"What in Din's name is taking Silorn so long?" Prince Percival asked, tapping his gauntleted hand against the wooden table impatiently.
Mila glanced about the tent, spotting no Zora present. The only people sitting around the prince's council table were Hylians and Sheikah, aside from her.
"Then perhaps we should begin without him, your highness," Lady Kaifa suggested.
Percival grunted. "Very well. This shan't take long as it is," he decided. "First order of business is to establish our blockade. As soon as we have that, we can begin our assault. We'll need to divide our forces into three units - one for the city's east gate, one for the south, and one for the west."
"What of the rivers, my lord?" Mila pointed out, hoping to contribute before anyone else. "Especially the Regencia. If Lord Remoth calls for reinforcements, they will be coming from his holdings to the west."
"True, if obvious," the prince replied, adding an unnecessary layer of contempt to his answer. "Silorn's forces can handle the rivers. We, unfortunately, do not have time for him to send for more Hydrophants, but he and his hydromancers should be more than enough to stop any ship that would come up the Regencia. A small portion of his troops can block the Hylia on the other side, as a precaution."
"If the Zora forces are handling the moat, that does not leave a great number of troops if we plan to assault three gates at once," Lady Kaifa interjected, shuffling pieces around on the map she'd set up on the table.
"Perhaps we might attempt a more gradual sort of siege," Mila suggested. "Block the gates and the river. No one in or out, and no food entering the city either."
"My lady," the bishop called Mayro said, sounding a little appalled. "We only mean to remove Lord Remoth from the throne. Starving the entire city would harm the citizenry as well. We should avoid such unnecessary collateral damage."
"It would not need to last for long," Mila argued.
I'm not trying to kill them all, you fool.
"The populace shall be informed of why we are here. As soon as they begin to feel the effects of the famine, we will see the people, the City Guard, and even Remoth's own men turn on him," Mila explained. "They will be as eager to give the throne to Prince Percival as we are."
"The throne is not for Prince Percival," Lady Kaifa corrected her. "It is for Queen Victorique."
"Certainly," Mila said, smiling sweetly. "But surely we prefer to have the prince hold it for her until she arrives, as opposed to the traitorous Lord Remoth."
"Agreed," Mayro said. "But, I would still prefer a method that harms less civilians."
"The bishop is right," Prince Percival said.
Mila frowned.
Don't contradict me. My way will work and you all know it.
"All we need to do is take the gates," the prince went on. "Afterwards, Remoth's men will fall back to the castle. We can then proceed through the city with minimal fighting and minimal chance for civilian harm."
"That strikes me as rather wishful thinking," Mila countered.
Prince Percival shot her a dirty look, which shook her confidence for a moment.
"With all due respect, of course, your highness," she added quickly.
"What do you mean?" Percival asked accusatorily.
"What I mean is that Lord Remoth does not seem like the type to be above making use of human shields," Mila explained, shifting her statement from a criticism of the prince's intelligence to a criticism of Lord Remoth's morality. "He will attack us in the city with the hope that the presence of commonfolk will make us hesitant to fight. We would be fools to expect him to allow us to walk right up to the gates of Hyrule Castle without any resistance."
"That may be, but the man is also a seasoned general." Prince Percival walked around the rim of the table to get closer to the map, then began picking up pieces and moving them back into the castle. "Once he loses his defensible outer perimeter against an overwhelming force, he'll know his best chance at victory is to pull back into the castle where he can try to outlast us."
He wins one battle, and now he thinks he's an expert.
Mila groaned internally.
And now I sound like Alchon.
The Kokiri girl wished to continue arguing her point, but she knew she'd already pushed her luck pretty far. The prince was nothing if not stubborn. She may have impressed him somewhat by her boldness, but continuing to undermine his authority by questioning him in front of everyone was bound to bruise his ego, which would spell bad news for her. So, she decided to concede.
If only to make this spoiled brat shut up.
"I see the wisdom in your words, your highness," Mila said, adding as much fake authenticity as she could to her speech. "Perhaps I am thinking too pessimistically."
"No matter," Prince Percival replied with an infuriating little self-satisfied nod. "Now, next order of business is to decide how to divide our forces amongst the city gates," he went on. "I shall be coordinating things from the center, so I shall take charge of the south gate. Ordinarily, I would trust Silorn to take one of the other gates, but since he will be-"
"Your highness!"
With Percival's words interrupted, everyone turned to stare at the newcomer. A messenger had barged into the tent, flanked by royal guards on either side.
"Prince Silorn - he's gone!" the messenger declared in a voice of panic.
"What?"
"What do you mean?"
"Gone where?"
As everyone around the table began speaking at once, Prince Percival held up his hand for silence. When his council listened, he gave the messenger a glare. "What do you mean he's gone?" the prince asked calmly, but clearly he was quite angry with this news.
"The Zora camp is completely deserted," the messenger explained. "Prince Silorn has taken his forces and gone southeast, back towards Lanayru."
Prince Percival growled. "That damn fish."
"He did say he was against attacking the City of Hyrule," Mayro commented, leaning away from Percival.
"He is a coward and a deserter," Percival insisted. "My father would've hanged him for this."
"Let's not be hasty," Lady Kaifa interjected. "It would be unwise to bring harm to King Ralis's son. Besides, chasing after him would be a waste of time and resources when we should be focusing on reclaiming the city."
"She is right," Mila agreed, hoping to turn this course of events in her favor somehow. "If we get caught up fighting with the Zora, all that will do is weaken our forces and give Lord Remoth more time to further cement his unlawful position upon the throne."
"With our aquatic forces gone, we will be unable to limit our opponent's ability to receive reinforcements from across the river," Kaifa pointed out. "That pushes up our timetable significantly, too."
"Fine, then," the prince replied, slamming a palm down onto the table. "The south gate is mine. Kaifa, you take the east gate. Shadowgale, the west."
Mila perked up at the prince's address, referring to her by her House name.
He's letting me lead one of the battalions? Just like that?
She'd thought she would need to worm the idea into his head or demand the position herself, but perhaps he had learned to trust her judgment.
Or perhaps he just picked the last two people who said anything.
"I am honored, my prince," Mila said with false sincerity.
"As am I, your highness," Lady Kaifa concurred.
"Good," the prince said, fixing his cape as he left the table. "Get your troops and head out. We attack on my command."
From their original camp by the east gate, Prince Percival and Mila led their troops around the city's outer walls, leaving slightly less than a third of their forces behind with Lady Kaifa. By the south gate, Prince Percival stopped to set up his own camp with the bulk of their forces. Mila continued from there to the west gate, bringing with her the remaining Hylian troops.
The plan was simple. The prince had given Mila and Kaifa a signal to be on the lookout for as well as a time when they should expect to see it. They would hit all three of the city's main gates simultaneously, hopefully taking Lord Remoth and the City Guard by surprise and forcing a retreat to Hyrule Castle. Beyond that, Mila had complete freedom with how to approach her task of taking the west gate.
Outside the western walls of the city was a stone quarry. With the damage done to the city during the night of the Blood Moon, Mila suspected the quarry would be getting worked overtime in order to obtain building materials with which to repair the city. That meant many people coming and going between the quarry and the city, likely through a seldom-used gate that would be less closely guarded than the main west gate. Working off of these theories, Mila devised a plan.
Thus, that night, under cover of darkness, the Kokiri found herself leading a group of a dozen cloaked figures, sneaking into the quarry. The rest of her troops would be waiting outside the main gate, keeping the enemy's attention and awaiting her signal to commence the attack as soon as she had the gate open.
Mila's short arms and legs were not the best suited for climbing over rocks and cliffs, but as she'd done with the earthquake sage's Talus Titan, she was able to use her wind magic to aid her. Upon reaching the top of the ridge, the quarry came into view. Signaling to her squad to follow her, she knelt by the ledge, peering down to see what the area looked like.
"By the gods."
"What are they doing here?"
"What the hell is this?"
What could be seen down in the quarry was quite surprising. The sound of hammers and pickaxes beating against stone had been heard as they'd scaled the cliffs, so they'd known people would be there working, even this late into the night. However, it was the workers who were surprising. The quarry was being mined by monsters, many of which wore iron collars around their necks. They appeared to be mostly different breeds of Moblin, but there were also a few Bigblins hauling carts or carrying boulders. Aside from them, there were armed human guards keeping watch around the pits, but they seemed more focused on keeping the monsters in than keeping intruders out.
"Interesting," Mila mused. "I'd heard Lord Remoth's wealth came from his mining operations in Tanagar Canyon, and that he made use of monster slaves."
"It's awfully bold of him to bring them so close to the City of Hyrule, though. Isn't it, my lady?" Vanova asked, kneeling beside her tiny charge.
"This has to be illegal," one of Mila's soldiers commented.
"Yeah, you can't just bring monsters right up to the wall of the capital like this."
"And right after the Blood Moon? How distasteful."
"Keep your voices down, men," Mila ordered. "Any of you get us caught, I'll throw you down into one of those pits with the damn Moblins."
"Yes, milady."
"Apologies, ma'am."
"So, what's the plan now, Lady Mila?" Vanova asked in a gentle whisper. "We were going to try to blend in with the workers. How are we supposed to do that now?"
"Yes, this development certainly puts a damper on our plans," Mila admitted. Gazing at the city wall in the distance, she saw there was indeed another gate there, but it was still guarded, even if the security was a tenth that of the main gate. They would be spotted going through it. They could fight their way through, but that would put the main gate on high alert as a result.
"We'll have to go over the wall," Mila stated. "Once we're in the city, we proceed as planned - blend in as civilians, take the main gate from the inside, and open it for the rest of our forces."
"Go over the wall? How?" the soldier on her right asked. "We didn't bring any scaling equipment."
"Look down there," Mila instructed, pointing down into the quarry. "Ropes, ladders, picks - everything we'll ever need to climb a wall."
"And the monsters can provide the perfect distraction!" Vanova said excitedly as the idea came to her.
"Shh!" Mila hushed her, ducking back behind the cliff's edge. "But yes, that is a good idea, Vanova," she conceded. "Monsters are a stupid and volatile lot. It will not take much to get them to attack their captors, or each other."
"How do we plan to do that?" a soldier behind her asked.
Mila thought for a moment, then smiled. "Leave that to me and Luft."
Even before the fairy appeared, Mila heard the angry chiming. "Hey!" her fairy cried beside her ear. "Don't go bringing me into this. I don't want anything to do with those damn pigheads down there."
"This is not the time to be picky with your pranks," Mila told her, speaking in the fairy tongue.
"Well, what do you want the rest of us to do, then?" another of Mila's soldiers asked.
Mila took another moment to consider what actions needed to be taken to proceed from there. "Baddek, Steen, Pitar, Anly," the Kokiri commander said, directing her orders at four of her men. "Those two ladders over there, down in the closest pit. Get those and take them over there." Mila pointed to the part of the wall which she desired to climb over. "Wait until I've created the distraction. Avoid being seen, and kill any who spot you."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Vanova, Dai, Ames."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Secure our point of entry," she ordered. "Take note of what guards pass by atop the wall. If any pass by at ground level, kill them silently and hide the body."
"Yes, my lady," Vanova replied with no hesitation.
"Very good." Mila nodded. "Kish, Yolero, Robsten, Calip - we'll need something to bind and secure the ladders. Rope will do, and perhaps a couple pickaxes if we need to hook onto the top of the wall."
"Whatever you say, Lady Mila."
"Alright. Everyone has their roles. Go."
The soldiers under her command scattered as she gave the order, climbing down over the stone ridge from various points to head into the quarry or to the wall. Mila did the same, climbing down until she was low enough to jump and cushion her fall with the wind.
One of the very few advantages of being trapped in a perpetually child-like body was it made sneaking around much easier. Mila's short stature and light foot made it simple for her to hide and move silently, allowing for her to remain undetected as she snuck past the guards and got closer to the monsters. Hopping down to the first level of the closest pit, the Kokiri girl ducked into a nearby opening in the rock wall.
"Well, genius, what exactly is your plan now?" Luft asked, jangling lightly beside her head.
"Simple. See those Pigblins down there?" Mila asked, gesturing to the boar-headed moblins chipping away at the rock on a lower level.
"Yeah. Hard to miss something that ugly."
"And see that Bigblin over there?" A very large Blin creature was dragging a wagon full of boxes and stone up a ramp out of the pit, moving quite slowly.
Luft sighed, which sounded oddly musical coming from a fairy. "You wanna get the Bigblin to drop the stuff it's carrying and piss off the Moblins they hit with it."
"Exactly. The commotion will draw the attention of the guards and workers alike," the Kokiri explained. "Why do you sound so disappointed?"
"I expected something more clever from someone who thinks as highly of herself as you," Luft replied scathingly.
"Well, excuse me, but this isn't the time for some masterfully crafted scheme. We're just looking to piss off a bunch of mindless brutes. We could accomplish the same effect by stomping on one's foot if we didn't have to worry about stealth," Mila replied. "Now, why don't you quit complaining and do your job, old friend?"
Luft jingled in annoyance. "Ugh. Fine! I'll go mess with the Bigblin's cart. But don't come crying to me when you find yourself fighting off a horde of enraged knuckle draggers."
"Thank you. That's better." Mila smiled mockingly. Luft flew away. The Kokiri girl watched as the little ball of light weaved through the pit, flying past several oblivious monsters and slipping through the cracks in the many pieces of stone between her and the target.
By the time Luft reached the Bigblin's cart, Mila couldn't see the fairy anymore. However, the lock on the gate suddenly opened, and one of the wheels on the cart began to wobble as if something had been loosened. Sure enough, the wheel soon popped off completely. The cart slumped to the side, and with the gate on the back of it unlocked, its contents spilled out in a tidal wave of wood and stone.
Since the cart was being pulled near the edge of the pit, everything that fell out plummeted to the levels below, raining on top of several other slave monsters. Their screams of surprise, pain, and panic echoed throughout the quarry. One or two of them were crushed, likely killed. A few others took a heavy stone to the shoulder or the foot, which would effectively put them out of commission.
Of the Moblins who had not been injured, many of them roared when they looked up and spotted the Bigblin, who they must have assumed was responsible. The Bigblin himself looked mortified, but upon receiving the dirty looks from the other monsters, he quickly grabbed a slab of stone to use as a club and roared back, accepting their challenge. Half a dozen Moblins charged up the ramps leading up to the Bigblin, and the brawl began.
Mila giggled as she watched it all happen. Almost immediately, one of the Moblins got smacked in the head by the stone slab and fell back down into the pit. She thought the fight might be a little too one-sided, but the Bigblin seemed more than a match for the others, despite being outnumbered.
Soon after the commotion had started, Mila could hear voices shouting from up out of the pit.
"Hey! What's going on over there?"
"Break it up, you animals!"
"Grab the thunderspears."
Mila grinned. She decided it was time to move on to the next work pit, but she had to wait for Luft. A moment later, she heard the fairy jingling.
"There," Luft sang, hovering in front of the entrance of the little cave Mila was hiding in. "Satisfied?"
"Good work, old friend," Mila complimented. "We'll go visit the nearest fairy fountain later as a reward."
"Hurray!" Luft cried, flipping backwards in the air.
Over on the other side of the pit, the fight was still going on, but now the human guards were trying to stop it. Several of them had gathered around and were shouting at the monsters to stop. A few arrived carrying long, two-pronged spears that crackled with lightning magic. One of them thrust his thunderspear forward, touching it against the Bigblin's thick hide. He roared in pain as the electricity coursed through him, but as soon as the guard pulled the spear back, the Bigblin spun to the side and backhanded him, knocking him down into the pit. The guards began shouting more loudly, all of them pointing their spears at the monsters.
"I believe it's time for us to leave," Mila said to Luft.
"Are you sure?" her fairy asked. "Now that I'm here, this is actually kinda fun to watch. Who do you think will win? My rupees are on that big one."
"Truly? I've got a shiny purple one on the humans, then," Mila replied. "But no time to stay and watch, unfortunately. We need to draw more guards away from the walls. Let's go start another riot or two, and then meet back with my troops."
"You owe me," Mila said, smiling smugly as she walked towards the wall.
"I owe you nothing!" Luft replied, jangling angrily. "It was never a fair bet."
"Then you shouldn't have made it."
The Kokiri girl and her fairy's tricks had worked as planned. They'd managed to cause such a commotion in the quarry that the gate to the city had opened up to send reinforcements from the City Watch. Some of the guards had been called down from atop the walls, giving them a good chance of slipping over to the other side.
When she arrived at the section of the wall she had specified earlier, she found the soldiers under her command waiting for her. All of them still wore their cloaks, although some had a bit of blood splattered on them.
"Lady Mila," Vanova said happily upon seeing her. "We've all done as you commanded, my lady." The young soldier gestured to the ladder they had placed against the wall. Two of the soldiers were standing on the ladder and just finishing up their work, binding and securing everything in place.
"Excellent work, soldiers," Mila told them with a curt nod. Then she turned to the two up on the ladder. "All finished, Pitar?"
"Just about, ma'am," the young man replied, pulling a knot tight.
"Splendid. The guards give you any trouble?" Mila gestured to the bloodstain on Dai's cloak.
"Only a bit, but we took care of 'em," Dai replied. "And yourself, my lady?"
"None for me, but I'm sure those monsters are having a rough night." Mila pointed her thumb over her shoulder and smiled wryly. "They won't remain distracted forever, though. Let's get a move on. Up and over, now."
"Yes, Lady Mila."
One by one, the dozen of them climbed onto the ladder and took it all the way up to the top of the wall.
"That everyone?" Mila asked, looking down over the edge.
Vanova quickly counted. "Yes, Ma'am."
"Right. Get the ladder up, then," the Kokiri ordered. The four soldiers closest to the ladder began pulling it upwards. "Hurry, now. Before the guards spot us." Luckily, the guards patrolling the position of the wall they were on had still not returned to their post, likely still busy with the monsters fighting in the quarry.
As soon as the ladder had been pulled atop the wall, the soldiers swung it around to the other side, ready to climb down into the city. "Perfect," Mila said. "Down we go."
Down on the ground level, Mila surveyed the area. There was no one around, and it was rather difficult to see anything in the dark. "Disassemble the ladder," Mila ordered. "Place it by those barrels over there," she said, pointing. With any luck, no one would notice anything suspicious.
"What now, my lady?" Vanova asked.
"We don't have much time before the prince planned to attack, right?" Robsten asked. "Which means our troops should already be in position near the gate."
"That's correct," Mila nodded. "We'll have to move quickly. Let's get close to the gate and see what we're dealing with. We'll get it open in time. Move out."
The wall between the City of Hyrule and the quarry was a short walk from the city proper, through a wooded hollow. When they stepped out onto the street, there were people walking around outside, despite it being dark out. However, it was no longer that difficult to see, as the city had plenty of torchlight.
"Something wrong, my lady?" Vanova asked.
"The city is on the verge of siege, and people are going about their business," Mila said quietly. "Has Lord Remoth not issued a warning?"
"Perhaps he doesn't think Prince Percival has the balls to do it," Ames speculated, chuckling lightly.
"This is good for us, though, isn't it?" Kish asked. "With more civilians around, the guards won't see us as suspicious."
"Good point," Mila said. "Alright, stay together. Don't talk to anyone. And try to wipe that blood off your damn cloak."
"Sorry, ma'am."
As the group made their way south through the city, no one seemed to pay them much notice. Mila speculated that her presence may have been a large part of that. The guards may have been expecting a group of enemy soldiers to sneak into the city, but she doubted any of them expected a child to be among such a group, and thus did not spare them a second glance.
Another boon granted by this accursed body.
The city was still partially in ruins. The demon that had descended upon the city had done serious damage to some of the buildings, and many of them were still under repair. Scaffolding and piles of stone and lumber were common sights. Any bodies of those killed in the attack had long since been cleared out, and the city's sanitation workers had done a decent job cleaning up the blood, but they still came across a few odd red stains that had apparently been missed.
Perhaps this part of the city is just a dump, anyway.
"Wait," Mila ordered, forcing the cloaked soldiers surrounding her to halt. They had reached the southwestern corner of the city, and the west gate was in sight. While not as grand as the south or east gates, the west gate was nonetheless quite impressive. And, as expected, it was well guarded. Mila could see soldiers wearing the uniform of the City Watch as well as black-cloaked knights of House Remoth. Some stood on the ground level, others atop the walls, and there were no doubt more within the towers on either side of the gate.
"What do we do, my lady?" Vanova asked. "There are too many for us to fight head on."
"That is true, but we don't need to fight them all," Mila replied, trying to formulate the plan of attack in her head. "Our only goal is to get the gate open. Once our troops rush in, we will outnumber them."
"But how do we do that?" Calip asked, nervously rubbing his hand over his sword through the cloak that concealed it.
"Same way we snuck over the wall," Mila said. "We just need a distraction that will hold their attention long enough to get the gate open." As she spoke, she knew that was easier said than done. Back when they had climbed over the wall, they were not at much risk of drawing attention to themselves simply by climbing a ladder. However, with the city gate, it would be immediately noticeable the moment they began to open it. Thus, the distraction would need to allow them to get to the gate winch, and then keep the guards away long enough to finish opening the gate.
"Should we start another fight?" Anly asked. "There are no monster slaves out here, though."
"No, a simple fight would not be enough," Mila said, putting her hand to her chin. "We need something bigger."
"How about that?" Vanova suggested, pointing upwards.
Mila tilted her head back. Vanova had pointed to a tall building that was under heavy reconstruction. It looked like it was leaning to the side, as though ready to fall over at any moment. "Perfect," Mila said, smiling. "Who's got a tinderbox?"
Everything fell into place surprisingly smoothly from there. Mila split her team into three groups. One group would set fire to the weakened building and do what they could to make it collapse. Another group, led by Vanova, would raid the tower to the right of the gate. Meanwhile, Mila would lead the last group into the tower to the left of the gate. So, while the others prepared, Mila found herself milling about outside the tower with three of her soldiers, pretending to be having a casual conversation with them while they waited for the chaos to ensue.
Something Mila noticed about the guards was that the members of the City Watch were not treating the evening as anything out of the ordinary. They went about their routines and their patrols with little alertness, as if they'd been at it for weeks without trouble and had no reason to expect trouble now. The Remoth knights, on the other hand, seemed very tense. When they stopped at the key points on their patrol routes, they looked around as if expecting to find an enemy hiding behind every corner, and all of them gripped their weapons like they might use them at any second.
"Keep an eye on the black-cloaks," Mila warned her soldiers in a low voice. "They'll likely suspect foul play as soon as the fire starts."
As she said the words, she noticed the smoke coming from the leaning tower.
Speak of the devil.
The Kokiri girl grinned to herself, realizing she'd accidentally referenced her own nickname. She heard some muttering from among the guards closest to her, probably arguing about whose job it was to check out the smoke to make sure it was nothing serious. However, a moment later, flames spouted up at several points, both from within the tower and from the scaffolding around it. Soon, the quiet arguing turned to panic.
"Shit, fire!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Fetch the water buckets!"
"Perfect," Mila said, pleased with how things were progressing. "Now we need to-"
"My lady!" Ames interrupted her, pointing up into the sky to the southeast.
Mila turned and spotted what he was talking about. Beyond the wall, a flare had been launched into the sky. Prince Percival was signaling the three armies to move in and attack the gates now. "Shit," Mila swore, realizing they were actually behind schedule. "We've gotta get that gate open. Now."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As soldiers began pouring out of the nearest guardhouse, Mila and her followers were easily able to slip through the opening in the gate during the commotion. As expected, it was mostly the City Watch responding to the fire, while the black-cloaks remained at their posts. One of them stood by the entrance to the gate tower.
"Halt!" the Remoth knight called as they approached. He readied his spear, stepping into a fighting stance. "Civilians are not allowed past that point."
Behind her, Mila heard a loud crashing sound along with several screams. The burning tower must have fallen over. Mila had been expecting it, so she was prepared for the moment when the guard and her soldiers were distracted. She drew her sword and sprinted forward, propelling herself with her wind magic for an extra boost of speed. Just as the guard turned his attention back to her, Mila thrust her sword forward, stabbing him through the opening between his helmet and his breastplate.
Her soldiers were surprised when they managed to tear their eyes away from the falling building, but Mila did not give them time to think about it. "Keep going!" she insisted, ramming through the door into the tower.
Inside, she found two more guards. They sat at a table wearing their armor, but they did not have their weapons.
"Go!" Mila ordered simply, pointing to the men.
The enemy guards clambered to their feet, but Mila's soldiers were on them before they had their bearings, cutting them down before they managed to arm themselves.
"Hurry, up the stairs," Mila continued. "Our armies will be at the gate any second, and we don't want them to be sitting ducks for the enemy archers and burning oil."
The charge up the stairs was claustrophobic enough as it was, given how cramped the curving stone stairwell was. With the four of them rushing upwards all at once, it was enough to make Mila take a few steps back and let her soldiers take the lead. However, her soldiers soon collided head on with three black-cloaks heading down the stairs.
"Oof!"
"Hey! Who are you people?"
"Get the fuck out of our way!"
"You dirty rats."
"Kill them all!"
"Die, mongrels!"
With little room to swing a weapon, Mila's soldiers and the guards haphazardly stabbed forwards with their swords. The brawl only lasted a few seconds, but soon there was blood splattered across the walls and spilling down the steps. The three knights of House Remoth slumped over dead, as did Calip and Kish.
"Fuck!" Ames shouted, clutching his bloodied sword to his chest and pressing his back up against the wall. "Kish! Calip! Get up!"
"Leave them," Mila ordered. "There's no telling how many enemies are left. We must get this gate open immediately."
Ames looked to be on the verge of vomiting, but he nodded unsteadily and proceeded up the stairs, with Mila's little legs carrying her a short way behind him.
They opened a few doors along the way, finding the wrong room each time, before eventually coming to a room near the top of the tower. There was a large window through which one could see everyone coming and going through the gate. Beside the wall was a massive gate winch with chains attached, leading through openings that connected it to the city gate. There was only one guard present. He appeared to be a member of the City Watch rather than a black-cloak.
"What's going on?" the young man asked.
Mila decided she did not have time to consider whether or not to spare him. She simply walked forward and sliced her long golden sword through the air, cutting the man's throat. He fell over, clutching his wound, and Mila stepped over him.
"Ames. Help me with the winch," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am."
Working in tandem, the two of them turned the mechanism to pull open the gate. Through the window, Mila could see her armies marching on the city.
Just in time.
The screams outside grew louder, and the alarm bells went off throughout the city. It sounded as though the prince and Lady Kaifa's armies had begun their attacks as well.
Good. This will be over before we know it, then.
Once the gate was fully opened, Mila wiped the sweat from her brow, then stepped over to the window. She enjoyed the sight of an army - her army - crossing the threshold into the city. "Marvelous," she said aloud.
"Ma'am?" her subordinate asked from behind her.
"Nothing," she said, smiling wickedly. "Let us return downstairs and finish this."
The actual battle did not last long. With the west gate open, Mila's portion of their forces were able to swarm in, completely outnumbering the City Watch and the Remoth knights that had been stationed in the area. A veritable slaughter had ensued. Many members of the City Watch surrendered quickly, which Mila had accepted. Fewer black-cloaks surrendered, but Mila decided to extend the same generosity to them. As far as she was concerned, the message was clear - Remoth and his followers are the enemy. Everyone else would be spared, so long as they didn't get in her way.
With the southwest section of the city under her control, Mila triumphantly marched east towards the southern gate. She had not yet been notified of the results of Prince Percival's battle, but as she grew nearer, she spotted members of the prince's forces setting up checkpoints throughout the city streets.
"Looks like it was a total victory on our part," Mila mused to her retinue. "The castle shall be next."
"I hope it goes as smoothly as this," Vanova said in agreement. "I don't think Remoth has as many troops as he appeared to."
"True. I suspect he amassed them by the east gate earlier as a bluff for the prince's benefit," Mila speculated. "Perhaps the rest of his forces are busy in the Ridgelands or Hebra, and he was merely attempting to hold the city with his personal guard."
"That would be very fortunate for us." Vanova did not seem very alert at the moment, as if the victory of the last battle had put her at ease.
"Stay vigilant, young lady," Mila ordered her. "The enemy is not defeated yet, and you never know when we might walk into an ambush."
"Yes, my lady."
However, no such ambush occurred. Instead, the next person to come up and talk to Mila was a man dressed in the gilded armor of the Royal Guard.
"Lady Mila," the man said, standing in her path.
"Yes?" Mila raised a hand to halt her retinue while she spoke.
"Prince Percival has summoned you," the guard informed her. "Please proceed to the southern gatehouse."
"Very well." Mila nodded.
The guard bowed and dismissed himself.
The Kokiri girl smiled with self-satisfaction as she proceeded through the city as directed. The prince had put her in charge of an important task, and she had met his expectations, at the very least. "Perhaps he'll promote me again," she mused aloud.
"What title might he give you this time?" Vanova asked.
"Who knows? Perhaps I am to be his general now that Alchon is dead." She exchanged a knowing glance with her squire, holding back a laugh at the mention of that man.
When they arrived at the gatehouse, the area had already been fully secured by the prince's forces. Royal guards stood watch at all key points, including atop the wall. Many held banners displaying the Wingcrest symbol of the Hyrulean Royal Family, as if to say that a real Hyrule had taken command once again.
It will be so easy to get him on the throne from here…
"Wait out here," Mila ordered her retinue. "I shall retrieve you after my meeting with the prince."
"Yes, Lady Mila."
Two royal guards stood outside the door, but one of them moved to open it as Mila approached. She nodded gratefully to him as she stepped inside.
"Dammit," was the first thing she heard.
When Mila rounded the corner, she found the prince with his gauntleted fist against the wall. The Kokiri girl reflexively flinched at the sight of Sir Onnick standing ever vigilant beside him, his faceless gaze seemingly fixed upon her. However, she recovered and took stock of who else was present in the room. A few of the prince's advisors had been gathered. The bishop Mayro was there, but there was no sign of Lady Kaifa, and no Prince Silorn, of course.
"I am very sorry, your highness," a bearded advisor told the prince.
"Lord Remoth will hang for this," the prince stated firmly. "Lady Kaifa was one of my uncle's most loyal lieutenants. Our armies will suffer this loss greatly."
Mila was surprised to hear this.
Kaifa is dead?
The prince noticed Mila and uninterestedly waved her inside. "Kokiri," he said. "What news of the west gate?"
"It is ours, your highness," Mila stated proudly. "Much of the western portion of the city is under our control as well."
The prince sighed. "At least there's that." He snapped his fingers and walked over to the nearest table. "Map. Quill," he ordered. One of his servants quickly produced a map of the city and laid it out on the table, while another produced a quill and inkwell. The prince lifted the pen and drew a line hastily across the map. "With the west side in our grasp, we have roughly half the city," he said, tapping his finger against the paper. "Remoth's troops still gather in the central square, and they control the east side as well. The rest is ours."
"Then what are we to do, my prince?" Mila inquired. "Proceed to the castle to remove the usurper, or finish liberating the city first?"
"The city," came the prince's reply. "The siege of the castle will take some time, and we cannot afford to keep it up while fighting off attacks from the east."
"And we must recover the Light Temple," Mayro added. "If we are to obtain the favor of the next God of Light, we cannot leave the cathedral unattended."
"True," the prince agreed. "Now, let's hurry this up. Everyone, gather around."
Mila was a bit disappointed with the prince's reaction to her success, or rather his lack of reaction. When she had succeeded on her previous campaign, she'd been granted a ladyship. Here, she'd been given nothing.
Well, perhaps no reward shall come until the fight is truly over and Remoth is removed from the throne.
Mila hid her smile. Once Remoth was gone and she managed to put Percival on the throne instead, she would certainly receive a better reward.
Soon, this city will be mine.