A/N: Sorry I didn't get this chapter out sooner. My life is hectic with moving and work so I've not had as much spare time as I would like. Enjoy the chapter and I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Also, if you want to know how I picture Hyrule looking in this fic, just look at the map from Twilight Princess only larger and more spread out.

~Moon White Rose

Chapter 38

"Mamma! Daddy! Les go!" An amused grin passed between Ivy and Conner at the order of their three year old son. He was as rambunctious and demanding as the day was long, but they loved him for it. He ran down the dusty path from the house to the main road and fell. Like lightning he was on his feet and charging back towards them. "Les go! Huwee!" he said before proceeding to take his father's hands into his and tug.

"Easy, little man." Conner scooped up his son and tossed him in the air. Ivy gasped out of fear even when all that could be heard was laughter from her child as he was caught. She hated it when Conner did that and shot him a dirty glare to make her displeasure known. "Oh stop it, Ivy. I'm not going to drop him; he's always safe with me."

"I'm his mother; worrying is part of the job." Her words were heard then promptly ignored as Conner tossed him in the air again. "Conner! Honestly," she snapped. Her husband and son laughed at her and against her will, she was soon smiling. If she were honest, she could recall her father doing that with her and that she had loved it. 'I guess I am turning into my mother after all; she didn't like it either.' Ivy shook her head; if she was this bad at only twenty-four, how bad would she be when she was her mother's age?

Conner set the boy down and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist while placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Sorry to have scared you, love. Let's not let this day be ruined, we're supposed to be having fun, remember?" She simply nodded and kissed him back to let him know he was forgiven. Alex caught sight of the affectionate gestures between his parents and scrunched his nose while making gagging noises.

"Mamma, Daddy, thas ucky!" he proclaimed. The adults broke apart and merely smiled. One day, he wouldn't find it so "ucky", just like they had. The trio resumed walking and some twenty minutes later entered town. Normally simple and typical in appearance, the whole place was lit up with bright colors and the sounds of joy. Their town-on the edge of North Hyrule Field- had been blessed with a larger than normal harvest and the town had decided to celebrate.

On top of that, taxes were actually starting to go down and they were about as far from the war as one could get, assuming one didn't want to brave the harsh, frigid environments of Snowpeak. All of this had led to the need to have a day of fun and merriment and no one objected. "Wow!" Alex's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he looked at the bright banners and smelled the tempting treats. "I wan evathin!"

"Everything," Ivy corrected gently. "Besides, I don't think you have a stomach big enough to have every single goodie, but you'll definitely get something." Alex didn't seem too terribly disappointed by her words; some of his friends were playing in the square and he was suddenly anxious to join them.

"Mamma, Daddy, I wanna play too!" Conner looked and saw a few adults keeping a sharp watch on the high strung little ones. They gave permission and in seconds Alex was surrounded by his friends. The sight made them both happier than they could say. The war with the Gerudo and the tight hold placed on them by the royal family had left them both initially worried that their son wouldn't have a normal childhood.

Now those fears seemed like distant nightmares. "It's so nice to see him be happy." The two decided to take advantage of their alone time and settled at a table outside the town's small restaurant. "I think this was a great idea; we all needed an excuse to have fun," Ivy said with a smile.

"I agree. Taking a break from routine is good. I'm just thankful we have so many good things to celebrate. From the day the war was declared, I was so scared what that would mean for all of us. Now though, I think I can finally start breathing. We're such a tiny community; if we were to be drafted, I think it would have already happened." Ivy gripped her husband's hands, fingering his silver wedding band. That had been a fear of hers as well; that he would be drafted and taken away from them. Conner noticed her intense look and pulled his hand away to stroke her cheek. "Ivy, relax. I'm not going anywhere. Nothing is going to happen to us. Don't worry."

When he looked at her so imploringly, it was impossible for her to argue. "Fine," she sighed. "Just don't bring that up again, ever. I hate thinking of you being sent out to fight against the Gerudo. Alex needs you, I need you. I cannot imagine you being gone." Conner wisely kept his mouth shut and pulled her to her feet instead. They soon became swallowed up by the festival and the dark conversation was forgotten.

The day was filled with music and dancing; laughter, joy and way too many sweets. It was sunset and things were starting to wind down. "Bes day," Alex sleepily yawned, snuggled in Ivy's lap. She herself was too tired to verbally agree, but inwardly she felt her son had gotten it right on the nose. This had been the best day that they had had in a long, long time. In seconds Alex was soundly asleep and Ivy nodded off; that's how Conner found them ten minutes later when he returned from helping a friend.

It was a beautiful sight, seeing his son and wife so peacefully happy. He almost didn't have the heart to wake them, but they had to get home and tomorrow meant getting back to work. Just as he was about to wake them, a shrill neigh sounded in the distance, near the entrance of town. He looked in the general direction but couldn't tell what was going on. Others were heading that way so he figured he could let his family sleep a little while longer. He joined the crowd and soon was squished in a sea of bodies. There was a lot of talking and he couldn't tell where one conversation started and another ended.

Eventually he spotted the town mayor talking to someone he didn't recognize. The moment he set eyes on the stranger however, something went sour in Conner. It was clearly a nobleman or some other "important person". The only people who showed up looking like that were tax collectors looking for the king's money. They were never welcomed in their tiny community of farmers and tradesmen and Conner wondered as to why this person was here now.

The mayor and stranger conversed for many moments. Clearly the mayor was distraught and angry, but the man he spoke to merely held out a scroll. Conner watched the mayor read it. His shoulders sagged and he shook his head. 'That isn't good. Were the lower taxes just a mistake? Are they looking for more money?' Before he could wonder anything else, the mayor motioned for all to be quiet.

"Citizens, we have an honored guest with us today. This is Lord Agahnim, Chief Advisor to King Eric. He comes to us with news from the King." The man stepped forward and glared at every one of them coldly. Conner hated the look and wished he could slap it off the nobleman's face.

"I will not waste any time; this town has stayed out of the war due to location and that it provides Hyrule with things it needs. That however will no longer be the case. Precious little from this town have volunteered to aid in the war with the desert swine so, effective immediately, this town is under draft inspection. Tomorrow, all men sixteen and over are to be evaluated. Seniors and infirmed are excused. No women whatsoever. Anyone found trying to avoid inspection will be branded a traitor to the crown." The last sentence abruptly quelled the uproar brought on by the initial announcement. No one said a word and Agahnim nodded. "Very good; report back here tomorrow morning. You all are dismissed."

Conner felt his world spin. A draft… how could this be happening? Were they possibly losing the war? This was a community of farmers mostly, not soldiers! How desperate was the king? Like disrupted bees buzzing around their hive, several thoughts swarmed around his mind, one being more prominent then the rest.

He was young, strong, and healthy which practically guaranteed he would be taken.

He was going to fight against the Gerudo.

Ivy watched the dawn creep in with bleary, bloodshot eyes. Yesterday, she had been awake at this time too, only then, everything had been bright and beautiful with the promise of festivities and fun. Yesterday, her eyes had been clear and excitement had made her feel like a child again. Now she felt hollow and broken. There was no strength in her bones; in fact, they felt brittle and as strong as wet paper. Stiffly she made it to a chair before her legs gave out and she fell into it.

She wanted to cry and scream; to find the man responsible for this mess and strangle him. Hyrule had plenty of strong men, why did they want to take her husband away? Couldn't they see she needed him more? How would she manage the farm? And Alex, he needed his father! How would she explain everything to him?

"Ivy?" Conner settled next to her and took her hands in his. They sat in silence for many minutes as the house slowly filled with sunlight. Conner brought her hands to his lips and softly kissed each one. "I have to go," he said softly. "I'll be back later. Who knows, maybe I won't be chosen, or if I am, I'll get assigned to something safe. We don't know how this will turn out." Since they both knew he was lying, Ivy said nothing, but heaved a tired sigh.

"Go on, if Alex wakes up and you're still here, you'll never get there in time. I'll feed the livestock this morning and get the stalls mucked. "We'll be okay. Go." They shared a brief kiss and a minute later he was out the door. Ivy could tell tears were building inside her, ready to burst out at any second, but she willed them down.

One way or another, she had to bury her grief. It would scare Alex if he woke up and saw her crying. She went back to her room and splashed cold water on her face. She looked a little better once she was dressed and had her hair brushed; if she didn't look too closely, then she thought she looked normal. "And that's how things are going to stay," she muttered to herself. "Things will stay normal…they just have to."

The morning past without much problems; she and Alex had breakfast and when he asked where his father was, she said he had needed to go into town for a meeting. Alex accepted the answer and proceeded to shadow her as she mucked out the stalls and groomed the horses, "helping" whenever he could. By the end of lunch, Conner still wasn't back and worry grew in Ivy again, but she brushed it aside. 'Everything is just fine. Everything is just fine.' The words became a chant as she did the rest of the work by herself.

By dinner, she was ready to go to bed; she nearly fell asleep as she methodically stirred their soup. "Mamma? Don't sweep!" She shook herself awake and smiled down at him.

"Yes sir." Her mock salute made him giggle uncontrollably and she felt her first real smile of the day work its way across her face.

That was the sight which met Conner when he suddenly walked through the door. Ivy immediately stopped laughing and stood completely still. Alex, oblivious to the sudden change in the room, ran to his father. Conner picked him up and hugged him hard…a scroll clutched equally tightly in one hand.

He had been drafted.

A/N: Well, I know this was quite the odd chapter; truthfully, I think this was the most difficult chapter I have written yet, mostly for one big reason. The story is supposed to focus mainly on the girls; the only exception to this rule was Ganondorf's bedtime story in earlier chapters. I do not mind little bits of chapters being dedicated to other characters, so long as the girls remain the main focus.

So, so much of this chapter wanted to focus on Conner and namely, his time in the army. Unfortunately, that would be a long, long chapter (or chapters) so I decided on a compromise. This chapter just shows a peek into Ivy's life and her reaction to what she views as a death sentence for her husband.

For Conner, I'm going to do a little side story; no longer than four chapters, and I seriously doubt it will even be that long. The story will pick up on the day he leaves to the day he returns. It will be titled, Service to the Crowns and I hope to have it up fairly quickly. Odds are though, it will be a bit darker themed than Divine Punishment, so you've been warned.

Anyway, now that that is out of the way, thank-you to the following people for reviewing:

HiddenInTheSun, ERGA, Mondm180, Guest, Midna, and Hanyoualchemist1.

Also, a quick request for you readers; PLEASE VOTE IN MY POLL! I've only had six votes! I need more, so please vote, even if you just pick one at random. The poll will be open until the end of Divine Punishment, so please do it and tell your friends to do it too; it would really help me a lot. Thanks! :)

~Moon White Rose