Chapter 13

"Welcome to my base."

The group arrived at Makos base. It was surrounded by rocky walls, which most likely kept them covered, and even had a small pond. It was indeed smaller than Impa's base, but it was decently big enough.

"This is bigger than I imagine it to be," Link observed, glancing around.

"My base is the second biggest next to Impa's," Makos claimed happily. "But enough about that, you all must be tired from your trip. Please, settle down and rest up."

"Aren't we going to devise a plan to take out the camp?"

"Want to go straight to business," Makos chuckled. "You have a good one, Impa. I love the enthusiasm, but it's best advised for you to rest up."

"That camp has many innocent people being tortured, and you want us to rest with that in mind?!" Zelda exclaimed.

"We'll rescue them soon, but I don't think we'll be useful to them if you're too exhausted to do anything."

Zelda managed to calm down. "Sorry. Didn't mean to freak out like that."

"You both want to free those prisoners so badly."

"Well, you see...They have people we know from our village," Link said.

Makos gave a confused look. He glanced at Impa.

"Link, Zelda, and Ilia come from Ordon. Some of their people have been taken to Lake Hylia, including the man who arrived at my base."

The Zora's eyes widen with realization. "Ah, Ordon...No need to explain."

"You know what happened?" Zelda questioned.

"Word always spreads around whenever a village is 'mysteriously' burned down. Though how & who burned them down are always unknown most of the time."

"Ganondorf…" Link quietly hissed.

"Of course it was," Makos responded in a disgusted tone. "Anyways, make yourselves comfortable. My chef has an excellent dish planned out for dinner later."

Impa's group slowly dispersed around camp. Makos glanced at Ilia, still covered with Bokoblin blood. "Would you like to clean up?"

"That would be nice, but I don't have any spare clothes," Ilia said.

"Not a problem. I may have something perfect for you."

"Really? Thank you!"

"Not a problem. Let me take you someplace where you'll have more privacy."

A few hours passed by since Impa's group arrived at the camp. It had gotten dark when they started eating dinner, which was as good as Makos claimed.

Zelda was sitting next to Link as they ate. Navi was hovering near them. She smiled at Link as he stuffed his face with the food. Link had always been an immense love for food, plus the appetite he had built up from the trip probably didn't help. As Zelda resumed eating, she noticed someone was missing.

"What's taking Ilia so long?" She asked Link, who just shrugged.

"I'm over here."

Zelda saw Ilia running towards them, wearing new attire. Her attire consists of a sleeveless green cloak with a hood to her hips, a white short-sleeved shirt underneath it, light brown shorts, brown gloves, and dark brown boots that go up to her thighs.

"Where'd you get those clothes?"

"You like it?" The teen showed her outfit off. "Makos gave it to me. He said it makes me look more like a fighter."

"They do look nice, but that does not mean anything."

The young teen just rolled her eyes. There was no point in arguing since Zelda would just say the same thing. Ilia walked away to get her food.

"Everyone settled here, alright? Food good with you?" Makos inquired.

"We're doing okay," Zelda responded.

"The food's good," Link stated.

"I'm glad you're all settling down here quite well. We're gonna be very busy tomorrow," Makos announced.

"What can you tell us about the camp?" Link asked.

"I think that's something for you to figure out for yourselves, but if you want to hear my opinion, it's not good."

"What about this Vaatti guy?"

"That depends. What did Impa tell you?"

"He treats his prisoners harshly. Practically works them to death."

"And that he's a monster," Zelda added.

"Then I'll just be replaying the same song," Makos concluded. "Though he should be easy to deal with. He acts as much as he looks."

"Looks?"

"Like a big child. If he doesn't have his way, he throws a fit. From what I heard, he's also extremely overconfident. I don't think he shouldn't be too hard to take him down."

"We'll just have to see tomorrow. See what we're up against first," Link suggested.

"A good plan, my dear green friend."

Link gave an uneasy look as Zelda chuckled at that nickname.

After dinner, Makos wanted to see how the group stood with their weaponry. As expected, he wanted to see Link and Zelda in action. Makos started out with Link's swordplay. Link sparred with several members of the Zora's group. Link managed to come out on top every time. All that is left is a duel with Makos. From a distance, Impa had watched the spars from afar. Seeing him in action reminds her of his father, Leal.

Each day that went by, she saw more of Leal in Link. She couldn't believe how much Link was like his father, especially when using a sword. She supposes it makes sense, especially since Leal comes from a long line of royal guards. It brings back memories that put a smile on her lips.

"You okay there?" Auru's voice brought her attention.

"Sometimes, I have difficulty telling the difference between Link and Leal," Impa said as Link dodged a strike from the Zora, rolled around to his back, and struck him. "In some ways, it's like he never left."

"I remember how much of a great swordsman Leal was when he was in the royal guard. He always kicked my ass every time we sparred."

"Hmm…" Impa's smile slowly grew into a slight frown.

"Hey...What happened to Leal wasn't your fault. There was no way to know that intel was leading into a trap."

"I know, but I feel so awful not being able to tell Link for all those years."

"He understands why, and I'm sure Leal would too. You didn't want to risk Ganondorf finding out about Ordon."

A sigh escaped Impa's mouth. "What would I do without you?"

"You probably would've lost your sanity, and in return, you keep me from losing mine. Goddess knows we both came close several times."

All the Sheikah could respond with was a 'hmm' before returning her gaze to the green clan warrior as he dominates Makos in the duel. Her mind lingers on an old memory from a different life for a brief moment.

Over 20 years ago

"Is that all you got? Seems like you're getting rusty."

The blonde woman blocked the strike from a blonde-haired male Hylian dressed in the same attire as the Hylian royal guard. They were both having a friendly spar in the training yard in Hyrule Castle.

"Don't worry, Impa. I'm just getting started."

"By all means. Bring it on, my friend," Impa taunted playfully.

The man gave a grin before they resumed their duel. Both were using standard training swords left for those to train their swordplay with. Impa's attempted to jab her opponent, only for the man to dodge her attack. He then went for her side, only to be blocked as well. They both circled each other, planning for their attack. Impa's opponent quickly to his side and rolled on the ground, and struck Impa in the back, knocking her down. Impa looked to see her opponent point his sword at her.

"Looks like you win today, Leal. I guess I'm the one getting rusty."

"Don't put yourself down." Leal offered his hand to her, which she accepted. "You still put up quite a fight. It was only mere luck that I beat you."

"Luck or not, you were great. You are the best the royal guard has to offer."

"You still manage to kick my sorry ass many times before. None of the royal guard skills could compare to yours. Your commitment to the training necessary to fulfill your goals is admirable. It's no wonder why the Sheikah chose you to be the Royal Family's bodyguard."

An intense silence fell upon the man as he turned his gaze away.

"Can I ask you this question, Impa?" The Sheikah's eyes fell on her friend. "Do you ever wonder what your life would be if you were not chosen to be a bodyguard?"

"I...If I wasn't chosen, I would be a foot soldier or helped out Purah & Robbie. But I'm happy where I am. I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Why do you ask me this?"

"What if...One day...You realized that you weren't meant for this? Yet the only thing people said was that you come from a line of warriors dedicated to protecting the royal family, so no matter what you thought, you had to accept whatever duty fell upon you. If that was the only thing that you were told...I wonder, then...would you have chosen a different path?"

The Next Day...Present

Lake Hylia was the biggest lake in all of Hyrule's regions. So huge that the water could supply 10 years' worth of drinking water if it could. Surrounding the massive lake were massive rock walls which made it a perfect place for seclusion. It has been known to be one of the many beautiful scenic places in the land.

Now it is filled with the blood, sweat, and tears of innocent people who were taken from their homes and forced to spend their days in slave labor. Though unknown to them, it may come to an end soon.

Link, Zelda, Makos, Shiek, Impa, Auru, and Sheik were gazing down at the surrounding forested hills around the lake. Seeing the conditions made them feel disgusted.

"This lake used to be so beautiful," Sheik commented mournfully.

"Now it has fallen victim to Ganondorf's wrath." Auru sketched on a big piece of paper.

"I consider it a miracle that your friend managed to escape this place, Link," Makos stated.

Link looked around the camp. His heart had gotten closer to being shattered the more he gazed. As he did, one individual caught his eye. The person was a male that looked like a Hylian due to his pointy ears. Yet he didn't look Hylian. For his skin was ash white. While his hair seems to be white-purple. He was also dressed in purple. The only thing that stood out to Link was the person's eyes. They remind him of Impa's and Sheik's red eyes, though this person had a different shade.

"That our guy?"

"That's Vaati, all right," Impa confirmed.

The green glad warrior brought his attention to the man. Vaati's appearance makes him look like he is in his late teen years, though he is much older than that. Makos' description of him being childlike is indeed accurate.

"Look at this place. All those poor people," Zelda took notice of some large metal objects. "Are those cannons?"

"Must be Ganondorf's latest project," Auru hypothesized.

"That's a lot of them…"

"Vaati is an intelligent man. Many say that he was a member of the Sheikah," Impa explained.

"Woah, seriously?" Link responded.

"I'm not sure, but judging by his deeds, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Why would any of them join Ganondorf, especially after trying to wipe them out?"

"Some join out of fear or believe he's right and lost perspective."

A sudden shout caught the group's ears. Vaati looked in the other direction with an angry expression on his face. A pair of soldiers were dragging a young man Link didn't recognize but could see the fear written on his face. It was the same kind on Fado's face when he told his ordeals here. He must be one of the slaves there. The soldiers throw the man on his fours at Vaati's feet.

"What's the problem?!" Vaati demanded.

"We found this slave slacking around, sir," One of the soldiers said.

"Really now?" Vaati looked down at the man. "Care to explain yourself?"

"I-I'm sorry, sir, but I-" The man stuttered, but Vaati hit him.

"Answer me when you are spoken to!" Vaati screamed, which was starting to get the attention of other guards and slaves.

"I've been working for many hours with anything to drink or eat-"

"Are you saying that you're incapable of working?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then what are you saying, slave?"

"I'm not sure how long I can last if I continue like this!"

Vaati grew silent and slowly walked around the man, still trembling with fear. Slaves and several soldiers watch the scene unfold, anticipating what will happen next.

"Listen to me carefully. You were brought here for a reason. You are here to work under me. Anyone who works under me works directly underneath King Ganondorf himself. So technically, when you talk to me, you're talking to the king. That also means when you insult me, you insult the king himself!"

"I-I wasn't insulting anyone. Please, I didn't mean-" The man was cut off as Vaati punched him in his face so hard that the man was almost knocked over. Slaves and even several guards flinched as this occurred.

"And when you're useless to me, you're useless to the king." Vaati then slowly pulled out a small knife. "And you know what happens to those who are useless?"

Link shifted before Sheik's hand forced him down. "He's gonna kill him!"

"And what are you gonna do? Get yourself captured and killed also?"

Link reluctantly got back down. He didn't want to, but he knew Sheik was right. Link continued watching the scene, waiting for the inevitable.

"Please, sir, spare me! I swear, this won't happen again! Forgive me!" The man begged.

Vaati's expression went from sheer anger to genuine concern. "You know. I believe everyone deserves forgiveness, even for the most minor mistakes…."

The man looked confused as Vaati looked away for a brief moment. Then, before anyone could anticipate it, the sound of a knife cutting flesh occurred as fast as one could blink. The man clenched his throat as he fell face-first to the ground, as a small puddle of blood started pouring out. Slaves looked in horror, and guards tried to calm everyone down.

"Apology accepted," Vaati put away his knife, clearly unaffected by his actions.

Impa's group remained still as they watched the whole thing. They were used to seeing actions such as these. None weren't affected as Link was. He had never watched someone die in his life. True, Link had witnessed the destruction of his village and saw the aftermath of the devastation of another, but never had Link witnessed death itself take action. The worst part, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Burn this body. We have visitors arriving soon. I don't want to stink up the camp!" Vaati ordered his men.

As the guards dragged the corpse away, another guard approached him. "Warden, are you sure it was wise to do that? You've already killed two other slaves earlier this month and had another that escaped not too long ago."

"As long as these weapons get shipped to his Majesty, he won't care what happens to these people. Besides, we could always get more."

Those words build anger up in Link. He couldn't see that he saw a man with minimal regard for these people's well-being. Link wanted to go down there himself and kill the bastard himself for the horrors he put his villagers through.

"We need to head back," Impa commanded. "I believe we've seen enough."

Everyone didn't need to be told twice. As everyone walked ahead, Link remained still as his gaze fell upon the pool of blood that belonged to the man. He was pulled out of his trance when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Link, take some advice," Sheik's voice spoke. "In war, there will always be casualties, be it soldiers or innocent people. All you can do is focus on the ones you can save."

A little later...

The group quietly returned to Makos camp, some somewhat shaken up about what occurred in the labor camp. Ilia was the first to welcome them back to the base.

"You're back!" Ilia greeted. She noticed the distressed looks on their faces. "Are you guys alright?"

"We-we're fine," Link insisted.

"So? What are we up against?".

Impa looked over to Auru, who was holding a rolled-up paper in his hands. The older man placed it on the ground and unrolled it. It was a map of the lake.

"This entire area is the camp." Impa specified.

"It looks huge," Ilia commented

"Do you know where they keep the slaves?" Shad asked.

"The slaves are kept on a makeshift island. They used to work from dawn through the night. That is until several weeks ago when a curfew was issued. Now they work from sunrise to sunset." Makos gave a sly look at Link. "I think your escaped friend might've had something to do with that."

"That at least keeps them out of the line of fire if this ends in a full-out battle," Ashei noted. "This may be more difficult than we thought."

"Which is why we're gonna need everyone's help on this," Makos said.

"By everyone, you mean...everyone?" Ilia asked the Zora.

"That includes you, too, if that's what you're asking. Is that gonna be a problem for you?"

"Well, it's just…."

"She doesn't have much close combat experience, " Zelda stated.

"Ah, no worries. I will have Ilia in a place where she is part of the action, but it should be a safe enough distance. I thought she could be a sniper of sorts. Especially after you handled yourself with that alpha Bokoblin yesterday."h

"Alpha?" The teen arched a brow.

"The Blue Bokoblin you faced off yesterday. They're the alphas of their respective groups. Surely you knew that, right?"

"Of...of course I did!" Ilia replied with a nervous smile. Everyone else gave uneasy looks at each other.

"Since we cleared that up, we need to get back on topic." Impa continued.

"One thing to start with, are there any guards around the camp?" Shad asked.

"Only during the day where the slaves work, but it's pretty low when the sunsets. Probably think since the hills surround them and the slaves are on the island, they don't feel the need to patrol everything."

"That should be easy, right? Ilia guessed.

"That's when this comes in." Makos pointed to what seemed to be a tall, dark thin wooden building on the map. "This is what I come to believe as 'The Watchtower.' It seems every area around the camp, even the island. The only way we'll get things done is to take over that watchtower without being spotted. If they see something wrong, they'll alert the camp. We take it over. They lose control."

"They shouldn't be too hard," Zelda declared. "Where do they keep the weapons?"

"The building yard and finished ones are next to each other. It could make destroying them easier."

"How do we do that?"

"I have a solution." Shad lifted the big bag he had carried throughout the journey. He opened the flap lid and put it before him for everyone to see. The contents inside took the Ordon group by surprise.

"You carry bombs with you?" Link questioned.

"Where do you even get them?" Zelda also responded.

"I made them myself," Shad answered.

"How?"

"I learned, of course."

"...Right."

"Anyways, we know how to destroy them, but how are we gonna get into that camp." Auru wondered. "The only entrance is the hill, but that's no doubt guarded."

"We could try climbing down the rock walls," Sheik suggested.

"Yes, but the walls are too high to climb down. Even if we go down quietly, the watchtower would spot us and give Vaati's men plenty of time to neutralize us."

The air grew silent as everyone pondered with ideas. Link gazed at the map as the words just spoken moments ago went through his head. The main entrance would be guarded, and the walls are too high to properly sneak in. But then he had a sudden thought. What if they don't have to sneak in?

"I think I may have an idea…"

Back at the lake, Vaati walked through the labor yard observing the slaves at work. By his side is Ghirahim, who had arrived several hours earlier per Ganondorf's orders to follow up with Vaati's progress.

"It is quite a pleasure for you to come down here, Lord Ghirahim."

"Enough of the pleasantries, Vaati. I did not come here to waste my time to gawk at your progress. His Majesty sent me here to put you back on schedule."

"I assure you, I'm having the slaves work as fast as we can."

"Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them."

"I tell you, we will have them ready within a fortnight."

"The king does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation. You keep pushing back the dates too many times. These cannon were supposed to be ready weeks ago."

"There have been some...unexpected problems."

"So your reports say, but I'm starting to think his majesty was wrong to choose you to oversee this."

"I just need more time."

"Then you should tell the king himself then. I'm sure he would like to hear the reasoning for why. Unless, of course, there's a reason why these delays keep occurring. It wouldn't have to with these problems, does it? I'm sure the king would love to hear that one of his best men can't control his grip around here…."

"I'll double my efforts. The first shipment will be ready by the end of the week. You have my word."

"I hope so, Vaati, for your sake." Ghirahim walked outside of the camp to where a carriage waited. "After all, someone as smart as you should be wise enough to know not to anger the king."

Vaati stood in his place as he watched Ghirahim's carriage ride away. He was always somewhat envious of Ghirahim's position as Ganondorf's right hand. The taller Hylian knew of this jealousy and would take any moment he could to gloat. Vaati would never let that get to him. One of these days, he'll prove Ghirahim wrong. For now, he wants to relax. It had been a long day. As he glanced at a group of slaves, a young woman caught his eye. After today he figures he deserves some...pleasure. Vaati will worry about the canons tomorrow, opting to spend the rest of the evening in peace. What else could go wrong within the next twenty-four hours?

How ya'll been? Me? I recently beat Twilight Princess HD so hooray for me.

Anyone that's curious, Ilia's new outfit is basically Linkle's from Hyrule Warriors

So next chapter will be the big battle. It may take a while since I'm not well verse with writing battles and what not. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of my story.

Favs, Follows, and Reviews are appreciated.