Chapter Six
A Vision

For three days, endless green plains marked Rael's path westward. Under a cool autumn sun in the pale wintry skies, through patches of drizzle and rain, he rode tirelessly with his nine companions. Green pastures and fields of barley and corn eventually gave way to open grassland, patched with woodland and twisting rivers that wound down from the northern mountains to join the great westward flowing river to their south.

Marshal Link - or Sergeant Kantar as the other knew him - led the party with haste, from dawn to dusk, lodging in small farming villages for the first two nights, resting as the sun set and riding out again in dawn's twilight. By the dusk of the third day there were many, leagues from Hylia and Rael could see the immense western mountains that walled the desert lands from the rest of Hyrule, sitting upon the horizon like great jagged spearheads silhouetted against a red sky. Far removed from civilisation, they set up camp, and Rael's thoughts drifted back across the days behind them.

For the duration of the first day, Rael, Tabett, Elane and Daran had stayed removed from the rest of the group. The four of them remained at the rear of the column, keeping to themselves and trying to keep a lower profile – though Link occasionally fell back to talk.

Their separation from the others was purely because of circumstance. The soldiers were all of them hard men, with little time for talk and a strong sense of duty. They remained at a constant vigil and would not have engaged in conversation with the Taraners even if they attempted to connect with them. Link was much the same, hard as steel and forever focussed on the horizon like a tensed arrow on a bowstring. The surprise addition to the group, Jolane, was little different, often lost in thought and in constant awe of her surroundings as though she had never seen the world outside of the city – which judging by her rough attire was difficult to believe.

As the second day wore on, Rael realised that he had once again become accustomed to the aches and pains of swift horseback riding. It was not that he no longer felt the rhythmic tension, rather that he simply became accustomed to the rising and falling motion and the heaviness of the hooves on the dry earth. The feeling was like an old friend returning – a friend who you quickly remembered was nightmarish with terrible traits, but was bearable regardless.

At the end of the third day, they camped under the stars. Their camp was much like what he had been used to on his first ill-equipped journey - sleeping under rough blankets in the freezing night. It was made worse by the fact that the grasslands had given way to expanses of hard earth, riddled with sparse clusters of trees and bracken. The spot that Marshal Link found for them to camp in was an unlikely find – a chance area of grass beside a gently flowing stream. All around was the flat dry land, beneath a chilled night. The sun had set behind the tall mountains to the west.

Judging by the closeness of the mountains they would soon be entering Gerudo territory, which frightened Rael. The Gerudo West was officially a province of the Kingdom of Hyrule, but for many years the Gerudos had been divided by civil war, and they viciously attacked all those who they deemed to be intruders. He nervously remembered their encounter with male Gerudo bandits in the Grey Forrest, outside Baradale, in the first days of Kairin invasion. That seemed like an age ago now – but how long ago was it really? A month? Two? Not long really. Those bandits were allied under 'King' Jaendral – one of the two warring Gerudo lords.

So many peoples at war. If Hyrule was divided against itself, how could it hope to stand against the Kairin?

They ate a quick meal, cooking meat that they had bought in the last village on an open fire, and as darkness settled in they decided to go to sleep. The soldiers took up a rotating watch, and let the Taraners rest. As Rael shifted beneath his scratchy blanket, he was surprised at how tired he felt. As sleep settled in around his head and mulled his thoughts, he experienced a falling sensation – as though his mind was slipping through the cracks of reality. He exhaled deeply, and slowly images began to glimmer in eyes.

…The world flickered…

Rails knew not exactly the length of time he had been away from Taran Kaey, but could guess near enough. It was between twenty and thirty days since he had been here with the Hylian army, and much longer still since the night of sorrows when he had fled North during the Kairin raid. Even now, he could still hear thunder rocking on the cliffs, and the lashing rain beating down upon his back – he could still hear the screaming, the cries of pain. Just echoes in his mind, but so vivid.

The Taran Kaey he saw now was very different to that bleak image. Bright sunlight spilled over a thriving town, full of industrious workers and columns of marching soldiers. The old harbour had become a great dock with at least a hundred tall-masted ships in port. The Kairin had suffered a loss in Hylia but they were by no means defeated. The Southlands were full of occupying Kairin legions, moving steadily northwards. Taran Kaey was where the seeds of invasion had been planted. Its roots stretched deep across the southern ocean to the continent of Kaira, and branches spread out from a great north-bound pointed stem, bearing fruit as towns accepted occupation and adjusted to Kairin rule. If Queen Zelda still believed she had control of the South then she was gravely mistaken.

The Kairin would soon strike back against Hylia, hard and fast. If the rumours were to be believed, they were turning their attention to the lands of the divided Gerudo people in the west, and the Zora and Gorons in the east. They would close in on Hylia again like a vice.

Ralis was hardly even aware of the storm clouds above him now. He welcomed the sound of the pouring rain, and he let it turn his soul to ice. Nothing but solid rain for weeks; he could not escape the darkness. The storms followed at his feet. Sometimes they almost seemed to change rhythm with his thoughts, or darken as his mind turned foul and fierce. One thing was certain; whenever he was angriest the storm was at its worst. Rael. The sky flashed brilliant white and thunder rolled overhead. Mara… the rain deepened and the sky drew darker.

…The world flickered, and shifted…

"Passage to Kaira?" the old boatman laughed. "Passage indeed. This ain't no peasantry travel ship. Blood and rain, you stupid Hyrulians…" The man turned back to his duties on the deck of the tall warship. He appeared to be shifting ropes about and moving various crates, but Ralis was not sure that the man was actually attempting to do anything productive. It seemed like he was faking work. This ship hand was only lightly clothed – the sudden onset of heavy rain had caught him and all of Taran Kaey unaware evidently and he shivered beneath a thin woollen coat.

"I will be getting on that ship, sir, whether you will it or not." Ralis' hand strayed to his sword. He wouldn't use it, not with six fully armed Kairin soldiers further along the dock wall. He did not doubt his ability to best them all in combat, but attracting the attention of the army would be a certain way to lose any hope of getting to the other country beyond the sea, and he had to get to Kaira no matter what. "Let me talk to your captain."

"Captain Arella does not converse with peasant Hyrulian scum!" The filthy man waved a dismissive hand at Ralis and gestured from him to get off the cocks. Ralis did not think his fine cut Hylian attire labelled him as peasantry, but whatever the Kairin man thought it was clear that this was a hopeless situation.

"What is going on out here?" said a voice from the deck. The boatman turned and hopped to attention as a hawk-eyed woman came into view. She was garbed grandly, a blood-red robe slashed with purple hung from her shoulders over a flowing black tunic, and all over she was brass-buckled and hung with gold and silver ornamentation. This was obviously the captain. "Back to work Hagan!" she barked at the filthy deck hand. "You there," she said, peering down onto the dock wall and summing Ralis up with a piercing stare, "what do you want?"

"Greetings, lady Captain," Ralis said in reply, inclining his head very slightly, "my name is Ralis al'Resh. I would like passage on your ship to Kaira if possible and-"

"Wait." Said Captain Arella, stepping forward and brushing aside thick locks of raven-black hair. "Your name."

Ralis fell silent, puzzled. The Captain stared intently at him. Ralis tried to reply. "Begging your pardon-"

"Your name, you fool man." The Captain interrupted, spitting on the deck, and stamping down hard, pointing an accusing figure. "You dare to title yourself –"

…The world flickered …

Rael could feel his sleep fading. He clung on desperately. His brother filled his dreams so vividly! He had to hold on to him.

…The world flickered …

"I…" said Ralis slowly, now very aware that soldiers in the harbour were taking some notice of him. His fingertips rested on the hilt of his sword beneath his cloak. "I was born Ralis al'Resh. I have no such title as you speak"

Arella frowned. Ralis was genuinely confused. "You do not know the Elder Speech, man?" She snorted. "Ignorant Hyrulians. Well, we have orders. If you claim to be ra'Alis then I am obliged to take you to Kaira immediately."

"What?"

"Get on board, man!"

…The world flickered…

"No, no," whimpered Rael, writing beneath his blanket. "Ralis, Ralis, come back." He wrestled with his dreams, desperately wanting to hang onto his sleep. But the more he thought about him, the more awake he became. He gave up. He was awake. What had the woman called Ralis? Was that dream real? Wearily, he opened his eyes, expecting to see the cloudless starry sky was above him. What he actually saw was Jolane, not ten inches from his face. Her hands hovering beside his head. The shock of her being there lasted only a second, and as soon as she saw he was awake, she hopped back. Rael pushed himself up, and glared at her. He vented his rage at his escaping dreams upon her. "What are you doing!"

In the glow of the firelight, he could make out her awkwardly pretty eyes, nose and mouth, because her head was covered with her heavy hood. She looked embarrassed, sitting up straight and fidgeting with her sleeves. "I ah… I couldn't sleep. And you looked so peaceful, well, 'till just now anyway, I… I was just watching you."

"Like blood you were!" Rael rarely swore, but he was beyond caring. "What were you up to?"

She looked offended. "I was just watching you is all."

"Yeah, well, leave me alone," Rael growled. "I don't even know you."

Jolane stood up indignantly and wandered away, disappearing into the shadows of the night. Rael was wondering why Link had allowed this stranger to come with them. She did not look very dangerous to Rael, but he was aware that looks could be deceiving. Who was she anyway? At any rate, she would be gone soon. Link had said she could come as far as the mountains, and Rael believed Link was a man of his word.

He would not get back to sleep now. Tightening his coat against the night's chill, he stood up and trampled across the barren dry ground towards the centre of the camp. He passed Tabett and Elane, curled up together and fast asleep. Two Hylian soldiers - Barark and Thoril he thought - were asleep a little further along, around the other side of the fire. The other two soldiers would be out on lookout somewhere, scouting the area. He could not have guessed where Link was – maybe he had stalked off into the darkness as well or perhaps he was just lying asleep somewhere nearby.

"Out for a night time stroll?" Rael jerked his head to the right, and exhaled with frustration as Daran emerged out of the darkness, clambering over a rocky crest of boulders, and jumping down to his side. His yellow-white hair shimmered in the firelight. Rael was sure Daran's skin was paler than it once was.

"Don't startle me like that, Daran," whispered Rael, coldly.

Daran laughed, rolling his head and shrugging his shoulders. "Rael, man, it sounds like you're on edge."

Rael raised an eyebrow.

"On the edge of sanity I'd say." Finished Daran.

"Yes." Rael said softly. "Something like that." He slumped up against a tall rock that jutted up from the earth. "There's something wrong with that Jolane girl."

Daran smirked. "Certainly is. I was trying to talk to her before, just being friendly. Not interested at all. May as well have spat on me."

"Well, nothing new there then, eh? Its not like you were ever the man for the ladies…"

Daran smiled, his eyes flickering mischievously, then he laughed. Rael knew his joke was not too funny, it was just a friendly jibe, but Daran laughed… He laughed like he had not laughed in years. A strong heartfelt laugh, not the cold, pained laughs that were so common of late. Rael joined his laughter, and it was like a caged joy fluttered within him. He hoped they did not wake anyone.

Daran clasped Rael's forearm, and Rael returned the gesture of respect, clasping Daran's outstretched arm with the same hand. "Gods' grace, Rael."

"Gods' blessings, Daran."

Rael wandered in the darkness for some time, but when his feet led him back to his blanket he collapsed to the ground and was asleep as soon as he hit the earth.