Chapter 13: Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Sacred Grove

Skull kid led Link, Rusl, the shade, and Ren through the grove. He'd play old songs and tunes on his horn instrument to open pathways and tunnel, previously blocked by wooden barriers. The shade recognized the various songs that he played. Along with the Song of Saria, the shade recognized the Sun's song, the Minuet of Forest, and the Bolero of Fire. They had not encountered the Twili Risen, and the path seemed clear.

"Hey, where exactly are we going?" asked Ren.

"The place with the two statues. It's up ahead through this tunnel," answered Skull kid.

"Is that where the 'evil men' are?" asked Rusl.

"Yeah. They look dangerous," said Skull kid.

The four of them readied their swords and shields. They approached the tunnel, and halfway through, they charged in. Link took in the environment in a split second. The Ordon Villagers were all herded together to the left of the statues. There were at least a dozen Twili Risen. About half of them were sitting on the collapsed pillars. A few others were hacking away at the stone door that lied between the two statues. The rest were gathered around a cauldron, cooking what smelled like pumpkin soup.

It didn't take long for them to notice the presence of four intruders. The Twili Risen dropped what they were doing, and hurried for their swords. The first three clashed with Link, Ren, and Rusl. Two clashed with the Hero's Shade. The shade pushed one back and stabbed is chest, but in the brief moment, the other swung his sword to slice the exposed elbow joint of the shade's left arm. It didn't hit. Literally. It wasn't that it was a bad swing, but the sword went through the bones like air. The Twili Risen, pulled back in panic, and the shade sliced him. The next four lined and held a stance, keeping a distance from them. Ren took out four of his darts, and readied them in his left hand. He slipped one into his right hand, and launched it into one of the Twili Risen. Then he did the next, and the next, and the next, until all four of them were dead. The last three formed a wall around the villagers. One in the center grabbed Colin, Rusl's son. He held a knife above his head in his right hand, with Colin in the grip of his left arm.

"Colin!" shouted Rusl. "Don't you hurt a single hair on his-"

Rusl was cut short by the loud, brazen tone the Skull kid played from is horn. Everyone curled back at the sound of the note. When they looked up, there were six more people in the room. Well, not people. Puppets. Skull Kid's puppets dropped down, looking limp and creepy as ever. Three lined up behind the Twili Risen, and three in front of them. The one behind took the knife right out of the hands of the Twili Risen. The puppet in front removed Colin from the grip. Finally, all six of the puppets grabbed the Twili Risen by their arms, and hoisted them into the air. Then they ascended into the trees carrying them away. Their screams faded under the sound of rustling leaves.

"That was, uh, interesting, to say the least," said Ren.

"When'd you learn how to do that?" the shade asked Skull Kid.

"A long time ago, when I found this horn here," he answered. "It's just always been able to do that."

"Dad!" shouted Colin, as he sprinted into Rusl's arms.

"Colin! Oh, we've been looking for you for so long. Is everyone alright?" asked Rusl.

"No, everyone's been sick. Those men did something to them," said Colin.

"What about you?!"

"I'm fine. They didn't do it to me, but we have to help everyone else!"

They went to the rest of the villagers. They looked, and some let out a feint breath which spoke "Link? Rusl?" Rusl felt his wife's forehead. She was burning up. They all had fevers, on top of their sickly dark complexions.

"What did they do to them?" asked the shade.

"They took some rock and cut them with it," said Colin.

"Do they still have the rock?" asked Ren.

"Yeah, that one there has it." Colin pointed at one of them. "That one was the leader."

Ren went to the leader's corpse, and lifted up his cloak. In his side belt lied a narrow black rock, shaped like a spiral. He lifted it out, and he knew for sure what it was.

"It's a Twilight shard," he said. "It can run twilight energy through a living thing. I guess for Link, it turns him into a wolf. But for a regular person, it does that."

"Can you get it out?" asked the shade.

"I can try. But I'm not sure what it will do to me. All that twilight in my body," he answered.

"What do you think, Link?" asked Rusl.

"..." (Link). Link said that there is no other option, but Ren should decide if he wants to do it or not.

"Well, here goes nothing," he said.

They were surprised by his nonchalant boldness, watching him walk to Uli. He took her arm, and found the cut on her upper arm. He pressed his hand against it, and focused on siphoning the twilight out. Slowly, her dark complexion turned brighter, as it went away into Ren. Finally, her face was clear. Rusl could make out his wife's face. He went and kneeled down to her.

"It worked," Rusl said. "Uli, are you alright?"

"I think so," she quietly responded.

"...?" Link asked Ren if he was fine.

"I, uh, think I'm fine," he said. "I think I'll be able to do the rest of them."

...

Ren went to Talo, to continue healing the villagers of their Twilight sickness. As they rejoiced in reunion, the shade and Skull Kid pulled Link aside.

"What I mentioned before, about the chasm between worlds growing smaller. I'd hope that you aren't the one causing that," said the shade.

"..." (Link). He did not know how to respond.

"I can see glimpses of your life from beyond. Your companions from the other world. Their passing between Hyrule and their world is causing that disturbance between realms," the shade explained. "If something too large happens, and closes the gap, the results could be, cataclysmic."

"...?" Link asked how him how he was able to figure all of that out.

"The chains that restrained me while I was alive are no longer locked. And after 800 years, you can learn a lot about the world beyond," he answered. "How do you want this schism to end?"

"...?" Link asked what he was supposed to do.

"Know that you are dealing with events that we won't be able to stop. I've seen a world end too many times," he answered. After a pause, he said "I can ensure that the villagers of Ordon will be safe under my protection, but it is up to you to decide how you want to save Hyrule."

South of Ylisstol, Morning

Everyone was gathered. One big militia, ready to rush into battle and clash with the enemy. Robin and Frederick took a full list of the militia soldiers that were part of the Shepherd army, and not the Ylissean army. The full list read: Chrom, Robin, Frederick, Sumia, Lucina, Flavia, Basilio, Say'ri, Morgan, Cordelia, Gaius, Vaike, Lon'qu, Gregor, Sully, Gerome, Cherche, Stahl, Miriel, Kellam, Panne, Libra, Tharja, Henry, Kjelle, and Yen'fay. Then there were thirty soldiers from Ylissean army, and the twenty eight elite guards of Regna Ferox. Overall, it totaled to eighty-six soldiers. Though realistically, their might was that of hundreds of soldiers.

They conversed to pass the last minutes they had in Ylisse, waiting for the call for departure. Chrom stood in front of the conglomerate of soldiers, and called out for attention.

"For most of you, you're venturing to battle in unknown territory. For a few of you, this isn't the case. But regardless, we are marching into a battle. Hopefully, we're coming back in one piece. None of you have to die. Though your fears may say otherwise, remember: When we were powerless against the Fell Dragon, we prevailed, and through a small sliver of hope, we defeated him. What's different this time is that we are more than capable of beating the foes that wait against us," Chrom said. "And it is now, we cross into the world of Hyrule and begin what we came to do."

"Form up!" shouted Frederick.

The soldiers formed into small battalions, organized in square formations. At each was a commanding officer. Three of them in front were Lon'qu, Basilio, and Gaius. And behind were Flavia, Cordelia, Sully, and Lucina leading other battalions.

Chrom held the sword with both of his hands and focused on the power of the sword to cut through worlds. The blade started to shine, and he turned it upside down, and thrust it into the ground. The glowing light rain through the ground like veins in the body, encompassing the entire militia within it's grasp. And soon, they faded away, passing through the barrier between Hyrule and Ylisse.

Kakariko Village

Link sat in front of the spring that was next to the sanctuary. Surely enough, the villagers were safe in Ordon, and being protected by the Hero's Shade, or rather, the Hero of Time. They parted ways, as well as Rusl, who decided to stay in Ordon. Link and Ren warped back to Kakariko Village, where they reunited with the rest of the Resistance. The residents of Ordon were free, safe, and the Twili Risen outside of Castle Town were presumably diminished. But what more could they do? If they left Hyrule as is, then the Twili Risen forces are trapped in Castle Town, but the residents of Castle Town are trapped under the rule of the Twili Risen. If the Resistance decided to sneak in, it would surely be a suicide mission. Except this time, they aren't gonna get their own ghost shade.

A crack of thunder rang in the distance, and the skies let out. The rain drizzled down with the calm and constant trickling sound. Then another crack of thunder. Then another, and another. They happened continuously. Link looked back, and trying to see where the lightning was coming from. Far in the distance, to the northwest, he could see lightning striking down where Castle Town would be.

He didn't think, nor hesitate. He mounted on to Epona, and road off north. Once he passed the gates, he crossed the large spanning Hyrule Field, and crossed the Eldin Bridge. From there, he kept going north, and northwest until he reached one of the entrances to Castle Town. He dismounted, and walked closer to the wall. He ordered Epona to go back to Kakariko Village, and she ran off behind. Link crept against the wall, in the broad daylight. He was under the blind spots of the Twili Risen archers above. He got closer to the entrance, which had the talisman that Ren put. Except, it wasn't pasted on the wall. It was lying on the ground, and the ink had been washed off from the rain. That meant that Twili Risen could leave from that exit.

Link crept away, but it was not subtle enough. He was spotted by an archer.

"Hey, you there!" he shouted, with an arrow drawn back on his bow.

Link froze, but he realized what could happen. If he fled, and they attempted to follow him, they'd realize that the spell on that entrance wasn't working anymore, and they'd be free to attack the rest of Hyrule. If he stayed, he would get captured. Without a thought, he put his hands up, and walked through the entrance. When he walked through, he was faced with a dozen Twili Risen, waiting to carve him up. But they captured him, and took him back into the streets.

South of Castle Town

"I think they know we're here," said Midna.

"But I don't see any of them on the wall," said Gregor. "Where are they?"

"Stay weary," Chrom said. "Everyone, form up into your battalions. And be ready for the signal."

They shuffled off into their groups. Lon'qu, Basilio, and Gaius readied their archers, but they noticed one flaw in the plan: there was no way to quickly get to the western or eastern wall. They were isolated to one entrance. From there, they had to improvise.

"Basilio, have all of the archers ready, including Lon'qu's and Gaius' archers. Lon'qu, Gaius, and Gregor. Start your scouting on the wall. Make sure it's clear. Then set a rope down for the archers. Once that's done, give us the signal, and we'll charge in," explained Robin.

"Affirmative," said Lon'qu. "You heard him. Let's move."

The three of them went up to the southern wall, with a rope carried by each. They dashed a few steps up the wall, then leaped to the side structure, and then launched themselves back up to the exterior molding of the wall. There, they lifted themselves on to the wall's catwalk.

"I still don't know how they're able to do that," said Robin.

Gaius crouched and hid against the interior wall of the catwalk, as did Gregor and Lon'qu. They crept against the wall, and Gaius and Gregor each reached a corner. They peeked behind, to see another empty wall catwalk. The lanterns were hung, but no one was home. Although, from Lon'qu's perspective, the enemy was focused on something else in the middle of town. All three regrouped, and set the ropes down for the other archers. Basilio climbed up, and Lon'qu told him to wait quietly with the other archers, and to not fire.

Lon'qu, Gaius, and Gregor vaulted over the interior wall, and on to the rooftops of the buildings. The triangle rooftops, and the extended upward molding made stealth easier. The rain also masked their footsteps, hopefully ensuring that they were not seen or heard. The Twili Risen that were occasionally seen in alleyways below were oblivious to the quiet infiltration by the three of them. The came closer to the town square, where all of the Twili Risen were amassed. From the closest spot they could get to without being seen, the looked in the center, in front of the fountain, seeing one lone figure. A particularly green figure: Link. He was holding a sword, and at his feet lay three dead Twili Risen.

They continued to survey the area. The one thing they did not see were the citizens of Castle Town. Not one. They looked down on to the streets, and they remained empty as they searched. Unknowing of what to do, they jumped back to the south, residing on the rooftop of Telma's Bar.

"Great. No civilians," said Gaius. "Where would they be?"

"Locked up in the dungeon, probably," said Lon'qu.

"Well, there is another possible place," said Gregor. "Look, that Twili Risen down there."

Below them, a Twili Risen leaned back against the wall, holding a sword in his right hand, and a bottle in the other. He did not notice the three of them above, partially due to his slightly intoxicated state.

"On three, jump down and restrain him in the alley, and we'll see if he knows anything," Gregor whispered. "One... two... three."

They jumped down on to the ground below, in front of the Twili Risen. Gaius disarmed him and restrained his right arm, while Gregor restrained the other hand. They moved him back further into the alley, down the stairs, on to the square area in front of Telma's Bar. Lon'qu took his sword and pressed it against the Twili Risen's neck, and took his other hand and covered it's mouth.

"Scream, and I'll gut you like a fish," said Lon'qu. "The people of Castle Town. Where are they?"

"I... don't know what... you're talking about," he responded.

"I will cut your head off and put it on a spear for decoration," uttered Lon'qu.

"Where, where do you think they are?" he replied. "They're here... in their homes."

"Huh?" said Lon'qu.

"They're in their houses. And shops, and..." he said, trying to pull his neck away from the sword.

"Thank you for cooperating," said Lon'qu.

Lon'qu delivered a stern punch that knocked the Twili Risen out in one blow. They looked around for a place to store his body, and decided on opening a wooden crate by them and stuffing his body in there. Hopefully, no one would discover him there. Then they stacked the other crates on top of each other, and placed them against the wall so they could climb up on to the rooftop. There, they had to alert the rest of the militia that civilians were inside the buildings.

"Gaius, quickly get over the southern wall and tell them that the citizens are inside the houses," Lon'qu ordered. "Gregor, come back over the town square with me. We'll keep an eye on Link."

"Alright, you can count on me," said Gaius.

"Just go," responded Lon'qu.

Gaius dashed back over the rooftops, all the way to the southern wall. Lon'qu and Gregor stealthily hopped back the roof they were on before at the town square. The peered over the edge to see Link. He was on his knees, and it looked like someone in dark robes and cloaks was standing with a sword near him. He was saying something, but it was inaudible from the roof.

"Does not look good," Gregor said.

"Yeah, we have to get that flare up," said Lon'qu. "And give Link some time."

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"Ready your bow and an arrow. When you fire, I'll throw the signal out. But you must be quick, and not get seen."

"That won't be a problem."

"Alright, I'll move further back. Be ready to run after you fire."

Gregor hopped back a few rooftops, and pulled out the flare. Not really a flare, but a pouch that was filled tight with various liquids. There was one that made its color forest green, which alerted the militia that they have the go ahead to charge in. Gregor had to puncture the pouch to make it leak green smoke. It would leak enough to make a large cloud visible enough to the outside of the town. Then he had to toss it high into the air. Easy enough.

Lon'qu pulled an arrow from his quiver, and readied it to his bow. He pulled the drawstring, and peeked above the roof. His hood would cover his head, making him less visible, especially in the rain under dark clouds. He looked down at them, and moved back. He lifted his bow up, and aimed at the man with a sword against Link. Lon'qu aimed the bow up higher, and to the left, since the winds were blowing to the east. Gravity and the wind would lead the arrow to the man in the robe.

Gregor waited, with his knife and the flare ready. He looked at Lon'qu, awaiting his signal. Lon'qu adjusted his aim, and finally focused on the man. Just a stray arrow could bring about change and revolt.

Finally, he let go.

...

-Kaz