Hyrule Castle

A line of guards stood ready outside the shrine that had been called the 'Portal Shrine' by those who knew about it. Made up of Hyrulian, Zora, and Gerudo forces, the races in Hyrule who had an actual standing army, they were waiting for any sign of trouble to come from the shrine. Thus far, nothing bad had happened.

Still, when it shone a bright blue, the shimmering portal coming to life, they were ready. Hyrulians clutches royal weapons close, archers ready to let loose. Zora lifted spears up for battle. Gerudo warrior woman held their weapons out, their grips seemingly lose, but really tight as iron, ready to unleash their dancing style of combat.

Then Zelda stepped forth from the portal. The guards relaxed immediately, calming themselves, though they still held weapons ready just in case. Zelda looked around and smiled at them.

"We have arrived with guests. Please, do not be alarmed," she said as Link stepped forward.

The guards watched with trepidation as Zelda and Link took positions on either side of the portal. Then, he stepped out.

He was tall, as tall as some Gerudo woman. His ears were painfully short, and his build was thick. His face was covered in a thick beard. He looked like Hyrulian, but with enough differences that one could easily tell he wasn't. He was also wearing a heavy furcoat over leather armor, and wore a greatsword that was taller than most Hyrulians.

"Hail, Lord Eddard Stark, of Westeros," Zelda said with a smile. "And his attendants."

Behind him, three people strode forward. Walder, Jon, and Rodrik, came forth. The Westerosi men came to a stop on seeing the guards before them, Rodrick reflexively touching his swords handle.

"Welcome to Hyrule," Zelda said kindly, bowing to Ned just a bit. Then she frowned. "Or at least, this room under Hyrule Castle. We shall have to go upstairs so you can see something more interesting."

"Believe me, your Grace," Ned said, stunned as he stared at the group of nonhumans before him. "I find this quite interesting already."

Ned's choice of people to bring to Hyrule was made with the simple thought of who was least likely to cause issues.

First, Ned himself had to go. Queen Zelda had gone into far more unknown dangers after all, and he would do her the respect of doing the same in turn. More than that, he had two other reasons. First, simple curiosity. While the Sheikah Plate was able to display the wonders of Hyrule in perfect quality, better than the best portraits Ned had ever seen by an incredible magnitude, there was something to be said for seeing things for yourself. Second, his presence would be essential on the trip. He trusted his men, true, but as their leader he was the one who had to see their potential allies strength, weaknesses, to see how they governed, what sort of land they came from. The fact he could do it with such ease made it that much easier.

Then, there was Walder. In all his battles, Walder had been a constant presence. His friend and fellow warrior, a man of honor and intelligence who had his back no matter the horrors they faced. If he was to go to an unknown land, Ned didn't know who would be better to bring along. Mostly because Walder would do his best to come whether Ned asked him to or not.

Then, there was Rodrik. As his primary military advisor, Rodrik had a mindset that Ned decided would be useful. It might be easy to simply stare in fascination at all the wonders of Hyrule, caught up in a land of monsters and races from fantasy. Maester Luwin, bless him, was someone who would want to learn and research everything he could. He would return to logical thinking very quickly, but the initial distraction was better to hold off on for later.

Rodrik, on the other hand, would be surprised by something for a moment. Then he would grumble, shove it into his world view, then move on with life. He wasn't infallible, true. But he was far more likely to see things in terms of 'threat/not threat', a useful mindset when entering enemy territory. Or, in this case, possible ally territory.

The last, however had caused some contention. Robb had wanted to go. But he had to stay behind to rule Winterfell in Ned's stead. Theon had wanted to go, the young boy jealous of Jon. But Ned knew that was a recipe for disaster. The young Greyjoy had a way of rubbing people the wrong way. They were lucky that Theon had yet to approach any of the Hyrulians (Though Ned had warned Robb to make sure that stayed that way while he was gone).

As for why Jon had to come along, Ned wanted to give his secret nephew a look at the world beyond Winterfell. There was more than that of course. It was in the way Jon was looking at Link now. The way he eyed the warrior. Something about that made Ned think bringing him to Hyrule would have interesting benefits.

And now, here they were, walking through the halls of a castle from another land, after a journey of mere feet from Winterfell's main gate.

But honestly, did it have to be so hot? He'd been told it would be warm, not scorching. He'd come in some of his lighter furs, but he still felt like he was sweating bullets.

Ned looked over at Queen Zelda, who was guiding them through the halls with a smile on her face. "Your Grace, your castle is impressive," he said as kindly as he could.

Queen Zelda turned to look at him, and her smile was positively radiant, her blush quite pretty. Ned felt a fondness for her. She may have carried herself with the grace of royalty, but she was also young-looking enough that he often found himself comparing her to Sansa and Arya. She was older than them of course, but there was still a hint of the young girl she had once been under the queen she had become.

"Thank you, Lord Stark," Zelda said. "I know it isn't quite as impressive as your own, so I am happy to have your approval."

"I cannot take credit for Winterfell," he reminded her gently. "It was created by Bran the Builder after all, and expanded upon for centuries after. Your own was left untouched this last century."

Zelda's smile became a touch sad before she regrouped. "Thank you. Now, to business," leading Ned, Link, Jon, Rodrik, and Walder, as well as a small group of guards, they continued their tour.

Zelda showed them throughout the castle. Ned quickly realized a couple of things.

First, while Hyrule Castle was smaller in terms of area than Winterfell, it was far taller. Not to the heights of the famed Casterly Rock that the Lannisters had ruled from for centuries, but still quite tall. It also carried the marks of conflict. While it looked as though it had been slowly getting cleaner, and the main structure of the tower was still quite solid, there were some signs of the battles that had been fought within recently. Scorch marks upon the stones, rubble leaving some halls closed off, and large portions of the castle that were destroyed.

Still, it was impressive in a few ways. The entire castle had been built atop a mountain and blended in with the landscape from top to bottom, a path going up the mountain. The path had several gates guarding it at interval, a few of which had been newly built. The main part of the castle was where they were now, but the windows were open enough that he could see into the landscape beyond.

So much green. For miles around, fields of grass, forests, flowers, and crystal clear water running through rivers. Even with the ruins he could see dotting the landscape, Hyrule still looked like a beautiful land rivaling the Reach in beauty.

They went into the large dining hall, found their way to the small docks situated under the castle, a library where dozens of people were rebuilding destroyed stairs and floors, the guard's chamber where Rodrik and Jon watched in interest as men and women alike trained in various combat styles.

And then, there were the people. As Zelda guided them, men and women of various races would stop what they were doing to bow politely as they passed. Tall dark-skinned women with pointy noses like Rito but even more muscular and taller than Ned himself, Hylians like Link and Zelda, men and woman covered in scales that were similar in appearance to Sidon but more slight, and the massive forms of beings like Yunobu. As they walked along, Jon stopped to stare in awe at the sight of two people flying past. One was a Rito like Teba, covered in dark black feathers, her body somehow more feminine in shape. The other was a Hylian woman, clutching tightly to a glider as she laughed. The pair met in the air, hugging close, then drifted apart again.

Ned wasn't sure how to take that.

Soon they reached the throne room. Or what had once been the throne room.

There were all the signs of a throne room, a large and spacious round room in the center of the castle. There were red-carpeted stairs leading along each side of the round room to go up to a pair of thrones.

There was also, however, a massive hole in the center of the room. It was surrounded by a large stone wall that had been hastily erected, but otherwise left untouched. Looking into it, one could imagine it was bottomless, the walls of the hole covered in strange carvings.

Ned noticed that when Link stopped to look at the hole, a savage grin crossed his face. It reminded him of Robert, when his old friend was thinking of some great enemy he had killed long ago.

Ned understood then, having heard this story. He moved on.

Zelda walked up to one of the fish people, who was working at a table that had been placed just before the thrones along with a contingent of other people. The fish man looked elderly, his green and white skin covered in wrinkles, with silver jewelry and adornments placed across his body. His head was shaped like that of a manta ray. But when he saw Zelda, the look of surprise on his face was very human.

"My Lady!" the man stepped towards them, glancing at the group around her. "You're back!"

"Yes, I am. Thank you for caring for Hyrule in my stead, Muzu."

The man, Muzu, bowed. "O-Of course… My lady, are these-"

"Yes," Zelda looked at Ned and his group, who Muzu was eyeing. "This is Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, his son Jon Snow, Rodrik Cassel, and Ser Walder, the Giant of the North."

"Lofty title," Walder mumbled to himself, getting a smirk from Link.

Muzu, in the meanwhile, was glaring at the group of them suspiciously. Oh, he hid it well. Ned was barely able to see the suspicion in his eyes. Ned, despite his years of ruling, was not a very political man, and Muzu's inhuman face made him even harder to read. But it was there.

Ned was almost relieved. While he preferred straight-forwardness in his dealing with fellow rulers, Zelda had been almost too friendly, too open. Dangerously so. It was clear that while she had great power, she had not ruled for long as Queen. Muzu, on the other hand, had some skill in politics.

"Lord Stark," Muzu bowed his head, more of a nod really. "It is a pleasure. I am Muzu, trusted advisor to Queen Zelda."

"A pleasure, Ser Muzu," Ned said gruffly. He was certain he didn't pronounce the man's name quite correctly, but he didn't seem to mind.

"He is here to assess our nation, as we have his own, and see about finalizing a deal between us," Zelda said.

"Nothing major, I assume. For all the esteem I have for your skills, my Queen, I imagine Lord Stark will need the approval of his own rulers for a treaty," Muzu pointed out.

Ned nodded. "Indeed. But I am willing to provide manpower and skill in return for food and supplies. My land struggles when it comes to providing a harvest, but your own lands are fertile. Queen Zelda tells me you need aid in rebuilding," Ned very obviously did not look at the hole in the center of the room, though Jon couldn't help himself. "The North has thousands of people I can ask to aid you. I will not force anyone. But I think, on seeing this land, they will be eager to aid you, if only to get out of the cold."

Though personally, Ned was really hoping to return home soon. This place was entirely too hot for him.

"I see," Muzu hummed, looking at Queen Zelda, who nodded her agreement. "I believe I can help then. Would you like to-"

The group was interrupted by Link, who coughed just a bit. Then he nodded towards Rodrik, Walder, and Jon.

"Oh?" Zelda seemed to understand immediately. "Yes, that makes sense. Ser Eddard, would you mind if Link took everyone else on a hunt while you discussed terms with us?"

Ned blinked, looking at Link. "So soon?"

"Best to see the threats of this land for yourselves," Zelda affirmed.

Ned stilled. A hunt. Not for a boar or deer, as he usually thought when he heard the word 'hunt', but for something stronger.

"What are you talking about?" Rodrik scowled. "I'm not leaving just to go gallivanting for some-"

"Rodrik," Ned cut him off. "Go. Let me know what you see… And be careful."

Rodrik stared at him, mouth opening and closing, before he seemed to realize what Ned had. Then his mouth snapped closed, and he nodded his head. "Very well."

Jon looked around, clenching and unclenching his fists. "You mean we're going out?"

"Seems that way," Walder said with a smile.

Link bowed to Zelda and Ned, then turned and began to walk quickly away.

"Not even going to wait for us?" Walder asked.

The Champion chuckled, but continued to walk.

"Well, come on, Jon," Walder bowed to Ned and Zelda as well, then guided the teen along. "I suppose it's time we learn how to hunt monsters."

Dragonstone, the Narrow Sea

In her chambers in Dragonstone, gifted to her by Stannis Baratheon, Melisandre of Asshai stared into flames. They danced and flitted before her, warming her skin, as she looked into the world to come. It was something she did often, to attempt to divine. She was becoming more and more successful as time passed, recently. The flames showed her so much, now. The future had become unclear, but the present was revealed to her with excellent clarity.

She looked into King's Landing, where the court of King Baratheon had left in the wake of Jon Arryn's death. There, the movers and shakers of the court prepared themselves for the changes to come. Melisandre found herself smirking. As if the petty squabbles of men would mean anything in the wars to come.

The Red Witch turned her attention to the King's procession. Even more amusement filled her. It was ridiculous procession. A drunken fat man, a beautiful queen who acted more like a spoiled child, and a spoiled child who was secretly a sociopath and bastard, ranting and raving towards each other and everyone around them as they slowly made their way North.

Then she turned her eyes to Winterfell. Her vision seemed to clear even further. She eagerly leaned towards the flames. And then, for a moment, they flickered. She didn't see Winterfell. Instead, she looked upon someplace new.

A castle atop a mountain, with sunlight coming down upon fields of green grass around it, with rivers of clear water all about.

Melisandre felt as though she was being pulled in. The vision became clearer and clearer. It went into the castle itself. There she saw four men. Three were from Westeros, the tallest of which she immediately recognized as Walder the Giant.

Then she saw him.

He strode with the grace of a dancer. His eyes were a searing blue. His blonde hair flowed with each step. And for a moment, the flames flickered. Melisandre felt her mind open.

He had been born at the beginning of his lands creation, and would be there for it's end. He walked across battlefields across the centuries, ancient memories within a forever young soul and body. His hands were soaked in blood, steeped in magic. He had dived into the darkness, soared in the light.

She saw it over and over. She was no longer staring into the flames, but kneeling on the floor, clutching her head. She was screaming. The (memories/truth/lives) flowed into and out of her, never staying long enough to leave more than an impression.

A battle in the skies, the Hero slicing down with a blade of lightning into the heart of evil itself. A wolf in twilight ripping it's enemies apart. A child out of time, ripping through the same evil, wearing a mask to ascend into a dark god.

Then, the symbol. It burned out of the visions. It became her whole world. Three triangles. A simple geometric pattern. And it was everything. But for him, the right bottom triangle sang. A song of hope in the inevitable, of stubborness, of rage… of courage.

The fires blazed forth, scorching her right palm. Her eyes stared into nothing. And then, she saw it.

The sword. The Sword That Seals the Darkness. The sword forged in the fires of battle. The sword pulled out by the hero. The sword that brings light. The Lightbring-

The visions stopped. For a long moment, Melisandre twitched on the floor, unable to feel anything, even the pain of her burnt right palm. She stared blindly at the world, opening and closing her mouth, sweat dripping off her face, breasts, and arms to soak the stones beneath her. Tears poured down her cheeks.

The sword. The man. They shone out in her mind, blazing forth like the flames that had now died.

Melisandre found herself certain, now and forever, that she had found her purpose.

And it would be fulfilled. No matter who got in her way.

Hyrule Castle, Castle Stables

Standing before the newly built stables of Hyrule Castle, just before the fields, Link, Jon, Rodrik, and Walder had met up with the stablemaster. A large section of land had been fenced off, with horses strolling around it, eating the grass that grew healthily in their pen.

"So two horses?" the stablemaster asked Link. When the knight nodded, the Rito stablemaster frowned. "You sure about those two horses? I mean, the big one is… persnickety."

Link cocked an eyebrow at the stablemaster. Then he looked behind him at Walder. The stablemaster did the same, his beak quirking in sudden realization.

"Ah. Very well, champion."

Link watched the man walk away, listening idly as Walder, Jon, and Rodrik talked behind him.

"Are we really just going out to fight monsters?" Jon asked, trying to sound like he wasn't unnerved. "Like Sidon and Yunobu?"

Walder nudged him, scowling. "Sidon and Yunobu aren't monsters, Jon. I rather think they and those like them would be offended by such a statement."

Jon blinked, then spun to look at Link, a guilty look on his face. Link turned just a bit to look at him, then turned away again.

Rodrik shrugged. "But yes, I suppose we are going to fight monsters, boy. Not something I ever thought I'd have to do, but a blade is a blade, an enemy is an enemy," Rodrik grumbled while looking around. "Still, does it have to be so damned hot?"

It was true. While Winterfell was currently in the middle of summer, and thus was covered in green across it's lands, it was still far chillier than Hyrule.

Soon, the stablemaster returned, pulling two horses along. One was a little larger than the other, but not by much, just enough that it was clearly meant for Walder.

"Sure you don't want the Giant?" the stablemaster asked, eyeing Walder. For a moment, the Westeros natives thought he somehow knew Walder's nickname. Then Link turned to look at the pen. When they looked over as well, the Giant stood out.

He was incredible. He towered over the other horses, their heads only coming up to his shoulder. His legs alone were taller than Link was. His skin was coal black, and his hair was long and flowing, a deep orange color like fire.

Link shook his head with a sad sigh.

Walder stared at the horse, a horse practically made for him. "Why not that one?"

Link explained. Because that horse, named Phantom, had not been tamed. It had chosen. Link was it's rider. Only Link. And anyone else that tried would be trampled by a beast capable of shattering granite with his hooves.

Walder, frowning at that, accepted to reins to the large, but nowhere near as large as Phantom, horse he'd been given. "Very well. And will you and Jon ride with us?"

Link smirked. Jon felt a jolt of fear.

"OLD GODS, SLOW DOWN!" Jon screamed, clutching at Link for dear life as they bounced across the landscape. He screamed again as they leaped off a hill and were airborne for a long moment, his stomach falling under him. Then they landed, and once again they were rushing along at high speed.

The ride underneath them, a strange mount Link called the Master Cycle Zero, roared across the landscape with the pair of young men atop it. It was shaped like a smaller horse, right down to the carving at the front of it, with a 'horn' of strange metal pointing straight ahead. It 'ran' on wheels that somehow moved on their own. The front wheel turned at Link's command, sending them careening about faster than any horse Jon had ever ridden.

It was exhilarating but somehow terrifying. At those speeds, Jon was somehow more aware than ever of how easy it was to die by hitting something. The wind whistled past, flecks of dust kept hitting his face, and Link wouldn't stop leaping off hills!

They drove across the open hills of Hyrule Field, followed by Walder and Rodrik. Sometimes they slowed so they could catch up. Then Link would point where they were going, and zoom forward once again.

They passed by deer in forests, horses grazing in open fields, and small rough farms that had sprouted up in the flatter sections. At one point, they rode past a guardian.

The strange 'machine' as Link and Zelda called things like the Sheikah Plate, Master Cycle Zero, and other such wonders reminded Jon of the crabs that were sometimes shipped in from the coast. The long legs that carried a squat and powerful body, with the body itself shaped more like a very short guard tower, rather than anything organic. It had a single glowing eye that shone a bright blue, with lines across its metal form that shone the same color of blue, as well as a shade of orange.

Link kept a close and suspicious eye on that creature as they rode past. The creature ignored them, however. It simply roamed around, claws carrying it with incredibly light steps across the fields, it's head spinning around and around to look at everything at once.

"Is it dangerous?" Jon yelled to Link.

Link hesitated. Then he moved on.

Soon, they came upon an area next to a river. Link slowed down to a stop, rolling across the ground. From the hill he'd chosen to stop on, Jon had an excellent view of the forest. It was rather pretty, the trees gathered around a clearing that opened up onto a beachy shore next to a river.

Jon got off the master cycle as soon as he could, sighing in relief as he took in the feel of his boots pressing down onto hard-packed earth and blades of grass. But his real focus was on the clearing.

"Bloody fuck, that thing is fast," Rodrik grumbled as he rode up on his own horse, swinging off of it. "Like damned lightni-... Fuck."

"That's a lot bigger than I thought it was," Walder noted as he walked up to join the quartet. "And the pictures looked pretty damn big."

A giant rested in the center of the clearing. It was asleep, snoring as a massive round belly rose and fell. A necklace of weapons rested about it's chest. A single eye took up most of its round face, it's skin a deep blue. It wore a loincloth, a vest, and two wooden greaves on each leg. It was the size of a small house, with odd bestial proportions. It's snoring was like an echoing roar, an almost comical bubble of snot growing and shrinking as it breathed.

"So we're here to kill that?" Rodrik asked. Jon turned to stare at him. The beast had skin that looked tough as stone, was as tall as the trees around it, and he was unfazed?

Link shook his head, point towards himself. He took a moment to touch the sheikah plate.

The Hylian had already changed back at the castle, now wearing an armored chest plate, pale green cloth, and more armor around his arms. Now a mask popped out of the Sheikah plate in a flash of blue. When Link put the mask on, his eyes were now shining a bright white. The mask had a pale green hat that went along with it, and made his hair appear white.

He looked… fierce. Monstrous. With his face covered, Jon could no longer see his usually playful smile. Only the neutral gaze of a warrior. Combined with the chestplate, it was intimidating.

Link began to stride forward.

"Just you?" Walder asked. "You sure you won't need help?"

The Hylian shook his head. Then, without preamble, he rushed forward.

On his back, the Master Sword flashed out of existence. What replaced it was a massive sword. It was almost as tall as Link himself, but looked very different from any blade Jon had seen before. Rather than a single blade, it looked like two swords had been twisted together, leaving two gaps, one near the point and the other near the hilt. One of the 'blades' was a deep green color. The other was more of a blue.

Rather than the sword, Link pulled his bow off his shoulders instead. When he put an arrow to it, Jon blinked. The bow was covered in black metal, but it still had wood at it's core, and seemed normal. But the arrow was strange. It had a ball attached to the end of it. Then the ball seemed to spark to life. And when Link fired, the arrow crossed the space between himself and the giant only a moment before Link fired it again, and a third time, at a ridiculously fast rate.

The first arrow hit. Then it exploded in a ball of flame, Jon stepping back in shock.

"Ah… so that's a bomb arrow," Walder mumbled to himself.

"GRUUUUH!" the blue giant grumbled, shaking itself awake as the second and third bomb hit it, sending it rolling along the ground. The clearing was scorched by the massive amount of flames caused by the bombs, debris flying about as leaves fell from the trees to drift onto the ground and floating into the river.

Still struggling to awaken, the giant's eye snapped open, long fingernails carving at the dirt as it got to its feet. Then it saw Link.

Link put away the bow and lifted the massive blade off his back, hefting it in his arms. He strode almost casually towards the giant now glaring at him with a single enraged eye. The creature roared, reaching out and pulling a tree from the ground to heft like a club.

"GRUH!" with that barking sound, it ran towards Link, the earth shaking with each booming footstep. While it's gait was ponderous and slow due to its size, it was still making speed towards Link.

On the other hand, the far smaller warrior continued to stride calmly forward.

They met in the center. The giant swung the tree-club at Link in a sideways swipe. Jon shouted in worry while Rodrik stepped forward and clutched at his blade.

Link backflipped into the air, letting the club pass underneath him. For a moment, everything stilled. Link seemed to hang there. Then he landed and seemed to disappear, only to reappear at the feet of the giant.

"Hyaaaaa!" Link roared, spinning in a circle while holding his blade out. The blade smashed into the wooden armor on the giant's legs, shattering them apart and sending it stumbling back.

The monster roared, raising it's tree/club up and bringing it down on Link's head.

A burst of orange light surrounded Link in an orb. When the club hit the orange orb of light, the orb exploded outwards. For a moment, Jon thought he could see a figure standing before Link. Made up of green light, it reminded him of Yunobo, only even larger, standing there with arm's spread wide, a smile on his face as he protected Link.

Link dropped to his knees as the green figure flickered away and the Giant stumbled back a step. Green flickers of flame surrounded him. Wind seemed to rise from the earth at his feet for several feet around him. The giant reached out for Link.

He jumped, pulling out his glider at the same time. The wind around him exploded upwards, pushing up against his glider to elevate him dozens of feet. Another green spirit, this one similar to Teba, swirled around Link, seeming to guide the winds and send him higher and higher, until he was as high as a tower.

He hung there for a moment, flying above them all while the green spirit disappeared with an arrogant smirk. Then he folded up his glider and began to fall towards the Hinox. The creature stared up at him, arms reaching up to try and grab at him fruitlessly. Apparently the creature, for all it's fearsome size, was extremely dumb as well.

Link pulled out his bow in mid-air. Then, in a display of archery like nothing Jon had ever seen, he proceeded to fire shot after shot at insane speeds, landing the first arrow in the beasts eye. It screamed in pain, staggering back and falling onto it's ass. Link didn't stop, firing shot after shot into the creatures head, chest, and arms.

Just before he hit the ground, Link put away his bow and pulled out his glider again, turning a drop from the sky into a gentle fall. He landed and put away the glider again, pulling out his blade. The giant blearily opened it's massive eye in time to see Link swing his blade in a circle, the twisted sword slicing open the creatures belly.

"GREEE!" the creature screamed pitifully, it's intestines pouring out and steaming as blood spilled.

As Link spun, streams of lightning suddenly poured out from around him along with those green flames. He completed his turn by stabbing the sword into the giant's chest. As he did, another spirit appeared. She was like a taller and more built Riju, with the same long hair and large nose. The woman snapped her fingers.

From a cloudless sky, lightning crashed down around Link. The creature gasped noiselessly as the area around them was scorched by green electricity, his muscles convulsing, flesh cooking. Then, while Jon watched, the creature fell back, Link pulling his sword from it's chest, and died at last.

"Gods," Rodrik whispered, his eyes wide, mouth opening and closing.

"That thing was… and he just," Jon mumbled.

"Yes, yes he did," Walder whispered.

Then, Link turned to look at them. Behind him, the green spirit turned as well. She looked at them. And then she looked at Walder.

She smirked at the Giant. Then she pointed at her eyes with her pinky and index finger, then pointed them at Walder before fading into green flames.

"I… I'm not sure how to take that?" Walder said, confused.

"Maybe you should think on who you decide to court better then," Rodrik mumbled just out of Walder's hearing.

Link had joined them by then, putting away the mask he'd worn. Then he pointed in the distance.

"What?" Jon asked, surprised. "This isn't where you wanted to go?"

Link shook his head and explained. The monster, a Hinox, must have simply migrated too close to the castle, so he'd taken care of it before it could cause trouble. The real target was a small encampment of less dangerous monsters that had been attacking travelers.

"Hmm…" Rodrik stroked his chin. "Very well. Suppose we'll be more useful helping you with those?"

Link grinned and nodded.

"Well, lead the way," Rodrik looked at Jon. "Suppose this will be good for you boy. A real battle."

Jon swallowed nervously and nodded his agreement.

Then he felt even more nervous when Link swung onto the Master Cycle and looked at him expectantly.

"Old Gods and New, you're an absolute madman aren't you?" Jon mumbled to the man who could apparently summon fucking lightning from a cloudless sky.

Link nodded happily.

Author's Note: This chapter was an odd struggle, but I'm glad to have it out now. So, to be clear. Link is a badass, yes. But I'm planning for the next chapter with a fight to have Jon, Rodrik, and Walder show their own chops.

Then there is the deal between Zelda and Eddard, which will finally be finished and worked on. But then, there is one more thing. The greater whole of Westeros is going to start begging for the attention of Hyrule. And they'll be pretty mad about what they find.

There's a lot I'd like to have some fun with of course. For one thing, Daenery's is going to be hard to have running around the story and changing like the others, but I'll figure something out there.

Much easier will be King's Landing, the North, and other things. Can't wait to have Dorne meet the Gerudo for example.

I also decided to go with the book descriptions of the locations from here on out. Winterfell, Casterly Rock, the Red Keep, they are all much more impressive and insane than their show counterparts. Which means they are perfect for my story. Zelda wants help rebuilding, get a motherfucker with big buildings.