Part I: Hyrule Field

Chapter 3: Envoy of Hyrule Castle

-/_\-

[Impa]

Sighing, she leaned back onto her naginata, which was currently stuck into the ground. Her well-toned body wasn't tired out at all, even though she had been creating fire walls to keep out the intruders, and slashing down whoever made it through. She heard a loud boom, which made her jump. She narrowed her red eyes, then decided to investigate. She instructed her Defense Specialists to stay behind, then ran on ahead. As she did so, she consulted the charm hidden underneath her scarf. It was a charm from the seas which, when imbued with magic, allowed two people to telepathically talk to each other, from a distance. Of course, Zelda had been the one to imbue it with magic. It was the only way Impa was ever willing to leave her side.

"Your Highness, the keep is now secure. I heard an explosion of some sort off to the east. Should I investigate?"

"Ah... That would be Link or Volga. Would you do me a kindness and check in on them?"

"Absolutely."

By now, she had already arrived on the scene. In the middle of a green field, now browned with the trampling of the Bulblin troops, lay a huge crater, clearly made with immense magical energy. It was still smoking. As expected, Volga lay on the lip of the crater, clearly unconscious. But on the other side... nothing. Had Link won after all? She explored the scene a little bit, and found no Hylian footprints leading away from the crater. She did, however, find some leading to the crater, from the Central keep. And, coming from that direction was a figure with green clothes. She had to remind herself that this figure wasn't Link, but rather Linkle.

"Hoy, Impa! What brings you here?"

"I don't suppose you saw where Link went?"

"Ah! After such a brave and heroic battle? ...No, I can't say I've seen him. I was preoccupied with the duties of a hero when that explosion occurred. It's a rough job, you know!"

"Yes. So, the Central keep is secure, then? Good to hear."

This worried Impa. She could think of any number of possibilities, none of which were pleasant. He could have been blown far back by the explosion, but that would leave him badly injured. He could have been... evaporated by the sheer magical force, but that did not look likely, based on Volga's prone body. She decided to go to the East Field keep, but before she did...

"Linkle! Could you send Zelda over here? I'll be off to the east."

-/_\-

[Ilia]

She was fidgeting restlessly in her seat. She kept looking outside the tent's flap, but the day was still bright and sunny. Funny, she kept expecting it to turn cloudy soon, and she didn't know why.

"Ilia... I've just received word about the outcome of Link vs. Volga."

Ilia perked up at this.

"It's not looking good... Although Volga was defeated, Link is nowhere to be seen."

Ilia's face fell. She looked down. Then she looked up, and held her rod tighter.

"Don't worry. At this rate, the battlefield is going to clear out soon. Without leadership, the Bulblins don't amount to much. We'll secure the field, then look for Link, okay?"

Even with how little she knew about people, Ilia could still tell that Zelda was saying it as much for her own reassurance as for Ilia's. Ilia then stood up.

"...I'll help. I've been doing some training with Link... I should be fine out there, if it's just a few Bulblins left, like you say."

"...Okay. But be careful out there, please. Here, I have something for you."

Zelda stood up, then walked over to the tent's flap, where Ilia already was. She held out her hand, and in it was a necklace with a small blue gem. Ilia took it, and put it around her neck.

"Thank you. It's pretty. But, why?"

Zelda chuckled kindly. "It may be pretty, but it has its uses as well. With it, I can communicate with you from a distance. Please, if you're ever in danger, don't hesitate to call me. All you have to do is hold the gem and think my name. Also, I suggest you head just east of here, to the West Field keep."

Ilia nodded. "Thank you. I'll be on my way."

The sun shone on her, as she made her way through the field. The weather was pleasant as always. But despite her newfound confidence, she felt some trepidation. This would be her first fight... and all she had was an inert magical rod. Sure, it had some heft, but was this really enough? Was she being a fool now? She shook her head. It had to be enough. She had to go out there, search for Link. She wanted to save Link, just as Link saved her. Off in the distance, she could see a crowd of sorts. She decided to go and investigate. Sure enough, it was a group of Bulblins, around 10 or so. Okay, take a deep breath. Remember your training, focus. She stepped out in front of them, and called out.

"I... I won't let you take a step further. As an envoy of Hyrule Castle, I... I will defeat you!" She tried to say that with bravado, but her hands were trembling. The Bulblins looked at her, then one of them charged at her. She yelped, closed her eyes, then went into a sideways stance. One foot in front of her, leg bent. One behind her, leg straight. She held her rod in both hands, then she thrusted outwards in a straight direction, stabbing like how Link would with his sword. With a satisfying CLUNK, it hit the Bulblin's head directly, and the Bulblin fell to the ground. She opened her eyes, and stayed in her last position out of disbelief. Suddenly, three more entered the fray, brandishing their clubs. She pirouetted, holding out the rod in one hand. Three more Bulblins fell. She didn't know she was this powerful. Or rather, she didn't know the rod could make such an impact. Come to think of it, it had always felt weightless to her... But it wasn't weightless to them, was it? It still had some latent magic in it, after all.

Through a series of dance-like moves, just as Link had taught her, she took down the rest of the Bulblins easily. She smiled, and took a bit of a bow. However, she felt thudding footprints from behind. No, hoofprints, she realized. She turned, and saw a gigantic Bulblin, riding a boar. The boar stopped, and bellowed. The Bulblin looked down at her. It had such a condescending look on its face. The way Ilia felt, it was as if her recent achievement was meaningless. She felt it then. If she couldn't defeat this Bulblin, it would have been literally meaningless. She had to stay true to her word. She would not let them pass. Then, the boar charged. Yelping, she rolled out of the way. But she wasn't quick enough. The Bulblin stabbed her shoulder with its spear. She screamed, and tears filled her eyes. This is pain? It was almost too much for her. She almost wanted to give up. But the Bulblin turned around, and started charging. Clearly, it wasn't done with her. She stood up frantically, then held out her rod. Again, the boar charged. She sidestepped out of the way, and tried hitting the fat Bulblin. But it effortlessly swatted away her attack. The rod spun out of her hand, and she fell down to the ground.

This was it, she thought. She was hopelessly outmatched. She closed her eyes, and prayed it would end quickly.

Ilia.

She opened her eyes suddenly.

Ilia. Pick up the rod.

She didn't even hesitate, as if some force were controlling her. She ran over, and picked up the rod from where it laid.

Fight.

She then saw an image of her twirling around, then slamming down her rod in front of her. The Bulblin wasn't anywhere near her, but it fell. She was confused, but she felt compelled to try it regardless. She spun once, and the rod vibrated slightly in her hand. As she spun, she could see, in slow motion, a small ball of light forming in the basin at the top of the rod. It grew during her rotation, then she naturally carried out the rest of the move. When she held her rod high, the ball of light flew out to above the Bulblin's head, leaving it looking up. When she slammed down the rod, the ball slammed down into the Bulblin, causing it to collapse and fall off the boar. The boar, now unreigned, ran off into the horizon. The ball of light returned to her rod, then fizzled out. The light lines on her rod flickered, then faded out, leaving the rod looking even deader than before. She stood there for a while, looking dazed. So, this is what the rod was capable of? She smiled, feeling full of power for the first time, then she collapsed, the pain and exhaustion of battle getting to her.

-/_\-

[Zelda]

Zelda anxiously awaited news from her troops. Some soldiers had made it back, all reporting success on the battlefield, with minimal casualties. But what she wanted to know most was not whether they drove off the Bulblins, but rather the whereabouts of Link. She sighed, looking down. Link, her most dependable warrior. Brave, loyal, and... dare she say it? Handsome. Yes, she would admit it. Link was a stunner. If these were any other times, Zelda would have asked for his hand in courtship. A slight blush filled her cheeks. She shook her head. This wasn't the time to be thinking such childish thoughts! She had to focus on the mission. How could Link have disappeared? Surely it wasn't because Volga defeated him, as he was currently laying there, defeated... out in the middle of an open field... with high visibility. An idea formed in her head, but suddenly, a message from Impa met her mind.

"Princess, I have searched all the nearby keeps and found no sign of Link. Linkle should be there, soon. Please follow her to the blast site. What do you wish of me?"

"Go to the blast site as well. I think I may know what to do next."

Right on cue, Linkle showed up and saluted her. She gestured for her to go ahead, and dutifully, Linkle marched on, Zelda following her. Linkle prattled on about her experience on the field, using the word "hero" several times. But Zelda tuned her out, distracted by thoughts of all the negative things that could have happened to Link.

Finally, they arrived. Zelda tapped into her potent magical ability, and immediately detected a hint of dark magic.

"It is as I thought. Someone else, someone using dark magic, has been here recently. But... it seems whoever it was teleported away. There's no trail at all..."

The three female warriors stood there somberly, just as lost as they were before. However, Zelda spoke up, with a measure of hesitation.

"There is one thing we can do, however. Rather, one person we can ask."

She turned towards Volga. Impa started.

"Your Majesty! There's no way we can detain such a powerful force, let alone trust him! We should finish him off, and rid the world of this source of destruction!"

"...Indeed, Volga has caused much chaos. He has killed a great many of our troops. But... he might be the only clue leading us to Link, if he has indeed seen anything. We must take him back to the medical tent, and get him some assistance."

-/_\-

[Volga]

Burning hellfire surrounded him. Normally, fire was nourishing to him, and he reveled in the sensation of burning. But this fire was so intense, it was causing him pain. Volga fell to the ground, swatting the flames away. They only got stronger for his efforts. He crumbled to a heap, his scales charring black.

He woke up. He could feel other people in the room. He could also feel that he was sitting in a chair, his limbs bound. He willed himself to stay still. His bone helmet, affixed to his skin, covered his eyes. He waited for the first sign of danger. Sure enough, he could hear voices.

"Princess, keeping that Light Arrow pointed at him is consuming your magical energy. I must ask you to reconsider. There should be another way."

"No. If I'm going to be the one asking questions, I need to be in charge here."

Suddenly, he chuckled, causing everyone in the room to jump. Everyone except Zelda, who he saw was currently aiming a gigantic bow made of pure light at his face. So, this was the situation, huh? No doubt he would be interrogated, possibly tortured. He couldn't help but feel a bit of glibness, as their efforts would be in vain. He was already a dead man, and dead men told no tales. He fell silent. The Princess, no doubt interpreting his chuckle as a defiance of authority, spoke up in a stern and regal voice.

"Volga. I see you have awoken. As you can see, you are surrounded by my best soldiers."

He took this brief pause to look around. He saw some familiar faces, though he did not care for them. The only face he cared about was not in this room. Link.

"This light arrow is infused with as much of my energy as possible. If you so much as move, I will unleash this arrow directly into your head."

"This is a charade. These manacles will not bind me. None of these soldiers are your strongest. How can you expect anyone other than your strongest to hold me back from killing everyone in this room?"

The tension of the room built up, and everyone drew their weapons. Impa chose to speak up, cutting through this tension.

"I found you half-dead, and I could have killed you at any time. Your show of bravado means nothing to me. You, Volga, have lost all your power over us."

It was true. He grimaced. He had lost, not once, but twice. According to the laws of his clan, he would have been executed on the spot. Yet these bleeding-heart fools had kept him alive. They had even medically treated him, judging by the bandages on his body. He had considered burning the bandages with his body heat, but he decided against it. He didn't know why.

"Now that you are aware of your situation," Zelda continued, "we do need something from you."

"Just strike me down, already. You want to, don't you? You want revenge for your soldiers that I killed. HA!"

The sudden shout made everyone in the room flinch, but Zelda kept his aim steady.

"You won't fool me, Volga. I'm not killing you until I get some answers. First, where is Link?"

His suspicions were confirmed. Link, for whatever reason, was gone. And, he surmised, that was the only reason he was left alive. Funny. The bond Link had with his comrades had ended up saving him, albeit in a roundabout way. That damnable Link! The rules and pride of the Dragon clan were being broken over and over. All because of him. ...Just as well. In his battle, he had lost, fair and square. Now, here he was. A loser. He chose to say a loser's words.

"...I do not know."

"What happened at the end of your battle?"

"Our energy collided, it overwhelmed both of us. I had some time before I lost consciousness. I saw Link's body. He was felled, the same as I."

"Did your minions take him away?"

"No."

"Who did, then? Did you see anything?"

"...yes. I saw, right before I passed out, a shadowy figure come out of the broken sky."

"Describe this figure."

"It was tall. Much taller than I. Its body wasn't distinct enough for me to say more. I also saw... Link's body floating. That was the last thing I ever saw. Satisfied? You can shoot your arrow now."

Much to his fury, Zelda looked down and away, not even registering his last words.

"Shoot me now!"

He thrashed about, hoping to provoke Zelda. Infuriatingly enough, Zelda continued paying him no mind. She dissipated the Light Bow.

"Volga, that is enough. Thank you. As a reward for your help, we will let you go. But, know that if you ever encroach yourself upon Hyrulean territory again, you will die."

"...Why? Why aren't you killing me now? Aren't you angry?! Furious at the loss of your comrades?! DON'T YOU WANT REVENGE?!"

At this, Zelda looked up at him, with those kind eyes.

"This battle is over. We don't need to fight anymore. It was obvious from the beginning your only goal was Link."

The soldiers began filtering out of the medical tent at Zelda's orders. Leaving Zelda and Impa alone with Volga. Clearly they didn't see him as a threat anymore. His body sagged.

"I... it's no good. My pride is already ruined. I thought I could regain it by defeating Link, but... I'm still dead. What is a dead man supposed to do now? If you won't kill me, I... I will."

Zelda's hand trembled. She turned towards Volga, and reached out. Her hand caressed his face, and he flinched.

"Nobody should ever have to say that. You are..." she looked away. "Link wasn't undefeatable. He did lose many times before he fought you. He has had his spirit crushed. Yet... he kept fighting. He was strong because of that. This... what you're doing? It isn't strong. You can still be strong. Walk away, Volga. Go home. Live to fight another day."

With that, Zelda left, leaving Volga utterly alone with his thoughts. The way he saw it, he would go home a disgrace. Others would hear of his loss, and invade his home, Eldin Caves. He wasn't strong enough to drive them off. Not anymore. No, he couldn't go home. Not now. He would have to keep fighting, fighting to get strong. Suddenly, he thought of Link. Link and his bonds. Link, and Zelda. He couldn't get those kind eyes out of his mind. Those kind eyes... They were sad. Because of Link? If he hadn't fought Link and left him vulnerable... Would they have been happy instead?

He tore his bandages off. He strode out of the tent. He would have to correct his mistake, and in order to do that, he would have to get stronger. He grew wings and flew away.

-/_\-

[Ilia]

She wasn't quite finished. She was panting in exertion. She supposed she couldn't keep fighting anymore. But she wasn't going to call Zelda. She wasn't going to get rescued. Right now, Link was the one needing rescuing. She kept walking. One foot after the other. She didn't even know where she was going anymore. Her vision was a blur. Left foot, right foot. Don't fall, Ilia. Go forwards. Forwards... What's that? There was a bunch of tents in front of her. Did she get turned around? Keep going. Step, step. She saw someone, a man in uniform. Their eyes met. Her legs weren't able to take any more. She fell, and the man cried out.

Some time later...

"Ilia, you pushed yourself too hard this time."

She had just woken up from a dreamless sleep. Impa was talking to her.

"You know you could have contacted Zelda at any time, right?"

Weakly, she nodded.

"But you didn't."

She looked away guiltily. Impa's hard glare softened.

"I know you wanted to be brave, like Link. But there is a difference between bravery and foolishness. You would do well to remember this. I, too, had to learn this lesson the hard way. Rest. Zelda will be with you shortly to deliver the news."

The news? Was this about Link? Oh gods, did they find him? She sat up.

"What's the news?"

"Please, Ilia. Rest. I can't say any more until Zelda-"

Just then, the tent flap slid open, and Princess Zelda strode through with a smile on her face.

"I'm here now, Impa. And it seems that Ilia is fine. You may retire to your tent now."

"... as you wish, Milady."

Zelda sat besides Ilia's bedpad, in Link's tent. Ilia looked at her with desperation.

"I'm sorry. We still haven't found Link. But we have a lead. Two of them, actually." At this, Zelda looked besides Ilia, to her rod which she had miraculously held on to this whole time. "The bad news is, it seems that a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere, and took Link with him to wherever he disappeared to. We don't have a lead. But we do have you, Ilia. I suspect that, whoever you were before your memories disappeared, you had something to do with this shadowy figure."

Ilia blanched, and tried to protest.

"Peace, Ilia. I already know you're not our enemy. No girl who was as kind and brave as you were could have arrived here with malicious intentions. Even if you should have called me as soon as you were in trouble."

Ilia fell silent. "I'm so sorry, Zelda. You're right, I wasn't accomplishing anything by struggling on." Then she smiled.

"But I do have some good news for you as well! The magic... The rod's magic is back! Or, it was back. Uh. For a short time. There was this ball of light, and I could control it, and... and it saved me again."

At this, Zelda had picked up the rod, and inspected it closely. Although it was just as dormant as before, she could detect traces of recent magical energy.

"...I am happy you are safe, at least. But, I'm sorry to say, whatever magic this rod helped you with is completely absent now. You shouldn't rely on it to save you again, understand?"

"...Yes, Princess."

"Rest up, Ilia. Tomorrow, we head back to the castle."

"But, what's the plan now? You said earlier how I needed to get to... a temple of... something."

"The Temple of the Sacred Sword. Yes, we will still head there as soon as everyone is recovered. I will send a squad of warriors to accompany you."

"What about you?"

"...It would be remiss of a Princess to abandon her castle so soon after a near crisis. I will stay here, and fulfill my royal duties. Please, rest up."

Ilia nodded, and set her head on the bed. Despite having woken up not long ago, she fell asleep once more.

-/_\-