A/N: I own nothing except a copy of this great game. Second note: A single singer is demarked in italics "like this", while a crowd singing is demarked "like this."

He was aware that he was lying down before he was aware that he needed to open his eyes. Groaning, he started to move his right arm up and start rubbing his eyes…only to decide against that when it hit him just how sore he was. So that was that. Yawning, he blearily opened his eyes and started to blink them repeatedly so that his vision would return.

He was in the infirmary. And he was lying in a bed. He groaned. That meant one thing.

"Look who finally decided to wake up."

Itami wasn't even looking at him, his back turned to the bed while he was cleaning one of his many, many knives. From Ishaka's point of view, it didn't look like one of his surgical ones. It looked like one of his battle knives. He was rubbing a cloth that was stained with something over the blade, slowly wiping away the dried blood on the edges and side.

"Hardly th' best place ta wipe down yer knives, buddy." Ishaka managed to croak.

"I barely get any time to myself these days." Itami responded. "Mostly because of idiots like you and Link getting the shit kicked out of you."

"Hey, t'was a close 'un!" Ishaka managed to protest.

"Right. The way a Goron versus a pitcher of ale is close." Itami fired back. "I had to let out blood in the swelling around your eye by poking a needle right above your eye socket, and had to set your hand in a cast. Did you even know that you broke your hand?"

"Hm." Ishaka was now aware that his hand felt cumbersome, as if something was covering it. He shifted slightly, and saw that there was a cover and splint on it.

"Fractured a knuckle or two." Itami said, without even turning. "Give it a day or two, and you'll be fine." He shook his head. "What is this, the twentieth time I've had to put you back together, you fucking idiot?" He slowly turned around to face his leader, still rubbing his knife down with that cloth. Ishaka managed to smirk.

"Somethin' like tha'." He said. Itami rolled his eyes.

"I'd recommend that you try not to do anything stupid like that again." He said. "I don't know who that guy was, but the next time he faces you…try a bit more strategy and a bit less brute force. Because clearly he has the upper hand in that department." He took a seat in the wicker rocking chair next to the bed. He leaned back in it a bit, the wood creaking slightly under the weight. "I'm getting awfully tired of putting you back together."

"Aw, yeh do care 'bout me!" Ishaka managed to grin. Itami smirked slightly, but it was gone in a flash. There was a silence between them for a moment. Then Itami spoke.

"Uhaa is getting elected to the Hyrulian Royal Guard." He said. Ishaka's eyes widened.

"Yeh don' say! Tha' kid des'rved it, if'n yeh ask me." He said. Itami nodded, still intently staring at his knife.

"Glad you agreed. I spoke on your behalf, gave him our stamp of approval." He said. There was another pause. "As soon as you're healthy, Zelda was hoping to get us all together again. She's got plans to push into the Valley of the Seers and deal with Cia once and for all. But she doesn't want to do anything without every commander present…and I told her that I don't make the decisions. You do."

"Yeh do a fin' job, Itami." Ishaka said. "Yeh shouldn' sell yerself short."

"Well that's very nice of you." Itami said. "And it'll be equally nice to figure things out once Cia's dead."

"Er, I guess." Ishaka said. Itami stopped polishing his knife, and stared pointedly at Ishaka.

"Not 'I guess,' Ishaka. We need to talk about that sort of thing." Itami said.

"Do we hafta?" Ishaka asked. Now Itami looked rather annoyed.

"Did I stutter?" He asked. "We can't keep dicking around the issue, here. The war isn't going to last forever. Hell, if we're lucky it'll end after this last mission! From there, we have to deal with the fact that there is stuff to do in the post-war world."

"Such as?" Ishaka asked. Itami looked at him blankly, as if fascinated by Ishaka's obtuseness.

"Gee, I don't know Ishaka. Maybe things like repatriating the settlers currently squatting in the Royal Courtyards back into the Southern Vale. Maybe discussing the feasibility of an alliance with Hyrule. Maybe figuring out where the Ravagers go after all of this." He paused and stared pointedly at Ishaka. "We can't keep being nomads forever. We have to start putting roots down somewhere."

"Yeh've thought 'bout this a lot, have yeh?" Ishaka asked. Itami nodded.

"You should be thinking about it, too. After all, you're still in charge of the Ravagers. You want to stay in power, if it matters to you that much, then you'd better start thinking about life away from war."

"Yeh don' want it yerself?" Ishaka asked, teasingly. Itami frowned.

"Hell no. I'm not a fucking king. You're more kingly than I am, Ishaka."

"Tha' ain't sayin' much."

"No, I suppose not." Itami said. Despite himself, he started to smirk. "When it comes to kings, you probably are the last person people would expect to be a king. You don't exactly look the part."

"Got called th' king in rags by Zant." Ishaka said. Itami did a double take.

"The 'king in rags?" He asked. He snorted. "What happened to that guy?"

"Burn'd 'is eyes out. Cut 'is throa' out."

"Fuck."

"Don' worry, 'tami. T'was quick…I think."

"You are a sick and twisted man, Ishaka." Itami muttered. Ishaka grinned, the light capturing the golden cap on his tooth just right.

"Tha's me an' you know it, Itami."

There was a pause. Itami yawned, and stretched out a bit in the silence. He blinked once, and then glanced over at Ishaka.

"You're thinking about making 'the King in Rags' your title, aren't you?"

"…Mighta cross'd m'mind."

"Damn it, Ishaka."

…

He couldn't stop thinking about it. His head had been spinning. Also aching, because when he'd returned to his quarters that evening Proxi had sprung on him, invaded his head, and within moments had dug into his memories. At least, he was pretty certain that was what she had done. Because she started to squeal in delight and race around in his mind until he'd smacked the back of his head to get her to calm down. Even that didn't stop her from "eeeeeeEEEEE!"-ing in delight.

He had lain in bed later that night, staring silently at the ceiling of his quarters as he kept replaying that wonderful and exciting moment over and over again in his head. He'd never kissed a girl before. It hadn't been a full-on snogging, like he'd seen some of the trainees do to some barmaid when he first broke in to the Knight Corps* after a few too many rounds of ale and enough shameless pressuring from equally-inebriated friends. It had been…soft. Soft, and kind of sweet. Innocent, maybe? He wasn't sure how to put it; he just knew that it had felt special in some sort of way.

It had been dark, but he saw her turn beet red (he felt a burning in his cheeks too, and had probably looked the same) and giggle. She'd bit her lower lip, and curled a strand of her hair around her finger. He didn't go for another kiss in that moment, figuring that the lady reserved the right to make the next move. And he'd walked her back to her chambers, before they'd kissed again goodnight. And that was the last time that he'd seen her.

He was sitting up in bed now, having put on his pants and undershirt. The Hero's tunic was still being re-stitched, so he was going to have to make do with a blue long-sleeved shirt that was a little too big and baggy for him. It seemed like a pajama top almost, and he was putting off actually putting on that thing for as long as he could. Proxi was lazily flying around the ceiling of the room, every now and then glittering brightly when he glanced up at her. He rolled his eyes, because he could just imagine her grinning.

There was a knock on his door.

"Come in!" He grunted. He was in the middle of taping his wrists, and currently had a mouthful of gauze as he prepared to cut the strip the old-fashioned way. He yanked free the piece just as the door opened.

It was her.

"Oh…uh, hi." He managed to sputter, offering a weak smile. She looked positively radiant, and was already way more dressed than he was. He glanced out the window: the sun was still beginning to rise, coloring everything in a contrast of blue and orange. Just how early had she gotten up to be as prim and proper looking as that?

"Good morning." She said with a smile. "I was wondering if you wanted to join me in the dining hall?" She asked. Link knew that only an idiot would say no to an offer like this, so he quickly nodded. Then he cursed himself, because he'd bobbed his head up and down too many times and had probably looked like an idiot. Zelda just smiled, though.

"Wonderful." She leaned against the doorway. "What exactly are you doing?"

Link blinked blankly, and then gazed down at his hands.

"Oh! Uh, taping my wrists."

"What on earth for?" Zelda asked, folding her arms across her chest with an amused smirk. "Don't you have gloves to give you a better grip with a sword?"

"I do, it's just…" Link trailed off. He realized that it was probably redundant to both wear swordsman's gloves and tape his wrists, but still did it anyway. He cleared his throat, and shrugged. "I dunno. The old soldier…my 'uncle,' I guess…he would always tape his wrists as a way to prevent himself from getting blisters and keep his wrists sturdy. He was getting older, and was looking for any protection that he could get. When I was a little kid, he'd always show me how to do it." He looked at her and shrugged again. "I guess it's equal parts practical and tribute…mostly tribute, now that I think about it." Zelda smiled a little wider, and placed a hand to her heart.

"Aww, that's so wonderfully adorable!" She said with complete sincerity. It made Link feel warm inside, but he wasn't about to say that in front of her. "I wish I had some sort of tradition like that."

"I'm sure you do, even if you don't realize it." Link said, getting up and throwing the baggy shirt over his grey undershirt. "Tributes don't have to be big and fancy; sometimes they're the simplest things, I guess."

"I like that mentality." Zelda said. She gestured for him to step out into the hallway with her. "Let's go. I don't want to get to the dining hall before all of the best breakfast food is eaten. Lord Reedus has quite the appetite."

…

Link had had several meals in the Great Hall before, but never at this time with the vast majority of the Hyrulian nobility. More than once, he made eye contact with a confused-looking man or woman and then looked away in embarrassment. They were all dressed in some very fashionable outfit, and here he was looking like a well-dressed goatherd.

"Brought a guest, did you?" Lord Grantham waved the two of them over. He was sitting at one end of the grand table, to the right hand of the head of the table. Zelda took her seat at the head of the table, with Link sitting to her left. That left him sitting right across from Lord Grantham, and right next to the Lord Judicial Reedus.

"Surprised that you've come to join us, hero." Reedus remarked. He bit into an apple. "If I was you, I'd use some of your heroic capital and just sleep in."

"Must you be so lazy, Reedus?" Lord Grantham asked. "If Link wants to upstage you, he's more than entitled to try." He winked at the hero if he said this. Lord Reedus rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

Link hadn't really had a chance to interact with the Lord Judicial before. He was a sickly-thin looking man, with crisply-cut hair and a goatee and beard to match. While Link and Zelda had golden blonde hair and Grantham had dull brown (with streaks of grey), Reedus' remained reddish orange and very distinct. Lord Reedus looked over at Link with a heavy air of sarcasm.

"Want to trade?" He asked. Link blinked once.

"Uh, I'm…um, I'm afraid that I don't entirely know what you do, Lord." Link managed to stammer out, feeling himself blush bright red. Zelda held a hand to her face, trying not to laugh. Lord Reedus gave a tired smile.

"Oh, you needn't worry. If all goes well, you'll never know the specifics of my job. You live the life of a swashbuckling hero…I handle the clerical work of handling an empire." He said.

"I think you're confusing our roles again, Falk." Grantham remarked, an amused grin forming on his face.

"Oh, am I?" Lord Reedus asked. "Tell me, who's the one that has to sift through countless complaints and civil cases from around the country in order to determine which ones need to be heard by the princess and which ones I need to step in myself? Who's the one that has to sift through every single one of Lord Fawlty's frivolous complaints and petitions?" He'd said that last line too loud, as the aforementioned Lord perked his head up all the way at the other end of the table at the sound of his name and glanced around suspiciously. Lord Reedus watched him and made sure that the plump little man was back to gorging himself on breakfast sausages and eggs, and cleared his throat.

"It's fucking awful, my job is." He finished. Lord Grantham smirked.

"Well, I think you've done a marvelous job selling Link here on whether he would want to switch roles with you." He said. Lord Reedus glanced over at Link drily, and then snorted.

"No, kid. You don't want my job. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Endless days of paperwork. Litigation is a hell of a thing to handle and manage cleanly." He said.

"But you do it well." Zelda said with a smile. "My father chose wisely in naming you to this job."

"I appreciate that, your majesty." Lord Reedus said. He took a sip from his goblet. He let out a sigh. "It's been particularly rough these past few days."

"How so?" Link asked.

"That youngster that Lord Gawain is taking under his wing…Oo-hah, was that how you pronounce it?...Yes, Uhaa. His admission to the Royal Guardsmen is a lot more difficult than I was expecting." Lord Reedus remarked. Zelda frowned.

"How so?" She asked.

"A multitude of reasons." Lord Reedus remarked. "Firstly, some of the older guard in the noble court simply don't like an upstart like Gawain coming in and throwing his weight around. McClellan was a rather popular figure who came from a very well-liked family, and now he's essentially been dishonored and replaced by a man that was once a criminal and a member of the Corsairs."

"Do you have a problem with my decision to replace him?" Zelda asked, somewhat sternly. Lord Reedus shook his head.

"Absolutely not. Always thought that McClellan was a boy amongst men. Inexperienced little milk-drinker. I read the battlefield reports. Not exactly the best Lord of War, was he?" Reedus asked somewhat slyly.

"Gawain was literally the first officer that I saw when I was looking for a replacement." Zelda said. "That should tell you of my confidence in Lord McClellan's ability to lead."

"Thank goodness your gamble paid off." Lord Grantham remarked.

"Well, what's right isn't always popular." Lord Reedus said. "Like I said, some of the older folk don't like a man who's not even in his thirties taking one of the most esteemed positions in the Royal Court and then immediately bringing with him reform and new-era thinking. That alone would be difficult enough. But then there's…extenuating issues." Lord Reedus trailed off.

"…Such as?" Zelda asked, clearly getting impatient. Lord Reedus glanced around to make sure that the offending parties couldn't hear him, and spoke in a hushed tone.

"It's the boy himself. The first tribal ever raised to the Royal Guard? Definitely something that needed to happen, but that doesn't mean that people are going to like it. Or the fact that he's a different skin color than them." Reedus said, glancing not-so-subtlely at Lord Fawlty.

"Tell them to fucking deal with it."

All three men blinked in shock at the princess' sudden burst of profanity. She looked positively fed up.

"Lord Gawain is the Lord of War and will do a marvelous job. Uhaa seems to be taking his training seriously. As far as I've heard, none of the Royal Guardsmen care that Uhaa is black or that he has tribal origins; all they care about is that he can fight and he can work in a team and will defend the life of the royal family. That's literally all that they are asked to do. And being presentable in public is something that can easily be taught, and Uhaa is already a respectful fellow. He'll have that down within minutes, if not sooner. At the end of the day these sniping and bickering lords and ladies seem to forget that I am the one that will be queen, I am the one that has final say on what goes in my kingdom, and if I decide that it's time for Hyrule to start looking to reform to match the era that we live in then that's my prerogative…and I don't give a shit what men like Cassius Fawlty think."

There was a stunned pause. Lord Reedus finally spoke in a small voice.

"Well, I do believe that my right to complain about anything, ever, has been hereby revoked forever." He said. Lord Grantham was positively beaming.

"If only your father could see you now. What a woman you are turning into, Zelda! A true and strong-willed ruler. Just what this kingdom will need when we finally put to rest the terror of Cia." He said. Lord Reedus nodded in agreement.

"Quite right. And with that we can finally get to the order of officially proclaiming you as Queen of Hyrule, as you are born to be. The impudence of Cia, interrupting that because of…whatever it is that she's so mad about?" He asked. All three of the others, despite knowing full well why Cia was doing what she was doing, simply shrugged dumbly. Lord Grantham nodded at what Reedus said, and then suddenly a mischievous twinkle flashed in his eyes. Link saw it, and instantly felt dread even though he wasn't sure what it was. He made the mistake of taking a sip from his goblet, and poor Zelda did the same. Lord Grantham wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yes, quite right. And with the proclamation of her being Queen, she can look to the next exciting moment in her life: choosing a husband."

In unison, as if fated by the Goddesses, both Link and Zelda choked on their drinks.

"Erm, it's a little early for that, isn't it?" Zelda asked weakly. Lord Grantham shrugged, his expression completely innocent.

"I don't think so. After all, from there you have a wedding, and then a king to be by your side. Some day down the line, who knows? You'll ave to start thinking about raising the next generation of royalty!"

At that moment, both Link and Zelda wished for the earth to swallow them whole.

…

She stood in the center of her room, holding her weapon in her hands. She sighed. The thing had developed a bit of a crack near the center of the blade; she'd have to send it down to the armory for re-smelting and reshaping into a sturdy blade again. But that meant that, for now, she was without a weapon.

Unless…

She glanced up at the mantle, right above the fireplace. It hung there on the wall, like a graceful heirloom. She squinted, and saw that there was some dust gathering on it. She frowned. Well, that wouldn't do. Perhaps she had a reason to take it off of the mantle after all.

She gingerly lifted it off of its holdings, stretching onto her tip-toes in order to get it off of the hooks. It felt light and stout in her arms, and the handle was still as stout and well-worn as it had always been. Her father had loved this weapon. When she was a little girl, she'd dreamed of maybe one day wielding one like it herself.

She blinked hard, trying not to start crying at the memories. For now, she decided to focus. She leaned in close, and blew off the dust that had gathered on the bladed end. She admired the design that had been cut into the blade itself, and the way that it glittered in the light despite not having been used in battle for some time.

She looked around. Her room was rather minimalist to begin with. There wasn't anything or anyone around that she could hit. She smiled, and felt her grip instinctively tighten on the handle. She bent her knees, and imagined an enemy in front of her. She thrust forward, and then pivoted and parried another invisible attacker. She gracefully and gently moved around the room, taking great care to avoid puncturing anything that was important. She also didn't want to chip the blade by striking it against the walls. She felt herself moving like water, and found herself smiling. It had been so long since she'd used this, and yet it was like she'd never stopped.

There was a sweet smell in the air. She became aware of it, but put it off at first for a moment. But as it grew stronger, she was able to recognize it. It smelled…familiar. Her eyes widened, and she whirled around to face the doorway, pointing her naginata towards the door. Ishaka was leaning against the doorway, a rather mesmerized look on his face. He wasn't smoking from his pipe (as he'd lost it at the Temple of Souls), but had rolled up a paper cigarette with something stout in it. The thing hung limply from his lower lip, held up only by some wetness that caused it to stick to his mouth.

She glared.

"It's rude to watch someone like that." She said.

"I…Sorry, Sheikah." He managed to say. "Guess I got ta bein' in 'ere, an' yeh…yeh look good wit' tha' thing." He finished drily. Impa slowly stood upright, and held her naginata upright in the air with the bottom of the handle resting on the ground and the blade pointing straight up in the air.

"Thank you." She said, somewhat unsure in her tone. There was an awkward silence.

He still looked like hell. His eye wasn't so swollen, but it was bruised and blackened up. There was a nasty-looking cut on his forehead that was still healing, but wasn't exactly pleasant to look at. He had a little cut on his cheek, and the fact that he had tied his beard down didn't make it any easier to hide.

"Did you need something?" Impa asked. There was a pause. Ishaka cleared his throat.

"I, uh, two thin's." He said. "Firs', whene'r yer ready, we gotta meet wit' th' princess in th' war room. Gotta talk 'bout th' final push 'gainst Cia."

"Good." Impa said. She was growing antsy waiting for some action. She then frowned a little bit. "And the second bit?"

"I wanted ta thank yeh." He said. He looked rather uncertain. "I, uh, I figgered I was gonna die in th' Temple o' Souls. Thanks fer stayin' fer me. Savin' me, really." He said. Impa smiled slightly.

"Ishaka, I wasn't about to abandon hope that you would make it back. You're a tough man, and I figured I could wait. That's what you do. No one gets left behind." She said. Ishaka smiled. It made his recovering and battered features look a little bit better.

"Thanks, Impa." He said. He coughed, and reached into his pocket. "Oh, tha' r'minds me. Got summin' fer ya." He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to Impa. Impa leaned the naginata against her hip, and unfolded the piece of paper in her hands. She stared at it confusedly.

"Ishaka, this isn't for me. It's addressed to yo-" She made eye contact, and then she cut herself off. "Oh, right."

There was a pause. She cleared her throat, and stared at him.

"How have you-"

"Itami reads t'me." Ishaka said. "E'ry time I get one o' them comman's from th' Gen'ral an' th' princess, I take it ta him. He 'elps me ou'. Then I go back, an' respond ta th' letter."

"So have you…" Impa trailed off.

"I ain't never learn'd ta read." Ishaka said quietly. He seemed positively ashamed. "I jus'…it jus' ne'er came up, I guess. Been livin' in th' wild m'whole life. Readin'? Ain't 'xactly somethin' fer me ta worry 'bout." He said.

"Does it…does it bother you?" Impa asked, as she re-read the note in her hands. She looked up at him. The pain was palpable in his eyes.

"It eats me alive, Impa." He said. "I feels like I be missin' out on summin'. Y'know? An' it ain't like I can go an' say 'Hey, I can't read. Can yeh 'elp me?' Ain't gonna do too much good fer m'reputation as a big ol' savage." He frowned. "An' I can't even smoke th' frus'tration away, neither. I miss my pipe." He stepped out of the room, dropped the little cigarette onto the stone-covered hallway floor, and dashed it under his boot. He then stepped back into Impa's room. The Sheikah appreciated the gesture.

"I can help you." She said, after a moment's thought. Ishaka laughed.

"You? Appreciate it, Sheikah, but yeh don' need ta do tha'."

"No, I don't." Impa said. "But I'd like to."

There was a pause. Ishaka looked around, as if unsure what to do.

"Yeh really mean it, doncha?" He finally said, after a moment to process it. Impa smiled.

"Yes, if you're willing to learn. But for now, let's focus on dealing with Cia. I promise that if Itami is not around…I can help you when you need it." She said. Ishaka nodded, a warm and thankful smile spreading across his face. "Now, come on. We have a meeting to go to." Impa said.

…

They stood around the table, staring at the map in front of them. It was a map of Hyrule and her surrounding territories. To the northeast of the map, a large swath had been circled in red ink. That was the Valley of Seers. That was where their enemy lay in wait.

"I guess this is the big one, huh?" Midna asked. Zelda nodded.

"Yes. This is to be the final push to defeat Cia once and for all." Zelda said. "There won't be any tricks. There won't be any sneak attacks from her. Everything that she has, we have seen. She is running out of time, and it is time for us to tighten the vise around her. There can be no escape." She pointed to the map. "At the Valley of the Seers, we end this war once and for all."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Impa said. "The people grow weary of war. And the nobles grow antsy over us taking too long to strike."

"Let them squirm." Lord Gawain said. Everyone turned to look at him. He'd more than settled into his new role as the head of Hyrule's armies, and truthfully he took to the role as a duck takes to water. "I don't care how they view the way I handle my armies. I'm not going to move them unless I know we can win."

"We can win, big guy!" Midna said. She grinned slyly. "After all, last time you fought her to a draw without any help! What's gonna happen to the witch when she finds all of us knocking on her door?"

"I'd hide if I was her…" Ruto muttered.

"Then we'll dig her out of the dark!" Darunia bellowed with a laugh. Zelda smiled.

"Everyone, please. Let's not get too carried away here. We're going to wear Cia out this time, instead of rushing to her. The plan is to take the combined forces of Hyrule, the Ravagers…" She then gestured to two other places on the map. "…as well as the forces of the Gorons and the Zora to help us tighten the noose. The Zora shall blockade the rivers that flow to the south from the Valley, and prevent a water-borne escape. The Gorons shall wall off the western alpines, and patrol the far reaches of their kingdom with zeal. That leaves the bottleneck where we shall enter the valley, and from there we will take the fight to her." She sighed. "I ask so much of you, even those of you whose battle this isn't. If you wish to walk away right now, know that I would never hold it against you. You have already done so much for us and for our banner. I have the highest praise and respect for every single one of you."

"Pssh, as if we'd leave!" Midna said. "This is gonna be fun!"

"Miss Kitty is right!" Agitha said. "I want to help my friends, and I won't run away!" She looked adorably stubborn, the way she clenched her fists in determination. Zelda smiled at her precociousness. Some day she might make a great queen.

"Is there anyone who would object?"

No one said a word, instead staring at the ruler of Hyrule with resolution. Zelda nodded.

"I believe that we will be successful."

Everyone turned in surprise to see that Fi had spoken. Usually she never uttered a word at these meetings unless absolutely necessary, so this interruption of the princess was rather surprising. Next to her, Midna raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? And what are your holy odds this time, Fi?" She asked skeptically. Fi turned to look at the Twili Princess. If they all stared closely, they saw to their wonder that Fi looked like she was smiling.

"I do not know the odds, nor do I wish to know. I simply have faith in my friends." She said. Midna stared at her, her eyes wide and her jaw agape. She cleared her throat.

"Welp, I am now completely convinced. Lead us away, oh mighty lady!" She bowed reverently towards the princess of Hyrule. Zelda smiled.

"Thank you. Now, with that being said, return to your forces and begin instructing them on their assignments. I want our soldiers to be carrying as much weaponry as they can for a siege. This is going to be a battle of attrition. I can feel it."

They all nodded, and left the room. Link stuck around, and looked at Zelda.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Zelda sighed.

"I'm tired, Link. The sooner we deal with Cia, the better." She said. "From there, we can start looking to the future. Rebuilding the kingdom, repairing the damage to lives that have been affected by war, my coronation…us…" She said, staring at him with a twinkle in her eyes that caused him to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Gently, he took her hands in his and held them down by their waists. Zelda giggled. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" She whispered. Link nodded, a stupid grin on his face and a slightly dazed look in his eye.

"Yes, you two really do."

Zelda and Link's blood went cold. They went rigid as boards, and turned in panic to see who it was that had spoken. Literally the last person that Zelda wanted to see standing in the doorway. Literally, literally the last person. Don't say a word. Don't say a-

"My, my." Impa said, a triumphant smirk on her face. "I come back because I realize I forgot something up here, and what do I find indeed?" She folded her arms across her chest, and leaned against the doorway. Blushing beet red, Zelda stared at her with murderous eyes.

"Impa, so help me by the Goddesses if you so much as sneeze about this towards Elijah-"

"He already knows." Impa said, delighting in seeing Zelda's eyes grow wider still. "Come on, you two were so obvious. Zelda, from the very first time you laid eyes on this boy I could tell that you were smitten. You just didn't know it yet. Relax, I'm not going to tell a soul." She grinned slyly. "I think I'll hold onto this information."

"Tha-that's blackmail." Zelda hissed. "You wouldn't dare." Impa shrugged.

"I might, I might not. It all depends on how nicely you treat me, your highness." She put an extra emphasis on the last two words, and Zelda knew that she was completely teasing her. "As a matter of fact, Zelda, I think you're needed down in the throne room. A little policy quibble with Grantham and Reedus. I…need a word with Link."

Oh, shit.

Zelda gulped, shot a quick and apologetic glance towards Link, and scurried off. That left him alone. With another perhaps insane woman. He really needed to stop getting himself into situations like this.

"Uh, Impa I can expla-"

"Sh." Impa said. Link shut up, and went rigid as a board like a terrified soldier. "It doesn't take a genius for me to see why she seems to have fallen for you. Whenever you come up, she's nothing but sunshine and rainbows. It's absolutely adorable. She hasn't been this happy since…well, since before her father died." Impa said, a wistful smile on her face. But then she got serious. "She also is a novice when it comes to love. You are the first boy she's ever truly felt serious about other than innocently ogling behind their back…not that she hasn't done that to you already, but that's beside the point." She ignored Link's embarrassed look. "My point is this: she is a girl, and you'd be surprised how fragile girls' hearts get when in love. So I'm going to make something very clear for you. I absolutely approve of you with her. You are a good man. But…" She trailed off threateningly. "If I hear that you made her cry…rest assured, I will make you cry." She was glaring at him. "Understand?" Terrified, Link managed to make a little nod.

Almost immediately, IMpa smiled brightly.

"Wonderful! Now, come along and follow me to the armory. We have to get you ready for the fight ahead of us. We have your tunic sewn up but…you might need some padded armor for this one. Something tells me that…we're in for a tough one." She extended her arm. "Come with me, if you'd please?" She asked.

Shakily, and thanking Farore that she hadn't seen fit to have her champion maimed, Link followed her out the door.

…

The following day had been spent in preparation. There was a growing sense of restlessness in the camps. Few jokes were made. Rarely was music played. There was a heavy air amongst those in the camps, as if they realized that they were about to step into something that they might never return from. The mood was melancholy, but resolute at the same time. It was time to finish things.

Two days after Link's little talk with Impa, the army began its march to the Valley of Seers. The Gorons of this era had already begun their blockade to the west of the valley, and reported that nothing was coming out of it. The Zoras also sent back repors that none were trying to escape to the south. That meant that Cia was stockpiling everything into the Valley of Seers.

She was daring them to come after her.

Finally, as the sun was beginning to set, they arrived at the mouth of the ravine that led into the Valley of the Seers. Zelda, who was riding at the front of the procession, dismounted from her horse. She drew her sword.

"For Hyrule, and for peace." She said. The rumble of agreement went through the ranks, and the legions began their advance into the foreboding Valley of Seers.

Almost as soon as they set foot inside this hallowed place, they knew that something was wrong.

"It's too quiet." Ishaka muttered.

Whereas the last time they'd entered the Valley there had been a legion of enemies to greet them, there was nothing waiting for them now. Zelda turned around to face her commanders.

"Lord Gawain, take some of the Seegs and lead them up into these hills and rockfaces behind us. I want at least a foothold before we go any further." She said. The Hyrulian Lord of War nodded, and began to marshall troops with him up into the hills.

"Ishaka, take a branch of Ravagers and be on point." Zelda said. The Ravager captain nodded. Slowly, he and the platoon of his hardiest men were moving slowly through the valley floor at the bases of the mountains and craggy rock formations that made up the Valley of the Seers. All throughout their slow advance, Ishaka felt the nagging fear in his chest growing. Why hadn't they run into an enemy yet? Why wouldn't they launch some sort of attack? The only reason that they wouldn't come out to meet them…

He stopped walking. Horror clutched at his chest.

They don't want friendly fire.

"FALL BACK!" Ishaka roared right as the first artillery shell slammed into the ground, scoring a direct hit on two Ravagers before they even knew what hit them. Just like that, in the distance could be heard the sound of Manhandla Stalks spitting up highly explosive seeds into the air. They whistled hellishly through the air, and burst into the ground with a mighty crack. There were flashes of light and booms like exploded bombs.

"Get to the mountains!" Zelda barked. She saw the Manhandla seeds come raining in, and realized at that moment that Cia had hoped they would be overconfident and rush into her domain. She'd prepared something for them.

A shell landed a dozen yards from her feet, knocking her off of her feet and onto the ground. There was a ringing in her ears as she felt someone grab her by the shoulders and pick her up. She staggered with each step, and though her ears were ringing and her head was pounding from the sounds of explosions and screams of terror, she kept running towards the hills.

Somewhere, high above her, Ryu had climbed on top of a dead tree and was screaming instructions from her perch.

"THEY GOT US ZEROED!" She howled. "FIND SOME COVER!"

She leapt from the tree, and not a few seconds later a Manhandla seed slammed into it and turned it into splinters.

Lana raced through the ranks, encouraging soldiers to climb up into the mountains and out of range of the seeds. As she did so, she happened to glance up and into the distance.

There, at the far end of the Valley, sat the ruins of what had once been a beautiful castle that had been given to the Sorceress of Time to watch the passage of existence. Lana's eyes were sharp, and as she focused them in she could see a solitary figure standing at the top of the ruins.

As chaos exploded at her doorstep and beneath her feet, Cia laughed.

A/N: Whoa, another chapter! Hope you all enjoyed this one. Tried to even things out, and start the final stage of the battle against Cia. If you were thinking that they were just going to run in like last time and hack and slash their way towards Cia, well I guess the Sorceress of Time had another thing coming for them. The Hyrule equivalent of artillery shells, the kind that wouldn't be out of place in a war zone. Because that's what the forces of good have entered, and that's what they will have to live in.

A war zone.

One little thing if you're interested (sort of a reader tid-bit): I got a message asking me what Ishaka looks like, if he were to have a real-life doppelganger. I thought about this for a moment, and came up with a reasonable stand-in. Though the man himself isn't really one to emulate, based on the things that he's said, I've always thought that professional wrestler Jay Briscoe would be a dead ringer for how I picture Ishaka: long, buhy beard. Shaggy-looking hair. Talks a little bit like how Ishaka talks, too. And piercing eyes that tell you that this is someone that you don't want to fuck with. Now, while Jay might be a bit of a hardass, at least you know that Ishaka is nothing but a big ol' teddy bear inside. Of course, he could still kick your ass, I guess.

Ok, that's enough ranting from me. Enjoy this one, and see you next time!

HYRULIAN CODEX

Knight Corps – The official name for the general soldiers in the Hyrulian army. Pretentious soldiers introduce themselves as members of the Knight Corps, while more savvy soldiers remark that they are in the infantry, because they know that that's what they really are a part of.