Friends or Foes

Link patted Epona as she stamped her hoof and whinnied in anticipation. "Ready girl?" he asked with a grin. This was going to be dangerous. This was very possibly going to be deadly. This was going to be so much fun.

It was Zelda's plan, and it was a risky one. Link and Ganandorf were expendable enemies, but Zelda was the king's precious daughter. Without a doubt, Impa had ordered her soldiers to prevent her harm at all costs. That much was obvious. Zelda's unique contribution to the plan was betting on the assumption that she was an unwilling prisoner. No one would ever expect her to act against the crown much less be the primary strategist behind doing so.

"Everyone agreed?" he asked.

Ganondorf sighed, "How can we fight an army if we can't kill anyone."

"Look," replied Link. "We have nothing going for us right now. Killing royal guards just affirms the king's idea that we're the bad guys. Besides, a lot of these people of my friends."

"Friends? Really?" smirked Ganondorf.

"Well, colleagues. Point is, these people aren't dying for this. I'm not saying we can't knock a few lights out. Just keep it non-lethal."

"This is redicul—"

"Ganondorf," interrupted Zelda. "I agree. These are my people. No killing. Do it for me."

Ganondorf grunted his agreement. Link let out a deep nervous breath as he soaked in the sight of so many men. A couple dozen soldiers. It was better than facing an entire regiment but risky nonetheless. He nudged Epona forward.

Ganondorf quipped, "If they have archers, we won't get make it ten feet."

That was certain. "Then let's hope they don't have archers," replied Link.

"At least we have one," Zelda said with a smile.

They reached the bridge opposite Impa and Lieutenant Gudric. Link was not fully prepared to face his uncle. Shame burned in his gut, and he swallowed hard not to show it. He forced himself to look him in eyes; he deserved that much at least. The returning glance carried heavy disappointment.

Impa glared him down even harder. "I suppose it is beyond reason to hope you've come to surrender. It would be nice to end this without bloodshed."

"No surrender, Captain," responded Link, "but that doesn't mean there needs to be bloodshed."

"I am not your captain. Are you suggesting I simply let you go? Why not ask me to behead myself and save King Harkinian the trouble?"

"Letting us go works for us, right?" Link jokingly looked to the others for his approval.

Impa ignored the jest and spoke to Zelda. "You do not seem happy to see us. Judging by your gear, your horse, and your change of clothes, I'm beginning to suspect you've fallen in with the wrong crowd."

Zelda spoke up suddenly with authority. "The Gerudo let me go."

"Did they now? I'm sure there were no strings attached."

"Have you ever known me to be a fool?"

"Fool? No."

"Then let us pass and send word to my father that I will return to him when I have finished a very important task."

"Name the task and I'll consider it."

"I will not," retorted Zelda, "for fear it will tempt my father to interfere. It should be enough for him to know I am safe and I my actions are honorable."

Link sensed a bit of admiration in Impa toward her. Link couldn't help appreciating how regal she seemed. She didn't just look a princess, she was already a queen.

"My answer is no," replied Impa. "I don't doubt your honor, but these men cannot be trusted."

"I trust them completely."

"Now you are being foolish." Impa offered, "Let my soldiers take these men into custody, and take me as your companion on this quest of yours. This would surely please your father without tempting him to meddle."

"I should trust you then?" asked Zelda.

"Have you ever known me to be dishonorable?"

"Of course not, but your honor is bound to my father whose own crimes against the Gerudo far outweigh the petty allegations against these two men." She spoke as though she was herself captain of an army. Link abruptly felt as though it was Impa versus Impa.

The real Impa sighed and said, "I will use force to stop you if I must, my princess. Please give me a reason not to."

"I will give you one reason," she replied. "I will die defended these two men. Let us go, or face the humiliation of telling my father you killed his only daughter."

Link was taken aback by such a fierce threat. It was an unfair blow by any means. Even more startling was the look on Impa's face. No one has ever managed to penetrate her rigid demeanor.

"It appears, my princess, you have your father's knack for underhanded negotiation."

Link looked at Zelda for a reaction to Impa's potshot, but she held her countenance confidently. "I am not negotiating," she replied forcefully. "I am telling you my intentions. The rest is up to you."

Impa nodded her understanding. "So be it." She raised her hand in silent signal, and two dozen cavalry drew their weapons. "You're turn."

Zelda looked at him. She had led the negotiations, but the battlefield was his turf. Link nodded to her; his own signal to initiate the plan. She responded by unconcernedly dismounting her pony. She rummaged through her saddlebags until her archer's wrist guard emerged. She began strapping it on as though no one was watching.

"Please, Zelda," said Impa. The pleading was apparent. Link could tell the last thing she wanted was to hurt the girl she helped raise. "Don't do this."

"I'm not doing this," replied Zelda as she locked her last strap buckle and proceeded to rummage through the bags again. "You are."

"There are better ways to handle this."

Zelda removed her bow and arrows from the sacks and glared at Impa. "Really? Tell that to my father." With that, she swung herself upon Epona, sitting in front of Link: a human shield. Link reveled as the scent of her hair lingered inches from him, though he tried desperately to stay focused. This was not time for getting lost in infatuation. She reached with her bow and whipped the hindquarters of her old mare which sent it galloping with a whinny toward the rank and file enemy.

It only took a gentle kick to send Epona into a galloping gait. He could hear Ganondorf close behind him. Link assessed the battlefield as they raced closer to the enemy. It was immediately apparent that none were armed with bows. "We can do this," he muttered in an effort to rally both Zelda and himself. As relieving as it was to not worry about getting an arrow in his back, he still had many swords to parry.

Zelda's old pony had reached the enemy ahead of them. He had mildly hoped the soldiers would instinctively let the beast pass, which would have given him a split second to possibly push through the gap, but it was not meant to be. These were, after all, Impa's top of the class. They stood their ground, and Zelda's mare skidded to a halt. There was nowhere else for the animal to go since the company of men had created a semi-circle barrier on the opposite side of the bridge, cutting off any possibility of trying to outrace the army to the left or right.

Epona had no intention of stopping. Link handed the reins to Zelda and freed his feet from the stirrups. He hopped atop the saddle. This was it. He drew and gripped his sword tightly in his left hand. He was going all in. At the last second, Zelda pulled the reigns and Link leaped from the saddle toward the small gap between the two center guards. He stretched his arms wide: a soaring bird of prey that caught the enemy off guard. With impeccable precision, each fist made contact with a head. Smack! The guards summersaulted backward off their steeds. Link tucked and rolled across the green grass with acrobatic ease, ending his dismount with his sword ready for battle.

Unfortunately, his antics failed to create the distraction he was after. Instead of breaking formation to pursue him, the guards rightly tightened the circle surrounding Zelda and Ganondorf. Seeing Impa and Uncle Gudric approaching from the rear made him all too aware of his mistake. He was perhaps the one ace in the hole in this fight and he'd manage to remove himself at the start, leaving Zelda and Ganondorf alone.

As seconds passed in slow motion, Link watched Ganondorf carefully. He had been clear when Zelda first proposed her plan: no one dies. They weren't traitors and he intended to ensure the crown could hold nothing else against them. As the armed guards closed in, Link saw a flicker of pleasure cross Ganaondorf's face before he raised his sword high and released a mighty battle cry.

For once, Link was frozen. It was a roar no being in Hyrule could make. A sonic wave of fear speared every warrior, including Impa. It echoed as though they were sandwiched between the high walls of the nearby canyon instead of standing in the open expanse of the meadow. Every prick of fear in the enemies' hearts enraged Ganondorf in a fury that was all the more petrifying. Link could see it in his eyes. A monster. He was going to strike. He was going to kill.

Link launched forward reaching top speed in mere steps. He saw Ganondorf charging towards the enemy and was able to determine Ganondorf's target. Despite his speed, he could not stop Ganondorf's mighty sword from piercing the soldier. "No!" he yelled as he made a beeline for Ganondorf. In his own rage, he managed to surprise him as he leapt toward his sword bearing arm and twisted the weapon free.

"What are you doing?!" roared Ganondorf.

"No killing! You swore!" seethed Link.

"I will not let us all die at the hands of these murderers and thieves!"

Link ignored him and scrambled instead to the wounded soldier who had fallen the ground. He had been stabbed clean through the torso and was shuddering violently within the throes of death. "No, no, no," stuttered Link. In desperation he put all his weight on the bleeding wound.

"I'll finally get to see the goddesses," murmured the soldier. Only then did Link recognized him. Lance, his old cadet buddy. He could see the blue tunic peeking through the mail that failed to stop the deadly blade. "Think they'll take to a guy like me?"

"They'll have to wait." Link look up at others and yelled, "Help me! Someone help me stop the bleeding!" There would be no help. Ganondorf was being held down by ten men. Zelda was already in the tight grip of Impa.

Marching toward him was Borrix. "Get off him, traitor!" Borrix yelled, and he shoved Link away.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Link replied. Several soldiers seized him, preventing his effort to return the fallen soldier. "No!" Link cried. "Lemme go!"

He fumed at Ganondorf. "I said no killing!"

"It was us or them," said Ganondorf. He was still angry, but the former rage had subsided.

"You mean it was you or them."

As the soldiers worked to bind Link's arms with cord, he watched with regret as Lance's body ceased all movement. Lance and Link weren't friends, but the pain of losing a brother in arms—even if the world thinks you're a traitor—cuts deeply. Link felt the heavy burden of loss once again. His father. His fairy. And now the trust of his brethren. He looked at Zelda. She was the only thing he had left, and she wasn't even his to lose.

He'd failed her.

No. That was a lie. He looked at Ganondorf.

Hatred boiled up until it spewed forth in a simmering remark. "No wonder the king locked you up!"

Naboroo lie on her back, letting her thoughts and emotion soar up to the blue sky. She was still rather upset at being left behind, and had been letting her wounded pride get the better of her: wondering whether or not Aveil's refusal to let her go was some kind of punishment for getting caught during the palace raid. When thoughts like that consumed her, she came to her private little perch atop the palace to escape them.

It was a good place to think, which she admittedly did a little too often. She had the passion and spirit of a Gerudo, but she rarely agreed with her mother's longsuffering tactics. If it were up to her, she would have stormed the castle years ago. She fancied herself a woman of action. She wasn't stupid by any means. She didn't rush headlong into trouble, but she didn't wait for stars to align either. She didn't like leaving choices hanging there unmade, so she often just made her own.

Her actions led her into places that would make her mother's blood boil hotter than the Lanaryu Desert springs. She snuck out on a regular basis during her youth, which was not unheard of amongst her people. It was believed that children do best when they venture out on their own. It is typically assumed the children venture into the edges of the desert or higher into the mountains to sneak a peek and the dangerous rock people. She went farther than any child dared go. She'd seen more of Hyrule than her mother dreamed.

Her secret adventures would have been enough for her. She would have even been content to die during the ambush to save Ganondorf. Then she met Link. She had met many brave men, but their courage was usually just bravado. Link fought like he had nothing to lose, just like she did. She found the more she thought about him, the more she admired him, which troubled her slightly. Was she attracted to him? She had always thought of men as nothing more than brutes to be defeated.

She decided that she just admired him as a warrior. He impressed her with his skill, and he deserved to be well regarded. She would have liked to fight beside him, but she was satisfied that he was out there helping Ganondorf save her people. He was taking action while she was sitting here watching clouds.

"Help!"

The cry startled her and she made her way to the edge of the palace roof to get a clear view of the square. She couldn't see any commotion.

"Not there! Here!"

She turned around and jumped at the sight of a fairy two inches from her face.

"They're in trouble!"

Naboroo suddenly understood the context. This was the fairy that had been hanging out with Link during their trip here. "I knew it," she exclaimed. "I knew just the three of them wouldn't be enough." She started to head back into the palace. "I'll inform my mother. We'll get some fighters together and head out immediately."

"Right," said the fairy, "but no killing!"

Naboroo stopped short. "Excuse me?"

"Link told them, 'No killing.'"

"You mean to tell me that three people, only one of which has any training in battle, faced a royal army with the goal of not killing? If they're not dead then they should be hung for stupidity!"

"Hey!" exclaimed the sprite. "Link needs your help. They've all been captured and are being taken back to Hyrule castle now. You have to stop them."

"Right, without killing."
"Exactly," said the fairy.

"I can't tell a bunch of Gerudo to not kill Hylians who are dragging their beloved king back to the tyrant that nearly destroyed our people."

"Then think of something."

That's easy to say, she thought. Yet, an idea sprung like trap in her mind. There was a possibility. Her life of secret adventures had made her some very special contacts. Perhaps she could call in a favor. "How fast can you fly?"

Zelda watched the fire flicker in the night sky, her hands and feet tightly bound while she rested her back against a familiar oak tree. This was where she first met Aveil, back when she seemed more sadistic and less desperate to save her people. Most of the soldiers were sleeping, but Impa, Leuitenant Gudric, and a guard named Borrix were awake. Borrix was circling the tree as though on a long tether keeping a fierce lookout. It was clear he was friends with the soldier Ganondorf killed, and he made it clear with every stabbing glare he shot at Link.

Her heart was heavy with grief. She didn't know the fallen soldier. She took ownership of his death though Link had no problem putting the blame squarely on Ganondorf. Maybe she should have surrendered. She had gotten so caught up in saving the Gerudo that she put her own people—the people under her charge—at mortal risk.

Her grief did not stop there. She looked over at Ganondorf, who was bound in enough rope to tie down a raging Goron. They were afraid of him. She was afraid of him, and she felt as though the friend she grew up with was drifting away. She remembered her dream and how he turned his back on her. First the boy in green and now this. Was her dream more than mere fancy? Was it some kind of premonition?

She looked at Link, who seemed unusually resigned. For the last few days of travel he didn't talk or argue. He looked so defeated. As a matter of fact, it was a quiet trip. Impa didn't interrogate them or berate them. She merely gave orders now and then. As if on cue, Impa left her seat from the other side of the fire and sat on the ground facing the three of them.

"My princess," she said. "Please, tell me."

Zelda hesitated before asking, "Tell you what?"

"Just," Impa sighed. "Just, tell me what you think I need to know before I take you to your father."

Was this a trick, or was Impa expressing doubt? "What will you do if I tell you?"

"It depends."

Zelda looked at her friends. Their faces told her the decision to reveal their plan was hers. She wanted to trust Impa so badly, but she was so duty bound. She decided to start vague. "We were setting out to help restore the Gerudo."

Impa thought about this a moment. "I didn't know they were in need of saving."

Zelda explained the relationship between Ganondorf and his people as it had been explained to her by Aveil, emphasizing the part about how his return is too late.

"What," asked Impa, "makes you think she was telling the truth?"

"I couldn't say, but I trust her."

"You trust the person that orchestrated your kidnapping?"

"I trust the person that could have used me for leverage but instead let me go and asked for my help."

"She lied. The Gerudo have no spiritual bond."

"How do you know this?"

"It would have been known to the world, my princess."

"Perhaps it is known to some."

"Like who?"

Zelda decided to let her in a little more of their plan. "The Sheikah."

Impa smiled. "I am Sheikah."

"Yes, but you are far from home. Besides, Sheikah only know what they need to know to accomplish their duties. Perhaps it wasn't necessary for you to know such Gerudo lore."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not."

"Then don't take me to my father," Zelda pleaded. "Take us to your homeland. That was where we were heading, if only to learn if what we were doing is even possible. If we were wrong, then you take us home."

"And if you are right."

"Then you help us."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you always do what is right."

Link watched Zelda's masterful skills of diplomacy, and thought it was going to work. For the first time since their capture, he felt a twinge of hope. He felt a fire beginning to spark to life, a fire he lost when Lance died. He had given up, but maybe he had given up too soon. Maybe Impa would be their savior.

Impa said nothing for a long while. Finally, she stood and said, "My princess, I cannot put my faith in an inexperienced girl and a Gerudo matriarch bent on our destruction." She turned to resume her spot on the opposite side of the fire.

Link blurted, "You coward!"

Impa stopped and faced him. "Excuse me?"

He did not back down. "You heard me. You're so caught up in your duty you're too afraid to see the king for what he's become."

"Oh yes, traitor, I am afraid. I fear that letting the three of you run around saving the world is more than likely going to be its ruin. I fear the ramifications of letting three angry teenagers decide they know better. I fear lots of things, but I do not fear my king and I certainly do not fear you."

Impa made a move for Link, and he braced himself for her strike. She made it one step before slapped her neck in pain. "Ouch!" she exclaimed. She dropped unconscious to the ground in a heavy thud, and in the firelight he could see a dart protruding from her neck.

Uncle Gudric slumped to the ground next, followed by one guard after another. Borrix was the last to hit the ground. A figure emerged from shadows. A tall, slender man in sleek blue garments with black trim. A ragged white tunic hung over his athletic frame, an unmistakable symbol roughly painted in red upon it. An eye with triangles for eyelashes and a single large tear beneath.

His face was hidden beneath white cloth. Only his eyes could be seen and a tuft of blonde hair that peaked out beneath a makeshift cap of the same tattered white material. Link bristled at the sight of the man that killed his father. Sheik.