(Fan/Act/Rom) The Legend of Zelda: Empire of Darkness [T]

Finally. Chapter 17! After half a year! Now I gotta read more of it (j/k).

Originally Posted by Legendary hero

Sorry for bringing up Shan when it was clear that she was for the BA but if that was the cause then you wouldn't have brought up Sheinron in the same profile. As soon as someone sees Shan on the list of BA characters along with people already mentioned in the story they get curios(or is that just me). Plus, once they learn that Sheinron is involved they may look up Sheinron's profile and notice that Link could have freed her during his trip to Ranelu.

Also, when I mentioned that Link should have taken the Master Sword, that doesn't mean he couldn't take it when he was escaping the castle. Instead, even though he then knew how powerful Nottuu was by then, he again ignored the sword and gave back the stones(and he could have power against Nottuu and escape marrying Ruto at the same time).

If you read Shan's profile correctly you would have seen that she was not imprisoned by Sheinron during the time Link was in Ranelu. In fact, she was in the war and even after that she doesn't meet Sheinron for a whole year. I know my characters very well .

And about the Master Sword. Link doesn't think it is truly needed yet, he confident in his own skills at the current moment with his normal blade.

Okay people, I hope all of you will keep comments to a minimum until my next chapter, lest I report you. I just mean try not to post very thought that pops into your heads, m'kay? If you're gonna comment it better be a good one.

Well I already voted for you so... I hope you win.

This story is great Shrub! But it's very long...I've read a few chapters and it's taken a fw hours 0_o This could even be published as a book you know, but there'd be copyrights and approvals and gla-havens....

Let's just say that this is good, and it'll take me a while to read the rest (is reading and writing other things *cough assignment cough* at the same time)

Hey shrub! howcome you havn't posted a neww chapter? i really love this story and hope for more!

I think she is super involved in the battle arena or the school or something... I wouldn't know, I don't venture down there. She told me she had about 4 pages of it when we spoke on AIM about a month ago, but I think she forgets about it or doesn't ever want to update. We are still here loyally awaiting a new chapter if you see this Shrub. Lets make a deal, I'll delete this bumping peice of spam when you get a new chapter out... deal? deal.

Since you don't usually go there, I'll give you this.

Originally Posted by Shrub in BA OoC Thread

All righty people. I passed my permit, yay, yes, very good, whatever. However! I will not be responding to my battles right away. Instead, I'll be devoting my time to writing on my fiction works. It's bene way too long. I need a break from battles. I need serious writing for a while.

Yes, yes. This weekend is going to be largely devoted to chapter 18 and maybe some of Rontu's character fiction. Sorry for the long wait, I'm just busy with finals at school, passing permit tests, and keeping up with my work in the BA. I'm a teacher there (in the BA), so I have some students to keep up with. But, as I've said before, this weekend I'll take a break from all of that and get back to my story work.

M'kay, since ZU is likely to die very soon. I'll letting everyone know that they can find my story here on fanfiction.net for the next chapters. Good day, I must write now.

Die soon? Who said that? I personally agree that ZU's not what it used to be, but I don't think it'll die soon.

There's a possibility, Onilinkc4. I'll still post here until the site bites the dust, if it does. I'm just letting everyone know where they can find my story if it does die out. Don't worry too much, though. I'm just being careful. Well, I've got a chapter to write, excuse me.

Author’s Note: M’kay, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done. School has been such a pain in my ass. Anywho, I have a few things to mention:

1. After a little research I found out that Ganondorf’s eyes weren’t red but a sort of goldish-brown. Therefore, I’ve changed the color of Blaze’s eyes to match his father’s. I’ll go back later to fix this in my previous chapters as well.

2. In this chapter, I do mention bisexuality and homosexuality. I will not tolerant any discussion of what people think about gays or bis. I don’t want to hear your opinions on that. Save those comments for the Serious Discussion threads, okay? If you do say anything about your own personal opinion (good or bad) I’ll give a warning but if you do it again or if other people start arguing with you in my thread, then I’m going to the mods and you’ll probably get banned.

3. In this chapter, there’s talk about ranks in the Empire. I’ll list the ranks from lowest to highest:

Green
Blue
Purple
Silver
Gold
Scarlet

They all wear uniforms of black and the color of their ranks.

Chapter Eighteen:
It’s Quiet … Too Quiet

I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die … I don’t wanna die!

No, you won’t! You’re not going to die!

Kira …

Kira …

Kira … I don’t want to die …

Kira jerked up, opening her eyes to the darkness of her room. She saw nothing but the faint light of the moon glowing underneath her door. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest, so hard that she could hear it thundering in her ears. The woman laid back now in her bed, feeling the soft cloth of the bed beneath her and the warm caress of her sheets against her bare skin. Dreaming again … She turned her head to the right, staring out into her room blindly.

“Kira?”

“It’s nothing … sorry I woke you,” whispered the elf, still keeping her right cheek against her pillow. The heat of his arm slipped around her waist pulling her closer to his body. Usually, she appreciated the strength of his arms around her … but tonight they felt smothering as if to bind her to him. The restlessness in her heart wanted to burst out of his supposed comfort.

Kira moved up and out of his arms’ reach into a sitting position on the edge of her bed, sliding out from under his arm. She reached a hand out to the dark floor, searching for her clothing. The moonlight from outside helped her determine where they were. The female quickly found her pants and pulled them on, standing up to button them. It wasn’t long until she had found her shirt as well and pulled it over her head.

“Kira … are you well?” came Kai’s voice from their bed. She paused for a moment before answering.

“Yeah, I just need some fresh air … besides; we need to be getting ready.”

Kira could almost hear his mind working, feeling his eyes searching her soul even though darkness surrounded them. He didn’t say anything else, so she continued on her way over to the door, opening it shortly and quickly shutting it again. Her hand still clenched the doorknob, feeling the cool metal kiss her flesh. She leaned her head back against the door. Her dark blue eyes scanned the empty lounge room.

It lighted only by the glimmering orb in the sky, which shined its blessing down into their home from the balcony. It showed the dark shapes of the chairs, sofas, and end table. Sounds of commands and orders could be heard from the open balcony. She had been right … they would be heading out soon. The elf moved away from her door and paced slowly over to the vacant balcony. She placed her hands upon the stone railing, turning her blank gaze up toward the sparkling, night sky. It wasn’t really black … it was a dark, dark blue.

So what now? She was out there with her fresh air, warm but fresh. It was almost impossible to tell that it was fall. So what now? Kira let out a short sigh and stared down at the ground below her. Once or twice a Hylian or a Gerudo would run or walk by, but it was mostly abandoned. So what now? Was it really the fresh air she wanted? She didn’t feel any better out there, except that she was alone. Kira loved Kai deeply, but there were times that she needed her space. So now she was alone….

It was there, she could feel it more clearly now. The pain in her chest, throbbing even though there was nothing physically there to harm it. It seemed to spread up into her throat, spreading its infection there. She tried to gulp it down but it was still aching. Her eyelids closed softly as she felt them begin to burn. Slowly, those tepid tears leaked out and trickled down her cheeks. Her shoulders began to shudder as she let out a few choking sobs. Her hand up and brush some of her brown hair out of her face, her face turning with it all.

“Kira.”

The elf’s blue eyes widened suddenly at the gentle sound of Kai’s voice. She twisted around, quickly swiping away the dampness of her face with one hand and the other still on the balcony railing. She tried to force a smile on her lips, but she knew she could do nothing to keep him from knowing. Kira opened her mouth to speak, to say something, or anything that would distract him from that moment, but for some reason the look on his face stopped her words half way up her throat.

Kai was leaning one hand on the balcony archway; the other was relaxed at his side. He was wearing his usual outfit of black, loose pants, a dark blue shirt with short sleeves, dark, brown leather boots, and his long, black coat. His face was impassive, except for his eyes. Those eyes showed everything about him, and those dark eyes were now locked upon her in away that made her speechless. They were bent in a most gentle sorrow; it was so disarming that she didn’t even try to say anything. He already knew. He had probably even known the first time he had spoken in the darkness of their room.

Kira gazed at him for a moment but soon her blue eyes dropped to the floor, filling with glittering tears once more. Her vision began to blur, but she could see the dark shade of his boots in front of her. His arms encircled her, pulling her against his chest. She let go of the railing and leaned in with it. She felt the strength in his arms again, holding her so gently as if she was but a fragile flower. Kira had never felt as fragile as she did now, but for now she would let him hold her up. She would let him be her strength and comfort when she had none left in her body or soul. He would be her support when everything else had fallen. It was okay to be weak and have someone there to comfort her. She normally held back from such things. She would have originally cried alone and depended on herself for what little comfort she could offer her own heart. She leaned her face on his shirt, tears silently falling down into the cloth. Her shoulders shook again as she let out one hard sob.

“He was still here only a few months ago,” she said into Kai’s chest, gripping his tunic in her hands tightly. “He was getting into trouble like he always did … I feel like … a part of me is missing …”

Kai didn’t say anything, and she didn’t need him to. His arms and strength were enough for her. So she would stay there, for as long as she could. But not for too long, she needed to stand on her own two feet with her own independence. For now, she allowed herself to squeeze him tightly around his waist as she cried a little harder into his chest.



It wasn’t long until they heard the squeak of a door opening. Kira quickly wiped her damp face, and Kai turned so that they could both see who entered the dark lounge room. Rontu’s white hair reflected the moon light through the balcony. His gold eyes rested on the both of them. His face was calm, and he appeared uninterested. However, Kira saw the corner of his mouth twitch up a little as he sat down in an armchair. They both moved silently away from the balcony and sat down on a sofa. The room remained dark for a while, and no one spoke a word. They simply waited.

The main lounge room door opened, and an orange glow slipped into the room. Impa’s serious complexion was cast in odd shadows and light from the position of the lantern in her right hand. Kira and Kai looked up, and Rontu turned his head when she entered. Only a few seconds after she had come, another door opened. Khaz stepped out of his room; his eyes sagging with sleep. His mouth stretched wide open as he let out a large yawn. The Hylian blinked a few times before walking over and sitting down next to Kai. He propped his elbows up on his thighs and cradled his chin in his palms. His midnight blue eyes ignored the chair Rontu sat in. The Dark Elf was staring down at his hands that were clasped together, his forearms resting on his knees and his back hunched over. Impa swept quietly over to a door and knocked three times. It wasn’t too silent, but it also wasn’t too loud. It should be enough to wake the inhabitant inside. The Sheikah went around the rooms, knocking on doors to rouse those sleeping. Shortly after knocking on their doors, they stepped out of their rooms, blinking the sleep from their eyes. They were all fully dressed in their usual clothing with their weapons in their hands.

Impa motioned for all of them to follow her. She walked toward the door with them shuffling their tired feet after her. They filed out into the sand stone corridor with Impa still leading them. They turned and twisted through the halls until they came to large wooden doors with two rusty, silver handles. The Sheikah pushed the doors open and the hinges groaned. The vision in front of the group was a large square room with racks holding shinning plates of armor and chain mail of all different colors. These racks covered most of the floor space. The room was lighted by a few fiery torches, making the armor glimmer in their light. They were all too exhausted to be impressed by the display, not only that, but they had seen it before. The warriors spread out into the vast sea of breastplates and shin guards, picking up pieces of armor that they had picked out previously that week.

Link was wearing his usual green garment, however, this time with a jet-black undershirt and leggings. He wore his gold gauntlets with his Hylian shield, quiver of arrows, bow, Biggoron sword, and a long sword with a forest green hilt strapped to his back. On his belt were a few different weapons he carried with him: his longshot, boomerang, and the Ocarina of Time. The Hylian slipped off his tunic for a short minute to slide a steel chain mail shirt over his head. He felt the heavy metal press against his shirt as he let it glide onto his torso. After tugging his tunic back over his head, he stared around the room as he buckled his belt. He hadn’t picked out anything other than chain mail. The armor was too heavy for his liking and he wasn’t used to fighting with it. His dark sapphire eyes gazed over at his friends, whom were picking out their armor.

Kira had already placed her chain mail over her torso and legs. The elf always wore tight-fitting black shirt and pants under her chain mail and armor. She was strapping on her heavy, dark blue boots with quick and graceful fingers. These metal boots were made of many different attachments of steel plates that traveled up her legs and stopped high up on her thighs. Before Link could blink, she was fastening on her breastplates. Her hands were already trained to apply the attachments swiftly. It always amazed him how she could fight with all of that thick armor on her body. Kira was fast too, even with it on.

Link’s stare eventually traveled over to Kai, whom stood next to Kira. He had taken off his coat and shirt to drape the thick chain mail over his head. Kai then slipped his dark blue shirt back over his chest and pulled on his coat. Like Link, he put nothing else on to protect his body. The only other item he had added were two short, black gloves to his hands.

Rontu had pulled off his trench coat and shirt. He, too, was applying a chain mail shirt over another tight-fitting, black undershirt. After placing his shirt back over his head, he began to pull large metal boots onto his feet. The steel was black and gleamed almost mischievously in the torchlight. The big boots reached up to his knees. The Dark Elf pulled two large, black gauntlets onto his hands from his small pile of armor on the floor by his feet. He buckled the left one onto his hand and forearm; it stretched up just below his elbows. The warrior pulled the right one onto his arm and secured it. Rontu stood for a moment, flexing his fingers, and let the feeling of armor and chain mail on his body sink in. He then tugged his coat back on, pulling his metal fingers through his sleeves with ease. It was large enough for him to wear armor underneath it. He then found a spot on the wall next to him to lean his back against and fold his arms over his chest.

Leita was a couple of yards away from where Rontu stood. Today, her outfit was different. Instead of her usual dress, she wore a light gray tunic with no sleeves and a black leather belt around her waist. On her legs were loose, dark gray pants and her black leather boots that reached up just below her knees. Draped over her delicate shoulders, was a long, dark green cloak. The mage girl wore no armor.

Standing close to the female Hylian, was Khaz. He, too, had already chosen chain mail, and it was tucked securely under his blue tunic and over his white undershirt. On his feet were two, gray steel boots that stretched up to his knees as Rontu’s did. To match his silver footwear, he had placed metal gauntlets in the place his leather ones and buckled them down tightly.

Tonight, Ren was also wearing a different outfit. His shirt was tight fitting and jet-black with no sleeves. His leggings were his normal baggy, black cloth pants were tucked into his heavy, black leather boots. Black cloth gloves hugged his fingers and loosely caressed his wrists. There was something different and unusual about the young man that night. His scarlet eyes were tensed and determined as if those eyes had a hidden flame blazing and burning inside him as he buckled his katana to his belt, grasping the red and black hilt, perhaps, too firmly. The boy attached his coiled mace to the right side of his belt. The right thigh had a black leather pad on the side, to keep the spikes of his mace from piercing his leg.

Blaze was relaxing against a wall near Ren. The only armor he had was chain mail under his fiery-red shirt. His long, maroon staff was strapped over his back. His hands wore black, leather gloves that reached up to his elbows. His golden-brown eyes were studying his friends as they all fitted themselves with some sort of protection, whether it was simply their weapons or thick chain mail and steel plates. Tila stood with her usual outfit; she didn’t even wear any chain mail. The Wood Elf had nothing but her katanas buckled to her back; the black sheathes were crossed over each other. Malon was standing next to her, in her usual battle attire of a close-fitting, black shirt that came to a stop at her elbows. Her pants were black and baggy and held up by an equally black leather belt. The female Hylian’s small hands were covered with short, black gloves of cloth and her boots were large and just as dark as the rest of her outfit. Strapped on her back was a curved Gerudo blade, and on her belt was her large knife with a nine-inch blade.

When they appeared to be ready, they all looked to Impa, whom had been standing at the wooden doors, waiting for them. Link noticed that there was a long, dark wood box in her hands. It was about four feet or less in length and five inches in width. “Kai, may I speak with you for a moment?” the Sheikah requested. Kai nodded, his dark eyes meeting Impa’s. He walked out into the previous hall with her, passing through the large oak doors.

Link’s blue eyes darted around the armory and found Zelda, wearing the same clothing she was earlier that evening in the training grounds. The Hylian princess was inspecting a rack of metal gauntlets with a dull look in her ocean-blue eyes. The hero waved through the other racks of glittering armor until he was close enough to put a hand on her shoulder. Zelda turned her head to look up at him, a smile crept into her delicate lips and her eyes seemed to brighten. Link’s mouth curved up into a gentle smile; he loved it when she smiled like that.

“Hey,” greeted Link, his hand slipped down to his belt to pull a beautiful, blue ocarina from one of his pouches, “I wanted to give this back to you.” His other hand drifted off her shoulder, grasped her right hand, and placed the instrument into her slender palm. His sapphire eyes bent in a kind way as his smile softened. “I know I should have given it back to you sooner, but I’ve grown attached to it. It’s saved my life and others’ many times.”

“Oh …” responded Zelda, her tone tingled with surprise. The curve in her lips subsided in her contemplation. Her blue gaze traveled back up to the warrior’s handsome stare. Another dazzling smile glowed upon her face. “Link, I gave this to you for you to keep. It was a gift. I’m still sure it will be of better use in your hands.” The Hylian woman pushed the Ocarina of Time back into his strong hands firmly but gently.



“May I ask why you have requested my presence?” questioned Kai, once they were safely out in the corridor. His arms were poised loosely at his sides, waiting for her answer. Impa gave the young man a half smile and replied,

“I wanted to give this to you.”

The Sheikah woman lifted the lid of the long box to show a rather charming katana. The long steel blade was a couple inches over three feet. The hilt was a combination of dark purple and blue colors over-lapping each other, and it seemed to be made of many colored threads woven into the hilt. It had a scarlet tassel on the end of it. Carved in with the same crimson red was an eye with a teardrop coming from it at the base of the blade next to the hilt. The metal glimmered in the light of Impa’s lantern. The colors were rich and sweet for the eyes to gaze upon. He had never seen a sword decorated like this one was. The Sheikah seemed to have a different style—no, culture—than the Hylians. Kai studied the beautiful sword with his black eyes for a few moments before looking back up at the Sheikah.

“Impa … I can’t take this,” he said, his voice calm and even. The wise woman’s half smile widened at the young man’s words. She continued to hold the case open to Kai.

“Of course you can,” said Impa. Her voice was just as calm and unconcerned as Kai’s had been. She held a firm gaze with him just as she still held a firm grip on the wooden box. “I have no heirs to wield this sword … you remind me of a Sheikah I had known long ago. That Sheikah was the owner of this sword before she perished in a battle with Ganondorf. She had been the leader of the Sheikahs. She was a very wise leader and rather silent, much like yourself. You have similar eyes … besides; you could use more protection than your darts. It is always good to be prepared for anything and everything.”

Kai’s face remained still, but like always, his eyes seemed to turn with something else. A woman who had similar eyes … it was likely that she could have been his mother. Though, how many Sheikahs had black eyes? Did Impa have the same suspicions? Did she believe he was the heir to this sword? What does it matter … Whoever his parents were, they didn’t mean much to him now. He had never known them and never would. Perhaps that sounded cold, but it was the truth. He couldn’t feel anything for two people he never knew. Should he even take the sword, just because it could possibly be his birth right? For once, the young man veered his piercing gaze away from the Sheikah to stare at the sandstone wall to his right.

“Is it so hard to accept such a gift?” asked Impa, her stare still was fixed were his eyes had once been.

“Why are you doing this?” he replied with a question of his own. His black eyes turned back from his investigation of the corridor wall. “Why offer me such a gift?”

The Sheikah’s lips fade into a placid line; she held her gaze like she always did. Her eyes seemed to be scanning his own; as if she were searching for the answer in his soul. “You have many questions for such a simple gesture,” Impa concluded.

“It is too simple a gesture,” he replied in return. The older Sheikah smiled her half smile again, making the left side of her mouth rise upward.

“You think there is a profound meaning to this supposedly simple gesture.” It wasn’t a question. Impa said it more as a statement with a matter-of-fact tone ringing in her voice. Kai paused for a moment, and then he said,

“Yes … and I would wish to know that meaning if it is truly there.”

The amusement on her serious face had once again shifted to her previous equable stare. The case still remained open in her silence. The blade glistened at Kai in the darkness of the hall, and the reflection in the blade stared right back at him. His black eyes gazing into themselves as he waited for Impa’s conclusion.

“The Sage of the Forest, Saria, said that you were found in the lost woods,” began the Sheikah, her tone was as it always was: serene. The black-eyed man nodded, his stare rose from the sword’s reflective surface and back up to her eyes. “It is reasonable that the Great Deku Tree would call you a child of those woods. The origin of your blood is unknown.”

The young man did not say anything in response; he simply waited for her to say more. He wished she would say things that he did not already know …

“… Yes, there is a possibility that your mother was that very leader of the Sheikah and your father a Hylian with auburn hair, her life partner. All that could give us these feeble proofs is that necklace you hide under your shirt and your own features. Did the imps tell you where you got that necklace of the Sheikah?” Impa almost seemed to be able to read his mind. In fact, he almost expected so. These Sheikahs were not like the Hylians in mental abilities. However, that was the least of Kai’s concerns.

“They said they found it on the body of the man they found dead next to me when they had first discovered me. He had bled to death,” said Kai. His eyes flickered back to the beautiful blade for a moment and then back up to Impa. The white-haired woman nodded at hearing his words.

“Did you ever ask what he looked like—not what his death looked like but his normal features?” Impa questioned again.

“No,” answered Kai, “I didn’t think it was important.”

“Is it important now?” asked the Sheikah. Her eyes almost seemed to alter in someway; though, they hadn’t changed physically. There was a deeper intention in her expression. Kai’s eyes wandered back to the wonderful blade waiting in the wooden case. He was not sure why he was so hesitant to take the sword. It surely could be his inheritance. Perhaps there was still some lingering curiosity to know whom those strangers were, those two people who were his parents. He had thought he had let go of that desire a long while ago.

“It is … important only to know if I am the heir to this sword,” said the young man with black eyes. “Even if I am … I do not know how to wield it.”

“I do know,” began Impa, “that they had a child together, but that child had disappeared along with the father when Ganondorf had attacked Hyrule Castle in the Great War. Even if you weren’t that child, Kai, that boy would be dead and this sword still without a master.”

“I do not know how to wield a sword,” Kai said again, still gazing blankly at the katana. Again, Impa’s half smile resurfaced on her lips.

“I could teach you. I also can teach you more than how to use a Sheikah blade, but I can teach you their ways if you wish to know them,” offered the wise woman. “You have pledged your loyalty to the Royal Family, which is the way of the Sheikah itself. Perhaps their culture would interest you. You do not have to answer now. For now, you can take this blade for extra protection tonight, and I will teach you how to wield it when you return, if you still wish to wield it.”

The young man looked up from the blade and listened to Impa’s words. Then, again, he looked back toward the glorious sword. There was a moment of silence between the two as he still hesitated to take the katana from her; his right hand slide up to a bump on his shirt, where the pendent of his necklace was. His fingers glided up to the chain around his neck and felt the metal clasp. Kai undid the clasp and pulled it from his throat. The pendent dangled from the silver chain in his hand. The red eye and tear glimmered attractively in the dull light. Tatsuya had said it was the Eye of Truth, a symbol of the Sheikah. It matched the scarlet design in the steel next to the colored hilt. The red gem in the teardrop glistened in the lantern light as the blade did. A necklace of his father and a sword of his mother … Kai nodded slowly, making Impa’s half smile widen into a more even spread in her lips.

The Sheikah woman’s hand went to an empty, black sheathe attached horizontally to her own katana at the small of her back. Gracefully, she took the blade from the box and slid it into the sheath. She closed the box and set it on the floor next to her feet. With both hands she held the katana out toward Kai, and their eyes met. His glove-covered hand reached out and grasped it in the middle of the sheath, but he did not lift it away immediately.

“May I ask one question?” requested Kai. Impa nodded gently.

“Did you know what they had named me?” Kai knew that the Skull Children had chosen his current name. Yet, if war had not taken his parents’ lives, he would be the keeper of that name they had chosen for him. It was a simple curiosity, not very important; yet, he still wished to know. “Also … what were their names?”

Impa nodded gently again and replied, “Your mother’s name was Akata and your father’s was Tarento. Their surname was Awai. They had named you Ashi.”

Kai nodded slowly in return, his eyes closing softly for a swift moment. His hand lifted the sword from Impa and used the cloth tie to attach it to his belt on his right side. Ashi … His black eyes opened, and he bowed his head respectively to the Sheikah. He would consider her offer in training of the Sheikah ways. They did catch his interest. The Sheikah culture was a curious one to him, and it was also a dying one in this land.

Kai and Impa returned to the armory silently. They passed back through the wooden doors and stood shortly in front of the doorway. There was a quiet murmur of conversations between the group; however, they all looked up when Impa and Kai entered. Kira’s blue eyes immediately caught the new sword at Kai’s side. She stared at Kai with curiosity but patience too. Impa’s arms folded over her chest as she stared around at the rebels.

“Are you ready?”

There were silent nods and determined faces that answered her. Again, the same half smile crept into her face. They were an odd group and yet a perfect one in that way. They were a combination of the young and hopeless in times of darkness. Strangely enough, they were Hyrule’s only hope.

“Let us go then,” she said, and turned out through the oak doors. Kai followed her and the rest followed him. Kira quickly found her place next to Kai. Her dark blue armor shimmered in the dull light of the lantern when his black eyes found her. She smiled and slipped a gauntlet-covered hand into his. She looked just like a knight. Kai’s half smile curved up on the left corner of his mouth.

Eventually, they passed through a square-shaped doorway and out into the dark fortress grounds. A few Gerudos, Hylians, and even Gorons walked or ran to prepare for their new task. Impa led them to the entrance and exit of the fortress were their small army was readying themselves. It was a small group compared to the size of normal armies, for they didn’t need a lot of men for their attack. There were about 100 men and women with them. It was made up of Gerudos, Hylians, and Gorons. Among them, Darunia’s head was very visible over the sea shorter heads. He was standing at the front of the crowd with two battle-axes strapped to his back. They quickly made their way through the crowd and up to Darunia.

“Darunia, I didn’t know you were coming,” said Link when they reached him. The old Goron beamed in response and said,

“Well, who do you think I am? I’m not going to let my men go a head without me. I need to command those who are handling the power kegs.” The large Goron pointed a sausage-like thumb behind him at many large wagons covered with big gray sheets.

“Power kegs?” said Khaz, his eyebrows furrowing behind Link with curiosity.

“Yes, it’s a new invention of the Gorons,” said Darunia, his face wrinkling with even more pride. “It’s a lot more powerful than our normal, smaller bombs. It should be enough to take the Iron Knuckles out. Of course, even then it takes a few of these per Iron Knuckle.”

Link smiled at his boots and to himself. Termina had ready discovered the power kegs seven years ago. He should have known it wouldn’t be long until the Gorons in Hyrule did too. The war must have quickened the pace of production. It couldn’t have come at a better time either.

“Excuse me,” said a voice behind them. Link turned around to see a male Hylian, about his age, addressing Blaze.

The young man had sandy blonde hair and large amethyst-purple eyes. He wore a black tunic with long sleeves and loose, dark brown cloth pants. The sheath on his belt held a short sword with a black hilt. His forearms were covered in brown leather gauntlets that reached up to just below his elbow. He was about as tall as Khaz and had the same lean build. Blaze turned his gold-brown eyes on him.

“Yes?”

“I know I wasn’t chosen to join the others in this attack tonight, but I—I really need to come,” said the young man in a hurry. His dark purple eyes glimmered with determination and his hands were clenched stiffly at his sides. The male Gerudo’s mouth turned downward into a frown. His red eyebrows tensed.

“You should know not to ask that question,” said Blaze with a commanding voice. His arms folded over his chest as he spoke. “I know you’re eager to take down the Empire but so is everyone else. You’ll have to stay here with the others that were not chosen.”

“No, please!” cried the Hylian; he knelt down onto his knees before Blaze and bowed his head low to the ground. His Gerudo blinked with surprise as the man spoke to the ground. “You don’t understand, I have to come! My sister is there. I heard from a slave rescued from Lon Lon Ranch that she—she was chosen by Hito of the Silver to be his maid. H-have you heard what he does to the young girls that serve him? I—I have to find her! Please …”

Khaz looked over as the boy pleaded to the Gerudo. His eyebrows furrowed softly with small frown upon his lips. Poor guy … The black-haired Hylian stepped forward next to Blaze. The Hylian on the ground looked up from his bow.

“Come on, Blaze,” said Khaz, putting a hand on the Gerudo’s shoulder, “what harm could one more soldier do?”

Blaze’s lips thinned passively; his head turned down to the ground. “Well … all right, but only because Hito is a sick bastard. I hope I get a chance to cut his throat open.”

The sandy-haired man gave a gasp of relief. “Th-thank you so much!” he said as he stood back up to his feet.

“What’s your name?” asked Blazed, putting his hands on his hips.

“I’m Sei,” replied the young Hylian, extending a hand out to the Gerudo. “And you’re Blaze, of course, everyone knows who you are.”

Blaze gave Sei a pleased smirk and shook his hand firmly. “Oh, right, I remember you. I’ve … seen you around the training grounds before.”

“So Hito is in Kakariko?”

All three of them turned to see Rontu leaned up against a wagon and his arms folded over his chest. Sei’s eyes widened for a moment at seeing a Dark Elf, but soon they returned to their normal size. However, there was still ill ease in his stare. Khaz’s face immediately fell into disdain. His mouth thinned into a line and his eyebrows bent into a vexed position.

“You know him?” said Blaze with interest in his eyes. A smirk spread upon the left side of the Dark Elf’s face.

“Yes, he’s a Silver ranking officer, of course I know him,” replied Rontu, the simper on his face diminished. “I never liked him much.”

“Who does?” remarked Nabooru, walking up to their small gathering with her hands on her hips. Tonight, the Gerudo leader wore her same style of Gerudo clothing. Instead of red, it was black. She had two Gerudo blades strapped to her back; the sheaths crossed over each other. “I’ve waited years to get a chance to cut his sorry head off. You know, he forced Impa out of Kakariko when the Empire attacked it. Took over it completely.”

“Well, hopefully he’ll get what’s coming to him tonight,” said Blaze, his eyes glittering with eagerness. “How about we get going before the sun comes up?”

After a few commands shouted by Darunia, Impa, Nabooru, and Blaze, the small troop organized into small groups surrounding five wagons full of bombs pulled by Gorons. Horses would be too large and visible for their task tonight. Darunia and the rest of the main group led the way up front. With another order from the Goron leader’s loud voice, they were moving through the large opened gates. Link, Zelda, Darunia, Impa, and Nabooru walked ahead of the younger rebels. Kira, Kai, Tila, and Rontu followed after them. Blaze and Ren drifted in between them and Khaz, Sei, Malon, and Leita. A wagon followed behind, pulled by two Gorons. However, a young Gerudo girl came running along the side of the troop and threw herself into the young Retuson’s arms.

“Ren, wait!” cried Trisa. Ren stumbled as she hit his chest and her arms lock around him. The others stopped shortly to wait for them.

“Hoof!” Ren coughed at the impact, but his arms still wrapped around her out of instinct. “Trisa, what are you doing?”

A pout frowned on her lips as she looked up at the Retuson. “I had to say good-bye. Uh! I wish I could come with you. It’s not fair!” She buried her face in his chest and squeezed him in her arms harder. Ren let a sublet smile infect his mouth. Oh Trisa …

“It will be okay. This is a quick blow-them-to-bits job. It won’t take very long,” said Ren, smiling more brightly at the Gerudo girl in his arms. “What could go wrong?”

Trisa frowned back at him. “We all thought Lon Lon Ranch would go smoothly, but it didn’t. Kira and Kai almost died last time!” she exclaimed, tears filling her round eyes. “What if something like that happens again?”

Ren continued smile untroubled as he ran his fingers through her short, red hair. “Look, don’t worry about it, okay? We’ll turn out fine, just like last time, right?” said the boy with white hair.

“Hey, I hate to interrupt the touching moment, but we got to go,” said Blaze as the Hylians and Gerudos behind them began to pass them up. Ren looked over his shoulder at his group of friends waiting for him. He turned his head back to Trisa to see large tears slip out of her watery eyes.

“Aw, come on, don’t cry,” said Ren gently as he stroked her hair again, twisting his fingers through it. His hand fell to her tan face and softly caressed her tears away. His eyes bent intimately. “Everything will be okay. I’ll watch after Nabooru and Blaze for you, all right? I gotta go.”

Trisa pushed herself up onto her toes and pressured her lips against his. The teen’s crimson eyes widened at the firm touch of her delicate mouth. Soon, his eyes relaxed into a closed position, and his hand shifted through her hair again, pressing lightly against the back of her head. Their lips were embracing each other gently, making his heart flutter, and his stomach was tickled by butterfly wings. Ren felt Blaze’s hand grasp the back of his shirt and yank him away, tearing his mouth away from Trisa’s. The Retuson blinked with confusion as the male Gerudo dragged him away from her. Trisa let more tears drip down her face as he was pulled away from her.

“W-wait!” cried Ren, stumbling as Blaze continued to pull on the back of his shirt. Soon she disappeared behind a group of Hylians and his eyes could not find her again through the thick crowd. Eventually, the Retuson and Blaze reached the front and slipped back into the middle of their group. The Gerudo finally let go of Ren’s shirt and they persisted to walk out of the sandstone fortress.

“Jeez, you could have let me finish,” snapped the young man with scarlet eyes. Blaze’s eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned at Ren.

“We can’t sit around and wait for you to finish your make-out session, lover boy,” said the male Gerudo, his voice dripping with disdain. The boy sneered at Blaze’s reply.

“Don’t get so butt hurt just because she kissed me,” retorted Ren, his hands vanishing into his pockets, and his eyes bending with his usual hubris. “I thought you were done being Mr. Over-protective-brother.”

“Nope,” said Blaze, his arms crossing over his chest stubbornly. “And when we get back you better keep your hands to yourself, you hear me? I know what boys your age are thinking, I used to be one.”

“Yeah, you haven’t changed much since then, I bet.” Ren sn*ggered, giving the Gerudo his sneer of arrogance. Blaze’s glower increased. “For your information, I’m not like you. That was my first kiss, so don’t think I’m a horny toad … like you are.”

Blaze dropped his stiff mannerism and raised an eyebrow at the Retuson. “Really? That was your first kiss?” he questioned with disbelief. Ren’s smirk disappeared, and he nodded solemnly. Blaze’s eyes bent with curiosity, and his mouth frowned with confusion. “Why exactly is that?”

The white-haired boy pulled his hands out of his pockets and shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands on the back of his head as they continued to stride ahead of Khaz and Sei. “I dunno, I just wasn’t thinking about it. After my mom got killed all I thought about was killing Kashino and Nottuu. All I did was train. It was all I thought about … I was completely obsessed,” said Ren, his scarlet eyes stared down at his boots as they passed over a bridge supported them over the raging river hundreds of feet below them.

“Oh …” said Blaze, his eyes furrowing uncomfortably. He just realized that he and Ren had something in common. Both of their fathers were Dark Lords. Only, Blaze was almost glad Ganondorf didn’t raise him. He couldn’t imagine the kind of person he would have been. Maybe someone like Ren, but that wasn’t very comforting. Not that he didn’t like Ren, but the kid just wasn’t the sanest person in Hyrule. He would never forget the look of utter blood lust on the youth’s face when they had first met.

“Hey!” called Khaz from behind them. “Stop being so depressing, I mean—come on! Let’s talk about something less dampering. It’s already bad enough that we could die tonight.”

“When do we not have a chance of dying?” commented Malon, who was walking on the other side of Khaz. Blaze and Ren smiled as they turned their heads to gaze back at the black-haired Hylian. Khaz beamed encouragingly back at them. The klutz had a point. They already had enough to worry about.

“Well, I guess we could always talk about sex and stuff. I mean, while we’re around the topic,” said Blaze with a large smirk spreading into his face. All the girls snorted at the same time, except for Leita, whose face flushed a hue of pink.

“Blaze, is that all you think about?” asked Malon, raising an eyebrow and smiling disapprovingly at him. The Gerudo grinned mischievously.

“Yeah, that’s about it.”

Tila looked over her shoulder and gave Blaze a smirk and raised an eyebrow. The Gerudo winked back at her, still grinning in his charming way. The Wood Elf’s tan cheeks darkened as she flushed. The Dark Elf, walking on the right side of Kai, turned his head at the same moment and caught the two. Rontu’s gold eyes narrowed suspiciously and his mouth stretched into a thin frown. Blaze’s eyes widened at the former assassin’s glower. What was that look for?

“Speaking of sexuality,” began the Gerudo, placing a hand on his chest. “Hey, Rontu, how come I’ve never heard about your experiences in that area?”

Blaze could see Rontu’s invisible feathers get ruffled. The Dark Elf’s shoulders tensed, but he kept his head staring forward as they made their way through the rocky valley, passing a smaller waterfall on their left that was more of a trickle. There was another bridge; though, it was smaller than the first one. They had to make it larger to fit the wagons on it. There was a quiet thumping of their feet on the short wooden support.

“Because it is none of your business,” he snapped. Blaze’s grin was present once more. Don’t you try to shrug me off, thought the brave Gerudo. Rontu was the most amusing to bother, because it involved the risk of possible death.

“What? Do you like guys or something?” questioned Blaze, his eyes rising with a fake curiosity. There was a grin still tugging on his lips. The comment had certainly gotten the Dark Elf’s attention, for he looked over his shoulder to cock his own eyebrow up at the male Gerudo and glared at the same time. Everyone else had also been brought into the conversation by his interesting choice of words. Khaz was blinking with confusion as if he had missed something, and Ren was furrowing his blood-red eyes at him.

“No,” was Rontu’s simple but curt answer.

“Oh, so you like the ladies.”

The Dark Elf glowered once more and turned his head back around. “I don’t do relationships.”

Blaze frowned but this time looked truly surprised and confused. His hand shifted back down into his pocket as the wheels in his head turned. His gold-brown eyes widened with realization and he said, “Ohhhhh, I see … you don’t do relationships anymore. Why? ‘Had a bad experience or something?”

Again, he could see the anger radiate off the Dark Elf. He was obviously hitting the subject Rontu desired to avoid the most. However, that only made Blaze want to know more. The dark man had the habit of being mysterious. Leita peered over Ren to gaze at Rontu, her green eyes glittering with intrigue.

“You should stick to your own business,” growled the Dark Elf, there was a definite warning roaring in his coarse voice. The Gerudo was courageously, or foolishly, unfazed by the tone of his friend.

“So, there must have been a girl, right? Probably a Dark Elf like yourself,” mused Blaze, putting a hand to his hairless chin and the other wrapped around his torso in contemplation. What would press Rontu’s buttons the most? Why would this subject be so bothersome to him …? No way … it couldn’t be … It was hard to think of Rontu being in love. Not only that, but getting hurt by it. The guy was so rough; yet, nothing else would explain his vexed nature toward it. Blaze’s eyes softened in a way and dropped his gaze to the ground, and he moved his hand back away from his chin to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“All right then … I’ll drop it,” he said, in an odd tone for the Gerudo to use. It was almost timid. It didn’t sound like Blaze at all. The Dark Elf’s said nothing more; although, his back and shoulders remained stiff. The Gerudo felt his stomach tingle unpleasantly. It was too weird. Rontu being in love … Leita … you picked the wrong guy to fawn over. To his surprise, the Dark Elf spoke.

“Blaze, I need to talk to you privately.”

Rontu quickened his pace to walk ahead of everyone else, which took him out into the beginning of Hyrule Field and past Nabooru. Blaze swiftly followed the dark man out into the field; his boots were soon trampling the thin grass. The moon light shone down on them as the Gerudo moved up to Rontu’s side. His white hair reflected the moonlight handsomely, and it cast a shimmer of silver on his black skin. The Dark Elf stared forward, avoiding Blaze’s gaze. They walked in silence for a time as Blaze waited for Rontu to say something.

“… Listen closely, I’m only going to say this once,” began the rough elf. The Gerudo nodded slowly to show that he was listening. “Keep your hands off Tila. I’ll beat the living day lights out of you if you mess up her relationship with Rai.”

Blaze’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened with his shocked mouth. What did he say? He couldn’t believe it. How did he know? Most importantly, why did he care, out of all people? Kira had given him a talking to the first day they met anyway.

“Wh-what?” gasped the bewildered Blaze. Rontu turned his glowering complexion to snarl at him.

“Do you think I am a fool? I’ve seen the way you two look at each other for a long time,” growled the Dark Elf, his arms folding over his chest. “Don’t do anything stupid that will make me have to smash in your face. I can imagine your looks are important to you.”

Blaze’s eyes narrowed, his brows tensed, and his lips thinned. He couldn’t believe the way Rontu was talking to him! Tila didn’t even have feelings for him like that. She had made that very clear at the night of the party. The Gerudo scowled at his boots and put his curling fists into his pockets.

“It’s not like you have anything to worry about,” snapped Blaze, his tone losing patience for Rontu’s harsh way of speaking. “She—she doesn’t think of me like that anyway.”

“I highly doubt that.”

Blaze raised his gaze and gave Rontu a firm look of puzzlement, lifting the usual eyebrow. The Dark Elf was still staring icily at him. “Why?” asked the Gerudo.

“The way she looks at you makes it obvious,” he replied tersely. Blaze bowed his head once again, but he stared at the ground in a more thoughtful way. Tila … why didn’t you say anything that night? Though, he didn’t really need anyone to tell him the answer. She didn’t want to make things worse. It would be even crueler to know that she felt the same way. The dull throb in his chest made him wish Rontu hadn’t said a word. Hell, it made him wish he hadn’t even asked in the first place.

“Don’t worry … I won’t do anything stupid,” whispered Blaze in a dead sort of voice.

“Good,” snarled Rontu flatly. The Gerudo raised his hands to cover his eyes for a moment. Dear Nayru … why did this happen? His hands ran back down his face and into his pockets. His despondent eyes drifted over to look at Rontu’s black face, narrowing with contempt. The Dark Elf held his usual cold and distant demeanor. His gold eyes stared stiffly forward. The Gerudo couldn’t help but wonder as he felt his chest stir with an ire heat.

“Hey, Rontu …” said Blaze to get his friend’s attention. The dark man grunted. “I was wondering … do you have a thing for Leita?”

Rontu’s jaw tightened immediately, and his eyes narrowed as he turned his head viciously to glower at the Gerudo. Yeah … I thought so.

“Don’t be absurd!” retorted the Dark Elf, his teeth bared. Blaze let a satisfied smile blend into his face. How do you like it, you bastard. Any sort of pity Blaze had known previously slipped way from his mind.

“Why is that absurd? It’s obvious because you avoid her so much,” said Blaze. His voice was becoming just as icy as Rontu’s had been. “What’s the matter? Too tough for love? Or maybe … you’re just afraid.”

That did it, Rontu’s face hardened into an utter look of loathing. That expression said it all. That was it … everything about Rontu seemed to click into place. Down to the rough attitude and violent nature. The Dark Elf’s tall and muscular stature seemed to vanish for a moment. No matter how much he glowered at him, the Gerudo could see nothing but fear and pain in those hawk-like eyes. What was it that Nabooru said? Anger was created by fear … Again; an unpleasant feeling tingled and bit at his insides disturbingly. I’m such an ass.

“Rontu, I …” began Blaze, his eyes dropping to his boots. “I didn’t mean that …”

“I don’t give a damn!” snarled the Dark Elf, his black gauntlet-covered hands tensed into dangerous fists at his sides. Again, the power in those muscles returned to reality, and the mistake Blaze had made was abruptly clear to him. “You think I care? Well, then you’re horridly mistaken. I don’t give a damn about her or love for that matter. Love is a lie!”

“Oh yeah?” said Blaze, he wasn’t sure if he was brave or just very dull in the mind, but something made him return to his questioning nature. “What if I said I like her?”

Rontu let out a snort of disbelief and folded his arms over his chest moodily. It seemed to calm him down now that they weren’t as close to such a tender issue. “So what? At least that would keep you away from Tila,” he replied quickly. Blaze tested a weak smile at the Dark Elf. Rontu continued to look ahead with the same disdain. The Gerudo chuckled softly to himself when his smile did not vex him more.

“Okay, so I don’t like Leita like that, but I used to,” he confessed. Rontu gave him a brisk glance but soon was staring indifferently at the trail ahead of them. They had already passed through the small over-hanging cliff that was always a clear sign of the entrance of the valley a long time ago, and now they were hiking in the plains of the Hyrule. The castle was in sight on the left in the distance. It was nothing but a dark shadow.

“… Why did that change?” asked the Dark Elf. His voice was unexpectedly serene as he let the words form in his mouth. Blaze’s smile brightened, but soon his expression fell back into contemplation once more.

“Well, it was back around when I was fifteen,” began the Gerudo. “I saw her around the fortress on her way to magic lessons with the other mages in training. She was … cute. Shy and quiet, but that was what made her even more attractive. She had a nice smile and a nice laugh.” The smile on his tan face subsided slowly as a moment of still air over took him. “But then … she changed.”

“How?” said Rontu, still not looking him in the face. Blaze smiled weakly; he knew Rontu cared. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be asking him these questions. But he knew better than to ruin the moment by pointing that out. Kira, is this how you do it?

“Well …” continued Blaze, his smile diminishing again. “I never saw her around much anymore. And even when I did, she … didn’t talk with her old friends anymore. She just walked back and forth from her lessons each day, quickly moving from place to place. She never really gave me a chance to talk to her. She was missing something too … it was like a light had gone out in her. Like something had been stolen … She never smiled anymore.”

They walked in silence and the moon light from the sky, both thinking quietly to themselves as they moved up the path and through the small hills. When they neared the castle they veered away from it as much as possible. They didn’t want the Dark Elves to spot their moving troops in the dark from their towers. The stars glittered above them like confetti as the shadows enveloped them in a quiet blanket of security.

“Why do you think she changed?” Rontu asked after a while. Blaze could do nothing but shrug, though … it was not a convincing one. His eyes veered away from Rontu when he glanced over at him. The Gerudo realized this, and his features darkened as his eyes furrowed mysteriously to Rontu.

“Her uncle was … creepy,” he said, it was almost a whisper. “Like … seriously disturbing. He was this freakishly silent mage. He taught those classes back then and well … I dunno … he had this greasy black hair that hung in his face all the time. It was just … creepy.”

“I … didn’t know she has an uncle,” said Rontu. Blaze smirked, but the position of his eyebrows made it a bitter one.

“She had an uncle,” the Gerudo corrected the Dark Elf. “He’s dead now.”

“What happened to him?” the dark man questioned him once more. Blaze completely eluded his stare from Rontu. The Dark Elf’s face remained as placid as before, but his thoughts stirred. The Gerudo sighed awkwardly.

“That’s … not my place to tell you,” replied Blaze, closing his eyes shortly. “If you want to know … ask her but … I don’t know if she is ready for that even. Just remember one thing … and listen closely because I’m only going to say it once … Khaz ain’t the pretty boy he makes himself out to be. Watch your back … he hates your guts all ready.”

The fiery, red-haired man turned his back on him to return to the group far behind them. However, Rontu’s black metal hand grasped Blaze’s shoulder swiftly before he was out of reach. His grip was firm but not threatening. The two stopped for a moment and so did their voices, until …

“Khaz killed him, didn’t he?”

Blaze nodded slowly but mutely. Rontu’s eyes and mouth stiffened. I should have known … Khaz must have been only fifteen then. It was a young age for such a violent act …

“What did he do to her? Khaz wouldn’t do something like that without reason, would he?”

The Gerudo shrugged off the dark man’s hand, keeping his back to the Dark Elf. “Sorry … I made a promise to Leita … that I wouldn’t tell anyone.” Blaze’s face was hidden in shadow, but Rontu didn’t really need to see it. The tone of his voice was enough.

They walked back to the group in a deadly hush. Rontu couldn’t help but feel ignorant in someway. He knew what had happened in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t face it. He refused to believe it or even think of it until he heard it from someone else’s lips. He couldn’t believe he was so self-centered to have not realized the timid-ness of Leita’s nature. Well, it was always obvious how timid she was … but … Why hadn’t he considered it more profoundly? Leita was so fragile. Like a delicate rose that he had once thought to be pure white. The times that he had held her close … it felt as if she would crumble if he compressed her too firmly. Why am I so blind? he thought as he hand brushed away the white hair in his face. His gold eyes closed momentarily and lowered to his boots.

Blaze returned to his place next to Ren, and Rontu went back to walking next to Kai. It was silent there as well. They marched through the field of Hyrule with a stale air between them. The moonlight glittered on their armor and lighted their path. Hyrule Castle was still visible to their left. The ruins of Lon Lon Ranch were coming up on their right. The plan was to pass very close to the old ranch as to avoid being seen by the watchmen in the towers of the castle. They could only hope that the Dark Elf soldiers in the field would be on the opposite side of Hyrule Field. After a while, Blaze decided to break the silence.

“So Khaz … what do you think of guys?” The Gerudo turned to look over his shoulder at the black-haired Hylian and Sei walking quietly next to him. Khaz’s dark eyebrows furrowed, and his mouth curved downward with confusion.

“What do you mean?” asked the bemused Hylian. Blaze sn*ggered mischievously and grinned.

“Okay … think of how you view an attractive woman but put a guy there instead.”

“Huh?” said Khaz, his brow wrinkling even more and his lips parting lightly. “I don’t get it …”

Ren, walking next to the Gerudo, was making a rather odd face. His mouth was open in what appeared to be part disgust and part confusion, and his eyes blinked rapidly.

“That’s gross …” said the young Retuson, making a face as if there was a nasty smell under his nose, “I don’t think I like that idea.”

“Well, I wasn’t asking you, was I?” replied Blaze, ruffling Ren’s white hair, making the young Retuson scowl and smack his hand away. The Gerudo turned his head back over his shoulder. “So Khaz, do you like guys like that?”

Khaz’s large midnight-blue eyes blinked a few more times until he widened with the same realization as Ren did. His face filled up with blood, turning his cheeks bright red. His mouth hung open with shock.

“Wh-what? N-no … I don’t think so …” stammered the Hylian, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Not me. I stick to the girls …”

“Oh, okay, because Sei likes you,” said Blaze, turning his head back around as if he was talking about the weather.

“Blaze!” cried Sei, his own face glowing red. Khaz’s eyes got about a thousand times wider, and his face just as many times redder. Malon turned to look at the two with amusement, smiling at Sei. The sandy-haired Hylian turned his face away from Khaz, whom was staring forward, still in shock. Everyone had turned their heads to look at them; except Rontu, who pretended not to be listening.

“Calm down,” said the Gerudo, rolling his eyes. “What’s the big deal?”

“He’s a guy,” interjected the Retuson, lifting an eyebrow. Blaze’s mouth thinned at Ren.

“Yeah, so what? Never experimented before?”

“No,” said Khaz, still blushing, avoiding looking at Sei, who was doing the same thing. “I mean … have you?” The Hylian raised an eyebrow. Ren stared up at the Gerudo, waiting for him to answer. Blaze glanced over his shoulder at Khaz … a mischievous grin cut into his mouth. Khaz’s mouth dropped open for the second time. Ren’s scarlet eyes got wide. Sei turned his face farther away as it turned a darker shade of red.

“No way …” said the Retuson, giving the male Gerudo a stare of disbelief. Blaze smiled with pride, tipping his head a little.

“That’s right.”

It became oddly quiet very abruptly. Tila had turned her head around, staring at Blaze. He looked over and caught her gaze. The Wood Elf gave him a cute smirk; her light green eyes glimmered as mischievously as his previous grin. He felt the air in his breath catch. “The way she looks at you makes it obvious.” Blaze’s golden-brown eyes drifted over at Rontu’s back for a moment. The Dark Elf’s head was facing forward, not seeing them.

“Hey, Blaze … what was it like?” questioned Ren, his eyebrow still lifted up at him. Gerudo turned to look at the young Retuson, blinking slightly as he slowly understood his words.

“Oh, well, it wasn’t bad. It was pretty awesome, actually. Though, I do prefer the ladies,” answered Blaze, smiling again. Khaz and Sei were still avoiding each other’s eyes. The Gerudo looked over his shoulder again at Khaz. “You need to calm down. You need to be more comfortable with yourself.”

The stillness of the chilling air came to them again as they all fell silent. Leita looked around curiously at the effect of the conversation. Khaz had shuffled away from Sei a little, who was still not looking at the black-haired Hylian. Her brother’s face was still a light hue of pink and features frowning uncomfortably. Even Ren had distanced himself a little from Blaze, avoiding looking in the Gerudo’s direction. Malon was always studying the expressions of the two male Hylians. The redhead shrugged and decided to stare up at the stars above her. The full moon glowed down beautifully and the stars smiled, making the female Hylian give a serene curve of her lips. I hope this goes better than last time … Malon gave a small quiver down her spine and wrapped her arms around herself. She dreamed about it again that night … and sometimes she could still hear their cries.

They were passing over the stone bridge that supported them above the dry moat that curved around Hyrule Castle. Most held their breaths; they were extremely close to the large brick walls that towered over them and only a few more yards away from the gray steps of Kakariko. The wall, surrounding the once-Hylian city, loomed over them like a deadly omen. If any Dark Elf saw them, it would all be for naught.

They moved slowly; the Gorons cast fearful and uneasy glances at the towering walls as they pulled the wagons as silently as possible. Zelda gazed up at the dark walls. Her skin prickled uncomfortably, as if a chill brushed over her from a non-existent breeze. Without a moment’s thought, she slid closer to Link and quickly grasped his hand tightly. Link blinked his sapphire eyes at her abrupt touch. His gauntlet-covered hand compressed hers firmly. I won’t let him take you away …

They reached the shadowy steps of Kakariko. The Gorons carefully lifted the wagons over the steps. They crept up on the village slowly as to not wake their prey. They all stopped just inside the small town, fitting the 100 soldiers into a tight space. Link tried not to let out a gasp as he gazed around at the village. It, too, like everything else, had changed. The Dark Elves seemed to have cut away lots of rocks from the mountain sides to create different levels for more houses. Small and long steps were created to reach these other levels. Like Gerudo’s Fortress had, the once small village had doubled—almost tripled in size.

“Wow, I can’t believe how easily we got here,” breathed Zelda to Link at her side. However, when she turned her head to catch his face with her blue eyes, there was a stern frown on his lips and his eyes bent with worry. “What’s wrong Link?”

“You’re right … It was too easy to get here,” he replied quietly, shaking his head, making his shaggy hair flutter. “I mean … I thought we would at least run into a guard or something of the sort.”

“Calm down, Link,” said Khaz, who had just stepped next to them. His smile was composed of confidence.

“They’re just lazy after a few years of no revolt,” interjected Blaze, from in front of them. His head was turned to gaze over his shoulder at them. “They think they’ve got everything under control.”

However, the leader of the Sages shook her head as well at her friends. Her wise eyes were hardened with caution. “That can’t be. We just attacked Lon Lon Ranch a month ago. They would have tightened security if anything,” informed the princess. Blaze’s light bronze eyes widened as her words processed through his brain. Apparently he hadn’t thought about that.

“Oh, you guys are just being paranoid,” said Khaz, rolling his dark eyes carelessly. “Don’t give me the ‘It’s quiet, too quiet’ bit. Everything will be fine.” Link and Zelda frowned at the black-haired Hylian’s lack of caution. However, they did not have anymore time to discuss the matter. It was already too late to turn back.

Nabooru, Impa, and Darunia stood at the front of the large group. The Gerudo leader motioned to Blaze, with a quickly wave of a hand, to come and speak with her. The male Gerudo hurried mutely up to her, pushing just as silently pass the other soldiers. Nabooru whispered carefully to him, “I think it would be best if you chose who should lead the wagon groups.”

Blaze nodded soberly and turned around to study his friends. They had five wagons for five different places in Kakariko Village. One was the graveyard; the wagons with the power kegs would go there, for that was where the Iron Knuckles of Kakariko were stored. The other four were simply for the two main bunkers of the Dark Elf soldiers and the two main weapons and armory buildings of the village. There was one bunker and one armory on both east and west sides of Kakariko. Then there was the main slave center, which was the old Shooting Gallery before the Empire had attacked. This was where all of the town’s slaves stayed during the night. Blaze could simply divide his friends up evenly for the five wagons, but where was the fun in that? The same mischievous grin played over his tan Gerudo lips again.

“Okay, this is how it’s going to work,” began Blaze in a whisper, looking toward his clustered group of friends. “Darunia, Rontu, and Leita will be in charge of the wagon going to the graveyard. Link, Zelda, and Ren will handle the slave center. Khaz, Malon, and Sei will take the North West building. Nabooru and Impa will take the South West building. Kira and Kai will take the North East building. Me and Tila will handle the South East building.”

Most nodded in agreement. Khaz and Sei glared at Blaze, and so did Rontu, for two reasons. Blaze turned around to avoid the Dark Elf’s gaze. What? It wasn’t like he was going to do anything with Tila. He wasn’t that stupid. They were on a mission anyway. He just wanted a chance to be alone with her for once. Khaz needed to lighten up about Sei and talk to Malon more. And Rontu … well, he needed to stop eluding Leita. Hopefully, Nabooru wouldn’t notice anything. Using a mission to improve the social affairs of himself and his friends wasn’t exactly a responsible choice.

’Bastard did that on purpose … The Dark Elf growled quietly in his mind, but his facial expression was hardened and snarling mutely. Rontu stiffly folded his arms over his chest and followed Darunia grumpily to their wagon full of power kegs and smaller bombs. Leita swept noiselessly behind him. The hood of her cloak was drawn up over her silver head. Nabooru, Impa, and Blaze quickly divided the rest of their 100 soldiers evenly into five groups. Once that was done, the group leaders began to lead their wagons off into the dark village. Before Blaze could escape, Khaz leapt out and clasped a hand to his shoulder. Blaze was twisted around to face the suspicious scowl of the Hylian’s features.

“How did you know Sei likes me?” questioned Khaz, glaring sternly at the Gerudo for a sincere response. Blaze simply grinned like he had before and replied,

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

The Hylian blinked with more unsettled confusion. However, his face shortly became still with enlightenment. His large, midnight eyes widened with disbelief.

“No … don’t tell me …” The male Gerudo smirked and turned around to follow Tila to the wagon. “You and Sei …?” Khaz tried to call as silently as possible, but Blaze conceded to appear as if there had not been a word uttered.

Rontu, Darunia, and Leita lead their wagon over a small, group of steps near the slave center. Link’s group was right behind theirs; though, they were without their own wagon. The slave center certainly did not need to be blown up. Silence remained in the cool fall air, and the only thing that could be detected by their long elven ears was the squeaking of the wagon’s wheels. Leita crossed her arms over to grasp her cloak more tightly over her slender shoulders. She peered through her hood with large, alert green eyes. Walking next to the female Hylian, was Rontu, towering in his size compared to the tiny elf. His arms were still folded angry over his chest. The Dark Elf couldn’t believe that Blaze did this. The damn Gerudo split the group for his own motives. The dark man’s lips were still glued sullenly together. His gold eyes jerked to the corner of his sockets to give Leita a quick glance. “I was wondering … do you have a thing for Leita?” His gaze immediately returned to stare ahead. Stupid … Why couldn’t that man keep his own ponderings to himself? Rontu’s eyes narrowed irefully at his boots. His stare made its way over to Leita, again, without him knowing it before it was too late. His hawk-like eyes were studying the silver hair that slipped out of her hood, traveling it to her delicate features. Her nose, her lips, her face was completely delicate and fragile. Her features were so … beautiful. The female’s skin was so wonderfully fair, and he was sure it was soft to touch as well. Rontu swiftly veered his gold eyes away from her again. Stop it … he told himself. He couldn’t allow himself to do this again. He would probably end up hurting her like he had Tilly, and Leita was so easily damaged … I’m too much of a brute to be for her.

Zelda was still holding Link’s hand as they approached the slave center door. Link’s sapphire eyes grazed over the old and faded target sign above the door. He remembered this place so well. The Hylian always won the shooting games. The Hero of Time’s heart gave an abrupt throb. Why did things have to change like this? Why did this happen to us?

‘Come one, Link. You’re smart enough to figure that out. It happened because of you. It always does. You’re destiny was always to save the land you cursed.’

“Come on! Stop staring at that sign like an idiot and open the damn door,” complained Ren, his gloved hands were folded over his chest and his scarlet eyes were glaring up at the Hylian. Link blinked a few times and looked to the white-haired boy. Zelda gave the Retuson a half glare with her sky-blue eyes but a half smirk with her lips.

“You’re starting to sound like Rontu, you know that?” she said. Ren rolled his eyes at her.

“I’m serious, I wanna get this over with as fast as possible,” said Ren. “Standing here like this ain’t doin’ much to help that.”

The Hylian princess arched a blonde eyebrow at him. “What’s the rush?” The young Retuson’s eyes narrowed and his lips scowled at her. His head jerked to the side and at the grown. There, his crimson eyes stiffed bitterly.

“The last time I was here … I—I … I killed a lot of people,” Ren spoke to the ground in an audible whisper. Zelda eyes knitted with sympathy as she let go of Link’s hand to step closer to the half dragon. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he only shrugged it off roughly. Link frowned softly at Ren. He’s too young to have such a heavy heart … “Come on, let’s get inside,” snapped Ren, growling up at the two Hylians. Link nodded solemnly.

He reached out and turned the brass door knob. The moonlight glittered beautifully on his golden gauntlets as he pulled the door open. The silver light fluttered into the room on the wings of mute spirits. It landed the figures in the square-shaped room. The stage, steps, and counters had been torn down. Now there was nothing but an empty floor space with sleeping bodies hunched over. They stepped in without a single board creaking. Not one of the figures moved in the room as they approached. There had to be about fifty of them in the room. It seemed a bit strange. The Rebellion’s spies said there couldn’t be more than twenty slaves here. A few moments crept by but they still moved slowly as to not alarm the enslaved Hylians. It was deadly still in the room. It was unnerving—the stillness of the air. It was that disturbing feeling he got when they first entered the village. It’s way too quiet here. He thought the slaves would have woken up by now. However, the young Retuson’s footsteps behind Link stopped abruptly.

“Link—It’s a trap!”



Khaz, Malon, and Sei led their wagon up one large flight of steps. They went up a short flight and then turned right on that level of the village. Their building came into view shortly. It was a banker full of Dark Elves. Silence was incredibly important, for if they woke one of them in the banker, and if they were seen, their element of surprise would be lost. They certainly didn’t have enough soldiers to fight off the whole of Kakariko. The building had two stories. The windows were dark and no one could see any movement inside.

Khaz pointed to the building, a silent gesture to set up the bombs. The Hylians and Gerudos worked quickly. Lifting crates off the wagon without a noise and setting them around the perimeter of the building. There were about seventy-five crates in their wagon. Each crate held twenty bombs, custom made by the Gorons. Khaz, Malon, and Sei helped to unload it. Malon and a Gerudo got a crate, leaving the last one for Khaz and Sei.

They avoided each other’s eyes and hesitated for a second or two. Khaz quickly slipped his fingers under the wooden crate to get a better grip; Sei followed his lead and also placed his hands under it on his side of the crate. They lifted it up together and shuffled over to the building. The two Hylians set their crate down by one of the large windows near the doors of the building.

“So…” began Sei in a whisper. However, Khaz heard a board creak inside the building. He pushed Sei up against the wall, slipping his gauntlet-covered hand over the Hylian’s mouth to silence him. Sei gave a muffled grunt as he was shoved into the wall. Khaz’s midnight-blue eyes were wide and alert, gazing seriously into the dark window, but nothing was moving inside. He exhaled slowly and turned to look at Sei. He still had his hand over his mouth. Sei’s purple were still wide from the abrupt shove into the wall. Their faces and bodies were a little too close than normal. The black-haired Hylian jumped backward from Sei, letting out a tiny yelp, as if he had bit his hand. Sei and Khaz stared at each other for a moment. The sandy-haired man raised an eyebrow and frowned at Khaz. His eyes were wide with a new kind of alarm, and his body was tensed as if he was ready to run. Sei expression sagged into a face of un-amusement; his eyes narrowing into disappointment.

“Calm down,” he whispered, pushing himself away from the wall. “I’m not going to attack you or anything.”

Khaz rubbed the back of his neck as his face flushed. “I know …” Sei shook his head and walked up to him. Sei stared him straight in the face. His purple eyes shining with determination and … a little hurt.

“Look, I’m not going to hit on you or anything like that,” said Sei. “I know you don’t like me. So … I’m not going to even try. That’s why I didn’t say anything before, and I wish Blaze hadn’t said anything because all it did was manage to make you uncomfortable around me. So you can stop acting like I’m going to bite you or something!” he hissed. He finished with his eyebrows narrowed vexingly, and his lips pulled into a thin line. His arms folded over his chest, and Sei walked swiftly past Khaz, heading to the wagon.

Khaz bowed his head, staring at his armor boots. Am I really being stupid about this? It wasn’t like he was trying to be rude. He just didn’t know how to deal with it. He’s never had a guy like him this before. If it had been girl then it would have been a different story. Khaz turned around. Sei was leaning his back against the side of the wagon. His head was turned to his left and away from the other Hylian.

“… Well, what do you want me to do? How am I supposed to act?” said Khaz, his eyebrows knitting with confusion and guilt. Sei turned his head to his right to glare at him. Hey, can’t I ask a question?

“Act normal, damn it!” he hissed again, and then glared back down at his knees. “Act like I’m just one of the guys … it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

Khaz grazed the back of his neck again with his gauntlet, bowing his head to stare at his boots. Just one of the guys … The Hylian gave a heavy exhale and looked up at Sei again. He walked over to the wagon and leaned against the side of it with Sei. He folded his arms over his chest and stared ahead shortly, before turning it to gaze at Sei. The sandy-haired Hylian gave Khaz a quickly side-ways glance. Khaz turned his head to stare at the brick wall of another building in front of them. A few silent minutes swept by. The others were still adjusting the bombs, setting everything up as quickly as possible.

“So …” began Sei, his tone was casual and quiet. “You like Malon, don’t you?”

Khaz’s cheeks flushed pink as his blood filled his flesh. He hoped it was too dark to tell. The Hylian bent his head down to stare timidly at his boots. He rubbed the back of his neck like always. The cold metal of his gauntlets slid smoothly on his skin.

“Heh, so I was right,” said the other Hylian. There was silence again for a moment. “… Why aren’t you with her? I mean, I’ve heard how you are with girls. If the rumors are true, normally you aren’t the shy type.”

Khaz looked up but not at Sei. He tipped his head back to stare up at the stars, letting his arms fall back down to his sides. His eyes narrowed sadly as his lips bent into another sad smirk. “That’s what I want to know. Well … I screwed up a while back and now I’m in the ‘friends’ zone.” He turned his head to his left to see Sei smiling at him.

“Screwed up?” inquired the Hylian, raising a curious eyebrow. “How did you do that?”

Khaz gave him an exasperated look with sagging eyebrows and a frown. “Forget it; I always come off sounding like an ass.”

“Did you ever think you were actually being an ass?” suggested Sei, giving the Hylian a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Khaz let a gentle chuckle sound from his throat as he smiled sadly at the thin grass beneath his feet, only visible by the silver light of the moon.

“Yeah … I was.”

The air was left still again, undisturbed by the waves of their voices and only by the barely audible, working Rebels. Khaz lifted his head to stare around in the dark shadows of the village. He had been here once before. When he was a child, his father brought him here with Leita and his mother. It was hard to remember. It was vague but the town had had a different feeling to it. It was so cheerful and cozy. Now … it was just dead.

“Khaz …?” whispered Sei, he looked up and over to face the Hylian to spoke to him. His shadowed face had a serious complexion. Sei’s eyes were tensed importantly. “Can I ask you question?”

“Sure.”

Sei’s amethyst eyes swept over at the other Rebels. None were looking over by them. His gaze returned to Khaz’s and he said, “I heard a rumor … that you killed your uncle … is that … true?”

Khaz’s lips fell into a blank state. His dark eyes seemed shrink from their usual large size. Not with anger. They were just blank. Sei turned his head down, away from Khaz’s impassive stare.

“I’m sorry … I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Yeah … I killed him …” His voice wasn’t the same. It was dead. There wasn’t the same cheerful person there had been before. The tone was so chilling empty, like he didn’t care. Sei let a short gasp pass through his lips. He jerked his head up to stare at Khaz will wide purple eyes. His lips remained separated as he stared at the black-haired Hylian. Khaz was staring darkly down at his feet again. His face was cast in shadow by the side of the wagon. Sei eyebrows knitted together, his mouth still slightly open.

“… Why?”

Khaz didn’t look up. He barely seemed to be moving at all. “… He deserved it,” replied the Hylian, his voice was still horridly cold. Sei didn’t know why, but looking at Khaz there—face in the shadows—with his voice sounding so … cruel … it made Sei’s skin crawl. It was like he wasn’t even the same person.



The wagon was completely unloaded and all the bombs were set and ready. Blaze folded his arms over his chest and put a hand to his chin, smiling as he studied their work. There was a long, black coil of fuses running from each crate to another, connecting them all. The end of the coil was stretched out at his boots. They were ready. Now all they had to do was wait for the okay from Link’s group that all the slaves were out. Everything is running smoothly … Maybe Link and Zelda were just being paranoid. Blaze smirked ot himself. Yeah, everything would be fine.

“Well, what do we do now?” asked Tila in a hushed voice from behind him. The Gerudo turned around, letting his hands slide down to his hips. He continued to smile confidently.

“Wait,” he answered. “We wait for Link’s word. Then we blow everything up. That should cut their numbers in half and then we can take care of the rest.”

Tila’s lips curved up beautifully into a soft smile. Damn, I love it when she smiles like that. Blaze smirked playfully back at her. The Wood Elf was sitting on the end of their wagon. The others were also leaning against it; they were all whispering quietly of their soon-to-be victory, and some didn’t speak at all. The male Gerudo strode over to her place on the wagon and pulled himself up onto it as well.

“Finally, we can relax,” said Tila, turning her head up to the stars and moon. Blaze watched her enjoy the glow of the stars. The moon glittered down on her tan face and shined in her green eyes. Yeah, this was how he liked it. He didn’t want to remember that she was with someone else. He didn’t want to remember that he could never have her.

“What was your father like?” asked Blaze. Tila tilted her head back to the planet to give him a bewildered stare with her eyebrows narrowed curiously.

“That was random,” said the Wood Elf. The Gerudo only chuckled at her comment.

“Come on, just answer the question,” pressed Blaze, leaning his palms on the wood floor of the wagon. Their legs were hanging over the edge of the wagon. They were cast in odd shadows and light from the adoring moon. Tila smiled at him, giving him the same playful smirk in return.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Oh, just wondering what it’s like to have father,” he replied with a careless shrug of his board shoulders. Tila’s smile faded a little. Her eyes softened as she gave him a single nod of her head.

“Well … my father … well, he’s a rather proper man. You know, being the king of the Wood Elves seems to have that sort of affect on people,” began Tila, but Blaze interrupted.

“What? You father is the king of the Wood Elves?” he questioned with surprise springing in his voice. Tila gave the male Gerudo a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, he is.”

Blaze blinked at her for a few minutes. The space between his lips made his shock obvious. His hand went put to his chest in an almost mocking way.

“Oh my goddess … the princess of the Wood Elves is sitting right here with me and I didn’t even know it!” he exclaimed in a hushed voice of astonishment. Tila reached out and gave Blaze a hard shove on his shoulder.

“Shut up!” she jeered, a smile was still pulling at her mouth. “You’re just making fun of me now.”

“Aww, come on,” snorted the Gerudo with amusement as he regained his balance. “It’s cute. Really, I had no idea … How did you manage to get mixed up with us?” He gave her a half smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Ah!” she gasped; giving him tensed eyebrows of cheerful questioning. “What is that suppose to mean?”

Gerudo rolled his eyes at her and said, “Well, you first came here with a rough and moody Dark Elf and a spunky half High Elf half Wood elf in blue armor. How did that happen?”

“Well, when you put it that way …” said Tila, smiling blissfully at her feet. Her face tipped back up at him. Their eyes drifted straight into their gazes. “I don’t really know how it happened. Kira was just moving into Kelu Forest with her younger brother, and these boys … were bothering her. So I went over there and told them to bug off. I was the king’s daughter so they didn’t really have any other choice but to listen to me and leave.”

Blaze’s eyebrows furrowed sympathetically, and his lips softened into a gentle smile. His left hand drifted above the dry wood and over to her slender hand and rested there. “You’re amazing … I’m really glad those guys were bothering her, heh … otherwise, I would never have met you,” whispered the Gerudo. Tila’s green eyes stared for a moment longer, taking in the warmth of his hand on hers. His bronze eyes didn’t look away. In fact, it moved in closer to her face. Everything around them seemed to blur out and fade away. Any thought she had was now gone. Her eyes only closed slowly, when she felt his lips on hers. His other hand slide up onto her neck and glided up to the back of her head, pressing her mouth into his firmly. Their lips moved together restlessly. Tila’s hand brushed over onto his thigh. Her heart pounded just as restlessly as their mouths moved.

After a few minutes, Tila finally pulled away. Her face was flushed but placid. Her head slid forward and rested on his shoulder. Blaze wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Their other hands intertwined over their legs. If Rontu finds out … I’m dead.



“Are—are you sure we should be doing this?”

“What do you mean? We’re supposed to do this.”

Two Gorons were unloading the last power keg. They shuffled stiffly over to the Iron Knuckles. Slowly, they set it down gently. The Gorons glanced fearfully at the sleeping armor. They hurried away as soon as it was set into place. The Iron Knuckles shone and glittered in the silver moonlight that bounced off their dark armor. Their battle axes were clean and without the taint of blood or flesh upon them … yet.

Rontu leaned up against the fencing of the grave yard that divided the rows of crumbling tombs away from the back of the cemetery. His arms were folded over his chest as normal. His black gauntlets glimmered dangerously in the moonlight. His gold eyes were staring fearlessly at the hunks of metal before him. Leita’s gray hood was down on her shoulders. Her emerald-green eyes were bending uncertainly, and she was gripping her staff with both hands nervously.

“Well, I mean … this is where the dead rest. It would be disrespectful to blow it … wouldn’t it?” said the mage, turning her head timidly up at the Dark Elf next to her. Rontu gave a raspy chuckle as he turned his head downward to the floor, avoiding her eyes.

“They’re dead, Leita,” said Rontu, shaking his head with it tipped at a downward angle. He brought it back up to give the knights of iron a blank gaze. “What do they have to worry about it if we blow up their resting place? Right now, the living have a few important matters to worry about, and the dead people will just have to deal.”

Rontu glanced over at the female Hylian to see her silver eyebrows furrowed up at him with utter hurt in those green eyes; her bottom lip trembled a little. The Dark Elf raised an eyebrow in return.

“What?”

“You don’t really mean that, do you?” There was that pitiful tone again. Rontu let out a short sigh. She was so sensitive that she even gave a damn about dead people … Her eyes had bent down even more with worry.

“What do you want me to say?” growled Rontu, turning his gold stare back to the sleeping foes before them. “Do you want to tell these guys to pack all this up? Pack all this up so that these dead people can have new company? These Iron Knuckles are capable of killing all of the men and women we brought with us. Is that what you would like? For everyone to die so that the dead may rest comfortably with them?”

There were a few still moments following his coarse words. He expected as much. However, the moments were just a little too still for his judgment. The dark man gazed down at the Hylian again. Oh no … Her head was bowed toward the ground; her emerald eyes glistened with shiny tears through the silver veil of her hair. Rontu jerked his head to his left; the opposite side of Leita’s dampening cheeks. His lips moved into a bitter line. His right eye gave a twitch as his shoulders tensed. What did he say now? It seemed anything he said would send her into tears. How could Blaze ever ponder anything like … He could barely go five minutes without making her cry. If he just looked at her the wrong way she would be reduced to tears. No one like me is the right one for her.

Rontu’s gauntlet-covered hand grasped the back of his neck. The metal pinched his flesh a little as he did so. So how was he to get her to stop crying? He wouldn’t hold her, like before, in front of all these people. Besides … he was trying to get to her forget about him. Holding her would be doing the opposite of that. Ugh … what do I do? “You don’t have to cry about it,” he growled, still not looking at her.

“Please don’t cry, Leita,” grunted Darunia, his beady eyes scanning the wet, glimmering tears on the fair cheeks of her bowed head. The Goron shuffled over to her right as his big face wrinkled with a concerned frown. “But I’m afraid what Rontu says is true. We’ll have to make a few sacrifices for the good of the Rebellion.”

Leita brought a trembling hand up to wipe at her eyes with the back of it. Sniffling a little bit as she said, “O-okay … I understand.”

Rontu’s lips twisted into a scowl as his eyes hardened bitterly. I can’t believe it … I can’t even get her to stop crying but the Goron manages it? Rontu let out a little exhaling snarl and pushed himself away from the fencing; he strode briskly to the left and closer to the ugly Iron Knuckles but farther from Leita. What could he say? He was never good at being tactful with words.

“You didn’t have to be so harsh.” The Dark Elf jerked his head to the right to see Darunia’s round head encircled by a strangely pointy mane. For a big guy, he was pretty good at sneaking up on him without the Dark Elf hearing it. Rontu gave a grunting snort and folded his arms over his chest again. Great, I’m getting a lesson on manners from a rock-eating freak.

“Yeah, well, I was never articulate with words,” the dark man hissed at the large Goron. Maybe some would think it stupid to be so rude to something with so much muscle, but Rontu was just about as tall as Darunia. He wasn’t afraid of him. Even so, the big creature lacked a threatening attitude.

“You don’t have to be articulate to be kind,” said the Goron leader. Darunia gave him a big smile that spread widely in his face. “I know you want to be.” Rontu only snarled at his stupid grin that made him want to smack it off his idiotic face. Ha! Kind … that’s very funny. That word hadn’t been used to describe him for over a total of four years, and his father had certainly never used it.

“You can say it you know,” said Rontu, giving Darunia a disdainful smirk. “I know I’m an ass****. I don’t pretend like I’m not, so I don’t expect you to either.”

“Did you think I was pretending?” questioned Darunia, raising a large, questioning eyebrow at him. The Dark Elf gave an indifferent snort and turned his head forward to glare at a few barrels of power kegs. “Heh … I’ve never seen one so full of anger … or perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps it is fear that fills you so.”

The Dark Elf dropped his hands to his sides stiffly. His black gauntlets curled rigidly into fists. His black lips tightened into an enraged snarl. His gold eyes narrowed tensely; his teeth grinded into each other. “Or maybe … you’re just afraid.”

“I have nothing to fear!” hissed Rontu in a rushed tone, turning around to show Darunia his dangerous glower. “I’m not afraid of death. I’m not afraid of torture. There’s nothing that anyone could do to me that would fill me with fear …”

“Of course not.” Goron smiled softly at the dark man. Darunia waddled, turning away from the Dark Elf, making Rontu smirk disdainfully, once again, and roll his gold eyes. However, the large Goron stopped. “It’s not what anyone could do to you … it’s what you could do to yourself or others, Rontu … You fear your own self.”

The Dark Elf’s face dropped immediately at Darunia’s last words. The chief of the Gorons shuffled away from him, going to join Leita by the fencing. Rontu’s mouth twisted again with utter loathing. His arms shook with rage at his sides. He was sick of everyone telling him what he was feeling or that he was scared. He didn’t need Blaze or Darunia to tell him anything. I’m not afraid!



Link’s sapphire eyes widened at Ren’s abrupt warning. A trap! Before he could do anything else, he heard Zelda give a yelp and her hand was jerked out of his. The Hero of Time whipped around as the room was suddenly lighted. The figures on the floor stood up and lit a few lanterns in their black hands. White hair and black faces sneered at them through the orange glow of their lanterns. Zelda had been pulled into the horde of them, with a knife to her neck and her arms pinned to her side but an arm wrapped around her. She was held by a young, but tall, man with long white hair. However, his skin was very pale, and his eyes were a frosty blue.

“Tasuki!” exclaimed Ren, his face hardened with a glare. “You let her go right now or I’ll—”

“What? Kill me?” mocked Tasuki, smirking at him over Zelda’s blonde head. “Yes, you could kill me, Ren, but you can’t stop me from cutting her throat open before hand.”

Link’s eyebrows knitted and his eyes wondered from Zelda to Tasuki wordlessly. The princess glared bravely in death’s arms. She twisted in his arm fruitlessly, but it was useless. What was he to do? Not even Ren or he would be fast enough to kill Tasuki and save Zelda. What about the others? Were there other traps set for them as well? How did they know they would be coming? I knew this was too easy!

“Ah! Finally … I meet the famous Link at last,” said a Dark Elf, stepping forward from Tasuki’s side. He was tall; most Dark Elves were, with short white hair and hazel eyes. He was dressed in silver and black, unlike the other Dark Elves. They were dressed in purple and black. His lips curved up on his face in a victorious smirk. “Allow me to introduce myself; I am Hito of the Silver, master of the base of Kakariko.”

Hito gave a short but mocking bow with his arms folded behind his back. The other Dark Elves sn*ggered and laughed at this. His hazel eyes jerked over to the angered Retuson.

“Ah! Now … I can’t believe my eyes!” Hito stopped to give a chuckle, shaking his head, and looked back at Ren. “Well … if it isn’t Nottuu’s prized son and assassin … I have to say, I am surprised to see you among such a shameful crowd.”

“Shut it, Hito!” growled Ren, lifting hand a showing him his middle finger. “I’ll skin you alive.”

The Silver laughed again, sneering at the boy’s words and vulgar gesture. His arms remained folded placidly behind his back. “Oh, I’m sure you will. That is … if Nottuu doesn’t skin you first. He has a rather lovely torture chamber back at the castle … but for now, please put your hands on your head and follow me. You wouldn’t want me to hurt your beautiful princess, would you?”



Sei stared at Khaz for a little while longer, until a shrill scream shattered the still air and made them both gasp. They both out from the side of the wagon and ran over to the building, only to see … that they were surrounded by Dark Elves. The ledges above them and out of the shadows of the buildings were Dark Elves in blue and black, wielding cross bows and swords. There had to be about fifty of them. The Gerudos and Hylians all had their hands on their heads with the sharp points of arrow heads pressed into their backs. Malon had her hands on the back of her head with her blue eyes filled with utter terror, and her lips trembled slightly. Khaz and Sei were only able to gawk. Khaz twisted around to gaze at all of the Dark Elves above and level with them. We’ve been tricked …



“Put your hands on your head!”

Blaze and Tila both jumped at the sudden din. However, about fifty men in black and blue stepped out of the shadows. In their hands shined crossbows that were loaded. Their white hair glimmered in the moonlight. All of the Rebels jumped to their feet, staring around at the Dark Elves that surrounded them.

“I said put your hands on your head!”

Blaze closed his eyes with surprising ease and pulled his arms away from Tila, placing his hands on the back of his head as he felt his stomach plummet to the floor. Oh no … The Wood Elf also placed her hands on the back of her head. Her green eyes cast him a frightened look when he had opened his eyes again. Why did Zelda have to be right all the time?



“Turn around!” snarled a voice from behind Darunia and Leita. The mage let a small gasp of air puff through her lips but turned to see a black face that was not Rontu’s. Instead, there was a crossbow in her face, pointed between her eyes.

“Put your hands on your head!” shouted the Dark Elf behind the crossbow. Her widened, emerald eyes wandered over his shoulder to see about fifty other Dark Elves blocking the exit. She felt a hand fall heavily on her shoulder. Leita gave another gasp and looked up to see Rontu’s face with an indifferent stare in his gold eyes. The Dark Elf lowered the crossbow for a moment. His white eyebrows furrowed with confusion. Rontu’s hand slid calmly down to the hilt of his katana. He pulled it out with the sharp edge toward the other Dark Elf with the crossbow. As it exited its sheath, it cut cross the Dark Elf’s black flesh on his neck, spraying his dark blood to the ground. He dropped to the mushy earth, letting the crossbow slip out of his hands to clutch his throat. Blood leaked through his fingers and ran out of his mouth, and his eyes stared wide at the ground.

Leita screamed shrilly and stumbled backward to the stiff land. Her eyes filled with tears quickly as she stared down at the man as he slowly ceased to move. She jerked her head to look up at Rontu. His face had been splattered with little droplets of the red fluid. They trickled down his black flesh and twinkled in the moonlight. His face stared mercilessly at the man he had cut down. He only blinked a few times. His gold eyes were so … cold. She felt the cold touch of fear grip her insides. Rontu …? The Dark Elf used his other hand to grip the fence as he hopped over it. Leita stared with wide eyes of fear as he trudged down to the field of Dark Elves.

“Get up, Leita!” exclaimed Darunia. His face had hardened seriously as he pulled his battle axes from his back. The old Goron charged toward the small troop of Dark Elves. “We cannot let them wake the Iron Knuckles!”



Link, Impa, Ren, and Zelda were taken out into the clearing at the entrance of the village. As they kept their hands pressed to the backs of their skulls, Link saw another large group of Dark Elves traveled down some steps to reach the same clearing from the right. Among them were the tan faces of the Gerudos and the pale ones of the Hylian. Blaze and Tila walked ahead of them with cross bows pointed at their backs with their hands on their heads. Following shortly after them was Nabooru and Impa’s group. Link turned his attention to his left, where, as he predicted, Kai and Kira’s group marched down a stair case with Khaz, Sei, and Malon’s group at their heels. They all had their hands on their heads. Except … Rontu’s group was missing. They were all crowded around the large tree near the middle of the clearing. Dark Elves littered the surrounding area, like a bunch of black rats around a dying corpse. The leaders of the groups quickly massed together at the bass of the tree. Zelda, however, was held up in the front with Hito, whom was smirking at them all. They gave each other worried glances but had nothing to say. They all knew what happened. The Silver opened his mouth to speak, but a Dark Elf came running up behind him. He stumbled a little, looking as if he was in a hurry. There was also blood matted in his white hair.

“C-commander Hito!” he cried as he approached him. Hito turned around, his eyes furrowed with annoyance.

“Yes, what is it …? Why are you covered in blood?” he questioned quickly, his eyes still furrowed with anger but with confusion as well.

“It’s—it’s the Rebels in the grave yard,” the Dark Elf huffed, his eyes were wide and frightened. “They’ve—they’ve killed everyone!”

“What?” snarled the commander, his arms unfolded and his hands clenched themselves into tight fists. “How can that be? They were out numbered by thirty men!”

“There’s—there’s a Dark Elf with them.”

Hito’s face twisted with even more disbelief. His lips were spreading into a snarl. “What? A Dark Elf with the Rebels? That’s it; I’m going to see this for myself!” The Silver command motioned to both left and right troops surrounding the Rebels. This added up to a hundred men, leaving four hundred to guard the Rebels they had already captured. The Silver stocked off toward the back of the village, to the grave yard.

“Why am I not surprised,” whispered Kira, turning her gaze downward to her blue armored feet. “Rontu never goes down without a fight.”







“Darunia!” yelped Rontu as he narrowly ducked one of his battle axes. It smashed into the rock wall behind Rontu. The Dark Elf’s face bent his face into a look of anger and alarm, his lips were curled into a scowl and eyes narrowed. “What was that?!” he snapped as a few rocks fell onto his head and rolled off his hair.

“Oh! Sorry, Rontu,” chuckled Darunia as he tugged his ax out off the wall. He brushed the back of his head gingerly. “It’s just that I saw white hair so …”

The former assassin’s expression fell into a cold one. “Yes, yes, I understand,” he snarled as he stood up from the ground. Of course … he sees a Dark Elf and goes swinging. He turned his head around to look at the rock surface behind him. The impact had crumbled the rock in a five foot radius. Rontu’s hand drifted up over his mouth as his other arm folded over his torso, his left hand resting on his arm. Holy … After he stared with slightly larger eyes than he normally expressed, he turned to gaze over the graveyard. The bodies of Dark Elves littered the ground along with their dark blood. It really wasn’t as difficult as Rontu thought it would be. The Empire was losing their touch. Or … it might have been a great help to have the strength of the Gorons. It wasn’t easy to forget what Darunia had done to the solid rock … Rontu continued to scan the grounds. Only three Hylian were injured, they were leaning against the fencing while others tended quickly to their wounds. Strange, I thought Leita would have … Where was Leita? He turned around quickly, scanning the grounds all over, searching over every tombstone. Rontu’s eyebrows furrowed when he found no sight of her silver hair or green eyes.

“Leita?” he called out over the graveyard.

“Rontu!”

He whipped around to see a rather large troop of Dark Elves filling the entrance of the small necropolis. At the front of them was a man in silver and black and a long, thin knife next to the pale flesh of a familiar Hylian with silver hair.

“Leita!” cried Rontu, before he could stop himself. His gold eyes turned from Leita to the Dark Elf in silver and black. He released a growl from deep in his throat.

“Charming,” said Hito, smiling. “Now, I’m a little surprised … what is a Dark Elf doing with the Rebels? I thought Kushin had dealt with all those types.”

Rontu’s body remained tight and ready to spring. His gaze shifted stiffly over the other Dark Elves. They all had black, shiny crossbows pointed at them and a few pointed at the Iron Knuckles. Damn … If he tried anything, even he managed to avoid the arrows, they would wake the Iron Knuckles. Besides, he wouldn’t sacrifice Leita for anything …

“Come on, don’t you speak? Or are you just too dumb?” sneered the Silver, raising an eyebrow at Rontu. “You’d better come quietly back to the town center, or I’m afraid I’ll have to spoil this lovely flower here.” His hand tensed around the knife at Leita’s neck. The female Hylian flinched at the touch of the cold steel of the blade.



Link gazed around, his eyes tensed in the darkness of the night. Where is Rontu …? He noticed how Khaz’s eyes darted around, searching almost frantically for Leita. Zelda was still held up at the front by Tasuki.

‘Link,’ her voice vibrated through his mind.

Zelda … are you okay? he asked hurriedly.

‘Yeah, that’s not really the worst of the situation. What are we going to do?’

I’m not sure, I’ll have to think about it … He stopped when he saw some guards disperse from the shadows, pointing their crossbows at them. Soon they had spread through the crowd almost evenly.

‘Strange that they haven’t taken our weapons yet …’

I know … that’s not very wise …

‘I think … they’re just being arrogant. They think they’ve got this all under control …’

Don’t they? I mean … I’m fast Zelda, but not fast enough to stop Tasuki from killing you.

‘… He won’t, Link … I know he won’t kill me. It’s a bluff.’

Link’s eyebrows knitted together with confusion in his blue eyes. How do you know?

‘Because … Nottuu … he’s looking for me, but not to kill me. Tasuki knows that.’

Why didn’t you just say that in the first place?

‘I dunno … I wasn’t really thinking straight … I was wondering who betrayed us. I mean … this was no accident. There is a spy in the Fortress somewhere.’

Do you have any idea who that could be?

‘Yeah … but you might not like it … what about … Rontu?’

Link felt his inside tingle with a little more heat than normal. His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. He cast his glare at Zelda over the sea of heads. She bowed her head a little, hiding her face.

Zelda … I thought you of all people … Rontu would never do that.

‘I know but … Link, he’s a Dark Elf—’

I know that! He snapped, a little more than he meant to. It just bothered him so much … when people misunderstood Rontu. You don’t understand … his skin … his hair … doesn’t matter at all, and I know he’s rough … rude, and a brute at times but … He’s … he’s dependable. He’s loyal. He’s my friend.

‘I’m sorry … I just … I’ve been around other Dark Elves for so long … It’s still hard for me to trust Rontu.’

Link was about to reply but then he caught sight of the Dark Elf troop coming down the steps toward the town square. His eyes caught the glow of Leita’s hair in the moon light. Hito had a knife to her neck and Rontu was walking behind them with his hands on his head, looking rather disgruntled. When Hito reached the center, he pulled away his knife and shoved Leita into the crowd. Khaz immediately ran forward and caught her as she stumbled a little. The other Hylians, Gerudos, and Gorons followed her.

Hito made a waving gesture at the men surrounding Rontu. They grabbed his arms roughly, holding them behind his back. The former assassin growled, tossing side to side, trying to throw them off. The men struggle, one was thrown from Rontu to the ground. He slammed his elbow into the other one behind him. More came at him. He brought his elbow back up, breaking another Dark Elf’s nose. However, before he could touch another. A force, almost like a large wave of wind, hit him full in the chest, knocking him hard to ground. Rontu’s arms grasped at his torso as he turned over onto his side, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of him.

“Rontu!” squealed Leita, and tried to run forward, but Khaz’s arms held her tight.

“Ah, why thank you, Kushin,” said Hito. Rontu pushed himself back up to his knees and turned to look behind him. Men rushed forward to secure his arms again. However, this time he did not fight them. Kushin …? His gold eyes narrow with great disdain and his mouth twisted with a snarl.

Standing only a few feet away from him was a Dark Elf. A very short Dark Elf. In fact, it was an extremely abnormal height for a male Dark Elf. He stood perhaps a little over five feet. Yet, those around him … didn’t seem to be breathing correctly. They were all holding their breathes, watching him carefully. The sweat upon their black flesh gathered quickly. Some gulped a few times. Some were even shaking a little. Their crossbows were the only things clinking, making noise, as they trembled.

The thing that stood out most, was the half-mask on his face. It covered only the right side. The mask was ebony and even covered his right ear. Any flesh on the right side was covered. The mask even stretched down on his neck. It was plain, except for a slight smirk carved in its half-lips. Next was the acid-yellow of his right eye. He had long hair, held back in a tight, high pony-tail. His left side was without the rest of the mask. His left eye was a glittering silver surrounding the black of his pupil and dark blue surround the silver. The left face of his face showed that he was not a teen, he was, perhaps, into his late-twenties but never grew to be of a taller stature. His expression was blank, boring looking and what could bee seen of his lips, hung limply on his face. His clothing was similar to the fine design of Hito’s, except it was of scarlet and black. On his right hand he wore a dark, blood-red glove. However, his left hand had no glove to match. He stood out more than any Dark Elf.

“Kushin!” snarled Rontu, like he was cursing. Kushin stared at Rontu for a moment. Slowly, the visible-half of his lips curved into a thin sort of grin. Hito’s face fluttered with another smirk.

“Oh? You know him?” he said with fake curiosity as he strode up to the kneeling Dark Elf with conceit. He stared at Rontu for another moment longer. “It’s strange but … you look familiar. What’s your name, traitor?”

“I don’t think you would believe me even if I told you,” snapped Rontu, his face fading into indifference. Hito snorted with annoyance.

“Your name! Or I will have your throat cut right now!” retorted the Silver. His face hardened bitterly with scorn. Rontu stared up defiantly into Hito’s glare for a moment and then spoke,

“Rontu Treeshade.”

Another moment of silence swept over them like a chilling breeze. Hito gazed blankly at the former assassin for along time until …

“I can’t believe it … Rontu! It really is you!” exclaimed the Silver Commander. A smile almost grabbed his mouth, but instead, a smirk formed again. His eyebrows bent down with confusion. “What—what are you doing with Rebels?” he said with a sort of chuckle stuttered in his words.

Rontu’s jaw tightened and his lips made no movement to speak. Hito circled around him, studying him from different angles. He stopped again in front of Rontu. His hand held his chin and the other was placed on his hip.

“I just can’t understand … Why would you want to help them? You’re the legendary Scarlet rank male! The first man to ever attain the Scarlet name!” said Hito with an accusing tone. He shook his head slowly, turning away. His hazel eyes lifted and drifted from Kushin to Rontu. He turned to the former assassin.

‘Rontu’s a Scarlet?!’ exclaimed Zelda in Link’s head so abruptly he almost jumped. He took a moment to gather his thought process again before responding.

Yes, he was a Scarlet when he was with the Empire. What’s wrong?

‘Well … there just haven’t been many Scarlets in Hyrule. I thought Kushin was the only one here.’

Link looked around at his friend’s faces. Leita was still held securely by Khaz. Her green eyes were bent with confusion, staring at Rontu. Khaz’s glare seemed to have increased. Blaze’s eyes were wide and alarmed. Before he could gage any more looks of astonishment, Hito spoke.

“Okay … I’ll save you from this embarrassment,” avowed Hito. He stepped forward and forcefully grasped Rontu’s chin, jerking his head up to look at him. His gold eyes narrowed contemptuously at Hito’s gaze. “You’ll join the Empire with Kushin and forget this ever happened. I could easily make it so. You just have to vow your loyalty to the Empire and to Lord Nottuu and all this shame will be forgotten.”

Link felt his heart thud against his ribs. He wouldn’t … would he? Rontu would never go back to the Empire … His sapphire eyes stared at the Dark Elf with gold eyes. Rontu’s gaze jerked over to the corner of his eyes. They rested on Link for a moment and shortly passed over the others. Everyone was staring, wide-eyed, barely even breathing. His eyes returned to the Silver.

“Well … what do you say?” asked Hito, smirking.

Rontu’s eyes and snarling mouth softened enough to look almost thoughtful. His answer was to quickly snap his jaws on the commander’s hand, grinding his teeth together, tasting the salty blood that squirted onto his tongue and all over his teeth. Hito released a growling howl, and he tried to pull his hand away. Rontu’s teeth held down fastened to the Silver’s fingers, still grinding them together. Hito let out more gasps and grunts of pain. They did a little more tug-of-war with Hito’s fingers until one of the soldiers finally jumped forward and punched Rontu in the gut, making his jaws release their grip.

Hito jerked himself away from Rontu, grasping his hand around the wrist, gasping in pain. Blood trickled from his fingers. The fingers of his gloves were shredded and torn, soaking in a dark red liquid. Bits of his blackish flesh could be seen, ripped with his silver glove. Hito hunched his back over it, still grunting at his hand for the pain it caused him. His head turned upward, his hazel eyes turned through his white hair. His face was twisted, screwed up in a hideous glower. His lips twitched with a snarl.

There were a few chuckles that rippled through the Rebel crowd. Link was staring at the scene with surprise in his wide eyes; his mouth was open, gawking. Blaze was one of those chuckling. Leita had brought his hands up over her mouth and her green eyes were wide. Kira was snorting with laughter, leaning against Kai, barely able to keep her hands on her head. Kai’s mouth was tugged up into his half-smile. Blood trickled off Rontu’s chin; his gold eyes stared up at Hito with a dull, uninterested gaze. The Silver looked ravenous, having been degraded in front of his men and his prisoners. His hazel eyes were narrowed with his boiling rage.

The commander straightened up, still cradling his hand. He rasped to his soldiers, “Kill him.”

Several came forth, one hit Rontu from the side, producing a bleeding lip. His head snapped to the side. Another slammed the toe of his boot into his gut, forcing him to double over, but he was still being held up from behind. More fists met his face and head and more boots kicked him from all sides. Hot pain sprang up everywhere, throbbing. Rontu continued to try to straighten himself up, but each time was hit and kicked back into a slouch. Blood dribbled into his eyes, stinging slightly as he tried to blink it away with all the fists and boots battering him from all directions. He didn’t care … he’s had worse anyway.

“Stop!” cried a voice from the Rebels’ crowd. Leita …? he thought between the throbs of pain in his head. Leita wriggled free, slipping out of Khaz’s protective arms.

“Leita!” yelped the Hylian, he went to dash after her, but two Dark Elves caught his arms, pulling him back and restraining him violently. One hit him hard in the back, making him gasp and sag back into their restraining arms. Leita ran right up to Hito. His hazel eyes narrowed angrily, but when her hands hovered above his injured one and a blue light glowed around it his eyes widened at the miracle before him. When Leita’s blue light faded away, Hito lifted his hand before his face. His hand was now only covered with a torn glove stained with his blood. He flexed his fingers and then stared at the mage with curious hazel eyes. Leita looked back at him with pleading eyes of emerald.

“Please,” she whispered urgently, turning her head to the side to gaze at Rontu. The men around him had stopped beating him to see Leita’s magic. Her eyes trickled with tears running down her pale cheeks that glowed like porcelain in the moon light and her silver hair glimmered. She looked something like a moon goddess, standing in the light with her healing light of blue. All the Dark Elves stood transfixed on her. Rontu had blinked all the blood from his eyes, looking up at the girl who had put a stop to his suffering. It was amazing how beautiful she still looked when she cried. She turned her head back to Hito. “Please … I fixed it … please don’t hurt Rontu anymore.”

Khaz’s face was twisted with anxiety, still being restrained the two Dark Elves. There was silence around them like nothing Link had ever heard. Everyone’s attention was focused—stuck—on Leita. She had her head bowed, eyes still dripping silently as she waited for the commander to respond. Hito hazel eyes scanned her up and down with a look like nothing ever seen on his face before. He seemed in awe, but soon those eyes darted around her features with nothing but greed in them. A smirk twinkled on his black lips.

The Silver chuckled and then said, “You want me to leave him be, do you?” The edge of his index finger went out and lifted her chin up to look at him. Leita closed her green eyes, pushing tears out from them as she nodded.

“Don’t touch my sister, you black-skin scum!” growled Khaz from the crowd, his guards fought against him, pushing his shoulders and arms back to keep him there. His midnight eyes were narrowed irefully at Hito and his one finger that touched his sister’s delicate skin.

The commander merely chuckled to himself again, ignoring Khaz’s cry and turning his attention back to the young mage. His smirk curved into an arrogant smile. “My dear … a young woman so talented with magic … how amiable,” breathed the Dark Elf leader. He cast a quick glance at Rontu.

The former assassin was staring at them, but his expression was unreadable. His bloody eyebrows hang on his face without movement and his cut lips were just as lifeless. However, no one could feel the vitriol heat boiling him from the inside when Hito had searched her with hungry eyes and when his sick smile twisted onto his face and when his finger touched her delicate chin.

Hito’s horrid grin widened as he said, “Why would such a beauty care for a beast like this?”

Rontu supposed he did look rather disgusting with the blood that oozed from his face. He must have looked like a mindless beast when he gnawed on Hito’s hand. And Leita … she was the most beautiful thing there. She was like a beautiful, wilting rose of white.

Leita looked over at Rontu with her large, green eyes. His face did not change at all. He stared back with banal eyes. Leita eyes bent, searching for something, some sort of reply from the Dark Elf. But Rontu gave her none. Hito chuckled and turned her head to look at him again.

“I’ll make you a deal, darling,” said the Silver commander, smirking confidently. “I’ll let this poor excuse of a Dark Elf alone, unharmed, if you give yourself to me as a slave.”

“No!” shouted Khaz from the crowd. He twisted hysterically in the Dark Elves’ grasps. They then hit him in the lower part of his back and then in his gut. The Hylian gasped as he was shoved down to his knees, arms pinned painfully behind his back.

“Heh … I’ll make sure no harm comes to Rontu and this Hylian who so obviously makes himself known as your brother … well?” said Hito, raising a questioning eyebrow. Leita stared at the commander, lips parting so delicately. She then cast quick glances around: at her friends in the crowd, Khaz, and finally gazing at Rontu. The Dark Elf slowly shook his head at her. His gold eyes were narrowed into a piercing gaze, yet meaningful. Rontu continued to shake his head at her.

“And—and my friends?” she asked, turning her green eyes back to Hito’s gaze. Her eyebrows were bent tensely at him in hope and query. “The ones leading the wagons.”

Hito smirked; he knew he had won. “Sure,” he replied, “so is that a deal, my dear?”

Leita bit her bottom lip and turned her head again to stare at Rontu’s blooded face, which he continued to shake more vigorously at her. A few gleaming tears slipped mutely out of her eyes and down her pale cheeks that glittered in the moon light. She returned her sorrowful gaze back to the Silver commander.

“Yes,” she whispered.

ALRIIIIIGHT!!! This is by far one of the best chapters of them all. This was also one of the funniest. However, the best, undesputed chapter of them will have to be (in my opinion) chater 10. I'll put this one in as #2 in my book. Keep up the great entries Shrub .

This chapter rocked! It elaborated on leita heaps, cause you know how she's my favourite character of yours, for obvious reasons. ^_^

Hey, uh, teach, I got a question. Is Blaze bisexual(sp?) or was he just expirementing and that was it? I'm asking this cause I'm not quite sure and I really want to get in the head of all your characters (they're just so cool).

I'd say he's bisexual. He only experiemented that one time but I think he would do it again if the right guy came around. However, he's all caught up in Tila so I don't think that will be happening again.

Oh, okay, thanks for the info teach.

This story never ceases to amaze me, right now the only reason I come to this site is to check to see if there's a new chapter. Keep up the great work! Can't wait for the next chapter!

finally chapter 18. I almost forgot about this story. Isn't Hito more like one girl at a time. Oh, and what happened to Zelda last time she tried to escape Nottuu

Why would Hito stick to one girl at a time? He's a sick bastard, of course he doesn't. He's the greedy type so he would take anything he wanted no matter what.

And about Zelda and Nottuu, I guess you'll have to wait to find out.