Hey guys, LoneRider here. Ahhh, so after experiencing quite the writer's block and was busy once again with college work, I managed to write this chapter. Again I apologize for taking so long to write it, but hey, rather late than never!

Enough of me rambling, on to Chapter 14!

Chapter 14: New Faces and Promotions

"Link… Impressive. I didn't think you would be able to pull off the bad guy so easily."

"I didn't think it would work. I thought you guys were ready with weapons and were going to attack back!"

Link and Darian were discussing this over breakfast while the ladies ate in silence. Darian had eventually caught up to Link and they began wrestling until Drimani broke them apart, alerting them of the other soldiers who would see them in this state. However, Midna was clipped by one of Zelda's Light Arrows and thus the Twilight Princess was nursing her shoulder. Darian turned to Zelda.

"Zellie, you do realize your Light Arrows could hurt others, right? I know you were angry, but…" Zelda cut him off.

"You are actually siding with them on this? Link punched you hard while in the Darknut disguise!"

"It didn't really hurt though. The impact sent me flying but there was no pain. Almost like a cushioned punch!" Darian responded.

"I tried not to hurt anyone, because that would make a bad prank. So I had Midna fit my gloves and claymore with a protective soft barrier so that the impact would not hurt." Link added. "Either way, sorry for scaring you both."

Darian laughed. "Hey it was all a good-natured prank so no big deal." Zelda gave him a dirty look, but he continued anyway. "Come on Zelda, it was funny! I bet our reactions were priceless!" Midna laughed at his remark but stopped when Zelda stared her down.

"I bet you want another Light Arrow in you? I'm not fussy about where I fire. Could be your other shoulder, could be your legs, even your-"

"OKAY! Anyone want seconds?" Link asked in order to diffuse the situation. Drimani chose this moment to walk into the room and chuckled at the scene.

"Well I can see some people still are not very happy at what happened this morning? Good job guys! That scared me too until I realized it was you two!" Link and Midna laughed again while Zelda glared at Drimani.

"You KNEW about this? And didn't bother to warn us?" Zelda asked shrilly.

"It was a prank! Prank rules state…" Zelda cut him off.

"PRANK RULES MY FOOT!" She launched another Light Arrow that barely missed Drimani. He looked at her in shock. Meanwhile Link and Midna did not dare to say anything out loud but decided to converse their thoughts.

"Is she on her monthly or something? I really feel bad if we upset her this much."

"Maybe so, but it didn't quite warrant a Light Arrow in my shoulder…"

Darian cut in on their thoughts. "Oh I definitely agree… But she did say that now wasn't a good time last night, so maybe that's what she was referring to…" All three of them looked at Drimani as he regained his thoughts.

"Zelda, please don't do that. I'm a friend, not a foe. Save that for Zant and Caedin. Anyways I came here to tell you that we should oversee the final days of training and then scout the Twilight Palace to prepare for our invasion." Zelda called off her magic and looked apologetically at her General.

"Please forgive me. I'm extremely stressed out and pranking me does not help one bit. What did you have in mind in terms of the training sessions?"

"I was going to have you oversee the ranged fighters, place Darian with the Gorons and the highly skilled defenders, and then have Link and Midna floating around with the swordsmen. I already have the captains checking up on everyone, but it never hurts to have you all come around and give them a word of advice or encouragement."

"I can agree to that. Would you like me to spar with anyone?" Link asked.

"Only if they wish, and please don't cut their heads off." Drimani warned as the others laughed. Midna chose this time to interject.

"Well there are a few soldiers who I'd like to totally freak out." The others knew right away that she referred to the snobby guards who gave them all a rough time at the Hyrule Castle gates.

"No Midna. None of that. Not yet anyways." Midna pouted but accepted his answer.

"Okay men, take ten minutes and then come back for another run-through of the exercises. After that, you will choose partners and then spar. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers answered in unison. While they were putting down their weapons and shields, they took note of a certain young man in a green tunic approaching and began whispering amongst themselves.

"I thought the captain told you to take a break? Shouldn't you be getting water rather than simply stare at me? I know I'm irresistible but please, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable!" Link asked teasingly. Most of the soldiers laughed and left to grab water. The few who didn't simply continued to talk amongst themselves but took heed of Link's advice. Said Hero wondered over to their commanding officer.

"How's everything shaping up here Rusl?"

"Well, I must say other than the few soldiers who cause trouble they are progressing very nicely!" Rusl smiled and stretched. "How are you? I have not seen you around lately."

"I've been doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that. The usual." When Link noticed Rusl giving him an inquisitive stare, he relented. "I've been training with the others. Unfortunately we could not exactly train here as our regimen is much more dangerous."

"I see. As long as you yourself are okay…"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm aching for another adventure! As far as traveling to the Twilight and Night Realms goes, I can't wait! Well… Besides all the fighting of course." Both he and Rusl laughed at this before the latter continued.

"Link… The evil that Zelda spoke of. This madman… What exactly is he?" Link's expression darkened.

"Caedin… As far as I'm concerned, he is a power-hungry man who cares very little for his followers. At least that was the vibe I got from him. At the same time… He is extremely powerful…" He shuddered at the memory of being felled with a single spell. Rusl took note of Link's stress and put an arm on his shoulder.

"I have faith Link. As do the others. And you won't have to fight him alone. I'm sure Midna, Zelda, Darian, and Drimani will all help you. As will I."

"I know… But I also fear losing them. ANY of them. And that goes for you too. Rusl you can't die out there. You are the father I never had. I'm serious." Rusl held up a hand and simply smiled.

"If that is my fate, I will accept it. However, I will do my best to stay alive. I would rather not leave Uli and Colin alone."

"And you won't. You will survive this war. We all will." Link said determinedly. "I'm sure of that."

"I hope you're right Link. It would be nice to live to tell the tale." The men chuckled, but immediately turned their attention to a group of soldiers. They seemed to be picking on a younger soldier, who was clearly troubled. Link and Rusl looked at each other and then made their way toward the group. They could start hearing the conversation.

"What makes you think someone as little as you could be of ANY help to the army? You would only be slowing us down." One of the soldiers was saying.

"Please… I don't want any trouble." the lone soldier replied quietly, while hanging his head down.

"Yeah. That's right. No trouble. You don't have parents, your uncle disowned you, and your girlfriend left you. You have nothing. You pathetic worm." A third man said, poking the loner in the chest. "Why don't you just leave already? The Queen would be embarrassed to have you in her ranks." Rusl chose this time to intervene.

"Do we have a problem here gentlemen?" The last of the soldiers hastily answered.

"Oh! N-nothing at all Captain!"

"Good. Because I would like a word with you three. Now." The three men looked for a way out, but faltered under Rusl's stern gaze. They followed him as he walked away. Link took this opportunity to walk over to the lone soldier, who was still hanging his head down.

"Are you alright?" The soldier looked at him in a clearly depressed manner.

"Well I could be better. All those things those people said are true. I have almost nothing left…" He trailed off while looking away. Link sighed before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Come with me." He said gently. The soldier followed Link, although timidly. "Don't be shy, I don't bite." At this, the man relaxed slightly. "So tell me, what is your name?"

"… Roland…"

"Ahh, Roland. A good name. So tell me Roland, what brought you here? Why did you sign up with the army?"

Roland sat in thought before answering. "You heard those guys. My parents are dead, my uncle disowned me, and my girlfriend left me. Actually I caught her with someone else, but that's not the point. I thought I would be able to, well, do something good with my life. I thought that by joining the army, I would do the Queen and Hyrule good."

"I have no doubt you will." Link replied. "But I would also like for you to think if this is right for YOU. Not just for others. Do what is right for you."

"Can I ask you something Hero?" Link waved him off.

"Please. Just Link. I don't like the honorifics very much. It makes me feel old. I'm only eighteen after all."

"Wait… You did all those things at such a young age? Wow, I'm not even eighteen yet and I don't think I would ever be able to do those things the Queen said you did… Which brings me to my question… Why… Why do you fight?"

"I fight for what I believe is right. I fight for my family and friends. I fight for justice. I fight for the Queen. I fight… For someone who once needed me and who pushed me to be my best…"

"You must have a great relationship with everyone back home. Tell me. What are your parents like?" Link looked down but decided to answer anyways. After all, Roland was in the same predicament when it came to his family.

"I don't remember my parents. My father died in battle and my mother died after taking me to my hometown of Ordon. I was raised by Captain Rusl and his wife Uli. I consider Rusl to be a father to me. The father I never had."

"I… Didn't know." Roland said slowly. Wow. Who knew the Hero didn't know his real parents either. Maybe I can do good for Hyrule yet. "I'm sorry about your parents."

"Don't be. I think about them every so often, but I know they are with me wherever I go. Just as yours are with you wherever you go. I believe you'll do good in this world. You just have to believe in yourself." At this point the two men had arrived at a secluded area, away from prying eyes. "Now then Roland. Show me what you can do. Unsheathe your sword and spar with me."

"Are… Are you sure?" Roland asked in a small voice, slowly raising his blade.

"Of course! If I didn't want to spar with you, I wouldn't have asked." Link responded. "And don't hold back. There's no reason to here. We're alone."

"Alright, if you say so." Roland said, a little more confidently now. "Here I come!" And they clashed blades.

Back at defense training, Captain Medeus had also called for a break. He laid back and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind before the next session. However, he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. That suspicion was confirmed as someone approached him. Medeus immediately stood up and brushed himself off.

"Oh! Sir Darian! I didn't expect you here!" he said quickly. Darian smirked.

"Napping on the job I see Medeus? I might just have to tell the General."

"No no! That won't be necessary! It won't happen again!" Medeus stopped short as Darian laughed.

"Don't be so serious! I know you were all on break so I came down here to check up on you all, see how you are faring."

Medeus visibly relaxed. "Oh everything is going great here! All the Gorons and the soldiers get along like they're a family!"

"Excellent! That's exactly what I want to hear. No fighting amongst ourselves!" Medeus was about to answer when he noticed Darian's hand was on the hilt of one of his daggers. He immediately tensed up and looked at Darian suspiciously.

"Sir Darian, what are you-?" He was cut off as he narrowly dodged a strike from Darian. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Relax Medeus! You're way too stressed!" Darian took another swing and Medeus only just managed to parry his strike.

"Well being the Queen's guard takes a lot out of you! Why are you attacking me?!"

"What? You don't want to have a friendly sparring match?" Darian asked with a small smile on his face.

"You looked like you wanted to cut me down!" Medeus aimed a strike for Darian.

"Oh hardly! I was just testing your reflexes! And you passed with flying colors." Darian easily blocked the attack.

"I don't need you to tell me that Sir Darian!" Medeus growled.

"Oh knock it off with the honorifics Medeus! I'm just trying to have fun!"

"By attacking me out of the blue?!"

"Well what are you going to do about it?" Darian was having so much fun at this point, and he knew he had Medeus beat. The Captain realized the Night Guardian only wanted to have fun, but he had a score to settle.

"Well Darian… I am going to cut you to ribbons." Darian smirked as he readied himself.

"Try me Medeus."

"En Garde!"

"Everything alright there Ashei?"

"That's right… Calm, and steady, then fire. Good shot! You've improved a lot yeah?" Ashei turned around and was so surprised she stumbled on her own quiver. Her visitor laughed gently.

"What? Do I repulse you so much?" Zelda asked teasingly.

"N-no! I'm sorry Your Majesty! You caught me by surprise!" Zelda laughed not unkindly.

"Ashei calm down. It is quite alright. How is everyone doing? Any improvements?"

"Uhhh yeah. All of my troops are doing great with the ranged fighting. I'm quite pleasantly surprised that they managed to progress like this in such a short time!"

"That's great Ashei. I'm proud of all of you and I thank you for making the effort to train them in such a short time. I know it is not ideal but it's only a matter of time before Zant takes the fight to us. I would rather that not happen again." She shuddered, remembering the last time Zant invaded Hyrule. The result was catastrophic.

"I know I know. Don't worry. We have trained as hard as we could to help you, yeah. I have no doubt everything will end up okay."

"I hope so too Ashei. I hope so too. So, anyone here who needs a little help? I'd like to see what I can do. Maybe offer words of wisdom or encouragement?"

"Well Zelda, there's Myra."

"Myra? Tell me more."

"She came here because she wanted to leave her old life behind. She hunted for a long time and was the one who brought food home for her family. However, her parents died due to a mysterious illness and her two brothers died in the last war. Feeling that she had nothing left at home, she wanted to do something new. However, even though she is an excellent archer, she has had trouble with her self confidence. I suspect it may have something to do with a few others criticizing her for joining the ranks and feeling as though she doesn't belong here, yeah." Zelda felt a pang of guilt at the mention of Myra's two brothers. It was at this time that her Triforce lit up.

"It seems that she's not the only one in this predicament."

"Link?"

"The one and only. I'm here sparring with another soldier who also lost everything. He is quite a talented swordsman, but he lacked confidence due to being picked on by a few other soldiers who also thought he would only slow us down."

"That is horrible!" Zelda exclaimed through the Triforce. "That's not fair at all! Judging them by their cover!"

"Oh I agree." came Link's response. "Rusl is giving those soldiers a good talking to right now. I'm thinking of appointing young Roland as Rusl's second in command. He seems to know what he is doing and when he isn't timid, he makes very wise decisions."

"That sounds great Link. I'll have a talk with Myra and see if that helps her out."

"A great idea as always dear sister." Link teased. As he blocked another blow from Roland, he decided to focus more. "Whoops! I almost got struck by Roland's blade. I need to concentrate more. Later Zellie." Zelda smirked before turning to Ashei, who was staring intently at her.

"Something happen Zelda?"

"Only Link being his usual self. Anyways, I think I will talk to Myra right now. Where is she?"

"She should be over there somewhere… There, over at a target. And it seems that she has a few other archers crowding around her, yeah."

"Then let's approach cautiously and see if they are the ones who are causing her trouble." The Light Princess and Captain approached the area slowly, trying to listen in on their conversation, when they saw one of the archers throw a rock in Myra's direction, which distracted her enough that she missed her target.

"Hahahaha. Another miss. What a loser," one of the archers, a human, said obnoxiously.

"Seems to me like our little lady friend was quite… Distracted." a Zoran archer, the one who threw the rock, added. Ashei chose this time to intervene.

"That's enough. I knew for a while now that she was being picked on, and now I know that it was you three who did so. All of you, come with me now." The archers grumbled but followed her, leaving Myra alone and looking at the target, Zelda a little ways behind her. Myra sighed before picking her bow back up and nocking an arrow. Zelda watched while the girl took a deep breath before firing the arrow. This one was true to its target and hit it dead center. However, she put the bow down and sat down, no doubt in thought. Zelda decided now would be a good time to make her presence known. She walked over to Myra and sat down next to her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked gently. Myra was so absorbed in her thoughts that she jumped at Zelda's voice. She took one look at Zelda and was quickly on her knees.

"Your Majesty! I didn't see you coming! I apologize!" I can't believe I was so stupid to not notice the Princess behind me. Oh no, what is she going to think of me being so rude? Her thoughts were cut short as a gentle, cool wave brushed her mind, taking away most of her anxiety. She looked to Zelda, who was smiling.

"No need to apologize. Your name is Myra, am I correct?"

"… Yes."

"No need to be shy. I may be Princess, but honestly it makes me feel old to be called by my title. I'm not much older than you are." Myra looked at Zelda in bewilderment, wondering why Zelda would want to talk to her out of all people. Didn't she have something else to do? Zelda continued. "I have heard a lot about you Myra. Ashei tells me you are great with the bow and arrow, and I must agree with her."

Myra's face grew red before she responded a weak "Thank you Princess." Zelda laughed.

"You're welcome Miss Myra." Said archer looked at the Light Princess in shock. First the Princess comes to talk to her out of all people, and now she has a sense of humor? What is going on?

"W-What brings you here Princess?"

"I wanted to see how everyone was doing. Contrary to what some others believe, I actually care about my people." Myra couldn't help it; she giggled. "See? That's what I was looking for. You seem way too kind and strong to be deterred by those other archers." Myra smiled.

"Thank you Princess. Honestly I came here because I had nothing left. My parents both passed away due to illness and my two brothers were killed in war. I wanted to honor them, and I wanted to write a new chapter in my life." At this point she was serious again.

"My condolences go out to you Myra. To have to deal with all of that in your short life and yet for you to be so strong is most impressive. I believe you will succeed here in the ranks. You'll do quite well I'm sure. Just don't let the others get to you. You are special, never forget that. Now show me what you can do. And don't hold back. I heard you were the one who hunted for food."

"I did pride myself in that Your Majesty. If you insist, I will show you… What I can do."

"Please do," Zelda responded. Myra nocked another arrow and quickly let it loose, splitting her previous arrow. Zelda clapped.

"Very nicely done." she smiled. Myra, in response decided to step back up to the target.

"I have not perfected this yet, but I have been training in private to try to do so."

"What have you not perfected?" Myra nocked two arrows on the same bow and took in a deep breath, and finally let the arrows loose. One of them found the center of the target again, while the other hit the target toward the outside. Zelda smirked.

"Getting ahead of ourselves are we?" she teased. Myra grew alarmed and was about to apologize but Zelda cut her off. "I'm only joking. That was a wonderful shot. I'm very impressed."

"Thank you Princess." Myra answered shyly.

"You are quite welcome. I think I will have a talk with Captain Ashei, and put in a few words. I have no doubt that she could use a lieutenant in her ranks." The archer looked like she was about to faint.

"R-Really? A l-lieutenant?"

"Yes, I think you have what it takes. I hope Ashei will agree with me on this one, even though I think she will."

"Agree with you about what?" Myra and Zelda turned around to see Ashei walking back over.

"Oh! Captain Ashei, you're back! What did you say to those archers?" Zelda asked.

"I reprimanded them. Next time it happens, I will report them to the General. Anyways, agree with you about what?"

"Well, after seeing Myra firing some arrows and conversing with her, I have no doubt she would do well as an officer. What do you say we give her the rank of a lieutenant in your ranks?"

"A lieutenant? Hmm, I don't see why not, yeah. She has been impressive, even after all the verbal abuse she has taken."

"She also fired two arrows at once and both found their targets." Zelda added. Myra was becoming more and more embarrassed by the minute. Ashei stared at her incredulously.

"Can you do that again Myra?" she asked.

"I- I- I can try," Myra stammered. Zelda and Ashei both laughed kindly.

"Think of this as your exam," Ashei teased. Zelda shot her a playful glare before turning to Myra.

"Don't be afraid, Myra. Just do what you did when I was here." Myra smiled and mouthed a "thank-you" before nocking her two arrows. She took a deep breath and fired again. The two arrows, although not hitting the center, both hit just outside on the target. Ashei's jaw dropped at the performance. Wow! I have not seen her do that before. Impressive!

"Very impressive, yeah. When did you work on this? I haven't seen you try this before."

"I trained in the evening hours when everyone else went to bed, Captain," Myra admitted. Ashei stared at her for a moment and then delivered her verdict.

"Myra… I would like to offer you the position of Lieutenant in the archery legion. Do you accept?" Myra could hardly contain herself.

"Y-yes! Yes yes yes yes! Thank you so much Captain, Princess! I promise I won't let you down!"

"I'm sure you will do admirably," Zelda responded with a smile and a hint of amusement.

"Settle down, yeah. I'm still your commanding officer," Ashei said, but Myra and Zelda both knew she was teasing.

"Okay. I apologize. I'm just excited. Thank you!"

"Wow, great sparring Roland. I am very impressed. I must say that being ambidextrous gives you a nice advantage against almost anybody in combat. You do not have as much power in your strikes but more than make up for that with your speed."

"Thank you Link. I'm honored to have sparred with the great Hero. Thank you for offering me advice on improving my techniques. I shall put them to good use."

"I have no doubt you will." Link smiled and put a hand on Roland's shoulder. "Come on. Let's find Captain Rusl. I would like a brief word with him."

"About what?" The men turned around to see Rusl standing there with a smirk on his face. "I saw the sparring session. Link my boy you are getting rusty." Link scowled in response.

"I am not rusty!" Rusl burst into laughter.

"Come now I was only joking. Anyways what did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's about Roland actually. I think he would do well as your lieutenant. He has superb fighting style and I believe he can have a position of authority. What do you say?" Roland was shocked.

"Me? A lieutenant? I- I cannot possibly-…"

"Yes you can," Rusl interrupted him. "This is an excellent idea Link. Roland would you like to have the position as lieutenant in my legion?"

"I- I don't know what to say…" Roland stammered.

"You can say yes," Link pointed out with a grin.

"Very well. Yes, I accept the position. Thank you so much for believing in me."

"You will do an excellent job I'm sure. Anyways I should report back to the others. Captain, Lieutenant, I bid you both farewell for now."

"Bye, and thanks again Link." Roland said quietly. Rusl smiled at him.

"He thinks very highly of you, you know. For him to tell you of his past and to suggest that you become a lieutenant means he believes in you. Don't lose that faith. Come on. Let's head back to the others."

"Yes Captain."

Roland was eating his dinner three hours later when he noticed a female soldier sitting by herself. I wonder why she is eating there all alone. Maybe I can talk to her… He stopped as she met his eyes. He looked away immediately, his face becoming slightly red. Damn it. Why did I let her know that I was looking at her? He was brought out of his thoughts as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You know, it is rather rude to stare at someone and look away when she looks back," the girl said. Roland grew slightly hot under the collar, but relaxed when she giggled and sat down next to him.

"I couldn't resist. I saw you eating by yourself and was about to walk over and ask if I could eat with you. My name is Roland. And you are?"

"Myra," she said simply.

"Well Myra it certainly is a pleasure to meet you." Roland smiled. "What brings you to the military?" Myra looked down slightly, and Roland found himself feeling bad he asked the question in the first place. "Please forgive me if it is a touchy subject. I was only curious. Forget I asked."

"No no. It is okay, you had no way of knowing." Myra answered. "You seem kind enough. Not like those few who picked on me."

"Who would pick on you? Why would they pick on you?" Roland asked, a hint of anger evident in his voice.

Myra shrugged sadly. "I guess… Those who think women shouldn't join the army. Or they pick on the people who had it hardest in their lives. There are people like that."

"Yeah I would agree with you on that. I have the same issue."

"Really? Well then I guess we have that in common. I was picked on because first off I'm female and apparently shouldn't be here. They also knew about the hardships I experienced in life, like losing my parents and two brothers, so they thought I was an easy target."

"I'm so sorry," Roland replied empathetically. "I can understand your pain. I lost both of my parents too, my uncle disowned me, and my girlfriend cheated on me. I came here looking for a fresh start you know? But apparently one of the soldiers knew who I was, as he was friends with someone who knew my uncle, told a few others, and I guess they felt I was an easy target."

"That's downright disgusting. I can't believe the nerve of these people. I'm sorry."

"Don't feel bad. The same happened to you. No reason for us to sulk about it. Anyways the best thing happened to me today right after they bullied me. Captain Rusl caught them in the act and apparently reprimanded them, and then who shows up but Link himself!"

"What?!" Myra exclaimed.

"Yeah! I know! He sparred with me and I felt so honored to have had him as my opponent. He really did all those things the Princess said he did. He was flawless with the blade!"

"Wow! Very cool! Meanwhile the same kind of thing happened to me!"

"No way!" Things were definitely looking up for Roland.

"Yes! Ashei caught my bullies and gave them a stern talking to as well, and then Princess Zelda showed up and wanted to see me shoot!"

"That's great! Who would have thought that things would look up so nicely for us?" Roland said thoughtfully.

"Exactly what I was thinking too." Myra agreed. They spent the next few minutes in silence and ate together, just happy to have the other's company. Once they finished, someone in a dark blue cloak approached them. They were intimidated by his appearance, and his differently colored irises threw them off, but his smile calmed them slightly.

"And how are we doing on this fine evening?"

"Doing rather well thank you!" Roland responded quickly.

"Same here. It was a good day, if I may say so myself." Myra added.

"That is good to hear. Anyways the General requests the two of you in his office when you are ready. I shall take you to him." the man said kindly. Roland and Myra looked at each other.

"I'm ready when you are," Myra said quietly. Roland nodded his head and the two of them followed the man out. Once they were out of earshot from the rest of the troops, the man spoke again.

"I heard about you two from Sir Link and Princess Zelda. Apparently you, Roland are great with the sword, and you, Myra, are quite proficient with archery."

"How do you know them?" Roland asked. The man grinned before responding.

"The three of us are close friends, of course. Oh! Excuse my manners, I was so focused on you that I did not introduce myself. I am Darian, Night Guardian and the General's older brother, at your service." The two people behind him nearly fainted from shock. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He teased. Roland and Myra immediately relaxed, which made Darian laugh. "Seriously, you don't need to always walk around with a stick up your behind. Relax! I don't bite!" The three of them burst into more laughter before he continued. "It's warm out here. Screw the cloak, you're bound to see me for what I am soon anyways." He took off his cloak and let his wings stretch which made the two behind him widen their eyes and drop their jaws.

"Those look… Awesome!" Roland exclaimed.

"But but but but how?" Myra stuttered.

"I inherited them from my father. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you weren't prepared for that. A lot of people, Link included were taken aback."

"Really? I never thought Link wouldn't expect that." Roland said quietly.

"Yes really." Darian answered. They had just arrived at the door leading to Drimani's office. "Alright we're here. Just relax, the General is very laid back. I wouldn't be surprised if he asks you to call him Drimani." Darian opened the door, and Roland and Myra walked in, Darian closing the door behind him. Drimani looked up from his charts.

"Ahh Darian, thank you for bringing them here. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to them alone." Drimani said quietly.

"No problem. I'll see you later." Darian replied before walking out of the door and shutting it behind him. Roland and Myra did not like the idea of being left alone with the General as they did not know what to expect. Drimani then spoke.

"Hello there Roland, Myra. Please, take a seat." The two did as they were told while Drimani took out some papers, no doubt their files. After doing some reading, he held them up. "Do you know what these are?" he asked.

"Uhh… Our… Our files, Sir?" Roland answered timidly.

"That is correct. And do you know what I think of them?"

"No Sir," Myra responded.

"Well let me tell you now," Drimani began. He took a deep breath before proceeding. "I think files are a waste of time. Records are a waste of time. They do not define a person. Back when I was the Commander of the Night Realm's armies I did not look at people's records. Sure there were plenty of nobles and their kids who signed up to participate in battles, but some of them turned out to be lazy, arrogant, and downright mean. They felt that the ones who were poor and did not have much to their name should do all of the work. However, those people who they thought they were above turned out to be ten times the people they wished they could be. I look for determination, kindness, and a willingness to fight for their people and themselves, not those who merely look for fame."

"That's… I did not know you felt that way General," Roland responded.

"Please, just call me Drimani. I hate titles and honorifics. As I said before, they do not define a person."

"Okay… Drimani. If you do not mind me asking, why did you call us here tonight?" Myra questioned.

"I heard all about today and how Link and Zelda approached you. Those soldiers will not bother you anymore I am sure of that. Ashei and Rusl have notified me and I will be watching them more closely. Anyways, I heard you two were promoted to Lieutenants?"

"Yes, but how did you-?" Roland was cut off.

"As General I must know everything that is going on within the army, and I wanted to congratulate you personally for your hard work and your resolve. I know it is hard losing family and being picked on, but today you showed resilience beyond what most expected."

"Wow… Thank you, Sir!" Myra said gratefully.

"Please stop with the honorifics," Drimani answered. "And you are most welcome. Now as you both know, in two days we shall be invading the Twilight Realm."

"Yes, we know," Roland said.

"Well, I am holding a meeting tomorrow with the Captains, Darian, Link, Midna, and Zelda. I would like you both to attend. We shall all scout the Twilight Realm and the Palace grounds to see what defense Zant has erected. Then we plan our course of attack. The time and place for the meeting is in my office at 1000 hours."

"We shall be there," Myra and Roland answered synchronously.

"Good, and now you both may go. Once again, congratulations." Drimani said with a smile.

"Thank you, and goodnight." Drimani stood up and closed the door after them and sat back down with a smile. Perfect, he thought. I think this will be easier than I previously imagined. I just hope Caedin doesn't participate in this battle.

Thank you all for your support throughout my writer's block, I hope you enjoyed this new addition! I hope to have the next chapter up soon! As always, Read and Review!

-LoneRider547