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III. The King and the Princess

The King sat silently on the empty throne room, watching the shadows roam along its cold columns. The throne room was empty, of course. Except for the rain pouring down on the windows, and the occasional flash of thunder, revealing the rage of the storm outside the castle, he was alone. Alone to himself and his own dark thoughts. His own memories tormented him. Millions of different answers roared inside him, tearing his soul appart. But the question was always the same: how? How could a millenary kingdom, whose glory shone like the very stars, how could that kingdom fail so utterly? How could a simple division, a simple disagreement develop into a revolution? And how could a simple revolution take down a whole kingdom? And how could——

'Sir?'

As any sound would, the voice seemed out of place in the dark room. As if any connection with the outside world disturbed its dead quietness.

'Sir?' asked the voice again, imperturbable.

The King raised his eyes to meet the newcomer. It was just Eiran. Just Eiran? How could a meeting in the middle of the night between the King and the Grand Marshall of Hyrule be qualified as a 'just Eiran'? It was not just Eiran: it was the beginning of the End.

'Greetings, Master Eiran,' said the King with a gloomy voice.

'Sir, I am here to give you my report.'

The King watched him without answering. He wondered how hard it would be. Bracing himself, he got ready for the worse.

'Give it to me, then,' he sighed finally.

'Well, it's actually as bad as things can get,' said Eiran. The King frowned. Taking no notice of this, the Grand Marshall continued, 'According to our scouts, the Enemy's main camp is currently located in Hyrule Field, near Rond Daer, just a league away from the Castle. We expect the siege to commence in, at most, two days.'

'Is their army already assembled, then? Are they ready to strike?'

'They're working on it. But I'd say they're pretty much done.'

'Really? Tell me about it,' said the King, worriedly.

'I know that a lot of the divisions they maintained guarding their previously conquered territories have been summoned to aid in the struggle for the Castle. I reckon they will get here in a few more hours. Three days at most.'

Yes, he was just Eiran. The Grand Marshall of Hyrule spoke firmly, his face never losing its formal serenity.

'Eiran... do you think we can defeat them?' asked the King in a pleading tone.

'I believe we can endure the siege for some time. Perhaps even months.'

'But ultimately...'

'Ultimately we will fall,' noted Eiran, matter-of-factly, not looking worried, or even disappointed. 'My men are weary, hungry, and many of them are ill. I have very few archers left, almost no cavalry, and only the City's permanent defense corps can fight properly. We just don't have enough men.'

The King sighed again. Well, that was it. Hyrule was falling. But – but why did it have to be during his years?

'What should we do, then?'

'There's nothing we can do, Sir,' said Eiran clearly. 'We can, of course, send some scouts to infiltrate the Enemy's camp, recollect information on their numbers, tactics... that kind of stuff. It's been done, and we could pull it again. We could also prepare some hit and run attacks with our undercover squads —using our mounted guard would be, in my opinion, a waste of men. But all that would just be useless, ultimately.'

'Understood,' said the King, defeated.

For a long while he remained silent.

'How could they do this, Eiran? How did they manage to defeat us?'

'It was not your fault, Lord. Nor was it, if I may say so, the fault of my men. The secret arts that have helped the campaign of our enemies over the last four years are still a mystery. It has been told that dark sorcerers—'

'No, Eiran. What I mean is – is – how could this happen? The fall of my kingdom, I mean.'

'Our kingdom still stands, Sir.'

'But not for long.'

'Sir,' began Eiran, carefully choosing his words, 'there was no way to stop these rebels. It's almost as if the very elements support them. Farore! I've been there, in the battlefield. There was just no way that our armies, our people, could resist them. This is no ordinary war, Majesty. There is a powerful will behind them. A will that can control rain, thunder, fog, smoke... Hyrule cannot be saved by mere numbers, because they didn't defeat us on numbers. We had an army ten times greater than theirs at the beginning of the war, from the disaster at Kakariko, up to a couple of months ago. But numbers have never been the point. The balance of power has always favored them.'

'Kakariko... when the war began. Don't you think it's too much? It's been too much. It's been too much time, too much fighting. They've been... what, four years, you said?'

'Almost, Sir.'

'A powerful will... Perhaps you're right, Eiran. In any case, I have no hope left. Call the Chancellor, I beg.'

'Surely, Your Majesty.' Eiran bowed low, and walked away.

The King lowered his glance again, and waited. Seconds seemed to last hours. The storm kept going. Presently, Eiran came back in, closely followed by the Chancellor. He was a tiny fat man, and seemed to be perpetually nervous.

'Our time is nearly over, friend,' said the King.

'Nayru and Din! Nay, Highness, do not speak such words,' said the Chancellor sadly.

'It doesn't matter anymore,' said the King darkly. 'Chancellor, do we have any updates on the position of our allies?'

'What allies, Lord? Alas! it seems we have been abandoned by all.'

'So it seems. But did we not send a message to all kingdoms, requesting aid? Were they all left without an answer?'

'An answer could have come,' pointed Eiran, 'and yet we could have not known it. Most of our territory is now in the hands of the rebels. Our communications, both towards the exterior and among us, are not reliable.'

Realization came into the King's mind. Desperation invaded him.

'Fine,' he said with the voice of one who faces dead, but is no longer affected by it. 'Let them come. We shall die by the fire. Eiran, prepare the Castle for the siege. Have everyone get inside the walls as soon as possible. Prepare our defenses in the best way you can think of. Arrange a scout group to investigate on the enemy's movements. Chancellor, I need you to arrange everything in the Castle to withstand the siege. We will need food, asylums where we can put people, and everything and anything else you can think of. I will meet you again shortly, to supervise our preparations. Please leave me alone now... for a while.'

Not daring to reply both of them bowed and left the King.

Hardly had the advisors left when the King heard a new sound. More footsteps echoed in the room.

'Mmhh? Who's there?' the King asked. Standing in front of him was Kal. The tall middle-aged woman was dressed as usual in the characteristic fit—blue uniform of her people. A complicated white design on her chest revealed her as one of the ancestral race of the Sheikah. That was Kal of the Sheikah, the personal bodyguard of the Royal Family of Hyrule. There she was, summoned by the King himself, to accomplish a mission that should never have been.

'I heard it all, Lord.'

'Kal, I've told you about announcing yourself and— ah, never mind. And you are here to ask me permission to leave my side, I suppose? I won't deny it to you.'

'I am here, my King, to follow my destiny, as I've always been. My people have always protected the Royal Family of Hyrule, and I will not be the one to abandon this sacred duty, entrusted to my race by the goddesses.'

'You are truly worthy of honor, Kal. But there is simply nothing you can do. You cannot save us, now.'

'But I can save you. I can get you out of the castle, and take you to safety. But we must leave immediately. I cannot help you once the siege begins.'

'Are you suggesting me to abandon my people? I can't leave them to face their deaths alone! '

'Hyrule has never fallen completely into the hands of our enemies; so the legends tell. As long as the Royal Family endures, the kingdom will not be totally lost. Fear not,' said Kal, her eyes shining suddenly, 'fear not. I knew you would give me that answer. I know you can't leave the Castle to its future, be it dark or other. But we must try to save the Royal Family.'

'But then you are...' said the King, surprised.

'I am referring to Princess Zelda.'

'You want to separate us? You want to take her away from me?'

'My Lord, the Royal Family must live. I may be separating you from the Princess, but you must see that there is no other way. You can't leave the Castle, and you can't leave your people. And yet the Castle will most probably fall. If all the members of your family meet their end, then surely there will be no future to our land. But if one is saved...'

'Do you truly believe they are planning to kill me?'

'The legends of our history suggest so. Surely, Majesty, you must realize this is no ordinary war. Were it so, we would have defeated the enemy a long time ago. But there is something strange here. Farore! A powerful will your general called it. It may be so. I believe we are living Times of Destiny. Times of Cataclysm.'

Again, the King remained silent for a long while.

'I don't understand your words completely,' he spoke at last. 'But you may be right. I'm afraid we are living through dark times. Where are you planning to take her?'

'Wake up, Princess.'

Zelda opened her eyes. She was in her room, and the room had no light. Trying to understand what was happening, she raised herself to a sitting position in her sheets. Turning left, she found Kal looking at her, her face being scarcely recognizable in the middle of the darkness that was wrapped the room.

'Kal, what are you—' she began with a sleepy voice.

'Princess, we must leave.'

'What?' she asked surprised.

'This place is no longer safe for you. We must leave. Dress yourself.'

'Where are we going?'

Kal didn't answer. Instead, she handed some clothes to the Princess. It was another uniform, just like hers, but fit to suit Zelda.

'We'll be leaving without anyone knowing it. You must dress as a Sheikah. Again.'

Zelda sighed, and began to put on the uniform.

Kal watched in sorrow as Zelda and the King exchanged their goodbyes. They were their last ones, probably. The King managed to be strong; the Princess couldn't stop her tears. They embraced tightly. They were in the throne room, again. While Zelda and the King spoke their last words, Kal headed to the end of the room. If the secrets devotely transmitted by her race were true, there should be a secret passageway at the back of the room. It had been built under the castle, and led to the woods eastward. And it was a secret way.

She found the door and smiled. Turning back, she realized the King and the Princess were at her side. She rose, and then bowed to the King.

'I have failed you, Majesty.'

'No, faithful one,' said the King, sadly. 'Your oath to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule will be fulfilled, if you save my daughter. And I thank you for it. I wish I could go with you. But now, come! There is no more time! Leave now. I have arranged a series of little skirmishes with the enemy. You should have a clear path.'

Without another word, Kal bowed again, took a torch from the wall with a hand, grabbed Zelda with the other, and went into in the tenebrous passage.

No one spoke for a while. Zelda felt a huge knot in her throat, and was afraid she'd start crying the moment she opened her mouth. Kal, on the other side, seemed to need the silence. She was trying to orient herself in the dark tunnel. It hadn't been used in ages. It was wet, and smelled like a rotten sewage system.

'This – this smells like a rotten sewage system,' said Zelda. She was trying to be firm, therefore maintaining her royal paper.

'This is the rotten sewage system, Sheik,' answered Kal coolly.

There was another long silence. There were many tunnels to the sides. Kal would often stop to consider the way, and quickly reach a decision.

'Where are we going, anyway?'

'I'm trying to make it to the old graveyard,' said Kal. 'There is a secret entrance there to the deserted town of my people. If we get there...'

'Yes?' asked Zelda.

Kal didn't answer.

It seemed so long, Zelda was sure she would faint. They had walked for hours, and her feet ached terribly. But at last they reached a much worn out door. Kal took out a key and tried to open it. But after trying for a while, it didn't budge. She cursed in a low voice.

'Hold this and step back.'

Zelda took a few paces back, carrying the torch. Kal took some impulse, and gave the door a tremendous kick. She made this several times, and finally the door opened. It didn't open too much, actually. The moonlight filtered through the small opening. Kal took the torch from Zelda and turned it off.

'Wait here,' she said in a whisper. She went out the small gap.

Zelda waited a couple of minutes, alone in the dark, fighting against the cold night. Sheikahn uniforms were good and very useful for this kind of explorations, but they weren't too warm. At last Kal came back.

'We're clear. The old sanctuary's ruins have almost totally disappeared. There is a tree growing just outside the door. That is why I couldn't open it completely, but you can make it out. From now on, we're walking in the forest. Try not to make any sounds. The old graveyard is not too far. We should be there before the sun comes out.'

The Princess nodded and followed Kal out. The forest was dark, of course, but not as much as the tunnel. Moonlight and starlight helped them move relatively quickly, though it was a hard time for the Princess, getting between the branches and old leaves, trying not to make noise, and trying not to slip over the roots of the trees.

They went on for a good time. Kal must have thought they were very close to their destination, because she accelerated her pace.

And then, suddenly, voices. There were voices laughing. Out of nowhere, three men appeared in front of them, blocking their way.

They'd been found! Trapped in the middle of the forest. Kal cursed again. Goddesses! She had not expected this at all. She had planned to move quickly and not be noticed. And so she was weaponless; she only had a short knife with her. She threw a quick look around. Nothing. The trees' branches were too high to try climbing them —and even if there were branches low enough to climb, it would be nearly impossible to get the Princess to the top of a tree before they got them—, and there was no way they could escape three enemy soldiers —they were clearly enemy soldiers, judging on their uniforms. Zelda was fast and athletic, but not enough.

'Hand us the Princess and we might not rip off your limbs, sweetie,' grunted one of the attackers, the one that was closer to them and looked as the leader.

'There is no Princess here,' said Kal. 'You're just messing around with two Shadows.'

'Don't lie to us, stupid Sheikah. We know the Princess is with you. We have... our sources.'

Kal answered by taking out her short knife. 'Well then, if you think it's really her, come and take her yourselves.'

The three men laughed at her, and took out their weapons. The leader had a short sword; the other two were armed with long spears. Jesting between themselves, they tried to surround them, but Kal walked back, forcing Zelda to move behind her, until they were in front of a big tree. Their attackers moved into a triangular position around them.

'Okay, lady, you called for this. But of course, you must know there's no way you can take us three down.'

'I could kill you even before you finished blabbering,' said Kal coldly.

The leader didn't like her words, it seemed. He rose his sword menacingly, and brandishing it fiercely, he approached them, a threatening gesture in his movements, ready to attack. His minions followed him closely. Kal inclined a little, arranged to receive the attack. But then a voice resounded across the forest. It was a mocking, challenging voice.

'Didn't anybody ever tell you how you're supposed to treat a lady?'

Everyone turned to meet the source of the voice. No too far away behind the soldiers, a young man was leaning to a tree, his arms crossed. Even in the dark, his eyes shone strongly. He was all dressed in dark green, and even had a green hat. He wore high boots. A sword hung on his back. And he was grinning broadly.

'Maybe I can give you a new lesson.'