My gosh...it has been a looooong time! I'm sooo sorry...school, finals...ugh. But, rest-assured, the summer = FREEDOM TO WRITE! MUAHHAHAAA...I don't own Zelda.

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Ch. 26: Savior Again

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"My Lady, I still don't understand why you've put us on this 'high- alert' thing."

Zelda sighed, nudging her food on her plate around in agitation. Idiot subjects always asking the same damned questions all the damn time, she thought angrily. Link, sitting next to her, held back a laugh, a hard task at the moment; he always enjoyed it when Zelda was in a bad mood.

"I mean, how is it that Ganondorf is even alive? I thought that demon-child defeated him."

Several at the table snickered; one subject across from Link nearly choked with laughter. Link noticed the tightening of Zelda's jaw, the way her hand gripped her table knife. He nudged her with his foot, letting her know he was there. She relaxed subtly, then looked up at the one who had spoken.

"It would seem, my dear sir," she said, each word venomous, "that some here don't trust my judgement at all anymore." There was a dead silence.

"No, Lady, I didn't mean it as anything against your superior judgement..."

"Oh, that's great," Zelda said sarcastically. "Let's keep it that way. If you'll excuse me." She stood, ignoring the shocked stares. Link decided he would wait till Zelda vented a bit before following her out.

##

"You almost lost your composure there, didn't you?" Airaen asked, leaning against the wall in the familiar hallway.

Zelda sighed, asked, "You were watching...and why didn't you join us, or even let anyone know you're even back?" Her tone still held a little bit of venom in it. Airaen chuckled.

"As I said before, please don't be dense," she said.

Zelda walked forward, motioning for Airaen to follow her. Their footsteps echoed along the hallway. "You come and go as you please...you can disappear in the blink of an eye...Goddess!" Zelda cried, running her fingers through her hair in agitation. Airaen couldn't help from laughing. "Oh, stop it!" Zelda cried, increasing her pace up the stairs, then pulling the door forcefully open to her room.

"You're extremely angry tonight, aren't you?" Airaen said with a laugh. "I'll leave you alone then."

Turning, Zelda said, "Wait, I don't want you to—"

Airaen was gone; Zelda turned round to stare down an empty corridor, no sound of footsteps reaching her ears. "How the hell does she do that?" she said with a sigh.

##

Airaen walked along the garden path, watching how the moonlight glistened along the wet grass. Five days already, Roh, she thought, And that was after Gate came back...what's taking you so long? She sighed longingly, yearning for his touch. Two years is a long time, Roh, she thought glumly.

She could sense something was wrong, a bitterness on the wind. Kicking at the ground, she continued on down the path.

##

"And the majority will go where, my Lord?" Icarn asked as he galloped next to Roh, the sun just barely glinting as it rose.

Roh sighed as he urged Stifala onwards. "I told you, Icarn. The rest will come later. I'm already expecting our dear friend Ganon to attack us as a whole group before we reach the Castle, so he might not be worried about ten men galloping on to Hyrule Castle."

"He might think that's all we can offer," Icarn nodded, catching on. "It'll make him overconfident...a flaw we can use to our advantage."

"Exactly. The rest of our men will come when the time is ripe. I've left Ha'sha in charge for them; she's a good fighter and leader. They can attack from behind," Roh replied with a happy grin. "Ganon will never know what hit him."

Looking up, he saw the Castle looming up to the sky. Almost there, he thought.

"M'Lord!" a young soldier cried as he galloped to Roh, waving his arms.

"What is it?" Roh asked, narrowing his eyes.

"There's something coming up to the left of us!" the soldier replied, pointing behind him.

As Roh looked, squinting his eyes, he could see a group of something running swiftly towards them. As the sunlight came barreling down upon them, Roh caught the glint of light on blade.

"Shit," he hissed. "To the Castle! Ride on! We're being pursued!"

Even as he and his men galloped to the Castle, Roh knew they wouldn't make it in time.

##

"There's something wrong," Airaen said quietly, looking out over Hyrule from the window of Zelda's room, squinting in the sunlight that seeped through it. Link looked at her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"I search all over the Castle for you, and that's what you say to me?" he said with a laugh. She glanced at him, her eyes sharp and piercing. "Okay...you're serious..."

"Am I ever not?" she answered, her tone still serious. Link sighed.

"Well, at least you're still bothersome to me," he said with a laugh.

"Under attack! Someone out there's under attack!"

The cry reached their ears, startling both of them. "What the hell?" Link asked, turning. Airaen remained intent upon the outside, her eyes finding a few small figures in quite a commotion out on Hyrule Field.

"Stupid...I knew I should've seen this coming," she said, turning and moving out of the room.

"Wait! Hey, you can't go...where are you going? Hey, Airaen, get back here! Airaen!" Link called, knowing it fell on deaf ears. Just the same as ever, he thought.

##

Airaen's footsteps echoed along the hallway as she ran, her cloak flowing behind her. A door opened in front of her. I can't stop now, she thought as she saw her mother emerge.

"Airaen...?" Zelda asked as she passed.

"Sorrycan'ttalknowbye!" Airaen said in one breath as she passed.

"What...what's going on?" she asked, watching her daughter exit through the door on the left.

##

"Who is that out there, Momma?" a young boy asked as he looked out across the gate to Hyrule Field, clutching his mother's hand. He pointed to a raging battle, still a bit of a distance from the gate.

"Oh, Goddess, someone's being attacked out there by something! Someone help them!" the mother cried, clutching at her son's hand. Several other pleas rang through the crowd.

It was then that Airaen came running through the crowd, cloaked as usual, somehow managing to avoid everyone in the crowd. "Where in Nayru's name are the guards?!" she yelled as she grabbed a nearby onlooker.

"I...I don't know! They usually don't start their rounds until well after sunup!" the man said fearfully.

"Idiots!" Airaen hissed, letting the poor man go.

As she made it out to Hyrule Field, she called for Perigan, who came galloping towards her. She ran to him, climbing onto his back, then urged him on to the battlefield, her heart pounding in her chest.

A roar of triumph came from the crowd.

She galloped on, ignoring it; she could see the people clearly now as they were assailed by none other than monsters of all sorts. Gritting her teeth, she saw Roh at the head, brandishing his sword, hacking away any creature that came near. "I can't reach them in time!" she yelled, urging Perigan forward. With a gasp, she saw a stalfos coming at Roh, its sword raised to strike a deadly blow. I don't know what to do...what should I do? I forgot a bow...why did I forget a bow?! Her heart was pounding in her chest as Perigan galloped on, sensing her need of urgency and moving at breakneck speed.

Then she remembered the secret power Ahrima had told her to use in desperate times...and only desperate times. "This is a desperate time," she told herself, feeling guilty as she slowly took the bandage off her hand, quickly stuffing the bandage in her sleeve for safekeeping. Her scar seemed to glisten in the sunlight.

The stalfos loomed closer.

Airaen, focusing her energy, forced her hand in front of her, cried, "Tiyo stron collema!" A bright light erupted from her hand, focused on the stalfos in a beam of bright, inescapable light. Roh rolled to the side as it came by him, staring in disbelief at the figure coming towards him. The staflos, encased in the light, burst into bright, golden flames with a screech, then collapsed to the ground. Airaen, coming next to him, yelled, "Get back on your horse and make for the gate, you moron! Don't sit there gawking, MOVE IT!"

Nodding, he called for his horse. Wiping the blood off his face, he got onto Stilfala, crying, "To the gate, you fools! Get to the gate, now!"

There was a cry of agreement from the other men as they followed him. Roh looked back to see the cloaked figure leap off the horse, brandishing a green sword, then attack anything and everything that came within her vicinity. Her movements were quick and in a blur; monsters of all kinds split apart, crashing to the ground. Roh cried out in amazement as the figure stopped in a field of carnage, nothing moving. The rest of the creatures fled in a terror.

Airaen, sheathing her sword, got back on Perigan and had him gallop after Roh, quickly bandaging her hand again. Will he accept me as before?

The thought shocked her even as it came upon her.

##

Roh and his companions stopped with a grateful halt within the Market as cheers ran through it from those around him. "Here comes Sidar!" someone called, laughter in answer to the comment.

Sighing, Roh turned to Icarn, said, "Status?"

"Two dead, m'Lord," Icarn said. "Those things came upon us unawares. Why?"

"Because Ganon doesn't want Zelda getting any help from anyone," Airaen said, fixing her hood as she came up behind them on foot, hiding her face. Perigan she had already sent on his own to Hyrule Field. She kept her voice in a rather boyish tone as well. 'Secrecy is the best policy' Ahrima had always said, Airaen thought.

"And who might you be?" Icarn said, brandishing his sword protectively and urging his horse in front of Roh.

"Icarn, please," Roh said. "Put your sword down. This one here saved us."

Icarn, raising an eyebrow, sheathed his sword. "Forgive me, Savior. I did not know," he said apologetically.

Airaen waved him away. "You're forgiven, Icarn," she said, still masking her voice.

"Who are you?" Roh asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her. Her heart cried out in agony to touch him, but she controlled herself. Not in public yet, she thought to herself. Ignoring him, she moved quickly off towards the Castle. Roh, raising an eyebrow, got off Stilfala and followed.

He managed to catch up to her just as they exited the Market. "Wait a minute!"

"Sorry, can't talk now," she whispered, moving a bit faster. Roh tried to grab at her wrist, but she moved to the side.

"Come on, enough of this! Who the hell are you?"

She shrugged. "I am Nobody. You can call me that."

Her cloak clinging to her, she moved off at a rapid pace, leaving a bewildered Roh behind.

##

"I'm here to give my services to you, Lady, in defense of this Castle and in honor of our united people," Roh said, kneeling.

Zelda, a smile on her lips as she bent down in front of him, said, "And I thank you for your help. Come, now, rest up. You can have something to eat if you'd like."

Nodding, Roh agreed and moved off towards the dining hall. Before he exited, he stopped; turning, he asked, "If my Lady will allow me to ask her a question?"

"Of course," Zelda replied.

"Is...forgive my boldness, but is Lady Airaen around?"

Zelda suppressed a laugh as she replied, "Out in the garden, young sir, as usual."

Forgetting his hunger, he grinned happily, saying as he passed her, "Thank you, Zelda!" He took off at a run, leaving Zelda to her mirth.

##

Airaen hummed a tune as she sat with her back against the fountain wall, enjoying the soft grass and the warm sunshine as she let her hood fall back. Running her hands through her hair, she closed her eyes, grinning as she leaned back. The sound of the fountain lulled her into a state of peace as she put her hands behind her head.

"I should've known it was you out there. But, Goddess, how you moved!"

The voice startled her out of her wits as she snapped awake, squinting in the sunlight as she stared upwards.

"Roh!" she gasped, her eyes widening. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Crossing his arms, he replied, "And you didn't tell me who the hell you were back there! Nobody indeed!"

Leaning towards her, he pulled her into an embrace, laughing a little.

"Where the hell did you go, you silly girl?" he cried, pulling away so he could kiss her.

"Only where I should've been," she whispered in his ear. Growling, he tickled her senseless as an inane smile crept across his face.

"You should have been with me," he replied with a laugh, pushing her downwards.

Giggling, they fell backwards onto the grass as they kissed each other. As she looked up at him, she smiled, then whispered, "Oh, I have missed you, Love."

His only reply was a long kiss.

##

Well, I'm getting into the swing of things again...sorry it took so long to actually update...as I said before, school and finals...AND LOTS OF THEM! If you forgive me, please review! Please?