Chapter Eighteen
It could have been no sooner than dawn when there came a loud thump at his door. Link groaned then spared a glance out the window. No, it certainly was not past dawn.
"Time to get up, we've a war on our hands and no time to spare!" The Hero of Time rolled out of bed and stumbled onto the floor, still sleeping. He and Lance had stayed out in the garden for the rest of the day, talking, practicing, and making jokes. He suspected he had talked more yesterday than he had in his entire life. It seemed possible, at any rate.
He splashed water over his face, then dried off and dressed quickly. After making sure he had all his possessions with him, he exited his temporary chambers and walked into the hallway.
Selintan soldiers were grumbling at the early rise; they had not expected to get up before dawn. Perhaps after, but not before. As it was reaching mid-summer, dawn was very early indeed.
"There y'are, matey," Lance called, walking towards him. Even the incorrigible sailor seemed too tired to offer more than a token smile. "Ready to march?"
"I can feel my muscles on fire already, when do we start?" The Hero of Time returned as cheerfully as he could muster.
"Not before they feed us, sure," grumbled the sailor, shaking his head. "I ain't given to complainin' much—"
"A lie if there ever was one," Link grinned, but Lance continued,
"—but this is awful early for us to getting to march. Do they want us there by nightfall? I don't doubt we could do it, but we'd be in no condition to fight even if we did arrive, and the closer we are to Tyulia, the likelihood of them spottin' us gets higher."
"We'll see when we get there," the blonde replied amiably, following the stumbling soldiers to the Greater Hall.
It turned out that they would not be waiting for breakfast; rather, they would eat as they traveled north to Phoenix Pass, then finally followed Tyulia River to Tyulia. They would camp on the east side of the river, rather than the west, so that a sneak attack from the Tophetian forces lodged there would be delayed by the width of the river. A token force would stay behind with the king and protect Ontharn, in case Tophetian warriors came far enough south.
"This ain't right," Lance grumbled, "an army marches on its stomach and they expect us to wait 'til noon afore our first meal? That's crazy talk, Link, and you mark it. When the generals get like that, they've lost some playing pieces up here." He tapped the side of his head gravely.
"Oh? I think I've heard crazier from your mouth," taunted the nineteen-year- old. The sailor looked baffled for a moment, then laughed.
"Why, matey! If I didn't know better, I'd say you're gettin' around to find a sense of humor! Next, you'll be flirting with anything that's got two legs. Watch out, lasses, he's on his way to becoming a beau!" Link punched Lance's shoulder, playfully but still with enough force so that the effect was not lost. "Hey, mate, watch it! We mortals ain't close to your level of strength, y'know."
"Hush," Link said reproachfully. As they were exiting the gates of the castle walls, a voice called out,
"I'll go with you all as far as Phoenix Pass." Link glanced over his shoulder and saw Miyako was sprinting towards them.
"Well, now, I'm sure if you came with us all the way to Tyulia, we wouldn't have to worry about losing the war," Lance grinned, tipping an imaginary hat. "You're looking much better than you were yesterday. You looked like a starved rat then."
"Your constant flattery will get you nowhere, Lance. You'd give away our position with your raucous chatter."
"Nay, never in the presence of a lady," he bowed prankishly.
"Hush, Lance, you don't know what you're talking about." Miyako swatted at him playfully and the sailor touched his forehead, still grinning. Link felt an odd sensation come over him, almost as if there had been an inaudible /click /and now he was at peace. It was strange, but pleasant. He shrugged it off and forced himself to think about the upcoming battle. That drained the feeling away quickly.
"Aye, so I don't, and many's the person who's reminded me of it. But say, we'll be marching. Are y'sure yer up to it? I'd as soon as leave ye in the dust than carry ya over my shoulder. I'd crush my bones tryin' to lift ya."
"Hush, Lance, we're leaving you behind." The Selintan soldiers had begun to leave the castle gates, following General Torris (who, because of his age, was allowed a horse).
"We didn't see you yesterday," Link said after a moment's silence. There was only the sound of many feet walking and a few murmured conversations, but the overall mood seemed to be quiet contemplation of the battle to come.
"No, I slept the rest of the day," Miyako replied conversationally.
"So you're probably the only one feelin' up the to march, you sly git," Lance uttered, shaking his head. The red-haired girl grinned.
"Don't tell me you he-men can't talk a long walk, now."
"Not on a few hours' sleep, no," Link answered somewhat defensively. He studied her face, which was pleasantly calm, and noticed that a piece of her left ear seemed to be... well, missing. "Did you lose it in a fight?"
"Yes," she replied, without asking what he meant. Lance blinked and finally seemed to notice it, then shook his head.
"I don't know whether to strangle you or hug you, girl, but you've seem to have no sense of lettin' a friend know about these things." She grinned, and it made her seem years younger. If she and Lance were childhood friends, Link thought, then she would be about the same age as him. The grin put her at twelve years.
"Lance, the only reason you say that is because you didn't notice. You're just sore about it, that's all."
"What were you fighting?" Link had to know; he didn't understand why, it just bothered him not knowing.
"A person, and she didn't think that I'd be interesting in continuing fighting after she cut part of my ear off, but..." She smiled again, and this time he smiled back. "You must have battle scars yourself, being the Hero of Time."
"I'm not missing any pieces, but I've got several on my upper back and chest."
"Have we all finished proving what he-men we are, then?" Lance joked, grinning outrageously.
"Yes, Lance, and since you didn't mention any scars you had, we'll assume that you're not one of us he-men," Link replied, smiling politely. The sailor laughed.
"Oh, I've got me own scars, but not from battle. Aye, sailing long enough gives you tough hands from all that rope hauling."
"Lance, the day I see you do decent work will be the day the dead rise from their graves," Miyako chuckled. "Even as a boy you were lazy."
"And the years haven't changed me, so they haven't," the sailor agreed. Link thought his friend's grin would crack his head in two, but the Hero of Time decided that it was merely happiness at being reunited with a childhood friend.
"It was strange, King Edward was almost easy to convince that Cheyanna was a spy," Miyako stated abruptly, changing the subject without notice. Apparently it had been on her mind despite the fun and games. "As if he already knew it, but wanted an outside opinion."
"Aye, some people can just feel evil," Lance agreed, but said nothing and only looked worried.
"Or maybe King Edward's in on it, as well, and that was just a ruse," Link thought out loud. The other two looked at him in surprise. "Well, it's not likely, but 'tisn't impossible."
"Nay, I'd rather believe he suspected it," Miyako said ruefully. "It's prettier to believe the best of people." Lance clucked his tongue. "What?"
"Prettier, p'raps, but not safer. I would put nothing past anyone."
"Save anyone in this amicitia fatalis?" The red-haired girl's words were soft. The sailor jerked in surprise.
"W... I..." Lance shut his mouth and his face grew thoughtful, but he said no more.
"What is.... whatever you said?" Link asked, feeling uneasy about the grave look on Lance's face. He suspected there were few things that would deeply unsettle the sailor, and this was certainly one of them.
"Nothing important. Right now, anyway. It's ancient Kreyan and of no concern. I'm probably wrong," Miyako replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't like secrets being kept from me," Link uttered unhappily, somehow already knowing it was futile to mention that. Lance sighed.
"Aye, and you're probably tired of it. So am I, Miyako," he added, giving the young woman a fixed glance. "But it's much too soon to be sayin' things like that." She shrugged again.
"As you say, Lance."
The troop was about two leagues [Author's note: Leagues are commonly used for measuring water depth, but in Hyrule and other countries of their world, we'll pretend it's common on land, too; one league is equal to about three miles, or 4.8 kilometers if you prefer.] away from Phoenix Pass.
Their conversation had just about died after the mention of whatever-Miyako- had-said, and Link didn't know what a good topic would be. After all, they were marching to a battle (most marching to certain doom, he suspected), and there was very little else that he could talk about. Perhaps he could go on for hours and hours about fighting, but when it came to small talk and conversational ideas, he was as silent as a tomb. Politics, gossip, and other such topics just weren't... interesting.
'He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,' the Hero of Time thought, and felt a little better. He'd be happier knowing he died in battle than knowing he died because of a fever or something particularly stupid.
"What is Hyrule like?" Miyako asked suddenly, glancing at him. The blonde young man startled slightly, then considered the question slowly.
"It's a beautiful place, even more so after we got rid of Ganondorf," he started, savoring the memories he held of it. "They've founded a new town, getting rid of all the open space in Hyrule Field, but I don't really mind. It seemed so empty, crossing the field nearly every day. Before I rescued Epona from Lon Lon Ranch, it would take me all day to cross the field. Time wasn't on my side then, I guess..."
"What's the name of the new town?" She asked, turning her gaze to the gorge ahead.
"Deus Skies, I think."
"A silly name," Lance clucked. "It doesn't fit in a'tall."
"They're going to build a large cathedral for the three Golden Goddesses, and the walls will be engraved with the legends of Hyrule." Link closed his eyes for a moment and pictured the unfinished building, in all its legendary glory. Of course, he had no say in this, but King Chandler and Princess Zelda had firmly insisted that they record his tale of liberating Hyrule.
"It will be a wondrous sight, I would think," Miyako said after a moment. "But I don't think my plans will take me to Hyrule anytime in the near future." 'If there is one for me,' she thought rather unhappily. The idea that she just might be going to the Temple of Life to go to her death was too ironic for words.
Her saying this disappointed Link, but he could not understand why. She was pretty, but cryptic, and nothing too special. That was harsh, but it was true.
"Do you smell that?" Lance asked after a moment. The rocks had begun to rise around them, like attentive soldiers keeping wary eyes on marching prisoners. The gorge, Phoenix Pass, was just ahead, but Link noticed some of the soldiers seemed uneasy, almost apprehensive, about passing through it.
"What does it smell like?" There was only the dry scent of the rocks, and the dusty wind. The sailor cocked his head to one side, like a dog listening to some faraway voice.
"I don't know. I smell... it's salty. Like the sea breeze, but..." Lance hesitated, searching for the right word. "I don't know. I would say it smells like fresh wounds and sweat, but..." He laughed nervously. "That's silly. We've not any wounds among us, and certainly we're all tired from marching."
"It could be a trap." General Torris had fallen back to where Link was in the troop, and nodded his head towards the pass. "I don't doubt it; it reeks of Tophetian. But there's no other way to Tyulia; going around the pass would take days, perhaps even a whole week, but we must get there as fast as possible."
"This is a narrow canyon, sir. It wouldn't take much to trap us in there and pick us off," Miyako murmured, but the general had not heard her. Lance, however, had.
"It would be dangerous. Block off both exits and fire arrows like rain 'pon our heads. 'Tis foolish, nay, a death wish."
"You could be right. Halt, soldiers!" General Torris called out in a commanding voice. The army halted and waited patiently for the next command. "We'll camp here for an hour or so." The elderly Selintan looked at Link from atop his horse. "Would you be interested in checking out the pass, Link? Normally, I would not ask, but these men have not seen much action, and I would warrant that you are capable of handling whatever the Tophetians throw your way."
"If I could, I'll accompany him," Lance suggested, giving the general an earnest face. "Aye, four ears hear better than two, and four eyes see more than two."
"Then you may. We'll wait here."
It could have been no sooner than dawn when there came a loud thump at his door. Link groaned then spared a glance out the window. No, it certainly was not past dawn.
"Time to get up, we've a war on our hands and no time to spare!" The Hero of Time rolled out of bed and stumbled onto the floor, still sleeping. He and Lance had stayed out in the garden for the rest of the day, talking, practicing, and making jokes. He suspected he had talked more yesterday than he had in his entire life. It seemed possible, at any rate.
He splashed water over his face, then dried off and dressed quickly. After making sure he had all his possessions with him, he exited his temporary chambers and walked into the hallway.
Selintan soldiers were grumbling at the early rise; they had not expected to get up before dawn. Perhaps after, but not before. As it was reaching mid-summer, dawn was very early indeed.
"There y'are, matey," Lance called, walking towards him. Even the incorrigible sailor seemed too tired to offer more than a token smile. "Ready to march?"
"I can feel my muscles on fire already, when do we start?" The Hero of Time returned as cheerfully as he could muster.
"Not before they feed us, sure," grumbled the sailor, shaking his head. "I ain't given to complainin' much—"
"A lie if there ever was one," Link grinned, but Lance continued,
"—but this is awful early for us to getting to march. Do they want us there by nightfall? I don't doubt we could do it, but we'd be in no condition to fight even if we did arrive, and the closer we are to Tyulia, the likelihood of them spottin' us gets higher."
"We'll see when we get there," the blonde replied amiably, following the stumbling soldiers to the Greater Hall.
It turned out that they would not be waiting for breakfast; rather, they would eat as they traveled north to Phoenix Pass, then finally followed Tyulia River to Tyulia. They would camp on the east side of the river, rather than the west, so that a sneak attack from the Tophetian forces lodged there would be delayed by the width of the river. A token force would stay behind with the king and protect Ontharn, in case Tophetian warriors came far enough south.
"This ain't right," Lance grumbled, "an army marches on its stomach and they expect us to wait 'til noon afore our first meal? That's crazy talk, Link, and you mark it. When the generals get like that, they've lost some playing pieces up here." He tapped the side of his head gravely.
"Oh? I think I've heard crazier from your mouth," taunted the nineteen-year- old. The sailor looked baffled for a moment, then laughed.
"Why, matey! If I didn't know better, I'd say you're gettin' around to find a sense of humor! Next, you'll be flirting with anything that's got two legs. Watch out, lasses, he's on his way to becoming a beau!" Link punched Lance's shoulder, playfully but still with enough force so that the effect was not lost. "Hey, mate, watch it! We mortals ain't close to your level of strength, y'know."
"Hush," Link said reproachfully. As they were exiting the gates of the castle walls, a voice called out,
"I'll go with you all as far as Phoenix Pass." Link glanced over his shoulder and saw Miyako was sprinting towards them.
"Well, now, I'm sure if you came with us all the way to Tyulia, we wouldn't have to worry about losing the war," Lance grinned, tipping an imaginary hat. "You're looking much better than you were yesterday. You looked like a starved rat then."
"Your constant flattery will get you nowhere, Lance. You'd give away our position with your raucous chatter."
"Nay, never in the presence of a lady," he bowed prankishly.
"Hush, Lance, you don't know what you're talking about." Miyako swatted at him playfully and the sailor touched his forehead, still grinning. Link felt an odd sensation come over him, almost as if there had been an inaudible /click /and now he was at peace. It was strange, but pleasant. He shrugged it off and forced himself to think about the upcoming battle. That drained the feeling away quickly.
"Aye, so I don't, and many's the person who's reminded me of it. But say, we'll be marching. Are y'sure yer up to it? I'd as soon as leave ye in the dust than carry ya over my shoulder. I'd crush my bones tryin' to lift ya."
"Hush, Lance, we're leaving you behind." The Selintan soldiers had begun to leave the castle gates, following General Torris (who, because of his age, was allowed a horse).
"We didn't see you yesterday," Link said after a moment's silence. There was only the sound of many feet walking and a few murmured conversations, but the overall mood seemed to be quiet contemplation of the battle to come.
"No, I slept the rest of the day," Miyako replied conversationally.
"So you're probably the only one feelin' up the to march, you sly git," Lance uttered, shaking his head. The red-haired girl grinned.
"Don't tell me you he-men can't talk a long walk, now."
"Not on a few hours' sleep, no," Link answered somewhat defensively. He studied her face, which was pleasantly calm, and noticed that a piece of her left ear seemed to be... well, missing. "Did you lose it in a fight?"
"Yes," she replied, without asking what he meant. Lance blinked and finally seemed to notice it, then shook his head.
"I don't know whether to strangle you or hug you, girl, but you've seem to have no sense of lettin' a friend know about these things." She grinned, and it made her seem years younger. If she and Lance were childhood friends, Link thought, then she would be about the same age as him. The grin put her at twelve years.
"Lance, the only reason you say that is because you didn't notice. You're just sore about it, that's all."
"What were you fighting?" Link had to know; he didn't understand why, it just bothered him not knowing.
"A person, and she didn't think that I'd be interesting in continuing fighting after she cut part of my ear off, but..." She smiled again, and this time he smiled back. "You must have battle scars yourself, being the Hero of Time."
"I'm not missing any pieces, but I've got several on my upper back and chest."
"Have we all finished proving what he-men we are, then?" Lance joked, grinning outrageously.
"Yes, Lance, and since you didn't mention any scars you had, we'll assume that you're not one of us he-men," Link replied, smiling politely. The sailor laughed.
"Oh, I've got me own scars, but not from battle. Aye, sailing long enough gives you tough hands from all that rope hauling."
"Lance, the day I see you do decent work will be the day the dead rise from their graves," Miyako chuckled. "Even as a boy you were lazy."
"And the years haven't changed me, so they haven't," the sailor agreed. Link thought his friend's grin would crack his head in two, but the Hero of Time decided that it was merely happiness at being reunited with a childhood friend.
"It was strange, King Edward was almost easy to convince that Cheyanna was a spy," Miyako stated abruptly, changing the subject without notice. Apparently it had been on her mind despite the fun and games. "As if he already knew it, but wanted an outside opinion."
"Aye, some people can just feel evil," Lance agreed, but said nothing and only looked worried.
"Or maybe King Edward's in on it, as well, and that was just a ruse," Link thought out loud. The other two looked at him in surprise. "Well, it's not likely, but 'tisn't impossible."
"Nay, I'd rather believe he suspected it," Miyako said ruefully. "It's prettier to believe the best of people." Lance clucked his tongue. "What?"
"Prettier, p'raps, but not safer. I would put nothing past anyone."
"Save anyone in this amicitia fatalis?" The red-haired girl's words were soft. The sailor jerked in surprise.
"W... I..." Lance shut his mouth and his face grew thoughtful, but he said no more.
"What is.... whatever you said?" Link asked, feeling uneasy about the grave look on Lance's face. He suspected there were few things that would deeply unsettle the sailor, and this was certainly one of them.
"Nothing important. Right now, anyway. It's ancient Kreyan and of no concern. I'm probably wrong," Miyako replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't like secrets being kept from me," Link uttered unhappily, somehow already knowing it was futile to mention that. Lance sighed.
"Aye, and you're probably tired of it. So am I, Miyako," he added, giving the young woman a fixed glance. "But it's much too soon to be sayin' things like that." She shrugged again.
"As you say, Lance."
The troop was about two leagues [Author's note: Leagues are commonly used for measuring water depth, but in Hyrule and other countries of their world, we'll pretend it's common on land, too; one league is equal to about three miles, or 4.8 kilometers if you prefer.] away from Phoenix Pass.
Their conversation had just about died after the mention of whatever-Miyako- had-said, and Link didn't know what a good topic would be. After all, they were marching to a battle (most marching to certain doom, he suspected), and there was very little else that he could talk about. Perhaps he could go on for hours and hours about fighting, but when it came to small talk and conversational ideas, he was as silent as a tomb. Politics, gossip, and other such topics just weren't... interesting.
'He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword,' the Hero of Time thought, and felt a little better. He'd be happier knowing he died in battle than knowing he died because of a fever or something particularly stupid.
"What is Hyrule like?" Miyako asked suddenly, glancing at him. The blonde young man startled slightly, then considered the question slowly.
"It's a beautiful place, even more so after we got rid of Ganondorf," he started, savoring the memories he held of it. "They've founded a new town, getting rid of all the open space in Hyrule Field, but I don't really mind. It seemed so empty, crossing the field nearly every day. Before I rescued Epona from Lon Lon Ranch, it would take me all day to cross the field. Time wasn't on my side then, I guess..."
"What's the name of the new town?" She asked, turning her gaze to the gorge ahead.
"Deus Skies, I think."
"A silly name," Lance clucked. "It doesn't fit in a'tall."
"They're going to build a large cathedral for the three Golden Goddesses, and the walls will be engraved with the legends of Hyrule." Link closed his eyes for a moment and pictured the unfinished building, in all its legendary glory. Of course, he had no say in this, but King Chandler and Princess Zelda had firmly insisted that they record his tale of liberating Hyrule.
"It will be a wondrous sight, I would think," Miyako said after a moment. "But I don't think my plans will take me to Hyrule anytime in the near future." 'If there is one for me,' she thought rather unhappily. The idea that she just might be going to the Temple of Life to go to her death was too ironic for words.
Her saying this disappointed Link, but he could not understand why. She was pretty, but cryptic, and nothing too special. That was harsh, but it was true.
"Do you smell that?" Lance asked after a moment. The rocks had begun to rise around them, like attentive soldiers keeping wary eyes on marching prisoners. The gorge, Phoenix Pass, was just ahead, but Link noticed some of the soldiers seemed uneasy, almost apprehensive, about passing through it.
"What does it smell like?" There was only the dry scent of the rocks, and the dusty wind. The sailor cocked his head to one side, like a dog listening to some faraway voice.
"I don't know. I smell... it's salty. Like the sea breeze, but..." Lance hesitated, searching for the right word. "I don't know. I would say it smells like fresh wounds and sweat, but..." He laughed nervously. "That's silly. We've not any wounds among us, and certainly we're all tired from marching."
"It could be a trap." General Torris had fallen back to where Link was in the troop, and nodded his head towards the pass. "I don't doubt it; it reeks of Tophetian. But there's no other way to Tyulia; going around the pass would take days, perhaps even a whole week, but we must get there as fast as possible."
"This is a narrow canyon, sir. It wouldn't take much to trap us in there and pick us off," Miyako murmured, but the general had not heard her. Lance, however, had.
"It would be dangerous. Block off both exits and fire arrows like rain 'pon our heads. 'Tis foolish, nay, a death wish."
"You could be right. Halt, soldiers!" General Torris called out in a commanding voice. The army halted and waited patiently for the next command. "We'll camp here for an hour or so." The elderly Selintan looked at Link from atop his horse. "Would you be interested in checking out the pass, Link? Normally, I would not ask, but these men have not seen much action, and I would warrant that you are capable of handling whatever the Tophetians throw your way."
"If I could, I'll accompany him," Lance suggested, giving the general an earnest face. "Aye, four ears hear better than two, and four eyes see more than two."
"Then you may. We'll wait here."