A note from the Hime no Argh herself—
This might be the last update for a couple of weeks. The semester is winding down for me—next week is finals week, in fact—and between the million-plus-one papers and presentations and assignments and final projects I need to do, I'm not getting nearly enough time to work on this story as I'd like. But we'll see how things go.
Chapter 6
War
Zelda bit her lip as she weighed her options. Her instinct was to go to her father immediately and tell him what she had learned, but caution gripped her fast. If she told her father of the Gerudo's disappearance, there might be a chance to stop them in Hyrule Field before they reached the border of the Gerudo nation. Either way, the Gerudo's actions were an act of war; nothing could prevent it now. And if she went to her father with this information, she would have to reveal where it came from.
No good would come of this situation, no matter what she did. Let her father find out about the Gerudo tribe's disappearance in the morning.
There was, however, something she needed to do. "I've got to get to the barracks," Zelda murmured as she swung out of bed and threw a robe on over her nightshift, aware that Sheik's eyes followed her every movement. Then she hesitated. She had never tried to sneak out of the palace from her bedroom before; the royal wing was crawling with guards. It would be a miracle if she managed it unseen.
She looked sharply at Sheik. "Can you get me out of the palace and down to the barracks?"
"Of course," he replied, amused. "It won't be a stroll in the garden, but I can do it."
Zelda nodded as she slipped into a pair of shoes. "Lead the way, then."
In response, he offered a hand to her. Zelda hesitated, then took it. Swiftly he pulled her close and twined a hard, slender arm around her waist, backing out the open balcony doors. She gulped as Sheik gripped the railing with his free hand. Hoisting her weight, he vaulted nimbly over the balcony rail.
Zelda made the mistake of looking at the courtyard four stories below her dangling feet, and immediately shut her eyes, fighting the urge to vomit. Three times Sheik fell, arresting the sickening drops by gripping or landing on something. His arm was a band of iron around her waist, holding her firmly against him. Zelda would have been impressed by the slight Sheikah's strength, were she not so busy praying.
At last they thumped softly onto blessedly solid ground. Zelda reeled as she stepped away from Sheik, her head spinning; the Sheikah gripped her arm until she found her balance. "Thank you," she muttered.
His eyes laughed at her. "Come." The hand on her arm tugged, leading her through the darkness.
Whenever Zelda snuck out of the palace, she managed the short trip between the keep and the barracks very slowly and carefully, dodging sentries and guards making their rounds. Sheik led her quickly and easily through deserted parts of the courtyards, gardens, and practice yards, as if he knew exactly when each and every guard would be at every moment. To someone who had lived in the palace all her life, his ease at navigating the grounds was both bothersome and disturbing.
Zelda put it out of her mind, along with a number of other suspicions and questions about Sheik. He was immensely valuable to her as a spy; it was best not to think about anything other than that.
They reached the barracks far quicker than Zelda would have managed on her own, and dawdled in the shadows beside one of the open windows. Zelda hesitated, but she knew perfectly well that Sheik would be able to slip in and out without being noticed far easier than she would. What she was about to do could be considered treason. She could not risk getting caught.
"Go in and find my friend Ganondorf," she ordered in a whisper at last. "Tell him you're a messenger from me, and bring him out here. Don't wake anyone else, and no matter what, you must not be seen, do you understand?"
Sheik made a dismissive noise and slid in through the window. Zelda wasn't sure if he was making light of her concern or reprimanding her for thinking he might get caught, and prayed it was the latter.
She needn't have worried. Mere moments had passed before movement caught her attention; Sheik slipped silently out the door at the end of the barracks, followed by Ganondorf. The Gerudo spotted her, rubbed sleep from his eyes, and scowled.
"Isn't it a little late for social calls?" he barked. "And who is he, anyway?" He jerked a thumb at Sheik.
"Please, keep your voice down," she whispered furtively, grabbing his arm and towing him into the shadows. "Never mind about him. And this isn't a social call. There's something you need to know."
Ganondorf raised his brows at her. "What?"
Zelda took a breath and plunged right in. "The Gerudo are gone. All of them. They snuck out of the kingdom and are presumably on their way back to the desert."
Ganondorf's jaw dropped. "They what?" he yelped.
"Shh!" Zelda glanced around furtively, but only Sheik was nearby, keeping an eye out for sentries or soldiers on their way to the latrine. "No one knows this except the three of us. I can't tell my father—he'll find out in the morning anyway. But I needed to warn you."
Ganondorf seemed stunned. "But—that's crazy. Why would they do that? The king will go to war with them for certain—"
"Maybe that's what they desire," Sheik remarked.
Zelda and Ganondorf glanced at the Sheikah, then at each other. Zelda drew the sign of the Triforce on her chest. "It's just like Fallen said. Her predictions are coming true."
Ganondorf shook his head. "This is insanity," he muttered, "pure and simple." His eyes met Zelda's. "Why tell me? I'd have found out in the morning too."
Zelda hesitated, then gripped his arm. "Listen to me. You should leave, Ganondorf. We'll be going to war for certain. My father can't ignore this incident—"
Ganondorf jerked his arm away. "Are you telling me to desert?" he demanded tightly, remembering to keep his voice low.
"They are your people—"
"No, they're not," he interrupted, eyes hard. "Maybe they were once, but that was a long time ago. The Hylians are my people, Zelda—you are my people. You and Link. I won't abandon either of you."
His words made Zelda's throat go tight with emotion. "Are you sure?" she whispered. "We both know my father—my father has not always done right by you."
"But you have," Ganondorf insisted, squeezing her shoulder. "When you become queen, do I swear my loyalty to you only then? Or do I pledge it now, and prove to you I'll always keep it?"
"I would never doubt it!" Zelda cried, shocked. "I would never—"
"Then don't ask me to desert."
Zelda looked into his eyes and saw that he meant it. "I'm sorry," she said humbly. "I just wanted to warn you. I shouldn't have said anything."
He patted his shoulder. "I appreciate your worry, in any case. I know this isn't exactly going to be a picnic."
She nodded, throat tight again. "Promise me, Ganondorf—"
"We must leave," Sheik interrupted quietly. "Now."
"Promise me you'll stay safe, you and Link—" The Sheikah grabbed her arm and towed her easily away from the barracks, once more surprising her with his strength. "Don't get yourselves killed!" Zelda whispered. Ganondorf saluted and headed back inside the barrack, just as a guard on his rounds came into view.
Zelda managed the trip back to her bedroom with Sheik's help. Once the Sheikah had deposited her in her room and left, she sat down on her bed, prepared to wait the night out. Morning would come all too soon. In the meantime, she had a lot of prayers to say.
The first bell of the morning boomed long and slow, three times, waking Link rudely and abruptly from a dreamless sleep. He lay on his back in his bunk and stared at the ceiling, listening to the bell with growing unease. In his many years at the palace, he had only heard the bell ring like that once or twice, but he knew what it meant. Something had happened in the palace, something bad.
He glanced at Ganondorf. The Gerudo too lay awake on his bunk, his eyes ringed with dark circles, as though he'd gotten little sleep. He saw Link watching him and put a finger to his lips.
As the sun rose over the Hylian Kingdom, no messenger came to explain the warning bells, but Captain Benek and Sergeant Lin were conspicuously absent from the Silver Knights' morning practice. The other four squads began practice under their sergeants while Lin's waited. After fifteen minutes or so, Lin's corporal, Thor, shrugged and ordered, "Into pairs, and practice the advanced sword routine! Now, lads, now!"
As they practiced, Link began to notice another conspicuous absence. By this time it was typical for several Gerudo to join their practice, drilling and engaging in mock combat with the knights, but today they were nowhere to be seen.
The morning was well on its way when Lin appeared, calling a halt to their practice. The other sergeants gave the same order, and the Silver Knights gathered around Captain Benek.
The good-natured captain was unusually sober. "King's orders, boys," he said quietly. "War has been declared on the Gerudo."
The knights cried out in shock. Benek held up a hand to quiet them and continued, "Last night the Gerudo snuck out of the palace. They were long gone by the time their disappearance was discovered, presumably back to the desert. We also received word that Lon-Lon was attacked by two tribes during the night." He named a town close to the border of the Gerudo Desert and loyal to the Hylian Kingdom. "Lon-Lon is holding them at bay, and the king has dispatched Third Company to drive off the siege. When that's done, they'll begin construction of new forts on the border."
Link nodded. That made sense. Third Company, also called Carpenters, was one of the three special companies in the Hylian army—their specialty was constructing and building instruments of war such as forts, siege engines, catapults, and the like. While there were three or four forts already on the border of the Gerudo Nation, several more would need to be built to fill in the gaps in their defense.
"As for the rest of us, we march in two days. We're with the army for now. General Alaster will give us orders once we reach the border." The captain nodded and dismissed them.
The back of Link's neck prickled as the squads broke up once more and Lin, stony-faced, ordered them back to practice. He supposed he should be more surprised at the news, but he wasn't. He felt almost as though he'd been waiting for this moment ever since Fallen's prophecy.
He said a quick prayer for the safety of the inhabitants of the besieged Lon-Lon Town. Fifty-odd Gerudo warriors were no cakewalk, but he knew they would be all right once Carpenters arrived. A single company of the Hylian army had twice the number of two Gerudo tribes.
Would it be a quick war? Would they be able to give the Gerudo a good pounding and kick them back behind their own border? The Hylian army had three regular companies and three specialties—Carpenters, Groundpounders and Feather Company—plus fifty Silver Knights and twenty White Knights, which made for roughly seven hundred warriors. The Gerudo's numbers were smaller by a hundred or so, but they were swift, vicious warriors, trained from birth.
Veteran warriors who had survived wars from decades past insisted that riding sweeps for bandits and fighting in battle were two very different things. Link had always wondered whether they were telling the truth or just making up stories to scare "green" soldiers and knights. Soon he would know for himself.
Practice went on as usual that day, but the day before they were to march to the border, Benek announced that General Alaster had declared a free day for knights and soldiers; they were to use the time to pack and prepare and say farewell to loved ones. Link and Ganondorf ate breakfast together in the morning, then had a few hours of practice in the courtyard. Once they were worn out they parted; Ganondorf went back to the barrack to go over his gear while Link visited a palace scribe to have a will drawn up—he wanted nothing left to chance. Once that was done, he gave his own weapons, supplies, and tack a thorough going-over.
In the afternoon Zelda came by the barracks, and they went to a restaurant in the city for lunch. They spoke of anything other than the war, though it was clearly on all of their minds. After lunch they went to see a players' troupe perform the tale of the goddesses' birth, then wandered through the market to look at the many goods from all over Hyrule. At last they went to the Temple of Time to reflect and pray.
They were not alone; many others knights and soldiers and their families had the same idea. The three stayed near the back of the temple, quiet with their thoughts and prayers. Link wasn't sure if it would do any good, but he prayed for Farore's mercy for those warriors that would be hurt and killed, and hoped there wouldn't be too many to pray for before the war's end.
They headed back up the road to the palace as the sun began to set. Zelda joined them in the army mess for dinner; they had just sat down with their trays of food when the door opened and General Alaster walked in, followed by the king and, to everyone's surprise, the queen.
There was a sudden scraping of chairs as everyone got to their feet and bowed to the king and queen. Queen Leona, in her first public appearance since her illness, looked frail and worn; she clutched her husband's arm for balance, but when her eyes found her daughter, Link, and Ganondorf amidst the packed mess hall, she smiled with familiar grace.
"The king has a few words he would like to say to us all," the general barked, glaring around at the mess. The king nodded to him as he stepped aside with a bow to him and the queen.
Harkinian's very blue eyes swept slowly around the mess, inspecting the soldiers and knights. "By now," the king said quietly, "you all know what has happened, and why we are going to war. It is our chief regret that the peace talks failed. Were we able to change this somehow, we would do so. But what's done is done, and now we must look to those gathered here in this hall to fight for the sake of our kingdom.
"For decades the women of the Gerudo Desert have nibbled at our borders, attacked our squads, merchants, and traveling parties, and ignored the treaty signed and sealed by our ancestors, both Hylian and Gerudo. Rather than working toward a new treaty that could solve our differences, the Venom Snake Tribe chose to insult our hospitality and flaunt our attempts at peace by sneaking out of the kingdom in the dead of night, like a pack of common thieves. In the same night, the town of Lon-Lon, loyal to us for decades, was attacked by a force of two full warrior tribes. Their actions speak clearly of their desire for war—and we shall answer their call.
"We will advance to the border of the Mahala River and drive the Gerudo back into the desert. Then a new treaty will be created by us, one that forces the desert's recognition of the Hylian Kingdom's authority in Hyrule Field. Where cooperation between our nations may once have been possible, it is possible no longer, thanks to the actions of the Gerudo. We will not allow a band of desert savages to take what is rightfully ours through their conniving methods. They will be shown the error of their ways."
The king paused to look at them all again, then nodded and bowed his head in prayer. The queen, general, knights and soldiers did the same. "Golden Goddesses of the heavens above, hear our prayer. Nayru, we pray, may we never forget the principles of honor and chivalry, no matter what manner of enemy we face. Farore, we ask mercy upon our soldiers; give us the courage to fight for our true and just cause, and protect us from the blades of our enemies. Din, war-goddess great and powerful, grant us victory."
"As we pray, so let it be," murmured his audience.
The king nodded to them all again, then turned to guide his lady out of the hall. Queen Leona beckoned to Zelda as she left with the king, gripping his arm.
Zelda sighed and rose to her feet, then sank down again and gripped both of her friends' hands, her eyes bright. "Promise me you'll be careful," she said quietly, looking between them. "Promise me you'll both come back."
Ganondorf covered her hand with his. "We promise. As much as anyone can promise."
The princess nodded and rose once more; the men stood to see her off. "Don't take those pendants off," she ordered, meaning the Triforce pendants. "They'll protect you." She hugged them both, then squared her shoulders and turned to stride out of the mess hall, nodding to those knights and soldiers who bowed as she passed.
Link and Ganondorf watched her go, then looked at each other. "I hope we can keep our promise," Link murmured.
"I don't know about you, but I certainly don't plan on dying," Ganondorf said frankly. "Especially not at the hands of my wonderful sisters."
Link smiled half-heartedly. "Let's get some sleep. Morning will be here too soon."
They joined the soldiers streaming from the mess hall back to the barracks, passing the familiar figure of a tall woman standing cloaked in the shadows.
Link jerked and looked around.
"What's wrong?" Ganondorf demanded, halting beside him.
No one was there. "Nothing," Link replied automatically. "Just a ghost."
He shook his head to dispel the chill prickling the back of his neck, and followed his friend back to the barracks.
To be continued.