Within his council chamber, the King of Hyrule sat alone in silent contemplation, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. It had been eleven years since he had needed to lead through such a taxing day. From a simple day of celebrations to a kingdom wide crisis, he found himself shifting into his old wartime mindset, expecting the worse for every event.

A knock came to the door, drawing his gaze. He nodded to the guard by the door, who opened it for a knight. The king noticed how their helmet was held at their side, loosely, unstressed. Good news, then.

"My king." The knight bowed.

The king waved his hand. "At ease. What news do you bring?"

"Thankfully, good news." He said. "The majority of the enemy forces have been defeated, with those remaining have begun to flee. We have not begun a pursuit, but we can at the first opportunity. We have begun plans should you give the order."

"Denied. Our priority is to protect our people, not to exterminate in some petty revenge." He paused. "That brings me to the question of our people. How have they faired?"

"Given the situation, they've faired well. While many enemies managed to breach our defences, there were only a couple of dozen casualties, with less than eighty injured. From our forces, we have around thirty casualties and approximately one hundred and twenty injured."

The king pursed his lips. "Very good. Anything else to report?"

"Nothing more, your highness."

"Thank you. You may return to your post." When he was alone once again, he allowed himself to collapse into his chair, breathing a sigh of partial relief. His people were safe. Lives had been lost, but they were minimal. He found himself angered by his thoughts, callously disregarding the lives lost. It was the way he had thought during the interloper war, he realised, his wartime mentality. He shuddered. In the time since he had thought like that, he was given the gift of his daughter, managed to mend relationships between the civilisations of hyrule, and grieved the loss of his beloved wife. He sighed. He had been moulded into the king he was out of conflict, regardless of what came after. He took a moment to give a silent prayer to the goddesses to spare Zelda from being shaped as he was.

The king sense a presence behind him, smiling slightly. "Gwonam."

"Your highness." Replied his attendant.

The king turned to the old sheikah. "How is Zelda?"

"She is well." The sheikah responded. "No news of what has happened has reached her, and she was unable to see the battle."

The king grunted. "And what of the witches?"

"Disappeared. We lost several good men, but we managed to drive them off."

"Nelo?"

He shook his head. "Not among them. She's in a bad condition, but she'll heal in time. A long time, but time none the less."

"Good." The king flicked his eyes around the room, as if afraid. "Any word on Impa?"

"No. There is no sign of her. We have no way of knowing what is happening in the forest."

The pair of them fell silent. There was nothing more that could be said on the subject.

The king brought his hands together. "We will maintain or defences through the night. If Impa does not return, then we must assume the worst."

A moment passed. "Zelda was asking about Impa. What will I tell her?"

The king closed his eyes. He didn't answer.

The air in the meadow carried a feeling of melancholy between the Kokiri. Most of the children were huddled at the base of the Great Deku tree, trying to make sense of what had happened to them. When Link had arrived with Saria, they all gathered around them, ecstatic to find Saria alive and well. She went around, hugging them all, comforting those that were traumatised. Sitting by the entrance with the spear in hand and her back to the wall, Impa took a moment of respite after an exhausting day. Looking over them all was the Great Deku Tree, a silent presence watching over the meadow, and sat on top of one of its roots was Link, hugging his knees. He looked at the Kokiri clustered around Saria. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but when they all turned and looked at him, he knew he didn't need to, and tried to hide his face behind his legs.

Impa stood up cracked her neck before wander over to the Great Deku Tree, taking care to circle around the still cautious Kokiri eying her. She understood. The fact that the first adult they had ever met was covered in blood and had an intimidating habit for silence probably didn't help to calm them.

When she reached the guardian of the forest, a shiver went through the tree. "I owe you my deepest thanks, Lady Impa. You saved my children."

The sheikah shook her head. "I didn't save them all."

"And I failed to fulfil my duty as their guardian. But because of you, there is still life." The Great Deku Tree seemed to darken. "But you did not come here to protect."

Impa didn't move. "No."

Link's head jerked around in shock. If not to protect, then why would they come here? What could be more important than the lives that were saved? Had he only been brought as a glorified map?

The Deku Tree's gaze shifted to the young boy. "Link, this is a matter that cannot be discussed near idle ears. Could you please join the others?"

Link stared at them, flicking between the pair, before silently standing up and moving towards the kokiri, Impa watching him go. When she saw him approach, Saria lit up. Link saw her face, her smile, and his eyes drifted to the blood stained hole in her clothes, and all he felt was guilt. He looked at his feet and passed by them. Link sat at the top of the hill and returned to hugging his knees. Saria's face fell.

A shiver ran through Impa's body as a barrier formed between her and the children.

"There." The Deku Tree sighed. "We can talk in secret."

Impa turned to face the guardian. "Good. You know what I'm going to ask."

"Yes."

Impa held her breath. "And what is your answer?"

"It is safe."

Impa breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank the goddesses. Were they even close?"

"I refuse to impart that information. It was part of the arrangement that I never take action to reveal it." He closed his eyes. "However, I believe they did not know of it's existence. They were here for the kokiri, not to find the shadow."

Impa's face softened. "I am sorry. You have lost much."

The guardian was sombre. "I will grieve, when the time is right. But for now, I must do my duty. If you would allow it," He said with his former strength. "I would like to talk with Link in private."

Impa bowed. "Of course." She turned and passed through the barrier. "Link!" The boy looked up. "The Deku Tree wishes to talk with you."

Link tensed up, and approached. When he reached the threshold, he looked up to Impa, who simply nodded to him and walked towards the entrance of the meadow. Link took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and passed through the barrier.

"Link." The Deku Tree's voice was soft. "There is much I want to say to you, but first of all, I must thank you." Link refused to meet the Deku Tree's eyes. "You brought a protector for my children, and you saved someone that I could not. You did what I could not."

Link stood there, silently. Then, slowly, he began to sob. "I did this." He whispered. "I killed them."

"Link, this does not fall on your shoulders." Urged the Deku Tree.

"I could have saved them." He looked up with tears eyes. "I could have come here, warned you, but I didn't."

The Deku Tree was silent, and Link returned his gaze to the ground, waiting for the rage of the guardian of the forest, but when the Deku Tree spoke, his voice was gentle. "I know you, Link. I know that you would never abandon those in need. So, did you save them?"

Links chin trembled. "What?"

"Did you save them? The others that were in danger."

"That's not…" Link shook his head. "That's not point!"

"But it is." The Deku tree closed his eyes. "As guardian of this forest, and the kokiri, I should have been able to protect them. That's what you thought, wasn't it?"

"Stop it." Link hissed.

"The others that you went to protect, did they have such protection? Or were you all they had?"

"Please, shut up!"

"Did you save them?"

"I did! Yes, but you-"

"Then you made the right choice. I should have been able to protect my children."

"There was barely anyone compared to the forest, how could you forgive-"

"You will not get forgiveness, because you have nothing to be forgiven for."

"He came here because of me!" Link screamed.

There was silence. Links body shuddered as tears streamed down his face, and the Deku Tree waited patiently until he was ready.

"He killed them…" His voice trembled. "Because of me. Everyone that's died… he did that to get to me. He wanted me out. He wanted me dead. I… I didn't…" He trailed off, grabbing his head and trying desperately to force his tears away.

"Link…" The Deku Tree extended a root and wiped away a tear. "That cannot be blamed on you. The sorcerer wanted to turn your compassion against you. To make your strength into weakness. And if you allow yourself to shoulder that pain, they have succeeded." He raised the tear to Link's eyes. "These tears… they are for those whose lives were ended by the sorcerer. The blood is on his hands, not yours. Your ability to mourn is what separates you from him. All he has to mourn is himself and what he once could have been."

Link couldn't meet the guardians eyes. He felt too much guilt, too much shame. "But they're still dead."

"Yes." He replied slowly. "And they cannot be brought back. In time, we will join them. All of us will. Perhaps, if it is the design of the goddesses, we will all be united when that time comes."

"I won't." Link muttered.

The Deku Tree frowned. "What do you mean."

"I can't come back." He tried to steel his nerves. "I can't. All this is my fault. This suffering is because of me. Everyone will be safer if I'm not around." He hugged himself. "Besides… no one will miss me. They'll blame me."

"Do you really believe that?" Link was silent. "Is how you want to live, Link? Never returning? What of Saria?" Links jaw tightened. "Are you content to let this be the last time you see each other?"

"No… I didn't mean that."

"I understand." Reassured the Deku Tree. "This trauma will not be kind to you, and what has happened here today will remain in your mind for a long time. But do not forsake this place forever. You don't have to stay away, but you don't need to feel obligated to come here. There will always be a place for you here, should you need one. Remember that."

For the first time that evening, Link met the Great Deku Tree's eyes "I will." He turned around and looked to Impa, and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "We should probably return to the castle. Impa has her duties and I… I need to get away."

"When will I see you again?" The Deku Tree ask.

"I don't know." Link admitted. "Partings are difficult. Every time you meet someone, there's a parting. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while…" Link trailed off, his eyes unfocused. He shook his head, bringing his mind back together. "It won't be forever." He nodded and started towards the sheikah.

"Wait." Link turned to the Deku Tree, confused. "Impa is exhausted. Give me your ocarina." Link grabbed the instrument from his belt and extended it to the Deku Tree, and a root reached out and tapped the ocarina, filling it with light once more, and another set of branches extended forwards, presenting his shield. "I wish you well, Link."

Link took the items from the Deku Tree's grip, then gazed up and managed a small smile. "Thank you." He paused as he slipped the shield onto his back. "For everything."

Impa saw him coming. She walked over and gestured to the ocarina. "You're taking us the distance?"

"Yeah."

"Link!" Called a voice.

Link took a deep breath before he faced Saria. "Hey Saria." He smiled. "Sorry that I can't stay. I've-" She didn't let him finish, jumping at him and wrapping her arms around him, the sudden action sending pain through his wound. "Gah! Saria!"

"Sorry!" Her voice was muffled in his shoulder. "I forgot because- sorry."

Link grimaced. "It's ok."

Saria pulled away and held his arms. "Sorry. It's just, you saved my life. I owe you."

Esco hovered down and sat in Saria's shoulder. "Both of us."

"Right." Saria laughed. "We both owe you our lives."

Link's smile wavered. "You don't owe me anything."

"Shush." She smiled. "We can't thank you enough. And don't say we can. We never can."

Link smiled sadly. "It's ok." His smile fell. "I've got to leave now."

Esco pouted. "Come on, really?"

Saria swatted at the fairy who danced between her fingers. "Leave him alone, Esco." She looked and Link with sad eyes. "Do you really have to leave, Link?"

"I can't stay." He looked around. "I shouldn't stay here. I need to get away."

Saria frowned. "You'll come back, right?"

He hesitated.

"Link?"

"I don't know yet." He admitted. "I will come back, I just don't know how long I'll be." To took a shuddering breath. "We'll see each other. When we do, we can have a picnic."

Saria grinned. "Sure. It'll be great." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that promise." She said with a wink.

Link touched where she had kissed him and went red. "I should have guessed." He pulled her in for a hug. "Now you promise me something. Stay safe, got that?"

"Alright, I promise."

Over Saria's shoulder, Link saw Mido, who had woken up when they arrived, watch them. "Hey!" He called out, causing the Kokiri boy to frown. "You take care of them, got that?" Slowly, the boy nodded, which Link returned. "Thank you, Mido."

Impa cleared her throat, drawing Link's gaze. "Ready, Link?"

"Right. Sorry." He muttered. "Bye Saria. I'll see you… when I see you."

Saria waved. "Good luck, Link. Remember, you're never alone."

Link let those words hang in the air for a moment, then brought the ocarina to his lips and began to play. Impa stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder as light began to build around them, swirling as Link played the Prelude of Light, and once the music faded, the pair had disappeared.

Saria hugged her shoulders, wishing she could stay with Link for just a bit longer. Esco rested on her ear, drawing a small smile out of her.

"He'll be fine." The fairy reassured.

"I know." She said.

I hope, she thought.

Light streamed through the stained glass of the Temple of Time, illuminating the pristine marble with brilliant colours, and music echoed through the halls as Link opened his eyes.

Impa shook her head. "That was… different… to my teleportation."

"Yeah." Link muttered. "Less intense."

"Indeed." Impa took a step forward and stumbled, steadying herself with the spear. "Damnit. I don't think I'd be able to teleport a few steps ahead if my life depended on it."

Link looked up. "You going to be ok?"

"Of course." She gritted her teeth. "Though I won't be able to protect Zelda for a while. I hope Nelo will suffice."

"We should get you back to the castle."

"Yes." Impa agreed. "I think I may fall unconscious soon. I'd hate for you to have to drag me all the way there. I'd stain the ground with all this blood."

The sides of Link's mouth twitched. "That was almost a joke."

Impa sighed. "Don't get used to it. Come on."

Link went to move, then froze. "Wait."

Impa turned to him. "Link? Is everything alright?"

"That." Link pointed at her waist, fear in his voice. "Where did you get that?"

Frowning, Impa looked down to the wooden mask on her belt, then back to Link. "This? I found it on the ground in one of the castle halls. Why?"

"That's the Deku Mask." He whispered.

"Yes, it is one. Why is that of note?"

"No, you don't understand." He shook his head in frustration. "That's the Deku Mask. My Deku Mask. From Termina."

Realisation dawned on Impa's face. She looked down on the mask. It seemed completely normal, devoid of magic, yet… "When I found it, reality seemed warped, and there was a presence. One that was dark."

Tentatively, Link removed the mask from her belt and held it. "This is defiantly the mask. I can feel the sorrow within." He looked at Impa. "Why did you keep this? Why did you take it to the forest?"

The sheikah shook her head. "There was no time. I needed to get to you as soon as possible, to get to the forest as soon as possible." She paused. "In fact… it was because of this mask that I though to bring you. Or that the Kokiri needed protecting." Link was quiet. "I suppose it is to thank for the lives we saved."

"Yeah, sure." Link muttered. "And what about that dark presence? It probably took the mask."

"I do not know." Impa sighed. "I doubt its intentions were pure, whatever it was, but it's actions are what saved the kokiri." She began to move again. "If we must discuss this, we must do it later."

Impa hobbled her way out of the Temple, followed closely by Link. When they exited, the knight guarding the area yelped in shock at the sight of them before brandishing their spear. Impa saw them and raised a hand. "Calm yourself. I am Impa, leader of the sheikah."

"Oh, uh, Sir Klaus." The knight lowered their weapon. "Hell. You look half dead."

She shook her head. "Do not worry, most of this blood isn't mine. Though could you please help me get to the castle? I do require medical assistance."

The knight blinked. "Oh. Of course." He ran over and placed her arm around his neck for support, then saw Link. "Who's this lad?"

She looked over to the boy. "Link is one of the trainees. He aided me in my escapade, and was wounded in the back. Nothing serious, but he should get injury stitches up."

"Don't worry, Lady Impa, I can do that myself from the supplies at the guard post."

"Thank you. Now," she said, drawing unwanted attention away from Link. "tell me our situation with the siege."

"Well," The knight began, moving forwards as he did so. "the main body of the enemy has been defeated, with various groups breaking away from it and fleeing. The king has ordered us not to pursue and instead focus on maintaining defences."

Impa grunted. "A wise decision."

"Yes." The knight agreed. "There were multiple breaches in our defences, with under a hundred casualties in total as of the last time I was briefed."

"And the castle?" She asked absently.

"Was breached."

"What?!" Impa stumbled. "What do you mean, breached?!"

"Calm down, Lady Impa, we-"

"How could that happen?!" She demanded.

"I don't know." He admitted. "All I know is that two welders of fire and ice magic managed to bypass our defences and killed several knights."

"Twinrova." The pair of them look down to Link, who's face was grim. He turned to them. "They went to the dungeon?"

The knight tilted his head. "Yes. How do you-"

"Ganondorf." Impa realised. Her face became cold. "What happened with them?"

He shrugged. "There was a fight in the dungeon, and they got away."

Impa's eyes narrowed. "With a prisoner?"

"There's been no report."

"I see." Impa said slowly.

Link let out a sigh of relief. He was still imprisoned. The witches had failed. Thank the goddesses.

"Come on, let's pick up the pace." The knight grunted. "We shouldn't dawdle. Keep up, lad."

"Yes." Impa groaned. "The sooner, the better."

A knock came from the door, with a sheikah following it into the council chamber. "Your highness."

The king looked up. "Yes?"

"Lady Impa has returned."

The king let out a massive sigh of relief, collapsing into his chair. "That is a relief. Where is she now."

"Being taken into the infirmary. She sustained multiple injuries and her magic is completely spent."

The king leaned forwards. "Did she bring any news?"

"Nothing much, your highness." Shrugged the sheikah. "All she had to report was that she acted as ordered and that there was nothing of note to report. She said that she would provide a full briefing, but it was no matter of urgency and that she must rest first."

"I see." Internally, the fear held in the kings heart faded away. They didn't have it, and from the simplicity of Impa's report, they didn't know it existed. Thank the golden goddesses. "Thank you."

"Your highness." The sheikah bowed and exited the chamber, and the king turned to his attendant and grinned.

"Hyrule remains safe." He chuckled.

"And better yet," The old sheikah replied. "Zelda keeps her favourite bodyguard."

The king laughed. "True, my friend. Very true."

"How long was it? A few hours before you're back in even worse condition!"

Nelo groaned. The doctor had managed to remove the spear of ice from her body and made sure her organs weren't ruined, but they hadn't done so without complaining. As the doctor sewed up the gapping hole in her stomach, she decided it was better to simply ignore what they were saying and focus on not focusing on the pain.

"Honestly," They continued. "you're going to burn through all my potions alone. They're expensive, you know!"

"Please," A new voice intruded. "It's not like it's coming out of your pocket."

Nelo shifted her gaze to see a bloody and tired Impa supporting herself against the doorway. "Fuck." She drawled.

"Farore above!" The doctor shouted. "Get on the bed, now!"

"Relax." She waved her hand away. "Most of this blood is that of moblins and bokoblins." She walked over and paused by Nelo. She looked the wounded sheikah up and down, settling her gaze on the half sewn closed hole in Nelo's stomach, then glancing down at her own blood stained body, at her limp arm and torn up skin, then met Nelo's gaze with bags under her eyes. "You look like hell." She said plainly, then moved to the bed the doctor indicated to. Nelo was stunned for a moment, then let out a weak laugh.

"Who'd have thought…" She grunted. "That you'd have a sense of humour."

"Yes, well," Impa replied, unbuckling her chest plate. "It's been a long day." She let the ruined armour fall to the ground with a heavy clang, causing the two injured sheikah to wince in unison at the sudden noise.

The doctor walked over to Impa. "Now, I need to see how bad-"

"Don't bother with your analysis." Impa interrupted, beginning to remove her clothes. "I have multiple broken ribs, mainly on my left ribcage, there's a possible fracture in my upper left arm, nothing major but still something of note, and the middle and small finger are broken, and I think some bones in my right foot were crushed. All other wounds are low priority." She handed the bloodied clothes to the doctor and eased down onto the bed, hissing in pain.

"Right." The doctor pursed their lips in distain, then dropped the clothes next to the chest plate. "Ok then." They returned to tending to Nelo, and once her wound was sewn up, the doctor grabbed a jar filled with a green powder from a shelf and poured a spoonful into a glass of water, which was then handed to Impa. "For the pain."

Impa nodded her thanks and downed the liquid in a single swig, blinking from the taste. She looked down at her naked body, and was unimpressed. The blood of the monster's she'd killed had soaked through her clothes, leaving her skin crimson and wet. Beneath that layer of blood, the body was a mess of cuts and bruises, the largest of which being under her left breast, over her broken ribs, swollen, purple and the size of a splayed hand.

She collapsed onto the bed. "First thing's first. We get this disgusting blood of me, before its absorbed into my veins."

The doctor collected a bucket of water and a cloth. "That's not possible, Lady Impa."

She sighed. "Exaggeration." The doctor pressed the wet cloth against Impa's skin. "Gah! Son of- the goddesses! That's cold!"

"What?" Nelo frowned. "The goddesses don't have sons."

"Quiet!" She hissed and the blood was scrubbed from her body. "Force of habit! Can't be vulgar around the princess."

"Right." Nelo chuckled, sending daggers of pain through her body. "Oh, damn that hurts."

The doctor rinsed the blood out of the cloth and returned to Nelo. "Quiet you. I won't have you reopening that wound."

She screwed up her face. "You be quiet." The doctor responded by pressing a medicine soaked bandage to her wound. "Oh, son of a bitch!"

Impa raised an eyebrow. "I never knew you could be so crude, Nelo."

"I hide it well enough." She wheezed, raising her body to allow for the doctor to wrap the bandages her bare stomach. "When I was fifteen, I only just been allowed to speak freely. I didn't expect to be chosen to protect the royal family, so I let myself go wild."

A pang of guilt stung in Impa's throat. "Yes. I do regret that you were selected. I would prefer you lived a simple life."

Nelo tried to shrug. "What can you do? I've just done what I was told since I was five. How I survived." She grunted as the doctor tightened the bandages and returned to Impa. "That's just how it's been." She paused, watching as Impa was cleaned. "Though… I don't think I'm ready to do the job. I'm not right for it."

Impa pursed her lips. "It's ok, Nelo." She reassured. "I will aid you in any way you need. You don't need to be the perfect guardian angel. No one can expect that from you. And you don't need to reshape yourself to do your duty. Adaptivity, not reformation, is what makes one great."

"I don't want be great. I want to be human."

Impa closed her eyes. "It is alright Nelo. Don't fear what is to come. I shall face it with you."

"Oh no." The doctor said, flicking cold water on Impa. "You two are going to rest. I don't care who you are, right now you're my patients and you need to stay put and heal."

Nelo growled. "Hey, this is a private conversation."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Then have it in private."

Nelo blinked. "I can't bloody move, and she could pass out at any moment! And she's naked!"

"Well," The doctor shrugged. "I guess that I've got to stick by you two." With her right hand, Nelo flipped off the doctor, who responded with a glare. "Oi, watch it! That hand hasn't fully healed from being frozen! You want it to fall off?"

Impa sighed, and was too exhausted to continue with the pair of them around. "I'm going to black out now." She decided, and before either Nelo or the doctor could respond, she did just that.

Captain Graves sat on the walls of the town walls, overlooking the carnage of hyrule field. It was a mess. He remembered the grass and flowers that characterised it, the warmth that surrounded the town from every direction. Now it was a pock marked wasteland of dirt and dead bodies. The bodies of the monsters were fading away, dissolving into darkness, leaving behind only caresses smelling of rot.

"Thought I'd find you here." Called a voice. Graves turned around to see lieutenant Fabe coming up the stairs.

"Fabe." The captain smiled, pointing to Fabe's hands. "What've you got there."

"Ale." The lieutenant replied, raising the tankards. "Been a long day, thought you might need it."

Graves laughed. "Goddesses, you're the best." He took a tankard and clanged it against Fabe's. "You're right, it has been a long day."

The pair of them took a swig in unison, causing Fabe's helmet to fall of his head, the jarring sound making him almost choke in his drink.

Graves chuckled, patting his friend on the back. "Careful, wouldn't want to die once all the fightings over."

"Yeah." Fabe snorted. "That would suck, huh?"

Graves took another sip of ale. "Yeah. The topping to cake made of crap." He turned to Fabe. "You never faced anything like this, did you?"

"Nah." Fabe admitted. "I only got initiated at the end of the war. This was something new." He paused. "Did you ever go through something like this? During the war?"

Graves shrugged. "Kinda. I defended this town and other villages, but I was never in the thick of the conflict. Though I was there in the final battle." He grinned. "For your first siege, you did pretty well, Fabe. Kept your cool and did what you had to do. You've come a long way, buddy."

"Ah, shut up." The lieutenant smiled. "You'll make me blush."

"Seriously." Graves insisted. "I can put in more than a good word for you. You've earned the rank of captain."

"Hey, hey." Fabe pointed at Graves, devoid of all humour. "I don't want to simply become a captain because of what you say."

The captain sighed. "Fabe, if I didn't think you were ready, I wouldn't have brought it up. You know how honest I am with you."

"I know, I know."

"Remember when you wanted to ride a horse as a knight? Be a Cavaliere?"

Fabe ground his teeth. "Yes, I remember."

"Remember how I told you that you shouldn't sit on a horse, let alone try to ride it."

"Yeah, but you told me to try it anyway."

"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And remember how when the horse threw you, I said-"

"I get it!" Fabe shouted, not wanting to dwell on something so embarrassing.

"Besides," Graves continued. "I think my spot will be open soon."

"Wait, what?" Fabe stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Graves raised his hands. "Okay, that came out differently to what I meant. I meant that, from what I hear, I'm going to be put on training the kids in the castle. And I can't do my job here and train them as best I can. And I'd much rather have you up on the walls then some stranger."

"Are you sure?"

Graves grinned. "Nope!"

Fabe rolled his eyes. "Oh, great."

Graves offered his tankard, and Fabe reluctantly hit it with his own, followed with the pare of them taking another swig. A moment of silence passed between them.

"This isn't then end, is it?" Fabe asked.

Graves shook his head. "I don't think so, no. I hope it is, but we didn't win this fight. Lots of monsters got away, and we have no idea what happened to that swordsman."

"Well then." Fabe stretched. "Here's to hoping for a better tomorrow."

Graves laughed. "I'll drink to that!"

"Damn them!" Hissed Kotake. "Damn them all!"

"Quiet sister!" Koume whispered. "We don't know who could be listening."

The gerudo witches pressed their bodies against the canyon walls, concealed in the late afternoon shadows.

Koume craned her neck over her sister's shadow. "How's your hand?"

"My hand is fine!" She clenched her fist, grinding her teeth in pain.

"Cleary." Kotake scoffed. "I should never have worried."

"How can you be so oblivious?" Koume shouted. "We failed! The golden opportunity was presented before us, and we failed!"

"I am fully aware of how we screwed up, but we need to follow our kings orders! We need to keep a level head."

Kotake slapped her sister, only to howl in pain, the sounds echoing off the walls of the canyon, followed by the sounds of the squabbling sisters.

And above them, a sheikah watched. They had been assigned to monitor the area inhabited by the gerudo after their assault, but he never expected to find the pair of them. He knew he didn't stand a chance against the witches, and never considered facing them. But he knew where they were, and that was surely aid against them when they were confronted. He jotted down a message to be sent to the castle and rose to retreat to safety, when armoured hands grabbed his neck and crushing it.

As the sheikah's body crumpled to the ground, the Swordsman stole the message from the bodies grip. He knelt down and gazed at the pair of gerudo, then opened the sheikah's report. He read it through, then shifted his gaze back to the witches, who had managed to quiet themselves down. After a moment of thought, acessing his options, then stood up, the feeling of a hot sword tearing at his chest as he did so, a by painful product of his teleportation away from the forest. Once he was steady, he took a step forward and dropped into the canyon, slamming into the ground, shattering the stone underneath him and creating an explosion of stone and sand. The witches jerked their heads towards the sudden commotion, magic flaring in their hands. From within the dust cloud, the dark figure emerged, slowly walking towards them. He stopped a few meters before them and tilted his head, rusted eyes drifting leisurely from one witch to the other.

"Twinrova." He rasped. A statement, not a question. The witches didn't respond. "Gerudo witches."

"Well." Kotake growled. "He seems to know who we are."

"So it seems." Koume snarled. "And we don't know him."

"You're enemies of Hyrule." He whispered.

"So we are."

In wordless agreement, the witches simultaneous blasted the stranger with fire and ice. The swordsman caught the stream of frost in one hand and danced around the other, his entire arm being encased in ice. He charged forwards, using his frozen arm as a shield to close the distance, and once he was close he lunge forward with the arm, with the witches jumping away, making him strike the canyon wall, shattering the ice around his arm and cracking the stone. He turned to the witch of ice. She was injured. Weak.

Koume threw a ball of flame at the swordsman, but he saw it coming, drawing a rapier and slicing through the attack. Kotake followed suit, the pair of them barraging him with spears of ice and flame. He turned to face the onslaught, shattering them with quick slashes and stabs. An icicle managed to bypass his defences, hitting him hard in the shoulder, forcing him back and breaking a few links off his chain mail. Growling, he drew the other rapier, and charged at Kotake. She tried to blast him with more icicles, but he shattered them all with ruthless efficiency. He quickly closed the distance and stabbed that the witch, but Kotake caught his arm in a wall of ice. The swordsman grunted, surprised, and before he could free himself, Koume blasted him in the back with a stream of flame, the force behind the fire throwing him through the wall of ice. When he managed to get to his feet, Koume flicked her wrist, making the flames swirl around him, building into a whirlwind of flames, the heat melting the sand around him.

The swordsman roared in pain, forcing himself to his feet. He drew dark magic into his blades and slashed into the flames, killing them. The moment he did, however, and explosion of fire struck him in the chest, throwing him against the canyon wall and rolling away. Once again, he forced himself to his feet.

Koume sneered. "Tenacious, aren't you?"

The swordsman brandished his blades, flicking his gaze between the sisters. His armour was smoking and ashen, and he could barely tap into his magic. Even if he could, he doubted he could take on the pair of them. He needed to beat them in a battle of wits, not power. He took several stepped back, pressing his back against the wall.

Kotake chuckled and closed her fist, causing the stones to liquify and engulf the swordsman entirely, leaving only his head and hands free. At a wave of the witches hand, the stone began to tighten, drawing a gasp from the swordsman and forcing him to drop his rapiers.

Koume smirked. "What else could you expect sister?"

"Nothing but victory, sister." Kotake sighed, massaging her healing hand. "And after today, victory feels good."

"Now," Koume glared, hovering closer to the swordsman until they were face to face. "let us see just who you are. Sheikah? Mercenary? Or just a fool?" She craned her neck and stared directly into his eyes, which were narrow in exhaustion. She splayed her hand and poured magic into each of her fingertips. "No matter. We'll know soon enough." She placed her hand over the swordsman face, closing her eyes as she delved into his mind, deeper and deeper, and when she found something, all it was, was darkness.

"What?" Koume's eyes flew open and met the swordsman's once again, which were now ablaze with fury.

Before she could react, the swordsman lunged forwards, shattering his stone prison and grabbing the witches neck, strangling her. He opened the other hand, and a rapier flew into it. "Don't move." He growled, pressing the tip of the blade into Koume's chest and turning his head to her sister. "If you move, she dies."

Kotake hissed, furious. The temperature dropped rapidly, causing frost to form in the air. In response, the Swordsman pushed his blade further, drawing blood. Kotake grit her teeth, and the temperature rose once again, yet the Swordsman kept the blade where it was.

"If the two of you are quiet done," He rasped. "we may continue."

"What do you want?" Kotake snarled.

"You attacked Hyrule Castle this afternoon, correct?"

The witch narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"I assume you did so because of the army that hyrule was facing." The was a pause between them. "Am I correct?"

Kotake clenched her fists. "Yes. You. Are."

"Well then." The Swordsman tilted his head. "You should be made aware that it was my army."

The old woman blinked. "What?"

"And if you are calm enough to listen without attacking, I have a proposition."

Kotake licked her lips, careful of her next words. "What is your proposition?"

The Swordsman nodded, satisfied. He withdrew his blade from Koume and sheathed the weapon, throwing the witch to her sister. Koume gasp for air, glaring at the Swordsman, but she did not attack. There was more to him than they realised.

"Hyrule has taken something very important from you, hasn't it?" He asked, voice calmer yet no less rough. "Your king? Something not easily replaced in an all female race."

"You mock us." Koume snapped.

"No. I don't." The other rapier flew into his hand, and he observed it for a moment, then continued. "It is a matter defining the contract."

"What do you mean?" Kotake muttered.

"What I can offer you." He sheathed the weapon. "I can provide you with my power, my armies, magic and knowledge, in order to free your king."

"And in return?"

"A simple two things." The Swordsman stood there, motionless. "You will serve me where my plans need you, but you will be free to act however you please outside of my plans."

"Serve you?" Koume spat. "Never."

"Only!" The swordsman hissed. "Only when I have need of you in my plans. And only then."

"And your second demand?"

"Something I believe you will find most agreeable." Behind the mask, his face darkened. "Hyrule must fall. The royal family must suffer." He tilted his head. "Do you believe your king will agree to those terms?"

"How can we trust you?" Kotake growled. "The only reason we're talking is because you threatened us!

"I did not attack." He reminded. "You engaged me." The witches scoffed, but did not argue. "Well?" He prompted. "Do we have a deal?"

"What would your plan be?" Koume interjected. "Do you even have one for us to follow?"

"I do." He flexed his fingers, a surge of magic restoring the sheen to his armour. "However, after the failures of today, I will be playing the long game. We must allow for our enemies to forget us. Become complacent. To do that, we must be patient." He turned to them. "That is my plan. You may execute your own in the meantime, should you grow impatient."

"How long?"

"Years." The witches went to object, but he silenced them with a look. "I will not act brashly again. Time, and restraint, will be my ally. And you are free to your own machinations in the meantime." He stood before the pair, arms behind his back, a dominating presence. "Well?"

The sisters glanced at each other. They thought that they could probably beat him, if they wanted, but what he offered would aid them, and with a simple goal, he could be manipulated. However, they knew that he couldn't be trusted. There was something they knew was being hidden. At the moment, however, he held promise.

"Very well." Kotake leered. "We agree to your terms."

"We shall work together." Koume stood up. "As long as you uphold your side of the deal."

The Swordsman nodded. He turned away from them and began walking away from the witches. "I will not hide amongst your people. They should not know of my involvement. We will work together very closely from now on." He continued walking, further and further into the darkness and the last sunlight faded from the horizon. The witches glanced at each other, the same thought creeping into their minds.

They wondered just how long they could trust him.

Link flicked his eyes around the empty dormitory. He assumed the others were out in the courtyard, but he had to make sure. He didn't want them to see him like this.

When he was sure he was alone, he snuck into the dormitory and grabbed his training clothes and began to take off his bloodied clothes, throwing his weapons and shirt under his bed. He looked down at the bandages around his his waist, and touched the newly stitched flesh on his back, courtesy of Sir Klaus. It hurt, but it could have been worse. He sighed, pulling the clean shirt over his head. How was he going to explain this? He couldn't think of anything believable, and his mind kept drifting back to the forest.

Once he was in something more comfortable, he meandered over to the nearest sink and washed the ash and blood from his hands and his face. Once it was all done, he gazed into his reflection. He looked young. Sometimes it seemed like he didn't know what his face looked like. Young, old, or even a different species. Sometimes, he just needed to take in the features of his identity. He shook his head and returned to the dormitory, pausing before hiding away his clothes and on his his bed. He sat there, not thinking anything in particular.

The door creaked open, and Link turned to see a certain crimson haired girl at the door. "Malon?"

The redhead jumped in shock. "Link! I didn't know you were back."

"Yeah." He smiled. "Just got back. Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're just out in the training place." She waved her hand absentmindedly, but Link noticed something. Her eyes…

"Malon, are you alright?"

"Yeah! Of course!" She smiled, sticking her chin out, but her eyes still waved. "I just wanted to get away from everyone."

"You wanted to be alone." Link realised. "What's wrong?"

"It nothing!" She grumbled. "It's just that I- I overheard something."

Link nodded slowly, moving slightly to the side and indicating for Malon to join him. After a moment, she walked over and sat next to Link. "What happened?" He asked.

"The ranch." She whispered. "I heard someone talking to dad. I just wanted to get back to him, say hi to him, but he was talking to someone, so I didn't go up. I didn't want to be rude."

Link frowned. "What happened with the ranch?"

"They said-" Her lower lip trembled. "They said it was destroyed."

Link blinked. He let the words dwell in his mind. Lon Lon Ranch was destroyed. He opened his mouth, wanting to reassure Malon, but he didn't. He looked at her, and saw tears welling up in her eyes. It was her home, where she was raised, and it was gone, and Link realised it was worse for her. Link opened his arms and hugged her.

"What are we going to do?" Malon murmured. "Dad and Ingo, where are we going to live? The ranch-"

"It's ok." He whispered. "It's ok. Today's been rough- for everyone. We can help you, make things better."

Malon broke away laughed bitterly. "We can help? How might we do that?"

Link shrugged. "Well, you could stay in the Castle Town. You could do everything from here. And you could get help from the castle! I'm sure the king would help you guys out settling in."

Malon wiped away her tears. "Do you really think that? Like, really think that?"

"Yeah! The king's really nice, even if he's a bit tough." I thought crossed his mind, and he grinned. "And if it does work out, you'd finally get to meet Zelda!"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Really? Farm girl meets the princess of the entire kingdom? That sounds like a bad idea."

"Hey, come on." Link frowned. "Zelda and you are more alike than you think. The only difference is that her dad's the king."

Malon giggled. "That's pretty different from my dad."

"Yeah." Link smiled. "Talon is one of a kind."

"Yeah. My dad's the best." She leaned against him. "So, what are you going to do, Fairy Boy?"

Link's smile faded. "I'm going to do what I came here to do. Train to be a knight so I can stop day's like these from ever happening again."

Malon tilted her head. "Why do you want to do that?"

"I have to." Link stressed. "If can help people, I will. I won't let anyone suffer because I wasn't there when they needed me."

"Why?" Malon pressed.

Because it's my duty, he thought. Because I'm the Hero of Time.

"Because I can save people like I saved you, I can do more." He said.

"Mmm. Alright." Malon punched his shoulder. "Well, good luck with that. If I am stuck here, I guess I'll stick with you fairy boy."

Link rubbed his shoulder. "Ow."

"Oh suck it up, shorty!" Malon laughed. "So much for being a big tough knight."

"Stop it." He began to smile again. "Though it'd be nice to have you nearby. Be easier to catch up with you."

"Yeah." She beamed. "Thanks Link. I'm feeling better."

"Anytime." He punched her shoulder, and got one in return. "Ow!" He tried to get her again, but she jumped off the bed, giggling, and ran out the door, poking her tongue out as she fled. Link's arm hurt, but he couldn't help but smile. Even after such a trying day, there was still hope. He looked down to his sword hidden under his pile of clothes. He reached down and lifted if up towards his head, gripped the hilt, and unsheathed. The weapon shined, but he could see minute imperfections in the light. Link grabbed his whetstone from his personal items and sat back down on the bed, carefully and meticulously removing even the smallest imperfections. He knew that the Swordsman had escaped, and he knew that they face each other when he did appear. So when he did show his masked face again, Link would be ready. He refused to cower and run from him. He would fight. He raised the sword and observed the imperfections again, shifting its position and continuing. The idea of facing him again filled Link with dread, with fear. He rubbed the back of his sword hand. He would need to fight through the fear. Because when the time came, Link would not back down. No. The Swordsman would not face the boy without a fairy.

With or without the blessing of the Goddesses, or the Master Sword, he would face the Hero of Time.

END PART 1

2 years. In that time, I have written 66,882 word in 31 chapters (just ignore the end of chapter commentaries), had 26 review, all of which keep me going, and had my fanfic viewed over 12,500 times. It really touches my heart that you guys enjoy something that I do for fun. Even with school and life in general, this thing has always been fun. And I'm glad I can share that with you.

This chapter was 8158 words / 11 pages. Could have split this stuff up, but think of it as the season finale, setting things up for the next season. I didn't want to draw this out, and I wanted to put everything that I could into this. This needs to be strong, set up what's to come in the future. I want to treat this as if this was a story I was publishing. It's important to give it your all. I like to think my writing has gotten better as a result of working on this, and I think that can be seen through my fic. Hell, I think chapter 9 is absolute shit. Wouldn't blame you for skipping it. But beyond that, I have gotten better.

Please feel free to review part 1 or just this chapter, or any aspect of the story. Part 2 onwards will be a departure from what came before, and having people critique my work will improve what I create next.

Next month I have no idea what's going on. For one thing, I'm turning 18, and for another thing, Devil May Cry 5 is coming out, something that to me looks perfect save for Dante's battle theme, but that's easily solved with Devil's Never Cry, so I'll being playing a lot of that. I'll try and keep up with this, but as school gets harder and more demanding, along with playing DMC5 whenever I can, I may drop this a bit. In the mean time, thank you so much for reading this fic, both now and throughout it's life, and I hope you have a spectacular day.