Hello everyone! Sorry for my absence, it's getting crazy around here with school things pooping up here and there ;;

I had this chapter written for some time now, but I don't feel comfortable posting one without having the sequel already done. It's a habit I created over the years after discontinuing many, many fics. I also reserved some time to start working on that fic I talked about, the one to be posted later. I think I wrote two (prologue excluded) chapters of twenty six, I don't remember well. Just hoping I'll be able to keep up when I need to update both; hopefully, luck and time will be on my side.

Oh, good news! I got a new laptop, a much needed new one; my old one was so, well, old the keyboard wasn't working correctly anymore. I just need to get used to this new one, especially where the shift button is located, and after all my tests are over I will write like never before.

(also been working on another oneshot collection, but I don't have many ideas (and I gotta focus on these two first))(and I changed the summary - sounds much better now!)

I apologize for the wait, and hope you find this chapter enjoyable!

Chapter IV

The morning brought a thin layer of mist and a wave of cool air, both of which fell over Ordon. Zelda woke to find herself still dressed in the garbs she wore the previous day and alone in the house she and Impa shared in the outskirts of the village. After lying there with her fingertips pressed to the inner corner of her eyes, she stood to make her bed and left to find the mayor, arms crossed under her bust to keep some warmth.

Missing the comfort of her blankets as she walked the path towards the village, the princess tried to recall how she got to her home, but could only remember the events up until the moment Impa found her in Hyrule Field, and remembered, albeit faintly, when she passed out due to mental weariness, too. That thought triggered a train of thoughts, the same ones that kept her awake for hours, and her fingers pinched her nose bridge as she fought against the headache that threatened to reappear.

The mayor's house was just ahead of her, and no one seemed to have left their homes just yet. Her knuckles lightly rapped on the wood to announce her arrival, and she pushed the door open to enter the living room, finding the bald man sitting on a chair by the fireplace. He looked at her from over his shoulder when the door shut behind her back and stood from his seat, motioning with a hand to the cup on the table, which she took and filled with the warm liquid from the kettle. He returned his chair to where it belonged and let her enjoy the feel of her palms cupped around the cheap porcelain before speaking.

What he was about to say, though, died in his throat when he noticed the coat she was wearing. "What is this?"

Zelda shut her eyes tightly and winced, straightening her back and dropping her elbow from the tabletop. "It belongs to General Link." It was no use hiding the truth from him; he would find out sooner or later.

Mayor Bo's crinkled eyes widened at her confession, but he did not seem to be enraged by her words, thankfully. "And why is it with you?"

"Shad-" The man sitting across from her sighed, and she smiled slightly, "asked him to take me home."

"How nice of him," he murmured; whether or not he meant it, she did not know, she was just glad he did not resort to screaming. Bo watched as she concealed part of her face behind the cup, then turned away to face the fire. "How did it go?"

She sipped the coffee, the only one thing she did not like about her life in the village. Midna knew of her preference for tea and usually used it as bait to get her to move back to Twilight Realm, but Zelda would not give in for such a reason. "I have been debating this for quite some time now." And truthfully, if the light shadows under her eyes meant something was that she was still analyzing every word and every action that came from the blond Hylian. "I cannot confirm anything, though."

"You seem troubled."

It was not an accusation, but he did not seem too pleased by her statement either. Zelda took another sip, choosing her words carefully. "What I think of him will not change the fact that I will not back down."

That answer was enough to make him turn around again. Cup crinkling on the tabletop, Bo clasped his hands together and inched closer to the edge of his seat, leaning forward as if ready to share a secret. "And... What about him?"

An involuntary shudder rolled down her spine, and she, too, set her cup down. "Shad said they are doing terrible things to him. So terrible he thinks he will not open his eyes again."

Bo set his jaw, fingers curling inward tightly. Zelda brushed a stray lock of hair away and averted her gaze downwards, nails picking at the metal band around her thumb, and teeth biting down on her bottom lip. Blinking her eyes rapidly, the woman reclined on her chair and did not meet his eyes. "They want to know who we are."

"For Ordona's sake," the man muttered and clasped a hand over his mouth, disbelief washing over him. To capture a man and hold him hostage just to find out the identity of fours assassins... Ganondorf must really fear them if he wants to get rid of them so quickly. But perhaps, he did not fear them – he had an army that could take them down if they really put their hearts to it – but if their resistance inspired the population to do the same, the kingdom would collapse again.

The mayor resorted to crossing his arms and staring blankly at his cup of coffee, not noticing when his daughter appeared from upstairs after calling twice and started talking to the Hylian on the other side of the table about the things planned for the day. There was nothing they could do now, it was either fight or back away, on one hand their friend's death was possible, on the other it was a definite end.

They had to value his sacrifices.

The cavalry was just preparing to depart and the group would be leaving without the presence of their captain. Ashei stormed through the hallways, armor clanking with every step, and her negative vibes sent servants out of her way, but she hardly saw anything past the red in her vision. Only red, red and rage and blood boiling under her skin as she took long, quick strides towards the library, hands so tightly fisted her joints screamed in protest.

She all but kicked the door open, sending it flying in an arch and leaving a foot print on the wood. The Hylian inside the room jumped at the loud bang that echoed inside, then cowered away with a hesitant and nervous smile as the knight closed the gap between them, hooked a hand in the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. "Explain." She bit out, face dangerously close to his and tone as restrained as her patience would let her.

Shad patted her wrists lightly, hoping she would release him, but she only shook him once, trying to force words out of him. "I-It's important-"

"It better be." Without warning, Ashei released his shirt and hastily pulled one chair to seat as the man fixed his outfit. "Now spit it out."

He wordlessly pushed a glass of water in her direction and stood from his seat to close the door, taking the care of looking out at the hallway to check for anyone who could come and enter. The most important people would not pass by; Link was leaving to Kakariko (without Ashei, Shad reminded himself, and she was pissed at that), both Nabooru and Ganondorf would attend to a meeting that would take at least two hours to finish, he had enough time.

He was back at the table two heartbeats later. The glass he passed her was drained of all contents, but Ashei did not seem to have gotten rid of her ill feelings. Shad dared pat the back of her hands – it was a good sign that she let him do that – and returned to his seat, eyes boring into hers. He contemplated how to say it, how to break it out to her that their friend was alive, but the stress line between her eyebrows got deeper and deeper with each second, her patience running thin.

"Zelda is alive." He blurted out just when she was about to speak, or probably scream, and that took her completely out of guard. Her mouth snapped shut and all traces of anger left her expression, leaving the knight staring blankly at him as she had always had. Shad swallowed and breathed in sharply, breaking the silence. "She is alive."

For the longest time Ashei sat there, unmoving and silent, eyes taking the longest time to blink. Finally she seemed to register what was said, and after shaking her head slightly she leaned in closer, tone low. "So the girlfriend Link was talking about...?"

The scholar breathed out in relief, glad that she had picked up on it so quickly like he knew she would. "That's her," he whispered and organized the papers on the tabletop to busy his hands.

Ashei looked away deep in thought, chin propped on her closed fist and eyes focused on nothing. Shad knew that look all too well; while it did not mean she doubted him, it meant she was trying to weigh it and see if it could be true. None of them saw when she escaped, it was impossible to judge from there. So he told her about the crown and how it was the real one. It would be easier to convince her now, for they knew Rosenna's crown was never found after the attack, they had simply come to a mutual, silent agreement that it was stolen during the commotion.

That seemed to be enough for her. Ashei slumped on her seat and rubbed at her eyes with her fingertips. "I can't believe it..."

He nodded, to show he knew how she felt and to affirm the truth once more. "She lives, Ashei." He reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, which she returned firmly. "She can help us."

She fought hard to fill her lungs with air; the truth was so good it left her breathless. "Let's pray to Nayru that she can." Shad smiled, and both of them forgot about the cavalry crossing the outer drawbridge.

General Link had had better days. The Gorons were unwilling to cooperate and it was the third time that month he was sent to talk to them, to no avail. Their patriarch would not grant him access to his chamber, and Goron after Goron rolled down the path and prevented Link from reaching the base of Death Mountain. It was sickening, how little they respected their king, Link physically felt ill and angry at their actions.

He met with his men at the foot of the ladder he had climbed, not too far from the farthest spot he could reach that day, and briefed them in on their current situation. His father had granted him five tries to contact the rock eating beings before he decided to come around himself and, in his words, "teach them to not make their king look like a fool". Link had only two more tries to prove his worth as a leader.

They walked back towards the main street of Kakariko, ready to go to the inn they had checked in. If he returned on the same day he left it would be no good to his image, not to mention Ganondorf would be sorely disappointed with him, and the thought of it was unacceptable. Link would not make the king regret the decision of putting him in such a high rank in the army; he was trained to be the best, he would be the best. He would meet all of his expectations and surpass them; Link had been, after all, raised by the Gerudo, the strongest of races.

So lost in his thoughts he was, he did not notice the group approaching and only realized they were there when one of their horses whined, catching Epona's attention. Lifting his gaze off the ground, he was surprised to see two girls accompanied by a cloaked figure and even more surprised once he recognized one of them as Shad's friend, Griselda, whom he had taken home just on the previous day. She did not seem to see him there, and only when the shortest of the trio moved backwards and closer to the taller did she realize they were not alone, her blues eyes locked with his and she stopped mid-sentence, mouth sealing shut slowly.

Link ordered his men to stay put by lifting a hand and strode towards the smaller group, Griselda walked to meet him after whispering something to her companions, and they stopped closer to the knights than to her friends, something his mind did not register. She was dressed in the same fashion as before, tunics and pants, as opposed to the shorter girl who wore typically Ordonian clothes, and the remaining person – he narrowed his eyes slightly in suspiciousness, but his attention was soon focused on Griselda again.

"You," she said simply and with such familiarity that he could have sworn they knew each other for years. Link decided then and there that he liked it.

"Me," he replied with the slightest of shrugs and one crooked smile. "I never thought I would see you again, and so soon."

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, braid swishing behind her back. "Neither did I." Maybe his ears were deceiving him, but he could swear her tone seemed almost strained, and for a fraction of a second he saw something flicker in her eyes. He could usually ready people well, but she made it hard for him, as if she was aware he could do it.

But then again, maybe she was, considering his reputation as general. "What are you doing here?"

There it was again, that flash, that sparkle. Protection; that was what flickered in her irises. She wanted to protect her companions from him and from his army, she wanted to ensure they would not lay a finger on another person from Ordon. Remembering that he had taken a man by force right before their eyes, he guessed that, maybe, she did have a reason to fear for their lives.

"We have a few things to do."

He decided not to press on the matter, not wanting to get on her bad side, fully understanding her reasons to be on guard. "Would you care to join us for supper tonight, if you are staying?"

Griselda looked pensively at him, then quickly glanced over her shoulder to see her friends walking away from the barn, no horses in sight. "I will talk to them about it. Now, we must really get going. I apologize."

"I apologize for keeping you." Link stepped aside and bid her farewell, to which she replied with a polite smile and a nod of her head. The other two that came along with her passed by him quickly and followed her closely, and Link watched them walk away whilst he returned to stand by his horse and absentmindedly scratched the side of her neck.

Blinking his way out his trance-like state, he told his men to take their horses to the barn and to retire to their bedrooms for the remainder of the day, saying they deserved some time to rest after the long trip, but when he turned his eyes to Epona again, he saw from the corner of his eyes as the trio from Ordon entered the route to Death Mountain. Panic surged through him and he gave the nearest knight the hold of Epona's reins, then set off after Griselda, calling out for her but got no answer in return.

Upon arriving at the entrance, the sight that greeted him made him freeze in his tracks, his mind failing to feel or hear anything as he stared right ahead, at the top of the slope by the ladder, where a Goron bowed before Griselda and she nodded her head in return. Link watched the scene unfold as the rock creature motioned towards the path and said something, to which she replied before going down the road accompanied by the blonde girl.

He only came back to his senses when the cloaked figure turned to face him, the intensity of their stare was strong enough to make goosebumps rise on his flesh, and Link averted his eyes before walking away, taking the posture of one who pretended to not see anything.

The last time Zelda had seen Ilia looking so troubled and scared was when Ganondorf's army had marched into Ordona province and taken one of the most important figures of the village with it. She was not shaking like she had back then, but her green eyes were wide enough to let them know that something was off. The girl was having a hard time to hold her cup without trembling once or twice, so she settled to fisting her hands on her lap and biting down on her lip, brow furrowed and muscles tense. Honestly, Zelda shared her fears.

It was only when they were ascending the mountain that Impa spoke up for the first time in a while and told them about Link, who had seen the scene right at the entrance. The princess did not give it too much thought until the Goron just outside the Patriarch's room said they were not allowing anyone to go further down the road, and then she realized her mistake. She did not show it, thanks to all the years she spent with Midna, being raised by her mother and taught how to be a proper princess, but she could not deny that she was afraid he could find out. Doing a better job in masking her thoughts was Impa, the one who could switch back and forth between expressions faster than Zelda could.

Darbus, the Goron patriarch, looked as serious and as unreadable as always, seated across from them in a cross-legged position. He was not one to comfort people, not in the usual way; the strongest of Gorons had their own way of soothing someone's worry. "General Link may be many things, Your Highness," he started, efficiently drawing her attention to his face; "but one of his biggest flaws is that he can be naive."

She blinked, then shifted slightly on the pad she was seated. "I find that hard to believe, Chief."

"He can tell Ganondorf." Ilia murmured, fingers tight around the hem of her shirt. "And he will find out."

"He can, but he will not."

Ilia swallowed thickly, "How can you be so sure?"

The Goron grumbled low in his throat and lowered his elbows to his knees. "He trusts Ganondorf so blindly that he follows whatever orders are thrown his way without questioning. Give him a false explanation that is easy to believe and make him trust you, and he will not tell anyone anything."

"You are telling me to manipulate him."

"That is exactly what I am saying. You need that if you want to get to places." Zelda pressed her lips together and regarded him with hard eyes. Darbus merely met her stare unflinchingly and held it until she could no longer look at him; when her eyes were finally averted to glance at the Sheikah sitting beside her, he spoke. "Moving on to more pressing matters, I believe you are here for a reason?"

Zelda nodded her head; the reason why she came so far had long ago slipped of her mind. "Yes, actually, we came here to deliver information personally." The patriarch signaled her to go on, and Zelda wished Gor Coron was here to talk to them instead; he was more patient. "Queen Rutela of the Zoras has already departed to Twilight Realm. We are expected to leave in two weeks time. I suggest you do that beforehand as to not raise any suspicions."

"All leaders of Hyrule will be gone at the same time; I hardly doubt he will not find it suspicious." He noticed when both the Sheikah and the Princess ground their teeth together, and he admitted, he was making it so much harder for them. "Which route she took?"

"Her Majesty went west," Impa offered, giving Zelda space to breathe in deeply and recollect her thoughts.

Darbus nodded curtly. "We will go south and work from there. In five days we leave." Ilia's shoulders dropped in relief, and she pressed a hand to her forehead, eyes downcast. She seemed to have less experience in this field than her other three companions, but she was handling herself fine. He examined her for a moment, and then gazed at the woman in the middle; Ilia would toughen up as time passed. "Now I advise you to go. Stay around for much longer and you will have problems."

The trio rose to their feet and bowed in unison, earning an incline of his head in return. "Remember what I told you," he called out as they left, Zelda holding back the rough curtains that separated the chamber to the outer hall and allowing her friends to pass.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "To manipulate him, that is immoral."

"So is barging into a village and whisking away an innocent man." He countered, and her eyes narrowed further. "This is a war, there is no time for doing solely what is right. You will be a queen someday, and I am teaching you what you need to know."

Zelda focused her gaze elsewhere and pondered over his words. Her father had said many times that Darbus was an example to follow, while her mother had insisted she get inspiration from Queen Rutela. She guessed it was best to learn from both; they were both rulers of races in Hyrule and knew how the politics here worked better than anyone else. What she learned along with Midna would not apply in a kingdom as chaotic as this; Twilight Realm was on another level, one which Hyrule had once been, too. Ganondorf won her guard's submission through fear, and she had to play this game with the same cards. It was fire against fire, lies against lies, and slowly she would make her way to the top. The Goddesses would understand her reasons.

Silently, she inclined her head and followed after her friends, mind working to find the best way out. Darbus watched as the curtain fell back into place and reminded himself that her father would have told her all of this at some point in a different life.

"Chief Darbus!" Cried a Goron whilst stumbling into the room, interrupting the meeting held by the patriarch and the Goron Elders.

"What is the meaning of this!?" He barked, fists lowering to the tabletop and hitting it with enough strength to make everything upon it rattle and shake.

The Goron hurriedly gave him a deep bow and continued quickly. "It's a message! From Twilight Realm!"

Murmurs arose from the elders and the leading Goron spared them a glance before standing from his seat and following the other outside, rolling down the mountain to its base as fast as they could go. It had been only two days since the Gerudo invasion and news had already spread out that the Royal Family had been eradicated; it was only a matter of time until Ganondorf showed his face around Death Mountain and Zora's Domain, and possibly Ordon too, ready to claim what was never his.

It was terrible. He knew of the reputation they had, of thieves and things alike, but he had never expected them to overthrowthe kingdom and rise up to the power, leaving many deceased and wounded along the path. What a terrible fate had befallen his friend Daphnes and his queen Rosenna, and their poor daughter Zelda must have spent the last moments of her life scared senseless. What a despiteful man Ganondorf was; all races had lived so well together for so long, what was it that made him want to change that?

They arrived at the base, where some of his people circled around a Shadow Kargorok, which wings flapped as if to drive them away. The citizens opened a path for him and he approached the creature, ready to take the message tied to its leg when a hand on his arm stopped him. "No," Gor Coron said with a smile and stepped ahead of him. "Let me." Darbus let him, knowing it was best for him to handle the creature at the moment, seeing as it was agitated and scared.

Gor Coron reached a hand and patted its head, then moved to take the letter and passed it to the patriarch, who snapped the wax seal and took a thick paper from inside the envelope. Queen Elliét's handwriting was somewhat calming, for it meant she and her people were safe from the Gerudo's evil doings, but the contents of the message had yet to be read.

So he did, he read the letter – it was brief, consisting roughly of only ten lines, four of which were greetings and parting whishes – as someone offered water to the tired beast, and it drank from it, making the weirdest of noises as it leaned its head back to swallow the liquid. Then he read it again, for good measure, just to know that he was not reading things that were not written, and he read it once more, relief washing over him and filling every part of his body with a good feeling he could not exactly describe.

"Princess Zelda lives!" He announced and once again whispers broke through those who were close to hear. "She lives and she is hidden in Twilight Realm, under the care of Queen Elliét and King Ardian! Her protector, the Sheikah Impa, was able to flee the castle with her, and they are both well!"

Darbus turned his back to his people and prepared to ascend the mountain, only to be stopped by Gor Coron again. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for her return." He replied, crunching the letter in a hand. "And we burn this letter. Queen Rutela and Mayor Bo are receiving equal ones; it is best to let it rest in the fire of the Goron Mines." After receiving an approving nod, he resumed his trip to his chamber alone, leaving it in the hands of the former patriarch to instruct the populace.

It was the first time he felt calm in a while, still his blood boiled in his veins.