Chapter 2:

Link whistled loudly, signaling a call to order for the men huddled around the western gate of Hyrule Castle. Twenty-five good men , including Link, had been assigned to the mission in the Eldin province. They were in good spirits, ready to follow their Lord Commander wherever the mission may take them. As they crowded in to answer his call, some knelt and some stood, but all devoted their attention to him.

"Good knights of Hyrule, the time has come. Saddle your bags and mount your steeds. We ride west, over Zora River, and then south to Kakariko Village. If we make good time, a host our size should arrive in two days. Stick close to the party and keep your eyes open. These lands are dangerous in these times, and our goal is to find and annihilate the beasts that plague them." The soldiers hoorahed. "What we find in Kakariko will determine our next course. We will not return until we have the heads of the heartless murderers to present to our princess." The soldiers hoorahed louder. "Ready your blades, good knights. You shall have need of them!" The soldiers shouted and hollered, already thirsty for battle and vengeance. "Now ride!" Link finished.

The knights of the Hylian Guard mounted and formed up behind Link, who rode Epona. The sun was barely creeping over the parapets on the edge of the roof of the castle, crowning the mountains to the far west of the world with a golden sheen. The morning was cool and airy, but as the sun rose and the warmth of the world rushed from the mountains to meet the riders, a sunny day was born and filled them with light and joy. They rode hard and fast, stopping only briefly at Zora River to water the horses and eat a breakfast of sourdough bread and cheese. The day wore on quickly and Link's host reached the beginnings of the rocky mountains and canyons in the center of Eldin. Link reigned up and called a halt. Dusk was brewing as the mountains swallowed the sun in the west and before long, it would be too dark to continue.

"Hallus, Kingsley, divide the men into two teams. Have one group tether the horses to the clump of trees over by that ridge, and have the other begin to set up camp. Malcior, Fauston, bring your bows and see if you can find any hares or boars in the thickets at the bottom of the hill just behind the bend in the road. Perhaps we will eat well tonight," finished Link. The hunters grinned and slung their bows over their shoulders. Hallus and Kingsley called, "Yes, my lord," in unison and began their work.

Malcior and Fauston had no luck in their hunt, so the group built three campfires and feasted on more bread and cheese that night, while a handful of men grumbled about the lack of game in the area.

"Tis these monsters that roam the land," said one soldier. "They've killed all the wildlife to feed their own foul mouths."

"That's loony," replied Fauston. "Reports put the number of those monsters somewhere around two score, or two and half again. An army of that size couldn't possibly eat out an entire province."

Hallus piped in. "Perhaps the reports of their numbers are false, and there are more than we know. Or perhaps the animals have fled. It is said that they have senses that humans cannot comprehend. Perhaps they know of impending danger. It could be something has scared them off."

"Or perhaps Malcior and Fauston must hone their hunting skills," quipped Kingsley. The soldiers at the fire laughed, and Malcior punched Kingsley in the arm.

"Still…" said one soldier. "It is unnatural that we have seen no hint of game, or any life at all in this region. And yet I can't help but feel that something surrounds us. Some strange eyes, watching and waiting."

Kingsley rolled his eyes. "You make it sound as if we're the ones being hunted." The soldier got a sheepish look and glanced away.

"Hallus is right," said Link. His group listened in. "Animals have a certain way of things. Often, they know things that we do not. If they have all fled this area, then certainly something is amiss. And it stands to reason that the monsters could be watching us right now. In fact, I'm all but positive they are, given we know that they were in Eldin not long ago, and all the wildlife is gone from this area." The soldiers glanced at each other and tensed up. Some even grabbed their weapons. "Fear not, men," continued Link. "It seems these beasts have accomplished the first part of our mission for us, and exposed themselves to us. These monsters are not smart, and they do not calculate attacks. They follow orders. If they were going to attack, they would have already. I guess that these creatures were on their way to Kakariko Village when we overtook them with the speed of our mounts. If we chase them now, they will simply vanish into the night and our chance will be lost. We will continue to Kakariko, and we will meet them in battle tomorrow. For now, we can spend the night in peace." That put the soldier's fears to rest, though many did not sleep well that night. No one dared question exactly whose orders the monsters were following.

Come daybreak, the host ate quickly and mounted once again to ride south through the narrow canyon. "We have the advantage," Link told them before they set off that morning. "The monsters waited through the night, and did not yet embark on the southern path to Kakariko. They will follow us after we go, and we will get there long ahead of them. We will be ready." The soldiers hoorahed and formed up to ride the narrow path, a dozen pairs of knights in single file order with Link alone in the lead.

In mid afternoon, the procession finally came to Kakariko Village proper, and found Renado waiting outside the sanctuary with his daughter Luda. Link delivered orders to Hallus and Kingsley to water and tether the horses, and then quickly establish a perimeter around the village which had grown in size and population since he had last visited. It was still small in scope, however, and Link reasoned that the numbers of his squad should be sufficient for his mission. He approached Renado and Luda.

"Greetings, Renado," he said with a hearty handshake.

"Greetings, Lord Commander," the shaman responded.

"And how are you, Luda?" Link asked with a cheerful smile.

"I've been well, Link," she responded in kind. "I'm glad you came back to visit us. The village is getting better, but it's still rather lonely all the way out here."

"Well, in that case, perhaps you'd like to play with Epona? I'm sure she wouldn't mind the company," Link said.

"Of course!" Luda said happily. "I'll go see her right now!" She ran off to find Epona, waving at a few of the soldiers. Link turned to Renado.

"So, give me your tidings, friend."

"The restoration is going very slowly," Renado explained. "Villagers come and go. We still face many hardships. We're able to farm and buy just enough food to get by. We lack funds and materials for rebuilding. The Gorons help as they can, but these are not Goron problems. They live off the rocks of Death Mountain, and need no other sustenance. And of course, you know about the poor village that was attacked and slaughtered in the north, about fifteen leagues from here… all those innocents dead… I assume that is why you have come."

"It is," Link said solemnly. "And unfortunately, I have even more bad news for you. There is a band of monsters on their way to this village as we speak. Probably the same ones. They will come in the dead of night, and I fear they mean to make this village suffer the same fate as the last one they visited."

"Oh, no…" Renado froze for a moment, lost in thought, but quickly regained his composure. He looked back to Link. "We must do something."

"We will."

"What are your plans?"

"You must evacuate the people of this village to Death Mountain," Link said. "The Gorons should be willing to harbor the citizens until the threat has passed, and if we're lucky, they'll fight alongside us. We can get everyone up to the summit and funnel the enemy into the rock paths leading up the mountain. We'll post our swordsmen there to meet them, and place archers on the cliff walls."

"Organizing an evacuation to Death Mountain may take time that we don't have. What about the hotel?" Renado asked.

"That would be too difficult to defend, and also too small," Link explained. "I believe my plan is the best way to save the most amount of lives." Renado considered him for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Good. Now, we've no time to waste. If you have any warriors, call on them to defend their home. Otherwise, the people must begin the evacuation immediately."

* * *

The townspeople of Kakariko sat in wait in various places around Death Mountain. Some sought sanctuary in the mines, while some sat out on the summit and looked down upon their town, wondering what was to befall it tonight. Some younger children splashed and laughed in the hot springs, and were shushed by their mothers. Renado had moved with all due speed and urgency, and the evacuation had gone smoothly. Kakariko Village was empty, but not much longer.

The creatures crept in from the northern path through the mountains of Eldin, hissing and grunting and drooling. Link donned his Hawkeye Mask and spied on them from a high ledge on a cliff on the western edge of the mountain. Renado stood to his left, a grim look on his face. They remained silent as Link watched from afar. He saw bokoblins and lizalfos, jogging into the village in packs. He tried to count them as they entered his view, but light was poor and their dark skin camouflaged them well. His best guess was approximately thirty enemies, which he confided with Renado. But suddenly, after the lesser beasts were in and sniffing about the various homes and cottages, a terrible sight which Link had hoped not to see clambered down the path, armor clinking and rattling with each heavy step. A large and vicious looking darknut entered the village and began wreaking destruction with his giant blade.

"Goddesses save us," Renado said weakly when he heard the houses being thrashed and destroyed through the darkness. "What has been unleashed on us?"

"A terrible foe," Link said. "One I'll have to face alone. He is beyond the soldiers in my group."

The monsters in the village grew restless when they began to realize that no victims awaited them. They began to scream and wail in frustration. The darknut continued hacking away at everything in sight, causing mayhem and tumult wherever he went.

"They do not know we are here," Renado said. "We can let them pass. We'll be safe on Death Mountain."

"No," Link said sternly. "We came here on a royal mission. These beasts have murdered and pillaged too many innocent people. They shall not leave here tonight. My army is prepared to face them." He did not wait for a reply. He deftly leapt down from the ledge and began skidding down the face of the cliff, skipping off large rocks and leaping over gaps in the rock wall. He landed next to Hallus, who looked up in surprise to see his Lord Commander drop from the sky.

"It is time," Link said. "The enemy has arrived. They are approximately thirty strong, but they are ill equipped. They wear no armor, and they have no ranged weapons that I could see. Some will have extra blades tied to their tails. Instruct the men to be mindful of that." Hallus nodded, listening intently. "One other thing," Link continued. "There is but one enemy among them who is fiercely strong, and should not be taken lightly. You will know him when you see him. He is mine. Do not engage him."

"Yes, Lord Commander!" Hallus exclaimed and ran back up the mountain path to where the majority of the army awaited Link's orders.

And now the time has come, thought Link. We will squash this menace where it stands, right now, and we will return to the castle victorious. Then we can begin to focus on… other matters. The soldiers seemed to believe that destroying these monsters would bring peace and order back to the kingdom, but in the back of his mind, Link knew that no mere bokoblin could orchestrate the attempts that had been made on Princess Zelda's life. And when this matter is resolved, perhaps it will reveal a clue to the true nature of Hyrule's tormenter.