Link made his way through the halls that he'd become familiar with over the past few days. He kept his expression morbid, but the guards who did see him didn't bat an eye. And when he rounded a corner, he could see that his plan had worked better than anticipated.

There were bodies, and soldiers wrapping them in shrouds. Some guards were moving them away, others, piling the bodies up. There were guards on their hands and knees cleaning blood off the ground. It was chaos.

"That one for the pyre?" a guard asked.

He could feel Zelda tense, so he tightened his grip on her in a silent reassurance.

"No. I'm going to the field to bury her."

The guard gave him a strange look. "Why? The pyre is as good as the grave."

Link snarled, stepping closer. "Yeah? How about I kill your wife and then tell you the same thing?"

The man's gaze loosened as he stared at Zelda's covered body. "She was your… I'm sorry for your loss. Of course, go."

Link went to move but stopped. "Did you kill the bastards who did this to everyone?"

The silence in the man's response was answer enough. He finally cleared his throat. "Keep your sword ready, in here and out in Hyrule Field. They're on the loose and they're dangerous."

"Not as dangerous as I can be," he said easily before continuing walking.

He adjusted Zelda against him, easing her neck pain as she let it hang back.

His voice lowered. "I opened every cell that key would fit in and let them loose. They went back and opened the rest."

He could feel her nod in acknowledgement, though she didn't dare speak.

Winding corridors, flights of stairs, even the clash of swords in the distance didn't stop them from continuing. But what did freeze Link in his tracks was the sight of the raging Demon King himself. Link ducked around a corner, waiting.

"How many!" Ganondorf shouted at someone.

A much smaller, meeker voice responded. "We lost twenty."

There was a clatter as something was thrown in rage. "Kill the rest, now!"

Ganondorf stormed past Link, not even glancing in their direction, followed shortly by the other soldier.

Taking advantage of the moment, Link hurried until he ducked out the door that led into the light. Though, as he made it outside, he had to slow his pace, to match the others who were bringing bodies outside. He followed the line, like ants leading their colony to a piece of food. They made their way to a large fire in the middle of a clearing in the Field.

Link hissed as he looked around, eyes burning in the sun. He had gone straight into the castle to fight Ganondorf, so he'd missed all the destruction that had ensued after the Demon King's victory. The charred, grey remains of a once green landscape, the black, fallen trees, the constant fog, he hadn't seen any of it until that moment.

He tightened his grip and veered off from the main group, picking up the pace until they were in a small, secluded area.

Setting Zelda down, he unrolled the fabric and let Zelda sit for a moment to catch her breath. He smoothed back some of her wild hair before looking around.

Her eyes weren't focused, but the light irritated her more than she'd thought after being locked in the dark dungeons. She clutched her head and covered her eye, groaning.

"We'll find potions," Link assured her, helping her to her feet. "We'll find a town first, though."

"Hey!" someone called.

Link and Zelda spun at the approach of three soldiers. Link angled himself in front of Zelda but put an easy smile on his face. "Can I help you?"

"What are you two doing over here?"

Link snaked his arm around Zelda's waist, pulling her closer. "My girl here was in the raid. Nearly got killed. But I found her, and I'm very grateful that she's alive. I was just about to show her how grateful I am. If you wouldn't mind… oh, I don't know, leaving?"

"Oh," one of the men said, nodding after looking them both over. The other looked a bit jealous, but also backed away.

But the third watched them suspiciously. "No, wait." Link's arm unwrapped from Zelda and rested on the uniform sword at his waist. The man took another step closer, squinting. "She looks familiar. I know her but… ah! She's Ganondorf's little bitch! She's the one he always wants guarded!"

All three guards grabbed their swords, and Link pushed Zelda back a few paces before pulling his own out, dipping into a defensive stance.

"Should I start running?" Zelda muttered, looking at the burly soldiers.

But Link chuckled darkly, swinging the sword around in his hands for good measure. "They're here for you, not me. I wouldn't split up. One would try to keep me distracted, the other two would go for you. Don't worry, I injured the Demon King. I wouldn't count me out so quickly, ye of little faith."

The three guards walked closer, swords up.

"Give me your knife, then." Zelda said, spying one on the back of Link's belt.

He reached back and pulled it out, handing it to her without ever looking away.

With a deep breath, Link checked where Zelda was one more time before three swords descended on him.

He deflected two immediately, giving him just enough time to force the third soldier backwards and out of sword's reach. But the other two didn't give him a moment to press any other opportunities.

All pain forgotten in the midst of a fight, Link kept his feet moving, never standing still for a moment. He knew from experience on the battlefield that he'd likely be dead quickly if he allowed the soldiers to get on either side of him, and he did everything to keep that from happening. Ducking and dodging, he parried several blows, and tried to get a clear shot at any of them, though his openings were few. He felt distracted, continuing to look behind him at Zelda. She was wisely moving with him, staying a few paces away, but behind him, as if he was her shield.

Twisting downwards, Link managed to slice his blade deeply across one of the soldier's legs, causing him to fall. Though he wasn't dead, he was out of the picture for now, and Link could much easier focus on two opponents than three.

Testing the strength in his legs that he still hadn't regained, he figured that he could run on momentum. With a steeled breath, he plowed his body into the closer guard and deflected his sword away, pushing the man against the other soldier. The other soldier had raised his sword defensively, and the blade ripped through his ally's flesh rather than Link's, though Link could feel the sting of it grazing the inside of his arm.

Letting out a grunt of pain, Link shook out his arm and met the remaining soldier's blows easily until his blade cut the man's neck.

Link pushed his hair back and strode over to the injured man, finishing him off quickly, and then back to the other, stabbing him to ensure he'd died before turning back to Zelda.

She looked disgusted, but not horrified. "I will never get used to that," she admitted as Link hurried back over to her. "You're a good fighter."

"I am," he agreed, though it was surprisingly humble and almost regretful in tone, like he wished he were something else.

Zelda grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Link, you got me out of the castle. I can't help but wondering what you're going to do next?"

He sighed and grabbed his bleeding arm. "Look for a stream or a pond?"

"I'm serious."

Taking a breath, he let it out slowly, considering. "I don't know. Maybe to Prince Daltus' army. What about you?"

"That's where I'm going to go as well."

He looked her over, his eyes stopping on how tightly she still gripped her knife. "Care for an escort? Though, you might be the one covering my back." He reached slowly towards her hands and managed to loosen her grip on the knife.

But she quickly pulled it back with wide eyes. "Listen to me closely, Link. I'm not going back there. If I am brought back to the castle, I will break. I can't watch him torture everyone, or you if you're caught with me, and I can't be left in that hole again. All of it together? I'd likely crack just to be offered the chance to die."

She held up the knife to make her point. "I will not go back alive. My death would allow my secrets to die with me, and I couldn't doom a kingdom. And I need you, I need you to promise me something, Link."

He waited, his eyes darting between her and the knife uneasily. "What?"

"If I can't do it, I need you to. No matter what, no matter how afraid I am… I need you to kill me if I can't do it myself. It's for Hyrule."

"Okay," he said quickly, taking a deliberate step into her space. He was still covered in blood spatter, and his arm was dripping. His tall height and large, muscular frame had her take a step away, but he followed each step she took. "I'll do that for you. But you owe me one thing in return for that promise."

"What?"

"The guards recognized you as Ganondorf's most valuable prisoner, but no one can even find the Princess's cell. I won't take a single step until you tell me who you are."

"Link…" she hesitated. She shouldn't tell him. It would be safer for him and for everyone else. But the threat of Ganondorf killing him for that knowledge alone was gone for now. Link would be safe from losing his tongue and his life if she told him. But then again… he was the only person who treated her like anything but royalty, and she wanted to keep it that way.

But she couldn't.

"I am Princess Zelda."