Queen Ambi's Request

"Hold still."

Link winced and instinctively pulled away from Karane, who was attempting to dress the wound on his arm. "Sorry," he said. "You don't have to-"

"You didn't have to save me either." She said abruptly, "I'm doing what I can to return the favor. You saved my life."

They sat on what used to be the porch of Karane's quaint estate the morning after it had burned to the ground. The smell of old smoke filled the air, but the wind from the mountain had cleared most of it away. What remained were the ashes and charred wood from the dwellings that were burnt. The only building that stood still was the Kakariko Inn, which, ironically, was the oldest building in the town.

Karane had gotten medical help from the ones who ran the Inn. They always had first aid, as Luda was the most well-known healer in all of Hyrule. Karane had simply sprained her ankle from the attack the night before and had gotten it taken care of for the time being.

"How are we going to recover from this?" Link asked her, "The people here don't have the money to completely rebuild."

"We'll find a way." Karane simply said, dabbing the scrape wound on his face with a damp cloth. "Perhaps…" She stopped to think for a moment, "Perhaps we could send someone to request assistance from the King."

"Assistance?"

"Well, yes. Every year, we, the citizens of Hyrule, pay taxes to the King so that the government can build things for the people like roads and bridges. Technically, we could request for some of those taxes to go toward funding rebuilding our village. We give, and they give back. That's how it's supposed to be, anyways."

"Supposed to be?" Link asked her to elaborate.

"Public works projects were more of Queen Zelda's thing. You know, the King's late sister, back when she used to run Hyrule. Things have been going a bit downhill since then."

For a good long while, there was silence, mostly because of how physically and emotionally exhausted both of them were from the night before.

"I can go." Link said, finally.

"What?"

"I'll go to Castle Town and speak to the King. I know the way."

"You're in no condition to be galavanting across Hyrule Field right now, young man." Karane lectured, "We have to send someone else."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Karane went silent and exhaled deeply, shutting her eyes, "It's a long way to Castle Town from here, and you would have to travel on foot. The road is dangerous."

"I can do it."

That was the first time in many months she had heard him say that, or give any indication that he had faith in himself. She began to change her mind. He was a capable young boy who always failed to see himself as anything more. She saw this as a chance to regain his spirits. She trusted him. Deep down, she knew he was capable.

Yet her motherly instinct made her hesitate, she had grown very fond of Link and considered him to be her own. Should anything happen to him if she let him go, she would never forgive herself.

"Karane, please," He said, "I want to do something worthwhile. Something that makes me not useless. Please let me help."

"Link, you're never useless," Karane sighed, "I'll let you go… but not without letting me help you prepare."

"I won't let you down." He said sincerely, locking his bright blue eyes with her dark brown ones. "I promise."

A small smile appeared on Karane's face, "I know you won't. You never have and you never will."

Link returned her smile, hoping to all the gods and spirits in the world that she was right.

Karane had given Link an overabundance of supplies for the journey to Castle Town, which he was grateful for nonetheless. She gave him a magical satchel that could carry things many times its size inside, and that could give the illusion of weightlessness to the bag. It had the essentials: A full canteen of water, food, a sleeping mat, empty bottles, several ruppees, and many more miscellaneous items inside.

He also took a dagger for with him for safety measures, should he run into trouble on the way. He strapped its sheath to his belt on his right side.

He said his goodbyes to Karane, who urged him to return with help as soon as possible. The seriousness in her eyes was so intense that it almost scared him, but he knew she was only thinking of his safety and wellbeing, which he appreciated greatly.

Link inhaled and exhaled as he looked upon the vast, green expanse that was Hyrule Field. He could see a silhouette of the grand castle on the western horizon, beyond the trees and the rolling hills that seemed to go on forever.

All roads lead to Hyrule, he reminded himself.

The journey to Castle Town was supposed to take around two days if completed on foot. The first day of travel was uneventful, as Link did much to stay on task, focus, and not get sidetracked. Get there as soon as possible, he said to himself inwardly.

His memories of Castle Town were not the pleasant kind. He was born and raised there by his abusive mother in squalor. The shrill sound of her voice still haunted him six years later, even at fourteen.

He tried to shake the thoughts from his mind; that happened in the past. He no longer had any connection with his old life and he wasn't obligated to see his mother in Castle Town. He didn't even know if she was even still alive. He hadn't heard from her since the day he left.

Some mother she was.

Never mind all that, he thought to himself.

By nightfall, Link had settled down by a lone tree atop of a hill that looked over the horizon. He was halfway there. He didn't truly want to stop to sleep because he knew the nightmares would return, but he knew it was necessary for him to have enough energy to get to the castle before night set in.

As he dreamed, he found himself in a familiar black, endless void. He knew what was going to happen next.

He shut his eyes tight, bracing himself for the inevitable wolf attack, only this time, he waited for a long time. Nothing came. He saw nothing.

No, he saw the silhouette of a girl.

"This is weird." Link thought aloud.

The girl turned around, looking in his direction at the source of the only sound that could be heard in the void.

Link's heart raced, he hadn't meant to get her attention. He feared that the girl was an attack in disguise, waiting for the right moment to catch him off guard.

"Who's there?" He heard the girl say, "What… what are you doing here?"

"It's only a dream," He reminded himself, still preparing himself for the worst.

"No! No! It's not… this isn't right. Who are you?!" The girl grew frantic with confusion, she seemed desperate.

"I…" Link hesitated, not knowing what to say, other than it was just a dream. After all, he knew he was dreaming, right?

The girl's panic rose with every passing second, "I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here! I need to get out of here!"

Link didn't know how to console her. For all he knew, she was a figment of his imagination and a product of his dreams. However, she seemed to be more sentient than most other figures he dreamed about.

He looked over his shoulder, remembering the wolf. He hadn't noticed it was behind him the entire time. Watching. Glaring.

A wave of anxiety rose from the pit of his stomach. He braced himself for its attack, only this time, nothing happened.

The wolf walked past him, seemingly ignoring Link as it approached the girl's silhouette. She was on her knees, sobbing, pleading, murmuring thing about her family and how she didn't want to live anymore. That everything was hopeless.

Link watched in disbelief as the wolf, who had been ferocious and merciless in past nightmares, bent toward the girl and began to lick her face, seemingly comforting her. She embraced the beast and held on tight to its fur, whispering into its ear.

"Please… please… please…" Was all Link could hear her say.

The wolf turned its attention to Link, fixing its icy blue gaze on him. He almost lost himself in its eyes when the void collapsed, and he found himself waking to the sharp, piercing tone of a bird's repetitive song.

It was sunrise.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up from the sleeping mat and let out a small sigh, wondering why this particular dream had been different than the ones before. He didn't want to dwell on it, as he reminded himself that he had a job to do.

After packing everything up, he set out for the castle, hoping that this day would be as quiet and easy as the day before. He was constantly on the lookout for people like those men, who had attacked his village. There were whispers of a nameless force that was threatening the peace in Hyrule, as if the already existing political unrest wasn't enough.

Day two was almost as uneventful as day one. Link tried to occupy his mind with engaging things to avoid boredom and fatigue from constantly walking.

He suddenly turned his attention to his surroundings when he could feel the faint sensation of hooves beating the ground. It was getting stronger, and louder. He knew he was being approached.

Link turned around to face whatever was coming toward him, clenching the dagger that was strapped to his belt tightly in his hand. What he saw were not horses or the men who had attacked Kakariko that he had feared, but boars.

Bulblins riding atop massive boars.

Link grew tense. He had only seen Bulblins with his own eyes a few times in his life. They inhabited the vast open plains and deserts of Hyrule and were mostly nomadic. They were fierce, intimidating, and warlike creatures, but they were also intelligent. Bulblins were previously known to be enemies of Hyrule over a century ago, but had not attacked Hylians for a long time. Not since making an alliance with the Hero of Twilight.

The Bulblins took notice of Link, who had been watching them approach and they stopped to surround him.

Stay calm, he reminded himself inwardly, stay calm and they won't bother you. "Good morning," Link greeted, straightening up. "How are your travels? Seen anything exciting or unusual?"

They didn't answer. Link could feel himself becoming more and more nervous as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead.

One of the Bulblins, a significantly larger one, grunted, "Got any food, boy?"

"Ah, yes, of course I do." He rummaged through his satchel and pulled out the only meat he could find, which was only a small amount of jerky and held it up to the creature. He knew Bulblins were strict carnivores. "Sorry, this is all I have. All I have that you would like, anyways."

The large Bulblin took it and gave a grunt of appreciation. "You Hylians are just as barbaric as you think we are." He remarked.

Link gave him an inquisitive look, wondering what he meant by that. Link had never committed any violent act in his life, if that was what he was accusing him of.

The beast elaborated, "Men from the north, beyond the mountains of Snowpeak, they do unspeakable things and call it justice."

Link wondered if he was referring to the men who burned Kakariko.

"They are hiding, but I know where," The beast continued, "Along the river, in the Lanayru province. They fight under a the banner of a red lion."

The Bulblins got ready to ride off, when the largest one spoke again, "We fight on the side that is strongest, that is all we know." And with that, they were off.

Link let out a sigh of relief, internally thanking the goddesses for his safety. He wondered what the beast meant by 'strongest side', and doubted that Hyrule was strong in any sense of the word anymore. He hoped with all his heart that the Bulblins were not planning on turning on the civilians of Hyrule and join the ranks of those who would spread terror.

He did not want to imagine the carnage that would unfold if the Bulblins joined them.

He shook the thought from his head and moved on.

Castle Town was not any different from how Link left it. It had many sights, smells, and many street vendors with overpriced goods. He could almost visibly see the growing gap between the rich and the poor and it filled him with a sadness like no other. He was one of those starving, dirty, and depressed children that begged on the side of the road for food and money to get by. He remembered the experiences well, even though he did his best to push them out of his mind.

Being reminded of it first hand was not helping.

Focus, he thought, you came here to do one thing.

He looked up at the castle, almost having to bend over backwards to get a look at the whole thing. It was magnificent as ever. It gave a off a fleeting vibe of Hyrule's past greatness and its potential to be even greater, but it was also a grim reminder of those who live above poverty with the ability to ignore it all and thrive on unnecessary extravagance.

"State your purpose." A guard at the main gates to the castle said firmly.

"I'm here to seek audience with the king." Link was getting nervous again, "It's urgent and of the utmost importance that I speak with him as soon as possible."

"The king has many matters to attend to. You certainly aren't the first who has come to him with an urgent request. If you must see him you must be put on the waiting list."

"How long would that take?" Link was dreading having to wait more than a week.

"At least a month."

That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted to hear.

"I can't wait that long. There are people who are out of homes! We cannot live off of what little we have left without any assistance. Please, I'm begging you-"

"There is not a thing I can do about that. I am merely the messenger. I have no control over these things."

"Well, you do have control over getting this message to someone that can help, if you are a messenger." Link tried, "Please, I'll give you ruppees. I don't know what else to do. At this rate, everyone in Kakariko Village will be completely homeless and it'll be all your fault if you don't at least pass on my request. There has to be something-"

"Alright, alright, I get it," The guard said, awkwardly shuffling in his spot. "Now, please understand. I, uh, maybe I can at least try to help. I mean, not all hope is lost."

"Are you sure?"

"N-no. It's fine. I'll see what I can do." The guard sighed with disdain, only obliging in order to shut the kid up for the time being. This guard in particular was a real pushover, which reflected the general attitude of most of them.

Link waited nearly an hour before he the guard returned. He had a small piece of paper in his hand with a bright red seal on it, presumably from the king himself.

"I apologize," The guard said, "The king is simply too busy. You will have to be put on a waiting list if you insist to see him."

Just as Link had thought, it was useless. He looked down at the ground in disappointment. "Thanks anyways." He said.

"There's more," The guard interrupted, "Her Majesty the Queen has offered to see you instead."

Link was more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life.

He had no idea that the queen was able to receive people in place of the king. It made sense for her to, though. Hyrulean queens had much more power and experience than most people gave them credit for. After all, their nation was founded by the very first of the royal family, who had been a woman, and it had a long history of making their eldest daughters their heirs rather than sons.

It was just surprising to Link that the queen would be so eager to take him in, of all people.

The guards had led him into the throne room, which was more magnificent than he had even imagined. He had never seen more extravagance in a single room before.

The queen stood at the right hand of the golden throne, wearing a simple bright red cape dress that draped all the way to the ground. Her black skin shined in the throne room's natural light with an ethereal glow.

Link was stunned by her beauty, almost to the point of forgetting to give a respectful bow to his superior. "Your Majesty," He said, "I give you my eternal thanks for receiving me on such short notice."

"There is no need for thanks," She said, smiling ever so slightly. "Many things have been happening that call for my husband's attention. I hope you can understand that."

"Of course! I mean, it's not an easy job, I assume. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I was not understanding of that." Link let out a nervous chuckle.

"It's alright." She said quietly, "Might I ask your name?"

"My name is Link."

"And what brings you here today?"

"Kakariko Village, the home of myself and dozens of other people of Hyrule, has been attacked, burned, and robbed. We have been left with little to rebuild. All I ask is for some assistance from the Royal Family."

"You were attacked?" Her expression grew with concern.

"Yes…" Link remembered the vile men he saw that tried to take everything he held dear away from him. "They were mounted on horses, and wore black and purple cloaks… they were heavily armed and stole all they could from civilians."

The queen's expression quickly changed from vague concern to that of strong anger and sadness. She seemed to have heard of familiar occurrences. Link assumed she had caught wind of the rumors surrounding a strange group of men attacking villages at random all over Hyrule.

"This isn't the first time you have heard of this happening?" He asked.

"No." She said, her voice turned grim and shook with emotion. She attempted to compose herself. "I will send a relief aid team to your village. I will do all I can to ensure that Kakariko is rebuilt but I cannot guarantee its safety from future attacks. I've conducted many investigations on who is committing all of these crimes but we have little to no leads. I am sorry I cannot do as much as I'd like."

"Thank you for everything, Your Majesty." Link gave one last bow before taking his leave, but he then remembered what the Bulblins had told him on his way to the castle. He felt that any new information would be of use to the queen. "I may have information on their whereabouts, if that's of any interest to you."

The queen's eyes lit up with shock and urgency, "Really?"

He nodded, she led him into a private meeting room for further privacy. He was even more nervous now. He was completely alone with the queen of Hyrule, save for the few guards that had been stationed outside the door for safety reasons.

"My husband and I have been trying to track these men down for nearly a month." She started, her tone was grim again. "If you have any information regarding these monsters, I would be glad to hear it and bring them to swift justice."

Link told her without hesitation everything that he knew. It seemed to be new information about their whereabouts and the red lion sigil that was an indicator of their allegiance. She had never heard of any house whose sigil was that of a red lion, but it was reason enough to believe that these men were united for one leader and a purpose.

She then began to tell him the reason why she was so heavily interested in stopping these men for good.

"They've taken my daughter, the princess Zelda. They claim that she is alive and demand the throne for her freedom. They've killed off every single attempt to negotiate or rescue her."

Her expression was one of pure sadness and anger, but a flicker of hope still remained in her eyes as she locked them on Link. "But with this new information, I'm positive we can get the upper hand." She clasped Link's left hand in her own, squeezing it gently. "I've been planning a rescue mission of my most elite warriors, but they are in need of a guide, someone who is quick and light on their feet." Link somehow knew what she was about to ask of him, and he didn't know what he would do. "Will you be apart of this mission?"

He hesitated. Part of him wanted to refuse. Failing her would ensure a horrible death, or worse.

"If you accept, I will make sure you receive the best combat training Hyrule has to offer from our finest soldiers, and I promise you our family's eternal blessing if you bring my daughter back home safely."

His guts were screaming no.

"I prayed last night for someone to be able to help my family, and the gods have answered. They sent you to me for a reason, Link. You are our last hope."

He was afraid, but he didn't want to refuse the queen of Hyrule. He understood her position. She was a desperate mother who would do anything for her child, and he knew that everything she was asking was in her daughter's best interest. He didn't want to take away that hope from someone who had every reason to abandon it.

Link took a deep breath. He knew that if he accepted, it meant that he would not be able to go home for a long while.

But he knew that Kakariko Village would be getting help soon, and if he wrote to Karane and told her of his newfound position in the queen's elite rescue squad, he knew she would understand.

He had very little time to think about all of the pros and cons of accepting, so he exhaled and shook the queen's hand.

"I accept." He said.

She smiled. The small glimmer of hope in her eyes grew substantially.

"Then you will begin training tomorrow morning."

Author's Notes

This chapter was very difficult to write, to be quite honest. I'll revise it later.

I based the queen off of Lupita Nyong'o, so every outfit she wears will also be based off of what Lupita has worn. I have a massive respect for her and I admire her greatly, as she is one of my favorite actresses.

Please give feedback! I always love to hear your thoughts and comments.