Chapter 4:

Epona's hooves beat the ground as she raced south towards the Ordona province. Every step over the dry, grassy plains of Hyrule Field brought Link closer to his homeland. Two days had passed since the battle at Kakariko Village, yet Link had not paused his journey south for any reason as of yet. He knew that soon he must stop and let his horse rest for a brief time, and then he could finish his journey in one more trip. He dared not dally, as he knew that every day he was away from the castle was a day that his enemies may strike. He thought back to his parting from his soldiers in Kakariko.

"But my lord," argued Kingsley. "This journey will take many days. It would be the better part of a week before we returned. Is it wise to linger so long without at least sending a messenger to the princess?"

"We will not be lingering," he had answered. "I shall make this journey alone. You and the others must return to the castle and report everything we have learned to the princess. Fortify the defenses, and bring together all of the commanding officers to formulate the beginnings of a war plan."

"You… you go alone, my lord?"

Link nodded.

"Lord Commander, it is not safe to travel alone in these times. If you insist on going to Ordona, at least take some of the squad with you."

"No," Link said firmly. "We need all available men back at the castle, and I have made this trip many times before. I will go faster alone. And if trouble should come, Epona can outrun anything that finds me." Kingsley still looked worried. "Be of good cheer, my friend. I shall return safely on the night of the sixth day from now, and if the Goddesses are good, I shall have a clearer picture of exactly what is happening in Hyrule. Go now where you are needed most."

Kingsley had known he was defeated, and he saluted his Lord Commander and left to issue orders to the men under his command.

And so it was that at the coming of dusk two days later, Link stopped at a small creek in southern Hyrule to water Epona and eat his fill of the rations he had brought from Kakariko. "Rest well, Epona," Link said as he petted her mane. "Speed is of the essence, and I shall have need of your strength for days yet to come." He lit a small campfire and rested easily. No one and nothing came to disturb him, and before long he was back on his horse, breaking mercilessly for Ordon Village.

When he spied the dried and cracked leaves of the canopies of Faron Woods, he knew he was close. He trotted south along the western edge of the forest for a few hours. Later, he gave a curt nod to Coro as he passed his oil shop, and broke west to enter the Ordona province proper. Another few short hours of travel and he passed his old cottage, nestled in the strong arms of the great tree on the edge of the village. Seeing his old home evoked memories of times long past, and made him yearn for old company, but he had little time to reminisce. Before he could move into the village, a young, beautiful woman came up the path and stopped when she saw him.

"Link…" said Ilia as she dropped the empty bucket she was carrying. She gaped, and looked as though she might faint at the sight of him. Link smiled in return.

"Ilia," he said. "I'm glad to see you safe. It has been far too long."

She continued to stare, then slowly closed her mouth, and gradually grew an angry expression. "Too long indeed!" she said haughtily. "More than a year since we've seen each other, and never once have you paid a visit, or even written to ask how I—I mean, how we—how we are… here in Ordona."

Link's eyes dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry, Ilia," he said softly. "You're right to be upset. It's just that… my duties… they permit me little time for myself."

"Hmph," she replied and crossed her arms. "Duties, you say? Like running poor Epona here into the ground? Look at her, poor thing, she looks exhausted! What have you been doing to this horse?!"

"N-nothing," he stammered. "She's been fine. She's stronger now than she ever has been before."

"Get off of her!" Ilia said harshly. "She needs to rest! Let me take her to the spring! Off, I say! Off, off!"

Link hurriedly dismounted and handed her the reigns. Epona whinnied and nuzzled Ilia's chest. "There, there…" Ilia said soothingly. "We won't let him run you ragged any more, will we?"

"Uh… Ilia?" Link said.

She turned and shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"It's just… um… well, it's good to see you again," he finished.

Her expression softened ever so slightly, and she looked away. After a long pause, she said, "It's good to see you as well, Link…" She blushed slightly. "You were just gone so long," she added. "Why are you here now?"

"Actually, it's official business," he said in a serious tone. "I must speak with your father, right now. It's urgent."

She glanced back at him one last time, picked up her bucket, and then began trudging up the path towards the spring with Epona. "He's at the house," she said softly. "Go and see him. Don't forget to say goodbye before you leave for another year."

Link sighed, and turned to head for the village.

He was not long down the main path of Ordon Village when the villagers began to see him, and cheered from their windows and farms. Some called personal greetings, and some hailed him as Lord Commander. He waved and smiled, stopped to chat with a few peasants he knew more well than others, and continued on the path to the western edge of the village.

"Link! It's Link! He's back!" yelled a familiar voice. Colin rushed to Link's side, bright eyed and cheery. His father Rusl was not far behind him. "I can't believe it! I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!" Colin said excitedly. Link laughed and patted Colin's head.

"Well, here's a surprise," said Rusl as he arrived at the scene by the river down the hill from his house. "How do you fare, Link?"

"Well, all things considered," Link replied. He turned to Colin. "And how are you? Have you been training diligently?"

"Uh huh!" he said. "I'm getting better with a sword every day. Father says so. Don't you, father?"

"Haha, indeed you are, son. But your training is not over yet. In fact, aren't you supposed to be practicing your parries right now?"

"But, father… Link just came back…" he said with a dejected look.

Link stepped in. "Don't worry, Colin. I'll be staying overnight, until tomorrow morning. We'll have time to talk. Maybe I'll even show you a thing or two… like the old days," he grinned.

Colin smiled widely. "Yes, please, Link! Promise me!"

"It's a promise," Link said. "Now back to your training. A true warrior never neglects his practice," he finished.

"Yes, sir!" said Colin as he laughed and raced back to his house.

"He's a good lad," said Link as he turned to face Rusl.

"That he is. He's had two excellent teachers in his life, after all," said Rusl. Link chuckled. "So tell me, Lord Commander of the Hylian Guard. I'm sure this isn't a pleasure visit. What's going on in Hyrule?"

"That is precisely what I'm here to determine," Link explained. "As I'm sure you know, lesser villages all over Hyrule have been suffering attacks from some pack of vile creatures. We don't know their source, their purpose, or their numbers. Two days ago, Kakariko Village was attacked."

Rusl grew a stern look on his face. "It's becoming more serious, isn't it?" he said dolefully. "Perhaps it's time to form The Resistance once again. We've added a few new members, since you deprived of us Ashei," he said jokingly.

"My apologies," said Link. "Perhaps it is for the best if the people who care about Hyrule's future become active again. Honestly, the royal court is plagued with trouble, and our army is stretched thin. I don't know if the Hylian Guard could win a war against evil right now. My soldiers and I were able to drive off the beasts and prevent the total annihilation of Kakariko, but there were many innocent lives lost. One of the monsters we slew carried this." He drew the sword he had taken from the corpse and handed it to Rusl.

Rusl carefully examined the blade, and his eyes rested on the hilt. The three beautiful golden circles gleamed in the sunlight and illuminated his face as he brought it in for a closer look, and the three majestic triangles reflected in his pupils. "This… I know this crest. This sword was wrought here in Ordona."

"Yes," said Link. "I thought so as well. I must know who crafted this blade, and why it was in the hands of Hyrule's enemies. The answers to these questions may be Hyrule's salvation."

"I vaguely recall the smith, but I cannot recall his name. He was a kindly old man, wise and jovial. But he mostly kept to himself. I seem to recall he left not long after your fifth birthday," Rusl explained. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more, but I'm sure Bo could."

Almost as if on cue, a shout rent the air in the sleepy village. "Oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Rusl and Link turned towards the direction of the yell. "Link, my good lad! I heard you were back!" Bo came jogging up to them, red faced and struggling for breath.

"Haha, it's good to see you, sir," said Link.

"Good!? My boy, it's [b]wonderful[/b] to see you! It's been so long! Say, have you seen Ilia already?"

Link flinched. "Yes… she was cross with me," he admitted.

Bo guffawed loudly. "Yes, I suppose she'd do that," he said. "How long are you staying? Is everything well? Say, you should come over for dinner tonight! When's the last time you had a good meal? How's the royalty treating you? Say—" He leaned in close to Link's ear. "You haven't, uh… you haven't told anyone about our little secret, right? With the Gorons?"

Link laughed, while Rusl looked amused. "No, sir. I haven't told anyone."

Bo wiped his brow. "Good boy, good boy. Say—"

"Sir, listen," Link interrupted. "I'm here on official business. I'm sorry, but I can only stay the night. I need you to please look at this sword, and tell me everything you can about the man who created it."

Bo looked surprised as Link handed him the blade. He looked it up and down, humming as he examined it, wondering what was so special about it. When his eyes landed on the crest, he became lost in thought and was silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke. "Hmmmm. Curious, indeed. Hmmmm. Yes. This was made by Baylin's hand, or I'm a monkey's butler. Baylin, huh? Where did you get this, my boy?"

"I took it off of a monster my army slew in Kakariko. I don't know how he acquired it. To be honest, when I recognized the mark, I feared the worst for Ordon. It's quite a relief to see that everyone is safe. You haven't been visited by the dark beasts yet."

"Indeed not, my boy," Bo said proudly. "They know not to come sniffing around here. Why, me and Rusl here would knock them clear back to Lanayru if they dared show their ugly mugs in our village!"

Rusl laughed and Link smiled. "I suppose so, sir. Still, can you please tell me about this Baylin?"

"Well, I don't know much," began Bo. "See, he lived here and worked as a smith for quite a while, but he didn't come out much and he didn't talk much. He sat in his workshop and banged out all different kinds of stuff, including weapons. He was nice enough. Very old, fat, grey haired. He always wore a red robe. And that crest right there, he said it was his family insignia. He put it on everything he made."

"What happened to him?" asked Link.

"I seem to recall he packed up and left in a hurry," explained Bo. "One day he was here, the next he was gone. I watched his wagon roll off with him and most of the stuff he built over the years. He left some of it as gifts to the town. Never said why, never said bye. That's about all I know about him."

Link didn't know what to say. He pondered what he had just learned; it didn't seem to add up. "So, Baylin… he worked here as a smith for years, then one day, just left without saying a word?"

"That's about the full tale, my boy," said Bo.

"And you don't know where he went or what happened to him?" asked Link.

"Nary a clue, my boy," Bo answered. "Nary a clue."

* * *

Princess Zelda sat on the golden throne, tap tap tapping away on the ornate armrest with her slender finger. She was feeling impatient and fidgety, nervous about what was taking Ser Hectur so long to return from his rounds giving orders on the castle grounds. He had promised to return directly after he met with Ashei to confirm shifts for the night, but that business should have been finished ages ago. A raw, flimsy feeling crept into her gut, making her wish she was not alone in the massive throne room. Perhaps she was overreacting; if another attempt on her life was made, surely it wouldn't happen in the center of the castle. She was safe here, and Hectur would return any minute.

The massive double doors at the entrance to the throne room were slammed open from the outside, and the princess jumped as the deafening thud of the impact of the doors shook the walls. She reached into her bodice for her concealed dagger, but then she looked closer and saw that it was only Kingsley who approached her, ragged and sopping wet from the storm which raged outside the castle walls. He hurtled himself towards the throne, stopped at the base of the steps to the upper tier, and knelt down on one knee.

"Rise, brave Knight," Zelda said as she plopped back down onto the throne. "What news do you bring of your mission? Where is Link?"

"Your Grace," Kingsley said as he climbed to his feet. "Our mission was primarily a success. We overtook the monsters in the dead of night as we journeyed through the Eldin province, and we met them in battle in Kakariko. We slew the lot of them, although a few flying beasts did flee before we could bring them down. However, there were a number of villagers killed, and six of the Hylian Guard."

"I see," Zelda said quietly. "If the monsters are dead, then why so solemn? Tell me of your Lord Commander."

"Ah, Your Grace… he journeyed alone to the Ordona province. He commanded us to return here with news while he traveled south alone."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "To what purpose, brave knight?"

"It was a blade he found on the beasts, Your Grace. It had a strange design on it. He said he recognized it from Ordon. He wanted to investigate the source of the weapon and hope to find a clue to the monster's whereabouts. I believe our Lord Commander thinks that the army of monsters we faced was a pittance compared to their real numbers."

"I feared as much. Describe the design to me."

"It was a crest on the hilt, Your Grace. It was decagonal, gold in color, three circles with three triangles inside each, and three larger triangles alternating around the rim. In fact, now that I think on it, there were three different shades in each triangle… they must have been Triforce insignias, Your Grace." Zelda looked perturbed. "It was a very regal design in truth, Your Grace. It had a holy element to it. I daresay it was of divine design. It was certainly unique."

"I know of this crest," Zelda said slowly. "It carries history and great significance with it. I also know where this blade was taken from." She paused and briefly lost herself in thought. Kingsley stood resolute and patient, awaiting commands. He yearned to know the source of the crest, but he dared not ask. Finally, Zelda looked back to him and said, "Find Ser Hectur. Send him to me at once. I care not what he's doing; he is to come immediately."

"Ah, I spoke with him on my way inside, Your Grace. He currently holds counsel with Ashei and your advisers in the royal keep. I'll fetch him at once." Kingsley bowed, and then hurried from the room.

Oh, Hectur, Zelda thought to herself. It's worse than you know, my love. Please return to me soon.

* * *

Geras slowly picked his way through the dark and dank alleys of Hyrule Castle Market. The hour was midnight, and most shops were closed, but he knew his destination would receive him. He crept along, trying his best to remain silent. The less people who saw him in this part of the kingdom, the better.

He reached his destination and entered the shop. There were two small torches lit on the right and left walls, illuminating the various items and trinkets strewn about the shop. Geras could just barely make out the dark shades that made up the curtains and carpets in the rundown, grimy building. The shopkeeper immediately leapt from his perch behind the counter and approached him.

"Greetings, yeh," he said through his three remaining crooked teeth. His stringy, balding hair bounced up and down as he surveyed Geras. "Come fer some wares, yeh? I gots the best prices in town. Ten rupees for a pack of arrows, thirty for a quiver. Can't beat that at the Malo Mart, can yehs? Hehehe!" Geras said nothing. "Mebbe you're wanting other kindsa wares, yeh? The premium stuff, yeh? Hows about a magical blue ring? Protects ya in a fight, you know. Only 250 rupees. Or mebbe a bag of magical beans? That's hot stuff, yeh? Only 300 rupees fer the whole bag! Hehehehe!" The old coot cackled some more.

Finally, Geras mustered his courage and looked him in the eye. "How much for a life?"

The old coot froze where he stood and said nothing for a moment. He glanced around, pushed aside the dark drapes and checked the surrounding area, then locked the door. "Back here, yeh?" he said quietly. He led Geras behind the counter and through a large, oaken doorway into a storage room. There, with surprising strength, he pushed aside a large shelf brimming with items and revealed a hidden iron door. He produced a key from his pocket, slipped it into the lock, and turned. The door slowly slid open and creaked and groaned as it swung inward, revealing a long set of spiraling stairs, illuminated every twenty feet or so by a single torch. "Down there," said the old coot. "Go on now. Hurry, yeh?" Geras hesitated for a brief moment, and then began the long descent into the mysterious dungeon.

He took the narrow, small steps down for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he reached the bottom landing and found another iron door barring the way. He gave it a light push and it gave way. In he went, his courage floundering with every step. Before he could change his mind, however, he found himself in a circular, empty room made of granite and stone with only a single torch in the center, with a blue flame burning brightly. He took two meager steps into the room and the door slammed shut behind him. He cringed, and then quickly turned and tried to pry it open, but to no avail. The door had sealed itself behind him. He had no choice but to go on.

On the other side of the room, he could see the entrance to a long, solitary tunnel, visible only by the edges of light from the blue flame in the center. What lay at the other end of the tunnel was a blanket of mystery, shrouded in total darkness. No other sources of light were visible. He realized he didn't have much choice but to continue, so he mustered what was left of his courage and entered the tunnel.

As he walked, he contemplated how he had gotten himself into such a mess, why he was doing this, and what the outcome would be. He feared for his princess and his kingdom, but more than that, he feared for his family. He had seen firsthand the destruction and death that the mysterious monsters had brought to his home, Kakariko. By the grace of the Goddesses, his family had survived the onslaught, but who knew when the beasts would return, in even greater force? If there was any chance he could save his family from such a fate, he had to take it. How cruel the world is to place me in such a predicament, he thought.

He never knew that he had emerged from the tunnel, until a large ring of blue flame erupted as if from nowhere, encircling him and locking itself into a perfect circle with him in the center. Surprised, he yelped and almost lost his footing. A voice snickered from somewhere ahead of him… only a few feet, if his ears could be believed. His eyes were having trouble adjusting. Then, as if from nowhere, a figure emerged, seated on a dark, cold throne inlaid with burning blue, ancient looking designs.

The figure was almost grotesque to behold; tall and thin, with pale blue-grey skin and large, bright yellow eyes. He was garbed in black robes with blue designs, which were wicked and delicate all at the same time. The figure chuckled once more at the look of fear on Geras' face, then rose and displayed his full height and prowess. He stood at least seven feet tall, which was a giant stature compared to the small Hylian man. Geras trembled and took a step backward, and then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Greetings, friend," said a familiar voice, calm and pleasant, yet sinister at the same time. Geras slowly turned and saw the gaunt face of Linden right behind him. "Welcome to this place. Please make yourself comfortable; you're like to be here for a long time." He gestured toward the blue-grey man. "Allow me to introduce your new best friend, and our leader. His name is Darkhava, and he is the ruler of the Hyrulian Brethren."