7 - By Blood or By Name, I


Breathe in. A warm sensation began to pulse at her core. She could feel the energies of the earth, the excitement of the waves of water. She could sense the fish below the surface and the mischievous energies of the fiends alongside them.

Focus. She held her hands out, grasping an imaginary ball. The warmth spread through her wrists, then to her palms, and up to her finger tips.

Release. She imagined the energy flowing out of her hands into a ball of light. She imagined it swirling, a dazzling display of controlled chaos. She imagined the Hero's stark cerulean eyes and blonde hair.

Huh?

There was an audible pop as the ball of mana that Zelda had been gathering burst into sparks and smoke. A mere tenth-of-a-second lapse of concentration was all it took to ruin her meditation exercise. She stared blankly at her hands for a moment before shaking her head and sighing.

"Hm… Well that won't do, now, will it?" Impa remarked with a smirk, "It's rare to see you mess up a warm up like this."

The pair were at the rear of the boat on a vacant part of the deck, continuing some of Zelda's magic training. They'd been sailing for just over an hour now, their eyes set on the River Hylia. As underarmed as the ship was, it was superbly quick; it had multiple masts of large sails that easily caught the wind current, and the pair were confident they would get to Faron in no time.

"I'm sorry… My mind isn't all here, it seems," admitted Zelda, shaking her head as she stood up from the deck.

Impa gave the princess a reencouraging pat on the back, "Your mana control has improved greatly over the last few months. Missing an exercise or two won't kill you."

The princess walked over to the railing to gaze at the lake, "But it may during the war."

The sheikah, with her arms crossed, stayed silent as she looked on at her liege. While Zelda might have been far and above the average combat prowess of a bandit or soldier, there was no telling what kind of warriors would take to the real battlefield. So, in a sense the girl was right.

There came a soft giggle from the railing that made Impa's ears perk up. "I suppose, however, that relaxing on a trip such as this wouldn't hurt anyone, right?"

Closing her eyes and smiling, Impa nodded, joining the princess at the edge of the ship, "Definitely better than staying cooped up in the castle, I would say."

Zelda smirked as she rested her chin on her hand, looking at her retainer with wry eyes, "And there it is. I knew I wasn't the only one!"

This time, it was Impa's turn to laugh, "Why did you think I was so ready to join you on this expedition?"

"Because it's your job, perhaps?"

The sheikah's expression shifted to a milder one. "Perhaps. But while it is my job to supervise you," She placed a hand on the princess' shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze,"It is my duty to take care of you. Never forget that."

Zelda, never taking her eyes off the water, reached up with her free hand to rest it on top of her retainer's, "I won't. Thank you, master."

There were a few moments of comfortable silence before Impa's lips could no longer resist curving into a smirk, "Master… I could get used to that."

The princess grinned, "Don't expect me to continue calling you that."

Just as they were beginning to enjoy the view, Zelda felt a pulse of energy emanating from her right hand, jolting her from the railing. Gasping, she looked at her hand, the brand of the Triforce glowing - almost like it was breathing.

"Y-Your highness?!" Impa called out, letting Zelda hold on to her for support.

"I'm… I'm fine." The princess held up her arm, showing the glowing birthmark to her retainer, "What… could this mean..?"

The pair observed the anomaly for a moment before their attention was pulled away again, just as abruptly as before. The ship's bell began to clang rapidly, suddenly bringing all the sailors below deck scrambling up to the surface. The men were pushing and shoving, exchanging supplies from the top deck to the bottom - many of them hauling cannon balls.

"What's happening?!" Impa asked, Zelda in tow as they made their way to the captain's wheel.

Thedron crossed his arms, nodding in the direction of the open water, "Pirates."

On queue, a succession of rapid booms echoed in the distance, the entirety of the crew excitedly shuffling to the port side railings. There were a trio of medium sized ships far enough that Zelda had to squint to see them. How could they tell they were pirates?

Thedron came up behind her, offering his telescope. "Take a look at their flags."

The princess nodded, extending the telescope and putting it up to an eye. Indeed, through the black haze she could make out the black flags on the masts of two of the ships and the familiar white and gold flag of central. "That's one of ours!" she exclaimed, leaning over the railing.

Impa immediately put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head, "Don't."

"But we-!"

"Don't!" Impa repeated sternly, raising her voice, "Do you not remember what our purpose is for being out here?! We have already spent enough time dallying around at the Port. We'll lose track of the hero should we waste anymore time!"

Zelda was taken aback; very rarely did Impa ever shout at her. She was right though, playing to the whims of Zelda's sense of morality would only set them back longer than they already have. Returning the telescope back to the captain, she returned to observing the battle unfolding on the horizon.

"No chance in hell they'll make it," uttered Thedron gravely, returning back to steering the ship, "Hate to say it, but we'd only be riskin' our own arses."

The princess felt her retainer pat her shoulder once more, "I'm sorry, but we must leave it."

Wordlessly, she peered out to the ships, clutching the railing tightly. Glancing at the glowing birthmark on her hand one more time, she conceded, suppressing the urge to grab hold of the ship's wheel herself.


A bead of sweat rolled down Link's temple as he tightly clutched his sword, just barely managing to deflect the strike of Donovan's saber. There was barely an instant to react as he brought up his sword again, a furious flash of sparks lighting up the deck as he blocked the gargantuan swing of the pirate.

No good! Link thought, immediately trying to backpedal and create some breathing room. His eyes widened as Donovan effortlessly closed the gap, their faces inches away from each other as the pirate gave Link a manic smile.

"Boy, you just stepped knee-deep into a world you have no business in," came the chilling calm of the captain's voice.

There was ringing in his ears, an incredible pounding pain in his head, and the lacquered mahogany of the deck in his vision. What… He didn't even see the strike the pirate had given him but he could barely pull himself off the deck; it felt like he had been hit by a Goron rolling down a mountain at full speed.

Helpless, Donovan used the side of his boot to roll Link over onto his back, driving one of his sabers into the shoulder of the bounty hunter's sword arm. Link let out a curdling cry as the blade embedded itself into the wood, pinning him to the ship.

Taking a long drag of his cigarette, the pirate captain leaned forward, blowing the smoke into Link's face. "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be, kid. Where's the girl?" Despite the blood pouring profusely out of his shoulder, he used every ounce of his willpower to bite back a response. Smirking, Donavan mercilessly stomped on the young man's chest, audibly cracking some of his ribs.

"ARGHHH!" Link cried in agony, clutching at Donovan's leg with his free hand.

A hiss was heard and loud clank echoed as the pirate captain swiftly removed himself from Link's chest, dodging the claw of a hookshot that whizzed past him. Donovan brought one of his sabers up to quickly block a furious strike from the newly reawakened Mira, who was snarling as she struggled to overcome the pirate's immense strength.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," He spoke, smoke billowing from his lips as he addressed her, "Although it seems to me like you're eager to leave again."

With a grunt, they pushed off each other, momentarily creating space. There was a moment where the combatants sized each other up, a split second in time that felt like an eternity. Mira was livid, her eyes glowing with rage, but her brain was doing its best to fight off her primal instincts. Calm down… You can do this.

Focusing on her technique, she waltzed forward gracefully, tightening her stance. It was the traditional swordfighting stance that her father had ingrained into her body from years of slashing at stalks of bamboo and straw dummies. Donovan was on par with her when it came to speed and he was head and shoulders above her in strength. She knew the only way to win was with her technique - getting angry would throw all of that out the window.

Once she had gotten into the danger zone - striking distance to the pirate captain's sabers - she stepped into a curt downward slash. As expected, he quickly blocked the strike and in a blink was already following up with his own, nearly unseen to the naked eye. Mira barely retaliated, deflecting the counter attack as it narrowly swiped past her face, a few strands of hair being clipped off. She was just as fast with her next attack, another quick slash upwards, but Donovan was a master at using both of his weapons, handily blocking that one as well.

Switching stances, she unleashed a flurry of precise strikes, trying to find even a smidge of an opening. Link, who could naught but watch helplessly further away with his ribs clutched, could barely see the exchange with all the sparks in the air. With a roar, the pirate caught Mira's katana in between his sabers, forcing them into another standoff. The taguel struggled mightily under the pressure of Donovan's super human strength. With a nasty grin, he blew a mouth full of ash into her face, forcing her to sputter in disgust. Taking advantage, the pirate flung her katana across the deck, immediately following up with a swing using both of his sabers, intent on decapitating the young warrior.

"Mira!" Link cried, afraid that he was about to witness the death of a newly made friend. Of course, he should've known to doubt her skill, as she deftly ducked underneath the would-be guillotine. Scrambling away, she rolled across the deck and picked up her sword standing at the ready with an eye clenched shut from the ash.

"Not bad!" Donovan praised, the same tobacco stained grin etched on his face. He turned to the crowd watching their duel, "Get a load of this woman, she'd put 90% of you inbreds out of work if she were in our crew!" He was answered by a bunch of shrugs and nods of approval from his subordinates.

"Like I'd ever join you lowlife shits." Mira spat, rubbing the soot out of her eyes.

The pirates gave a raucous cheer, "That's the spirit, young lady!" Donovan twirled his saber and pointed it at her, "I like the cut of your jib. Maybe we should take you instead."

This time, Mira was the one who smiled, "You pirates sure like to run your mouths, huh?"

"What can I say, it's what we do." He shrugged, the arrogant grin still plastered on his face, "Hard not to talk a little when you're the baddest sons of bitches on the Hylia."

"If robbing the weak and innocent is your idea of being a badass then your crew is even lamer than I thought," Mira sniggered, her tone condescending.

"Aw, come on. That ain't true!" Donovan's maniacal grin grew even larger, "We steal and lie and kill too!"

The sound of an object rolling across the deck shifted their attention to Donovan's feet. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind if we took a little something out of your own playbooks," Link managed to make out, his arm still extended from lobbing a grenade towards the crowd of pirates.

Donovan's eyes widened as he looked at the explosive resting against his boot, "Oh you sneaky little-!"

BANG!

The explosion of the grenade sent shrapnel and splinters of wood flying in all directions, a thin haze of gunpowder settling over the deck. Donovan had just managed to dodge as the grenade had went off, but not without sufferring a significant amount of damage; one of his arms was limp, mangled with burns and shrapnel, blood trailing down his wrists. His cohorts that did not share his reflexes were not so lucky, as more than a few of them were lying on the deck either dead or bleeding out from an arm or leg being torn off. With the pirates reeling from the blast, Reiner leaned over the poop deck, eager to take advantage.

"LET 'EM HAVE IT BOYS!" He roared at the top of his lungs, the Swiftwind joining him as they charged forward with an impassioned battle cry.

Mira was keen to finish off the pirate captain and, along with her crewmates, charged forward into the newly reawakened fray. The battle had once again devolved into a rumble between the two crews, with Mira needing to defend herself from the odd pirate or two that would try jumping her, blocking the path to their captain.

"Get the fuck outta my way!" She grunted, pulling her katana out of the chest of another one of Donovan's subordinates, kicking him and sending him gurgling over the ship's railing. Trying to look over the top of all of the people fighting, she was, amazingly, unable to find the captain in question. The one who evidently stood out the most. Where did he go?!

"Mira!" She heard a familiar voice call, snapping her head over to the other end of the ship to see Link gingerly making his way through his own set of thugs, "The bastard's getting away!" He pointed towards the gangplanks and Mira immediately saw the pirate's unmistakeable form throwing his own crew members into the water as he tried to escape. Her eyes focused a little closer and she could see that he had a body slung over his shoulder. A zora body, no less.

"Fuck! He has Mipha!" She cried back, tearing through another pirate as she double-timed it towards the opposite end of the ship.

Link leaned over the railing and his eyebrows shot up alarmingly; he was so busy trying to tend to his own injuries that he didn't even notice. Quickly pulling out his bow to take aim, he immediately regretted it when he felt the debilitating pain in his shoulder and chest, preventing him from pulling the drawstring. He choked out a cry as the pain from his broken ribs and torn-open shoulder forced him to his knees. Through squinted eyes he could just barely make out Donovan stepping onto the ship across from them, kicking the gangplank and sending it (and some of his crew) plummeting into the water.

"You shitters can climb back up! Bwahahaha!" He cackled to the water before disappearing onto the deck of the other ship.

Mira soon appeared next to Link, her black hair matted to her face as she was drenched in sweat and the blood of her foes. Panting heavily, she surprisingly leaned on the railing for support next to him. "We… Have to go… After him!" She made out in between breaths.

Link shook his head, "We can't." The crowd on the Swiftwind was beginning to thin out, the pirates beginning to either die out or retreat after their captain. Blood was dribbling from the corners of his mouth and he clutched his chest, "Neither of us are in any shape to do that." He slid down the rail to sit on the floor, eyes half lidded from his injuries.

"We have to," Mira said, bending down to pull Link back up, "What if they kill her?! Who knows what those sons of bitches'll do to her!"

"She'll be okay," Link managed to grunt from the extra pain he was now receiving from his companion tugging at his arm, "They need her alive for whatever job it is they're being hired for."

"But we can stop them now!" She pleaded, lifting Link up by the underarms and propping him against the railing, "How could we find them if we let them go?"

Uncharacteristically, Link forcibly removed her arms from his body, grabbing her by the shoulders instead, "We can find them! Think, Mira!" The anger on her face did not subside, her crimson eyes fiery with passion. Shaking his head, he pointed to the open water, "They're taking her back to the Domain! She was trying to get away from there to get help, remember?!"

Realization dawned on her face. Before she could reply, however, the thundering of cannons forced both of them (much to Link's continued chagrin in dealing with his injuries) back onto the deck. There was the sound of heavy impacts and the shattering of wood, but they did not feel any of it on the Swiftwind.

Link peeked over the railing and was surprised to see a volley of cannon fire tearing through the pirate convoy, "What the…?" In the distance, a small ship was sailing with its broadsides smoking.

"Looks like someone came to help!" The pair heard Reiner shout, relief in his voice, "Don't just stand there, load up the guns!"

While some of the crew still had to deal with stragglers on the top deck, a good portion of them followed the captain's orders and scrambled to the twelve pounders below. "Wait, don't-!" Link called out, joining Reiner's side at the wheel, "They have Mipha, we shouldn't risk her getting hit!"

Mira, who was cleaning up one of the last pirates on the ship, pulled her sword out of the man's chest before throwing him over the railing. She snarled as she leaned over the rail and watched the pirate plummet to his watery grave. "Fuck!" She spat, punching said rail in frustration. The pirates were long gone, their ship beginning to disappear on the horizon.

Reiner joined on her the side of the deck and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry Mira, but the crew is in no shape to follow them."

Looking around, the sailors on the Swiftwind - those that had managed to survive, anyhow - were battered and bloody, some sitting on the deck trying to rest. She had almost forgot, but there were also the group of civilian merchants that had hidden below deck during the fray. With the two of them included, they were lucky to have mostly survived that pirate raid.

"I know… We just," Mira sighed, beginning to calm, "We just promised we would protect her."

"I understand," Reiner nodded, "And we'll go after them."

On cue, the fatigue began to wash over her, the adrenaline beginning to fade away. Finally, she was inclined to agree, taking a seat on the deck.

"The ship's coming back for us," Link remarked, motioning towards the small ship that had helped them fend away the pirates, "You know these guys, captain?"

Reiner pulled out his telescope; they were a small, lightly armed merchant ship flying the flags of Central as well. Didn't look like anyone he recognized, though. "'Fraid not, probably just some good samaritans from the looks of it… " He smirked over at Link, "We're lookin' pretty pathetic right now so I think we should take all the help we can get."

If he wasn't in so much pain Link would've offered a laugh. Unfortunately, he could barely stand as it was.


The small merchant ship lined itself up with the Swiftwind; Reiner's vessel was significantly larger and significantly better armed, albeit in much worse condition due to the battle. Link wasn't quite sure which ship was considered the norm among commerce vessels, but then again he wasn't quite sure if that was merely his reality being distorted from the blood loss.

The pair sat on the far end of the deck watching the able-bodied crew members roll out the gangplank to drop to the other ship. Mira and Link had helped patch each other's injuries to the best of their abilities, but a real doctor and a bit of rest would be needed to recover.

"Let 'em on board," they heard Reiner order to the crew. Dropping the gangplank, the sailors at the other end worked together to catch it, lining it up with their ship. Before long, a small party with what was presumably the captain made their way up to the Swiftwind.

"You guys are a pathetic lookin' lot," The newcomer captain joked, extending a hand to Reiner with a grin. Like Donovan, this man also had a cigarette in his mouth. Unlike Donovan, he didn't look like a crazed murdering psychopath.

"Is it just me, or do all sailors kinda look the same?" Link pondered under his breath.

Mira shrugged, "Takes a certain type of person, I guess."

Reiner scratched the back of his head, "We appreciate the assistance. Lucky ya came when ya did or else we'd be fish food."

It took a second to process, but the pair noticed that two members of the captain's party looked nothing like sailors. There were wearing hooded cloaks and, alarmingly, the taller figure was holding what seemed to be a giant version of Mira's sword. Mira and Link exchanged looks before reluctantly standing up - just in case.

"Lucky ain't even the end of it," The merchant captain replied, gesturing to the party behind him, "I was inclined to leave you to dry until our stowaways insisted that we come and help."

The cloaked pair nodded to each other, the shorter one stepping forward.

"We are searching for a bounty hunter."

Mira and Link's eyebrows shot up in attention; technically they were both bounty hunters but, most importantly, the figure was a woman! A woman with one of the most serene voices they had ever heard, no less. It took a second to process, but more alarm bells had gone off in Link's head upon hearing her voice.

Wait a second… I know that v-

Link's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden jolt of energy pulsating from his left hand, momentarily knocking him off balance. "Huh?!" There was no pain, but a strange sensation was beginning to wash itself over his body.

"Whoa, you okay?" Mira asked, holding him up slightly.

"Y-yeah… I just feel really strange all of a sudden," He quickly began undoing the gauntlet around his hand, pulling it off hurriedly. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening to the birthmark on his hand.

"It's… glowing…?" The taguel thought aloud, unsure of what she was seeing. Indeed, the triangular birthmark was pulsing with a faint glow. She stared at it for a moment before exclaiming, "Wait! Isn't that the symbol of the Triforce?!"

"The what now?" Link questioned, still grasping onto his wrist.

Suddenly, the cloaked pair were in front of them.

"The Triforce," repeated the serene voice, "The holy trinity containing the essences of the goddesses. Left behind after creating Hyrule, it is meant to symbolize the noblest qualities of sentient beings on this plane, and can grant immense strength to those who wield it." Link had heard about such tales in passing, but because he had lived in Ordona, he never really gave the stories much thought. After all, it seemed more mythological than anything truly rooted in reality.

"Is this him?" The taller one interjected.

"It has to be." The cloaked pair looked at each other before nodding and removing their hoods.

Link was taken aback even further when he saw the beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes that stood in front of him - much like the person he would see in his visions. The taller woman had darker skin and light, near-silver hair, with some strange tribal markings under her amber eyes. He could not hold back the nostalgic sensation that washed over him when he looked at the pair.

Abruptly, the blonde girl stepped forward and grasped onto his glowing wrist.

"Do I know you…?" He asked slowly, trying to ignore the fact that this beautiful girl was now holding onto his hand.

A knowing smirk appeared on the corner of her flawless face, "Not yet." She pulled the sleeve back on her arm - the one holding his - revealing the same glowing symbol that he also had.

Mira, who had been observing the pair through narrowed eyes had gasped when she had finally deduced who was standing in front of them, "Y-you're..!" Suddenly, she grabbed Link by the top of the head and forced him to kneel on the deck, eliciting another choke of pain.

"Would it kill you to be a little more delicate?!" He groaned.

"You ignorant hillbilly, this is the Princess of Hyrule you're standing in front of!"

While most of the bystanders on the ship were cleaning or starting repairs, Mira's exclamation had caused the entire crew to whip their heads in the direction of the four, immediately following suit and kneeling as well.

"The Princess of Hyrule…?" Link repeated, uneasy. He looked up into the princess' eyes.

"You may rise." She stated to the occupants of the ship, all of whom obliged. There was a bit of a pause as she took the time to observe Link, scanning him with her brilliant blue eyes. Lifting up his arm, she clasped her other hand around his, "Your companion is correct, although I feel that 'princess' is quite the loaded title. You may call me Zelda."

The darker skinned woman stepped forward, "I am her retainer, Impa."

Link and Mira looked at each other; the passion in her crimson eyes was evident. This must have been the same Impa that she spoke about in the city. To have run into her so soon… with the princess no less! It seemed more divine intervention than coincidence.

"I'm Link," the young swordsman introduced himself, bowing his head. He wasn't sure how one was supposed act in front of royalty; after all, he was just a ranch hand in the end. "And this is Mira. I guess we're both bounty hunters."

Mira nodded, pulling back her own hood and revealing the wolf ears underneath.

Letting go of Link's hand momentarily, Zelda and Impa took a second to gawk at the girl that stood in front of them. "A taguel…" Impa whispered, "I thought you had all died seven years ago."

"Not all of us," Mira shook her head, "Forgive me if I am being forward, but I have been searching for Master Impa for months."

"And we have been searching for a young man like Link," Zelda returned. She smirked before adding, "Although it has been merely a week rather than months."

Link raised a brow, "For me? What could the Princess of Hyrule possibly want with someone like me?"

The princess giggled. It was a sound so soothing that both Mira and Link wished they could hear it on repeat. "It is… It would be prudent to wait until we've docked at Port Hylia, perhaps." She nodded her head at her retainer, "Please thank Captain Thedron for his services."

"Of course, your highness." Impa turned to inform their previous captain of their itinerary change.

"It would be an honour to have you accompany us," Reiner said, joining Link and Mira, "We've lost some good men. It would do them well to see you on board."

"But of course," replied Zelda with a smile, "I'll see to it that you are all taken care of when we arrive at port."

"Bless you, your highness," Reiner said, bowing.

She shifted her attention to Link, who had been favouring his chest. Most of his shoulder was soaked in blood from when Donovan had skewered him with his cutlass. "How bad are your injuries?"

"I'll live," came the reply, strained.

"Let me see." The princess directed him to sit on a crate. She began to gently probe his abdomen, grimacing when she ran her hand on his ribs, "Was that painful?"

"Extremely," Link made out through gritted teeth. If he wasn't in so much pain he would have been ecstatic at the thought of being taken care of by the Princess of Hyrule. He was a long way from Ordona - that was for certain.

"Well, more than a few of your ribs are broken…" She looked up at the gash in his shoulder, which was beginning to crust up with blood. From what she could tell, it was so bloodied up that it was hard to discern where the actual injury was. "Clean exit wound… It has already started healing a bit, but I'm surprised you have been able to move your arm at all."

"That's very comforting." Link joked, albeit biting through the pulsating pain in his shoulder.

He immediately received a smack on the head. "Forgive his manners, your highness, he's from Ordona," Mira said, bowing.

Zelda gave a laugh, "No, it's quite alright. If he is indeed from Ordona, then he is not beholden to the rules of our realm, anyway. Right?"

"Ah - right! Of course, your highness." A rare flustered look was on Mira's face as her cheeks flushed ever so slightly in embarrassment.

The sound of hooves clopping had the trio turn towards the gangplank, where Impa was leading a pair of horses across. She waved over at Reiner, signalling that they were good to go.

With that, Reiner leaned over the poop deck and began ringing the ship's bell, "Alright, people, let's get the hell out of here!"

The remaining masts on the ship had their sails unfurled; they were tattered and filled with holes, but it should have been enough to limp the Swiftwind into the safety of Port Hylia's bay. Surprisingly, despite exchanging cannon fire with a significantly better armed ship, the Swiftwind held together. Albeit, not without some of the crew having to shovel water out of the bottom deck but, nonetheless, they were sailing.

"Why don't you guys get some rest? We can speak more once we've docked," the princess suggested, "I'm sure you are all exhausted."

Link, still clutching his abdomen, looked over at Mira. Before she could even reply, he was already walking towards the stairs to the crew's quarters.

"Thank you, your highness." Mira bowed her head once more before following after her partner.


Zelda felt a familiar presence approach her shoulder. "Lucky you pestered the captain like you did," Impa said, a tinge of smugness evident in her voice.

The princess smirked, "And you told me it was a bad idea."

Impa shrugged, walking towards the rails of the ship. They were mostly decimated from the battle, but there were still a few lining the deck that were lean-able. "Who could have known that our hero was here the whole time? Maybe Hylia smiled down on you."

"Maybe. But there was this, of course." Zelda showed the back of her right hand, the Triforce glowing ever-so-slightly. "Either way, we've got him now. We just need to bring him back to father."

"In this state?" The sheikah scoffed, "He may hold the Triforce, but he is far from any sort of hero that was told in the scriptures. They were barely able to fend off a band of pirates."

"But he did kill the Beast of Faron." Zelda shook her head, "It was a task that even Alistair's Rangers could not handle."

"True. He had some capable help, though." Her retainer was unconvinced, but rightfully so. Inwardly, Zelda agreed that the battered young man they had found was a long ways from being a hero.

But the gods rarely ever made mistakes. He shared the same features and the same courageous aura that all the previous heroes only had. Combat skills, tactics, swordsmanship, even magic - all of those things could be taught. It was only a matter of time.

"The taguel?" Zelda grinned, "What a pleasant surprise that was. And here we thought they had all gone extinct."

Impa nodded, "She will be a valuable ally."

"They both will be," The princess reached up to put a hand on her retainer's shoulder, "We just need patience."

The sheikah closed her eyes, "I can only hope so."

Within a couple of hours, the familiar sight of the bustling port was in view. It felt a little strange to have double-backed and return so quickly, but given the circumstances this was more than ideal. Zelda had anticipated the search being equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack - and by all accounts, it should have - but with a single tipoff and a stroke of luck, the hero had almost fallen right into their lap. They had completed their mission, all that was left for them was to return back home. And they didn't even have to leave the province!

For now, at least.

Eliza and the Navy had helped unload the merchant ship, bringing food and supplies to the injured. Despite the significant amount of damage the vessel had taken, they had a comparatively low amount of casualties. Most of the fallen crew had already been buried at sea during the sail to Port Hylia, and perhaps they had given the bounty hunters too little credit. They did well, with a majority of the crew making it back to shore.

The Navy offered up the barracks as a temporary respite for the battered sailors. Reiner, experienced as he was, already had rapport with Port Hylia's captain, so she was more than willing to help one of the dock's most reliable seamen. The tavern that she had previously brought Zelda and Impa to was - unsurprisingly - also an inn, one that they decided to stay at for the night. Of course, rooms were provided for their newly-made bounty hunter friends as well.

They would get their rest, but not before Link and Mira had to see the Navy's corpsmen to patch up their injuries.

Port Hylia's barracks was busier than usual with all the merchants and sailors now getting treatment in the atrium and the courtyard.

"Take off your cloak," a medical officer instructed to Link, who was sitting in a hastily made cot in the hallway next to the courtyard. He did as he was told, before the corpsman scrunched up his nose at the sight of his shoulder. "Goddesses, are you able to move that thing?"

The young man nodded, gingerly swinging his arm back and forth. "Hurts like hell, though."

"Lucky bastard you are. Looks like it got put through a meat grinder." The corpsman reached into a medical bag and pulled out a dark green bottle, uncorking it with a pop. "Well, maybe not so lucky. This is gonna hurt even more. Take off the rest of it."

"Wait, what is that stuff?" Link asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I have to clean the wound before it goes septic," the officer explained, "This is disinfectant. So please, remove your tunic so I can clean the wound."

Pensive, Link did as he was told and unequipped the rest of the gear on his upper body. He had a slight shiver from being shirtless in what was essentially the outdoors, but what had to be done had to be done.

The corpsman held the bottle over Link's shoulder, "Please try and stay still, okay?" Without warning, the man began pouring the contents out of the bottle.

"W-w-wait- ARRGHH!" The bounty hunter choked on his own spit as he hollered in pain, the man liberally dousing his shoulder with disinfectant.

Zelda and Mira, who were off to the side observing, grimaced in unison. They could almost see steam and hear sizzling from the liquid. "That looks… Unpleasant."

"Suck it up, bumpkin. I've hit you harder than that." The taguel could not refrain from her snide commentary.

The princess turned to Mira, "So what exactly was it that caused those pirates to attack your vessel?"

Mira nodded, "As keen as I would have expected, your highness. We picked up a hitchhiker a little bit after we entered Lake Hylia - an injured zora just flagging ships for help."

"Turns out…" Link continued through gritted teeth as the corpsman began wiping down the wound in his shoulder, "She was being chased around by the band of pirates that attacked us. Hey, careful!" He winced as the rag was roughly swiped across the open gash.

"Such strange odds you found yourselves in. I suppose the crew of the Swiftwind would be no better off had you not risked your lives to protect the ship."

With a sigh, Mira took a seat on an empty bench next to Link, "With all due respect, we didn't do shit, your highness. We were completely outclassed. We only survived because the pirates were hell bent on taking her back to the Domain and spared us in the process."

Zelda raised a brow, "Back to the Domain..? What for, exactly?"

The taguel shrugged, "No idea. She mentioned she was travelling with an envoy to the capital, said she desperately needed to see you and the royal family, or something."

Now that really got her attention. What could have been so important that the Zora needed to send an envoy to the capital? Moreover, a target for pirates to be taken alive? That sounded like a hell of a job - Zora were not just the best swimmers in Hyrule, but among some of its greatest sailors too.

"Did she give you her name?"

"Yeah," Link nodded, the medical officer now bandaging his shoulder, "She said her name was Mipha."

The princess' eyes widened as she gasped, "Are you sure?"

The bounty hunters looked at each other before Mira spoke, "One hundred percent, your highness. We promised her we would escort her to Central once we made it here."

Zelda furrowed a brow, letting the information sink in. The two of them had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. "I suppose it makes sense as most of those outside of Lanayru wouldn't know much about the affairs of the Zora."

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean by that, your majesty?" This time it was Link's turn to inquire, although he was met with another light smack on the head by his partner, "Ow!"

"It's 'your highness.' Get it right before they arrest you for disrespecting the princess," she chided. The juxtaposing personalities of the two made them quite the duo, Zelda mused, although now was not the time for lollygagging.

Ignoring the two, the princess continued. "Are you familiar with the Zora Tribe's history, perhaps?"

They both shrugged, "Not really."

"Well, let me preface this by saying that the races of Hyrule have not always been united in the way that they are today, or even thousands of years ago," Zelda began pacing as she told her story, "The Zora Tribe were no exception. In fact, they probably had the fiercest disdain for the Hylians than all the other races combined. Early Zora ancestors believed that they alone held the right to rule as Hyrule's dominant race, to take command of all others. They had mastery of the rivers and seas, vital to all other forms of life in the realm, and their native province of Lanayru was teeming with resources - not to mention it held within its borders Hyrule's most important source of freshwater.

The Hylians, who had rapidly gained power due to their technical ingenuity, had often clashed with the Zora Tribe. There were skirmishes and raids where the rivers met the land, but never a war. One side would not risk getting into full conflict with the other - they knew that, regardless of whichever side ended up the victor, the price would be too heavy, leaving them vulnerable to an attack from one of the other nations in the realm.

One day, there was a sudden torrential downpour. At first, it lasted days. Then, it became the mightiest storm that Hyrule had ever witnessed, with skin-splitting winds and tremendous cracks of lightning. The rain was so great that the Great Spring of Lanayru overflowed, flooding the Lanayru Basin and decimating the Zora and their population.

Despite their differences, the Hylians had banded together with the Zora and their leaders. They used their combined knowledge to construct a towering dam to hold back the floods. It took a tremendous amount of effort and resources, with many Hylians and Zora losing their lives in the process."

"The East Reservoir…" Mira commented, to which Zelda nodded. Link, technically the outsider, stayed silent as he listened closely.

"That is correct. It is a testament to the ingenuity and strength of the two races that the dam has held for the thousands of years that it has. Of course, Hyruleans are accustomed to living in harmony with one another, regardless of race. For the most part, at least…"

"For the most part?" Link repeated, "What does that mean?"

Zelda paused, choosing her words carefully, "With so many people living in Hyrule, you are bound to come across those who are… Less tolerant of others. It is frowned upon, but regardless it exists." She shook her head, "And inevitably, there are those that resent the fact that the pinnacle of Hyrulean power had always rested in the hands of Hylians."

"So what does this have to do with the Zora?" asked Link.

"Within Zora society there is a portion of the population that still hold the values of their ancestors, before the Storm," the princess explained, stopping her pacing, "They believe that they are superior to Hylians, nevermind the rest of the races of Hyrule. In their minds, one day, they are to be the true inheritors to the throne of Hyrule. In recent years, they have become more vocal, actively calling for the Zora and the province of Lanayru to separate from Hyrule and become their own nation once more.

Mira, who was rather far removed from politics, opened her eyes in surprise, "A rebellion?"

"No. Not yet, anyway." Zelda sighed, "The Council has, at times, called them the Zora Separatists, although within their ranks are not exclusively Zora."

The bounty hunters looked at each other, confusion on their faces as their brains worked to understand the situation. This was beyond the affairs of normal Hyruleans, so it came as no surprise to the princess. While she and her father often disagreed on almost everything, she had to admit that he had raised her well. Navigating the political structure of such a diverse nation such as Hyrule was not for the faint of heart.

"The stray Zora your ship had picked up, Mipha, is one of the children of Lanayru's current ruler, the Zora King Dorephan."

Their eyes bulged out of their sockets as they guffawed, "She's a princess?!"

Zelda nodded, "That's right. She is one of the rightful heirs to the Zora throne. Their family has ruled over Lanayru since the Storm, promoting peace and harmony with the other races of Hyrule." Her expression was serious now, "You spoke of a rebellion? Well I am afraid it may be happening as we speak."

"What likely happened is that Princess Mipha was sent to retrieve allies or reinforcements," a new voice said. Impa and Eliza had come around the corner from another of the barracks' hallways, joining in on the conversation. "The Zora royal family had been reporting to us up until a week ago. Either their communications had been getting intercepted by Separatist spies or they had suspected they were getting intercepted, thus they sent an envoy with the princess to get help instead."

"Our plans will have to wait," Zelda said to Impa, "This could get ugly."

The sheikah nodded gravely, "I am afraid you may be right, your highness. The retrieval of Princess Mipha was likely a show of force by the Separatists. They are planning something in the Domain, that is for certain."

"We haven't heard about any of their movements?" asked the princess. As Impa was a high-ranking military officer, she was privy to most of the intel that Alistair's Rangers were gathering.

The sheikah shook her head, "They have been quiet for a better part of the month now. I can only surmise that the entirety of the Zora Royalty could be in danger."

"The hell are we standing around for then? We have to help her!" Mira said, standing up.

"I agree. The full might of the Port Hylia Fleet is at your disposal, your highness." Eliza offered, bowing her head.

Zelda returned the gesture, "I appreciate the support, captain, but we need to approach this with discretion."

Putting a hand to her chin, the princess began to pace back and forth. The Separatist movement, while vocal in their ideologies, were never really seen as a major threat to anyone on the Council. To so brazenly kidnap Mipha - with hired help, no less - was beyond what anyone could believe they were capable of doing. They say she saw it, either they were more powerful and had more support than they let on, or they had some really powerful allies.

…Or maybe they were just plain stupid.

Dorephan's military was nothing to scoff at. The Zora Marauders were some of the finest soldiers in the realm. They were experts at both land and naval combat, and were peerless in their mastery of the spear. Unless the Separatists had conjured up an elite army of their own, there was no way they were defeating Dorephan's seasoned veterans.

Regardless, they could not be hasty. Time was of the essence, yes, but they had to figure out exactly what was going on first. Reconnaissance would be key.

"Are there any Rangers stationed here?" Zelda asked Eliza.

The captain shrugged, "Maybe Sixth Platoon? Those Rangers always come and go without saying anything."

"We will need to be subtle in our approach to the Domain. We cannot make any moves before we know what is going on, and their intel gathering will be invaluable."

Eliza nodded, "Roger that. I'll ask around, see if we can scrounge anyone up, your highness."

"Thank you, captain. I'd hate to ask this of you, but we will be needing a ship, as well."

"Just one?" Eliza asked, raising a brow. Zelda nodded an affirmative. "Well you're in luck, as I've got just the perfect ship."


Link and Mira scratched their heads as they looked up at the ship that was waiting for them at the docks. There floated the Swiftwind, in all its patched up glory, waiting to disembark on yet another "grand" adventure. Okay, maybe they weren't giving the crew enough credit. They'd only been in the city for a little less than a day now, but Reiner, his men, and the talented shipwrights of the Port Hylia dry docks, had done a miracle job on repairing the vessel.

A new main mast had already been bolted onto the top deck, and almost every cannon hole that was once on the hull had already been supplanted by new, polished wood. The lower deck, once used for merchant cargo, had been reconverted to harbour another row of cannon, their muzzles excitedly poking out of the lower deck's now-open windows.

"...How the hell did they get this up and running so fast?" Link asked, mostly to himself.

Eliza had a knowing smirk on her face, "I put in a little request to our friendly neighbourhood shipmasters last night. I figured you guys would be needing her again."

"You did that for a merchant?" Mira inquired, incredulous.

The officer shook her head, "Reiner is a merchant now, but in his heyday he was a Navy officer too. They used to call him 'Commander Reiner the Swift', I was actually reporting to him at a few points when I first enlisted into the Navy."

"Hence, 'Swiftwind.'" Link muttered. While he was impressed and all, he still could not get over Reiner's corny name for his vessel. In any case, it made sense that the man was so fearless in the battle against the pirates. They had made some capable allies, that was for certain.

"Would a brig have enough firepower?" Impa asked, referring to the size of the ship.

"We do not need firepower," Zelda reminded her, "The important thing is that it is quick, and small enough for us to lay low among the other large ships that are on the docks of the Domain."

"She'll have a capable crew as well," Eliza said, "I've got some of my best sailors on board accompanying you guys in case you get into a pickle."

"This is real serious," Link observed, "Just how bad are these Separatists?"

"We do not know, but the kidnapping of a princess is already grounds for swift and decisive action," Zelda explained. "They are not to be treated lightly."

"I could not have said it better myself, your highness." Impa remarked, putting a hand on her pupil's shoulder, "Perhaps my teachings actually are getting through that stubborn head of yours."

Zelda returned with a smirk, "Perhaps." She turned to look at their newly banded party. The two bounty hunters were still recovering from their skirmish earlier in the day. Link, the hero-to-be, looked anything but with his bloodstained tunic and limp arm. Mira, their newfound taguel ally, seemed a bit weary but was significantly less injured than her partner. Regardless, their faces told the princess they were still ready to go.

But was this such a good idea? Even before that, was it even a good idea for herself to jump headfirst into this sort of operation? She'd had minimal amounts of real combat experience up until this week, relying on her countless hours of training with Impa. They had no clue what kind of enemy they would be facing. Even with the sheikah, she could not help but feel they may have been getting over their heads.

This was truly trial by fire. For the hero and for herself.

"I suggest we leave at dusk," Impa said, looking at the sky, "It would minimize any attention we would make once we enter the Domain, and it would give us time to recoup, as well."

Zelda nodded, "We leave at dusk then. A proper meal will do all of us some good."

Eliza motioned to the barracks, "I'll head back to HQ and see if I can get a hold of the Rangers before then. You guys will need all the help you can get."

"Thank you again, Eliza." Impa said, holding out her hand.

The captain took her hand before grinning, "Don't thank me until you're out of the shit."

The party watched Eliza retreat down the road before Impa and Zelda took the lead in escorting the bounty hunters to the tavern they were staying at.

As they made their way down the cobblestones, Link took this opportunity to speak up, "Excuse me if this is out of line, your highness, but is it really such a good idea to bring the two of us along?"

"Are you referring to your injuries?" Zelda asked.

"Well, that, and also the fact that we aren't really military types or anything." The young man shrugged, "We're just bounty hunters. Even then, I've only started hunting fiends for a few weeks, if that."

Impa raised a brow, "A few weeks? What were you doing before that?"

"I worked on a ranch in Ordona. I ride a horse better than I can swing a sword."

The sheikah gave her liege a look of uncertainty, "I don't think we will be doing much horse riding where we are going, I'm afraid."

"But what about the Beast of Faron? I heard it killed dozens of our soldiers, surely that could not have been pure coincidence." Zelda pointed out.

Mira nodded, "It's true. I may have helped, but I gotta admit - you did most of the heavy lifting there."

Link stayed silent. Zelda understood his apprehension, she was feeling it as well, after all. She grabbed his left wrist, forcing them to stop.

"The symbol on your hand…" the princess trailed off, unsure of how she would explain it. He couldn't know yet, it was just too soon. They needed to do this first, at least. "Means that you aren't just some rancher. You are more than that. And if you aren't right now, then you will be."

The young man raised a brow, "How can you be so sure?"

Zelda gave another knowing smile, holding up her hand, "Because I have it too."

Link looked at the cobblestones on the street, deep in thought. He put a hand up to his bandaged shoulder, lightly tracing it before nodding to himself, "Alright. We promised Mipha we would bring her back."

"Damn straight!" Mira exclaimed, patting her partner on the back, "Besides, I would've dragged you along even if you decided not to go anyway."

"Thank you, your highness." Link said, bowing his head.

Zelda giggled once more, "In the words of our esteemed Navy captain, 'don't thank me until we're out of the shit.'"

The party gawked at the princess' language but, with a spring in her step, she began walking down the street by herself.

Her first mission was completed, and she had found what she was looking for and more. There was so much that she wanted to tell them, about all of her dreams and all the dangers they would soon be facing. But she knew that, right now, they had a challenge ahead of them.

It was the perfect chance to test their mettle.


Author's Notes/Rambles:

Sheesh, it took me a YEAR AND A HALF to get this out. Things have been crazy especially with society transitioning out of pandemic mode (up here in Canada, at least), and I'm sure everyone else has been feeling it too.

Regardless of all of the things going on in life, this chapter was difficult to write because I was torn between whether or not I wanted to link (hah) Zelda and Link's storylines together at this point in the story. Ultimately, I felt it would be redundant to keep trying to extend their storylines separately - this story is about them, after all.

I've always loved the idea of a class/race struggle especially with all the iconic races that have existed within the Zelda lore. It happens in real life, so why wouldn't it happen in Hyrule too? And while Link may be the hero, I wanted to make sure that he isn't there yet. Everyone is still stronger, more experienced, and more important than him. Triforce of Courage or not, he's still mortal and has mortal thoughts like everyone else.

With the brain juices now flowing, the next chapter should come out quicker (fingers crossed).

Thanks for reading! :) Stay safe.

- K