Chapter 50: Return to Hyrule
AN: Hello! Still working hard on these stories. My plan is to finish this story by the end of August, so I have the goal in sight. Hopefully, I can get it done by that time. We're pretty close to the end so, I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to read my work. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward to finishing this one up and starting the third one soon.
***I don't own anything in this story, so please don't sue me.***
Zelda reappeared in a world that was vastly different than home. She looked around and it seemed that everyone was here; present and accounted for.
"Where is-" Zelda's voice cut off as she witnessed the blue being known as Tabuu in the distance. "…it's back."
"This time, we won't lose." Samus looked around and picked up her helmet. The visor had a crack, but Samus didn't care. She hit a button and her power suit unfolded and opened up to where she could step inside and it molded around her body.
"Is…is that-" Virginia nervously stammered.
"Tabuu." Samantha said with a cold tone.
"Zelda." Ryoma stated and looked over at the queen.
"Ryoma, Sakura…does that mean, the only people who are here-"
"I'm gonna kill 'em." The group turned to see Falco giving himself a pep talk. "I'm going to fucking jail because I'm gonna kill this goddamn bitch."
"Falco, calm down. You can't just rush in there and-" Fox looked over to see an angered Gannondorf. Virginia yelled as she hid behind her older sister.
"It's the guy who tried to kill me!" She exclaimed as he turned to face her and she yelped before hiding again.
"Well, princess of-"
"You better have a death wish, Gannon." Samus pointed her plasma cannon at him. "You're going to do exactly as I ask before I kill you."
"Samus, let's not be too-" She slammed the gun into his gut and he groaned in pain as he fell over.
"Girls, get over here." Samus instructed while she grabbed Gannon's free hand. "If you so much as move without my permission, I'm throwing your ass into a fucking meat grinder." Gannon didn't respond, but Samus grabbed his hand and held it in the middle of them. "Girls, put your hands in." Both girls complied and after a few seconds, a golden triforce appeared before the entire group.
"What is that?" Fox squinted to see it better, but it did not help at all.
"The triforce." Zelda replied. "Only the one with the purest heart can possess the entire piece."
"It should be…muh…me…" Gannondorf groaned. Samus kicked him and he groaned once more in pain.
"Asshole, we're in this situation because of you!"
"Perhaps it should be myself." Zelda suggested.
"Zelda, we've been through a lot. You recently lost-"
"Don't remind me." Zelda's eyes began welling up.
"You're really high strung. I don't think-"
"So, what? You think you should possess it?" Zelda folded her arms and glared at her in anger.
"I didn't say-"
"Ryoma? Sakura?" Leo asked as he and his older brother approached the Hoshidan siblings. "Everyone, the attack has already begun. While you all are squabbling like children, we need assistance in defeating…ah…um…our…ourselves."
"What? What do you mean ourselves?" Fox questioned the Nohrian prince.
"Fox! Look!" Krystal pointed to a purple figure that had a striking resemblance to the former Star fox Commander.
"Is that…me?" Fox asked with surprise before getting angry. "I'm going to kill myself." He was about to start running before realizing what he said. "I-I mean him…who is me…I'm going to kill the other me…that isn't me, but…"
"Pops, we get it. Come on, let's go." Marcus nudged his father and the McCloud family took off towards their clones. Jackson and Alexander saw their clones rushing towards them.
"Trade?" Jackson asked his brother and he nodded. They switched places and dashed forward to attack. Alex began throwing punches and blocking attacks from the other. Jackson began blocking attacks, but he was more comfortable with a weapon in hand.
"I need something…anyone have a weapon or anything?" He received a kick to the face and hit the ground hard. He sat up and felt something hit the back of his head. "OW!" He yelled and rubbed his head. He noticed a shiny black pistol on the ground.
"Jackson!" Samus yelled and the prince turned to her. She was fending off Link's clone as well as Donkey Kong's. "Point and shoot!" Jackson grabbed the gun and fired four rounds at his brother's clone. Only one shot landed before the gun was knocked from his hand. He began crawling away; staring with fear at the clone. Alexander punched him in the head and helped his brother up.
"I snagged this from that ugly motherfucker." He pointed at Gannondorf who was still arguing with Zelda and Samus. In his hand was a dull, bland sword that looked quite old. Jackson took it and got into a stance.
"You were always better with weapons." Alexander smiled.
"Thanks, bro." Jackson nodded his head. "Mom's not gonna like it, but we're going to kill them."
"It's going to be a slaughter." Alexander smirked and Jackson blocked the next strike from his clone with the sword. He then swung the blade and cut off his clone's arm. Then he made multiple cuts and the clone fell down like a stack of cards.
"Nice one, Jackson!" Alexander punched his brother's arm before kicking his clone. "My turn."
"Wait!" Jackson called out and ran towards the gun. "Catch!" He yelled and threw the gun. "Alexander caught it and lined up the shot. He shot the opponent five times; the head, the neck, the heart, and the ankles were the targets. He nodded his head and turned to his brother.
"We make a pretty good team." Jackson said with a smile.
"My brother-in-arms and my brother in real life." Alexander held out his fist and Jackson bumped it with his own fist. While the brothers were quickly celebrating their victory, Samus, Zelda, and Gannondorf were still squabbling.
"Look, we need to decide who-" Samus was hit by something and Gannondorf, Samus, and Zelda all were knocked away from the triforce. Near them, Link ran up and attacked the Zelda and Samus copy by himself. Snake rushed in and joined in attempting to defeat the two women. Gannondorf's clone then hit both of them and knocked them aside; Link and Snake groaning in pain while they stared at the triforce.
"No!" Zelda yelled as the copy of Zelda reached out for the triforce. Everyone stared helplessly at them; unable to do anything. Samantha, too scared to move, Serena was confused at what was happening, and Virginia could only watch her walk towards the triforce. She looked around for something that could stop her, but all she saw was Link's master sword.
"Sam!" Samus called out. "Grab the sword! Use it against them!" Samantha shook her head and rushed towards the sword. She tried to lift it, but she couldn't get it to budge. "Stop messing around, and lift it!"
"I can't!" She yelled back. "It's not working!" She received a boot the chest and it knocked her back. Instead of going for the triforce, the clone of Serena began attacking the firstborn; slapping and clawing at her face. Virginia saw her two pokémon nearby and she whistled once to get their attention. Torch and Zap ran towards her and from their training with the princess, they could tell that she needed them to fight. Virginia clicked her tongue and the two charged at the clone of Serena. Zap tackled the imposter and when she had enough distance from Samantha, Torch used flamethrower on the clone. Zap used thunder and together, the damage would've been enough to cause harm to any normal being. The clone, however, got up like nothing had happened.
"Wha…" Virginia gasped and now saw the clone of Samus Aran running towards them and in one fell strike, Zap and Torch were knocked out.
"No! Torch! Zap!" Virginia cried out to no avail. She was then shoved to the ground with golden eyes glaring at her. Braixen and the real Serena attempted to help, but Samus was far too powerful and knocked them aside easily. Virginia began panicking and noted the nearest weapon around her was Link's sword.
'Grab it.' A voice spoke to her and Virginia looked around.
"What did you say?" She asked herself before remembering what Hylia had just told her. Are you…Fa-Farore?"
'Yes, you idiot! Grab the sword!' The female's voice yelled. Gannondorf's clone turned his attention to Zelda.
"I can't lift that!" She exclaimed while the clone walked closer to her mother.
'Virginia, your family will die right here if you don't do something!' Virginia gulped hard.
"Alright…alright!" She looked up and rolled out of the way before Samus' clone could strike her. She sprinted towards the sword and pushed her sister aside.
"Ginny! What are you-" Samantha stopped as her sister sprinted forward and went for a horizontal slice with Link's sword against the monster attacking her mother.
"Virginia?" Samus asked in surprise, but the princess was focused on her opponent.
"Stay away from my mother! N-no one f-fucks with my family!" She yelled with aggression. "I'll kill you!"
The triforce of courage…" Zelda smiled. "She can wield Link's sword."
"Sam!" Link called out and was about to toss his shield to her when she got hit in the back of the head. She grunted as she fell to the ground, but she turned around and quickly recovered. She was now face-to-face with her own clone.
"There is no way I look that ugly." Samantha held up her fists. "You hate us, 'cause you ain't us. Can't blame you…we're pretty fucking awesome." The copy of Samantha rushed the original and the two engaged in a brawl. Virginia was busy attempting to fend off her parents' clones as her pokémon watched with worry.
"Zap! Torch! Help my sister!" Virginia ordered while Serena found her feet again. She checked on the health of her pokémon as well as Virginia's before turning their attention to Samantha's opponent.
"Braixen! Flamethrower! Attack the two purple people…things." Braixen followed orders and manage to clip the purple enemies. While Samantha was losing ground, her copy kicked her in the stomach and was standing over the original.
"Hey asshole." Samus called out and Samantha's copy turned around to be greeted by a discharge from Samus' plasma cannon.
"When I say no one fucks with my family, I goddamn mean it." Samus got up and groaned as she returned to her feet. "You alright, kid?"
"I'm fine." Samantha replied as Falco's clone knocked Samus down. She stood up and smirked.
"I've waited a long time for this…" She laughed and punched him hard in the face. Falco tackled the queen and pecked at Samus' shoulder. She punched him in the gut and kicked him off of her. Zelda stood up and attempted to fight her own clone one-on-one. She matched her for the longest time until the clone began tearing her dress.
"This is my favorite dress, you fucking skank!" Zelda yelled and blasted the clone away from her. "I have to do so much sewing…" Zelda whined before turning around and getting hit in the jaw by a cloned Bowser.
"Mother!" Virginia cried out and charged with her new weapon in hand towards the koopa king. She swung hard and connected with his shell. It didn't do much aside from gather his attention. He turned, but was then hit by a gunshot and a spell. Virginia turned around to see Bayonetta and Palutena joining their cause.
"If anyone is going to kill you, it will be me." Bayonetta spoke with a pointed tone. Virginia gulped while Palutena continued the attack. In another area, Lloyd Irving and his father, Kratos, were back to back, attacking multiple opponents that attempted to step towards them. Battles ensued as far as the eye could see; each and every opponent and ally were receiving bumps and bruises. Cuts and scars from the ensuing battle with no end in sight. Samantha saw the copy of Gannondorf now heading for the triforce.
"No!" She yelled and charged towards the triforce. She wasn't set on stopping him; her main goal was to move the triforce. She dove for the triforce and, to her surprise, the original Gannondorf pulled his copy away from the triforce to prevent him from utilizing its power; giving Samantha the clear passage to the triforce. She dove right into it and her body was now emerged in that white light once more. When she came to, she was standing in a room with every single member of the royal family from Hyrule standing before her.
"Samantha…do you realize what this means?" Hylia sat on her throng and smiled.
"I'm dead? For a third time?" She asked.
"No, dumbass." Tetra remarked. "You-"
"Tetra, don't talk to my granddaughter that way." Grace scolded the pirate girl.
"Grace, shut up. This is serious." While the queens bickered, behind the princess, a shadowy figure slowly wrapped their hands around her waist.
"We could kill them all…together…we could-"
"Kill who?" Samantha questioned.
"All of them!" The shadowy figure pointed to her family. "All it'd take is a little motivation and-"
"Midna, stop it." Daphnes ordered the shadow figure. Midna laughed and then appeared in her full form in front of the princess.
"I'm just having fun…unless…you really want to…"
"Midna!" He ordered again.
"ENOUGH!"
Hylia's voice boomed and everyone grew silent. "Samantha, you are the hero I spoke of before. You possess the perfect amount of power, courage, and wisdom needed to wield the triforce. This means…" Hylia stood up and approached the woman. "The triforce's power is at your disposal."
"The triforce's…power?" Samantha was now more confused than ever. "So…what does that mean? Is that like, I own you all?"
"For a brief period, yes. I shall grant a single request from you. Whatever it is you desire…money…power…anything."
"Anything I want…" Samantha repeated and thought.
"Come on, kid…hurry up." Tetra tapped her foot with annoyance.
"I'm thinking…" She pondered. "Wait, why are they all here?"
"We, the family of Hyrule, are sworn to protect the triforce at all costs. So, in an instance like this, we have gathered here together to deliver any reasonable request to the hero or heroine."
"Reasonable?" Samantha asked.
"I am unable to resurrect those who have become deceased…like your grandfather." Samantha thought for a moment; she felt like she should at least try to bring him back, but now that Hylia had told her otherwise, she needed a new request.
"I…um…I think I know what to ask."
"You already have an answer?" Hylia asked with surprise. "Very well. What is your request?"
"Can you…defeat Tabuu? Like, I don't think any of us can…but you…you're like the most powerful goddess ever. Martel, Ashera from Tellius…that one from…uh…that land far away. Lady Rhea is this all-powerful-"
"You mean Seiros? I know that child. She brings so much joy to the afterlife."
"Hold on, you know her? Like…know her, know her?"
"Of course." Hylia lightly laughed. "Though she was a mere child when we first met, Seiros is a blessing to speak to. Though she does enjoy naps more than most people I know, she has a kind aura about her." Hylia smiled.
"A-Anyway…that is my wish. Lady Hylia…please…I wish for you to eliminate Tabuu and his army." A golden flash appeared around her and Hylia stood up.
"No way…" Tetra gasped as Hylia descended the steps to stand with the firstborn.
"You might want to return to your body. I'll be but a moment." She began stretching.
"…what are you doing?" Samantha asked.
"It's been a few millennia since I last visited the land of the living…just need to prepare for battle. It certainly has been awhile." The goddess began stretching her calves. "Go. Go on…I'll be right there." Samantha looked around, but didn't see an opening.
"Nayru, would you mind?" Hylia reached up as high as she could to stretch her ribcage. Nayru approached the firstborn and held out her hand.
"Magic is at your fingertips. Just imagine what you want….where you want to go…what you want to happen…and make it so…" Samantha closed her eyes and moved her left hand in a clockwise motion. A portal appeared and it continued growing until it was big enough for her to walk through.
"I did it…" Samantha gasped with a smile. "I did it! I did magic!"
"Excellent." Hylia reached down and she was able to grab her ankles with ease. To Samantha's surprise, she was about as flexible as Samus. "I believe I am ready. Shall we?" She gestured towards the portal. Samantha walked alongside the goddess as the two of them walked through. As soon as Samantha walked through everything went black and she slowly opened her eyes.
"…your fault!" Samus yelled as she punched Gannondorf.
"Zelda, stop it!" Link yelled at her and pulled her back.
"Forget her. Deal with her later. Right now , we-"
"Samantha!" Marcus gasped and hugged his wife. "Don't do that again. You scared me…I thought I lost you…"
"She's here…she's going to save us…" Samantha weakly replied. The group looked at one another.
"Who's here?" There was a loud explosion and everyone turned to see Hylia; a few yards away, causing destruction and chaos for the purple beings.
"Hylia?!" Samus exclaimed. "I mean…no, fuck it…is that really Hylia?!"
"I asked her to help…she's…going to help us…" Samantha chuckled as Hylia continued her murderous onslaught against every single purple clone leading up to Tabuu.
"Is she going to take on Tabuu?" Krystal asked. "Can she do it?"
"We are talking about the great goddess known only as Lady Hylia…she can defeat anyone." Zelda looked on with a smile. Finally, Hylia made it to the platform across from Tabuu.
"You have endangered my family." Hylia stated with no response or expression from the blue being. "Have you no remorse?" Again, no response, so Hylia closed her eyes and slowly inhaled before exhaling. "May the gods have mercy on your soul…for I have none." Tabuu launched an assault against the goddess, but Hylia waved it off like she was dismissing a verbal insult.
"Oh, fuck yes!" Samus grinned. "Kill 'em! Fucking murder that asshole!" She yelled out. Hylia paid her no attention and raised one arm with an open palm. She had conjured an incredible spell that severed Tabuu's arm from his body. Even from the great distance the entire group was at, Zelda felt the impact that the spell had against the being. Tabuu tried to conjure another spell against the goddess with his other hand, but she blocked that attack and used another spell to bind him and restrain him. Tabuu struggled to no avail while Hylia gently pressed her thumbs, pointer fingers, and middle fingers against one another. A white light appeared above the goddess.
"No one…" Hylia looked at the blue being. Her eyes now completely white and her expression was complete rage. "…fucks…with my family…" A giant golden triforce appeared above her. She screamed and opened both hands towards the being and the light blasted encased his entire body in white. The power was similar to electricity in the air…even breathing felt painful. A shimmering gold light engulfed every fighter around and suddenly, they were gone.
"Wha…uugh…ow…" Virginia gulped hard and looked around. She didn't know where she was or what happened. She turned her head and was greeted by some animal's tongue across her face. She turned her face and wiped her eyes before looking up.
'What is this spotted creature?' Farore asked within Virginia's mind. "You being! I will smite you!"
"You're going to kill a cow? Just for licking you? It didn't even lick you!" Virginia exclaimed as she stood up and got a better look. She was on some kind of farm. Two children were next to a brunette woman and what she presumed to be her husband. The young red haired boy turned and hid behind his father. The man turned and Saw Virginia standing in the field.
"Hey!" Hey called out and walked towards the fence. "You know, there are better places to take a nap than here." He laughed. The brunette woman's eyes were red and she walked up to the fence.
"Um…" She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I'm really s-sorry, but we're closed today. We'll be reopening in a week…"
"I'm so sorry." Virginia apologized before noticing her mother sitting in the corner while another cow licked her face. "Mother?"
"Hey…we did it…" Samus laughed and rubbed the cow's head. "We beat up the bad guy…I didn't see you doing anything." Samus joked as she spoke to the cow. The cow let out a joyous moo before licking her once more. Samus laughed and kissed the top of the cow's head. "You're a sweetie pie, aren't ya?" She took a deep breath and groaned as she got to her feet.
"Oh my god!" A woman yelled. Samantha turned to see a red haired woman's eyes growing big and her jaw dropped. "You…you're Samus Aran…The Samus Aran."
"Yup…the one and only." Samus winced as she caught her breathe. "Fuck…Virginia…we gotta get home."
"Can I get an autograph? Please? Pretty please?" She begged the woman. Samus didn't feel like signing anything, but on the other hand, she wasn't certain if she owned the farm.
"Alright." Samus replied. "What am I signing?" The redhead sprinted back to her house and returned with an old photo of Samus Aran and a pen.
"Mother? You look so…"
"Don't say it." Samus smirked and uncapped the pen. "What's your name?"
"N-Nami." She replied. Samus signed her name and handed the photo back. "Did you call her mother?"
"Yes. I'm her second daughter."
"You're Virginia?" Nami asked.
"Who's Virginia?" The brunette asked.
"Remember that girl's night we had? Sam got super drunk and I spent the night with her? While she was emptying her stomach, she complained about the people who left her. Some guy named Marcus and a girl named Virginia."
"Sam got drunk in this small little place?" Samus chuckled. "Can't imagine why she'd come here."
"She just appeared one day." The man replied. "She spent some time with that kid she was watching."
"Genny? She was here, too?"
"Yep." The man nodded. "By the way, I'm Jack and this is my wife, Celia."
"It's very nice to meet you all." Samus turned to the red head. "Hey…name, right?" she nodded her head. "If you give me a week, I can find you a good husband…or wife…if you want."
"I'm married." She laughed and kissed Jack's cheek.
"You're married to two women?" Samus questioned.
"I guess I'm the luckiest man in the world." He laughed and Samus smiled.
"Look, I wish I could offer more, but we really need to get going to Hyrule." Jack looked concerned before looking back at the stable.
"How are you at horseback?" He asked.
"I can ride." Samus nodded. Jack whistled loud and a majestic horse walked up to him.
"This is Ace. He's my only horse. Head northwest from here. Depending how fast you go, you can probably make it there by nightfall. Just take him to Malon's place. You know where her farm is?"
"Yes. I'll drop him off there. Thank you so much, Jack. Next time you're in Hyrule, come to the castle. I pay my debts back in full." Samus climbed on the horse and helped Virginia on. "Hold on tight, sweetheart." Virginia complied and wrapped her arms tightly against her mother. Samus pulled the reigns and they took off towards Hyrule.
Zelda woke up in an empty field along with Virginia's two pokémon licking her face. She laughed and groaned as she sat up.
"Wha…what is this place?" She heard a young girl's humming nearby and picking vegetables. She turned to face Zelda and screamed as she sprinted away from her. Zelda looked disappointed for a moment before an army ran towards her.
"Alright you!" One mean looking man yelled at the queen.
"Hold!" Zelda held out a hand while the two pokémon growled at the men.
"Stand down!" A man's voice called out from the back. He, along with two women walked to the front of the group.
"Vyse!" Zelda exclaimed with a smile. "Aika and Fina too."
"Hey Zelda! Long time, no see!" Aika smiled.
"I haven't seen you in…" Fina rubbed the back of her head. "Gosh, Zelda…I don't remember how long-" She noted Zelda's quivering lip and her eyes filled with sorrow. "Is…did I say something wrong?"
"My father…he is dead." Zelda stated quietly. The three allies gasped.
"Daphnes? He can't be…" Vyse gasped. "You're lying."
"Why would she lie?" Fina asked the man. "She gains nothing by lying to us…and Zelda doesn't lie. She's never lied to us."
"Holy shit…" Aika shook her head. "Vyse-"
"On it. Ready a ship. We're heading to Hyrule immediately." Vyse ordered and a few men turned ran from the group to ready a ship.
"Who are they?" Fina asked while they were still growling at them. Zelda sniffled and Torch turned around and nuzzled her cheek.
"Torch…" She whimpered as the fire pokémon whimpered as well. Zelda weakly smiled and kissed her forehead. Zap walked towards Zelda and rested her head on her knee. "They are Virginia's pokémon."
"They look cute." Aika admired he pets as they remained quiet against the queen. Zelda sniffled and closed her eyes in silence.
'Lilly…please…please stay strong for me…' Zelda begged while trying to restrain any more tears from flowing out of her eyes. One of the pirates approached Vyse and nodded his head.
"Zelda, we're ready." He informed his friend. Zelda looked up and sniffled once more and stood up. Torch and Zap stayed close and growled at anyone who got too close to the queen or to them. Zelda followed her friends to the boat and they quickly sailed with their sights set for Hyrule.
Jackson sat up and looked around his surroundings. Good fortune was with him, as Fox McCloud was with him lying on some fancy carpet.
"Huh?"
"Jackson, look at me." Fox was already up and checking on any exterior injuries on the prince. "Tell me what hurts."
"Nothing." Jackson stated calmly. "I don't feel any pain. That's not to say I don't feel anything."
"Jackson, you'd be honest with me if I asked, right?" The boy nodded and Fox smiled. "Good. Stay close and I'll figure out where we are." Fox pulled his gun and found the nearest door. Fox opened the door and peered outside. "It's clear. Come on, we've got to find some answers." Jackson walked with Fox, but there was something on the young prince's mind.
Hey Fox-"
"Damn." He cursed and hid behind the corner. "There are people at the end of the hall. Looks like we're waiting." He took a seat and noted the troubled look of the boy's face. "Something on your mind, son?"
"Sam and Virginia…they possess the triforce. My parents paid them so much attention…it just feels like-"
"Jackson, don't say it. Don't think it. Don't believe it. Your parents love you as much as they love them."
"Then why don't we have anything special? Alex and I…we don't have anything special."
"I don't know as much about Hyrule's history as your mom…but I do remember reading some stories about the guardians of the triforce. Tell me, your parents…they raised you to be tough?"
"Well, yeah but-"
"You need to be strong enough to protect not only your family, but your kingdom…right?"
"Yeah…" Jackson nodded his head.
"You'd give your life to protect your family, right?"
"Of course."
"Jackson…your mom was hard on you, because they knew that your sisters would carry the burden. Even though they may carry the triforce, there are still people who may try to remove it from them."
"I'll kill them!" He yelled before covering his mouth. "Shit…sorry." Fox motioned for Jackson to move back as he was listening for his enemies. When they finally turned the corner, he pounced.
"Get off him!" Genis yelled and began hitting the fox's back.
"St-stop! P-please…leave me alone!" Emil curled up in the fetal position. Fox was holding Emil on the ground and he quickly realized these were not enemies.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Us?!" Genis exclaimed. "You're the ones who showed up here!"
"Where is here?" Fox questioned the half-elf.
"Altamira. This is the Lezareno Company. Leave Emil alone." Fox got off the young man and offered a hand to help him up.
"Sorry." He apologized and Emil nervously looked away from him.
"I-I'm sorry." He apologized.
"No, I should apologize. We just got from fighting Tabuu and-"
"You fought Tabuu?" Genis exclaimed. "You've got to tell them." He grabbed fox's hand and sprinted down the hall. Jackson ran after them and he burst through a set of doors. "Guys! You're not going to believe this." Inside consisted of the royal families from the other kingdoms.
"Genis, you really need to learn how to knock." Azura remarked while her daughter was combing her hair.
"Now, Azura…Genis brings us information." Kagero replied. "What is it, young Sage?"
"Fox McCloud just showed up and-"
"Fox?" Chrom asked and took a step forward.
"Hey Chrom…what's this? Some kind of royal's only council meeting?"
"You could say that." Sheena waved while her head rested in Lucina's lap. A young girl was pushing a ball towards a big canine who pushed it back towards her. She giggled and pushed the ball towards an aquatic pokémon who also pushed it back. She giggled again and pushed it back to the canine.
"Should she really be here?" fox pointed towards the child.
"That's Genny." Elise informed the fox. "Her parents are…um…Pal…Palutena and Bayonetta."
"They have a child?" Fox raised an eyebrow. Jackson finally caught up with the man.
"Fuh…Fox…you…ah…slow down…" He breathed heavy and placed his hands on his knees.
"Prince Jackson?" Emmeryn asked as she was sitting at a table next to her sister and across from the princesses of Hoshido and Nohr.
"Hi." He raised a hand to wave at her. He then took a seat on the floor and breathed slower. Lissa took it upon her to check on the prince.
"Jackson, let me take your pulse." She grabbed his wrist and waited.
"Jackson, you should ask them for guidance." Fox suggested.
"What do you mean, guidance?" He asked.
"You feel like you don't have a place in Hyrule. Why don't you spend a few months in Mizuho or travel with Lloyd the next time we see him?"
"What?!" Sheena sat up and exclaimed. "Why?"
"Jackson doesn't feel like he has importance in Hyrule. Kagero, Obero, Niles…maybe? I think the boy needs to leave the kingdom for a bit. But still learn from powerful warriors." Fox declared.
"Jackson." Obero stated and the young man turned to face the Hoshidan princess. "Come to Hoshido. Kaze, Kagero, Saizo, and I will teach you the ways of clan Sheikah. Your grandmother was a ninja, right? She learned from the great Sumeragi. Come with us and we'll teach you the ways of your family."
"Well…" Jackson rubbed the back of his head. "I…kind of want to help people. Sort of like a mercenary…that doesn't charge people. Learning the ways of my grandma's tribe…it just doesn't really interest me."
"This is why Nohr is the proper answer to your dilemma." Owain responded. "You can help all the people you want…and the criminals in Nohr will keep you on your toes. That feeling of justice and righteousness? That's what Nohr will provide."
"If he goes to Nohr, he might as well be writing his epitaph. Nohr has the nastiest criminals known to the world. It's a miracle that the royal family has lived such a posh life."
"Such a shame for a peasant to speak of royalty like that." Niles remarked.
"And a thief? What countries have thieves as royals?" Obero asked.
"Daein has one. Unless you are implying that Daein is run by nasty thieves?" Niles smirked while Obero's face blushed red.
"Niles, shut up." Hinoka responded to the situation.
"Don't tell him to shut up. You shut up!" Charlotte glared at the princess.
"You're just a gold digging-"
"Hinoka, still your tongue." Camilla nudged the red head.
"Don't hit me!" Hinoka shoved Camilla to the ground. While the families from Hoshido and Nohr began arguing, Genny began crying and Emmeryn picked up the child, looked at her brother, and the two nodded to each other. The Ylissean prince waited for his sister to leave and when the door shut, he spoke up.
"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!" Chrom yelled and the room went silent. "Jackson, you're joining us."
"What?" Peri exclaimed. "You can't make that choice for him."
"He wants to help people without payment. He wants to be a mercenary of sorts. Sounds like a shepherd to me."
"Shepherd?" Jackson asked.
"Hey, yeah…that could work." Lissa smiled. "Good thinking, bro."
"What's a shepherd? Well, your definition of a shepherd." Kagero questioned the prince.
"A shepherd's duty is to protect smaller villages. While we were building our army, we assisted the smaller towns with whatever issues they needed. From gathering water, to clearing out towns of brigands and thieves. We sleep under the stars, we hunt for our food…how do you like bear meat?"
"I've never tried it." Jackson admitted.
"You'll learn to appreciate it. What do you say? There's no pay, but I think it'll satisfy your desires." Jackson face lit up with excitement before his smiled disappeared.
"I…can't accept."
"What?" Fox blurted. "Jackson, this is everything you want!"
"I have to get home first. Gramps is dead and-"
"What?! Lord Daphnes is dead?!" Robin exclaimed.
"Shit, that's right…" Fox quietly said. "Chrom, can you hold that offer for a while? Jackson is in a vulnerable state right now. How quickly would we be able to get to Hyrule? Hypothetically, could I ask Robin to create a portal to get us to Hyrule?"
" It won't be soon. I'd need-"
"Ten minutes." Aversa walked into the room holding Genny in her arms. Emmeryn entered behind her. "With Em and my help, we can create a portal within ten minutes."
"It's…Aversa, right?" Fox asked and received a nod to indicate he was correct. "I'll find some way to pay you back."
"We can discuss payment later."
"Aversa…" Emmeryn shook her head in disapproval. Aversa frowned, but looked at Genny and smiled.
"Since Samantha and Virginia took such good care of my goddaughter, I'll consider this even." Aversa kissed the girl's cheek and Genny hugged her. "I trust you to keep her safe while I work. Robin, Em." Aversa called out and the two women followed her out of the room. Jackson observed the young girl in her arms. Genny looked up at him and he smiled at her.
"So…um…do you know Sam?"
"Yeah! She is nice. And V is nice too." Genny smiled.
"Sam is my sister." He informed her.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yep. My name is Jackson." Genny blinked like his name was some kind of foreign word to her. "Uh…how about Jack? Sam calls me that."
"Jack." She pointed at him and he nodded.
"That's me. And you're…what's your name?"
"Genny." She smiled at the boy.
"How about you tell me about the fun you've had with Sam and V?" Jackson asked and took a seat in a chair so the young girl could tell him about all the adventures she had with his sisters.
Alexander sat up and, like his siblings, nothing looked familiar to the youngest child of Hyrule. Before he said anything, his stomach growled and he looked for some source of food.
'Damn…nothing to eat.' Alexander thought as he walked down the road. Hopefully, he'd end up somewhere that could provide food and help him figure out where he was. He came across a restaurant and he smirked. But it faded when he realized he didn't have any money.
"Damn it." He cursed under his breath and sat down on the steps. He gave a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.
"Tse…re…" Something called out. Alexander looked up and then around.
"Hello?"
"Tsereena!" He felt a kick against his back and he then noticed some kind of pokémon standing atop the steps.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"Tsereena!" A green haired woman called out and folded her arms. "You mustn't do that to customers."
"I'm not a customer. Customers have money and I lack-"
"We'll make an exception. Today's your lucky day! My friends are back and we're having a feast!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. An entire group of people were inside. Men and women alike; pokémon of all shapes and sizes as well.
"Hey Mallow, your soup's going to get cold." Kakui called out as he pointed to a bowl of soup.
"Help yourself to whatever. We're all about sharing in Alola."
"So…I'm in the Alola region." Alexander murmured before his stomach growled again.
"Sounds like you need some grub, kid." Francine mentioned. "Here, get some roast beef. It's seriously amazing."
"Thank you." Alexander replied and grabbed a plate to fill up food.
"Kiawe, tell us about that thing you saw. What was it? What happened? Lana? Kakui? What'd you see?" Sophocles threw questions out at a rapid rate.
"There was some blue guy. He was a god or something…it was weird." Kiawe at part of his steak and Kakui picked it up where he left off.
"There was a light or something. There was an incredible battle against the blue god."
"There were two gods, actually." Alexander put some roast beef in his mouth and ate.
"What?" Lusamine asked the prince. "You…know about that?"
"Well, not really. But mom said its name was…Tabuu? Or something like that?"
"Who…are you, exactly?" Faba adjusted his glasses at the boy.
"I'm Alex. Alex Aran. Youngest of four, dreams of being a knight and has a strong love for music."
"Hold on…Aran?" Francine asked. "Oh my God, you're related to Virginia, aren't you?"
"She's my older sister." Alexander responded as he sighed. "I don't have money on me right now, but-"
"Virginia's, like, my best friend!" Mallow smiled. "Alright, look. My name is Mallow. Going from left to right…" She pointed to her right, which was Alexander's left. "Sophocles, Lana, Kiawe, Faba, Wicke, Francine, Kakui, Lusamine, and…" Mallow paused. "Where's-"
"She's cleaning Snowy. She said she'd come by later." Lusamine informed the green haired woman. Alexander sate his fill and exhaled once he had satisfied his hunger.
"Wow…" He leaned back and exhaled. "That was amazing."
"Thank you." Mallow smiled. Alexander thought for a minute before speaking up.
"Look, there must be some way I can pay you back." Alexander insisted before noticing a ukulele and a guitar hanging on the wall.
"Any family of Virginia's is welcome here. I wouldn't think of-"
"Can I see that guitar? How about if I play a song for everyone? I can pay you in cash later." He then noticed his hands were slightly gross. "Actually…let me wash up first." He got up and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands and clean up. He looked at himself and while he looked the same, he felt like a piece of him was missing.
'Gramps…' Alexander thought before closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Pull yourself together, Alex…" He quietly said to himself before exiting and returning to the group.
"If you're serious about the song…" Mallow was now holding the guitar and handed it to the prince. Alexander strummed the guitar and frowned at the noise.
"Do you play often?" Lana asked the young man.
"As often as I can…I have a tutor in Hyrule. But I'm not very good at it." He laughed and strummed again. "Almost…"
"Can you play something fast?" Francine asked. "I've always loved-"
"Francine, come on…let him decide." Kakui insisted. She kissed her husband and lightly blushed.
"Sorry…"
"I'm not good enough to play something fast. If it's all the same to you…there's a lot on my mind. I'd like to play something a bit slower…if you're fine with that."
"That'd be really cool." Sophocles nodded his head while a little round mouse jumped up and down before rolling around the restaurant.
"Togedamaru! You're going to get hurt." The young man cried out. Togedamaru stopped and whimpered like she disobeyed her friend's orders. Sophocles smiled and picked up his friend. Snuggling against him made the pokémon feel better. Alexander finally set the guitar correctly and smiled.
"I'm ready." He began playing a slow melody and began singing.
"We're talking away…I don't know what I'm to say I'll say it anyway…today's another day to find you shying away…I'll be coming for your love, okay?" His mind began wandering as he continued singing. While his family was gone, one of his last memories with his grandfather was playing this song for him.
"Take…on…me…take on me. Take…me…on. Take on me. I'll be gone…in a day or two…" Tears began streaming down his face and he stopped. "I'm sorry." He stopped playing and rubbed his eyes. "I need to get home. Right now…I need a way to get back to Hyrule."
"What's wrong?" Lana questioned her new friend.
"My grandfather passed a little while ago…and the woman who raised my mother…she's not doing well…"
"What's her name?" Wicke asked.
"Lillie!" Lusamine exclaimed. Alexander turned his head.
"You know her?" He then saw the woman who entered holding a white vulpix.
"I'm sorry we're late. Snowy's fur was horrible!" Lillie cried out and Snowy whimpered.
"Lillie, I'm afraid I must-"
"Do not tell me you are leaving. You always do this, mother!" Lillie yelled.
"But Lillie-"
"No! She always-"
"It's fine, I'll find another way." Alexander replied.
"Lillie, Virginia's brother is here. He needs a ride back to Hyrule. His grandfather just died and he needs to return home as quickly as possible." Kakui explained to her.
"You're Virginia's brother?" Lillie asked and the boy nodded. "We must leave at once. Hobbs!" She turned around and called out. A butler ran towards her and bowed.
"Yes, Miss Lillie?"
"I need to use the jet. We must make haste to Hyrule. All of us!" She stated.
"We do not have access to-"
"Faba." Lusamine turned her head. "Get the big one." Faba smirked and nodded. He hit a button and…nothing happened.
"What was that?" Kiawe asked.
"It's coming. Give it a minute."
"Lillie…Lusamine…" Mallow nervously asked. "Can we…ah…come?"
"Of course. That's why we're using the bigger ship." The entire restaurant began shaking and everyone went outside. The ship that Faba requested was a massive ship.
"All aboard!" Faba declared and the group all boarded the ship. "Next stop: Hyrule!"
Samantha's vision was blurry and she lightly groaned. She saw…someone above her.
"…is awake! Man…!" The words became garbled once more and she closed her eyes for what felt like a moment. She sniffled and it was like a slap to the face. She became wide awake and sat up.
"You're awake." A woman spoke up and the first person Samantha saw was a brunette woman with soft eyes and a warm smile. Behind her, to the left, was a young girl with fluorescent green hair. Next to her, was Lady Rhea.
"Wha…where am I?" She asked.
"You don't know where you are?" The young woman asked.
"Flayn." Rhea replied and looked back. "Manuela, how is she doing?"
"She's awake. I am not sensing any damage to her internal organs and there aren't any serious injuries. She should make a full recovery in a few days."
"Lady Rhea? What happened? Where am I? How long have I been here?" Samantha slowly sat up and groaned in pain.
"Easy…" Manuela spoke to the princess. "Don't strain yourself."
"You're within the continent of Fódlan." Rhea explained. "This is Gerrig Mach…our most scared home. And I believe you have been for…" Rhea pondered for a minute. "…thirty six hours?"
"Thirty six hours?! What the hell?! I need to get home. Grandpa's dead…Lilly's going to die. I-"
"Daphnes?" Rhea gasped. "He…" She swallowed hard and withheld her tears. "And Lilith? She is…"
"Please, Lady Rhea…" Samantha grunted and got out of bed. "I need to return home. Please…" Rhea thought for a moment before nodding.
"I wish I could offer more, but the most I can offer is a portal."
"That's all I need. Thank you."
"Lady Rhea, she is not fully healed. She needs rest!" Manuela protested.
"Samantha, I trust you will follow all of Manuela's instructions. Upon returning home, you will remain at rest for…" She turned to face Manuela. "A week? Or perhaps two?"
"A week, but-"
"One week. You must not exert yourself for one week. Promise me this, and I will grant you a trip home." Rhea spoke calmly, yet sternly.
"I promise." Samantha replied. Rhea nodded her head and moved her hands back and forth. She easily created a portal for the princess. The other side showed the back of Hyrule. Samantha recognized it as where she had met Lady Rhea.
"I promise, I'll return the favor one day." Samantha hobbled towards the portal and walked through. As she crossed, she turned around and the portal had disappeared. She looked up and noted the downpour of rain.
'Hylia…I didn't get to say goodbye…' She thought as she walked back home. With her head hung low and a shattered heart, she finally returned home.