Chapter Eighteen

Ashei

An inkeeper, a tailor, and a blacksmith. After weeks of being away, that had been the best Shad had been able to send her, though his carefully sent messages attempted to assure her he was doing his best, and that everyone seemed more intent on living the same old lives they had always lived rather than join a resistance that, in their minds, was sure to do nothing but further anger their new king and make their lives more miserable than they were already. She would be lying to herself if she said she had not hoped for more, though even she knew Shad's people skills were not quite what they needed to be.

Ganondorf had numbers, she knew that, but he had nothing compared to the entirety of the kingdom. She would have wagered anything that the Gorons would have attacked by then, but she had been wrong. Bo had warned her that the Gorons had always been more concerned with their own welfare than the welfare of the rest of the kingdom proper, but she had still held hope, hope that was rapidly depleting. She still had hope the Zora people would join their forces, though Zora's Domain was so far north, they may have stood a better chance risking storming the castle before waiting the amount of time it would take the Zora warriors to reach their encampment. At the current rate, they would all be hunted down by the time she had a halfway decent task force to infiltrate the castle.

Rusl was, by far, her best swordsman, but he had been distracted by the birth of his newest child, a daughter. The labor had been a struggle, and Ashei had been honestly surprised Uli had made it through, though she was grateful. Rusl and his wife had already lost one child, had no knowledge of the whereabouts or well being of the other, and had no need to lose another. Ashei only hoped the infant's cries would not compromise their position.

Including herself, she had two people proficient in swordsmanship. Fado had been a quick learner, but, being rather simple-minded, struggled to grasp the more complex maneuvers and strategies. Hanch and Jaggle may as well have stayed in Ordon Village for as much help as they provided. She knew they could not have, though. The Gerudo no doubt burned the village, and everything in it, to the ground. They would not have shown any mercy to the group, and they did not deserve that.

"You should rest," the innkeeper spoke, and Ashei jumped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "My apologies," the man quickly pulled his hand back.

She nodded, regaining her composure. "Just don't do it again, yeah?" she asked.

"Of course not," the man smiled and nodded, looking properly ashamed of himself. She wondered where Shad had encountered such a ragtag group. Surely they must have been running from Ganondorf and his forces, though some part of her knew they had wanted to return to their families, but were unsure their families would have still been around. "Anyway," the man continued. "You should get some rest. You've been at this all day."

Hating herself for it, Ashei knew he was right. An exhausted, sleep-deprived leader would do no good for anyone. She needed to be at the top of her game at all times, no matter what the cost. She owed that much to them. It had been her plan that had cost Link his life. If they had been with him, if they had saved their heavier attacks... No, she could not think in such terms.

Shaking her head, she retired to her tent, though she did not sleep. Rather, she studied the map of Hyrule and its surrounding lands. By that point in her life, she had all but memorized it, but it gave her some comfort, however small that comfort may have been. She sighed when she saw the flap covering the entrance to her tent open, but smiled slightly when Rusl entered. "My apologies," he said. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine," she sighed and folded her map up once more. "I should be the one asking you that question. How are you and your wife?"

"I'm fine," Rusl assured and sat across from Ashei without bothering to ask, not that she minded. With Auru gone, she had grown closer to the swordsman, depended on him for the advice the princess's tutor had once given her. "Uli is doing well. Still exhausted, but who wouldn't be?"

"Good," Ashei nodded and began to methodically unfold her blanket. She had always been a structured individual, and always followed a rigid routine. When something changed that, it took her more time than she would admit to re-adjust, and so she was grateful they had no plans to move camps, at least not in the near future. "What brings you here?" she looked over at the older man.

"We need more people," he spoke, keeping his voice calm, even, despite the stress Ashei knew he must have felt. "We can't hope to go against a legion of fully trained Gerudo warriors with four half-trained men, myself, and you. You know that."

"Which is why I have Shad out recruiting," she spoke, keeping her voice curt. Rusl started to speak again, but she cut him off. "I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no. We are the only ones that can train them. You understand me, yeah?"

"I do," Rusl sighed and nodded. "Thank you, though," he added before leaving her to her thoughts once more.

She needed a new plan, and she knew it, but she did not know what to. Each time she came up with a plan, it failed. Her mistakes had gotten Link and Auru killed. She had not heard news of Shad in days either. For all she knew, he was dead as well. She had not been strong enough to stop the Demon King, and because of that hundreds, if not thousands, had died while the remainder suffered.

She curled up on her side and took several shaky breaths. Hyrule had fallen, and she had been helpless to prevent it. Her friends were dying all around her. She could not even train a handful of villagers to wield a weapon. She shut her eyes tightly, and for the first time since her mother had died, Ashei wept.