Below Link was sprawled one of the most haphazard collection of buildings he had ever encountered. There were seven large buildings with foundations in which the better dressed of the raiders lived and worked from. Link had targeted these as the captains and leaders of the two hundred man town. The rest of the buildings were shacks built from drift wood and straw. The most common weapon among the dirty and disorganized men was the spear. A few of the more serious ones had swords belted at their sides.

Link looked at them and had to wonder how such a mess of people had challenged and managed to throw back the Knights and the Guard. It was that unknown that stayed his hand the night before and caused him to carefully examine the situation. Normally, he would have rushed in, killed a few dozen then met the leaders in combat. After thrashing them the men would scatter and he would be the victor. It was a tried and true method he had used on more than one occasion.

And just watching the men below it seemed it should work again.

He leaned back against the rock and sighed, Malon's hurt words echoing in his mind. He had thought about her reaction to his statement and saw only one reason for her to react that way. His childhood friend had been seeing a Knight, and perhaps one of the Knights' heads sent by the raiders to Zelda had been his.

He pushed that aside, intent on showing her and everyone else in the kingdom that he could make a difference. There would be no doubts after this spectacle.

He steeled himself and decided. He would play it safe this once, just in case there was a hidden factor he was not aware of. From his vantage point looking down he had a clear shot at several key areas. The two vital ones being the rough shod stables and the pile of explosives. He always wondered why raiders stacked explosives so conveniently in one place. He shrugged not truly caring.

With sure movements he crept down the hill to get into bow range. He withdrew said weapon and nocked an arrow. He concentrated for a moment and summoned the fire spell to alight the metal tip. He saw it begin to glow red and released it. A second later the crates exploded in a shower of shrapnel, fire, and billowing smoke. Dozens went down instantly to burns and scrapes, while others hit the floor in shock.

Link drew another arrow, stabbed a bomb within, lit the fuse, took aim, and fired. It struck a gate of the corralled horses and blew it down. The already startled beasts took that opportunity to bolt from the pasture, running over any raider too drunk to move.

In the span of twenty seconds the so-called town below had erupted in chaos. Link stood and stretched a bit. He gave himself a few jumps to get his blood going before dashing down the slope of the hill.

In no time he was entering the town, drawing his shield and sword. A few men saw him coming, but were too shocked to react. He killed them quickly and cleanly, through a neat stab, disemboweling them, or slitting their throats.

Cries of alarm began to go out and he saw a ripple effect wash through the men as they realized they were under attack. A few fled into their shacks seeking their weapons while the ones already gripping theirs brandished them against Link. Link changed his tactics by parrying various weapons before killing them through a neat stab, disemboweling them, or slitting their throats.

It was when the group mentality registered that his advance through their town slowed. Men formed up with spears to keep him at bay while men with swords formed into groups. They stilled died as Link just increased the rate of his fighting. However, as more men pressed en masse against him he soon found himself surrounded at all sides. It was then he sheathed his shield and sword and pulled out his greatsword.

He became in seconds a spinning dervish of flashing metal and green. With great swipes he parried dozens of stabbing spears and disarmed swordsmen. His feet kicked up dust as he moved deftly about the ground, when things seemed too close a blue or red energy glowed from his weapon and he unleashed a spinning attack, severing several men at once.

It was in this poetic chaos that one of the captains emerged in full battle regalia, more show than function. Billowing cape behind him with a bare chest and stylized sword whose handle was wrought in gold and diamonds. The men instantly, and gratefully, backed away from Link, allowing their skilled leader a chance at him. Link stopped in his tracks and eyed the man with the fuming face. He sighed in disappointment.

He quickly unhooked his hookshot, took aim, and fired. The metal point shot forward and buried itself into the man's chest. Link released the trigger and the hook retracted, bringing the terrified, and screaming man with it. As the man reached Link, the hero swung neatly with his sword.

There was a palpable fear in the air now as the gathered men saw their captain's body hanging from the stranger's device, while the head soared high into the air. It landed with a sickening plop, the dead leader's face frozen in horror. A few nervous laughs were heard and some took wavering steps backwards.

Link shook the body from his tool and raised an eyebrow at the men slowly creeping away from him. There was a question of a challenge in his eyes and none of the men would acknowledge it. He smirked before flinging himself at the closest group. They were killing themselves to get away from him. He switched back to the more traditional sword and shield and slashed his way through the raiders. A few of the more adventurous decided to try firing arrows at him. He caught them with ease in mid-flight and sent his boomerang to take care of the archers.

Suddenly, a man was before him with a sword deflecting Link's attacks. The hero took a step to the left, slashed, then rammed the opponent with his shield. The captain went down and Link stabbed his prone body in the heart. He died. Link resumed his quest, but found most of the town emptied. He stood for a moment surprised by the silence, save for the crackling of burning wood. He felt his forehead and found it to be slick with sweat; it had been awhile since he had a workout.

He blew out a breath and wondered if the men would stay scattered or if they would group back together. He knew a few of the captains had fled with the men, so it seemed they would probably form into groups and threaten the people in the fields. He wished they would have stuck with the standard raider formula. Usually the leaders would try and kill him based on some foolish pride and honor, not flee with their men.

Unless of course that first captain he encountered had been their best? He vaguely remembered the man's sword hilt having diamonds in it. He frowned in annoyance. Yeah, it never went well if the he killed the most skilled captain first.

He blew out a quick six note melody and Epona came running to him through the now dusty town. Link heaved himself into her saddle and looked westward, imagining where a desperate man would flee. To either shelter first or to water. There being this many people he could pick either one and find raiders. He chose shelter and kicked Epona into a gallop, aiming her north to the rocky mountains that contained the Gerudo Desert. If he could drive a few in there the desert women would take care of them.

As his form raced under the noon sun he realized the next for days were going to be long ones.

***

And Link was right to think that, for the next four days were very long ones, where he rose before dawn and only rested for a few hours each night. He was beginning to feel the fatigue of the schedule on the fourth day; he was also very close to dispersing the final large group of raiders. The first day out three of the captains had rallied close to thirty men at the entrance to the desert, where both shelter and water awaited them. It was nearing noon that Link struck like a sand dervish, driving the still terrified men into certain death. Link did not pursue the doomed men into the desert and prayed to Farore that the Gerudo would not abuse the raiders for too long.

The second day found him breaking up smaller camps of ten, leaving the men's bodies to the elements. He did not have the time to bury them. Most of the third day was spent traveling, trying to catch the next largest group. Two more captains had rallied some twenty-five together and were pressing them south of Hyrule, reaching for the farmsteads and villages that way.

It was noon and his eyes burned and his mouth was dry. He sat upon Epona and she seemed herself a little winded. Gently patting her neck he spied the group setting a hard pace south, their dust cloud a clear sign of where they were. He had two options. Let them make for camp and hit them in the night or take them in the rear. Truly he just needed to eliminate the captains and the rest would scatter and the best chance of getting them was now.

Link relaxed his muscles and winced at a large knot he felt in his left shoulder. He rubbed it and grit his teeth. Maybe a nap for the afternoon? No, better to get this over with. "You ready, girl? I promise after this we'll spend a long week back at the ranch." The thought brightened his mood. He could not wait to see Malon again, this time with this act behind him.

"Eyah!" He cried, spurring his mount forward.

At a full gallop they raged forward, Link's bow in his hand.

Ahead of him the mass of men could hear the thundering hooves and turned back in horror. Panic gripped them as the avenging angel came upon them.

Arrows struck like lightning, freezing and frying men left and right. One man with a decorated spear rose it high and yelled orders to the men. An arrow caught him in the throat and went out the back of his head, his cranium freezing afterwards. The body fell to the ground prone, and the men's panic now crippled their senses. The final captain realized his fate and ran to the side, hoping to blend with the men. His white cape and yellow billowing pants gave him away.

Link aimed Epona for the man, drew his sword, and cut him with a single slash. The next hour he spent mopping up the rest of the raiders foolish enough to think they had escaped him.

With a vigorous shake of his head Link pulled Epona to a nearby creek and let her take her fill of water. He shed his clothing and armaments and took a dive into the cold water, letting it wash away the dirt, dust, and blood. In the resting period he drifted in and out of sleep, thinking he should eventually get his armor patched up and cleaned. He also thought of Saria and Darunia, two friends he had sorely missed. This brought up images of Ruto, who Link prayed had already found a groom.

The only warning Link had was Epona's sudden neighing. He splashed out of the creek and reached his sword as the fighters came into view.

There in the waning light of the afternoon Link stood stark naked with over twenty armed and mounted men surrounding him. Their armor shined in the light, being a mixture of chain and plate mail. Most brandished spears, save for the seven in front. Each was dressed ostensibly with an exotic weapon in their grasps. All of them had wide grins on their faces.

A short man with a dark complexion spoke. "What do we have here?" He asked. "Some farm boy out for a dip? I see the wife doesn't have much to look forward to." He eyed Link's privates. Link grinned crookedly, none of the fair maidens he had encountered ever complained. The man's fellows burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I had a lot of work to finish over by the lake. Got kind of dirty so I decided to take a dip." He smiled innocently, but let the light show on the blood of his sword.

Their smiles slowly fell as they eyed his sword with curiosity. Then their eyes sought where his clothes were piled beneath the tree. The various weapons gave them pause and anger entered the leader's eyes. "By the lake?" The leader let his eyes examine Link's lithe form and took note of the defined musculature and scars.

Link nodded. "Yeah. Granted there were so low-lifes there that had to be cleared out first. No big deal, I took care of them." Link knew the guards did not use plate-mail and had an inkling these men were raiders. If so, from the looks of them they were the ones that had given the Knights of Hyrule and the guard a challenge. Good, been awhile since I had a challenge. Though, I wouldn't have chosen to face them like this.

Silence hung in the air. It was then that Link saw a decorative spear tied to the lead man's saddled. The same one belonging to the captain he had killed earlier. "I see you ran into my handiwork. Did you find his head? Had the ice melted?"

The man stiffened and quickly dismounted. "You do not know who you have angered this day, boy." His tone was dark and ominous. "I am Bluthark!" He drew a large sword and raised it high.

Link stopped himself from shaking his head, tired of the theatrics. "Ready to die?" He asked.

The man roared and Link's form blurred. There was a quick exchange of swords, the sound of metal ringing loud, before the man screamed as his sword and hand fell to the ground, severed from his arm. He took a few quick steps back before his head was severed next. Link was impressed, he had lasted for a few seconds.

The response from the other men was instant as weapons were drawn and booted feet hit the ground. Link was already upon them with his sword spinning a web of death among the rank-and-file. The captains he let gather their wits, knowing to face them last. He had a feeling these were the kind of battle-hardened raiders that did not flee in fear.

He saw the metal whip glinting in the light and knew to duck his head. The captains were upon him! He dodged behind the rank-and-file, keeping them between him and them. It worked for a moment before they withdrew in a broad circle, leaving a naked Link against six skilled assailments. He paused, taking note of the array of weapons. Three swords, a whip made of sharp edges, a giant axe, and a spear. They looked fit and they looked quick, but they also did not seem to know how to work together. Keep them grouped and pick off the ones on the wings.

Link rushed to the left, rolled across the ground and pressed from the right. Most were thrown off balance save for the man with the spear, he stabbed forward slicing a bit of Link's arm. Link thought him to be the most skilled so selected him the first to die. Link leaped at him, covering ten feet in a single span. His bare feet landed on the shoulders, his genitalia smacking the man in the face. Link ignored that as the captain next to this one tried to stab Link with a sword.

Link parried the attack before jumping off the spearman, the forced causing the spearman to fall to the ground. As Link fell he used his arm to strike the swordsman in the chest, forcing the man away. Link landed and swiftly stabbed the spearman in the heart. He rolled away, narrowly avoiding a giant axe swing. The other two swordsmen were coming around ready to flank, while the whipman played it cautious. The first swordsman charged around the axeman, screaming in battle fury. Link's sword flashed and the man's scream was silenced as his throat was slit.

The axeman barreled into Link, knocking him off his feet. He rolled around, avoiding being killed by an axe and two swords. Link tangled his feet with one of the swordsmen and tripped him and his partner. Link was on his feet again and rushing the axeman. Seconds they traded blows, until the metal whip wrapped itself around Link's sword arm and dragged him to the ground. The whip cut deep gashes into his arm, causing blood to stream out. He lost the grip on his sword as he was brought to heel.

Gritting his teeth he gripped the whip with his hand, causing a cut to open, and jerked. The whipman looked shocked as he was pulled to the ground, the whip's handle pulled from his grip. Link used the momentum to swing the whip around the axeman's throat, cutting into it. The unfortunate man gurgled and dropped his weapon, his hands managing to untangle the weapon, but also causing further damage to his neck.

By this time the two swordsmen ran forward and the whipman pulled out a dagger. They descended on Link before he could stand and proceeded to treat him like a pin cushion. He wriggled and writhed under their assault, but several sword points found flesh. In a sudden rage he ripped the metal whip from his arm and charged it a haunting red. Gripping it firmly, the wound in his hand opening more, he unleashed the magic, twirling the whip around him in a furry of red magic and bloody flesh.

His attack stopped and the three men surrounding him were now in pieces, their blood having sprayed across Link's naked form. He stood there with the whip hanging gently from his hand as the remaining raiders stared in abject horror. Link's good mood was fouled by the various wounds on his body, and he gave them a harsh smile. "Run or die." He said viciously.

Slowly they decided their next course of action should be to run like hell. Soon horses were kicking dust into the air as the men fled in panic, all their years of battle not preparing them for the blonde-haired devil.

Link ignored the departing people and stumbled his way from the gory scene, the exhaustion of the past few days catching up with him. His head felt dizzy, but he fought through it. The large axeman he noticed was still not dead, though he looked close, with blood streaming from his neck. The man gave him a manic grin. "You haven't won." The man muttered. "The Oni will find you and this kingdom will burn." He whispered.

Link grabbed his sword and decapitated the man.

He reach for one of the bodies, the one with not as much blood soaked in its clothing and stripped him. He made his way for the river and took another swim, washing away the red liquid. He emerged and tore the man's clothing into strips, using them to bind his various wounds. After roughly tying off the many strips he collapsed under the shade of the tree utterly exhausted. The last he recalled was Epona walking over to him and bending her head to gently touch his own.

***

He slept fitfully over the next few days, slowly recovering from the fight. Eventually he had enough strength to walk away from the carnage, following the stream until it became a pond. There he rested, eating up his remaining of traveling supplies. Warily he mused that he would have to go hunting, but first he wished to rest for one more night before seriously deciding to travel.

It was the next morning as he was preparing Epona that he heard the sounds of more horses coming this way. He cursed Din and began strapping his body with his usual armaments, but he left off the heavy chainmail, he would need speed and his wounds still left him somewhat weakened. So he sat by the pond, his sword unsheathed and his shield on the grass whistling a familiar tune, waiting. He saw a lone rider at first, most likely a scout following Link's trail to here.

The man went back the way he came. A few hours later fifteen mounted cavalry and forty footmen approached him cautiously, arrayed in a semi-circle formation. Round shields were raised in defensive position while long spears jutted out from their ranks. The cavalry were lead by a tall man with long blonde hair streaming in the breeze and gold plated armor covered his body. Link guessed the armor was enchanted in some way, but his hookshot could still bring the man down.

His thoughts grew darker by the minute as they approached until he recognized the symbol on the infantry's shields. It was a golden hawk with its wing's splayed outward with the triforce between its talons. The crest of the royal family and the Hylian Guard. He laughed aloud and stabbed his sword into the ground. He stood and dropped his shield, raising his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Be on the ready!" Shouted the blonde haired leader. Probably one of the Knights of Hyrule leading a detachment. Had they been tracking the party Link had defeated a few days ago?

"I don't mean any harm!" He hollered across the field.

The man pulled out an impressive sized sword, able to handle it with one hand, with his other he pulled out a shield burnished till it shined in the sun. Link would never understand some people's needs to be noticed. Especially, if it made them target. Granted in a normal battle they were the ones people fled from, but for him they were the ones he targeted.

The man approached. "You may mean no harm but you may still be dangerous." He leveled the sword at Link, its pointed glinting in the light.

"Yeah…and?" He spoke glibly.

The man's narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He demanded.

"Link."

"Just Link? No title of where you are from?"

"Link of Kokiri Forest if you want to get technical. That's where I'm from." He fingered the green tunic.

The man laughed. "You're claiming to be a fairy-boy?"

Link grew irritated by the man's usage of the nickname. "No, I'm claiming to be from that part of the Lost Woods."

He scowled. "It does not matter!" He looked over Link's body and noted the bandages, especially the ones encircling his right arm, left from the metal-whip. "Were you recently in a battle upstream from here?"

Was the man that stupid? "Yes, I was and was injured pretty bad I might add." He raised his arm to prove it.

The man's face turned stoic and he made a motion with his hand, causing his detachment of Hylian Guard to ripple with tension. Link sighed. "You really think I'm going to attack you after killing those raiders? We're on the same side if you couldn't tell." He was tired of this man's superior airs. It almost seemed he was looking for a fight.

"Any man not bound to a place is an enemy of mine, especially if you are capable of such terrible feats."

Link gave him an incredulous stare. "I clear out Lake Hylia, kill some of the captains you Knights couldn't, and I get treated like I'm a threat?"

He bristled. "Do not threaten me!" He said, reigning his horse back.

Link was growing anger. This was absurd. "Trust me, if I wanted to threaten you, you'd already be dead. As to not being bound to anyone…just to let you know I was the first Knight of Hyrule so technically you're threatening someone the Queen chose to protect this land."

The man's face showed a struggle of emotions between annoyance and uncertainty. This confirmed Link's suspicion the man had been itching for a fight. He shook his head disgusted. "Prove your claims!" He bellowed.

Link simply brought out the necklace bearing the royal family's seal on it. He tapped it thrice and it suddenly glowed green for a few seconds.

The man sniffed, but grudgingly lowered his shield and sheathed his weapon. "Well done fellow Knight." He said in a formal voice, then his face became shrewd. "Unless you managed to kill a Knight and rob him of it. I think the best solution would be to return to Hyrule Castle and present you to the Queen herself. If she vouches for you then I shall no longer view you as a threat." The man was hoping Link was bluffing.

Link did not really want to return to the castle. It would be nice to again see his close friend, but he was wary of getting caught in her agendas. He had been lucky to escape the first time without being put to work in one form or another. He was not certain he would be so lucky twice. He sighed. "Tell you what…"

"Dorrin." The man provided.

"Dorrin. You go run along to the Queen and tell her Link's come back home and that's he helping her clean house. Can you do that for me?"

The man's hands tightened on his weapon, ready to pull it out in a moment. "I will do that…but you'll be coming with us. In chains! You're under arrest!" He roared pulling his sword free and kicking his horse forward.

I'm not going back to the castle! Link thought, easily dodging the man's charge and subsequent swing of his sword. I can't kill him. It limited his quick response, but the man was mounted; that in itself was a liability. Link brought out his hookshot, took careful aim and fired, grazing the man's shoulder. Dorrin lost balance and tittered from his horse, hitting the ground with a loud crash. Link looked to his left and saw the rows of men running forward, their line wavering as they charged. To the left the group of light cavalry was kicking their horses into a canter.

Link rushed away and gathered his sword from the ground. He reach into a small pouch and withdrew three nuts. They struck the ground with a blinding flash, making everyone wince away momentarily. When they again looked Link was gone. They frantically looked around and found him swinging into his saddle.

With a quick nudge, Epona was off, kicking up dirt as she launched herself forward. Link brought out his bow and bombs. He placed a few bombs in the arrows and nocked them. He turned around and took careful aim, shooting for the ground in front of the light cavalry giving chase. He released and the ground exploded, startling the horses and causing them to lose what momentum that had. Mercifully, none were killed, though a few were thrown from their horses.

Link smiled and put away his weapons. Once Epona really started going they would never catch him. A sudden dizzy spell made him waver in the saddle and looked down to see some of us bandages were red. He gripped the reigns tightly. It had been a mistake to move that quickly, but he had seen little choice. At least Epona was well rested enough to let them get away. He would lead a trail south towards Lake Hylia, follow a main road for a time to mix up his trail and then head back to the ranch. There was a farm girl he wanted to see again.

A/N:: Well, here's the next installment. Been a lot longer than promised I realize and I have little excuse. To tell the truth all of this but the last chapter was written a month or so ago, but I never got around to editing it. Well, I finally found time to. And to SoL...sadly as I wrote this it went into a direction that I was surprised by. So nothing too epic here, but something I am still quite proud of. Hope the action was good and over-the-top. So...any comments?

--byl, out.