Chapter 15
"The Zora prince?" Auru asked, intrigued. "We can try, but I received a message from one of our affiliates saying the Domain refuses anyone who isn't a Zora access to the royal chamber, no matter what business they may have. We'll be lucky if a guard or a civilian helps us with our query. It's because their prince is only ten… Ah, but you already met him, didn't you? Pray tell: did you learn his name, by chance?"
It was stifling hot midday and Castle Town was simmering merrily beneath the blazing summer sun, Reliance Alley's cobblestone topped with a shimmer of boiling air. From afar, it almost looked like the surface of Lake Hylia, and the few people who dared walk the hot stones seemed to wade in shallows like storks. The heat was considered a nuisance—bordering on danger—by Castle Town's masses, but to the Resistance it was a subtle aid that kept the town guards in stuffy suits of armour off their heels while they went about their preparations. No soldier in their right might would have ventured outside the shadows of their assigned posts even for just a moment, lest their skin be pruned with stale sweat and hair melted inside their helmets turned cauldrons. And thankfully, Reliance Alley was short on trees and overhangs.
Link was constantly wiping sweat from his brow, but the heat he felt came from a source he'd been trying to suppress all morning. The fire blazing within him was strong and uncomfortable, and so far he had been unable to extinguish it.
Letting it out, though, was a whole different story. Anger was not something he liked to indulge in, especially when it was directed at the only person he knew who could challenge it without the bat of an eye. So when Auru asked about Ralis and Link recalled the Zora child's explanation of his name being kept secret for safety purposes, he just shook his head and looked away.
Auru, likely choosing to ignore the implications of the voiceless reply, turned from the Group members milling about in the tavern courtyard.
"I live and breathe secrets, Link, remember. No one will learn of this from me."
Link had a feeling Auru wasn't just talking about the Zora prince's name, but at this point it didn't matter to him anymore.
"Why do you need to know, Sir?" came Midna's curt whisper from the cobbled ground.
She had remained glued to Link's shadow ever since the incident in the meeting hall that morning. Bless you, Link thought. You know exactly how to react when you're being manipulated, unlike my sorry self.
"If I knew the prince's name, I'd have a direct association with him," Auru confessed. "We will have to involve the Zoras in our plans and missions sooner or later. Such is the price of war. No faction remains untouched by it."
"We'll meet with the prince first and ask him on your behalf, and only when he gives his consent will you learn his name." Even at a whisper, Midna's words were sharp and relentless.
Auru sighed and pursed his lips, shooting Link his telltale look of indignant amusement. Link turned away to evade the silent command within it, seeking shelter by Epona's comforting bulk. He picked up a comb and began tying up her long, thick mane into more manageable strands that would help her vent on the long ride north.
"Look, Link, I'm sorry I couldn't do more to prevent this," Auru said after a while, slipping to Epona's side facing the wall where Peet had once stored his secret stolen bun. "I can understand if you're mad at me, or disappointed," he added.
"I'm not mad at you, Sir," Link replied. "I just don't like the situation. I love him, but he is protective and overbearing, and if there's one person who would try to stop me from doing what I have to do because I might get hurt, it's him. I don't trust him to... trust me. And if he gets hurt as you did..."
"I promise you that I'll keep a close eye on him, and he won't undermine my authority again. I explained to you why I couldn't ask him to stay. You understand it, right? I'll make it up to you, trust me. I won't let anything happen to your father."
When the leader had left, Link pretended to check Epona's hoof and placed his palm next to his foot. Midna used the horse's feathering to hide her fingers as they touched his.
"I feel like an idiot who could really use a few lessons on debating right now," he murmured.
"That's exactly what you are, Link," she jabbed kindly but with the sombre undertone of truth in her voice. "I don't think he means to, but Auru's playing you like a pawn. That stunt this morning proves there's a load of ulterior motives behind every decision he makes."
"You think he did this because he had to, or because it was the easier choice?"
"It was definitely easier to let Rusl come along."
"Is there any way to convince him to stay behind?"
"You tell me, he's your father. Auru said he was pushed into a corner when Ashei said this is a four-man mission, two for supplies and two for defence. Plus, your father is apparently the Group's Wolfos expert. I'm not familiar with field mission procedure, but either Auru truly had no choice and his authority doesn't stretch nearly as far as I'd thought, or he has other reasons for not ordering Rusl to stay. And it doesn't help matters that you got hit by shra-… shranepel—"
"Shrapnel."
"—shrapenell, when we fought the Moblin army. Now Rusl thinks he can't trust Auru with your safety. I was afraid of this from the start, Link, which is why I wanted us to go alone. But—"
"Last time you said I had to go with Auru into the desert so I wouldn't die from—"
"But, we can still pull the same move as we'd planned last time. Go into the mountains with them, learn the essentials for survival, then slip away while they're not looking. And this time we'll do it right."
Link gritted his teeth with guilty acceptance. "This time you'll tell me when, and I'll just go."
"Precisely."
"Fair enough."
"It's the only way to keep them from getting killed, Link, and you know it, don't you?"
He quickly moved to the next hoof when he noticed Peet's curious eyes linger on him from where the boy was watering Rusl's horse at the well.
"I feel like I'm being played not just by Auru here," he complained amiably.
"But you and I have a lot more history together than Auru has, don't we?"
Link chuckled at this. "History I wouldn't give up for anything."
She did not respond as he had expected, and before he could ask her if something was wrong, Millie scuttled towards him hugging his snow gear and all but disappearing behind a bundled fur bedroll.
"Be sure to hide that thing under your tarp, Link, or someone is bound to ask silly questions as to why you're carrying a fur sleeping bag in the middle of bloody summer."
She was beet red in the face, sheets of sweat channelling through the many wrinkles on her cheeks and forehead. Link thanked her and went to work fastening the gear to Epona's saddle while the female smith plunged her hands into the courtyard well beside Peet and Rusl's stallion.
"You, Mistress, be red like a chu-chu and just as runny," Peet jested and thus earned himself a scoop of water to the face. He seemed to find the punishment delightfully refreshing, however, and the two dissolved into a brief splashing fight that incited Rusl's brown stallion to flee into Link's care with a disconcerted nicker.
Link patted its neck, looking at the travelling gear strapped to its saddle gloomily. Its rider came through the washroom door a moment later, grinning widely when he saw Link.
The alpha was bested, the Wolf grumbled. One slot down in the pecking order. Do I have to listen to the new alpha now?
He's not the alpha, he's my foster father, Link thought. And he thinks he can protect me better than Auru can. Little does he know that I'll have to protect him instead, along with Ashei, Auru, and Midna.
Break off the pack, then?
I won't have a choice. And I think I'll need to do it in more ways than one. Just sneaking away won't be enough, he'd come after me and likely die of exposure.
Link saw it then, the outlet for his anger he'd been unconsciously searching for. And directing it at his foster father would certainly be easier than at the Resistance leader. As his resolution to go through with it hardened, he felt apprehension flood him briefly that soon turned into guilt. The Wolf was once more feeding its irrational feelings into his mind. He pushed it back, to the Wolf's profound annoyance.
Nothing good comes of disrespecting the alpha, it muttered.
No more thoughts about alphas! Link shouted, giving the beast a hard mental shove. I know what I have to do.
The growling that came as an answer almost drowned out Rusl's words of greeting, and his light pat on Link's shoulder gave him a start.
"I've been looking forward to this. I get to spend my first mission with my son. An old dream of mine is coming true."
Grunting, Link twisted out of Rusl's hold, steeling his heart against his innate repulsion for acrimony. "I doubt your old dream included defying Auru's orders, Rusl," he answered coldly. "And I always thought you were so adamant about others following orders."
It was a cheap jab fuelled by an old grudge, but Link was not in the mood to care.
After a brief, shocked pause, Rusl's joy collapsed. "I defied Auru's orders because they made no sense," he shot back. "With his injuries, going up to Snow Peak? And taking you along once again despite your own state? It is every member's duty to question their leader's decisions if they seem unwise. And I had every right to request that I accompany my young fool of a son who gets himself shot with shrapnel or stabbed through the gut in his free time."
Link gritted his teeth but let the provocations roll off of him. I know what I did to earn those scars, he thought. Too bad you never will.
"Of course you had the right, Rusl. You always do. But I have the right to make my own decisions, even if they seem foolish to you. You gave that to me when you handed me those red rupees back in Ordon before we got attacked. Was that all just a mockery, then? A nice farewell to see me off that meant nothing in the end? If you're too scared to let go of my leash because whatever I do or don't do might conflict with your idea of safe then, goddesses blast it, I can't help you."
He kept his voice below shouting level purposefully, spicing it instead with that seething rage he'd been harbouring all morning. It was a strange feeling to give in to it, to use it instead of suppressing it, and it left a familiar taste of bitterness behind that he choked down with a grimace. Almost worse than the hurt on Rusl's face was the shock radiating from the Wolf's mental pen.
Be nice to your father, it reminded him of Auru's words while he hopped onto Epona's saddle and took up her reins. He loves you very much.
"Your father just wants what's best for you, dear," Millie cut in, her brows knotted as she and Peet watched the conversation uneasily.
"If I had followed his insistence on what's best for me, Colin and the others would still be missing," Link retorted, turning Epona to face the street.
"As you have a habit of reminding me," Rusl called. "You can't know what would have happened. You were injured, as was I, and staying in Ordon for a few more days wouldn't have made a difference."
"It made all the difference, Rusl," Link called back, goading the mare into a canter down Reliance Alley.
The last thing he heard before he rounded the corner was Rusl's desperate shout. "I'm here now, and you keep pushing me away!"
Link stopped at their chosen rendezvous point beneath a large oak at the outskirts of the town wall, plopping down on a flat rock for the wait; to keep the guards' suspicion low, Auru had insisted they leave Castle Town with a delay of ten minutes between them.
"I'm beginning to suspect I have a bad influence on you," Midna murmured from beneath him. "Was that really called for?"
"If I drive him away from me, he'll survive. For Uli, for Colin, for his newborn daughter, he has to live. I can lose him as a father, if that's the price I need to pay for his survival."
Our little sister, the Wolf corrected him, but Link was too preoccupied to fully acknowledge his verbal dissociation with his foster parent's baby. That, or his mind had purposefully pulled up that barrier to justify his ongoing detachment, and to underline the notion he was beginning to accept that Aryll was nothing but another Ordonian villager to him; a native, a stranger.
"Link, you can't seriously expect him to stop loving you just because you're being mean to him. If anything, it'll only make him push harder."
"Then I'll just ignore him."
"Which will have the same result."
"What would you have me do, then? How am I supposed to protect him?"
She remained quiet until Rusl and Auru passed the eastern gate and trotted towards them astride their horses, and Link knew she had delayed her answer deliberately so he couldn't reply without them hearing.
"There is a lower price you can pay that will allow you to keep his love, and potentially earn his respect. Think about it."
It was only after Auru stopped by his side and gave him an inconspicuous, encouraging nod that Link understood what she'd meant.
That's a price I'm not ready to pay right now. Look at what it did with Auru. I'm terrified of seeing that same behaviour in Rusl. My own father, worshipping the very ground I walk? Learning of my many failures?
When Ashei joined their tense silence ten minutes later, Auru stepped forward and spread out a map on the same flat rock.
"My latest report puts two bands of Lizalfos here and here, guarding the perimeter around Panacle Cove, and three groups of mounted Bulblins running between Airu and the river," he said, pointing at three red circles on the map. "I want a single file with Link monitoring our three o'clock, Rusl our nine, and Ashei bringing up the rear."
He turned to Link and pointed at the vast field north of them. "Keep your eyes on the river, Link, Lizalfos are excellent swimmers. You know it's a Lizal if you see a splashing crown of frothy water with a tail moving side-to-side like an eel."
"While a Zora swims with up-and-down movements," Rusl cut in. "And Lizals have a horn that protrudes from the water. Very hard to miss."
"Yes," Auru said, clearing his throat. "If you see a Zora, let us know. And if you see a Lizal, definitely let us know."
"At which point you will take Epona and ride away from us," Rusl said.
"Rusl—" Link began, balling his hands.
"No, you will run and let us handle them."
"Rusl, the boy needs to learn how to—"
"Out of the question, Auru! Moblins, maybe, but Lizalfos? No! Not until he's had proper training and his wounds have healed."
"Respectfully, Sir, but will you three just stop yapping, already?" Ashei sighed, using the rock to mount her horse. "My mother is expecting us in three days, and I would hate to add tardiness to my long list of crimes against the family."
The first leg of the journey was spent in silence as they sped in a straight line north, the Zora River meandering to their right like a plain of puckered glass behind clusters of plantains and shrubs. Occasionally, a boat could be seen bobbing down its course, nothing but a canoe sleek and fast that the boater steered with a single oar along the current. One time Link saw one moving upriver instead at a similar speed, and was at first perplexed at the physics of it until he saw the glittering flash of a fin at the bow. A Zora was harnessed to the kayak, pulling it through the calm waters effectively.
"That's the ferry service travelling up and down the river," Rusl explained after Link, dutifully, had informed them of his observation. "There are small checkpoints along the river that the Zoras put up to switch out pullers. Hyrule also uses them as strongholds. How's your shoulder? Is it hurting?"
"No, it's fine."
Rusl raised his brows at Link's gruff reply. "You don't have to prove anything here, Link. If you need a rest, just say so. We can take breaks."
Sighing, Link just shook his head, his cheeks glowing red. When Auru looked back at him, the leader at least had the grace to seem flustered.
Their first stop for the evening was in a small abandoned farming village south of Panacle Cove. An aforementioned Zora checkpoint bordered the shore, the only place in the hamlet that was still livened with lamplight. It was a grey stone building with a bridge-like protrusion overhanging the water, and inside the created, roofed docking area bobbed a dozen canoes tethered to metal hoops. A couple of them, Link saw, were missing large chunks of wood in their sides, as if a thin maw had taken a bite out of them. He figured that was exactly what had happened, and while the rational part of him grew increasingly nervous at the prospect of actually facing a Lizalfos in person, the more primal side of him itched to test his skill against them. The Wolf growled contentedly when he pictured his sword slicing through the soft underbelly of a reptile opponent.
The checkpoint itself was garrisoned by a handful of Hyrulean soldiers and a lieutenant, and when Auru and his group were led into a small courtyard they met with five Zoras wrapped in wet sheets of linen and going through their end-of-day routine. Two of them were cleaning leather harnesses, blackened with years of moisture, while a third was hacking away at a strange contraption in the corner that was being operated by a fourth. The fifth, a sleek Zora woman with a silver necklace, greeted Auru in a courtly fashion and identified herself as Sergeant Ororah. She offered her courtyard to the travellers as a resting place for the night, and invited them to sit by a rusted low brazier alight with a coal fire and share an evening meal of fried fish and sautéed greens.
"There's a Lizal nest up the road a bit, close to the shallows," the sergeant said. "My people paid dearly to take it down, but they just keep returning."
The Hylian lieutenant nodded. "They pounced on our door a couple of times, and when we tried to shoot them down, they fled. Wretched creatures, those Lizals. Took six of us in total since the Cloud lifted. We're still waiting for reinforcements from one of the cities."
"Hyrule's army is stretched thin, I'm afraid," Auru replied. "I haven't heard any recent news from Forgaru or Dalagra, but I'm suspecting they're holed up in the cities trying to break out. I don't yet know why they haven't done so already. But I'll send word to an associate in Castle Town and he'll see what he can do to bolster your numbers a bit. And we'll gladly help with the eradication of that Lizalfos nest come tomorrow."
Link, meanwhile, was watching the Zoras practising at the edge of the courtyard, enraptured by the quick motions both of the fish man and the contraption that the second Zora was conducting. The steel head of the mannequin was lifted and lowered on a middle axis by one lever while the other operated the right arm. A foot pedal also allowed for an articulated tail to be cranked back and released at the trainee with surprising force and speed. The Zora stepped gracefully backward each time it swung forward.
"It's a training dummy for Lizalfos," Rusl explained when he saw his son's piqued interest. "We have a couple of those in the sewers."
Link's heart throbbed once more with longing. Within his shadow, the Master Sword hummed encouragingly.
Auru, having undoubtedly watched the youth's reaction, at once bolted to his feet and limped towards the two practising Zoras. "Would you allow my friend's son a go at the dummy? He's not had the chance to properly train for Lizalfos yet."
"Certainly," the Zora replied, sheathing his blue-hilted dagger and stepping aside.
"Auru, wait, what about his shoulder?" Rusl called, but Ashei rested her hand on his shoulder before he could stand up.
"Stop being such a pantywaist, Rus', it's getting old," Ashei grumbled. "And besides, you said the lad needed training."
"Well, yes, but not so soon after—"
"Give it a rest, he'll be fine."
"Sword and shield at the ready," Auru instructed, giving Link the tiniest wink and ignoring the two bickering adults behind them. Link smiled, silently thanking the leader for his quick thinking—and a secret part of him revelled in the idea of doing something his father disapproved of.
The dummy's wooden maw was raised by the other Zora, and Link watched its mock teeth flash in the brazier's light.
"The Lizalfos is one of the most dangerous monsters you will encounter," Auru began. The Zora soldier who had been training with the mannequin stopped a distance away and folded his finned arms, a countenance of eager curiosity on his face. Even the troops lounging by the brazier grew quiet and turned to listen. Link was a little unsettled to be at the cusp of their attention, but Auru's lecture soon drew him in completely, until he forgot they were even there.
"Its every aspect is designed to kill and maim." Auru reached out and pointed at various parts on the dummy. "Its teeth, its tail, the claws on its hands and feet. You can't use your body-mass against it because it is much larger than you. It's intelligent, so you can't expect it to make a simple-minded Bulblin's mistakes. And it has razor-sharp reflexes, which means any misstep on your part will be quickly exploited."
"Bastards' learn your every move until they know you better than your own mum," Ashei commented, and the chuckles around her held an undertone of bitter remembrance in them.
Auru smiled grimly without breaking Link's eye-contact. "But just like every other monster, the Lizal has a few weaknesses you can utilise. In a nutshell: it's reduced muscle mass won't allow it to strike as hard as other monsters. And its moves are quick but clumsy."
He gestured for Link to get into his fighting stance and asked the Zora operating the dummy to lift its right claw. A wooden training sword had been attached to it.
"It is best to fight defensively against this creature. Block their attacks, strike only when you have a safe opening. Your stance must be firm but uninhibited and your weight on the front leg. Don't get caught on your back foot, or you'll pay for it with a lack of flexibility. A Lizalfos commonly uses a sword or spear in its right hand with a wrist shield to defend its left side. Here—"
He paused and gave a chortle, nodding excitedly. "Here, you have an invaluable advantage: you're left-handed, which means you can parry their main weapon with ease and use your shield to block the claw."
The wooden sword came down at his head, and Link caught it on his cross-guard. He didn't even need to raise his shield to block the twisting claw on his right, and this gave him a generous amount of time to take a step back as the mannequin's head snapped downward.
"Excellent. But when it comes in to bite you, bash your shield into its snout, forcing its head up and exposing the throat. And stay on your front foot."
The mannequin's head whipped down at him again, and Link banged his shield against the snout. The head stayed in place, grinning at him tauntingly.
"Harder, much harder," Auru said.
Link tried again, and again, until a flare of pain shot through his injured shoulder and he barely managed to suppress a hiss. His fourth thrust, finally, caused the neck to stretch.
"That's it. A hard shield strike will momentarily stun and expose it. See the two red-marked grooves on its neck and belly? Those are the best spots to strike: slitting the throat, and puncturing the lungs or heart."
Link brought forth his sword and swung it horizontally along the painted line at the contraption's neck, drawing splinters from the wood plating. The two delicate scars in his shoulder stretched uncomfortably. When he drove his blade forward to hit the line at the breast area, the impact caused a sudden bolt of pain that he masked with his accompanying grunt of effort. A quick glance behind him showed Rusl sitting by the brazier, thin-lipped and attentive, but his countenance did not show he had noticed Link's discomfort.
"Very good," Auru said. "For you, this will be the easiest and safest way to kill a Lizal, but remember that you'll need a lot of force to stun it with your shield. And don't forget the left claw. Keep an eye on it, block it with your shield, keep it away from you. If those claws get caught in your tunic or armour, you'll be tethered like an unwilling dance partner."
"And those creatures do love a good tango," Ashei muttered, touching her right arm absently. Link recalled the intricate steel sleeves and corset she'd worn in Ashinon, protecting areas a Lizalfos would easily find a hold in. He reckoned her comment must have sprung from first-hand experience.
"We'll get to that in a bit," Auru continued, nodding at her soberly before moving on. "The Lizalfos tail: it might not look the part, but it is uncommonly strong and quick, and they've taken a liking to attaching weights or curved blades to the tips as well, making them even more dangerous. Don't try any fancy footwork or manoeuvring here to get behind a Lizal. Keep a strong stance at all times or that tail will gut you or knock you flat before you even realise what happened. You can discern when a Lizal attempts to strike with its tail by their stance. It needs to build up momentum for the tail to gain enough force, so it will usually take a step back and present its side to you."
The tail was twisted behind the dummy, and indeed the entire mannequin turned slightly away from Link on its vertical middle axis. He watched the broom end substituting for the tail blade as it was sent forth at great speed. He took a step sideways and thrust out his shield to catch the tail mid-swing. At the last second he realised he had shifted too much of his weight backwards—the dreaded back foot—and could not keep his balance against the sheer might that knocked into his defence.
Auru helped him up, a smile assuring Link his blunder had been expected. "Remember your stance, keep your feet rooted firmly at all times. No fancy jumps or twirls. Stand tall and strong like a rock."
The comparison brought to Link's mind a flash of an image; a Goron standing before him wielding an axe, its feet spread out firmly, the feet, knees, and hips each forming a triangle. Unconsciously he mimicked the stance and revelled in the solidity of it. This training session was not at all like the duel with Garril a few weeks ago or his battle at the Moblin stronghold. This opponent would be quick, lithe, devious. Link had to adapt to it, just like he had adapted—reacted—to the necessity of impressing his new leader, to being surrounded by masses of simple-minded enemies launching themselves at him haphazardly, to being called a liar and a commoner by an arrogant noble blowhard. A blowhard who needed to be taken down a notch, to be humiliated, humbled. Link's jumps and somersaults and feints had accomplished this beautifully, and later had assured he kept the upper hand while his sword struck through the horde and Midna watched his back.
Now, he was training for combat against a monster that had refined its tactics beyond what any Moblin could ever accomplish. Nor would the key to victory here be found with tactics more suited on the sands of an arena. Once he faced a competent opponent out for his blood, his life just might depend on how well he could remain on his feet.
When the tail came at him again, he stayed right where he was, solid as a block, unmovable. The broom twanged with hairy aplomb back into the air, pulling the segmented iron tail loops with it and earning Link approving grunts from the gathered Zoras by the brazier. He glanced backwards to see Rusl smiling self-consciously at them, somehow managing to look both proud and unhappy at the same time.
"Good work," Auru said. "And I know it's tempting, but don't try to leap backwards to evade the tail. You can't be sure of your footing when you land. A stray stone or stick could twist your ankle and that'll be the end of you. If you need to escape the tail because the Lizalfos tried to flank you—again, it's a quick and frenzied opponent—take a long stride backwards all while making sure you don't stay on the back foot."
Link smiled and nodded.
Auru took a step away from the mannequin, folding his arms. "Which brings me to my final point, likely the most important: you already know the danger of the left claw, but I want you to take a good long look at those foot claws. They're not for show, and what the Lizal lacks in upper body mass it makes up with leg strength. You've played with cats before, haven't you? Imagine a cat wrestling with a ball of string. Picture how those adorable front claws are stuck in it and the hind legs start bunny-kicking."
Auru's face was like steel despite the delightful reference, and the soft mutters from the courtyard behind them grew deadly silent. Link's neck prickled as he remembered his fun-times with Sera's black and white feline back in Ordon. He still had three faint hairline scars on his right underarm where those hind claws had once, as Auru called it, bunny-kicked at him during a playful scuffle.
"If you lose your balance and it jumps at you, if it pins you and you get into a tussle, those claws will rake your stomach and thighs and cause wounds worse than any sword injury. In a Lizalfos clutch, you will be shredded to pieces just like a cat's ball of string. So you need to remember this, at all costs: never grapple with a Lizalfos. Keep your distance, stay on your feet, kill it quickly."
Gulping, Link nodded again, a bitter taste on his tongue.
"See, Rus'?" Ashei said. "He's got the basics down already."
Ignoring her, Rusl stood up and lightly touched Link's shoulder, careful to keep his hand away from the injuries there. "I think that's enough for one night. Let's get your bandage changed before bed, shall we? I got the kit right here."
Grudgingly, Link sat down on his bedroll and removed his tunic and shirt. To his dismay, the brief training session had done more than a little stretching on the delicate scar tissue, and one shrapnel hole was leaking blood enough to soak the old bandage through.
Rusl gave him and Auru a look of unmistakable scorn, but thankfully he stayed silent while he dabbed at the hole with a clean cloth. Each dab sent daggers of pain through Link's shoulder, and only his stubbornness prevented him from showing it. He was certain Rusl put a little extra force into each poke just to ram the point home. Gritting his teeth he squared his shoulders, daring Rusl to push harder.
It was later that night, when the brazier had burnt itself out and the moon doused the small courtyard in pastel blue, that a low murmur behind Link roused him from his half-slumber.
"Why are you like this, Link? I thought we'd worked things out that day in Castle Town. Ever since you came back from the desert you've been so distant. And now you treat me like a nuisance just for coming on this mission with you. What have I done to deserve this?"
Link kept his eyes closed, feigning sleep while he racked his brain for an answer. First it had been Auru, now it was Rusl's turn to be pacified with evasions and lies. He was getting sick of all the secrecy.
The Wolf, to his mild surprise, was also awake, feeling more like a lost puppy than a ferocious, oversized beast.
You got anything to say about this? Link spat inwardly.
There are tensions in the pack.
Aren't you an astute dog?
The Wolf's irritation rose. Fear makes us behave just like the alpha. If he knew our secret, he'd understand.
Link tensed as a familiar pressure built up in his spine. No, don't you dare!
His canines twisted painfully, and he clenched his teeth hard in the hopes of suppressing their advance from his gums. He just had to be patient, lie still and taut until the Wolf had exhausted its reach. Try as it might, the Wolf could not transform without the crystal, the bridge between their bodies. All Link needed to do was wait it out.
"Link?"
Goddesses, but it hurt. More than usual as teeth pushed and bones ground against each other. Anger and frustration bloomed within the beast's mental cage, thrusts rattled Link's brain as it threw its bundled might against him.
Let me out! Let me out!
No, I won't! This will only make things worse!
Tears of effort spilled from Link's eyes, thankfully obscured by the night's shadows. Anger had turned to fear now, horror painting Rusl's familiar, gentle face with patches of fright when he would finally see the monster that was trying to spring from Link's bones. He couldn't let that happen. Not when it was this riled up, scratching and clawing at its confines, desperate to get out. If it sprang loose, only Nayru knew what would happen in the cramped courtyard packed with weapons and sleeping warriors.
Breathe, calm, focus…
The alpha needs to know!
He wouldn't understand, he would only fear us. We are not normal!
Finally, a new feeling resurged from within him; hesitation. Gradually the pushes subsided, leaving him oddly light-headed and detached. An empty feeling inside made his bones prickle and his heart feel hollow.
"Never mind. I'm sorry if I woke you."
With Rusl's retreat and the Wolf slinking back to its pen, Link found himself at the centre of their disappointment. Ensnared in it, unable to cast off the guilt that surged through him, it brought a bitter taste to his tongue.
Just as painful as Rusl's palpable chagrin, which he could feel on the back of his skull like a gust of cold air, was the Wolf's sense of utter defeat as its entity compressed to a tight clump in his mind. Link had finally bested it, but he felt no joy in the victory. What honour was there in beating down a misbehaving animal? He knew its thoughts, its emotions, coupled to his own by that intangible thread of understanding. He felt its bottomless confusion and despair like a noose around his neck. The same confusion that seemed to radiate from behind him where Rusl had slumped back on his bedroll, defeated by Link's silence.
He squeezed his eyes even tighter; as a hero he was meant to be a fighter, kill his enemies before they could reach the ones he was meant to save. But fighting people, friends, a companion, a father, with only words as weapons, was so much harder than fighting monsters with a whetted blade. There was no satisfaction in it, no means to an end. It just bred more resentment until the people he tried so hard to protect turned their back on him. But wasn't this exactly what he was aiming for? To drive Rusl away from him, away from danger, by all means necessary?
Because I love you too much, Rusl, he thought, shedding the tears that had accumulated behind his eyelids silently, feeling like a coward for not having the guts to answer Rusl's questions out loud. The consequences of doing so would have made each of his belligerent efforts that day worthless. He knew he was being stubborn, prideful, perhaps even cruel, but he could see no other solution that kept Rusl safe and in the dark about Link's identity. He had gone against his pacifistic nature, chosen a path of contempt to reach this painful compromise. Honesty, truth, giving in, would have shattered it simply because of who Rusl was: a warrior, a worrier, a loving father paranoid about his son's life. Link fully believed he'd made the right choice simply because it was the more difficult one. It didn't matter if it broke his heart; that was just the nature of the test.
I'm not normal. What am I then? Where do I belong?
Startled, Link let the Wolf's words sink in. Though it had referred to itself as a single entity before, Link knew that, this time, it had spoken entirely for itself. It had finally grasped the separation between them. And the resulting emptiness he felt on its behalf was just as crushing—both mentally and physically—as the price he was paying for Rusl's retreat.
But he, at least, felt wise enough to find an answer. To be the voice of reason for the unreasonable mind of an instinctual being.
We're unique. We don't belong anywhere. At least… not yet. But we might one day.
Hope blossomed, shaky at first, then growing stronger as he let thoughts of Midna, of the Resistance members, of Ordon, of Kakariko, flash through his mind and, synchronously, the Wolf's. He allowed their imprint of home to be conveyed to the beast's pen, hoping it would further calm it and allow him to rest. When the Wolf finally fell silent in his mind, he gave an imperceptible sigh of relief.
We might find a pack who understands us, someday. A place we can call home. Until then, you'll just have to be patient.
0
Sergeant Ororah and her four troops escorted them the next morning along the river, their powerful fins treading the current and easily keeping up with Auru's hastened pace until, in the distance, Link spotted the dreaded Lizalfos nest by an abandoned fisherman's shack.
Leaning forward on Epona's saddle, his hungry eyes took in the sight of the lizard monsters through the thick brush hiding him from sight. The dead one he had seen in the western canyon had looked passively ferocious. Alive and moving, they were downright formidable. Two thighs the sizes of tree trunks kept them in an upright bipedal stance while their torso slanted forward like that of a bird without feathers. Their head, snakelike in appearance, cocked and twisted in a fitful manner—like a cuckoo, Link thought. A thick tail dragging on the ground kept them in balance.
All of them were armed with either spears or swords, and each left wrist had a tiny shield attached to it just like Auru had said. It was difficult to make out much more at that distance.
"I count fifteen in total," the Resistance leader whispered behind his Hawkeye. "As long as there aren't any more, we should be able to dispose of them."
Sergeant Ororah, who had just arrived from the river with her contingent in tow, stopped by his side and nodded. "You'd be doing us and this whole region a mighty favour, Sir."
Auru nodded and dismounted, signalling for Ashei and Rusl to follow. He cast Link a brief, apologetic smile before giving the young Hylian his reins.
"Observe from here, you'll learn plenty," he commanded.
"But, Sir, I'm sure I can—" Link started.
"No, Link," Auru added in his superior's tone, "These are dangerous enemies and it will be best for you to see how they fight before you engage them. One mistake, and you won't get to make another."
Link gave a curt nod and tried to ignore Rusl nodding his approval in the background.
Together with the Zoras, they advanced on the camp, their weapons drawn.
A single clank from Rusl's shield was all it took, and fifteen lizard heads whipped in their direction. They staggered in place for a brief moment, bobbing side-to-side while their curious probing eyes scanned the eight warriors approaching at a steady pace. Then they charged.
Link's mouth dropped open when his eyes lost their target, finding them instead right before the line of fighters fifty yards ahead. The lizards had moved so quickly that he'd missed their dash forward, and the skirmish that ensued had his head jerking back and forth trying to keep up. Tails with their flashing blades shot forward, swords clanked against shields, heads were bashed and claws rent the air. He followed Ashei's sleek rapier as it manoeuvred deftly around the wrist-shield of her reptile opponent, prying its leather clasp open. He watched Auru take a long stride back to evade a tail whip, regaining his ground in the same heartbeat to slice at his unbalanced foe. Rusl pounded forward with his shield and his Lizalfos's head shot skyward. With a slow but powerful move he drove his weapon deep into the monster's gut, killing it.
From his vantage point atop the hill, Link could see the lizard monsters suddenly pushing through the line, breaking the Resistance members from their Zora allies like a wedge. It astonished him to realise they had detected the Agency warriors' superior skill and decided to pick on the weaker Zoras instead. The result was immediate. Ororah's soldiers were flanked, and one of them took a tail bludgeon to the side. Link could see the Zora falter. A comrade came to his aid a moment later, followed by the sergeant who had just landed her own first kill. At once, the Lizalfos formerly occupied with crowding Auru and his Resistance members homed in on the injured fishman like moths drawn to a flare. Flashes of scaly skin rounded the group with their superior speed, circled them in, breaking the wounded Zora and his helper from the rest of the group.
"No!" Link hissed, wringing the caramel stallion's leather reins until they creaked. "They'll never make it!"
"Do something!" Midna called, and Auru's horse gave a sudden jerk of fright when her ghost voice rang out. "Here!"
A shimmer of silver light flickered across Link's face as the Master Sword materialised from the shadow of the nearby tree trunk. Link made a move to grab it, then hesitated.
"What're you waiting for? Take it!"
"I should use Rusl's sword instead," he stammered. "Otherwise they might—"
Calls from the sergeant rang out across the field, and Auru's group turned to come to their aid. There were still nine Lizalfos attacking, and with two Zoras down their force was outnumbered. Link could see Auru drawing heavy breath, and though Rusl and Ashei still looked like they could breathe easy, they were both forced to tackle two Lizals each.
"Link! Don't be stupid!"
Link shook his head and turned, unclasping his shield from his baldric and strapping it on. "I've fought these things before," he muttered, both to Midna and to himself. "All I have to do is remember it."
"Just take the bloody sword!" she called in frustration. "You'll have a much better chance with it!"
He broke into a run and brandished his father's blade instead. It didn't feel as secure or light as the Master Sword, but he knew he'd get used to it quickly. "I'll be fine! Just stay hidden!"
He reached the Zora defending his wounded comrade at the edge of the battlefield just in time to catch the fishman before he lost balance, bludgeoned by a whipping tail. Link's shield deflected the incoming sword before it could cleave them both in half. The Lizalfos facing him growled in defiance.
"Hey, boy, you shouldn't be here—" the Zora called.
"Go, I'll cover you!" Link called and parried the lizard's left claw before bashing his shield into its snout. The head stayed in place, but at least he had gained its attention. With a vicious snarl it charged after him, its peculiar eyes rotating like eggs inside two round bearings to keep him in its focus.
Left parry, shield, front foot!
Link's heart syphoned that sweet adrenaline through his veins, feeding him strength, speed, power. He twirled his blade and met rusty Lizal steel, his shield keeping the claw at bay when it tried to outmanoeuvre him. Clearly the monster had never fought a left-hander before, and its strikes were sloppy and predictable, the claw rendered utterly useless.
The tail!
He saw the sleek body twist just like the mannequin the night prior, and Link put all his weight on his front leg, shivering with anticipation. The bludgeon laced with double blades that soared towards his thighs was coated in algae and river filth—not something he wanted embedded in his flesh. He propelled himself outside of the tail's radius at the last second, then thrust forward and buried his blade in the monster's ribcage.
A sudden flare of pain in his shoulder made him gasp, and the heavy sword was sapped of strength before it could pierce the heart. With a wail the Lizalfos twisted sideways, pulling Link off of his feet as he held onto Rusl's sword out of pure instinct. He was flung to the ground by the monster's momentum, the sword sliding free of its chest, and he sensed more than saw the tail mace rushing at him from behind. He managed to bring up his shield just in time.
The double blade clanged against it with a bang that jolted through his right arm and shoulder, rendering them briefly numb. Both shoulders throbbing in pain, he was momentarily stunned, unable to focus.
"Get up, shorty!" he heard Ashei's call. "They're tall enough as it is, don't make it easier for them to bully you."
Her hand appeared in his line of sight, and he grabbed it gratefully all while searching for his Lizal opponent. It stood a short distance away, bright blood dripping from the gash in its chest, blade locked with Auru's sabre. The Resistance leader stepped sideways to turn it around, head whipping back to find Link's eyes. A relieved grin brightened his face and he nodded, whirling his sabre downward to unbalance the lizard so he could step aside.
"Finish it, Link," he hissed.
Link ran forward and, ignoring the soreness in his right arm, used his momentum to bash his shield so hard into the Lizal's snout that they both recoiled from the impact. He managed to catch himself, but the Lizal had no such luck. The chest wound had weakened the creature enough so that, despite its thick legs and counterbalancing tail, it lost traction on the gritty dirt and keeled sideways. The clawed feet lashed out, but Link had already manoeuvred himself around it and towards the bleeding snout. His feet, too, lost their grip in the gravel and skidded out from underneath him, but he drove his sword tip-first into its skull with a hoarse cry just as he lost his balance. He came to a stop enveloped in a dust cloud, kneeling before its pierced skull.
When the dirt settled, he staggered to his feet and raised his shield to fend off the next enemy attack, only to find himself amid three more Lizalfos corpses. Crickets hesitantly resumed their songs in the battle's silent wake.
"Nice one, sport," Ashei called and approached him, wiping her filthy sabre with a rag she pulled from her belt. "Not bad for your first Lizal kill."
"I agree," Auru replied and helped Link to his feet. "Crude, but promising."
Link nodded his thanks, eyes moving instinctively to Rusl who was waiting behind Auru. His foster father stood with his shoulders hunched, a deep frown on his face, his square jaw taut like a wedged hinge. His hands, Link saw, were shaking on the pommel of his broadsword he had propped upright like a cane before him, and Link could not tell if it was from fear or anger. He paused, hesitating on the appropriate emotion; pride or guilt? He settled for indifference when Rusl snatched up his weapon to sheathe it and approached with a heavy step.
"Are you hurt?" he asked curtly.
"I'm fine," Link replied, his voice just as blunt.
"Shoulder okay?"
"Yes."
"Gave you some trouble with your stab, though, didn't it?"
Link was briefly muted, his brain coming up blank, and the countenance of vindication on Rusl's face nearly drove him wild with fury.
"What?" Rusl drawled."You thought I wouldn't notice your fight against that Lizalfos after you jumped into battle despite Auru's orders? Bit hypocritical, that, wasn't it? Not following orders seems to run in the family."
"Cut the lad some slack, Rusl," Ashei sighed. "He didn't do half bad for his first time."
"I stepped in when I saw the Zora fall, Rusl," Link answered, struggling to stay calm. "You were all occupied with the other Lizalfos. I had to help."
"No, you had to stay back!" Rusl roared, at once twisting towards Auru. "And you! Encouraging him to make the kill! Is this how it went down in the desert too, Auru? You giving him an opportunity to be heroic? Because I don't quite believe your story of how you accidentally set off a bomb while he was in range and failed to bring up his shield all the way. That doesn't explain all the bruises, the scrapes, or the cut on his left side I saw last night. How did that happen, huh?"
Link blanched, gritting his teeth and desperately resisting the urge to lower his eyes. A Gerudo archer had grazed him with an arrow during his erratic flight through Ashinon's streets, an injury he had painstakingly tried to keep hidden from prying eyes, even Doctor Lysh's. It had mostly healed by now, but the cut was still scabbed and large enough to reflect its former severity. The night prior, he'd been too occupied with ignoring Rusl's pampering to remember he should cover his side.
Auru stepped forward, still panting heavily; the Lizalfos battle had clearly drained him. "It was my fault that bomb went off, Rusl. Are you seriously implying I don't regret that mistake? I take full responsibility for it, but don't blame him for something that was out of his control."
The deception rolled off of his tongue with such ease and conviction that Link found himself perturbed both by the guilt once more resurging in him, and the thought that Rusl was—on top of being ostracised by his own son—the main victim in their secret charade.
After a quick pause for breath Auru continued just as sharply. "And as for me encouraging him; Link is ready to fight these creatures, if you want it or not. You can't protect him by denying him proper training or experience to deal with them. Their numbers are increasing all across Hyrule, and sooner or later they will start attacking the bigger cities. Would you rather have him cower in some tavern until they break through the doors and kill him, or train him to defend himself?"
Rusl advanced on the taller Hylian, his eyes sparking with fury. "You have no idea what it's like to watch a member of your family die in front of you."
"He won't die, Rusl, because we will train him to survive, together. You've seen what he can do. You saw his skill in the training hall. He is far stronger than you think. Let him find his potential, for Farore's sake! Let him breathe!"
"Don't you dare tell me how to raise my own children!"
"Enough!" Ashei commanded. She advanced on the Ordonian smith with her finger pointing at him accusingly.
"Rusl, you're letting your feelings for Link get in the way of your better judgement," she said angrily. "He is a skilled fighter, a warrior, and you're denying him the training and experience he needs to survive. You're not doing him any favours by sheltering him. He's made his choice, he's here now, so stop doing what's best for you and start doing what's best for him. And right now, that is to train him into being the best fighter he can be. Do you understand?"
Rusl was fuming, but muted. With both his companions and Link facing him, his half-formed arguments died in his mouth.
"As for you, sport," Ashei whirled around and fixed Link with furious eyes. "Your father was right about you disrespecting Auru's direct orders. This won't do. As a Resistance member and a low-ranking squire, you are duty-bound to follow our orders at all times. We'll let you off with a warning this time, given the circumstances." She gestured at the Zora troop that stood in conversation a little distance away, politely ignoring the standoff. "But if it happens again, Auru will start sanctioning your down time and doubling your chores. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Captain," Link answered, keeping his chin high. "It won't happen again."
"Now, respectfully, Sir," Ashei completed her circle by focusing on Auru. "You should ask one of the Zoras to help you with your bandages and catch your breath. I'll take over until we reach Val Jabun."
"Your common sense is unmatched as always, Captain," Auru grunted, but accepted her arm to help him back up the hill. "Dismissed, everyone. We're moving on."
Rusl was first to obey, walking briskly towards the shallow hill and their horses, his pace showcasing his deep displeasure. The Zoras, Ashei, and Auru followed more slowly. Link, instead, turned and trudged to where the Lizalfos corpse lay with his sword still embedded in its skull, when a stone knocked into his boot. He looked down, saw another pebble being flicked into the air, its shadow trailing along his shin as it flew and bringing Midna close enough for a harder pinch to his leg.
"What were you thinking?" she hissed as soon as he had discreetly manoeuvred himself out of earshot. "What part of Take the sword didn't you understand?"
"They'd have recognized it, Midna," he whispered back. "And we agreed that—"
"People could have died, Link!" she thundered, remembering just in time to lower her voice. "You could have died! You were this close to getting your head chopped off if Auru hadn't stopped the Lizalfos in time. You were slow and you were sloppy. When will you finally realise that hiding your true skill will only result in more suffering?"
Link was taken aback, stilled by her anger. But when he replayed the fight behind his mind's eye now, all he knew was unease. It hadn't felt at all like the battle in the desert, where each strike had been a manifest of skill, confidence, and power. Rusl's sword, although reforged by the Gorons and thus even lighter than its original form, just wasn't as responsive as the Blade of Evil's Bane. It was not his weapon. He now realised choosing to fight with the Ordonian sword had been a gamble, a risk that might have cost people their limbs if not their lives.
"With the Master Sword, you could have taken on most of these lizards by yourself, and the two Zoras wouldn't have been hurt."
"I think you're overestimating my proficiency, Midna," he countered weakly.
"And I think you're underestimating just how powerful you really are. It's your choice, Link. Do what you must. But remember: the goddesses chose you for a reason. You have to stop denying that."
She vanished from him then, using the shadows of nearby bushes until she had reached the horses. The Master Sword's hum withdrew along with her, leaving him painfully barren.
He wanted to call her back, restart the argument with fresh ammunition, prove to her he'd be better off staying a secret agent for reasons he'd discussed not only with Auru but with her multiple times. Why was she suddenly pushing for him to come out into the open? Because she pitied Rusl for being mistreated? Because the battle would have been over with no one hurt? How skilled did she think he truly was? He hadn't even seen a live Lizalfos until that day.
But the more he tried to dismiss her accusations, the more he found himself muttering the words, playing the scene in his head, picturing Ashei's and Rusl's shocked faces. Wondering how he would manage to hold on to his secrecy when faced with whatever nightmare they'd find in the mountains.
I'll fight to protect them if I have no choice, he thought, wearied both by the battle and that sobering thought. I'll do what I did for Auru, if there is no other option.
And I'll suffer their expectations and reticence if it saves them.
000
Author's note: another chapter done, another leg of our journey complete.
This chapter caught me by surprise, for I found myself writing about current issues I'm facing in my life at the moment. I wanted to explore what can happen when one denies their feelings, their true wishes, their skills, or their experience. It often happens that we fall back into old habits, or create new ones when life seems to stagnate and we feel like we're going nowhere. I've recently been confronted with the painful realisation that my own life wishes (which are humble in my opinion, but just as important to me) remain unfulfilled. It'll all work out in the end, I told myself. Soon my time will come, I told myself. And then something happened that punched me in the face hard enough to wake me up from my own deception, and I realised I had taken steps backwards for months without even realising it, putting off what I truly wanted in favour of an easier, safer route.
We have only one life (until proven otherwise) and it is important we remember that we are in control of it, always, and any notion saying otherwise is wrong or just an illusion we show ourselves. Of course there are some things we cannot change, some things that happen that we have no control over, but if we are lucky enough to have choices in life that bring us closer to our dreams, our homes, or our happiness, we'd be fools not to make these choices.
Link still has to learn that hiding his own powers-denying them, even-is the wrong way to go. Some things he cannot change, like his role as the hero which has been thrust upon him. But perhaps he will see his true potential soon enough, and rise up to be who he truly wants to be.
I guess we shall find out together.
All the best,
DR
