Chapter 15

Where There is Smoke, There is Fire

The raging downpour slowly began to lighten as Link and Zelda made their way to the royal tent. It stood out from the rest, much more opulent and well-furnished compared to what Link had to endure with Sidon thus far. Link wasn't one to complain, however. He'd slept in lower conditions before, thinking back to all those long and restless nights near enemy encampments in the open wild of Hyrule.

In those days he had felt like he could never get enough rest; always half-alert, with a hand on the hilt of his sword throughout the night. Even now, he found comfort to be a commodity of the distant past. He had grown used to being without. What he now considered a true luxury would simply be any amount of undisturbed rest.

"Lord Simon sure does spare no expense, doesn't he?" Link asked rhetorically, attempting to lighten the mood.

The princess' demeanor was still glum, but she sent him a small smile. Link hoped he could lift her spirits. All he wanted was to get her mind off her stress, to hear her sweet laugh again.

Such a task wouldn't be easy, however. Zelda's thoughts had been racing since leaving the infirmary. She was distracted, hardly noticing Link's attempt at conversation as she headed further into the tent. A beautifully decorated veil adjacent to her bed divided the large space into two parts. Behind it stood a handmaiden, who Zelda tiredly asked to begin preparing an evening bath for her. The girl bowed politely and headed off, leaving Link and Zelda in relative seclusion.

The princess let out a deep sigh as she walked back to where Link was around the other side of the bed. "I can't believe this is still happening," she said. "Ever since we have returned, every day has been worse than the last. Will we ever be allowed any respite? I thought things would be different, easier, with Calamity Ganon gone… But it seems like nothing has changed at all."

Link watched her silently, listening as she continued. "When will this nightmare end? What are we to do if it doesn't? What if…" she trailed off. She looked down, her hands held close to her body. "What if Riju…" Zelda barely choked out. It was a sentence she couldn't finish, the possible reality was too much to bear.

"She is going to make it!" Link quickly took a few steps closer. "Riju is as strong as they come, and the Starlight Cavalry are the best riders in Hyrule," he reminded her. Even a hundred years later, he remembered their reputation clearly. "Everything will be alright, I just know it," Link reassured the princess. He hated to see her cry.

Zelda lifted her head to look at him, wiping at her cheeks with a sniffle. Link held a hand out and she accepted it gently. He squeezed it as she began to calm.

"You're right, we can't lose hope," Zelda finally responded. "I shouldn't harbor such doubts, especially after all we have been through… I mean, what you accomplished has been a miracle in itself. My faith should be stronger."

"No," he countered with a smile and a shake of his head. "You are the miracle, Princess, not me. If it weren't for your sealing power, we would have all been lost."

"Link...I"

For a moment, they locked eyes. His warm gaze bored into her shimmering green orbs. She was comforted by his encouraging words, feeling as though he had brought a lull to the hurricane of emotions raging through her constantly. The clarity in her mind gave her a burst of courage. This was her chance to tell him how she felt.

They gravitated closer. As she opened her mouth to speak, the sound of renewed thunder outside startled them both. Zelda expected the rain to begin pouring down once again. However, as those thunderous booms rang out one after another, each slightly louder than the last, it quickly became apparent that it was not another act of nature assaulting the camp. She swallowed the words in her throat. Link had already caught on, knowing well the explosions of war. He wasn't the only one. A commotion erupted outside the tent as soldiers awoke and readied themselves for battle.

Link hurried to the tent flap to assess the situation. And just like that, the spell was broken. Ice ran down Zelda's spine as she followed, her thoughts already racing as quickly as her heartbeat.

They stepped out into chaos. At the northernmost end of the camp, near the edge of the forest, men were scrambling about half dressed. Panicking as they reached for armor, weapons, or other supplies. Past them, plumes of smoke billowed over the outer edge of the camp. That was where they had kept their supply wagons, the princess realized with dread.

A voice called out to Link and Zelda, and they both turned to see Sidon running toward them. He had sought them out the moment the disaster broke out.

"What's happening?" Link asked his protégé.

Sidon shook his head. "I have no idea. We were just minding our business around the campfire and then without a warning in the world, a huge ball of flame shot up over there just a moment ago," he said as he pointed in the direction of the smoke. "There, by the supply wagons! See?"

As they spoke, several fires peppered throughout the far edges of camp grew, causing an orange glow to quickly encompass the area. From a neighboring tent, a half-dressed Sylmoor stumbled out in a half-hungover daze and nearly collided with a few soldiers heading toward the biggest blaze by the camp entrance. He coughed as he approached Link, Zelda, and Sidon, tripping over, as he frantically rearranged his trousers.

"What in Hylia's name-" he asked.

"We're under attack, my Lord!" Zelda answered frantically. He froze, eyes widening as he instantly became more alert.

"Sidon, stay here and guard the princess, " Link ordered. "I'm going to help the others with the fires and find out whoever it is that is attacking us!"

"You can count on me, I will protect her with my life," Sidon promised. He unsheathed a pair of elegantly crafted Zora blades.

Link gave him a grateful smile and turned to Zelda. "I have to go, Princess, but don't worry. You'll be safe here. I'll be right back, I promise!" he spoke reassuringly.

Zelda wasn't convinced. She didn't want him to leave. "What are you going to-" she called, but he was already running off toward the chaos.

It worried her to know he was once again rushing into danger head first, without any knowledge of the situation. However, there wasn't any time for questions or planning. They had been ambushed, and deep down she knew it was Link's duty to protect her by facing whatever threat was upon them.

A panicked horse broke free from a nearby pen and ran into the knight's path. He saw an opportunity. Snagging the reins, he quickly jumped onto the flailing steed's saddle, struggling to keep his balance.

Sylmoor cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "wait! What about your armor?!"

"There's no time!" Link replied as he calmed his ride down. The stallion sensed his fearless, confident demeanor and he was awarded with its trust. He looked over his shoulder once more to add "I have to stop them before the entire camp burns!" With that, he gave the horse a kick and then they were charging off into the night.

Sylmoor stared after him in shock, unable to comprehend Link's decision to go completely defenseless. He glanced back at Zelda and Sidon, who surprisingly looked more weary than anything. They were used to these sort of things from Link. So, Sylmoor concluded this must be expected behavior from the brave knight. Foolish, yet admirable.

"Princess Zelda! Are you alright?" a voice behind them called. The trio turned to see Simon approaching, flanked by two Starsguard sentries.

"Yes, I'm fine-"

"Where is your knight?! Some hero he is, abandoning his duty at a time like this!" Simon criticized. "Don't you worry, Your Highness, I will protect you-"

"He hasn't abandoned me!" Zelda quickly interrupted,rolled her eyes and firmly placed her hands at her waist, her nose bent upwards, looking to the ongoing disaster ahead of them. "Thank you for your concern, but Prince Sidon has already been tasked with my protection. He is more than capable."

"Why, where has he gone?" Simon asked again, taken aback.

"Link is already on his way to the north entrance, by the woodland to quell whatever forces are attacking us there. Unlike others who would apparently rather wait until the entire camp burns down," Zelda retorted.

Feeling embarrassed, Simon coughed lightly and changed the subject. "Right. Well. These two sentries will stay by your side to provide extra security while we figure out exactly what is happening and until all threats have been eliminated," he said.

"I'm quite alright," the princess insisted once more. "Shouldn't we be more concerned with putting up a line of defense to safeguard the part of camp that hasn't yet been burned, my Lord?"

Simon quickly regained his confidence. "No need to worry about that, Your Highness. I have already given the order to have two companies lining the inner perimeter between here and the damaged part of camp. They are digging trenches to prevent further spread of fire and extinguishing every flame they find," he relayed as he paced in front of her directly. "I have also sent some soldiers to find the perpetrators of this, no doubt, attack."

"I see." It was Zelda's turn to feel embarrassed for her outburst. "Is the infirmary…?"

"No fire has reached that tent, no. Your gerudo friend, the large one...What's her name again? Umm.."

"Buliara." Zelda affirmed.

"Yes, that one. Buliara is making quite certain it remains protected," Simon reassured, then after a pause continued his earlier thought. "Your knight… Did he really ride off alone? How reckless! He could have at least waited for me to command some men to accompany him. And to leave you unguarded-"

"She isn't unguarded," Sidon reminded him in a slightly annoyed tone.

"And he didn't go alone," Sylmoor finally spoke up as well. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder in an attempt to dispel some tension. Simon looked to him as though he had only just noticed his presence. Sylmoor sighed. "About twenty other soldiers charged alongside him to go protect the camp. I really think we ought to give the lad some more credit, I mean, he did defeat the Calamity, after all. And, he took that sword of legend with him."

"Legend… right." Simon grumbled under his breath.

"He simply couldn't wait for orders, my Lord. Everything happened so quickly, he had to act," Zelda defended.

Simon folded his arms. "Is that so? Well then, let's see how useful he can be."

The princess looked toward the north edge of camp once again. While they talked, their immediate surroundings had started to become relatively stable as Simon's troops carried out their orders. But in the fiery chaos of the front lines, where Link now was… she could only guess what he was going through.

Link pushed the stallion as hard as he could through the camp. Up ahead, he could see wagons overturned and completely engulfed in flames. Dead and wounded littered the area, anguished screams in the air as thick as the smoke. The sight made his heart ache deeply.

He headed toward a few soldiers desperately trying to extinguish the burning debris. No matter what they did, the flames continued to spread as though they were being fueled by an accelerant of some kind.

He turned to the soldiers who had been following him to the site, telling a small group to seek out and help anyone still alive. To the rest, he began to relay a plan to fight the fire.

"We need to dig out a line to stop the flames from spreading. Don't waste time trying to put the wagons and tents out, they're lost. What we need now is to keep the forest and the rest of the camp from burning," Link ordered. "Find whatever you can use and start digging!"

"Yes, sir!" the group replied in unison.

The soldiers set to work digging out shallow trenches between the fire and the camp. They tossed the dirt onto smaller fires to smother what they could. Others used water from nearby horse troughs to wet the vegetation by the treeline to prevent them from catching.

After a few minutes of overseeing the work, something caught Link's eye among the flames within the camp. He reined in his steed, distracted by a shadowy silhouette in the distance.

"Sir? What are you looking at?"

Link's attention was drawn down to the soldier beside him who'd just spoken. He was craning his neck and squinting in the direction Link had been a moment ago, trying to see what it was he'd noticed.

Avoiding the question, he simply said "stay here and help the others, alright?"

"What about you, sir?"

"There's something I need to do. I'll return as soon as I can," Link reassured. With that, he spurred his horse toward where the fire raged hottest.

There was no one left alive in the area he rode into. He choked on the smoke and stench of burning corpses, but didn't slow down. He quickly ripped a piece of his shirt to cover his nose and mouth from the soot.

Now that he was slightly closer, he got a better glimpse of what he'd seen. It was a cloaked man Link didn't recognize. He was strolling through the inferno, seemingly unaffected by his surroundings as he casually headed toward the woodland. Link strongly suspected he must be the culprit, fleeing the scene of his crime.

A few wagons exploded as he rode past, due to the gunpowder and munitions stored within being exposed to the extreme heat. Link startled and attempted to shield himself from the burst of flame, debris, and shrapnel. The thunderous booms so close by made him feel as though a bomb had gone off inside his skull. He winced in pain, his ears ringing.

Though his horse was armored, shielding it from the worst of the blast, it did nothing to protect against the smoke and heat. It became frightened once again, neighing and bucking in protest. Link coughed roughly as he tried to soothe the steed.

Through his watery gaze he spotted the figure nearly at the mouth of the forest. He was running out of time. He directed his horse to the most passable areas of the wreckage in hopes to avoid some of the poisonous plumes. The stallion resisted in a bout of renewed panic, forcing Link to yank on the reins harshly. He felt terrible for pushing the beast so roughly, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't let that man escape.

As Link closed in, the cloaked enigma seemed to sense his approach and stopped. He slowly turned to face him, though with such a low hood all Link could see was an eerie smirk. It unnerved him, and only fueled his suspicions.

Link commanded the horse to speed up with a stern kick. Spotting a lance sticking out of the remains of a wagon in his path, he leaned to the side and ripped it out as he passed. It was blistering hot to the touch, but he lifted it to his shoulder nonetheless and bore the pain with a grimace.

With a violent yell, Link propelled the lance forward with all the strength he could muster. It was a spectacular throw, whistling as it streaked through the sky like a shooting star.

He was precise, but his mark was quicker. The lance hit the ground powerfully where the cloaked man had been a moment prior. Link's eyes widened in shock. How could anyone move so quickly? To avoid a shot like that… and at that rang? Impossible. Yet, the cloaked figure kept his ever-present taunting smile peering from the bottom of his hood, like this was all just a game to him. Link grew wary.

Still, he wasn't ready to give up just yet. Link circled his horse back around and reached back to unsheathe his sword. As he did, his opponent lifted an unlit torch and began to wave it around in an ostentatious fashion. He moved like a court jester, dancing as if he were performing a show, grin peering through the unmasked part of his hood. Cocking himself to one side as if he were about to perform a show, like a dance or magic trick for a king; he perched, blowing a kiss from his free hand to the other carrying the torch, spitting golden sparks igniting it into a beautiful and luminescent blue flame that burned brighter than all the surrounding fires combined.

And just as the knight was about to carry out his finishing strike, maybe twenty or so feet away, the man held out his bright torch and gracefully dropped it in front of himself, in-between him and the Hylian champion.

Happening all so fast but feeling like slow motion to Link violently, a massive pillar of fire shot up from the ground, separating the man from him. The pillar incinerated like a pulse of blinding light hundreds of feet into the air, forming a wall of fire that snaked around the entire outer edge of the camp, dividing the entirety of it from the entrance to the forest.

Link couldn't halt the horse in time, and with that sudden eruption in front of him, the horse at full speed panicked, leaned back on its hind legs, flayed around, and thrust the hero off its back. Thrown hard from the horse, link slammed face-first into the dirt. Scratching and scraping himself as he bounced through the field. And just before he rolled to a stop, he was left mere feet before the wall of flames.

Coming to on the ground and choking from the intense smoke all around, Link coughed and saw what was left of the hooded figure as it slowly backed away from the raging tower of fire, disappearing into the night. The last of what he saw of it was a pair of devilish yellow eyes piercing brightly from behind the flames, fading as it stepped further and further away from the wall of fire and back into the darkness of the forest. Tried as he might, he couldn't get a glimpse of anything else as to what he or what it was.

Back at the heart of camp where the others were, Zelda and the others saw the massive tower of flames guarding the entrance to the woodland spring up from out of nowhere. The entire camp collectively gasped at the sight of them. Most were frozen with fear.

For they were unnatural, coursing with a sickly blue fire, appearing almost green. The flames also were emitting golden embers that streaked within them, sparking every which way. It was fire without fuel but ignited just the same as if it did.

The way it appeared seemed eerily reminiscent of the divine blue flame that the ancient Sheikah were known to have used to fuel their marvelous technological wonders from long in the past. But, even still, this inferno seemed corrupted and gave off a malicious vibe of energy that pulsed from it. To those sensitive to it, felt as if an invisible but evil presence had overcome the camp. It made Zelda's hairs stand on end as she stared deeply into its flame from afar.

That fire was so powerful as it waved and flickered high into the sky, that it pulled a strong draft of wind from all around, dragging with it all the nearby smoke, making it easier to breathe. This was the only pleasant side effect of its existence.

Link groaned, trudged back up to one knee from his hard crash to the grass moments prior. Glancing all around over both shoulders, he tried to reorient himself with his surroundings when a soldier ran up from behind him.

"Sir-Knight, are you alright!?" the man shouted, helping the young hero back up to his feet.

"Yeah...I'm fine. Just a few scratches. Thanks," he coughed back, patting and shaking off the dirt from his clothes.

Link feeling brash and upset that he was bested by this mysterious villain began to march straight towards the towering wall of fire for another attempt at confronting him.

The soldier reached out to grab Link's shoulder and stopped him before he moved another step. "No, sir-Knight! Are you mad? You'll be killed! Nobody can brave a pillar of fire such as that! That fire is unholy, sir! Look how it blazes tall without having to feed."

They both watched as it bellowed up high without having any fuel to quench its flame. Yet, even with that amazing spectacle, only the grass underneath was charred. Nothing else was being consumed.

Snapping back to his senses, Link nodded in agreement to the soldier who lifted him up. Link was so consumed by rage during the moment that he was willing to dare anything to stop that person from escaping. But, as he thought more of it, he realized how foolish of an idea that it was if he were to try and pierce through the wall of fire. So, he turned back to face the soldier.

Before he could utter a word, at that instant, speeding in from the west part of camp, another soldier galloped up to them on horseback, shouting frantically. "They've taken the herd! We have to save the herd!"

Link spun swift to the man who ran up beside him.

Out of breath, the soldier pleaded. "Sir-Link, they are scattering the army's supply of livestock! We have spotted a small band of bokoblins just south of here. Men are facing them in the field as we speak, but they will need our help if they are to survive! We were too few when they surprised us, so I was sent to find help! The enemy plans to make off with most of our cattle. Luckily, they haven't gone far, though."

Link replied. "That means these fires were only just the beginning and must have been just a distraction. If we hurry, we can meet them on horseback. Okay, then we have not a moment to lose. We can still cut them off at the river junction if they are on foot. They are just bokoblins after all and will have to go around the water. That will slow them down and give us our chance to strike back. Quickly, gather your men, and let's make haste for them now. There's still time!"

"Should I go back to camp and let the high command know? We could muster more of the army, surely we would be able to stop them then?" the man asked.

"No. There isn't any time for that," Link replied sternly. "They are too far away. By the time we would arrive with the bulk of the army, these men who are fighting them now would be lost. And then they would have gotten away. Just the men we can spare from putting out the fires that are with us now should be enough! It will have to do! Now go and alert them! We leave at once!"

Yes, Sir!" the man hollered, slapping the reins to his horse, taking him back to where the others were.

Glancing around himself again and saddened by the sight, Link saw that his horse had not been as fortunate as he and did not survive the fall. Its neck was twisted as it lay dead on the ground nearby. Even though it was only just a horse, Link felt as if he betrayed the beast's trust. Moments earlier, he guaranteed its safety, and now it was no more.

But Link wasn't about to let that wear him down. Instead, he used that sadness he had for the poor animal and funneled it into a burning desire to strike back hard at the enemy. And, with that, he shot a look back to the other guard who was alongside him. "Let us hurry! We need to stop those bokoblins before they make off with all the army's cattle. There is still time!" Urgently, they then ran back to help the others.

Finding another horse, Link rallied a small force of Illiastar men, around ten or fifteen soldiers from the fire line, and charged off to where the skirmish was being waged outside of camp. As he moved away with the small company, he saw the bright sky from behind him flicker into sudden darkness. Curious to see what caused the night sky to darken once again, he peered over his shoulder for just a moment. There, he saw the once roaring wall of flame that guarded the entrance to the woods had gone out as if it never existed at all.

But there was no time to focus on that now. He had more significant problems to worry about. He needed to save the cattle from being stolen from the enemy.

Upon his arrival, Link saw that the men that were fighting in all directions ahead of him. They were outnumbered four to one and were pursuing the enemy monsters up a hill. This puts them at a significant disadvantage. However, Link was determined to fight the enemy and take back what was stolen, no matter the odds.

This would prove a more laborious task than anticipated, though. It was nothing for bokoblin commanders to sacrifice their underlings. Their miserable lives meant absolutely nothing to them, and they were routinely used as fodder for the war effort. The use of sheer overwhelming numbers was the main tactic of the enemy scourge.

On the other hand, hylians didn't fight that way. They fought in a more precise manner. Being Hylians as well, they fought with a sense of dignity, paired with a moral code. To them, the sacrifice of any one man wasn't in vain, and each man's life was worth saving.

Deep amid battle, Link led a charge through a line of bokoblin reds, easily slicing them down like the tall grass they stood upon.

It was too late, though, and the knight hadn't realized that they were heading straight for a trap. Just as he gazed to the top of the hill, watching the runaway stampede of cattle rushing upwards. The beast of burden was being chased out by the bokoblins. And as his eyes met the peak, he saw leering over with his arms crossed, cold as a statue, a lynel. Link also noticed that his band of soldiers was still in hot pursuit just behind him and before he could react and stop them from following any further, the worst happened.

A rain of arrows came falling from the sky, stabbing and impaling some of the men who were riding behind him.

Looking back again to the top of the bluff, he saw that the lynel had given the order for an awaiting line of bokoblin archers to fire the volley of arrows.

Link waved his mighty sword skyward. "Hold! Hold the line! Halt!" he commanded back, yelling at the men who were charging in from behind him unaware of the trap.

As fiery arrows continued to fall, the link saw men get struck one by one. Men were collapsing to their deaths. And just as he was about to shout again and pull his stallion back, a stray bolt slashed across his sword arm as he carried it up above his head, slicing a clean cut. Grunting in pain, he jerked the reins to his horse. He seethed through his teeth as the blood flowed down from his bicep to his elbow.

Injured and opening his eyes yet again, he called out to the remaining men. "Fallback! It's no good. We need to retreat! We are in a clear range of their archers!"

"But sir, what about the herd?! They've taken all our cattle!" A soldier behind him pleaded.

"We don't have a choice. We must retreat! It's too late to save the cattle. We'll be butchered if we stay here any longer!" Link continued. "Back to camp! Fallback!"

The Hylian champion knew the outcome would be dire if they were to continue the offensive. The enemy was too far up ahead of them, and the commanding lynel practically was all but daring them to chase them further, to be played right into his hands even more.

At the knight's order, the men slowly backed away out of range. Some began to lift others who fell and were limping from their wounds while others were being dragged to safety. The fallen were left to their grassy graves, for it was still too dangerous to retrieve their corpses.

The enemy lynel leader looked down at the scattering Hylian troops with pure glee. And with a salivating cruel smile, now that he had won his prize, turned and strolled away, fleeing back into the open wilderness with his horde.

Dismayed, Link pulled back his men toward the safety of the camp. They may have been defeated this time around, but they would live to fight another day. He hoped.