"Princess. Princess Sophitia, wake up."
Sophitia opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. It was dark, but the guard standing in the entrance of her tent was holding a lit lantern. Liliana had awoken as well. The round-eared girl sat up in her bed with one hand holding her sword and the other hand pulling her blanket up over her chest. Sophitia gestured to her silently, letting her know she could lower her weapon.
"Yes, what is it?" the princess asked, recognizing the guard as one of her own.
"Prince Lancel has left the camp, your highness," the guard explained.
Sophitia gasped. "I see," she said, climbing out of bed with urgency. Liliana did so as well, and the guard turned his back to them. "Where was he headed?"
"N-North, my princess," the guard replied. "Do you wish us to pursue him?"
"No," Sophitia answered as she began to change into her travel clothes. "Please return to your post, soldier. I shall handle it from here."
"Yes, your highness." The guard pushed the tent flap closed and left.
"What do you think he's up to?" Liliana asked, pulling on her boots.
"I haven't the faintest idea," Sophitia replied. "But whatever it is, it's either highly confidential or highly complex, otherwise he would have sent his subordinates to do it."
Once the two of them were fully prepared, they exited the tent together. Before they went further, Sophitia needed to address the guards she had posted outside. "Do not allow anyone to enter my tent while I am away, please," she said in a low voice. "If anyone asks, I am inside, asleep."
The two guards looked at each other in confusion, but they nodded their acceptance. "Yes, your highness."
"Thank you."
The princess continued towards the north end of the camp, with Liliana at her side. Both wore hooded cloaks, and in the darkness, it would not be immediately obvious who they were unless someone saw them up close. In the middle of the night like this, the only ones awake were the night watchmen. Her brother's soldiers and the Rito guards would only be worried about monsters coming into the camp, not people heading out of it.
However, Sophitia's soldiers had been instructed to be on the lookout for Lancel, so she approached a pair of them who were posted by the north end of the camp. "Good evening, soldiers. I wish to know which way my brother went."
"Hm? Oh, Princess. Yes. He went that way," one of them said as they both pointed.
"Thank you. We'll be going now."
"Are you sure, Princess? Would you like an escort?"
"That will not be necessary," Liliana informed him. The guard nodded, and they continued on their way.
The City in the Sky had a confusing, almost alien layout as far as cities were concerned, but even in the dark, it was not hard to discern which way to go. Many segments of the city were connected by bridges, and if Lancel had gone this way, it was easy to tell which bridge he must have taken. However, after a few minutes of walking, the princess and her retainer eventually came to a platform that presented multiple ways to go, and this far out, it was no longer reasonable to assume the prince had intended to travel in a straight line.
"Which way, Princess?" Liliana asked, holding up her lantern.
Sophitia closed her eyes and held out her hand. She was not the greatest sorceress in the land, but if she tried hard enough, sometimes she could sense the lingering residue of someone's magic, or a powerful source of it, like her brother. "I think… this way? Maybe?" she said, gesturing to the northeast. Liliana raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What? Lancel went that way. I can sense it."
"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, pointy-ears." Liliana went on ahead, lighting the way with her lantern.
"What sorts of monsters do you think are up here?" Sophitia asked. The city seemed deserted, but that didn't mean there weren't monsters lurking around any or every corner.
"Keese," Liliana replied with no hesitation. "There's always more bloody Keese."
"I suppose this high up there would be many winged creatures," the princess agreed. "Demon King Vaati's influence still lingers here, I'm sure of it. As does that of the Twili."
"Perhaps you should have brought a dashing hero to save you, Princess."
"Who says I didn't?" Sophitia replied with a smirk.
"Oh, are you referring to me?" Liliana asked flippantly. "I'm flattered, but I've never pulled a sword out of a stone."
"Have you ever tried?"
"No." Liliana shook her head. "I passed through Faron on my way to the capital when I left home, but only foolish adventurers and adventurous fools dare to enter the Lost Woods."
"How poetic."
Liliana stopped, holding her lantern high in the air. "Princess."
"What is it?"
"Look up."
Sophitia complied. "My word!" The two of them stood at the base of a very tall building. The structure was in an extreme state of disrepair, with large portions of the wall missing as if it had been bombarded with canonfire some time ago.
"Did we see this building before?" Liliana asked.
Sophitia shook her head. A structure this tall seemed hard to miss, but due to the fact that the city was constantly passing through clouds, the resulting fog made it difficult to see anything at a distance. "A structure like this must have some level of importance. Perhaps this is where my brother snuck off to."
"Shall we investigate?" Liliana asked.
"We shall." Sophitia gestured forward, allowing her retainer to lead the way.
If there had been a door, it was long gone. Instead, the entryway was probably about three times larger than it was intended to be, as if something large had rammed its way through it in the past. Accounts of the Twilight War spoke of a Twilit dragon being used to conquer the City in the Sky. The princess wondered if a monster like that had done this.
"Oof!" As Sophitia was walking, she suddenly collided with Liliana's arm, which she had held up to block her way.
"Careful, Princess," the round-eared girl said. She held her lantern forwards and low to the ground.
Sophitia looked down. The ground floor interior was a large square room with brick flooring. However, much of the floor had given way. In the dark of night, she could see nothing but a dark abyss when she peered over the edge, but she knew falling through would mean plummeting all the way to the ground. "...Well spotted," the princess said, laughing nervously. "We Hylians do not do well in the dark, you see."
It's times like this that make me wish I had Sheikah eyes.
"Do you see a staircase anywhere?" Sophitia asked, squinting her eyes.
"No," Liliana replied, whirling her lamp to her sides as they carefully made their way across the narrow path of the remaining floor. "Perhaps if you lit up the room with some of that fire magic?"
"Ah. A splendid idea." Holding out her hand, Sophitia concentrated. Pyromancy was a school of magic that both of her brothers were talented in, so she had picked up a little bit from them. In a few seconds, a small, dancing flame appeared, hovering above her hand. "Let there be light," she said, tossing the fireball upwards. The flame expanded, streaking through the darkness like a slow-moving, flaming arrow.
For a moment, the visibility was much better. "Over there," Liliana pointed to the other end of the room. "There's a staircase."
"Perfect," Sophitia said, smiling proudly to herself. "Now then, let us-"
All of a sudden, there was too much light. The princess looked up, quickly realizing why. The ceiling was completely covered in spiderwebs, and the webs had caught fire. The flames were quickly spreading across the entire ceiling. Soon after, a strange rustling sound began echoing throughout the room.
"Ahh!" The princess emitted a high-pitched shriek when she spotted the giant Skulltulas scuttling across the ceiling. Some of them began lowering themselves by their webs, or simply let go of the ceiling and fell downwards to escape the flames. Many of them fell through the giant gap in the floor, but others hit the ground with a thud and began struggling.
"Get back!" Liliana drew her sword, then dropped her lantern and put an arm around Sophitia, pulling her along and heading back towards the entrance. "Princess, shield!"
"R-Right." Sophitia raised her hand and summoned her spell. She found it difficult to focus in her current state of terror, but her blue barrier eventually flickered into existence around them. Just as it did, a giant skull with eight legs descended right in their path, hanging from a web. Sophitia screamed again, and Liliana pulled her back. The spider reached out with its legs and began tapping on the barrier, as if confused about why it couldn't get to its prey.
"Kill it!" Sophitia shouted.
"Lower the barrier!" Liliana yelled back. Sophitia complied, and the bodyguard stabbed upwards with her sword, impaling the spider through its cephalothorax. It squirmed in its death throes, and Liliana stepped away from it, letting Sophitia renew the barrier.
However, their victory was short-lived. As the Skulltula collapsed to the floor, they saw half a dozen more behind it. The monsters crept towards them, their distinctive rustling sound getting louder and louder.
"No good," Liliana said, holding out her arm in front of her charge. "We need to get to the stairs."
Sophitia looked over her shoulder. She saw more Skulltulas on that side of the room, but none were blocking the path to the stairs at the moment. "Right," she said with a nod. "Let's go." The two of them ran, taking as much care as they could not to lose their balance, knowing what falling through the holes in the floor would mean. Liliana had to slash a few of the monsters as they passed by them, but she did not have time to finish them off.
When they reached the stairs, they climbed as fast as they could. Looking over her shoulder, Sophitia could see several giant spiders still following them along the walls and floor. "What do we do?" the princess asked with urgency. "Do we try to bottleneck them at the top, or do we proceed to the next floor?"
"Burn them," Liliana said. "They didn't seem to like the fire."
"Right." Sophitia summoned a fire spell, sending a burst of flame down the stairs behind them. It hit a few of the monsters and sent them scurrying back, but more still came. "Not good enough!" Sophitia shouted, cursing her own lack of ability.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Sophitia was happy to see at least the floor was mostly intact on this level. However, whatever the room was used for in the past, it was now mostly empty, with only a few old pots and crumbling statues scattered about.
"Can you put up a wall to block the stairs?" Liliana asked.
"What? Oh, yes." It took Sophitia a moment to realize what her bodyguard was suggesting, but then she turned back to the stairs and raised her hands. A wall of blue light rose from the ground, blocking the monsters' way. The spiders banged against the wall in confusion, but could not get through it.
Liliana breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Let's keep going up," she suggested.
"Alright, but how will we get back down?" she asked. Her barrier would not hold forever, and even if the spiders didn't follow them, they would still be here when they came back.
"You think your brother's in here somewhere, right?" Liliana reminded her. "He and Sir Anselm can help us."
"Right. Good. Thank you, Liliana."
"I live for your praise, Princess. Now, let's get going before we die."
The two of them continued up another five flights of stairs and through another five empty, ruined floors. Sophitia still sensed what she assumed was her brother's presence, and they seemed to be getting closer, but the princess could not fathom why her brother would be in such a place.
Whatever is at the top, it better be worth it.
"Can we stop for a breather?" Sophitia asked. "I am feeling quite winded after all that."
"As you wish, your highness," Liliana replied.
They sat down together on a fallen pillar. The level they were on was less empty than the others had been, but everything was still in ruins. "You really intend to have this city rebuilt?" Liliana inquired, looking around the room. "Judging by the state of things, that might take a while."
While their expedition party had not yet had much chance to thoroughly inspect the city, Sophitia knew Liliana was right. From what she had seen, most of the city's buildings were no different from this one. "It may take a few decades. A few generations, even. But it can be done."
"I'm not sure you have the patience for that," Liliana said, idly cleaning her sword while they spoke.
Sophitia laughed. "Well, I intend to be queen for quite some time. Perhaps I shall live to see Skyloft returned to its former glory."
"With a statue of you erected beside your great ancestor, of course?"
"Naturally," Sophitia said with a smirk. "And perhaps one of Lancel as well, but only if there's room."
"Well, that seems awfully selfish of you."
"Ahh!" Sophitia jumped at the sound of someone else's voice coming from the darkness.
Liliana leapt to her feet, holding her sword up defensively. "Who's there?" she demanded.
There was the sound of someone snapping their fingers, and suddenly a small flame illuminated the far end of the room. There stood Prince Lancel and Sir Anselm.
"Oh!" Sophitia stood up as well, quickly signaling for Liliana to lower her weapon. "Please forgive my crassness, Brother. It was merely a jest."
Lancel laughed heartily. "Oh, no need to apologize, Sister. I'm sure Father would be proud to hear you speaking like that." Carrying his small flame like a candle, the prince approached them. Sir Anselm followed behind silently, his usual air of refinement about him.
"Hm. Well, he has a point," Liliana said, sheathing her sword.
"Hush," Sophitia scolded quietly.
"Sir Anselm spotted smoke coming from the base of the structure," Lancel informed them. "That wouldn't happen to be your handiwork, would it? Have we cause for evacuation?"
"Just roasting some Skulltulas," Liliana replied. "Bottom floor is still infested with them."
"Truly?" Lancel turned to Sir Anselm with a surprised look on his face. "Well, that's rather disconcerting. We walked through without even seeing them."
"You should consider yourself lucky, then." Now that Sophitia had recovered from her initial shock, she decided it was time to discuss the real matter at hand. "Now, Brother. Might I ask what you are doing in this place?"
"Isn't that my line, Sister?" Lancel countered. "Because it would appear as though you followed me. Can't a man and his bodyguard go for a stroll through an abandoned, floating city in the middle of the night and climb a ruined tower in peace? Why, the nerve of some people."
"Lancel," Sophitia said, unamused.
"Oh, fine," her brother said. "No use trying to hide anything at this point. You're clearly too clever for me." Lancel turned around and began walking back towards the stairs. "Come along, then. I've been dying to show this off anyway."
Sophitia and Liliana exchanged a look. The round-eared girl shrugged, and the two of them followed. "So, what is this place?" Sophitia asked, unable to deny her curiosity any longer. "And why have you come here?"
"Patience, sweet sister," Lancel replied as they climbed a set of stairs around the outside of the building. "All your mysteries shall be revealed when we reach the top."
"Very well," the princess replied. However, she was not satisfied. "Did you know this place was here?"
"Indeed! I'd studied a century-old map of the place weeks before coming here," her brother explained. "In fact, it was a lucky coincidence that we ended up making camp so close by. I had expected the second sky lift trip to land closest to it, but my calculations were way off. I thought the sky lift would be slower, you see."
"Uh-huh." Sophitia shot an annoyed look at the back of her brother's head. "Which means, given your initial plans, you had intended to leave me behind."
"Quite right!" her brother said, as if he was proud of himself for his attempt at an underhanded technique. "Ah, but you most cleverly saw right through me, guaranteed we would arrive at the same time, and posted guards around camp so you could follow me." When he reached the top stair, he turned around and smiled approvingly down at her. "Well done, Sister."
On the inside, Sophitia was happier than she would admit to receive that kind of praise from her clever elder brother. "Well. It was the natural thing to do, I suppose," the princess replied with false modesty as she climbed the last step.
"Yes. Naturally," Liliana added. Sophitia lightly jabbed her in the side with her elbow.
Lancel laughed. "Well then," he said, gesturing to the door. Sir Anselm stepped forward to open the large stone gates. "Step inside, and prepare to be amazed!" the prince declared, holding his hands in the air dramatically.
When Sophitia stepped into the room, the first thing she noticed was that it was not as empty as the lower floors had been. Everything was still in ruins, but it had not been completely looted and cleared out. There were tables and chairs scattered throughout, but they were quite small, probably having been designed for the diminutive Oocca. Large windows lined most of the walls, which would probably grant a great view of the city when it was light outside. Most notably, there was strange, advanced machinery throughout the room as well. It reminded Sophitia of Beamos statues she'd seen in the past.
"What is this place, Brother?" the princess asked. "Some sort of laboratory?"
"No, Sister," Lancel replied, running his hands along a large piece of machinery as he strolled by. "This is the bridge."
"The bridge?" Sophitia repeated, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"Not that kind of bridge, Princess," Liliana explained. "Like the bridge of a ship."
"Oh." Sophitia looked around, searching for a steering wheel. However, after a moment, she realized the significance of such a room. "Oh!"
"That's right!" Lancel stepped into the center of the room, gesturing around him proudly. "Back when the Oocca controlled Skyloft, they controlled the floating city's movements from here."
"But I thought the city's movements were controlled from within the Palace of Winds," Sophitia said, thinking back to her own research into the City in the Sky.
"It was back in Vaati's time," the prince replied. "There is another bridge in the palace. Between the two, I think it would be best if we were to focus our efforts on restoring that one to working order, rather than this one."
"Then why are we here?" Sophitia asked.
"Like I said, the Oocca controlled the city from here." Lancel stepped in front of a raised dais sticking up from the ground. Like a Beamos, the dais looked like it was made of a material similar to stone, but not quite stone. "There's something I need from here," the prince went on. He seemed to fiddle with some controls and press some buttons, and then he placed his hand on the dais. A strange pattern of blue lights illuminated its surface.
"I do hope you know what you are doing, your highness," Sir Anselm commented, standing by his charge. "It would be a most grievous tragedy should you cause the entire city to fall from the sky within one day of setting foot in it."
"You insult me, Sir! I should hope you have a little more faith in me than that." Once the dots and lines of the pattern on the dais finished lighting up, a smaller circle rose up from the dais. Within this second circle, a panel flipped over, revealing a small tablet of some kind. It was not like the stone tablets the Zora used to write on. Like the odd machinery on the bridge, it seemed advanced beyond what Sophitia had seen before. "Ah! Here it is!" Lancel declared, lifting up his prize.
"What is that?" Sophitia asked. She was beginning to get annoyed by how often she was forced to ask what was going on, but her curiosity kept her from getting too mad at her brother for the moment.
"This, my dear fellows, you can think of as the master key," he said, turning to face them and holding the tablet in front of himself. "With it, we can activate the bridge and control this great skyship." Holding out a finger, he tapped on the tablet. He paused for a moment, still smiling triumphantly, then tapped it again.
Sophitia narrowed her eyes, expecting something to happen. She and Liliana exchanged looks, and her bodyguard looked as confused as they did. Lancel gave the tablet a confused glance as well, then tapped it several times more.
"My prince?" Sir Anselm asked when the tablet still did nothing.
"Oh, bother," he said with mild annoyance. "Well, I suppose it makes sense that it would be as much in disrepair as everything else. It's not as though I would've been able to do much with it until the bridge was fixed, anyway." Reaching to his side, he stuffed the tablet into one of his carrying bags.
"You intend to take it with you?" Sophitia inquired.
"Indeed," her brother replied. "It may be an inoperable paperweight for the time being, but eventually, this will be the most powerful weapon in the world. Who better to hang onto it than dear old me?" Sir Anselm turned his head, but Lancel quickly raised a hand. "No need to answer that, Sir. It was merely a question for the philosophers."
"Very well," Sophitia conceded, unable to think of a clever excuse to suggest that she should be the one to keep the strange tablet instead. "Shall we inform the governor and the Rito of our discovery?"
"Oh, I should think not," Lancel replied. "Knowledge is power, Sister. If anything should go wrong during the city's reclamation, this will serve as our ace in the hole."
Sophitia nodded. She would have preferred to keep as few secrets as possible from the Rito in order to build trust between them, but she could see the logic in her brother's contingency plan. "I shan't tell a soul about your new paperweight, Brother."
"That's the spirit!" Lancel declared. "Now, let's head back to camp. We'll need our rest if we hope to further explore the city in the morning."
"It is unfortunate that we were unable to bring your carriage or your horse up here," Liliana said, walking beside her charge. "Shall I carry you?"
Sophitia opened her mouth to respond, but she only managed to yawn. After returning to camp the night before, she'd only managed to get a couple more hours of sleep before sunrise. She would've managed to get more sleep, but she'd spent some time lying awake in her bed, thinking about the current situation. Assuming the things her brother had said were true, he now held the key to controlling the City in the Sky. That development had some major implications, and she needed to be prepared for what might happen as a result.
The ruined city looked somewhat nicer that day. They were no longer passing through clouds, so the fog had died down, and they were making their way through one of the larger and grassier of the floating islands that made up the city. The princess tried to picture in her mind's eye what the place had looked like back when her great ancestor had lived there, and what it might look like once it had been rebuilt.
"At least the shamans are looking well rested," Liliana commented, directing Sophitia's attention to the sage and her party. The wind shamans had been so exhausted from powering the sky lift that they had gone to sleep soon after their arrival, and they hadn't woken up until that morning.
"Good," Sophitia said. "They earned it. Remember all those times I incapacitated myself from overexpending my magic back in our academy days? I felt like I would never wish to leave my bed again."
"That is something I do not envy about you pointy-ears," Liliana replied. "And you were not too keen about getting out of bed this morning, either. Or most mornings, in truth."
"Do not speak so ill of your princess," Sophitia replied with half-feigned indignation. "You make me out to be lazy. A good ruler must be diligent. Vigilant. Assiduous. Sedulous."
"At a certain point, I'm fairly sure you're just inventing words," Liliana deadpanned.
"Hm," the princess grunted. "That is what spending this much time with Lancel does to me, I suppose." Looking up ahead, Sophitia observed her brother's party. He'd brought most of his guards and a few surveyors with him. He, Sophitia, and Balla were all traveling fairly light, having left most of their supplies back at the camp. Although they were surveying the city as they went, their main goal at this point was to meet up with the other two parties. Sophitia did not know what the others had been up to since they'd separated, but based on how long they'd been walking, they would be running into Governor Koridai and High Chieftain Kanelo's party soon.
"I wonder how Percival and my sisters are doing," Sophitia mused aloud, suddenly thinking of her other siblings. "Do you think their campaigns are progressing well?"
"If I know your elder sister, I imagine she has re-conquered Gerudo by now, and she's heading here to lecture you on the importance of proper high-altitude safety," Liliana replied. "Percival, well, he's probably hanging the heretic by now."
"An interesting assessment," Sophitia said, raising an eyebrow. "So you think them both more successful than I?"
"Not entirely," Liliana said. "None of them have a magic rectangle that doesn't work."
Sophitia laughed haughtily. "Your astute counsel is always appreciated, old friend," she said. "Regardless, I am certain my siblings have all made great strides towards their goals. However, given how much Lancel and I have accomplished here already, and how much more we stand to gain very soon, I can say with no exaggeration that Father will be more impressed with the Hebra campaign than the others."
Suddenly, Sophitia's guards all flinched, bringing their hands to their swords just in case. There was a lot of noise coming from somewhere up ahead - shouting, metallic clanging, indistinct bird noises. It was difficult to tell exactly what was happening, but it certainly did not sound good.
"Perhaps you spoke too soon," Liliana said.
"Not now, Liliana," Sophitia replied. Looking up ahead, she saw Lancel and his party were rushing towards what looked like a ruined arena of some kind. The princess decided it would be best not to get left behind. "Guards!" she called, raising her voice. "Forward, now! Follow the prince!"
"Yes, Princess!"
"Sage Balla, perhaps it would be best if you were to wait here," Sophitia said to the sage and her Rito shamans.
"Very well, your highness," the sage agreed.
When Sophitia and her party caught up to her brother and his guards, they were already in the arena. The structure was open-air, and to get inside, they merely had to climb some stairs and move past some ruined pillars. Lancel and his guards were standing inside the entrance, so Sophitia joined her brother at his side. What she saw was worse than she'd expected. After her encounter with the swarm of Skulltulas the previous night, she was expecting more monsters of some kind. Instead, she found Hylians fighting Rito, and despite the battlefield, they did not appear to be sparring.
"What in Hylia's name…" Sophitia said in bewilderment. She watched as a diving Rito impaled a Hylian soldier through the chest, only to be stabbed in the neck by a second soldier. Another Hylian next to him took an arrow through the slit in his helmet, falling over limply. A Hylian further towards the wall shot his own bow, felling another Rito passing overhead. "Lancel, what do we do?"
The look on the prince's face was not one Sophitia was used to seeing. His eyes were narrow in focus and his jaw was clenched in concentration. He looked serious, as opposed to his ordinary devil-may-care attitude.
"My lord, shall we join the battle?" one of Lancel's soldiers asked him.
"No," he responded quickly, holding his arm out as if to block the soldier's advance. "Everyone, form up around the princess and I. Defensive formation."
"Do as your prince commands," Sophitia ordered her own troops. Their combined forces quickly formed a protective ring around the two of them, shields up and ready to defend, with Sir Anselm leading at the front.
"Move forward!" Lancel commanded. As a group, they stepped out from the entrance and entered the arena. "Soldiers of Hyrule!" Lancel shouted, his voice magically magnified. "To me!"
The Hylians and the Rito throughout the arena took notice of the approaching royals and their guards. Those of the Hylians who were not currently engaged in a fight turned and ran towards them as fast as they could, while the others kept their eyes on their opponents and moved backwards.
The Rito continued fighting for a short while, but they soon realized how outnumbered they would be once Sophitia and Lancel's reinforcements joined the battle. One of them squawked something in a Rito tongue, and all those that were not in the air took flight. Several of them took aim and loosed their arrows at the approaching Hylian formation, but the prince and princess together raised their hands, erecting a shimmering magical barrier around them. The arrows bounced off harmlessly, much to the annoyance of the flying archers.
Once all the surviving Hylians had been gathered beneath the barrier, the Rito began squawking again. Apparently, they'd realized the battle was pointless at this point. Together, they flew off, likely in the direction of Chief Revalco and the other Rito.
The royal siblings lowered the barrier. "Gather all the wounded," Sophitia ordered her guards. "Take them somewhere sheltered and begin tending to their injuries. And someone go get the sage and her shamans. They may have some medicine with them."
"Yes, my princess."
"Who's in charge here?" Lancel asked. The Hylians they'd rescued looked back and forth amongst themselves, but none of them spoke up. "Alright. Who was in charge here?"
"...Governor Koridai, your highness," one of the soldiers answered grimly.
Sophitia looked at them with shock. "Where is he?" she asked, although she suspected the soldier was trying to say the governor was dead. Sure enough, he pointed towards a group of dead bodies further across the arena grounds.
Those who were not busy gathering the wounded accompanied the prince and princess to examine the bodies. Several Hylian and Rito corpses were in the area, but the unarmored man in the robes was undoubtedly Governor Koridai.
"Gods…" Sophitia said under her breath. She felt Liliana's hand on her shoulder, and she weakly gave her a grateful nod.
Lancel covered his face with his hand, looking extremely frustrated, taking a deep breath before speaking. "What about High Chieftain Kanelo?" he asked. "Where is he?"
"That's him over there." One of the soldiers pointed to the corpse of a large Rito a few meters away. Lancel stepped over to him.
"Turn him over," the prince commanded. Two soldiers quickly moved to do as he said. The distinctive owl-like head of High Chieftain Kanelo was unmistakable. Lancel threw his hands into the air exasperatedly. "Alright then. So they're both dead. Fantastic news," he said, his voice bitter with sarcasm. "I don't suppose the lot of you would do me the favor of explaining just what the hell happened here on this fun little outing of yours?"
"We don't know why it happened," one of the soldiers replied, stepping forward to explain. "The governor and the high chieftain were getting along just fine, but someone ran out and stabbed Kanelo out of nowhere."
"Someone?" Lancel asked in disbelief. "Oh, I suppose it must have been a local, here in this completely deserted city floating in the sky, yes?"
"No!" the soldier replied. "It was one of ours. One of Governor Koridai's guards."
Lancel looked at them all expectantly, then held out his hands. "Well? Does this mystery guard have a name?"
The soldiers exchanged nervous looks. "I didn't see who it was."
"Me neither."
"I couldn't see his face."
"Was he killed in the ensuing battle?" Sophitia asked, joining in on the investigation.
Again, the soldiers all looked uncertain. "Uh, it was hard to tell."
"I think he ran that way, but maybe the Rito got him."
Lancel pinched the bridge of his nose. "One of Koridai's guards killed Kanelo. No one knows who it was. No one knows if he's even alive. I'm beginning to think we could fill Hyrule Castle with everything you lot don't know."
"Hold on," Sophitia said, getting an idea. "If the killer ran and nobody saw him die, then it's possible he escaped into the city, correct? In that case, we can gather the survivors and the fallen. If someone is missing, then we'll know the killer is out there, and we'll know who it is by a simple process of elimination."
"Ah, I'm glad someone here still has a head on their shoulders," Prince Lancel said, reaching into one of his carrying bags. He pulled out a piece of parchment and something to write with, then thrust them into the hands of one of Koridai's guards. "Here. Write down the names of every guard in your battalion that accompanied the governor here today. Then take a head count and tell us if anyone is missing. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, your highness!" the guard replied.
"Then go! Go on!" Lancel urged, shooing him off.
As the guard sprinted off, Sophitia turned her head and spotted the wind sages entering the arena. Many of them looked shocked, while others hung their heads solemnly. The princess decided to approach the sage quickly, knowing they needed to convince her as soon as possible that this disaster had not been intentional. "Sage Balla," Sophitia called to her.
"Your highness," the young girl said, walking with two taller Rito behind her. "I heard what happened. Is it true? Is the high chieftain…?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Sophitia said, nodding her head grimly. "Governor Koridai has fallen as well, as have several others."
"How could this have happened?" one of the shamans asked angrily. "Who is responsible for this?"
"We are still investigating that," the princess explained. "It was one of Governor Koridai's guards, but he acted alone. I can assure you, the Kingdom of Hyrule did not wish for this tragedy. We will see the killer brought to justice, I promise you."
The shaman cawed angrily, but said nothing further.
"We will need to give Kanelo and the others their last rites," Sage Balla said. Her voice was a little shaky, but she seemed determined to fulfill her duties. "Their spirits must be sent along on favorable winds."
"Take all the time you need," Sophitia replied. "Afterwards, would you please seek out Chief Revalco and explain to him what has happened here? We cannot allow this tragedy to beget further violence."
"Yes. Of course." Sage Balla nodded, then walked off towards Kanelo's body.
"Sister," Lancel said, getting Sophitia's attention. "May I have a word?"
"Yes, Brother?"
"If Koridai's guards are unable to identify the culprit, then we'll have to return to camp and fortify our position. We'll need to be ready for battle as soon as possible."
"What?" Sophitia said, shocked. "Brother, no! It cannot come to that. I've told Sage Balla to speak to Revalco-"
"She won't be able to convince him to let this go, and you know it," Lancel said simply. "Chief Ravalco is a brash, warmongering simpleton. He was looking for an excuse to rebel against Hyrule before we even arrived in the province, and we've just handed that excuse to him on a silver platter."
"Then we'll leave," Sophitia said. "We can return to camp with Sage Balla, load up the sky lift, and-"
"I'm afraid that is out of the question," Lancel interrupted again. "Skyloft is much too important. If the Rito become our enemy and manage to get the floating city operational again-"
"You have the key!" Sophitia said, perhaps too loudly, judging by Lancel's attempt to shush her. "They cannot operate the controls without the key, correct? As long as we bring it with us, the city is just a bunch of floating rocks to them."
"That may still be enough for it to present a serious threat to Hyrule as a whole," Lancel explained. "Send the sage to bargain with the chief if you must. We can attempt to negotiate a peace when he comes to attack us. But nonetheless, we must prepare our forces for battle."
Sophitia opened her mouth to protest, but she was interrupted by the return of the guard Lancel had sent on an errand. "Your highness!" he shouted, holding up a piece of parchment. "Every last man and woman in the battalion is accounted for. The murderer must have been killed in the battle."
"Or they are hiding among us," Lancel pointed out. "But we will explore that possibility later. For now, get the wounded as mobile as possible and tell everyone to prepare to move. We are to return to camp at once."
"Yes, my prince," the guard replied, turning to leave again.
Lancel returned his attention to Sophitia, and she must have looked upset. "We played the odds, and we got unlucky," he said. "It is unfortunate, but we must do our best with the hand we are dealt." With that, he walked off to begin giving orders to his troops. Sophitia stayed where she was for a moment, taking in everything that had happened.
"Are you alright, Sophitia?" Liliana asked softly, not having left her side.
"We just arrived here," she said miserably. "Everything was going fine. How could we have lost it all so quickly?"
"All is not lost," her bodyguard replied. "There is still time to repair the situation."
Sophitia took a deep breath. "Yes. Yes, I suppose you're right. If it is still possible to stop this incident from sparking a war, we have to try."
As soon as the Hylians returned to camp, battle preparations commenced. Prince Lancel and Sir Anselm took command of Governor Koridai's troops and began doling out orders.
"We'll need sentries posted on those buildings there, there, and there," Lancel instructed, pointing at the surrounding structures as he walked through camp. "Everyone with two working arms needs a bow and as many arrows as they can hold."
"Shall we begin constructing barricades?" one of the House Koridai troops asked.
"Do you intend for these barricades to form a complete dome over the entirety of our camp?" Lancel asked. "Or is it possible you've forgotten that the Rito can fly?"
"Oh! S-Sorry, your highness."
"No need for apologies, soldier. Just grab a bow and try not to accidentally shoot yourself with it before our enemies have the pleasure." Lancel waved the man off, smirking to himself.
While her brother gave out orders, Sophitia opted to wait patiently for Sage Balla to return. With any luck, the sage would bring good news, saying she had convinced Chief Revalco not to retaliate for the High Chieftain's death. If that were to happen, then all battle preparation would be rendered unnecessary.
While she waited, seated atop a fallen stone column, the princess pondered the mystery of Kanelo's murder. From what the others had said, the assassin seemed to have worked alone. It was possible. Perhaps that particular guard held some grudge against the Rito people and wished to sabotage the peace talks, or perhaps he'd been paid handsomely by someone else who did. Maybe he'd been killed in the battle, or maybe he was in their camp right now, preparing to kill more Rito.
"Or, perhaps the killer didn't act alone, and his compatriots are covering for him even now," Sophitia said quietly, thinking aloud.
"You think there are that many traitors in our midst?" Liliana asked, sitting beside her charge and polishing her sword.
Sophitia thought about it a moment longer, then shook her head. "No, I suppose not. It seems unlikely, anyway. House Koridai has always been on good terms with High Chief Kanelo. I find it difficult to believe so many of the governor's closest guards would harbor a hatred for the Rito. It's much more likely that the killer was acting alone."
"There is another possibility," Liliana suggested.
"And what's that?" Sophitia asked, curious to know what theory her retainer had come up with.
"What if Percival was right?"
Sophitia furrowed her brow. "Percival? Right about what?"
"About Lancel," the round-eared girl said, casting a subtle glance across the camp towards the prince.
Sophitia looked between the two of them, wondering what Liliana meant. Then, she began to put it together. "A fight breaks out between us and the Rito, forcing us to remove their presence from Skyloft, leaving us as the sole controllers of what Lancel believes to be the most important weapon in history," the princess said aloud. "However, the blame does not rest on us, because a single unidentified and possibly dead guard acted alone, and the resulting battle is initiated by the hotheaded Rito chieftain with a known grudge against the Hylians."
"It would make sense," Liliana said, nodding her head. "He was quick to order us back here to prepare for battle, and he seemed rather certain this would be the only outcome. Plus, with the way he was sneaking around last night, he's been rather shady about this whole Skyloft business."
Sophitia heaved a sigh, seeing the point Liliana was making. Still, she thought about it some more. There were some holes in the story. "I am uncertain, Liliana," she said. "Not everything adds up as cleanly as that. Lancel seemed quite upset with what transpired in that arena. He doesn't speak like that when everything is going according to plan."
"How do you know he wasn't simply putting on an act?" Liliana asked.
Sophitia tilted her head. "That's fair. But still, why would he even take such a risk? We were getting along fine with the Rito so far. He even has the master key in his possession already. If he had merely allowed the expedition to progress as planned, he would have gotten everything he wanted without the need for bloodshed or the possibility of open warfare."
Liliana tapped her sword against the ground with a pondering look on her face. "Yes. That is true," she admitted. "But your brother has kept you in the dark about his plans before. Perhaps there is more going on than we know. Something that would require such drastic action."
"Maybe…" Sophitia clenched her jaw, placing her hand against her forehead. Then she let out a sigh. "Yes, I suppose that possibility exists as well. But without further information, it is all merely pointless speculation. I shall attempt to get the truth out of Lancel once all this is over, but for now, let us avoid tossing out dangerous accusations."
"That is most wise, Princess," Liliana agreed.
"Naturally."
Having decided on that course of action, Sophitia continued to discuss the situation with Liliana, mostly planning their exit strategy and how to convince Lancel to leave should Revalco try to attack them. A few minutes later, one of her guards approached her.
"Your highness," the man said. "Sage Balla is approaching the camp with her shamans."
Sophitia stood up hurriedly. "She's not flying, is she?"
"No, Princess. They landed and are approaching on foot. The sentries know not to shoot at them."
"Oh, thank the gods," Sophitia muttered, letting out a sigh of relief. "Come along, Liliana. Let us hear what news the Sage of Wind brings."
The princess was nervous as she walked towards the edge of camp. Balla had come without Revalco. Did that mean the two of them had been unable to reach an agreement on how to deal with the Hylians? Or was Revalco sending Balla on ahead to let them know there would be no violence?
I just hope my brother is wrong, for once.
"Greetings, Sage Balla," Sophitia said, bowing to the short Rito girl. "Please, join me in the meeting tent."
The sage nodded solemnly. "Yes. Very well, your highness. Please lead the way." Sophitia could already tell from the girl's tone that she was not here to give them good news.
Just before they entered the large tent that housed the council table, they bumped into Lancel. "Ah, so the sage is here!" he said warmly, as if there was nothing to worry about. "Welcome back, Sage Balla. Mind if I join you?"
"Please do," Sophitia offered.
The prince, the princess, and the sage took their seats at the table, while Liliana and Sir Anselm stood guard just inside the tent's entrance. "Would you like some tea, wise sage?" Lancel offered, leaning forward to slide the pot towards himself.
"No, thank you."
"You sure? You've come a long way. I imagine those wings of yours are awfully tired."
"Lancel," Sophitia said. "Perhaps we should address the matter at hand?"
"Hm? You mean the matter of Chief Revalco being on his way to kill us as we speak?" the prince replied. "Well, it's hardly worth discussing, is it?"
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Sophitia insisted.
"No, the prince is correct," Balla said, hanging her head.
"Oh, what a surprise," Lancel said sarcastically before taking a deep sip of tea.
"Kanelo's braves told Revalco what happened," the sage went on. "He believes the Hylians have been conspiring to slaughter us all from the start."
"That's preposterous!" Sophitia exclaimed. "We only wished to work together."
"What of the Grand Archivist?" Lancel asked, his face a little more serious. "And the Hylians who were with him?"
Sage Balla took a moment to respond. "...They were already dead by the time my shamans and I arrived," she said, her voice shaky.
Lancel nodded. "As expected," he said, taking another sip of tea.
Sophitia was shocked.
What kind of warrior kills a helpless old man?
The princess placed her hand on the table in front of Balla. "We are grateful to you for bringing us this news, Sage. I am sorry you had to get involved in these most distressing matters." Then she turned to her brother. "Lancel, please, we must leave while we still can," she insisted. "If we take the sky lift back down to the surface, we can travel back to Medoh and inform the Chieftains' Council of what has transpired here. We can resolve this without further bloodshed."
Lancel sighed and shook his head, as if he pitied her for being so naive. "Oh, Sister. I wish it could be that way, I do. But do you truly believe we could get to Medoh before Revalco's men? By now he would have already sent a messenger to inform the council of his version of events. And by flying over the terrain, they can get there in half the time we can. By the time we get there, the only thing that will be waiting for us is the entire Rito Nation out for Hylian blood."
Sophitia opened her mouth to argue, but she could think of nothing to say. She had not yet thought the matter through as clearly as he had. "There must be something we can do…"
Lancel finished his tea and placed his cup down on the table. "Well, this has been a fun little chat, but I'm afraid I need to go prepare for the impending assault. I'll be outside if you need me." With that, the prince stood up and left, bringing Sir Anselm with him.
Liliana walked over to the table and sat down beside Sophitia. "What shall we do now, Princess?" she asked.
Sophitia put her hand to her head, thinking. "The first thing we need to do is spread this information," she said. "The more of our allies who know what is happening, the better. Sage Balla?"
"Yes, your highness?"
"Could I ask you to send your shamanas to deliver some messages?"
"Of course. They would be happy to assist."
"Good. All they need to do is explain the truth of what transpired here today," the princess said. She was glad to have the sage's loyalty, although she doubted all of Balla's acolytes were as friendly to Hylians as she was. "We must send word to the Chieftains' Council in Medoh, Grand Artisan Rodan in the Wind Temple, Lord Remoth in Midoro, Governor Koridai's widow in Snowpeak, my father in the capital, and my sister in Taafei."
"Very well." Sage Balla nodded and stood up. "I shall send the message out right away." After taking a bow, she left the tent.
"You don't want to contact anyone else?" Liliana asked. "Your brother? Your aunt?"
"They're half a world away," Sophitia exaggerated with a wave of her hand. "Word will reach them in time, but they will not be able to provide immediate assistance of any kind."
"I see." Liliana put her elbow on the table and leaned her head against her hand. "Might I ask what you expect everyone to do with that information? Because it may be taken as a call to arms."
The princess held up her hand and began counting off with her fingertips. "With any luck, the Chieftains' Council will believe us and take our side against Revalco. Rodan will take our remaining forces at the Wind Temple and prepare their defenses. Lord Remoth will know to expect us since I imagine we'll be going straight there once we return to the surface. The governor's widow will mourn. And my father will appoint a new Governor of Hebra and a new Grand Archivist, and issue any other necessary decrees."
"What of your sister?"
Sophitia's hand began toying with her hair. "Well. If we do end up in danger, I imagine she will come rescue us."
"Aw, how sweet," Liliana remarked. "You want your big sister to come protect you."
"Well. It's only natural," Sophitia replied, blushing slightly. "Would your elder brother not do the same for you?"
Liliana tilted her head in agreement. "He wouldn't ride in on a white horse with an army at his back, but he has proven himself quite proficient at doling out beatings when necessary, at least."
"Ah. An essential skill for any elder brother." Sophitia recalled the night Percival rescued them and Mina Remoth from those thugs they ran into in the city. He said he'd have them hanged for trying to touch his sister.
Would he bring his army across the kingdom to save me, I wonder?
"We can worry about reinforcements later," Sophitia decided. "As I said, I am not sending out a call to arms. I am simply spreading our side of the story. If only Revalco is allowed to do so, he may gain enough support for a full rebellion, and that is the last thing this kingdom needs."
"You know, there is another way to stop Revalco from raising a rebellion," Liliana pointed out. "If Lancel's forces manage to kill or capture him here…"
"It may stamp out his cause, but it may also make a martyr of him," Sophitia replied. "Lancel has weighed the odds and calculated the potential reward to be worth the risk, but I would rather not take that chance."
"Of course, Princess."
"Now then." Sophitia stood up from the table, and her retainer did the same. "Let's ensure my guards are prepared. I want the sky lift secure and ready to be used in our retreat should the need arise."
