, came to greet them.

"Dias!" he exclaimed.

"Ceregal!"

They grasped each others forearms as the traditional sign of friendship between two lost comrades.

"Well, well. So, what brings you to Mido?" Ceregal asked.

"Let's get to an inn first and stable these horses," Dias said. "We've had a long journey, and we're tired and hungry."

"No problem. I know of a well-to-do inn, the Lone Wolf, on the north side on town. It's on a hill, and it offers a beautiful view of the sea, " Ceregal told them.

"Thanks. We don't need anything but some beer in our mugs and a bed for our bones. We're in your debt."

"Don't mention it. There's only one problem, though."

This is great, just great, Link thought as he looked at the sea from a small clearing not far from camp.

As Link's company spread out the blankets on the cold, damp ground, they could hear the noisy chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs. Often, they had to drive curious animals away from their belongings, rummaging for a snack. Nearby, the Lone Wolf Inn was aglow with light. The soldiers stared at the inn, dreaming of what delicacies were served in there. After all, Ceregal said it was a "well-to-do" inn. It was too bad that it could only quarter about half of their men. One of the men started a small fire in the center of their camp and pulled out a large pot from his sack.

"I'm making some stew, anybody want any?" he asked after a while.

When they didn't answer, he smacked the side of his pot with a wooden ladle. There was a loud clang, which reverberated.

The others snapped out of their fantasy and answered enthusiastically, longing for something to fill their bellies.

"It's a shame that we don't have any meat," he sighed. The others joined in a chorus.

"Not for long," one of the men said and slipped off into the darkness, one hand on a bow.

"Hey, I'm going to cook this stew with or without the meat, so don't disappoint these men!" the cook called.

In the clearing, Link turned and headed back to his group. When he reached the camp, he asked, "What are you guys doing?"

"We're making stew. Want some?" they asked. "Rigal is getting some meat, but, knowing him, he'll come back with empty hands. Don't get your hopes up."

Link laughed. "Don't worry. I did that once before. Look where we ended up!"

"You do have a point."

As the soldiers settled on their sleeping mats, waiting for their stew, one of them asked a question.

"What do you suppose happened today at Saria?"

The others took their time to answer. Obviously, it was a troubling question, and not one to be answered before a meal.

"Hmm, I suppose that there was a raid of some sort, probably by Moblins," a man offered.

"I doubt it," Link said. "Did you see how the villagers were hewn up?" he shuddered. "It doesn't seem the style of a Moblin."

"Link's right," the man called Toran said. "My guess is that there probably was a band of Daria, since it looks like their style."

Suddenly, Link remembered what Leras had told him. "The captive that was sent back to the castle, he told us that a group of bandits led by this woman, Veran, had attacked the town."

"Really? Well, I doubt that bandits, numerous as they were, are skilled enough to destroy a town like that," Tarm said.

"This gives us quite a ridd-" Link stopped short. There was a rustling in the undergrowth just outside camp. Link grasped the hilt of his sword.

"Probably just Rigal. Wonder what's taking him so long?" Tarm said. Then he yelled, "Hey, Rigal! Get your hide over here, as well as whatever animal you have !"

When no answer came, Link got up.

"I'm going to see what's taking the rascal so long. Probably just trying to spook us," Link said as he left camp.

Walking a little away from camp, Link stopped and looked around. A mist was beginning to form.

"Rigal?" he called. "Rigal! Bring the food already! We're starving!"

There was the snap of a twig nearby and Lin turned. There was nothing there. He touched his sword.

"Rigal, I'm serious now. I'm going to give you to the count of three and if you don't bring the meat, you'll be reporting to Captain Dias first thing in the morning!"

Link paused.

"One..."

Only the sound of crickets.

"Two..."

He could hear breathing behind him.

"Three!" Link turned but saw no one there.

"Bah, that's it, I'm heading back to camp. Don't expect any stew left over!"

As Link began making his way to the camp, he could see a small figure in a grey cloak in the distance, shrouded in the mists. Whether he was looking at him, he couldn't tell.

A thought struck Link.

Why not pay him back for wasting my time by scaring him out of his wits?

Link climbed a nearby tree and stealthily made his way among the branches. Like a squirrel, he made no noise as he hopped from one tree to the other.

When Link was just above the hooded stranger, he silently leaped and wrestled him to the ground. A brief struggle ensued, but Link managed to pin him to the ground. He pulled the man to his feet and lifted the hood.

"Zelda?" a shocked Link gasped. Then, realizing that he had just fought the princess, he bowed down low. "Please forgive me, princess. I didn't know it was you."

Zelda looked amused. Then she said, "It's all right, Link. You can get up."

Suddenly, Link said, almost in a gruff tone, "Princess, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be back at the castle. You know, you could have been kidnapped or worse coming all the way here."

She looked at him for a long moment. "Don't you take that tone with me," she said haughtily, waving a finger at him. She looked away. With a sad sigh, she said, "I got your message. I hope nothing of the sort doesn't happen again in the other towns. It reminds me of....."

There was another rustle in the bushes.

Link, frustrated, yelled, "I am getting tired of this, Rigal, so just show yourself!"

"Ok."

Like scared rabbits, Link and Zelda jumped and turned around.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Zelda shrieked.

"Yes, ma'am," Rigal said. Then, realizing that he was speaking to the princess, he quickly said, "Please forgive me, princess. I didn't know it was you."

Zelda regained her composure and grinned. "I hate it when they do that," she said to Link.

"Princess, what are you-"

"Easy, Rigal, she'll tell you back at camp. But where were you? I've been yelling out your name," Link said.

Rigal said, "Hey, I was on the other side of camp. Lucky for us, I found some rabbit. But you better hurry back. The way those rogues eat, it'll be a wonder if anything but the pot is left."

Dias sighed. He couldn't sleep, not with all the snoring and mumbling going on around him. Nevertheless, he tried to find a more comfortable sleeping position. The innkeeper said that while there were rooms upstairs, they were already occupied by spiders. "Fierce and deadly, as big as your head," he had said. Dias didn't believe a word of it, but the innkeeper was obstinate. Finally, he decided that they would all just spread blankets on the floor and hope to get some sleep. Most drifted off as soon as they hit the ground.

"Well-to-do, huh?" he said to the ceiling. The room was dim, except for a candle in the corner. He thought that he saw the shadow of a huge spider.

"Hey, this was the only inn that was available for so large a group," Ceregal said sleepily. "Plus, the innkeeper was willing to go cheap."

"And so were you," Dias said. He kicked a soldier that rolled too close to him. He woke up with a snort, then fell back to sleep. "We have no fire, no breathing room, a lousy dinner, and worst of all, no beer."

"All right, all right, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you and the guys. Hmm, I know, I'll pay for all of us," Ceregal said.

"That's more like it. I wonder how Link and his buddies are doing?" asked Dias.

"No worse than us, I'll warrant. After all, we're inside at least," answered his comrade. Then he asked, "So, what were you going to tell me back at the gate?"

"Oh," said Dias slowly as if it pained him. " There was an attack on Saria today, in broad daylight. Many lives were lost." He looked grim.

"I know."

"You know? Who told you?" asked Dias curiously.

"There were some survivors that stumbled into Mido, they're staying in another inn on the other side of town. Now you know why it took so long for you to enter Mido," Ceregal explained.

"Not to mention those archers."

"Don't worry. My archers won't hurt a fly, though they could fifty paces away. We're just a little spooked, that's all."

"We'll be leaving one of our groups here in Mido to help keep an eye on things. Can't be too safe. Tomorrow morning, three of our groups are sailing to the east, but not before I have a word with those survivors."

"Wish I could come with you. It's killing me to be cooped up here in Mido for who knows how long," Ceregal said.

A soldier on the far side of the room could be suddenly be heard murmuring.

"No, no! Don't kill her!" he said, mumbled something unintelligible, then fell silent.

Ceregal sat up. He said, "I feel sorry for the poor fellow. Sounds like he lost someone."

"His name is Harad. Lost his fiancee today in the attack. They were going to get married next week." Dias looked at him with pity. "He's changed now."

"Well, it pains my heart to seem him like that. We'll get those murderers sooner or later."

"I hope so," Dias said as he got up.

"Where you going?"

"Can't sleep, so might as well check out that view you were telling me about. That is, unless you were lying about that too."

Ceregal chuckled, then lay down. "Well, good night, and try not to make too much noise." He yawned and fell asleep.

Dias tiptoed across the dim room being very careful not to trip over anybody. As he reached for the door, it swung open, revealing a hooded figure.

He fell over in surprise and landed on one of his men with a groan. Both men recovered quickly and drew their swords, half expecting to be attacked.

Suddenly, they heard Link calling, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, is that any way to treat your princess?" said Link as the small figure pulled off the hood.

"M-my princess," Dias stammered. "I had no idea." He and his soldier bowed low.

"Please, get up," said Zelda. "There's no need for anymore formalities. You can go back to sleep, if you wish." She shivered. Link took off his cloak, stained from travel, and wrapped it around the princess as he led her inside.

"You'd better get inside and have something to eat," he said. Captain Dias went to look if there was still any edible food left in the inn's store.

Soon afterward, the three of them were sitting quietly at a nearby table nibbling on stale pieces of bread. The shadows flickered as the flame of their small candle danced back and forth. The young soldier, unable to find a use for his sword, had already fallen asleep.

"So everyone outside knows about the princess?" Dias asked.

"They should, after she told them all to go to sleep. Probably having nightmares about her," Link grinned.

"Hey," Zelda said as she hit him on the arm playfully. "Don't be surprised if you turn court jester, Sir Link."

The three of them chuckled.

"Seriously, I came here to help. I won't sit by and watch my people suffer," said the princess.

Link said, "Zelda, do you know what is happening?

"No, but neither do you."

"Princess, have you seen the damage in Saria? We don't want you to become another victim," said Dias.

"I am already a victim. It is the blood of the Hylia that flows in my veins and was spilled from theirs. I'm coming to help in any way that I can, whether you accept it or not. "

Seeing Zelda's determined eyes and having knowledge of her obstinate nature, Link and Dias reluctantly agreed.

"The king is not going to like this," said Link.

"The king doesn't need to know," replied Zelda.

Dias sighed. "Very well. If you're coming with us to the east, then we may as well get a few more hours sleep. We make ready as soon as the cock crows."

~to be continued