The sun crept slowly up over the empty window sill, flooding Tairyn's room with light. It took around an hour, but the light finally hit Tairyn's eyes, shining through his black lids, stirring him back to life.

He groaned, felt how sore his muscles were, and then rolled to his side so he could sleep in peace. It worked for around ten minutes, until his door slammed open.

Tairyn jumped at the noise, and immediately rolled off of his bed. He stood up and turned towards the invader, still dressed in his last day's clothes.

In front of him was a regular-sized man, broad, and clothed in a white linen shirt, over which he placed a polished mail coat, which he then had another shirt over it. The last shirt was black, and seemed rich, although Tairyn could not quite tell why. The hems were straight, you couldn't see threads hanging out, and it looked clean, something that was rare for the average man. His hair was recently cut, and as black as his shirt. He wore a large gold chain around his neck.

It was obvious to Tairyn that he had another visitor from the Royal family

"Are you Tairyn Bumgarner?" The man asked in a semi-deep voice, looking down at a piece of paper he was holding that Tairyn hadn't notice before.

"Its Bachmier." Tairyn said uncertainly. Even though he spent all of yesterday with the Prince and the Lord Attero, he was uncomfortable talking to royalty. And the man's clothes showed him being connected to nobility.

"Bachmier? Ah, now I can sort of make it out. You'll have to forgive me, Hwygwydd wrote this. He barely knows how to write his own language, let alone more civilized ones. You should see how he writes his name, it doesn't even make any sense. He was the one that talked to you yesterday morning, right? Didn't try to bite you, did he?"

"Bite me?" Tairyn asked, not quite sure what to make of the question.

"It was just a joke. Not very funny, I guess. Hwygwydd means well, he just isn't very bright. Course, that's nothing unexpected of the Burganii tribes. Not quite sure why my Father keeps him around."

"You are Lord Attero's son?" Tairyn asked, now even more uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I am. Bastard born, though, so it doesn't mean much. I think he has a few other bastard sons running around somewhere, but I've never seen them. I'm Ankalogan, by the way. I don't think I've mentioned that yet. You'll have to forgive me, I'm not too use to addressing the upper class. I was raised in Kokori, and there are no nobles there worth a damn. Father never tried to raise me as a Lord's son. Besides a few visits to our manor and a steady supply of gold, he never paid much attention."

"I'm not a noble."

"What? Are you sure? Damn, Hwygwydd labeled you as one. Ah, wait, now I see the arrow he drew. Well then, that makes everything easier. I was wondering why you lived in this place. No offence."

"What's the list?" Tairyn decided to ask. He was caught off guard by the demeanor of Ankalogan, and wouldn't have realized he was in the upper class if it wasn't for his clothes.

"Names of the people I'm supposed to talk to. You're the last one. Father decided that I was to lead this little expedition to the Beacon, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to take charge. I'll just give charge to Captain Germanicus, since he will actually know what the hell he's doing. Now, you're the translator, right?"

"Yes, I am." Tairyn replied, now nervous as well as uncomfortable. As Ankalogan checked off something on the paper, Tairyn realized he had barely said anything,.

"When are we leaving?" He asked, both so Ankalogan knew that Tairyn was capable of speech, and so he would know.

"We were supposed to leave a few hours ago, but the Lord King wanted more time to prepare, and so we are looking at leaving in around three hours. Makes our jobs easier, since it gives the drunks more time to recover from their night. And trust me, if you want to find a drunk, find a soldier. Half of them are groaning in the barrack courtyard, while the other half are still passed out. I was with him, until we realized that no one told you where to be, or when." Ankalogan answered, folding the paper and placing it into his pocket.

"So, you are here to bring me to the courtyard, and then we march out?" Tairyn asked.

"That's what the plan looks like" Ankalogan said, his eyes roaming around Tairyn's house, and then resting on a book that was on a crooked table.

"I'm guessing you can read?" Ankalogan asked, nodding at the book.

"Wouldn't be much of a translator if I couldn't" Tairyn replied.

"Ah, that would make sense. It's always good to be able to read. Makes you more intelligent, as they say. Never did too much for me. Alright, then. Are ready to move out?" Ankalogan said, looking back at Tairyn.

"I would be, but I haven't eaten anything yet. You woke me up when you entered." Tairyn answered, wondering why he didn't knock.

"Sorry bout that. No matter on the breakfast, though. We should have some provisions at the barracks. People don't eat breakfast when they aren't awake." Ankalogan said.

"Will I need to bring anything?" Tairyn asked

"Jus the clothes you have on. We have your supplies already, along with a longbow and quiver that Prince Link ordered for you."

Tairyn nodded, and followed Ankalogan out of his house. The beacon was now just a tiny smolder on the mountain, and was almost impossible to see. He was amazed that the fire was able to last for an entire day.

"Do you know Link?" Ankalogan asked, unexpectedly, as they turned around one of the many winding corners.

"Not really, no. I've heard much more then I know. Besides yesterday, we have never talked to each other." Tairyn said, taken aback by the question.

"But you are the town translator, yes? Surely you have met with him before yesterday?" Ankalogan said.

"There was another translator besides me. He died a few days ago, I think. I was only his replacement." Tairyn explained.

"Ah, that explains it. Well then, it looks like you know him as well as I do, although I know more then I hear. My Father talked about him greatly on the rare visits he paid me and my mother." Ankalogan said.

"What would he say?"

"Oh, this and that. Usually good things, about how he will make a good King, or that we couldn't ask for a better heir. But sometimes he would complain, mainly about the skirmishes and border wars with Kallieva and their allies. Seems Link has a very chivalric view about war, despite the fact that he has never fought in one. Did you know that even though he has commanded the frontiers for the last two years, he has never killed a man before that assassination attempt? Not that he's a coward; he just never got off his horse and joined the men. Lord Attero, however, has been in the heat of the battle more then once. Hell, more then tenfold that number. He has seen the actual wars, not the poems made by bards that have never stepped outside their house. And that's the main thing he has against the Prince. Link always orders for a pitched battle, even if our archers can take them out with hit and run tactics with much smaller casualties. He is even against the Longbow in warfare, preferring to fight 'gloriously on horseback'."

"Besides that, however, he seems to be a great person. I was just wondering if you knew anything about him that didn't deal in death and politics. Guess not."

"I thought Chivalry was supposed to be the predominant factor in fights." Tairyn said.

"Chivalry is something made up by the bards and poets. It just sounded good, so we stole it. It is nothing more then propaganda. People don't want to hear that we managed to kill the famous Kallievan champion from two hundred yards away, before he even knew we were there. They want to hear of us riding in gallantly on horseback, fighting desperate battles for the mutual peace of all. They aren't interested in the political scope of it. Link, however, seems to be trying to blend them together. I doubt it will work out, though. Hyrule would be nothing but a land for cheap slave labor if it wasn't for the longbow. Hell, Link would have died in that assassination attempt if it wasn't for the longbow."

"So chivalry never existed?" Tairyn said, slightly taken aback.

"I never said that. It exists sometimes. Every warrior wants to do the glorious battle scene, riding in on horseback to certain death, only to fight so bravely that they won. The thing is, they don't need to. They can slaughter the enemy from a distance. Why would they have to risk their lives when we can win with nothing but pieces of wood? Powys, Thrent, and even Kallieva are known for being chivalric. That is why they are pissed at us. Their greatest warriors can be taken down by a simple peasant. Powys was the only one of them that had any brains, and that's why they are allied with us. And now look at the others." Ankalogan explained, as they turned onto another street.

"If they are so angry at the longbow, why don't they take it? Hyrule isn't the only place with yew wood. It does take a long time to master the weapon, but we've been using it against them for over fifty years. That's more then enough time to gather an army of them." Tairyn asked.

"Aye, but they are still stuck in their brainwashed minds." Ankalogan answered "Chivalry never existed until the poets made it, and those countries sucked it up. Now they actually believe it, and they won't turn back. They are thinking that they will beat us without stooping down to our level. Of course, that didn't stop them from buying crossbows from Lansgarad to the north. Bloody useless things. They can shoot farther, but not as accurate, powerful, or fast as the Longbow. Expensive, too. The dwarves made a very good profit from those sells."

They turned around a street and entered a large outdoor market. The nose of the haggling and orders drowned out their conversation, making them have to wait the five minutes it took them to weave in and our of the crowd, before Ankalogan continued.

"They take a few souls, the crossbows. If they came into existence fifty years ago they might have been more useful. But not now. By the way, how long did it take you to be able to shoot a longbow? I'm just curious."

"To shoot it? An afternoon. To shoot it well enough to hit a target? My entire adolescence. It was a back up skill, incase my apprenticeship failed. I was trained to hit animals, though. Not people."

"Not much difference between them. One has two legs, the other four." Ankalogan joked.

The rest of their trip passed in silence. They walked through the bustling streets of Hylch, until they began to enter the poorer parts of the town. It was at the end of these areas that the main barracks sat. It was built recently, in an attempt to police the slums, but so far it had done nothing then serve as a pretty sight.

Tairyn saw them when they reached the last street.

The barracks themselves were large, stone buildings, filled with bed spreads and tables. There was another building close to it, made of the limestone, which held the kitchens where the servants worked. Another building that was connected to the main Barracks held the weapons and armory, along with the blacksmiths and fletchers needed to supply the city's guards.

Outside the buildings was a large courtyard, which held a large fountain in the center, and was surrounded by a short brick wall. The back part of the barracks sat directly against the eastern walls of the city.

There was a loud shout from within the walls, followed by the sound of vomiting.

"That's the sound of the men that will lead Hyrule to glory." Ankalogan laughed.

They walked towards the courtyard gate, which was guarded by a snoring soldier, only wearing half of his gear, and none of his weapons.

"Germanicus?" Ankalogan yelled over the wall. The sleeping soldier didn't budge.

There was a pause, a shifting of bolts, and then the gate opened, letting Tairyn see a middle-age, broad, bald man.

"Ankalogan? Why didn't Peter let you in? Oh God damnit, he passed out again. Wake up, you useless bastard! I give you one job!" said the same voice that was yelling before, as he cuffed the sleeping soldier. The man gave a start, but Germanicus hit him again, and began yelling at him even louder.

Ankalogan beckoned Tairyn inside the courtyard, pass the drunken soldier and the furious Germanicus. Inside was not much better.

Men were either lying on the ground, sleeping or moaning, or crouched over and vomiting in the fountain. The beacon had made most of them nervous, and in being soldiers, they knew the best way to become comfortable was to drink as much as possible. By the time the order came that they were to march out the next day, most of them were already out in taverns. By the time the news hit them, half weren't sober enough to understand what words meant.

There were a few soldiers that didn't drink, however. They were mostly the ones that were sharpening their weapons, or packing things into sacks. There were only around six of them, but they seemed able to do what the passed out ones couldn't.

Germanicus came back in behind them a few seconds later, slamming the gate shut.

"God damn them all! First time trouble comes up, they all get drunk. A score of sober men could have laid this town to waste." He yelled, before adding in a much softer tone;

"That the translator?"

"Yes, I am. I'm Tairyn." Tairyn replied quickly, answering for Ankalogan.

"Good, good. Nice to see that you aren't shit faced like the rest of them." Germanicus replied, looking over at the pathetic scene.

"I guess we won't be able to set off in the destined time, then?" Ankalogan asked.

"Doubt it, unless you want all of the soldiers to end up marching into the crater of Death Mountain without realizing it. Give it until mid afternoon, and they will be well enough to walk a few miles."

Germanicus gave them over to one of the sober soldiers, named Irmin. He showed them to where they were getting the packs ready, where they should go to sharpen or polish any of their gear, and then (to Tairyn's delight), he showed them to the kitchens. They ate breakfast there, consisting mainly of apples. Luckily for them, the Cook was able to recover faster then the others.

After that, Irmin showed them to the weapon store, and gave Tairyn his bow. It was like most Hylian bows: 6 feet tall, smooth, and, if perfectly crafted (as it was), formed a D when bent. Hylian fletchers took great pride in their bows, even though the finished product (including this one) was nothing fancy. Some of the younger archers would paint their weapons, but most of the grizzled veterans kept their bow plain. The yew bow was simply a killing tool, and nothing more. That was what Tairyn learned when he was training with it, and the lessons began to flood back to him. He pulled on the string, straining to lift back the hundred pounds of pressure. When he brought it up to his ear, he let go. There was a crack as the string snapped back to its original place. He was glad that he could still do it without too much effort.

The rest of that day past without much happening. By the time sun hit mid-day, only half of them were well enough to march. Germanicus had tired himself out from hitting and screaming at them for the entire morning, and so he decided he would go eat something, and let them moan by themselves.

Ankalogan and Tairyn were sitting with their backs to the Eastern Wall when Germanicus left, as they had been for the last few hours. Without much to do, they talked throughout most of the day. Tairyn soon found that he rather liked Ankalogan. They mainly talked about what Ankalogan knew of the politics, or of the Beacon, or why they thought it was lit. None of them had anything new to tell each other about it, since Ankalogan only knew what Attero told him, and Attero never mentioned much about it to him.

It wasn't until there were only a few hours left of sunlight that Germanicus came back out of the Barracks. He was now wearing full armor. It wasn't as expensive as Ankalogan's, but just as practical. He wore a rather dull mail coat over a red tunic, but his mail was heavy and stronger then most. His Pilla was held on his back, while his Gladius was sheathed in its wooden scabbard. On his head was a red iron helmet, carved with the religious symbol of the triforce on its front. On his back was fastened a red cloak.

"All right, you hung-over bastards, its time to move! We leave within the half-hour! Get up and ready, or I swear to the gods that I will beat you until you don't realize you are being beaten!"