Chronicles of Zelda I: Darkness Rising
Chapter 28: The New Order
Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is property of Nintendo.
"How is this possible?" Kard said in wonder, looking around. It was like a dream…
He could still feel the pain of cold steel in his stomach and side; could still taste his own blood as he fell to the ground. Yet, here he was, staring at the grassy plains and the sun that he had believed would never warm his face again. He felt the wind sway his hair; heard the trickle of water from the nearby river; he could see the aftermath of the burning of Castle Town, smell the smoke still floating in the air.
He was alive…this was real…
"How?" he spoke again, his voice hoarse, "How is it that I cheat death once again?"
"We have decided that Hyrule needs you, General," the Great Fairy of Life spoke, and Kard turned to her, "You must be living so that you can lead your army to yet again rise up to challenge evil and defend your homeland. We the Great Fairies have decided to intervene in the affairs of the world and we have used our powers to restore the gift of life to you and your men."
Kard looked around to see his army of Hylians, Zora, and Gorons rising unsteadily to their feet, groaning and whispering to one another in confusion.
"Even as we speak the remaining Hylians and Zora are preparing to defend themselves in the North. They will not last long against the beasts."
"How do you expect us to make it there in time?" Kard demanded, "If what you say is true, then they will be slaughtered."
"The Great Fairies will take care of that; you need not concern yourself. You must ready your troops and then you will be sent to the defenders' aid."
Kard nodded weakly and his eyes fell to the ground, noticing a fact that he had failed to register until now.
When he had killed Halberd, the general's own demise had come immediately afterward; he had stared into the king's eyes as he felt death overtake him. Halberd should be lying dead at his feet, yet…the spot was empty.
"Where's Halberd?" Kard asked, a feeling of foreboding flooding his senses, "He was not revived, was he?"
The fairy sighed before answering, "He was never dead…"
I open an eye, unmasking the delusion of false sleep I had raised, and look around the dark cell. The two elves are asleep; they had both regained consciousness a while ago and had been informed of our current situation. If I strain my ears I can hear faint breathing coming from Tawahn's cell; the sounds of sleep…
Good…they're all out.
I rise silently, aware that the smallest noise will disturb my comrades' elf ears, and move toward the cell door. I use my tongue to pry something loose from the corner of my mouth and the object falls into my hand.
My trusty lock pick…man, I'm glad I put this in here.
I wipe the pick off on my shirt and reach my arms through the iron bars, beginning to work on the lock. I've picked locks hundreds of times and it takes only a few seconds to unlock this one. I open the door slowly and quietly and step into the dungeon corridor, slipping the pick into my pocket.
And they call this high security.
I take one last look at my cell and Tawahn's before moving on. It's not so much that I don't trust them, since I don't trust anybody, but if the elves truly don't know where I am they won't have to lie to the guards if they walk by and discover I'm gone. Besides, it's a lot easier for me to sneak around unnoticed and figure out how we're going to get out of here if I don't have a party following me.
I am good at this sort of thing, after all.
I continue to wind my way through the dungeon (this place is huge), checking around corners and listening for guards. You'd think they would have more posted down here; it must be because there are only the four of us as prisoners in the deepest level, according to the prince.
Finally I peer around a corner and see the exit to this level of the dungeon; at least I assume that's what the big door is. It's guarded by four soldiers, busying themselves gambling with each other. It must be boring being on guard duty down here.
I move my head out of the corridor and think. According to Tawahn, there are five levels to this dungeon and they increase in size as you go up. The door that those guards are in front of should lead to a set of stairs that go to the fourth level. Tawahn says that the levels closer to the surface are more heavily guarded than the bottom ones, since the only way of escape is through the first level.
So…we're going to need a distraction to get out of here.
I think about this as I wander in what I hope is the direction of my cell; I hadn't thought too much about finding my way back.
Soon I discover I must be going the wrong way because I see a wooden door in the stone wall that I hadn't passed before; probably a storage room.
I open the door slowly, relieved that there's nobody inside, and step into the room, grabbing a torch from the wall outside. As I hold the flame out it illuminates some wooden barrels marked 'oil'; must be for the lamps the guards use. Suddenly my eyes fall on a group of barrels that are marked differently.
'Gunpowder'…
I excitedly lift the lid from the barrel just to confirm the label and lift some of the powder to my face; it's definitely gunpowder.
What kind of morons store gunpowder in a prison?
This gives me an excellent idea for a distraction…
"I don't care what your king says; I'm not going to some freakin' banquet in his honor! My head feels like it was run over by a hundred Gorons racing to an all-you-can-eat buffet!"
Zelda smiled as Link's voice echoed through the hallways of Castle Calatia. She had finished changing into her gown which, she hated to admit, fit perfectly and looked beautiful, and a messenger had informed her that she should go see her fellow Hylian. Apparently he was causing a bit of trouble…
"You're telling me to be calm after I was hit over the head, my friends were captured, I've been given no knowledge of their condition, I'm getting no straight answers, and your 'loving king' has ordered me and Zelda to attend some stupid banquet!?"
The princess instructed the servant leading her to Link's room to pick up his pace. She hoped the poor servant talking to the Hylian could withstand his wrath.
"I'm not following any orders until I get some straight answers around here! The king can take his orders and-"
"Link!" Zelda shouted as she turned the corner and beheld a servant, Leila, and the boy glaring at each other, determined not to allow their resolves to waver.
"Zelda," Link said, visibly relaxing after seeing the princess. The tension disappeared from his muscles and relief washed over his face, "Have they-"
"Not now, Link," Zelda said, shoving him into his room just behind him and turning to Leila, "Sorry about that," she said before closing the door
"I don't get paid enough for this," Leila grumbled as she walked away.
"What do you think you're doing?" Zelda asked Link as the latter sat on the edge of his bed, "You probably had poor Leila terrified."
"She looked more like she wanted to tear my head off," Link said sarcastically.
"Maybe it would serve you right."
"We're not getting any answers, Zel," the boy sighed and lay back on the bed, propping himself on his elbows, "We don't even know if the others are still alive and we're supposed to play this little game the king has come up with."
"But you can't take it out on the servants," Zelda said, sitting beside Link, "You're lucky she didn't call the guards."
"Hey, that would've been fun."
"Link, I don't like this either but we don't really have a choice. For now, we play along."
"I'm not wearing that," Link looked toward an outfit set on a stand in the corner; an outfit that consisted of a frilly red shirt with enormous sleeves, blue tights, and black, pointed boots; a noble's attire.
Zelda laughed at seeing the disgusted look on Link's face, "I'll talk to Leila and see if I can get you something less…"
"Pansy-like," Link interjected, "Moronic, foolish, frilly-"
"Alright, I get the point. I'll talk to Leila; of course, I doubt she'll want to help you in any way after you screamed in her face." The princess moved toward the door.
"The dress looks nice," Link said suddenly, raising himself into a sitting position.
"Uh…thank you," Zelda smiled, blushing slightly.
"Another present from our gracious host I'm presuming."
Zelda laughed, "Just try to be nice."
"You want to do what?"
"Hey, not so loud," Rayen whispered, trying to calm his Elven comrade.
"Are you insane?" Dek hissed through his teeth, glaring at the bounty hunter, "That's a good plan if we all have a death wish."
"You know you think it sounds cool; you're just worried about Lunari."
"That's not the point."
"So I'm right."
"Well…" Dek began slowly, "We can't let Link have all the fun, can we?"
"Of course not," Rayen smiled.
"And it'd be such a same to not leave a going-away present."
"I like the way you think, elf-boy."
"Excuse me," Lunari interjected, "But have you both gone insane?"
"Think about it," Rayen said, "What other choice do we have. Even if we get all the way to the surface we'll be overrun by palace guards. We need a distraction…a big distraction."
"But won't there be a lot of innocent guards killed?" Lunari asked as she sat and leaned against the cell wall, "They don't deserve to die; the king is the one who's corrupt."
"In my opinion," Rayen began, "They're only as innocent as the king they serve. Those soldiers in the marketplace would've killed you without a second thought if Tawahn ordered it. You can't have mercy on them."
"It's still not right!" the Elven female said, rising and glaring at the hunter, "We can't pass judgment on them!"
"Listen, girl," Rayen said, growing angry, "I don't care how you do things in your 'perfect' little city but out here we play by different rules. You only survive if you've got what it takes to win."
"She's right, though," Prince Tawahn's voice came from the other cell, "I will not participate in this plan of yours if it involves so much death. The guards only follow my father because that is all they know how to do."
"Well then maybe you should stay in your cell," Rayen said angrily, "I would've gladly accepted your friends' help out of here but that didn't seem to work, did it?"
"We'll wait for them," Tawahn argued, "Balk will pull through."
"I'm not waiting around to be executed," Rayen immediately shut his mouth when he heard voices coming closer to them. Two of the prison guards suddenly rounded the corner at the end of the corridor, dragging an injured man with them, a trail of blood in his wake. The man was wearing a tattered red shirt with the royal symbol of Calatia etched onto the shoulder, immediately revealing his position in society; he was a royal guard.
The first prison guard fumbled with a key for a moment before finally opening to door to Prince Tawahn's cell. The guards roughly threw the new prisoner inside and slammed the iron door.
"Enjoy the company, Prince," one of them spat. They laughed mockingly and walked away, leaving Tawahn with the injured man.
"Balk!" the prince exclaimed, leaning the guard against the back wall of the cell and kneeling beside him.
"Hello…Your Highness…" Balk choked out, coughing up blood, "Sorry…we failed you…"
"What did they do to you?" Tawahn asked, searching over his friends' wounds. He had several deep gashes across his body, including a large one on his forehead, and his ribs were bruised; a few seemed to be broken. His left eye had been smashed shut and he was bleeding profusely. Tawahn tore his sleeves from his tunic and began to bandage his friends' wounds.
"Balk-" he began, but stopped when he noticed the guard had stopped moving, "Balk…Balk!" he yelled, shaking his friend, who managed to open one eye slightly.
"You…must…" the guard coughed, "You…must…win. You must…take back…the throne…don't let him win, Tawahn. Please, don't…"
"I won't, Balk, I promise," the prince said, cradling the man's head, "We're going to get out of here."
"Thank you," Balk continued, "Thank you…for being…a friend…" The guard's last words seemed to echo across the dungeon as his eyes closed for the final time. Tawahn mourned in silence until Rayen spoke.
"We won't have to kill anyone," the hunter said, "Not if we do it right."
The prince laid Balk down gently and stood, "Alright, let's go."
"Princess Zelda, this is Mister Miles Geoff, the ambassador from Kaban," Leila introduced the two, "Mister Geoff, this is Princess Zelda of Hyrule."
"A pleasure to meet you," Zelda bowed.
"A pleasure as well," Miles said, bowing. The ambassador hailed from the southern, tropical realm of Kaban; his appearance revealed his birthplace. His skin was brown from living under the tropical sun and he stood over six and a half feet tall, average height among his people. The Kabanese were known to be fishermen, and the ambassador's large build and muscled body showcased this fact. "I want you to know, Princess," Miles spoke, "Kaban withdrew from its alliance with Solatia as soon as we discovered King Halberd's true intentions. I'm terribly sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, ambassador."
"I'm sorry, Princess," Leila said suddenly, "But I've introduced you to about everybody I know at this banquet. I'm not familiar with any others."
"I can help, if you'd like," Miles offered.
"Thank you," Zelda said, smiling. Link sighed inwardly; this day had been driving him insane and he was getting tired of meeting boring representatives and delegates. It was small consolation that he hadn't been forced to wear the attire originally set out for him. After a trip to the castle tailor he had been given a white tunic with matching pants and cape; it wasn't as comfortable as his green one but that wasn't currently in its best condition.
The hero also hadn't taken his hand from the hilt of his sword at his waist for the entire time they had been wandering the international party. He still felt as though danger was nearby.
Of course, he tended to feel that way many times…with good reason.
"This is the beautiful Din," Miles introduced Zelda to a bronze-skinned woman with fiery red hair and a violet skin-tight suit who looked almost Gerudo, "the representative from Holodrum. And this," he gestured to a woman with a flowing blue robe and long, curly blue hair, "is the lovely Nayru, representative from the land of Labrynna."
"We heard what happened," Nayru said to Zelda sympathetically, "We grieve for your terrible loss."
"Thank you," the princess said, smiling sadly.
"We want you to know that you've got the backing of both our countries if that ignorant Halberd ever tries to pull a stunt like that again," Din added.
"How dare you show your face at this banquet!" the voice startled both Link and Zelda and they whirled to see a short, rather pudgy man angrily marching toward the princess, who was now facing him.
"That would be Ocahn Triand; the ambassador from Lohen," Miles muttered, "Lohen allied with Solatia and joined the attack on your country."
"How can you have the nerve to attend an international gathering?" Ocahn screamed into Zelda's face, "You have betrayed us all, Hylian! Your vicious people destroyed over half of the Lohenese army! I have a mind to kill you right here!"
Link dashed forward and grabbed the shorter man by the throat, lifting him from the ground. Ocahn's hands tried to pry away Link's forearms but the Hylian was much stronger than the ambassador.
"That's not the way I see it," the boy said quietly and menacingly, "The way I see it your people allied with the scum of the world and slaughtered innocent Hylians whose king had been killed ruthlessly although he had done nothing to void international treaties. The way I see it, someone has to pay for the crimes of your country, and you're the closest subject right now." Ocahn was gasping desperately for air now, shaking in Link's clutches.
"Let him go, Link," Zelda said quietly, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, who sighed and threw the man down, causing him to skid across the floor. The ambassador rose to his feet, gasping and clutching his throat, and pointed a shaking finger at the Hylian.
"You--you will regret that, b-boy," he stammered, backing away slowly.
"Ah, shut up and get your ugly mug out of here," Din said, waving her hand dismissively. Ocahn growled and glared at the girl before stomping away, leaving the small crowd that had gathered to disperse.
"Link," Zelda said, "You're going to have to control yourself while we're here. If you do something stupid, it makes Hyrule look as if the lies about it are true."
"The food will be served soon," Miles said, changing the direction of the conversation, "You two should find a seat. I must return to my table."
"Thank you for your help," Zelda said. The ambassador smiled and made his way to a circular table at the other end of the massive room. The banquet hall had been set up with multiple tables that each seated four representatives, whether from the same country or from different nations.
"You two can sit here," Nayru said, indicating the unoccupied seats at her table which she shared with Din.
"We could use some company other than guys stuck on getting themselves a pretty girl," Din added.
"Thank you," Zelda said, making her way to an empty seat, Leila standing faithfully at her side. Link began to follow her.
"Good job kid," Din whispered as he passed by, "I was about to do the same thing."
"Go ahead and scream if you want," Rayen said, shoving the last prison guard into an open cell and slamming the door, "Nobody's gonna hear you."
After escaping from their cells, Dek and Rayen had been charged with the duty capturing the prison guards, which had proven to be an easy task; they knocked them out from behind, and now they were moving on to the second phase of the bounty hunter's plan.
"How do you think you're gonna get out outta here?" one guard growled from inside the cell, "There's no way."
"Leave that for us to worry about," Rayen said, "You should worry about how long it's going to take the other guards to find you." The hunter joined the others at the end of the corridor. He cast a quick glance at Tawahn, who had barely spoken since they had escaped their cells. Reluctantly the prince had agreed to leave Balk's body in the dungeon, since there was no possible way they could escape while carrying the large guard, but he had insisted that they move him out of the cell so that he would be found and given a burial.
"This is where the powder comes in," Rayen explained, walking toward the supply room he had discovered. He went in and came out quickly, carrying a large barrel of gun powder and several small sacks of cloth. "Fill the bags with powder," he said, "We'll use them as miniature explosives." The others obeyed and soon they had a supply of 'bombs' which they tied around their belts for later use. "We use this," he began, lifting the large barrel, "to destroy the doors that lead up to level four. Guards will come pouring down and we'll use the smoke as cover to take them out. We'll move on and repeat the process on the next levels depending on the circumstances. It would be nice if a single staircase separated the levels but the dungeon doesn't work that way." Rayen looked around to see everyone nod and then passed out the swords he had stolen from the prison guards, "You," he looked to Tawahn, "Just use these for defense; you haven't had as much experience with a blade. Hold on to these as well," he gave the prince a large cloth sack and filled it with the remaining pouches of gunpowder.
Rayen moved toward the fifth level exit, carrying the large barrel as the rest of the group trailed behind. He positioned the barrel near the large set of doors and grabbed a torch. The hunter retreated to join the others behind a corner for shielding.
"Ready, elf boy?" he asked, smiling.
"Just make sure you don't screw up," Dek retorted. Rayen smiled grimly and threw the torch in a spinning arc toward the waiting barrel.
The fire ignited the wood and the powder and an ear-deafening explosion ripped the wooden doors into shreds. The stone walls of the dungeon shook but remained intact and the corridor was enveloped in gray smoke. Loud voices could be heard from above and soon a group of four figures descended the stairs to the lower level, their locations revealed by the sound of their boots on the floor.
Rayen, Dek, and Lunari sprang into action, navigating the smoke without a sound. They quickly rendered the guards unconscious with quick hits to the back of their skulls and then called for Tawahn.
Cautiously the group ascended the staircase to the fourth level, scanning the area for any signs of other guards. The door to the next level was visible at the end of the corridor they had emerged into and they ran toward it, hoping that whatever other defenses were on this level wouldn't intercept them.
They reached the door and Rayen gathered a total of four bombs from the supply that Tawahn was carrying, setting two at each of the bottom corners of the two doors. He grabbed a torch by the door and was about to ignite the outside of the bags when he heard yelling coming from behind. He turned to see two of the prison guards running in their direction, screaming so that the guards above would be alerted.
"Aw, crap," Rayen muttered. Not wanting to waste time fighting them, he removed a bomb from his waist and lit the edge, catapulting it toward the approaching Calatians. The makeshift explosive detonated as it landed at their feet, sending them careening against the stone wall. Less than a second later, however, guards from the level above burst through the door behind the bounty hunter. "Screw the plan," Rayen said, raising his sword.
"Sounds good to me," Dek nodded, and the two charged the guards.
"Your Highness," Nahkim, the royal advisor addressed the king.
"Make it quick, Nahkim," King Tawahn said harshly, gazing over the crowd gathered at the banquet from his place at the head table.
"Yes, Your Highness," the advisor said quickly, "There appears to be a problem with the prisoners on level five of the dungeon. They have…escaped."
"Is the prince with them?" the king growled.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Then they cannot be allowed freedom. Send more guards down immediately."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Nahkim," King Tawahn turned to his advisor, "The prince must not escape. It would ruin everything I have worked for. Understand?"
"Certainly, Your Highness."
"Good," the king smiled, "And you know that I will not tolerate failure…now leave me!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Nahkim bowed and scurried out of the banquet hall, heading toward the dungeon down a dark corridor.
"Why if it isn't my old friend," a sinister voice stopped the advisor cold as a figure emerged from the shadows, "Surely you have not forgotten me."
Nahkim relaxed as the owner of the voice registered in his mind. "Gahoch," he said, "I see you are still up to your old tricks."
"Magic is a bit more than simple tricks," the sorcerer responded, "My offer to teach you is still open."
"There are enough wizards in the world without me adding to them…they're nothing but trouble anyway."
"If that's how you feel."
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Nahkim raised an eyebrow.
"King Halberd is making a special appearance at the banquet tonight," Gahoch smiled, "But I'm sure you weren't informed of that. Tawahn doesn't seem to think you trustworthy."
Nahkim gritted his teeth together, "If you're done, I have important business to attend to."
"Oh, warning the guards?" Gahoch smiled, "Don't worry about it. More have already been sent down. But I'm confident the prisoners will still escape."
"And you're not going to do anything about it?"
"Of course not, and neither will you," Gahoch grinned malevolently, "Your king may think it best that the prince is imprisoned but he will soon learn otherwise."
"You always have to be the one to pull all the strings," Nahkim said angrily, "We are nothing but puppets to you."
"Those who are weak-minded must be controlled by the strong."
"Is that what you truly believe?" the Calatian advisor asked sadly, "What happened to you, old friend?" Gahoch's spine stiffened at this question and he walked past Nahkim, stopping after his back was facing his friend.
"Know this, Nahkim," the sorcerer said coldly, "Your king will do his part to aide me, whether by his own will or not. Do not interfere."
"Your plan sucks," Dek said as he ducked a swipe from a guard and knocked him out with the flat of his stolen blade.
"Hey, this isn't so bad," Rayen countered as he threw the last soldier to the ground, unconscious. The bounty hunter and the elf dashed up the stairs to the third level, followed closely by their two companions. However, just as they emerged onto level three two dozen guards poured onto the floor from the level above using another staircase.
"Say that again," Dek said sarcastically.
"This isn't going to work," Rayen said, looking around. His eyes locked onto the bag that was slung over Tawahn's shoulder and he grabbed it and another torch from the wall; the bag that was filled with many of the makeshift bombs. He lit the sack on fire and swung it around his head, tossing it halfway across the corridor at the feet of the approaching guards. The fire reached the powder immediately and a huge explosion shook the walls of the dungeon and filled the passage with smoke.
"Let's hope this leads around," Rayen said, dashing down a corridor to his right with his companions following him. After a number of twisting corridors and turns they could see the main corridor ahead, although they were now on the other side.
"That was lucky," Dek commented, engaging the one guard that had thought to look around and knocking him to the ground. The group silently ascended the stairs to level two, pausing only to check for any nearby defenses.
Tawahn glared at Rayen, "We'll be lucky if the whole castle doesn't know we're down here after that."
"Ladies and Gentlemen," King Tawahn caught the crowd's attention from his place on the stage in the corner of the banquet hall.
Link's eyes, which had, up until then, been darting back and forth across the large room, studying people suspiciously, now focused on the ruler, as did the eyes of every person present.
"I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight," Tawahn said, "I know many of those present have traveled enormous distances to be here, but they will soon discover that this night was worth their expenses. For tonight, we will make history as we begin a new age; an age of glory. New alliances will be formed to protect our way of life and to protect our magnificent nations. To symbolize the beginning of this era tonight is a man who has gone to incredible lengths in the interest of the safety of his country; who has lived through devastating battles to fulfill this purpose. I give you…King Halberd of Solatia!"
A single figure stepped onto the stage and the effect was like an explosion.
Nearly all were on their feet in an instant; Halberd's supporters cheered and applauded and his opposition voiced their dislike loudly; the crowd seemed to be divided equally on the matter.
Zelda and Nayru had both remained seated; the latter remained calm and serene as always while the princess looked as if she was about to erupt with seething anger. Link had stood, but not out of rage, which was surprising; his keen eyes had noticed Calatian guards discreetly gathering themselves at the exits of the room.
"Leila," he whispered, gaining the servant's attention, "Go to my room and to Zelda's room and gather our stuff in the bags we brought with us. Bring them down and wait in the hallway outside the western exit of this room…please."
Leila raised her eyebrow cynically, "Why?"
"Something's about to happen," Link said, his eyes darting around, "Look at the guards around the room," the servant did so, "I may not have always been nice to you, but you at least owe it to the princess to see that she gets out of here safely. Please help us."
"If you're right," she said, "Then I would be betraying my king."
"You know King Tawahn's not himself," Link argued, "He'll kill us if given another opportunity. You would have Zelda's blood on your hands."
"Fine, fine," Leila said, walking away, "You don't have to pull the whole guilt thing."
"Please be seated!" Tawahn bellowed to the roaring crowd, "We must have silence!" After another few minutes of representatives calming others, the request was finally honored and stillness descended over the banquet hall.
"Thank you," the Calatian king said, "King Halberd will now speak."
"As you all are aware," Halberd began, "Solatia has recently been involved in war; a war not initiated by us but by the Hylians," a number of protests went up at that and the king waited before continuing, "This event has made King Tawahn and myself realize that we are in need of a new world order; and order that protects the smaller, weaker nations, wipes away the evil, and makes certain that all are provided for. King Tawahn has humbly accepted leadership of this order, which he will outline briefly now."
"Calatia will head the order," Tawahn was immediately assaulted by a verbal onslaught after saying this, "My nation and Solatia will control the world's economy so that goods are distributed fairly," the out roar against this was deafening, "the nations of Lohen and Hoshena, which are to be joined, will control the world's military," another roar followed this statement, "The smaller nations will become protectorates of the larger; Kaban will be a protectorate of Calatia," the Kabanese representatives leapt to their feet and shouted in outrage, "Holodrum and Labrynna will be protectorates of Calatia. The other nations will be discussed in a meeting following the banquet."
"So what you're basically doing," Nayru suddenly yelled over the constant arguing of the crowd, "Is telling us how exactly we're going to be taken over by your tyranny."
"This is for the better of the world, Miss Nayru," Tawahn said calmly.
"It's for the better of your pocket, you bastard!" Din yelled.
"Guards! Remove Miss Din and her companion from the room immediately; have them held in the dungeon for daring to rise against me!" the Calatian king ordered.
Link moved to stop the guards advancing on the two women but Din shook her head to ward him off. "Don't worry about us, kid," she smiled, "Take care of your princess there; we'll be fine." The boy nodded reluctantly and stood next to Zelda.
"I will not allow you to do this!" Miles yelled, "Kaban refuses to submit!"
"Kaban has no choice!" Tawahn boomed, "You will either submit or you will be crushed!"
"What will come of Hyrule?" Zelda asked loudly and suddenly, "What are you planning?"
"Hyrule and the Hylians," Halberd spoke, and evil smile on his face, "Will die."
Tawahn waved his hand and the Calatian guards that had entered the room circled around the princess and her bodyguard, their swords and spears at the ready and their bows outfitted with arrows pointed at the Hylian's heads.
"What do you say to this, Hylians?" Halberd asked mockingly.
"I say," Link unsheathed his sword, "Bring it on."
Author's Notes
Sorry this one took so long, but it is a bit longer than most chapters. I'll try to get the next part up soon since I kind of left you with a nasty cliffhanger…
Don't forget to review.