"Link, I don't know how you did it. I never thought I'd see both Gerudo and Sheikah, but here they are, having a picnic in the Courtyard." Auru, an elderly man that lost his agility and strength over the five years after the Twilight invaded Hyrule. He stood before an open window looking down on the hundreds of little dots that spread out through the Courtyard.
"It wasn't easy, it never is actually. But I need to know, where is Zelda and Midna?" Link asked as he remembers the sounds he heard before awakening within the Temple of Darkness. Auru tired eyes closed gently leaving Link to ponder on how badly the situation was. With a heavy sigh, Auru answered Link.
"From Midna's description of the events, Zelda has been kidnapped." Auru mumbled shamefully as he kept his eyes outside of the window, unable to look Link in the eye. Link cursed heavily under his breath knowing that her safety was one of the reasons why he left to the Twilight Realm in the first place. This was the second time that Zelda sacrificed herself so Link could defeat their enemy. "Her exact locations are unknown, I've been positioned to rule until she has returned."
"Damn it, what about Midna?" Link asked hoping one of the two princesses escaped from the encounter. It was one of the few times the anyone will be able to give Link a positive answer throughout this entire war.
"She's been resting, awaiting your return from her realm alone. I must say, she's taking all of this very harshly." Auru continued as he turned away from the window and made his way to a small pile of signed decrees and official documents. A person of his age and experience learned that patience was a virtue, especially in politics. After helping Link at Hyrule Castle, Auru turned to politics to ensure the safety of Hyrule. "But you have important matters to attend to, such as organizing this army in the way you see fit." Auru continued as he lifted a select group of papers.
"What do you mean?" Link asked simply as Auru handed him the stock of documents and other scrolls. It didn't take the Hero long to find the message out of all the papers. Signed by the leaders of the Zora, Goron, and Mayor Bo of Ordon Village. The direction it was headed was easy to see and simple. "I can't do this." Link said out of modesty and an unwilling feeling to except the responsibility.
"You can still deny it, these papers aren't an order. But they are a request from the most powerful people in Hyrule and some of the friends you made on your journey." The tone Auru used simply said that Link didn't have a choice. It was just as understanding as it was demanding, and Link got the hint. The Hero turned around with one thought on his mind, he knew how the Hylians would respond. But the Gerudo and Sheikah bandits probably wouldn't take the change so easily.
"Master General, does this mean I have control over the entire Hylian military." Link asked accepting his new title. He honestly believed that Rusl would be more fit to take the position, but he knew that wouldn't happen. He realized that know he had to become more than a simple Hero, he had to become a exalted figure of promise and hope to all people, putting the pressure on him. "My limits." Link said.
"The entire Hylian force is under your command and is your responsibility, you lead them however you see fit. The only limitation is that you must run all large-scale orders by me in case you violate any of the other Kingdom laws." Auru said. Link almost completely forgot that there were other kingdoms outside of Hylian borders. But it seemed that the Chaos's only issue was with Hyrule, so that wouldn't become a problem.
"What about the others?" Link said referring to the Bandits as the others. Auru glanced back outside the window to watch how things were holding in the courtyard. It seemed that a Hylian insulted one of the Gerudo's and learned why they were the most feared band of pirates after being beaten cold. Auru raised an eye wondering what would come out of the alliance.
"They aren't under Hylian regulations seeing as how they are under an alliance and also denied citizenship." Auru said. He remembered speaking to Riax and Jiax directly, and having them shoot down almost every formal agreement he thought of. They wanted only two things, to fight, and to be free to leave once it's all over. Afterwards, Jiax lazily walked out the room as if he was drunk and Riax decided to leap out the window and disappear. "So all I have to say is that, if you can get them to listen to you. Then they are your problem." Auru joked and heard Link chuckle knowing that wouldn't be an easy task.
Jiax sat on the steps leading up to the entrance chamber to the castle. He looked out the courtyard watching as the Gerudo and Sheikah did simple things such as sit around and talk amongst themselves, train to regain whatever lost skills they had, or play tricks on the Hylians that were on duty. He found it slightly amusing to watch the Sheikah use their incredible stealth and speed to sneak up behind Hylians and tap their shoulders. Then move around them to stand behind them.
Jiax was a laid-back almost uncaring kind of person that never took his role as the older brother to harshly. Usually, he stood back and let Riax do the thinking and give orders while he followed simply because following was easier than leading. But his strength was undoubtedly the most unnatural feat a human can achieve without the use of any arcane specialties. He was able to wield his over one-hundred pound halberd with one hand and maneuver easily, it would even make a Goron stare in awe. His silver hair hung over his ruby eyes as he yawned heavily.
Riax, was laid out atop a castle tower staring out into the entirety of Hyrule Kingdom and it amazed him. He felt as if it had only been a few days since he and the others were proud rogues that none dared to cross. But his memory was hazy, he couldn't remember being captured or defeated, nor being sealed away in the Twilight Realm. His mind wandered as he looked throughout Hyrule trying to understand how much it had changed.
"How long has it been?" He said aloud. The Sheikah's shinobi-like skills have been lost over the ages. But the few that remain are the masters of the style and have been known to be second to none on the battlefield as they used speed as their advantage. Riax was the top at this skill specifically, so when a Sheikah appeared behind him. He knew, instantly. "What do you think?"
"Damn, I swore I snuck up on you this time." The Sheikah said. He walked next to the technical Young Master and stood on the edge using his weight to hold his self up. Their abilities were impossible to understand without prior knowledge of how it is done. The Sheikah stood at an almost complete ninety-degree angle calmly without fear of falling " I dunno, but I do know it's longer than we thought. I was told one of the main reasons we're here is because Zelda was captured or something like that."
"Zelda, damn royalty." Riax said with a growl in his voice. The Sheikah felt the same thing about the princess so he didn't respond. The Free, as they prefer to be called, hated the Hylian Royal family. The Sheikah was a clan that had an undying loyalty to the Royal Family and the Gerudo were already a band of all female pirates. But events created by the Family caused the two groups two merge and became the being they were now.
It was the King of Hyrule that ordered the death of two adopted Sheikah children, Riax and Jiax. His reasons were unknown and the entire Hyrule Kingdom knew nothing of it as the order was given to one of their teachers. But the two students were the most talented of all and were still growing, so the attempt was failed and they learned from the teacher that the King wanted the two dead.
"Who knows what changed since we've been here, it only seems like yesterday when Lon Lon Ranch was in the center of the field. Remember that time Sheik tried flirting with the girl there and was attacked by cucco." The two laughed loudly remembering their friend running around the field trying to escape the evil flock. It was an inside joke among the few present that the only weakness a Sheikah had was the power of the cucco. "Another thing, do your remember Zelda being a blonde." The Sheikah asked strangely.
"I don't see why it matters but, yeah." Riax said with a curious tone. The Free seemed like a massive group of rogues from the outside. But in reality, the Free treated each other as if they were all family. The only few exceptions were the leaders, and that was only Riax, Jiax, Suna, and the traditional Sheikah leader titled Sheik. But even those ranks didn't take place unless the individual was in the situation were giving orders was needed.
"Well, I saw a portrait of her recently and... well. She suddenly became a brunette." The Sheikah said with a small grin on his face. Riax gave him a strange look wondering why he noticed that small of a detail all of a sudden. He looked away shaking his hid with that small smile until his eyes noticed a cloaked figure walking through a portion of the castle. He took a moment to understand the few details he saw and noted that it was a fully covered person in black, not a normal style in Hyrule. " I personally think it's an improvement." The Sheikah continued to say.
Riax watched closely as the mysterious figured quickly walked throughout the castle avoiding confrontation with the majority of the others. His crimson eyes followed the individual alone paying no mind to his Sheikah friend who after a moment of getting no response, waited to hear what was on Riax's mind. The expression on his face told the Sheikah to ready his self for something.
He continued to look closely as the hooded figure walked into one of the castle towers. It walked into a room quickly and closed the door behind it after checking for anyone that was following it. Riax's eyes narrowed to see through a window as a lantern was lit and shades were pulled closed. A sixth sense told him to investigate. He stood up and leaned over the edge with his friend still watching the window.
"Sheikah!" He shouted in an airy voice. Five other Sheikah appeared behind him all waiting for orders with their weapons drawn. It was the tone and voice Riax called them with, after years of being together. They learned to detect the smallest hint of that call and move in quickly, usually abruptly stopping anything they were previously doing. The standard weaponry was a short blade and a Kusarigama or a sickle tied to the end of a metal chain which was extended through the Sheikah discipline. "Follow." Riax whispered as they seemingly disappeared from their position.
It was a technique that pushed the body passed its limits mixing magical power and intense training. They were able to move at impossible speeds silently which made it seem like an ability to teleport themselves. The only hint of their presence was when they had to stop on any object to change direction, the ability only allowed them to move in straight lines even though Riax has been able to bend that rule when needed.
Midna stood inside the dark room as she tossed her robe to the side. Around her neck was the Shadow Crystal, the object that gave her the ability to use her power in the Light Realm and also allowed her to walk in the Light. But she still found a strange comfort in the Darkness, and the one thing she needed most at the moment was solitary comfort. After hearing Link returned, she grew nervous of their presence knowing that they have been sealed away for a hundred years.
To keep the feel of her home in the room, she lit a small candle and closed the windows leaving only the small flame as the only source of light. She felt weak, like a failure that has to constantly ask others to solve her own problems. As Midna lifted up a book that marked down more details to the Chaos, she learned that they were divided into a chaste system which marked their military rank. The lowest chaste simply became soldiers and other things, the next level up were given special titles and grouped into specific units depending on skill and were capable of minor speech. The second highest were given higher ranks unless they chose to be placed into a unit with an exceptional skill, such as the Chaos Archers.
The highest rank was the Royal Family itself, given the title of the Holy Bane Generals. It was in them to hold amazing skills that separated them from the rest of the Chaos. The Royal family held no physical connections besides the more humane appearance than the other beings. Relatives of the Royal family bore no resemblance to each other as it is said that they were created from the flames of Din herself. Midna threw the book to the ground in anger as it told her nothing she already knew.
"Didn't like the ending?" Midna quickly turned around at the voice and saw the door quietly shut as Riax stepped in. She noticed the curved scythe-like blade in his left hand as he shut the door with his right and walked over to the book. It was at this moment she wished she could pull up that courage she had used to defend Zelda to save herself if it was needed. "Or did you just get bored, 'cause I am." Riax said plainly as he flipped through the pages not even giving Midna a glance.
"It doesn't concern you." She announced turning away from him and lifting the candle to bring more light into the room. She put up a proud and aggravated act to hide her other feelings from him and herself. Riax didn't bother looking back as he tossed the book across the room and began to go through random things. He picked up a cloth from the Twilight Realm studying the design and patterns.
"I just thought that if we were going to be in the same castle, we should get to know..." Riax trailed off as he turned around and saw Midna as a Twili, not something he was expecting. He remembered having a dream that he woke up to see a small Twili child standing before him horrified, the two looked similar. "Well, isn't that strange." Riax said cutting off his last sentence.
"What, are you surprised to see such a beautiful Twili as me." Midna said in a conceited and annoying tone of voice. She said it purposely to annoy her intruder into leaving.
"Yes!" Riax replied happily which left Midna in disbelief on his reaction. She knew he had been away for hundreds of years so he was almost five times her age, but he possessed the same mindset as if it hadn't been to long. The luminescent red eyes seemed to reflect and amplify the light so they glowed. "Actually, I'm surprised to see any Twili after whatever happened to the Twilight Realm." Riax said unsure of who he was talking to as he went back to what he was doing..
"You never would have been sent free if it wasn't for me so show some respect." Midna said growing annoyed by how he spoke of the Twili as if they were extinct. Riax stopped what he was doing and spun around on his heels facing Midna. He figured that if it was Midna's idea to release him, she must've known the details. He stepped forward slowly putting the blade in his right hand back inside his coat.
"Thank you, happy. I never really had the opportunity to visit the Twilight Realm before being locked away in a giant temple for, how long?" Riax said implying to her to answer the question. Midna realized that by being imprisoned for that long, he wouldn't have known exactly how long he was in there. She looked away trying to remember the exact time they were imprisoned, she couldn't.
"Over a hundred years, you are the last surviving Sheikah and Gerudo." With those few words Riax stared in awe and she heard some one shouting outside of her window. The six Sheikah that accompanied him hung on the wall outside the window listening to the conversation hoping they'd be able to hear some information even though Riax told them to wait until he called them. After giving off their position, the Sheikah disappeared to tell the others.
"And your the last Twili, aren't you?" Riax said losing his recent composure as countless thoughts ran through his mind. The memory of training in the Sheikah's personal grounds near Death Mountain going through his mind. He also remembered seeing all of the beautiful Gerudo women for the first time and being pinned down after questioning their fighting ability. Midna noticed the sympathetic look and his eyes and tried to take advantage of it without revealing to much.
"The Twili will rise again." She simply said trying to convince herself as much as Riax. He looked up at the black ceiling and sighed heavily knowing the Gerudo would want to return to the desert after all of this. Not that it was a problem, it's just that they were probably expecting to find the others there along with the endless sand. The Sheikah honestly didn't care, after splitting from Hyrule they became nothing but fun-loving psychopaths.
"How is that possible if your the only one?" Riax said questioning Midna's plan on reproducing of she's alone. He noticed the Princess jump and a second of "umm" trying to think of an answer. He simply laughed aloud after realizing she didn't see how impossible that was.
"I didn't ask you to question me!" Midna shouted back which lead to Riax laughing even harder than before. She viewed his statement as a personal insult to the Twili while he just fell into a chair laughing. As he slowly regained his breath, the Twilight Princess folded her arms in disapproval. "As the Princess of the Twilight, my power allows me to do those things." She said proudly, not realizing how the mentioning of royalty dropped Riax's smile.
"The King of Hyrule didn't have the power to defend his self from me, one hundred years ago. What gives you the power to resurrect an entire race?" Riax said bringing up the true reason for their exile into the Twilight Realm. After the Sheikah followed him and his brother away from Hyrule and joined the Gerudo, the King saw them as threat and sent the Hylian military after them.
It was a one-sided battle against the Hylians, they stood no chance with the desert also against them. With no casualties and only minor injuries on the Free side, Riax lead a small squad of Sheikah into Hyrule Castle and assassinated the King before he had time to respond to the battle. He ran up to the King in the middle of his own throne and lunged a Hylian Spear through his chest before diving out of the window to escape. He had nothing personal against Midna nor wanted to kill her, it's just the idea of royalty ate away at his soul.
"But who am I to say that you can't, it was your idea to release us. So I should say I'm indebted to you, Princess." Riax finished after realizing how quickly the thought of royalty changed his mood. He mentally noted to his self not to let those type of things get to him so quickly, for he would be surrounded by it until they fulfilled the deal ending the war.
"It's about time you showed respect." Midna said. The conversation between the two continued averagely. But as they talked about minor topics, a more serious event was taking place in the Twilight Realm. Link's adventure into the Twilight didn't go unnoticed even though they escaped without encountering the Chaos themselves. The ghastly entity known as Panic noticed them his self, but reported their presence to his eldest brother.
"Brother...What shall we...do?" Panic asked hovering in front of his brother with his masked towards the ground. Lord Chaos sat upon his throne in a bored posture with his head perched up on his right hand. Panic began to feel nervous as the silence remained, wondering if he had angered his brother by waking him. Panic knew that as his brother Chaos wouldn't kill him. But as the leader, he would severely punish him. "I'm sorry... But I bring.... royalty..." Panic said in his whisper of a voice.
"Don't bother with the Hero, they can have as many allies as they wish. But what is it that you brought me?" Chaos said as he stood from his massive throne and opened his eyes. Panic lurched backwards to the squadron of soldiers that followed him and stopped before them. He passed through them like a ghost and used his hooked fingers to latch onto Zelda's collar dragging her towards his Lord. "Who is this? A princess?" Chaos said as Panic suddenly released her.
"She is...Hylian...royalty, my brother." Panic stated as he hovered behind his brother to not stand between the two. His mask suddenly twitched to the left as Chaos leaned over and extended his right hand outwards to Zelda. The Princess looked up at his hand then glanced at him judging if she should accept it or not. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered if he was able to be trusted in the slightest bit.
"I'm offering my hand to you so you may stand. Unless you are injured." Lord Chaos said which surprised Zelda. He was larger than the average man but not exceptionally huge, his lack of a shirt and armored pants showed that he hid no weapons either. Not even the Triforce of Wisdom was able to sense any danger from him. Zelda reluctantly reached up with her hand grasping his as he gently lifted her from the ground. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but as you know. Our people are not exactly on the best of terms." Zelda stood shocked by his sophisticated voice accompanied by his size.
"Why am I here, what is it that you want from me?" Zelda asked hiding all signs of worry or fear as Chaos showed no hint of remorse. Chaos brought her to her feet and then walked towards a door across the room, every footstep echoing in the massive Temple for a throne. He opened a door in front of him and turned backwards to Zelda, waving her hand to follow him. "What is the meaning of this?"
"As I've said before, we are at war. My brother has explained to me that you were performing some sort of magic and created a portal. He feared that you were sending the Hero to assassinate me and as a result, he held you hostage to bargain with which is why I apologized." Chaos explained as they walked through a hall decorated with gold and red patterns that spiraled across the war. She looked back as a soldier closed the door behind him, leaving his brother Panic in the throne. She was curious as to why he treated her like a visitor instead of the prisoner. "The reason why you are still here is fairly obvious.""So what do you want, Hyrule, the Triforce?"
"The what?"
"Nothing."
"We have no interest in your land or your culture, I can not bring myself to tell you why we are at war. But I will tell you that the Light has brought this upon themselves." Chaos gave her a cryptic message which she realized that she would later understand. She tried to compare Lord Chaos to Zant or Ganondorf but couldn't see the connection, he seemed more determined than evil. "In your eyes, we are invading you. But to us, we are simply passing judgment upon a kingdom of criminals."
They passed through another door which lead them onto a bridge connecting the center castle to one of nine spires. As they stepped outside she looked upwards to a flame colored sky with a black sun above them. It provided no warmth but it had a dark beauty to it that darkened the sky. A gentle breeze pressed against her while she looked downward to the ground and saw soldiers sparring against each other. This wasn't the way she envisioned the enemy that destroyed the Twilight.
"You treat me like a visitor, what makes you think I haven't come to kill you?" Zelda said trying to spur up a conversation while gaining information. Lord Chaos found it humorous as he quietly laughed to his self. Zelda watched him as he stopped walking and turned around to face her with a small smile across his face. His right hand began to become enshrouded by a red aura that surged with a black lightning.
"I have no reason to worry for we are invincible in this realm, you couldn't kill me even if we weren't, and if I saw you as a threat, I would have killed you." Zelda could tell by his tone and his mannerism that this wasn't arrogance. It was the harsh truth, and she realized this even without him having to say it. Chaos turned away from her and continued walking as if nothing had changed. The Chaos people understood that violence was the best way to prove dominance over another, and they have mastered the art of battle. "Even if you were to kill me, I have eight younger brothers here that would easily tear down this castle searching for you. Our other brother died in battle against the Hero." Zelda felt something near sympathy for him as she realized that this powerful man had emotions and feelings. Such as the sorrow he felt when his brother Ruin had died in battle.
"I can honestly say that we have gone through the same. A dear friend and a great man was killed on the battlefield by your brother. I've learned to fear the power of your family." Zelda said as she found herself treating Chaos like the king of a neighboring kingdom. She took a respecting role by complementing the power of his family which was a display of respect and understanding.
"We have always known your power and always wished to challenge it." Chaos said showing Zelda the cultural differences between the two. The Chaos people see obstacles as challenges to step up against and rise above instead of compromising which was a dishonorable failure. "What is your name, princess?" Chaos said as they entered the first of the nine towers. The interior design changed to take on a design that represented lightning.
"I am princess Zelda." She plainly said as they passed a massive portrait of Ruin in battle atop his steed, Zasmal. His spear sparked with electricity as Zasmal crushed the face of a soldier. Judging by the symbols and the detail in the picture, Zelda figured that all of them were demons on the battlefield because of a massive amount of experience. A fairly beautiful women walked up to Chaos and lowly bowed before him.
"What is it, my Lord?" Zelda saw Chaos's brown skin complexion and noticed the girl too had the same color of skin. They both looked Human compared to the monstrous soldier soldiers that surrounded herself and Midna not to long ago or the spectral being Panic. The woman bowed lowly but Zelda saw no form of regret or shame, she wasn't a slave.
"Take the princess to her quarters and alert Slaughter that he can lead his forces to Hyrule." It was hard for her to admit the beastly demented opinions of him she had before. He seemed like a cultured and intelligent individual that was more determined than he could be called sadistic. But no matter how they behaved, Zelda knew another battle would commence soon.
(A/N) To all readers, please leave reviews