Hero of the Zonai

by bladeofthebookworms

A brutal war between the Zonai and Sheikah peoples sends ripples throughout the kingdom. In the midst of the violence, a young Zonai warrior discovers a mysterious ancestor, who urges him to see beyond the plight of his people. For peace is elusive, and Hyrule's greatest threat has yet to emerge.

10. Power, Courage, and Wisdom

Chapter 10: Power, Courage, and Wisdom

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Zelda

Central Hyrule was a fairly flat region. Any further south, and Zelda didn't doubt that they would have tornadoes to deal with. As it was, fortunately, tornadoes were extremely rare. The weather was often clear and sunny, particularly in autumn. So it came as a natural consequence that the spires of Hyrule Castle were visible from a fair distance away.

They dragged her attention away from the golden fields of wheat on either side of the road, already in the process of being harvested. They hovered overhead on the horizon like distant storm clouds – and not the exciting, enjoyable kind that brought the soothing pattering of falling rain and distant rumbles of thunder; rather, the kind that sent sweeping floods through the lowlands, leaving destruction in its wake.

She dreaded the flood of emotion, likely anger, that would greet her upon her return, flowing from her father's lips. He would not like what she had to say – Inpa was right, as she often was. She was going against the popular crowd – and that was something she knew her father feared to do. She was attacking the status quo with Lord Yagamura, and that, too, her father loathed to do. And though the other nobles didn't exactly favor the Sheikah cause any longer, she doubted they would be willing to see the Zonai as anything other than barbarians.

So what will I do? How will I do it? Because I have to do something – but I also can't do it alone; I must be able to garner enough support to actually accomplish some good.

She sighed heavily, and glanced at Khanot riding close by on his black Gerudo stallion. Perhaps… he would have guidance? I don't know that I can actually come out and ask him for advice in regards to helping the Zonai – he is clearly sympathetic towards them, but possibly not to the extent that I need…

He does know what it means to be a benevolent ruler, though, she thought, her heart warming. He is, undeniably, a good king. The type of ruler I would want to be. I… I can ask him about that, at least.

"Good king," she began slowly, choosing carefully what words to use. "I have… a lot on my mind, and… I was hoping you could give me some advice."

Khanot guided his horse to fall alongside hers and tilted his head towards her, signaling that he was listening. Zelda took a deep breath, encouraged. "I… believe that we have similar ideas about my father, and his… competence," she continued. "The last thing I want is to follow in his footsteps, and rule as he did. I want to be a good leader, one who is devoted to the welfare of her people. Yet the examples I am surrounded with…" She sighed heavily, shaking her head. I'm dancing around the point too much. Is it best to just get to the point?

"I think I understand. You have an ideal in mind, but are not sure what it looks like. Does that sound right?"

Zelda nodded eagerly, relieved. "Yes, that's it exactly!"

"It is a question every future ruler must ask at some point, though not all of us have predecessors quite as… quite like yours." Khanot paused, his gaze distant. Zelda waited patiently for him to continue. "As you know, a son is born to the Gerudo only once in a hundred years. When I became aware of my role, I had nothing but tales to look back on to know how a Gerudo king ought to rule. Stories, however, are written to satisfy an ideal, not educate on how to reach it."

"And yet you reached it anyway," Zelda noted quietly. "But… how? What exactly do you use to guide your rule? What principles, or… or methods, do you use? It's clear that your people adore you, and you have the respect of both the Hylian court and the Zonai, despite the opposition between us for most of a year now…"

"Look around us, Zelda," Khanot said, sweeping a hand out across the countryside. "What do you see?"

"Farmers and farmland, mostly," Zelda answered, surprised by the question. "Their animals – the beasts of burden they use in their labors. Families, working together to bring in this year's harvest."

"Yes, families," Khanot nodded. "That is a crucial observation. While it is true that these people happen to be farmers, and they serve a specific role in the nation's economy, they are only vaguely aware of that. The cooperation of nations and the hierarchies that govern the kingdom impact them, but much in the same way that the wind and rain impact them. They matter, but what can a farmer do about the wind?" They passed by a path leading directly into the fields, perpendicular to the main road. Zelda glimpsed a cart farther down the path partially full already of wheat, and saw some distance from the cart into the field a group of people swinging scythes above the tall stalks.

"Instead," Khanot continued, "they ask how much longer Grandfather will be able to work before he is too decrepit. They wonder what their children want to do with their lives and how to help them fulfill those dreams. They ponder their harvests and debate what they need to store away for the winter, and what they need to sell. They are interested in their families, and that is true whether they are farmers, miners, hunters, lumberjacks, fisherfolk, or any other profession."

"However, when you sit in court, you will not find yourself watching fathers teach their sons how to shoot a bow or mothers show their daughters how to nurse a lamb to health. Instead, you will be surrounded by governors bickering over who owns a given spring of water. You will be faced with disagreements over who gets to collect the taxes from a suddenly fertile plain, whether a certain noble is allowed to divert a river for irrigation at the cost of another, what the exchange rate between wheat and oak is to establish equality of collections, and so on. You will be forced to manage petulant, stubborn, pampered children always making demands. These nobles are necessary to preserve law, order, and prosperity in your kingdom, especially in times of strife, but do not be fooled. They pursue their own interests, not those of the people they claim to serve. Sometimes, those interests can cooperate in harmony. Often, however, they are starkly incompatible."

Zelda nodded slowly, her brow furrowed as she ran back through his words in her mind. "So… when it comes down to it, I have two choices," she murmured. "The interests of the nobles and the people differ, and I've seen for myself how they contradict each other. So I must choose one – the people, or the nobles. Is… is that right?"

Khanot smiled approvingly, a parental expression she had gone very long without.

"Precisely. And let me tell you that if you focus your attention on appeasing the whims of the nobles, your reign will be a story of insecurity and weakness, of pandering to the desires of people that are never satisfied."

As my father does, with his… grand feasts and balls. She remembered just how uncomfortable he had been at the last council meeting, finding that his goal – keeping the nobles appeased, just as Khanot said – was now out of reach. "And… what would a reign spent on the people's needs look like?" she ventured.

"It is limitless," he replied plainly, and his words struck all the harder for their simplicity. "You can move mountains. You can divert rivers. You can fertilize deserts. If you have the support and love of your people, there is nothing you can't do. They will see you as the sun itself, ever present, ever generously bestowing, always rising in the morning to help them work and setting in the evening to give them rest. You will be stable, strong, and safe, and because of that, they will do anything for you. If you are courageous enough to put their needs first, and exercise your power with wisdom for their benefit, you will lead your people to an era of prosperity and plenty."

Zelda nodded thoughtfully, scratching at a sudden itch on the back of her hand. His words struck a chord in her soul – that was the kind of rule she wanted. The kind of figure she hoped to be for her people. "So, then…" she started, narrowing her gaze upon the spires of Hyrule Castle drawing slowly but steadily closer. "How do I do it?"

"You've already been doing it. You spend time with your people, hearing their concerns. You embark on journeys across your kingdom to learn their ways and understand their conditions. You risk your life venturing into warzones to learn the truth behind the force that saps their resources, disrupts their peace, and threatens their stability. Everything you do has served to give them a voice they would never be granted in court. You have listened well. Because of that, they will follow you, if you give them a cause. All you need to do is find one."

Zelda swallowed, feeling a slight chill down her spine, a tingling of anticipation in the air. And… my cause… ultimately, it's to end the war. But now… right now… it's to convince my father and the Hylian court that the Zonai deserve peace, and not annihilation at the hands of the Sheikah. That peace will require us to work with both sides, not just the one.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Pelaris and Helena were ready in the Hyrule Castle courtyard when she returned. Zelda pressed her lips firmly together, trying not to scowl. "Welcome home, daughter," the King of Hyrule said warmly, but with a cold glint in his eyes, as she handed her mare off to a servant, and her mother swept towards her, arms outstretched for an embrace. "Come in, come in! You must tell us all about your trip!"

"Good luck, Princess," she heard Khanot mutter from behind, followed by Inpa's barely-concealed snort.

"She'll need it," the Sheikah whispered, just as the Queen of Hyrule reached them and closed Zelda into a tight hug smelling strongly of flowery perfume before taking her firmly by the arm and leading her back towards the castle and her father.

Zelda made an effort to hold her head high. "We have much to discuss," she said, keeping her voice neutral. Pelaris' thick brow furrowed, his faux kind smile shrinking as he turned to reenter the castle.

"This way, then," he said curtly, heading through the doors into the throne room.

"Dear, shouldn't she wash up from her travels?" Helena trilled. "Forgive me, Zelda darling, but you're covered in horse hair…"

"Very well," Pelaris acknowledged warily. "You have an hour. We will be waiting for you in the council room."

Zelda's heart jumped. "Is the council meeting today, then?" she asked eagerly. If she could get to the council before debriefing with her father, possibly temper his reaction…

"No," the King of Hyrule said grumpily. "It'll just be the three of us meeting." His voice softened with warmth that didn't reach his eyes. "I just want to hear how your trip went, daughter. Now, run along and get to your rooms. I'll have your maids sent up to tend to you, if they're not their already."

"Yes, Father," Zelda said, just barely managing to keep bitterness from her voice. With Inpa close on her heels, she hurried through one of the doors leading from the throne room and up a set of stairs to her personal quarters. Her heart softened when she found her maids already waiting outside the door.

"Welcome back, Princess!" Emma beamed, holding the door open for her. "We've missed you – it's been so boring here without you, but of course I hope your trip was – well I guess 'enjoyable' mightn't be the right word –"

Zelda couldn't help but smile at the young girl's enthusiasm. "It might yet be," she chuckled, heading into her room. "There were certainly parts that were enjoyable." Khanot's words echoed in her head – did her openness with her maids really count towards helping her rule for the people?

"I'm just glad you're back in one piece," Sophie grimaced, urging her towards the bathtub in her room, already filled with steaming water. "I heard a dreadful rumor, once, that the Zonai practice human sacrifice." She shuddered.

Zelda bit back a sharp retort. "I've learned that such rumors are quite unfounded, actually," she said grimly. "They're actually extremely religious, and aspects of their religion are surprisingly similar to our own."

"So you actually got to speak with them," Alice marveled, nodding slowly as she worked to unwind the braids in Zelda's hair. "Did you mention your archery? They would've liked that, I'm sure."

"No, actually," Zelda answered, surprising herself as she realized that her own weapon of choice hadn't come up at all in her conversations with the Zonai. "Mostly we spoke about how the war has been affecting them, how they're adapting their herding and agriculture to account for the fact that all their young men are fighting. And we spoke about their culture – they hold their ancestors in such high esteem, and have such beautiful architecture…"

"Beautiful architecture?" Emma gaped. "Well, but that would mean… the Zonai have artists? But I thought they all just fight!"

So many misconceptions, Zelda thought, feeling an ache in her temples at the daunting task before her. And it's no wonder – they've been so unpopular for so long…

She spent the hour before the meeting with her parents catching her maids up on what she'd learned about the Zonai, about the honor she'd witnessed among them, the piousness and high importance of family. She addressed every incorrect idea her maids brought up – their paint was not warpaint; they didn't drink the blood of their fallen foes; they were not bloodthirsty, but noble.

And when she found herself in front of the council chamber doors, her hair freshly washed and braided back, wearing a clean dress beneath which her heart pounded wildly, she found that though she was nervous she did not feel unprepared. Speaking with her servants had given her practice already of sharing what she'd learned on her journey. And they didn't react that poorly – Emma even said by the end that she felt sorry for what they'd gone through. So perhaps this won't go as badly as I fear…

Taking a breath to steel her nerves, she walked into the council chamber. It was empty save her father and mother, sitting on the far end of the room in their thrones. She frowned – Helena was using the chair that was usually reserved for Zelda during council meetings.

They mean for me to stay standing. Like this is an interrogation.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see Inpa giving her a subtle smile of encouragement. Offering a tiny nod in return, she walked forward, her heart beating thrice for every step, until she stood directly in front of her parents.

"Well, my daughter," Pelaris said with a gentle, patronizing smile. "What news do you bring? Have the Zonai agreed to surrender?"

Outrage sparked instantly in her blood, and she grit her teeth to quell an angry retort. "That was not the purpose of my journey," she said stiffly. "My purpose was to see their side of the war and consider what it might take to come to peace. And I've learned that an unconditional surrender on their part is entirely the wrong way to go about it; we never should have demanded that of them –"

"On what grounds?" Pelaris interrupted dismissively, waving a hand absently. "The bloodthirsty nation of saboteurs attacks a peaceful society of researchers dedicated to the protection of Hyrule without provocation – of course they must surrender."

"They're not bloodthirsty!" Zelda protested, indignant. "And I highly doubt that they started the conflict –"

"Oh, and I suppose you have proof of that?" the King of Hyrule asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice leaking with bored skepticism. "Definitive proof that the soldiers dressed in Zonai armor who attacked the Sheikah factory were somehow not actually Zonai?"

"They – the armor doesn't add up," Zelda fought back, forcing desperation from her voice – this was going disastrously. "Only the most elite warriors can wear the kind of armor reported, and they were wearing paint from a sacred ritual when – when no one had completed the ritual that day –" She swallowed thickly, her heart somehow pounding even faster. "It doesn't matter, Father! The details of the war don't matter, because the Sheikah have been committing atrocities in the name of their research that have devastated the Zonai tribes! Their gravesites – great works of art; beautiful pyramids above intricate and incredibly well-maintained crypts – have been completely destroyed, with the bodies taken out and just cast to one side so that the Sheikah can dig up the stone they were resting on. And they've been looting, too! Precious gems that the Zonai used on their shrines are gone! And in the initial Sheikah invasion, they didn't care about hurting innocents – there were children that they left dead or horribly mutilated for life – it does not matter how the war started, Father! What the Sheikah have done is entirely unacceptable!"

Pelaris frowned heavily. "Yagamura has informed me that there is no other way to obtain the mineral they use for their guardian research," he said quietly. "You do not see the full picture, Zelda. Evil will rise up – and this war, and the devastation the Zonai have caused this entire kingdom are clear signs that evil will rise soon. The Sheikah research is our only chance against the darkness that is prophesied to come! Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good, and if that sacrifice is to be the Zonai people, then so be it."

Zelda gaped at him, her mind screeching to a sudden horrified halt. 'For the greater good?' What? The Sheikah are our only chance? Ridiculous! She thought of Groose's matchlock musket firearm thing – a weapon capable of standing up to the power of the Sheikah guardians. The Zonai technology could easily be 'our only chance' against evil, too!

She was half a second from saying so before the cold thought occurred to her – if her father knew about the matchlock, he would use it to spin the Zonai into an even greater threat to the kingdom. No… this battle was lost.

"You are not to join the council meeting in two days," Pelaris growled, an edge of annoyance in his voice. "You speaking out is what started this pointless journey to begin with – a complete waste of time and resources. The guards at the door will be informed to turn you away, by force if necessary."

Zelda grit her teeth, glaring venomously at her father as her pulse rocketed higher. You would – you would silence me, she thought, barely aware of Inpa's hand on her shoulder guiding her away. You would keep the world from knowing of Yagamura's treachery.

An icy thought struck her mind. You knew – you already knew of the desecration of Zonai gravesites; Yagamura told you already! You'd already made up your mind to let the Sheikah conquer the Zonai by any means necessary – that's why you turned their representatives away, time after time! You knew the whole time!

"Oh, dear," Sophie's concerned voice came. Zelda blinked, realizing that she was back in her rooms, her maids watching her with compassionate anxiety and uncertainty. "I… take it that didn't go the way you hoped?"

Zelda wiped at her eyes with a sleeve, frustrated to find tears on her cheeks. "Not particularly," she grumbled. "I've… I've been banned from the council meeting in two days. Specifically I am banned from… from speaking with the council about what I've learned." She sank down into a soft chair by the hearth, her head in her hands. Now what? What can I do? My father is more tyrannical than I feared… He's been betting on the superiority of the Sheikah, but everyone has underestimated the courage of the Zonai…

An image of blazing blue eyes shadowed by the skull of a lynel flitted through her mind, followed by an echo of Khanot's words. If you have the support and love of your people, there is nothing you can't do.

If you are courageous… if you use your power with wisdom…

Her hand prickled. She ignored it, wiping her eyes, sitting straighter in her chair, and regarded the small team of her people gathered around her.

"What will you do, Princess Zelda?" Inpa asked calmly, regarding her with grim crimson eyes.

Zelda inhaled shakily, and turned her attention to her servants. "I have a plan," she said quietly. "But I will need your help. I will need, specifically, your courage. For what we will do is not popular, and may not even be safe." She met the gaze of each woman in the room, her voice firm and steely. "But I swear to you, by the Goddesses above, that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe if you will follow me."

She watched as their confusion, as their concern, hardened into determination. She saw the earnest loyalty in their eyes. She saw Inpa's small, proud smile. She felt her own heart swell with courage. I don't need the council meeting in order to be heard.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The setting sun saw the Princess of Hyrule walking with her maids out of the castle doors, dressed warmly for the cold.

"I'll need to know your destination, Princess," the guard at her door had said, a note of apology in his voice. "And… I am duty-bound to report to your parents."

Zelda smiled sympathetically at him. "I'm going to the Temple of Hylia," she said. "I feel the need to pray for peace."

"As do we all," the guard sighed, shaking his head. "Best of luck, Princess."

And they met no resistance as they left the castle and walked down the torchlit hill. At the base, Zelda beckoned her maids in close. "You know what to do," she murmured. "Remember – two days, the central square, petitioning for peace."

The women nodded, faces set in grim determination. Zelda watched them leave, then turned towards the temple with Inpa at her side.

"I delivered your message," the Sheikah said. "It was received, as you might imagine, with much approval. They'll be waiting."

Zelda smiled. Excellent. The first parts of my plan are falling into place.

Four men were waiting for her within the temple. Nerwalth, Fartholf, and Durnwin – the three Zonai leaders that had first set her on this path. And King Khanot, warmth and pride in his golden gaze as he regarded her with a hint of a smile.

"Thank you for coming," she said quietly, drawing nearer. She dipped her head respectfully to the Zonai representatives. "Honored warriors, I owe you my thanks. You opened my eyes, and gave me the opportunity to learn more about your people in your lands."

"So what'll y'do?" Fartholf asked eagerly, sounding all too similar to another warrior of the Dragon tribe. Nerwalth elbowed him and he gave a slight cough. "Er, I mean – we're grateful t'you, Princess. We appreciate that y'gave us a chance."

"I have a plan," Zelda promised, glancing at Khanot. "In two days, when the sun is at its highest, the King of Hyrule will meet with his council. I need the three of you to go out into the city and find anyone you know, anyone who would listen to you – business contacts, family, people sympathetic to the Zonai – anyone. Ask them to join you in petitioning the king for peace in the market square, on the second day while he meets with his council. I've sent others out as well, to gather their acquaintances. The more, the better."

"That it?" Durnwin asked with a raised brow. "I mean – we'll do it, f'course. But it's… so simple."

Nerwalth smiled. "We've been fortunate, Princess," he said. "There're many in this city who'd listen t'us, who've dealt with th'Zonai in th'past and mourn our current forced separation from them. A surprising number f'old ladies that like t'knit and crochet with our yarn." He chuckled. "We will do this. We'll speak t'everyone we can. Come high noon on th'second day, you'll have yourself a crowd – petitioning for peace, y'say?"

Fartholf snorted. "And that's not a hard talking point t'sell," he noted. "Might even get a Sheikah t'listen t'us with that one."

"Perfect," Zelda grinned. "Anything you can do, anyone you can bring, is appreciated."

"I can reach out to my circles as well," Khanot offered. "Some lesser nobles, underlings of Lady Tabanth or Lord Akkalus, not quite high enough rank to warrant an invitation to the meeting."

"Thank you," Zelda said, smiling at him gratefully. She addressed the others together again, her voice iron. "Leave the rest of it to me. By the end of the council meeting, my father will have no choice but to pursue peace."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Zelda paced in her rooms as the council meeting began, pausing occasionally to peer out her window and struggle to see anything beyond the castle wall before going back to her pacing. She was alone but for Inpa. In fact, the entire castle was oddly bare but for a few essential staff and, of course, the guards on duty.

"Calm down," Inpa said. "If this is any sign, things are going exactly according to plan."

"I know; I just – I worry," she said, twisting her fingers together anxiously. "I don't want violence to break out – it's a peace protest, for the Goddess' sake, but I know most people aren't fond of the Zonai, and the way my father's secretary treated them when they tried to get in – oh, if he knew about this –"

"Seriously, calm down," Inpa huffed. "If you're that worried, let's get down there now. The council meeting's been going for several minutes now; it's technically plausible."

"Yes!" Zelda burst, rushing at once to the door. "Yes, let's go – I can't stay here another minute!"

There were more guards than usual outside her door, by design. "We're just following our orders – making sure you don't attend the council meeting," one whispered to her with a small grin as they made their way alongside her down through the castle. Zelda managed an anxious smile, buoyed by their support. Their presence would lend her even more credibility when she reached the market square.

Once outside the castle gates, she could hear the din of many voices from the plaza below. Her heart thumped faster – so many people showed up! – as she saw that the crowd began all the way at the base of the hill. A great cheer rose up when they saw her, and her pulse jumped at that. She smiled, seeing the hope on their faces as they parted to let her and her guards walk through to the center of town.

The crowd only thickened the further she went. Some people had crafted signs, writing pleas for peace or listing the benefits of trade with the Zonai. Many were chanting – "We want peace! We want peace! We want peace!" – and again she found that as she passed, the people started cheering loudly, throwing their hands in the air, applauding. Her heart raced.

She made it through to the fountain in the center of the market square and turned to Inpa. "Help me not to fall into the water," she asked quietly, and the Sheikah nodded with an amused smirk. She stepped up onto the rim of the fountain and – and, noticing her ready to speak, the people in the square fell silent awaiting her words. She felt bolstered – Just like what happens when Khanot walks into the room.

"Good people of Hyrule!" Zelda called out, raising her hands. "We, your leaders, hear your words! We hear your cries for peace, and an end to this destructive war! We promise you this day, that you will have peace before the first snows of winter fall!"

A great cheer went up from the crowd, fists pumping the air in delight, applause echoing across the square. She spotted three figures heading towards her through the crowd – the Zonai leaders. They stood in front of her and faced the people, and an eager silence fell again; when Nerwealth spoke, his voice was confident and fierce. "We, th'voices f'th'Zonai people, declare this day that we will talk peace with th'Sheikah, f'Princess Zelda mediates!"

Zelda's heart lurched – unexpected, but not unwelcome, certainly. In fact, I couldn't have planned it better!

And at once a tremendous roar rose up from the gathering, a wall of sound that nearly knocked Zelda backwards into the fountain – she was immensely grateful for Inpa's iron grip on her shoulder. Her heart pounded faster as she grinned victoriously, raising her fist into the air alongside her people. People that actually listened – people that came when she called them together. People that were proving right then and there that she was not powerless.

Your move, Father.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Khanot

"Ryouta! We've got to get out of here!" the woman said with panic, rushing into the barn. Ryouta, the man, looked up from where he was spreading a bedroll over straw to resist the chill of the Tabanthan night with surprise. The two Sheikah were still magically disguised, indistinguishable from any real Hylian by everything but the language they spoke in their haste. Even without that mistake, he knew who they were. To him, their magic looked like a transparent mask tinted with yellow, through which he could clearly see their white hair and wide red eyes.

"Calm down, Sachi! What's going on?" the man replied as the woman fell to his side and took his arm.

"Nao and Miyako haven't gone silent or missing–they're dead!" the woman, Sachi, explained, her tone filled with panic and desperation.

"What?" the man exclaimed, jumping to his feet and taking hold of the hilt of the Hylian sword at his waist .

"I found them in a cave - a beast's den. But they bore no signs of mauling or any other death that a beast could have inflicted! They were burnt! Something is after us! Some kind of monster! Our disguises mean nothing! I don't know how I know but…I'm sure the rest of us that have disappeared are dead too. We have to go, Ryouta, before we're next! We have to get out of Tabantha tonight!" Sachi continued, tears streaming from her eyes.

The man, Ryouta, took a moment to debate, then nodded with agreement. The two recovered their backpacks and slung them, leaving the rest of their possessions behind, and started for the barn door. Both pairs of red Sheikah eyes reflected their fear.

"We won't be able to go back home. Lord Yagamura would have our heads for deserting," Ryouta muttered, making a plan.

"I don't care! Hang him! Hang him and Kona Yigo! Especially that wretched monk. It's her fault we're even here!"

The barn door opened. Sachi screamed at the sight of the horned being that hovered a few feet off the ground before them, wrapped in red shadows like nightmare clouds and glowing with a haunting malevolent light. Ryouta drew his sword and threw his backpack to the ground, prepared to face his foe. That foe seemed to grin without moving its mouth. It was fed by their panic and their terror. It existed to see that its Lord's power and authority were obeyed. Fear was obedience. In this case, given its orders, so was death. It raised its armored hands and began to conjure golden orbs of blinding light that sparked with the fury of the heavens, the anger of the destroyer, the hatred of the Imprisoned…

"So…" Pelaris Hyrule started, almost squirming with discomfort in his throne. "How has this harvest measured up to our expectations?"

Khanot shook himself out of the scene and mentally returned to the council chamber in Castle Hyrule where the uncomfortable King Pelaris pretended to matter to the circle of glaring and suspicious figures around him. His words were met with a silence that seemed to scoff. No one had come to the council chambers today to talk about the harvest, and Pelaris knew it. Still, he would do his best to hide from the truth, as always. Fury at the incompetence roared inside the Gerudo king, his fingers tightening on the wooden arms of his chair. How dare the king still ignore the cries for peace! How dare he still support Yagamura when reports of dissent amongst even the Sheikah increased! Yet, as always, he would ignore the inevitable until it hit him over the head with devastating force. Maybe the time for that was coming. Zelda's mission to rally for peace may be a lot more successful if she suddenly could ascend to the throne.

No! Focus! Khanot took conscious notice of the well of power at his center, the wondrous Gift of Din, and found it roiling like a sea besought by a storm. It responded to his feelings about the king, feeding off them just like the way his strange shadowed minion fed off the fear of the dying Sheikah. The power was always trying to drive him to move and act, even when the wiser course of action was to sit still. It was part of the challenge, as Kotake had explained. It pushed against its boundaries, trying to overwhelm him, but he would stand firm. So long as he was master, it would serve him well. Khanot breathed deeply, counting the moments of each inhalation and exhalation, forcing calm over his agitated body. He forced himself to keep his distance from the scene in Tabantha, where his phantom continued its hunt for Sheikah spies. The creature did not need the Gerudo's constant attention to carry out its orders.

"The harvest? My lord, we're not here to talk about the harvest! Where is the Princess?" Lady Tabanth exclaimed.

"She is… fatigued. By her journey. And wanted some time to recuperate before addressing you all in this council," Pelaris dodged awkwardly. "With that being true, it only seems sensible for us to turn our attention to other matters."

"My liege, with all due respect, there is no other matter at the moment. The whole kingdom is anxiously watching winter descend and wondering when this fool war will end," Akkalus said scornfully. "The present harvest means little more to us than the number of shells on Palmorae Beach."

"I am well aware that everyone is fixated on this war," Pelaris grumbled testily. "But there is nothing to say about it! The battle for Uhlenom will likely begin soon. The Zonai will be defeated, and we will all be able to move on."

"And what happens when the Zonai endure?" Lady Tabanth protested. "How can we say with confidence they will be so easily defeated? They have not seemed much for quitting thus far, and one of the few people most informed about their current status in the war isn't here."

"They will be defeated! There is no way those savages will be able to survive the new and improved Guardians that are bearing down on them even now!" Yagamura argued. "And once I break their armies at Uhlenom, we will negotiate their surrender and you can have full access to your beef again."

Akkalus and Tabanth looked nearly ready to leap out of their seats and take the Sheikah by the throat, but they caught Khanot's disapproving glare. He had not told them the whole plan, not trusting them to keep it sufficiently quiet, but had informed them that they were to prolong the council meeting as long as possible. Zelda needed the time to gather her rally and address her crowd before the King got wind of it. Thankfully, Tabanth signaled meekly that she would obey, deflating somewhat under his gaze. Akkalus seemed to balk for a moment, but then receded as well. Perhaps he knew that Khanot had caught him testing other alliances recently. Curse the man. It singed his blood that he had to work with such disreputable characters. With the powers he had unlocked, maybe that time would soon come to a close as well.

"Now, are we done bickering?" Pelaris inquired impatiently, tapping the heavy rings on his fingers against the arm of his throne. "I still have not heard a response about the harvest!"

"With all due respect, sir, this war is the topic at hand, whether or not you care to address it," the Rito Chief Elder Tengahin said slowly, his amber hawk's eyes intent on the fat Hylain. "Not all of us rely on grain to maintain our provinces."

"Indeed!" King Phaidon of the Zora agreed. "As we agreed not too long ago, and many times since, we are all fatigued by this conflict, in our own ways."

"Yeah, I mean, why can't we at least talk to the Zonai? I bet they're over this whole mess too," the hulking Goron Gor Dakorik joined.

Pelaris began to fume, his face returning to the enraged red that so often possessed it of late.

"Why can't we talk to rampaging barbarians that terrorize our people, raid and pillage Sheikah land, and continue to drag us all down with the cost of their violence because they decided to attack a peaceful Sheikah settlement? Oh, I wonder?" the King snapped, his sarcasm barely perceptible through his anger.

"You may not have to wonder, if you'd let Zelda speak!" Tabanth rebutted.

"The carefully cultivated scenes she was surely shown by the Zonai do nothing to dispute the fact that my people have been the ones bleeding and dying on the field of battle to keep you safe from this Zonai threat!" Yagamura engaged once again. "And yet you repay me by letting their agents murder my citizens in your lands!"

"Citizens that we have no reports of ever entering our lands," Akkalus remarked, almost to himself.

The mention of the Sheikah spies slain throughout the kingdom brought Khanot to take notice of his phantom once again. It had since finished with the Sheikah couple outside the barn in southern Tabantha and was soaring through the sky once more, wrapped in mist, scouring for another glimmer of yellow magic that would reveal its nextmark. There were few left by now. Its hunt was going very well, as everyone had noticed. Only once had it ever threatened to disobey his orders, when it came upon the Princess and her Sheikah bodyguard when they were all on their way to Skohrych. Its attack on Inpa was no surprise to Khanot, given that by all indications she was synonymous with his intended targets. He was only glad he had intervened in time. The strange thing was how it responded to Zelda. It seemed to fear her, perhaps even loathe her. But why?

"Do not all our peoples have the right to move freely in this kingdom? So what if your border guards did not see them?" Yagamura replied. "That does not give you the right to execute them!"

"We haven't executed them! We haven't laid a finger on them, spies though we know they are!" Tabanth rejoined.

"Enough!" Pelaris yelled. "I will not have this manner of disorder and disrespect in my court! I…!"

He was interrupted when the door to the council chamber opened. An extra royal guard stood between the usual halberd holding gentlemen, his expression struggling to resist the disconsertion of so many powerful eyes suddenly falling upon him. Or, perhaps, it was a reflection of his duty.

"My Lord, forgive me, I bear urgent news," the guard said.

With that, he crossed quickly behind the attendants in the hall, approached Pelaris, bowed close to whisper in his ear, and delivered his message.

"An uprising? What are you talking about?" Pelaris grumbled, not quietly enough. Then, his eyes went wide. "She did what?" he bellowed, his voice cracking as if threatening a scream.

Khanot smiled. Zelda had made her move. The Gerudo king planned his silence until this point, until the opportune moment to dash the Hylian King's desires to stop his daughter from doing her duty. Before another word could be shared, before the council and the guards beside the open door, Khanot rose to his feet and locked eyes with the panicked, furious, pathetic, and witless King of Hyrule. The well of power surged within him again, reacting to the movement, the adrenaline of the moment, and the hatred he resisted each moment in the fool's presence.

"Yes, she did," he began, the thrill almost causing him to shake. "Princess Zelda was not so exhausted by her journey today that she desired to sleep rather than speak with you. She was prevented from attending."

Tabanth and Akkalus watched the Gerudo with intrigued expressions, excited to see what was about to come of their involvement with Khanot and his schemes. Yagamura scowled with as much unease as genuine anger, but held his peace. The others watched in stunned silence, Dakorik and Phaidon trading a glance.

"But, fully aware of her goddess-given duty to serve her people as future matriarch of Hyrule, she chose not to accept that fate," Khanot continued. He locked eyes with Pelaris once more, the man beginning to squirm and gawk like a mouse caught in a trap. "Even as we speak, Zelda is addressing a crowd that has gathered to petition the King for peace. I do not know what she will choose to say, but I have full faith that she will use her knowledge – freshly gained and long trained alike – to start Hyrule down the path of healing."

"This… this is your doing!" Yagamura spat.

"No. Princess Zelda acts of her own free will and conscience, and though she has faced and will continue to face opposition, I propose that we, leaders of Hyrule, voice our support of her motion to bring peace at last to this kingdom that we love and the people we are entrusted to protect through diplomacy."

The crowd remained frozen, unseeing for a moment that he had made a formal gesture in court. One by one, they began to awaken from the shock.

"Absolutely! Zelda is wise beyond her years. I support her and any route she devises to peace!" Lady Tabanth said, almost gleefully.

"I want to hear what she has said first, but if this is as you say, Lord Khanot, of course, she has my support," Lord Akkalus added.

"Wait, what? We're going to have a treaty? Aww yeah! I'm in!" Gor Dakorik of the Gorons celebrated, slamming his fist on the table and causing the goblets atop it to teeter and bleed.

With each voice of consent, Pelaris seemed to shrink more in his throne. Yagamura, characteristically cold, tensed in his seat.

"I… I am not sure why we are voting on a resolution we have not heard yet, but I am more than willing to abandon this pretense and talk peace as well," Phaidon of the Zora agreed, nervously glancing between Khanot and Pelaris.

"The Rito are likewise interested in exploring this matter. May the terms be favorable and fair," Chief Elder Tengahin said, his gaze unwavering from Khanot.

"Then, by a tremendous majority…" Khanot started.

"Majority? How dare you!" Yagamura hissed, interrupting the Gerudo and rising to his feet. "The ramblings of a rebellious child to an artificial rabble are not admissible in this council, and even if they were, may I remind you all that the goddesses chose the lineage of Hyrule to rule us with wisdom and glory forever! Pelaris is the one that makes these decisions, not the likes of you!"

The affront caused Khanot's blood to boil. The power surged within him, driving him to strike the Sheikah down and end the war there and then. He resisted it. This was his moment of triumph, and he was the master!

"May I remind you that the goddesses chose the firstborn Queen of Hyrule to rule with wisdom and glory. Pelaris is nothing more than a steward beside her. And before you retort, Yagamura, let me remind you of the fate of your shapeshifting spies throughout this kingdom," Khanot snarled. Yagamura seemed to pale. "Yes, I know all about how they masked themselves as Hylians to bring you word of your opposition. But you made a mistake. Unlike you, I do not rely on a weak-minded puppet to rise to power. I have my own, and I swear to you that if you make any moves to oppose me, your spies will not be the only ones to experience it. Do I make myself clear?"

"You… it was…" Pelaris mumbled like a drunkard or madman waking from a coma.

"Do I make myself clear?" the Gerudo growled again.

Yagamura blinked, glanced between the other faces in the hall, swallowed hard, and nodded.

"Perfectly, Khanot," he murmured.

"Then, let us adjourn this pointless bickering and await the news from the city how exactly our rightful ruler wishes to proceed. There is nothing more for us to accomplish in this place today."

With that, Khanot spun on his heels and walked towards the exit. One by one, the rulers of Hyrule rose to follow him until only Yagamura and Pelaris were left in the chilled room. The fact that he had played so many of his cards so sloppily tugged weakly on Khanot's mind. Something tried to tell him that he'd said too much. He ignored the concern. For the first time, he stood up openly against the king and his Sheikah puppetmaster and rose triumphant. With that, Hyrule could finally move towards ending this pointless war and bringing back the prosperity that all of them needed. At last, his duty to his people would be done. At last, he had power again. At last, he had been obeyed.