"Hey, you there! Move along! Nothing to see!" Trystane shouted at two Castle Town citizens, the couple departing quickly.
"Well, there's sort of something to see." Thrakon replied, looking up at the Great Deku Tree's massive form watching over all of Castle Town.
"Still, you'd think the whole thing hadn't been here for months, judging by the way people still gawk at it." the dark haired Hylian Knight responded.
It had been four months since Link and Zelda lended the Great Deku Tree their aid in warping the entirety of Kokiri Forest, along with all of it's occupants to East Castle Town. The people had been stunned at first, as it's not every day an entire forest is transplanted into the largest city in the land, as well as it being the first time anyone other than Link and the Kokiri had seen the Great Deku Tree. The Kokiri feared for their safety, as curious and sometimes mischievous individuals would enter their domain to explore, talk to the Kokiri, get a good look at the Great Deku Tree himself, or, the act that forced the government's hand; steal from the small forest beings. After a number of disturbances, Princess Zelda herself had ordered a massive, three story wall constructed between the town and Kokiri Forest, only those on official government business, herself, and Link being able to enter whenever they pleased.
"Rumor has it the Prince isn't even allowed entrance." Thrakon said, his eyes moving up the massive wall and onto the silent Great Deku Tree, the forest deity still being far taller than the wall could ever be.
"At least we have that over him, we've been in there...before the wall and such." Trystane replied, the two sharing a laugh.
Thrakon looked up at the night sky, it was almost black, there being only hints of purple as the moonlight permeated the clouds. "By the way, thank you once again, Trystane, for getting us stuck doing this."
"You said you were bored, so I asked Captain Viscen to find us something to do." Trystane responded.
"When I said I was bored, I more-so wanted to go on outer field patrols, you know? Cut down villainous beasts! Hell, I'd even settle for accompanying healers out into the wild to collect plants they can't seem to grow in their apothecaries."
"I'm sooo sorry we were put on night patrol and you lost your beauty sleep, would you like to shed a tear about it?" Trystane asked sarcastically, pulling a handkerchief out from under his chest plate.
"You just keep that with you all the time...?" Thrakon asked.
"Well, you never know when your going to need it to say, stifle a sneeze, or offer it to a fair maiden for which their is no other man to care for at the moment." Trystane said with a smirk.
"I never thought I'd hear you speak that way Trystane, it would seem befriending the Hero had some sort of effect on you." the former mercenary said with a smile.
"I have acted noble my entire life, for I thought that was how the greatest of warriors acted, then I met the Hero, and found to my surprise that the Goddess's chosen champion had the manners of a drunken woodsman, so I assume the powers that be would forgive me for a slight transgression against my well-mannered and chivalrous ways every now and then." the Knight answered.
"Speaking of the Hero, what's he doing these days? I haven't seen him in a month...or more." Thrakon said, looking to the sky.
"Keep in mind, he needed to put a team together fast for a one time engagement, we were the only people he knew at the time, and we did fail our objective, to be honest I think he's moved on." Trystane replied.
"How so? We fought side-by-side against Prince Erris and his forces, he can't just abandon us." Thrakon argued.
"Does it not seem like that to you, Thrakon? We've been put under Captain Viscen's command, Aren has rejoined his tribe, after recovering, Elgon resumed his post as Captain of the Lanayru Province Guard, and Kallil...well...Kallil is his childhood friend, obviously he'll keep him close. Face it we must, we were just the hired help." Trystane said, a hint of bitterness in his words.
"You think he'd just toss us away? If you haven't noticed, we both have abilities that are difficult to come by, me with my great strength and you with your talent for ice sorcery." Thrakon replied in a prideful tone.
"He's probably met many like us before, in his other lives." Trystane said. "Immediately after our arrival in Castle Town, the entire Kokiri Forest and Zora army in tow, we had stayed together, Link had gone over plan after plan with us for what we were going to do when Ganondorf struck, but as months have gone by, nothing has happened, there have been no major attacks or incursions, all we've had to worry about are bandits and the occasional beast strolling through Hyrule Field, thus there really was no need to keep us around." Trystane said, his eyes going wide as placed his foot down, finding nothing underneath.
"Stop moping and keep you eyes forward, will ya?" Thrakon asked as he grabbed Trystane by the back plate of his armor, pulling him away from the edge of the canal.
"Blasted engineers! Is it so difficult to put up a fence around these things!?" Trystane said, summoning a ball of ice into his hand, and subsequently smashing it on the ground in frustration. "I shall have a discussion with Edward about this."
Thrakon looked down into the canal as three Zora swam through, paying no mind to the Hylians above.
The whole of the Hylian Zora Kingdom had descended into anarchy upon King Laorik's death, Mikau and his fellow Terminian Zora ruler Evan had tried to keep it together, but as they were Terminian, the Hyrulean Zora saw it as an attempt to annex their Kingdom and rejected the two, while also paying no mind to Laorik's young daughter, believing the Zora Princess to be too young to understand the political workings of their world. Some Zora opted to return to their homes, while others decided they'd be safest under the multitudes of warding spells in Castle Town, the only issue being the lack of waterways, thus leading the Hylian Corps. of Engineer's to build an entire system for the newly emigrated Zora population composed of multiple waterways that all ended in a massive lagoon in North Castle Town that was fed directly by the large lake behind the Castle.
Thrakon and Trystane turned the next corner, arriving in city square. Here, it was not lit by torches, but orbs of light energy that were recharged by the many sorcerers under the employ of Castle Town. A blue glow was cast over the town square from the fountain, a pane of glass being placed over the bottom to contain the light energy that was gathered underneath it.
"You have to be joking, are we the only ones on night patrol right now?" Thrakon asked, spying four Zora relaxing and chatting in the fountain.
Trystane pulled a piece of parchment from his pack, reading it as he unrolled it. "According to this, Roger and Steven were posted closer to the square than we were." Trystane answered, lifting an eyebrow curiously.
"Who would think a Knight and Mercenary would do a better job of guarding than actual Guards?" Thrakon said with a laugh.
"The Princess did offer to make you a Knight." Trystane said, looking to his friend.
"It's just not my style." Thrakon answered plainly.
"Curious, I thought anything that would get you more rupees would be "your style"." Trystane joked.
The two drew themselves up to their full height as they came up on the fountain, trying to look as official and intimidating as possible.
"You four! Canals and a lagoon, plus housing has been made for you in North Castle Town, it's been made clear the fountain and other decorative water displays are off limits." Thrakon said in a demanding voice.
"Come on, you Hylian's don't know how it is." one Zora man said.
"The Canals and the Lagoon are always too crowded." a Zora Woman chimed in.
"Yeah, how about we hang out here for another hour or so, and then move on?" another Zora man asked.
"Out of the question." Trystane said as he withdrew his time piece. "It's currently a quarter passed the first hour of the morning, so you shouldn't be out anyways." the Knight said.
"I'm not so happy with how you Hylians are treating us." one of the Zora men said as he stood up."
"I hear your also not happy with nearly freezing water." Trystane shot back as he pointed a finger at the fountain.
The Zora man leapt from the pool as the three other Zora yipped, following suit.
"Unless you want a further display, I'd suggest you go home." Thrakon cut in, the Zora begrudgingly obliging before going on their way.
"That was kind of exciting...right?" Trystane asked.
"About as exciting as Night Patrol can get." Thrakon answered with a laugh.
The two moved on, turning down multiple streets, every now and then rousting a vagrant or ordering a citizen to return home.
"Goddesses damn it!" Thrakon and Trystane said in unison as they turned down the main thoroughfare in South Castle Town, seeing the gate was not just unbolted, but wide open.
"This was supposed to be closed at dusk, the spell on the gate does not work if it is not closed!" Trystane said as Thrakon closed the gate and used his massive strength to bolt it, a task that usually required four men.
"Who's job was this?" Thrakon asked.
"Take a guess." Trystane replied in an exasperated tone.
"Roger and Steven." Thrakon answered, narrowing his eyes.
"Correct you are!" Trystane replied, shoving the parchment he had withdrawn back into his pack.
"When I find them I'm going to toss them over the wall, and not this one, that one!" Thrakon said, motion towards the other side of the city.
"Please refrain from violence, I believe a court martial is in order, this kind of carelessness endangered the lives of the the citizens we're here to protect." Trystane said as they briskly turned corner after corner, stopping when they saw two figures standing still straight ahead of them, both wearing Castle Town Guard armor.
"And there they are." Trystane remarked.
"Ey! You there!" Thrakon shot, stopping as his foot hit something. "Trystane...this entire night, we haven't encountered any other guards...have we?" he asked.
Trystane's eyes widened as he and Thrakon looked down, the alleyway was dark. with just three torches lighting it, but there was no mistaking it as they looked down, sixteen bodies lie on the ground, two guards for every sub section of Castle Town.
"What the hell is this?" Thrakon growled as he back up, Trystane slowly drawing his sword.
The two went silent as Roger and Steven turned towards them, their faces being obscured by darkness.
"Two more? There weren't supposed to be two more...sixteen, that's all he told us there were...not eighteen." Roger said.
"They closed the gate didn't they? Now how's it going to get in?" Steven replied.
"Well it's not, not if we don't get that gate open again." Roger answered.
"Drat, they're going to try to stop us, aren't they?" Steven asked.
"Most likely." Roger said.
"Kill them, shall we?" Steven asked.
"Kill them we shall!" Roger answered excitedly.
Trystane and Thrakon exchanged glances, the mercenary taking his great sword off of his back as they fell into their fighting stances.
"I know Roger and Steven, those are not their voices." Trystane said.
"So what, impostors?" Thrakon asked.
Roger and Steven passed under a torch, the flame illuminating their faces, their eyes were pure white while their mouths were contorted into an inhumanly wide grin, the veins in their faces bulging, their skin pale.
"What the hell?!" Thrakon exclaimed, a shiver traversing his spine as he noticed their incessant twitching.
"Demons..." Trystane gasped.
In a moment Roger and Steven were upon them, both clanging their swords against those of Thrakon and Trystane.
Thrakon whirled his Great Sword around, Steven ducking under it as it went over, the possessed guard leapt forward, bringing down a vertical slash on the mercenary, Thrakon turning his blade sideways and tossing his opponent away with a shove.
Trystane countered Roger's diagonal swipe with a horizontal slash, diving in with a stab only to be forced to fade to the right as the guard came back with a vertical upwards slash. The Knight extended his left hand, a blast of frost shooting forth and freezing Roger's blade solid. The guard came back at him, attempting to a horizontal leftwards slash with his frozen blade, Trystane fading back, and then jumping forward, bringing the hilt of his blade down on Roger's, shattering it. The Guard growled and eyed Trystane, holding up his right hand as his fingernails morphed into claws.
"Ganondorf sends his regards, and regrets he could not be here himself." Roger and Steven said in unison.
Thrakon performed a spin attack, Steven leaping over it and bringing down his sword on the blonde Hylian man, severing some of his shoulder length hair and cutting his cheek.
"Now I'm mad!" Thrakon yelled, charging forward.
Steven ran at the mercenary, readying a downwards diagonal slash. Thrakon brought his sword up to meet it, smashing his great sword into the guards smaller broad sword, sending it flying away. Steven turned to see where it went, only for Thrakon to grab him by the back plate and toss him down the alley.
Trystane brought up his sword, repeatedly catching strikes from Roger's newly grown claws.
"You're going to hurt yourself!" the Knight yelled, Roger not digressing.
"I'm going to hurt YOU!" Roger yelled.
Trystane faded back as Roger lunged, swiping his claws at the Knight. Trystane thrust himself forward, throwing his shoulder into the Guard and dropping to one knee, sweeping his foot out from underneath him.
Thrakon approached Steven cautiously, great sword at the ready. The Guard was injured, having sustained many breaks to his skin upon landing. The former mercenary was quick to notice the swelling in his veins had gone down, a black substance having exited through every cut and scrape, only red blood slowly seeping out now.
Steven suddenly looked up, his eyes having returned to normal. "The demon blood...you have to...you have to." he said, coughing up blood as he spoke.
"Have to what?" Thrakon asked.
"You have to get it out of him." Steven breathed before falling unconscious.
Trystane dodged to the side and faded back, Roger's attacks becoming more and more crazed and equally as fast. Suddenly Thrakon appeared from behind, holding Roger's arms at his side.
"It's inside him, demon blood." Thrakon said through gritted teeth, struggling to hold onto the man.
"Let him go!" Trystane commanded, a red glow surrounding his hands.
Thrakon took note of this, tossing Roger onto the cobblestone paved ground.
Roger leapt at Trystane, claws bared, only to be met with a red mist, being stopped in mid-air, encased in red ice.
"Since that incident with Elgon, I've been practicing." Trystane said between breaths.
"Thank you for that." Thrakon answered.
"We need to get him back to the Castle, I'll carry Steven...you can lift this, right?" Trystane asked, motioning towards the red ice encased Roger.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Thrakon asked, hoisting it up as Trystane carefully picked up the injured Steven.
"Makes me wonder what "it" is and what Ganondorf is up to now." Trystane admitted, he and Thrakon exchanging concerned glances.
oOo
The sound of the carpenter's repeated hammer strikes, the clanging from the forge, and the calls of numerous livestock animals greeted his ears as Link saddled his horse. The people of Fernridge went about their business, some just waking up to make it to their workplaces while others, like the smith and the farmers had already been awake for hours.
"Come on! You always come when my father tells you to!" a young boy yelled as he tried his best to pull an older cow down the street.
Link smiled, it reminded him of, well, himself in many different lives, he hadn't chosen the farming life, it always seemed to be chosen for him. His most recent position as a farmhand was during the Twilight Invasion, though, like in most of his other lives, he didn't stay in it long after regaining his memories. This life was refreshing, so rare was it that he started out a warrior, so rare was it that he was already in his desired physical shape, it saved him a lot of work.
Zelda stifled a yawn as she strolled out of the inn they'd been staying at, smiling as she saw him.
Link returned the smile, Zelda had taken to wearing the attire of the average village woman so as not to call attention to herself, but it didn't seem to work completely, as her looks alone caught the attention of many. "Good morning, didn't short yourself on beauty sleep, I see." Link said in a playful tone.
"How long have you been up?" Zelda asked as she approached Link, beginning to aid him in saddling his horse.
"Only about an hour, Kallil came to roust us as soon as that whole pack Viscen sent with us was ready to go." Link answered.
"I don't recall anyone coming to our door." Zelda remarked.
"Such can be expected, in our past lives I've had to carry you out of bed in the mornings, such a sound sleeper you are." he said with a smirk.
"At least I'm not so light of a sleeper the wings of a moth fluttering can wake me." Zelda shot back playfully.
Link only smiled in return, his alertness, even in sleep, was a skill he acquired long ago that was necessary for resting while attempting to conquer a temple, it had saved his life innumerable times.
With a wave of her hand, all of the remaining fastenings on the saddle connected and tied together, Link taking a step back in shock. "You're welcome, I noticed you were taking a bit longer than usual." she said.
"You took all the fun out of it." Link replied with a laugh.
"Fine then, you may saddle my horse." Zelda replied with a smirk, walking towards the inn's stables.
Link just turned to the his steed, patting it on the side as he shook his head from side to side and laughed to himself. There were certain eras in which he could swear Zelda didn't even have a sense of humor, he was pleased to find that in this one, that was not so.
"Sir Link!" the contingent's Captain said as he approached the hero, making a hasty bow and standing up straight.
"Yes?" Link answered, looking slightly amused.
"Are you prepared to leave?" the Guard asked.
"Zelda's getting her horse now, I'm not sure about Audrik, and I don't know where Kallil got off to" Link answered, looking up and down the street they were on.
"Ah, very well sir, as for Kallil, he has joined the rest of my guards in patrolling this village's streets." the Captain said as he raised a fist in a proud manner.
"I see...if I may ask, what's there to patrol for?" Link inquired. Fernridge was a small village, a place Link doubted such a large number of guards would be needed.
The Captain looked to the side, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, we..um...helped a farmer catch a goat, rousted some crows from a rooftop aaaand...oh! There was a wolfos!"
Link picked up his head, his eyes opening wider. "A wolfos? Here?" he asked, slightly stunned.
"Yes sir! Well...not right here, it was outside the town, walking among the tree line...and it retreated back into the forest soon after we saw it." the Captain informed him.
"It ran due to your men's intimidation, I'm sure of it." Link said semi-sarcastically.
"Indeed!" the Captain said victoriously.
"I'll go see if the Prince is in his room, get your guards ready to move out." Link commanded, the Captain bowing before running off to do so.
Link turned, making his way back into the inn and passed the check in desk, he ran up the stairs, the yells of the early afternoon drunks fading into the distance. "What an undesirable bunch." he thought to himself as he came upon Audrik's room. He swiftly knocked on the door, leaning closer to it. "Audrik, wake up, it's about time we made our way onwards." he said. Link went rigid for a moment as he felt a presence directly behind him.
"I'm already awake." Audrik whispered directly into Link's ear.
"Ah!" Link exclaimed, placing his palm firmly onto the Prince's chest, shoving him back a few places. "Audrik! What the hell?!" he asked, mouth slightly agape.
The Prince attempted to speak through his laughter before putting his hands up and calming himself. "You, Mr. Hero, address me far too casually, I'm pretty sure you left out the words "Prince" and "Lord"."
"Ill make sure to be respectful next time if you promise to never to whatever that was again." Link replied.
"Oh do calm yourself, 'twas merely a jest! How many can say they've gotten that close to the "Hero of Legend and lived to tell about it?" Audrik asked with a laugh.
"Your sister for starters, and she's gotten much closer than that." Link said with a smirk.
"You know, I could have you whipped for shoving me." Audrik shot back.
The two made their way down the stairs and out into the street, a smile from Zelda greeting them as they did. Link climbed atop his steed, Audrik following suit behind him.
As the group got going Link became consumed in thought, his trait of being a light sleeper was useful for when there were disturbances in the night. He had been awoken quite often recently by Zelda's sudden thrashing in bed, obviously the effect of nightmares...but of what? His first thought was Ganondorf, but he couldn't be sure, he thought back to something she had said in her sleep. "Small...Goddess", she only said it once but it caught him off guard, even though Ganon had an ages old hatred for them, he still was wary of the fact Zelda was once the Goddess Hylia, and thus had a begrudging respect for her abilities, so what was it that Zelda thought would consider her small? Link couldn't help but become suspicious that there was something more sinister at work.
oOo
Numerous armor clad feet trudged through the sand, the sun, even in winter beating down on them with a legendary heat only found within the Gerudo Desert.
"Are we almost there?" Viscen demanded, looking at the figure in front of him.
Erris attempted to brush his long black hair out of his face, the sweat making it stick to his forehead. "Patience, Captain, do you think Ganondorf would really hide this where anyone on a stroll could find it?" he asked.
"Do you have any idea where this entrance is?" Viscen continued, picking up his pace slightly to catch up to the Labrynnian man.
"If he says he knows where to find it, I'd take his word for it." Cia warned, driving her staff into the sand.
"And why is you are here? You know nothing of what we search for!" Viscen said, the soldiers behind him tensing.
"She's here, because if we run into a powerful foe, I'd at least like to have one person that would stand a chance at my side." Erris said without looking back.
"How dare-!" Viscen began, stopping short when the Prince halted, extended both of his arms and placing his hands together.
"This is it." Erris said with a grin.
"Just looks like another dune to me." Viscen remarked.
Erris swiftly spread his arms, the sand parting to reveal a massive door below it's surface, the Triforce mark carved into the enormous stone's exterior.
Viscen and the soldiers behind him looked on in awe, no words coming to their minds as they looked upon the object of their quest.
"Welcome to the Crypt of the Gods." Erris said, eyes set on the door.
oOo
Link helped Zelda down from her horse as their group came to a stop, the entire village of Oak Hollow seemingly coming to a halt as a group of Castle Town Guards entered, three casually clothed individuals among them.
"So this is where you grew up in this life." Zelda said, looking around cheerfully.
"That it is, I know it's not much to look at, but it was a good home." Link said with smile, looking around at the familiar surroundings.
"It's such an idyllic town, much like your home during the Age of Twilight" Zelda remarked.
"On behalf of the Lanayru Province Guard, we welcome you to Oak Hollow." a familiar voice called out.
"Elgon!" Link called, setting his sights on the silver haired man being followed by a group of new recruits.
Link's former instructor and current Light Sage had only recently recovered from his ordeal, and unfortunately only had limited use of his left arm, but he still persisted.
"It's good to see you all made it here safely, I assume there was no trouble." Elgon said.
"None at all!" the Captain proclaimed before Link could speak up.
Link and Zelda approached Elgon as the guards stayed behind.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well." Zelda said with a smile.
"As am I." Link added.
"It's been a tough road, you know, after being possessed by both Majora and Ganondorf, but I've made short work of it." Elgon said proudly.
"Are you thinking of rejoining us in Castle Town in the future?" Link asked.
"Please, having you there with us is very important." Zelda said.
"I'd like to go back some time, but just not now. Ganondorf has yet to strike, and if I'm right and he does attack Castle Town, we might benefit from having one of us on the outside...have you any luck finding the other sages?" Elgon inquired as he placed a hand on his chin.
Zelda and Link looked to each other for a moment before turning back to the Light Sage. "So far none have revealed themselves, all we have are Saria, Impa, and yourself...still." Link said, looking downwards.
"This isn't good, Ganon's gaining in power, I can feel it." Elgon said, looking off into the distance.
"We'll be ready for him, we always are." Zelda responded, clenching a fist in determination.
"I hope you're right." Elgon said, "But for now, we're safe, I have to get back to whipping these new recruits into shape, if you need anything you know where to find me." he continued before starting off towards the training area.
"He's nothing like he was when he was my father." Zelda said.
"Don't fret about it, he most likely has a lot on his mind." Link said as he and Zelda walked back towards the town square.
Zelda listened intently as Link explained the layout of the village, coming to a halt as Link stopped, a smile edging across his face. "What is it?" Zelda asked, concerned.
"Watch out!" Link shouted.
The Princess stepped to the side as a group of children armed with wooden swords ran passed, all gathering around Link.
"Link!" the majority of them called, raising their play weapons high.
"I see you all have been keeping up on your training, but are you any match for me?" Link said with a smile, fetching a small stick off the ground.
Zelda laughed as Link play dueled with the children, pretending to be losing as they gathered around.
"Okay, okay! I am defeated!" Link said, falling to his knees as the group around him laughed.
"Mr. Link! What's it like in Castle Town?" One child called out.
"Have you seen any monsters?" asked another.
"Castle Town is enormous, it's buildings reach the sky!" Link said as he gestured upwards, the kids looking on in awe. "And yes, I have seen many a monster, but they all run when I draw my blade." Link said, brandishing the Master Sword.
Zelda's expression turned serious, the Master Sword was not a display piece made to impress children.
Link took note of his betrothed's expression, sheathing the Master Sword and gesturing towards her. "And while there, I met the Princess." he said.
Zelda couldn't help but smile again as the children turned towards her.
"Are you the real Princess?" one of them asked, the others remaining silent.
"Why yes, I am, what is your name?" she asked.
"Halton." the child answered.
"Well Halton, Mr. Link is the real hero, he slayed a dragon to save a village." Zelda said, a tone to her voice not unlike someone telling a story.
All the children once again turned to Link, the Hero looking down at them. "Tis a story for another day, you all have somewhere to be, do you not?" Link asked.
Darkness had begun to fall, the villagers having imposed a rule that all had to be indoors not long after.
"Come on Mr. Link. we want to hear about the dragon!" another child called.
"Tomorrow, I promise." Link said.
Zelda walked to Link's side as the group scattered, their parents retrieving them as they went.
"Are you sure it was safe to tell them you are indeed the Princess?" Link said playfully.
"They're just children." Zelda said with a laugh.
Link clasped Zelda's hand, the two beginning to walk before Link stopped again.
"What is it?" Zelda asked.
"I noticed there was one missing from the group." he said with a smirk.
Zelda took a step back as a young girl dropped from the tree above them onto Link's shoulders, the hero laughing as she slid off onto the ground.
"Nika!" Link yelled, embracing his little sister.
"Big brother! You came back!" she said.
Zelda looked couldn't help but grin as she looked on, Link had spent many lives without a family, it warmed her heart to see him finally have one.
"Are you really the Princess?" Nika said as she walked over to Zelda, shyly ducking her head.
Before Zelda could answer Link cut in.
"She is my wife to be. Zelda, this is my little sister Nika." Link said with a smile.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much." Zelda said.
"You're my brother's wife?" the young girl asked, looking up at the Princess.
"Not yet, but soon." she said, sending a smile towards Link.
"Mother's going to be so happy, maybe she won't be cross with you." Nika said as she turned towards her brother.
"Why would she be angry?" Zelda asked curiously.
"I may have forgotten to write her for about...three months." Link said as he reached a hand behind his head.
"Three months?!" You should be ashamed." Zelda said with a laugh.
"Ah, indeed I am, but now it is time we go home, show us the way, Nika!" Link said as his little sister ran ahead.
Meanwhile
Kallil's family sat stalk still, completely and utterly stunned.
"Would you like more tea?" Kallil's mother asked carefully.
"Oh no, I couldn't impose, thank you so much for having me, you are truly gracious." Audrik said as he cut into the cucco breast placed before him.
"I told you I knew the Prince." the Kallil said with a smile as he continued eating his meal. They hadn't believed his letters, but now they knew better.
oOo
Across the sea
Taffin ran across the Castle's courtyard, the sounds of battle growing alarmingly close.
The Guards posted at the Castle's doors hastily swung them open and allowed the royal messenger entry.
He dashed through the main hall, the entire room being completely empty after most courtiers had ran for their lives. He threw all of his body weight into the next door he came across, the guards inside pointing their spears at first, but lowering them quickly after realizing who it was that entered.
"What news do you bring?" the King asked, a grim tone to his voice.
"The dark army...they'll be upon the castle within a half hour...the one who's leading them, he's a demon!" Taffin said, sweat dripping from him.
"I don't believe this, he must be a mere sorcerer and nothing more, what would a demon want with us?" the ruler growled.
"King Pranik, we must leave immediately!" a Knight shouted, stepping back after receiving a glare from the King.
Suddenly the ground shook, small cracks shooting through the floor. Yells were heard from the main hall as soldiers poured in to defend the castle, then all went silent.
The King, his Knights, and Taffin all stared at the door, apprehension hanging thick in the air.
Everyone jumped back as the door and the wall around it exploded inward, all debris turning to ash.
"I expected so much more, but then again, what can you do when an army shows up on your doorstep unannounced." Ganon said as he stepped forward, Shilara, Naora, Mathias, Oreck in his Goht form, and a stranger also joining them.
"You..." the King growled, the stranger smirking.
"Kanthos tells me you've been trying to kill him for quite some time, what a waste of talent that would be." Ganon remarked.
"He's nothing but a delusional fool who thinks this country belongs to him!" a Knight shouted as he drew his sword.
Ganon nodded in the Knight's direction and continued forward as Shilara darted to the side, returning quickly after dispatching him with with ease.
"What do you want from us?" the King asked, shuddering as Ganon drew closer.
"You have an impressive naval fleet, I require use of it, and your armies." Ganon said with grin.
"You will never have them!" the King roared, lifting his scepter and firing a bolt of golden energy at the group in front of him.
"Ganon lifted off the ground, shooting through the air and into the blast, a red aura surrounding his hand as he punched through it.
"What the!?" the King exclaimed as Ganon appeared in front of him, completely unharmed.
"And I'll be needing this! Ganon roared, grabbing ahold of the top of the King's scepter and tearing it from it's place, the silver diamond shaped object reacting with his Triforce piece and assembled Anteforce as he held it.
"You...you are a demon." the King said between breaths.
"No, I am not just a demon, I am the god of demons! All spirits bow before me and soon your kingdom will too!" Ganon said.
"I won't let you take my country..." the King groaned.
"I already have." Ganon said, gesturing towards the man as he passed. Shilara laughed giddily as she stepped over to him, grabbing the man by his hair and hoisting his head up before slashing his throat with a knife, Taffin going unnoticed as he curled up and began shaking in a corner.
"Is all this really necessary?" Naora asked as she caught up to her husband.
"Yes." Ganon said plainly.
"You, you're a Knight, don't you have some sense of morals, this is wrong is it not?"
Mathias turned to the Gerudo woman, saying nothing.
"What are you on about all of a sudden?" Shilara asked.
"When we decided we'd take Hyrule I agreed because of the way the Hylians treated us, we deserved the luxuries they took for granted...but this...this country, they have done nothing to us, they're not involved in our conflict at all." Naora argued.
"They had resources we required, which are now ours." Ganon said calmly.
The group emerged onto the roof of the Castle, the archers shooting arrow after arrow, each one disintegrating within an arms reach of striking them. The Demon King threw up his arms, the soldiers who opposed him flying off of their feet and landing on the ground unconscious. The group stepped over to the edge, all except for Mathias and Naora smiling as they watched the army of Bulblins, Moblins, Garo, Lizalfos, Dinfolfos, and Black Knights quell the resistance below.
"So what is that thing?" Mathias asked, indicating the object that once adorned the King's scepter.
"A key." Ganon said before raising his fist, the Anteforce glowing brightly while his Triforce of Power did the same.
Silence fell below as the conflict ceased, all soldiers in the opposing army turning to face the group atop the Castle.
"You are now loyal to me! Bow!" Ganon roared, his voice booming.
The soldiers that occupied the rooftop stood up, their eyes glowing a dim red.
"What are you doing to them?" Naora asked.
"Invading their minds, they number just below ten thousand, they will make a fine army of pawns." Ganon explained.
Naora gritted her teeth, pulling her scimitar from it's sheath. "I won't let you do this! These people have nothing to do with us and don't deserve this!" she yelled. The Gerudo woman charged forth, a single tear falling from her eye as she leapt into the air, bringing her sword down on her husband's head.
"Naora, what is the meaning of this?" Ganon growled.
The Gerudo woman looked on in shock, her blade had done nothing. "You are not my husband, all traces of Kai died as soon as you became this abomination!" she screamed.
"On the contrary, Kai never existed! You're a foolish woman who knows not of what comes with war, and who does not have what it takes to rule by my side." Ganon growled.
"I would rather die than be at your side any longer!" Naora cried.
"Then so be it." Ganon said quietly.
"Wait...brother...she must be taken by a temporary bout of madness, surely she'll realize her error." Shilara said, looking at her brother's wife worriedly.
"Defying this madness is no error." Naora growled before leaping to attack Ganon once more. She suddenly halted, a telekinetic grasp holding her in the air.
"I regret having to do this, but you leave me with no choice." Ganon said. The demon King tilted his head forward, Naora being thrown off the Castle's edge, the other members of the group looking on in shock while the newcomer Kanthos seemed indifferent
Naora closed her eyes as she fell, cursing herself for having joined the Demon King in the first place, at least now she could embrace death. The Gerudo woman placed a hand on her chest, her eyes shooting open as she remembered.
Naora grabbed the crystal around her neck tightly, Ganon had given it to her when they were young, telling her that if she were ever in trouble, it would warp her back to their home safely. Naora gripped the stone tightly, disappearing in a flash of light.
oOo
Alright, there we have it everyone, Naora's finally had it with Ganondorf, Trystane and Thrakon thwarted an evil scheme, Erris has located a mysterious temple, and Link and Zelda are enjoying some off time while they can!
Darciefire: I'm glad you liked Erris's transition, I don't think I can say the things he's done were completely Mahlik's doing, but he was influenced by him, so he's kinda "seen the light" so to speak. I guess moving the forest is a little drastic, I just wanted to throw in something really crazy that would mix up the story a bit! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Thank you for you review!
Gerudospirit: You'll figure out what Oren thinks soon! I'm sorry I kind of skipped over that part! I see Zelda as a merciful figure and kind of like the light that keeps Link from going too dark at times, thus why she forgave Erris. I'm sorry for how long it took to get that last chapter out! Thank you for the review and your patience!
Thank you to Ty Floyd, KCavDC, and Moonlight Raven Grave for following and favoriting, you guys are great!
If you spot a grammar or syntax error, please point it out, thank you!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!
-Prometheus17