Chapter 17

He awoke to find the sky on fire. Pausing to pick up his sword and tie his belt, Vice Regent Ren of the Freelander Emirate rushed out of the small, wooden cabin he had decided to stay in during his time at Valiant port.

The cold, dawn air stung his gold skin, but worse was the frost that settled in his heart as he surveyed the scene. The sea was teeming with warships as if someone had cast a net into the waters and, instead of raising a load of fish, had caught hundreds of armour plated vessels.

The sky was tinted red from the rising sun, but now it rained cannonballs, their flight trails leaving angry scars in the air. The projectiles started to hit home, splintering huts into dust, scattering terrified animals and ploughing into the ground.

It was eerily quiet. He looked around him to see his people calmly ready bows and man the defence platforms. Their faces wore the stoic serenity made infamous by his race and he felt a surge of pride. They did not panic, though their steps and movements had the bite of measured urgency.

He ran across to one of the imposing, steel defence rigs that lined the port, jumping over broken and burning wood. He heard children weep softly. Their young ones would not cry out in terror, he thought with a grim smile. That was not their way.

The sky split as the sun slowly crept upwards, coating the enemy ships in a crimson glow that would have been beautiful if not for the circumstances. The soft whistle of flying cannonballs was punctured by deafening crashes as they tore into the port. He felt his spirits rise as he heard the crack of arrows rip through the air. The counterattack had begun.

Ren hoped it would be enough. Freelanders were skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but naval supremacy had always belonged to the Hylians.

They had known the attack was coming, of course. Chizan's guards had notified them of the situation. The Higher Council had wanted to send a diplomatic party to Hyrule to try and sort out the mess, but Chizan's guards had been insistent that any Freelander found in that country would be slaughtered on sight.

Ren's lip curled as he climbed into the rig's cabin. It would take ten Hylians to slaughter but one Freelander, he thought. The archers nodded to him, but said no word. The rig creaked as he worked the controls, readying the catapult for action.

His cousin Chizan had still not returned to fully brief them. The guards had told him that the Prince was accompanying the Hylian Queen on some journey. That had angered Rem. Now was not the time to show any loyalty to the Hylians. Especially as the people of the Emirate were confused, caught in a war they did not really know why they were fighting. Chizan's presence would have helped to clarify things.

Ren pulled the lever. The rig jerked violently and the spring twanged as the boulder was let loose.

He watched its progress, his eyes narrowed. It was buffeted left and right as it collided with incoming cannonballs, knocking chips of rock from its exterior. It started to dip and he saw the sailors on one ship flee in terror. With an ear-splitting rip, the boulder sliced through the sails before ramming into the deck with a shower of splinters. The ship started to keel to one side and lurched into the path of one of its allies. They collided, throwing the sailors into panic.

There was no cheering from the Freelanders. They had not been brought up to revel in the misfortunes of their enemies. Still. He had only knocked out two ships. Other boulders started flying, but as he scanned the horizon he saw that there were far too many ships to fight. Not just Hylian vessels either. He spotted Calatian, Lyderian, Zimmish and Jorl ships too. This was no hit and run attack, he realised with a sinking sense of dread. This was an invasion.

Ren saw the glimmer of movement from the corner of his vision. He peered forwards trying to see. There. A woman at the edge of the bay, grimly trying to reach for a small child trapped under a fallen crate.

He hissed and leapt from the cabin, surprising the archers. The lethal rain continued, making him flinch as some of the cannonballs landed too close to him. There was the smell of burning in the air and hazy smoke started to float over the port. He heard the rumble of collapsing rock and the crunch of wood being shattered. There were very few screams though. His people just did not do that.

Ren saw the woman reach for the child and realised that her leg was cut. A dark, angry stain seeped across her dress. He grit his teeth and pushed his leg muscles on.

He barely caught the sound. A whistle. A lot louder than it should be.

He ducked and rolled an instant before the cannonball screeched into the ground. Hot chips of rock splintered into his arm and he instinctively covered his face to protect it from harm. He lay there, waiting for the chaos to end as his arm throbbed in pain.

Silence. He groggily got to his feet and felt the slick flow of blood trickle. There was no time to worry about that now. Jumping over the last bits of debris he reached the child and, with a hefty kick that sent slivers of pain up his leg, shattered the crate.

He cradled the child and took the woman by her hand. The woman smiled wordlessly, the gratitude and relief clear in her eyes. Gently, he pulled her towards the defence rig. A slow ember of anger ignited in his soul as he realised that they were going to lose Valiant. He was going to have a few choice words with his cousin if he ever got his hands on him again.

That is, if he could get out of here alive.

*

Fran chewed his lip nervously as he watched the guards load the ship. The Royal Galleon was a magnificent vessel; long and tall, its sails displaying the Triforce emblem of the Royal Family proudly soared skywards. The wood was dark red and a line of gold lead from its tip to bow. A majestic and extravagant waste of money, thought Fran.

He had spent many tense hours waiting for Link to reappear from the castle. Finally, as darkness fell, he had been shooed away by the guards. Despondent and confused, Fran had waited on the outskirts of the Market Town hoping for a glimpse of his friend.

Finally, after many days, it had come, but not in the way he had expected. The King was on the move and the procession of guards and advisors slowly marched through the town. What had made the people gasp was not the sheer spectacle of the convoy, but the fact that standing proudly next to the King was the Hero of Time himself.

Fran could not figure out what was going on, but realised he needed to move fast. Picking up Tessa from the tavern, he quickly asked of the King's destination. Galloping to Lon Lon as fast as he could, he collected Chitz and made his way to the Royal harbour. He did not want to leave his daughter all alone and so the three of them were now crouched beside a warehouse as the ship prepared for departure.

The hunter's head pounded. He had no idea what to do. He looked up at the deck of the ship. Standing there, gazing out towards the sea with a pensive look on his face was Link. What was the Hero of Time planning? Briefly, Fran considered drawing attention to himself, but something stilled him. There was something different about Link. His posture, his expression were subtly .. changed. Everything about him was wrong.

Fran felt Chitz fidget beneath him. They had wrapped the Imp in a thick blanket and the hunter had carried him like he was a bag of fruit he was going to trade with. Fran looked down and saw Chitz's yellow eyes peer up at him.

"Haha .. looks like the Hero has thrown in his lot with the King .. haha," the Imp said.

Fran frowned. "What?" he hissed. He had no time for Chitz's foolishness at the moment.

"Papa." He heard Tessa's gentle voice call from behind him. Her forehead was creased with worry. "We are going to help Link, aren't we?"

Fran laid his head back against the wooden wall and closed his eyes. The tangy smell of freshly caught fish drifted towards him, mixing with the salty air of the sea. How had he gotten himself caught up in all this? Selfishly, he wondered if he shouldn't have just left Link lying on the forest when he found him. What could he do now? He did not want Tessa to be involved in anything dangerous. Yet, he could not just leave her in Hyrule where she had no one to truly care for her. He did not even know where the King was heading. Apparently, it was top secret. What if it was somewhere a lot more unsafe than here?

He sighed. What did he owe Link anyway? Even as the thought occurred to him, he swatted it away. Fran had pledged himself to help Link and he was not the type to shirk on an oath. Indirectly, he had also promised the Queen of Hyrule herself.

He opened his eyes. Tessa was looking at him imploringly, her hazel eyes wide. This was too much. He'd never had to do anything like this before. Sneak aboard a Royal ship and rescue a friend? Madness! How would he get them all on anyway?

He turned to look at the sailors as they strained to carry large, wooden crates into the ship's hull. Fran wondered what was in them. He glanced around. The other crates stood nearby, unguarded. The breeze gently rattled at the wooden beams. Eyes narrowed, Fran made some quick measurements in his head. Large enough. He smiled grimly.

Sometimes the simplest plans were the best.

*

Zayna stood on the deck of the Fountain's Wings carefully watching the group of three. She hugged a large wooden mug, still full with water that spilled out as the ship bobbed from side to side. Taking a sip, she grimaced. The water had a metallic taste and was filled with bits of grainy dirt.

She had recognised the man with the long, silvery hair. Tyron. One of the King's Advisors, though he spent more time guiding Zelda than Cyle. That left the other two. Zayna was certain that one had to be the Queen herself. The other one, whose face was covered in a thick scarf, she had no idea about.

They stood at the edge of the ship, looking out at the sea and speaking in hushed tones. Why was Zelda making her way to Morolak? The last she had heard, Morolak had signed a treaty with Hyrule. Or was it simply because they had not joined the war yet and the Queen hoped to sway them to her side?

Zayna had no time to think on that now. What she did have to ponder was whether she should reveal herself to her old mistress. Would Zelda be pleased? Angry? Would she even remember who she was? And why should Zayna impose herself on the Queen? She did not really expect them to help her. Rather, they would probably be resentful of her presence. Besides, she was the Key, she needed no one else.

The thought filled her with determination and yet, she still edged her way casually over to where they stood. She did not stand too close though. There was no point in making herself too obvious.

She gazed out over the side of the ship and watched as the waves foamed up against the wizened wooden hull. It was cold, but still a nice day. The afternoon sun hung in the blue, cloudless sky as the ship cut its way through the ocean. They had been travelling for quite a while now and if this had been any other vessel they would have reached their destination by now.

The wind blew the faint traces of their voices towards her and she leaned to one side trying to catch the conversation. Years spent scurrying in the castle and eavesdropping on gossip had trained her ears to pick up words that other people usually could not. She was surprised to find that the familiar sound of Zelda's voice warmed her heart.

"You know," the Queen was saying. "Some people used to think that Link and I were brother and sister."

Zayna glanced over to them and saw Zelda and Tyron lock gazes.

"Fools," they both said with a laugh. Zayna felt her mouth curve in an instinctive smile as well.

"I hope he's okay." Zelda was speaking again. There was something tight in the tone of her voice, a mix between longing and fear. Zayna felt confused. Hadn't Chalance Vance said the Hero was dead? "My dream was so vivid."

"What did you see?" It was the other man now. The question was framed in a peaceful voice that bizarrely reminded Zayna of the times her mother used to stroke her hair when she was upset.

"It wasn't very clear," Zelda said, frowning as she struggled to find the right words. "His whole .. being .. seemed to be cracking." She paused. "It's hard to explain."

The sorcerer had lied. It was so obvious now. She was a fool for believing his words in the first place. The man had hoped to break spirit with his untruths. She sighed as she felt her whole body relax. Link was alive! There was still hope!

"Maybe the farmgirl Tessa broke his heart," Tyron said, his voice sparkling with amusement.

Zelda gave him a sour look. "I doubt I would have nightmares about that."

"Oh, I bet you would," Tyron answered, chuckling.

The Queen made a face and ignored him. "I wonder if he's had any luck finding the Key."

Zayna blinked. The mug almost slipped from her fingers into the depths below as her mind registered those last words. Had she heard correctly? They knew of the Key? And Link was searching for her?

"He said your 'Zayna' was to be found at the castle," the other man said. "I fervently wish that he is right."

This time the mug did drop. Zayna felt the blood thump in her ears. She realised that she was trembling. They were beginning to move away and she had to make a decision now.

She spun on her heel, breathing deeply. Walking with purpose, she felt light, as if she was in a dream. She lightly tapped the Queen on her shoulder. "Your Highness."

Zelda flinched, Tyron looked up and the other man reached for his sword. The Queen peered through her hood, her face calm. She gasped.

"Zayna?"

*

They were all seated in her cabin now as Zayna finished her story. Zelda's heart was fluttering with hope. This had been too much to believe. She was glad that her old Advisor still lived, but a small, selfish part of her was gloating. She had the Key and Cyle did not. Now all she had to do was figure out what to do with her.

"This is certainly good news," Tyron said with a smile. "It puts us in a very good position."

"Indeed," said Zelda. She smiled at Zayna and walked to her. "But lets not forget. She's not a 'Key'. She's a person." The Queen wrapped her arms around her Advisor. Zayna initially stiffened, seemingly hesitant, but then relaxed and returned the hug. The feeling was genuine and Zelda closed her eyes. "It's good to see you again, my friend."

"And you," she answered, sniffing. "I was saddened to hear that the King had driven you out."

"Driven us both out, it seems," Zelda said. Her expression turned grim. "He won't get away with this," she said softly. "I promise you."

Zayna gave her an awkward smile as if she did not quite believe the words. Zelda saw the sadness in her eyes and felt pained.

"So, what do we do now?" It was Chizan, asking the question that had sat unspoken on their lips for the past few hours.

The Queen turned to Tyron. "Is there no way we can remove this .. curse from her?"

Tyron fiddled with the edge of his tunic as he sat thinking. "I don't know of any," he said slowly. "But that does not mean there is none."

"There's a Counter Key," said Zayna, failing to keep the hope from her voice. "Chalance Vance said she was dead, but he also said Link was dead too. So .."

"No," said Zelda. It was hurting her to break her friend's heart like this. "For once, the sorcerer spoke the truth. The Counter Key is gone." She looked into Zayna's eyes. "She was a dear friend of mine. Cyle killed her."

Her Advisor opened her mouth to speak, but then thought better of it.

There was a small cough. Zelda blinked. Chizan?

"There is someone in the Emirate," he said, not comfortable with being the centre of attention. "A wise one. She knows of many mysteries. She might have an answer."

"You tell me this now? When we've already set sail for Morolak?" said Zelda.

Chizan shrugged, but his expression did not change. "I did not expect to be escorting the Key with us, Your Highness."

Zelda closed her eyes. He was right and it was pointless losing her temper over it. Still. "Stop calling her 'the Key'," she mumbled out of spite.

"It's okay, Your Highness," Zayna said.

The Queen threw up her hands in mock disgust. "And stop calling me 'Your Highness.'" There was laughter in her voice and Zayna smiled along with her.

"It is what I am though," Zayna said. "The Key to open the Gate."

"There'll be no opening of any Gates while I'm around," Zelda answered. She turned to the Prince. "It's too dangerous to get to the Emirate now, Chizan." Her voice had softened, hoping that he had not taken offence at her earlier words. "What can we do?"

His purple eyes seemed to turn inwards as he pondered. Zelda noticed that Zayna was looking at him with interest.

"The situation has changed," he said. "If there is a way to lift the curse we cannot ignore it. Without the Key," he paused to clear his throat. "Without Zayna's abilities, the King's plan falls apart. Then, we can launch the counter attack to get your throne back."

Zelda sat down, her head spinning. This was too much to digest. She still desperately wanted an army, wanted to launch her plan of attacking Cyle's trade routes as the first step of reclaiming Hyrule. At the same time, if they could neutralise Zayna's powers then the threat from the Sacred Realm was gone. If she spent too much time concentrating on that then the war would escalate and more people would die. She closed her eyes and her head began to beat with pain. People were going to die anyway.

An unpleasant thought came to her. Her eyes flicked open. "Now that we have Zayna," she said. "Where does that leave Link?"

Before anyone could answer, the ship lurched violently. Zelda's knee banged into a table and she bit down from the pain. Zayna was flung forwards, but the Prince caught her. The Queen looked up and saw Tyron's alarmed expression.

Wordlessly, she strode to the door and flung it open. Outside, a black warship loomed over them, its cannons pointing menacingly at the small passenger boat. Zelda's heart sank. Had Cyle caught them? Had he known where she was all along and had waited, playing her for a fool?

The others followed her cautiously as she walked onto the deck. She could see the sailors on the other ship, their postures straight with determination. Wait. These weren't Hylians. She frowned, squinting her eyes to get a closer look. She felt the Prince come up beside her. He was chuckling softly.

It was a Freelander ship.

*

Cyle could not stop looking at him. Every now and again his eyes would dart towards the Hero of Time, as he stood gazing with hard eyes. His presence made the King feel uneasy. He had to resist the urge to just whip out his sword and end the man's life in one stroke.

Cyle had almost throttled Link when Chalance Vance had presented him as his new 'protector'. Vance had said the Hero had been through some sort of 'mind altering' experiment that had broken the man so badly that he was now the King's willing slave. Cyle had not believed it for an instant. Yet, here he was. Link had followed him around obediently, reaching for his sword at the slightest hint of danger. Still, the doubt gnawed at him.

He knew why Vance had done it. Now, the Advisor no longer needed to be his personal protector on the battlefield. He'd somehow managed to get Link to fill that role. It felt strange to picture that. Idly, Cyle wondered just how brutal this 'experiment' had been to have made the usually strong willed Hero his willing ally. His Advisor had briefly mumbled something about using phantom spirits in the images of Cyle and Zelda, but had not gone into too much detail. The King realised with some distaste that there was far too much about Chalance Vance that he did not know about and did not like.

Vance was with him now, as was one of his generals as they waited for the ship to launch. Link was standing off to one side and Cyle chewed on his teeth to fight the tension. On the table in front of them there lay a map of Narik's Rock where they hoped the Freelanders would fall. The corners of the map fluttered as the breeze tugged at it.

The Rock itself was some sort of sacred ground for the Freelanders. It was situated in a valley and before it stood two hillocks adjacent to one another.

"So," the general was saying. "It is clear that a frontal assault is the best. They will cling to the Rock and we can pick them off easily."

Cyle examined the map carefully. "We can push them back with our troops?"

"I think so, Your Highness. This is an important place for them. We take it and, not only will we hit them with severe losses, but we'll dent their morale so badly that the rest of the country will collapse easily."

"Won't they fight back?"

"Well, they'll have the Rock behind them and us in front of them." The general licked his lips as a smile played on his face. "They will truly be caught between a Rock and a hard place." He gave a small laugh.

Cyle did not share in his amusement, but the general's plan did seem sound. "Good," he said. "Then that's exactly how we'll do it."

The low, throaty chuckle that floated towards them chilled Cyle to the soul. He looked up at Link. He was lounging against a cabin, his arms folded across his chest. Amusement danced in his eyes as he chewed on something.

"Is there a problem?" Cyle asked.

"Yes, there is, Your Highness." Link said 'Your Highness' with a sneer in his voice. He paused to examine his fingernails, before fixing the three of them with a conceited stare. "Your idiotic plan."

A muscle twitched in Cyle's cheek, but he said nothing. He saw his Advisor frown out of the corner of his eye. Vance had assured him that the mind altering would leave Link a docile puppy. Cyle grimaced inwardly. The man standing before them was far from docile. Yes, Link was seemingly content to protect him from harm, but he was going to do it without giving an inch in respect. The King wondered if Link had actually been less dangerous as a 'Hero'.

"Do you have a better idea?" the King asked.

A corner of Link's mouth curled up in scorn. "As a matter of fact, I do."

He walked over to them, taking his time. He clicked his fingers and pointed at the map. "Let me open your eyes for you," he said.

"Here," he pointed at one of the hillocks. "You deploy a regiment of archers as you do here." He pointed at the other hillock. "With the archers in an out of reach position they can pick off the Freelanders while you make your thrust here." He pointed at the valley in front of Narik's Rock. He paused before saying, "And then you pull back."

"You want us to retreat?" Cyle said incredulously.

"Hey," said Link, slamming one hand down on the table. "Who's telling this plan? You or me? Keep your pretty boy mouth shut."

Cyle gritted his teeth as his general reached for a sword. The King held up a hand, stilling the soldier. "Let him speak."

"Why, thank you, Your Madness." Cyle's eyes narrowed and he saw that his general was gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "Yes, I want you to retreat. But only after you've loaded the foot of the two hills with those fancy little Goron explosives. With the Freelanders lulled into a false sense of security, you detonate the bombs. Then, pow! Buried alive." He winked.

It was a brilliant plan, Cyle thought. But admitting such would make him look foolish. Still, what did it matter? He shouldn't have to fear a loss of face in front of this man. He swallowed the sour taste from his mouth and gazed coolly at Link. The Hero gazed back, a self-satisfied smile planted on his face.

The King turned to the general. "You heard the man," he said. "Start loading our supplies of explosives."

The general's mouth dropped. "But, Your Highness .."

"Do it," he answered. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, Your Highness." He swallowed, giving Link a hateful look. The Hero gave him a little wave in return. "I'll see it is done right away."

Cyle still was not convinced. What could possibly have happened to change Link's personality so dramatically? He wondered if there was some game being played here and felt troubled that he had let slip so much of his plans out. Yet, Link's strategy was flawless. And brutally cold blooded.

Cyle decided to test his new 'protector's' loyalty. "So," he said, sniffing. "There might be a chance that Zelda might be at this battle."

Link looked at him, his expression apathetic. "What of it?"

The King gave a small shrug. "What will you do if you see her?'

The Hero's glance flicked briefly to the Advisor before he looked back at Cyle. There was silence and the sea breeze flicked at his blonde hair. For a moment, Cyle thought that he would not respond.

"Your Highness," Link said finally. "I'll serve her still beating heart to you on a plate."