Chapter Eleven
In Hylia

"Hylia," said Link, surveying the land from the crest of the hill. He patted his horse with a gloved hand and adjusted his position in the saddle. "By the gods, I feared I might never see your shining walls again." The magnificent Hylia lay ten miles away, across acres of farmland clustered around small villages and farm houses. Their track led out of a wooded grove down the hillside, becoming one of many tributaries leading to the wide paved road that led to the city gates.

Zelda drew her dapple coated mount up alongside Link's grey stallion and sighed with relief. After a week of walking back eastward through the Gerudo province, and a further week travelling through the Hylian province - only the last two days were spent on horseback - it was a tremendous relief to see the great white city once more. Looking upon the capital city of both the Hylian province and all Hyrule gave both Zelda and Link a feeling of being home once more. It seemed as though they had been away for many seasons, though it had only been one month. "Home," she said. "My absence will not have gone unnoticed in the city. I hope General Dragan has governed well in my place."

The final member of their company circled his horse on the flat hilltop. He rode his horse unsaddled, and the animal appeared to feel no burden from the rider. As he turned his head to face the first pair his white hair shimmered in the afternoon light. "As do I, Your Majesty. The people of the city are living in hard times. Battle has already come to them, and they live in fear of invasion." Daran looked towards Hylia with apprehension.

"Let us not delay our return then," said Link. The Marshal of Hyrule drew his dark brown cloak around his body and pulled his hood up over his head. He tossed Daran another dark robe and the younger man used it to cover his back and head. They both looked to Zelda, who smiled and began whispering to herself.

……

The two banners of Hylia were waving over the great white gates as they entered the city; one, a white field bearing a red eagle carrying the Triforce above outstretched wings, the banner of the Royal Family of Hyrule; the other, a shining silver sword with great golden wings upon a brilliant white field, the banner of the Marshal of Hyrule. The wings of the sword caught the light in shades of pink, green and blue in reflection of the glory of the three goddesses. "We shall have to erect a new banner soon, Ivarl," said Zelda, facing Link seriously as they rode under the gates side-by-side, weaving between the merchants' carts and pedlars' wagons and patrols of city guards that were forever coming and going through to and from the capital, "a blazing golden sun upon a clear white field, which shall fly twice as high as both of our own. The banner of Prince Rael Nohansen, the Lord of Dawn."

"Indeed Jolane," said Link, turning his dark hood to face the illusion of a curious-looking young girl, who by all appearances lived in the less affluent corners of the city, having but a penny to her name, "though perhaps he should choose his own sign in his own time. When next we see him, I fear he will prove more difficult to influence than we have previously known."

"I think it is a certainty," said Daran, pulling up alongside Zelda from behind, "I sense he has already met with the Gerudo Queen." The beautiful young man shut his eyes and breathed deeply, apparently going into deep concentration. "Yes. His spirit is distant but I feel contentment in him."

"That should make a welcome change to the anger and tiredness then," said Link grimly.

Daran laughed, opening his eyes again, "On the contrary, his anger is greater now than before."

"That surprises me not," said the disguised Zelda, "now that you mention it. If he has indeed met with Lana, and she presents him with such face as she has given me for so many years, I would expect nothing less than an inferno of rage. I do hope he can contain himself though." Link grunted and muttered to himself with distaste for Zelda's comments. Where Zelda had talked of Rael's temperament with pride, Link had concerns that his son's potential for arrogance could take the better of him. Zelda ignored Link and continued talking to Daran. "And what of… the other?" she asked cautiously.

Daran frowned and shut his eyes, though he had barely more than blinked before opening his eyes and answering. "Ralis is far further away than Rael, but I feel him almost as though he stood amongst us." Daran bowed his head with sadness. "His anger is like a mighty dark beacon beyond the sea, radiating hatred and loathing. He feels great pain, and he will soon share his pain upon the entire world." Zelda nodded thoughtfully, Link was silent as death. Neither of them heard Daran continue quietly to himself, "And his voice shall turn the green earth to ash."

……

When at last they arrived at the highest wall circle, the one surrounding the fortress and palace of the city, Link passed a sealed letter to the senior guardsman at the gates. He read it swiftly and allowed the three of them passage through the gates. Unless he recognised Daran, he would not know who any of them truly were.

The palace grounds had changed since last they were there, and Zelda looked around curiously. "Dragan has wasted no time in making war preparations then," she said dryly. There were new banners in place in various areas, representing districts and provinces of Hyrule. There were three times as many patrols marching the grounds around the palace and fortress and along walls. "I do believe I would be correct in assuming he has introduced conscription into the city," said Zelda. "I left instructions for him to do so. From manual labourers to the wealthy merchants' sons, all men will now have to fight the Kairin now. The present army is not big enough."

"From what you have told me of the Kairin armies in Rael's dreams of his brother," said Link, as their horses trotted across the grounds towards the palace entrance, "it will take more than even every man in Hylia to save this land. Every race of Hyrule must answer the call of war; not just the Gerudos that Rael seeks to pacify, but the Gorons and Zora also. We must stand united, or all will fall."

"… and the Lord of Dusk is coming," said Daran quietly.

"Halt!" declared the leader of a unit of Hylian soldiers who were advancing out over the palace drawbridge towards them. "Who goes there?" he demanded sharply, "in the name of the Lord General Dragan, Governor of Hylia and Acting Marshal of Hyrule, declare your names and business."

They came to a stop and allowed the soldiers to reach them. Link sat tapping his horse's reins impatiently, his head bowed within his dark hood, yet Jolane-Zelda laughed in the face of the soldier, "Governor and Acting Marshal?" she asked, amused, as the soldiers approached, "Perhaps Dragan is not expecting us"

Daran dismounted his horse and bowed his head to the soldiers, "Viclon al'Vicren," he said addressing the leader, who now looked at Daran with recognition, "you may let General Dragan know that Her Majesty Queen Zelda and His Divine Highness the Marshal of Hyrule have returned to Hylia."

……

One day later…

"Shadow of night shall take us soon, softly creeping as dusk's fair blade. Dark by sun and light by moon, dawn's lost embrace to the ancient shade. Shall burn across our sacred land, and war shall rage in heaven's halls. Mountain, forest, sea, and sand… where shall we be when twilight falls?" Zelda threaded a final golden hair fastening into her long yellow hair, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had spent a month travelling under the hot sun and sleeping in the dirt but no-one could have suspected anything of the sort from her appearance now. A serene and an ice cold composure was hers once more, her pale blue eyes set in her pale face like sapphires in frost. Her dress was flowing white and blue, with silver embroided diamonds running the length of long white gloves.

Link's reflection crossed the study behind her in the mirror, his black robes lying still against his back as he walked. "The Grand Council of Hyrule has assembled, Your Majesty," he said in the traditional manner. "The Marshal of Hyrule requests your presence."

Zelda nodded, looking into her own reflected eyes as she said, "I will come." She looked down to her left, to a tall wooden stand topped with a deep purple velvet cushion. Atop the cushion sat a crown of pure gold, polished so that it shone. The crown was a thick circular gold band lined with white wolf fur, with an overarching curved golden frame of many thin bands, meeting in the centre of the head to support a golden Triforce-and-Eagle. The band of the crown and the arches above were set with rubies and sapphires and emerald, all gleaming in the sunlight. The Crown of Hyrule, the physical manifestation of the authority to govern over all the lands of Hyrule as supreme reigning monarch.

She laid her hands to the crown and lifted it up onto her head. "I have a duty to serve, a war to win and a country to save."