The meeting lasted about two hours, and they all agreed on a simple plan. It wasn't going to be a mission of attack, for they had no clue where Ganondorf was hiding. Instead, it would be a reconnaissance mission, with teams of soldiers going to every town and every habitat to find out anything about the evil man's whereabouts. Of course, Link and his Knight friends were headed to Baru, the site of the recent attack by Ganondorf's minions. Twenty soldiers were sent to each of the towns of Salenne, Oceana, and Dolsena, while another fifteen or so were being sent to Zora's Domain, Death Mountain, Kakariko Village, and the Gerudo Desert. Shortly after the conclusion of the meeting, the Hylian soldiers were ready to depart for their respective destinations. Soon, they were all on their way.
Accompanying Link were the usual: Nick, Charles, Aaron, William, and Robert. He also brought along ten soldiers, just in case. Zelda stayed back at Hyrule Castle with a fairly large army in the event that Ganondorf struck there next. She highly doubted it, but Link would not have it any other way. When he needed to be, he could be just as stubborn as she, thus, she was left in the Castle, upset that she was not with him.
The four teenaged refugees from Baru were invited to stay at Hyrule Castle for the time being. They gladly accepted the offer, since they had no other place to go. Unused to the Royal environment, they decided that they would meander about the town for the most part, going back to the castle only when necessary. But for now, they stood with the Princess and her son behind the castle gates, watching the brave Knights ride away on their horses.
Charles looked back with a solemn expression on his face. "Poor lads, they lost all they've known in a matter of minutes." A look of pain came across his face as he remembered that day seventeen years ago, when his parents were killed by Ganondorf. He had been forced to hide from sight, but he could still hear the screams of his parents as the evil man marched through the town.
Aaron caught sight of Charles' face, and instantly felt sorry for him. He guided his horse over to Charles and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Don't worry about them, Charles. It may take some time, but they'll learn to live with it. They'll take comfort in knowing that they are not alone in this world. You can see to that." Charles nodded while holding back the tears in his eyes. Over the years, he learned to not let his parents' death take over his emotions. But now, seeing those young kids, he was struggling to keep himself in check.
Without another word, the group headed over the drawbridge and into Hyrule Field. Once out in the field, they stopped momentarily to scan the horizon, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Seeing none, they continued onward toward Lake Hylia.
"I should like to go to Lon Lon Ranch before we get to Baru," Link said suddenly.
Nick wasn't too excited about taking longer than necessary to do this mission, but he sensed something in Link's voice that told him that he would go whether the rest of them did or not. "Very well. We will stop there and make sure that everything is alright."
Nothing more was said as they made their way to Lon Lon Ranch. Almost all were affected by the attack on Baru, whether they had families there or not. The army's morale was not low, and it never would be as long as the Hero lived. But there was an unspoken rule that they would remain silent for the time being, while they mourned and prayed for the people lost in the attack. They only sound was the beating of the horses' hooves and the chirping of birds.
After a few hours, they were at the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch. They trotted their horses in single file until Link called them all to a halt. He dismounted his horse and motioned for everyone else to sit still. He walked toward the pasture and could here someone humming a song. There was no doubt in his mind of who it was.
Malon was in the middle of the pasture, her horses running around her playfully. Her auburn hair shone brightly from the sun, blowing freely in the wind. Her eyes were closed and she seemed lost in her own thoughts. For this reason, Link made it next to her without her ever knowing it. He let her be for the moment. Throughout the years, she still looked very much the same, in looks and temperament. She was almost always cheerful, and it looked like today would be no different. Finally, he cleared his throat to get her attention.
Her eyes flew open when she heard the noise, a little bit frightened by the person who had snuck up on her. When she realized who it was, a big smile appeared on her.
"Fairy boy!" He hated it when she called him that, and she knew it. She had called him that ever since she met him, which, of course, was when he had a fairy companion. "I haven't seen you in awhile! What brings you here?"
His smile disappeared when she asked him that. The dead giveaway made her very worried. Link usually put a good spin on everything, but this time, she sensed that there was no possible way.
"Baru was attacked two days ago. We believe by Ganondorf." He gave no emotion.
"Oh no! Was anybody hurt?"
"Lots of people got hurt, but most were probably killed. We're headed there right now, but I wanted to make sure that you, Talon, and Ingo were alright."
"Yes, yes we are."
"Well, just be careful. We don't have any information on his whereabouts as of yet, so he could strike anywhere."
She nodded her understanding. "Thank you for the warning, Link." A long time ago, she had a crush on the Hero, but since he was now married to the Princess, she had to try hard to hide it.
In the distance, five figures were walking through the pasture, toward them. Apparently, they had gotten impatient and went to get Link. When they were all standing next to Link, he figured he should introduce them. One by one he went through, each kissing Malon on the back of her hand. She especially noticed William and felt shivers up her spine when he touched her. She tried to hide her blushing cheeks, but to no avail.
"We'd better get going, Link," Robert said.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go! Malon, promise me you'll be alright."
"I promise."
"Good. We'll be back to check on you. We have to be prepared for an attack anywhere." They turned around and headed back to their horses and towards Baru.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ganondorf watched over Hyrule from his hideout, deep in the Gerudo Desert. He watched as Link and the rest of his pesky friends went to the town of Baru.
"Ah, fooling you is too easy, Link! You leave yourself open to attack from anywhere. What makes you think I would be hiding out near there?" He lets out an evil laugh. "Now I will make you and your precious land suffer my wrath! Nothing will stop me this time! Generals!"
Leaders from each creature's army come through the door and stand at attention in front of the Evil King. Among them are a Stalfos, a Deeler, a Goriya, a Moblin, a Lizalfos, and a Dinolfos.
"Our time has come! Prepare your men for an attack! Tonight, I will take Lon Lon Ranch and use it to strike at the heart of Hyrule!"
The Generals saluted him, and quickly ran back to their armies to prepare for when Ganondorf needed them. After they had gone, the Evil King himself walked from his throne room and headed for Lon Lon Ranch.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evening was upon them when they finally reached the outskirts of Baru. They had stopped seldom, not wanting to waste any time just in case Ganondorf tried anything else. Almost all of the town was dark, but just outside the town could be seen numerous candles. The group headed in the direction of the light and came upon a makeshift town that the survivors had constructed in two short days.
Nick leaned over to Link. "Well, at least there were survivors." Link agreed.
Aaron, riding slightly behind the two, overheard the comment. "Yeah, but how long do you think they can survive the way they are? Who knows if they have enough food or water?"
"Good point, my friend," Charles added. "Perhaps we should send some soldiers back to the Castle to inform the Princess of their needs?"
"We will do that, but we must wait until at least morning. We need to know how much they need and of what," Link replied as he turned in his horse to face the men.
"They'll need rest, anyway," Robert pointed out. "We all do. It's been a long day." There was a murmur of agreement from the soldiers behind.
As they approached, a young boy of perhaps fifteen spotted them.
"Hurray! They have arrived! The Knights have arrived!" He began to wail his arms around in the air, all the while running through the makeshift town. As he made his way through, people began to emerge from their tents, some very old, some young, most in-between. The Knights and their soldier companions made their way to what they believed was the center of the town. It contained a large fire, used for warmth and to cook food. The tents formed a circle around it, each with a candle in front of it. The men dismounted from their horses inside the circle.
"Fellow Hylians," Link called out to them. "We have received word of the evil doing in your town. We will not tolerate such actions from Ganondorf! We have come to aid you in any way possible, and to find where the evil is hiding."
A middle-aged man stepped into the circle. Link figured that the man was the town's representative.
"We thank you, Knights! We have awaited your arrival for the past two days. Anything you need will be at your disposal. But, if I am not mistaken, you have ridden long and without break! Please, rest for the night and we will talk in the morning."
"Thank you. We indeed do need some rest. In the morning, we shall go through your grievances and do whatever we can," Link replied to the man.
He gestured for the Knights and soldiers to follow him, where several tents were put up just for the purpose of their arrival. Their horses were placed next to the tents, for there was no longer a stable in the town. Link was happy that people had survived the attack, but he knew that once they went into the town, they would see more death than any of them had ever imagined. As he drifted off to sleep, he prayed to the Goddesses for the people of Hyrule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Malon was fast asleep in her room, dreaming pleasant dreams. Talon, of course, had been asleep even longer. He was a deep sleeper, and it always took a great effort for his daughter to wake him up. She, on the other hand, was a fairly light sleeper. The animals very rarely made any noise at night, but when they did, Malon knew that there was something wrong. She could wake up at the sound of a pin drop.
But on this night, the sound was greater than a pin drop. The horses began to neigh wildly, the pigs squealing, the cows mooing, and the Cuccos clucking. She jumped out of her bed and ran down the stairs to see what was the matter. As she opened the door to the outside, she was hit hard. She fell onto the floor with a thud, and tried to look at her attacker. Above her stood Ganondorf, his evil grin visible in the faint light. She instinctively screamed.
"Link! Link! Help!"
Ganondorf laughed. "He can't help you! He is too far away, worried about one little town when he should be worried for the entire country!" He reached down and easily picked her up, placing her over his shoulder. She continued to kick and scream until she was hit once again. The blow to her head knocked her instantly unconscious.