Twilight Princess: The Guardian Saga: Twilight Falls

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 14: The Tables Turn

Danielle rode Jaraci into Kakariko Village, the moon hanging overhead and softly illuminating everything. She saw Telma’s wagon stopped outside of the inn, the tavern keeper herself nowhere in sight. Epona was also nearby, and Danielle pulled Jaraci up to Link’s steed before carefully dismounting and leaving a hand on the saddle to brace herself. “I guess you are off to find Link?” she asked of Midna, only to be answered by silence. Apparently the imp had already left.

Was she going to apologize about what she said earlier when we sought to restore light to Eldin?

A slight frown crossed her face, her thoughts turning to Midna’s icy attitude. Needless to say the imp didn’t like her all too well, but why? What secrets were Midna hiding? Her goals and motives were unknown, and Danielle couldn’t shake the feeling that they were but pawns for the strange being. “Pawns in a game we cannot even begin to comprehend,” she murmured under her breath.

“Danielle! Why did you come out here? I told you to stay in town!” the familiar voice of Telma shouted, causing the teen to lift her head. Telma rarely yelled at people unless she was really upset. Apparently now was one of those times. Danielle glanced sideways, the barkeep already down the steps of the porch and striding over to her with concern on her face. She turned slightly from Jaraci just in time to be wrapped in a warm embrace. In a matter of seconds she was released, Telma gripping her gently by the shoulders. What anger had been in her voice was nowhere on her face. “Are you okay, honey? Were you hurt?”

Taken aback by the hug, it took her a moment to respond with a nod. “Got me in my leg…” Telma looked down, cringing before wrapping her arm around Danielle’s waist and slinging one of the teen’s arms around her shoulders, helping her to the wagon. With the older woman’s aid, Danielle managed to climb into the wagon and sit down with her back against the side and her legs stretched out in front of her. Pain ripped through her leg as Telma turned it slightly to get a better glimpse of the injury, an involuntary cry escaping Danielle’s lips. A lantern hung inside of the wagon, giving the barkeep just enough light to see what she was doing. “I figured it would not be a good idea to pull out that arrow myself back there. It’s in pretty deep.”

The flickering flame cast dim light on part of her dark-skinned face, Telma’s eyes focused on the arrow. “You’re quite right about that. Did one of those beasts get you?”

I can’t tell her Blaine did this. She’d be heartbroken to know her favorite patrons have been attacking their own sibling, she thought to herself before nodding. “Yes… I didn’t take it out fast enough before it shot me,” Danielle murmured, hating having to lie to Telma.

Frowning, she gripped the arrow by its wooden shaft, lifting her head to stare Danielle in the eye. “Ready, sweetie?” Danielle nodded, clenching her hands tightly into fists as Telma began to pull out the arrow, a scream of pain filling the air…

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She had been resting in the back of Telma’s wagon, the tavern keeper tending to her bandaged leg before trying to catch a bit of shut-eye herself. The night passed slowly for Danielle, nightmares awakening her often from her troubled sleep, the malicious visages of her brothers haunting her dreams. Early in the morning, before the sun had even risen, Danielle was awakened not by nightmares, but by the quiet murmur of voices outside of the wagon. Her eyes flickered open, the young Hylian taking note of the fact that Telma wasn’t inside. Still lying on the blankets that served as a makeshift bed, Danielle listened to the low voices.

“I worry for her, Renado. She is still a child. Every time I see her, I recall when I walked into that room and saw a fragile and sickly little girl lying there alone while her family was off in war. She has no mother, you know. Dead at the hands of that same illness.”

At this Danielle sat up, recognizing Telma’s voice instantly. It was easy to tell the barkeep was talking about her, but why? And what sickness? She didn’t remember ever being sick like what Telma had described. Then again, the war had been ten years ago. At the time, she would have been four. “But she cannot be treated as a child forever. She must be allowed to forge her own destiny,” Renado’s softer voice replied. “I am well aware of what she suffered, as you delivered her to me at the risk of being attacked by the bandits who terrorized the plains.”

“You know, thinking back on that day… the guard who came to get me said the princess pleaded with him to find some way to save the poor girl. Princess Zelda was taking care of Danielle entirely on her own while she was having to endure taking charge of the kingdom during the war. Wasn’t right, having to lose both parents at that age. Remarkably strong, just like the king and queen.”

Silence filled the air for several seconds before Renado spoke up once more. “You care much for this child, Telma.”

“Have to be a fool not to see it. That poor girl never knew her mother, and her father and brothers were off fighting when she was little. That girl needed someone to be like a mother to her when all she had left were a bunch of rowdy fighters.” Danielle turned her head just slightly, eyes widening at this. Someone like a mother to her? Was that why Telma was always so kind and loving to the noble child? “I love that little girl. I see myself in her at times. That’s why I don’t want her out fighting and getting hurt.”

Telma was moving towards the front of the wagon now, Danielle lying back down on the blankets as she closed her eyes. She did not want to be caught eavesdropping…

“Hmph. That child is a fighter, Telma. When I see those eyes, I see a just and courageous warrior focused on her goals. Do not try to hold her back, for she is not your child.”

This time Telma didn’t answer, Danielle hearing her pull herself up to the driver’s seat. Heavy footsteps approached the wagon. “I’m going to go ahead and return to town. Should be safe this time around with a Goron as a guard.” With a jolt, the wagon began to set off back towards Castle Town. Danielle sighed softly, turning her thoughts from the conversation she overheard to what she should do next. Link would likely be hunting down the last Fused Shadow, and Danielle’s father was carrying the last of the sealed weapons. He would be the hardest to defeat, but there was no other choice but to fight him.

A hand gently brushed her forehead, causing Danielle to open her eyes. Telma had reached back to stroke her hair, smiling warmly. “We’re heading home now, sweetie. Just rest and try not to move that leg of yours.”

Danielle paused for a minute, thinking. She wanted to head to Lanayru’s spring and wait for Link to return from wherever he was at. “Ah, Telma… I need to go to Lake Hylia.”

She turned her head to the side in order to look back at Danielle, one eyebrow raised. “Lake Hylia? With your leg in the shape it’s in?” Danielle remained silent, continuing to gaze evenly at Telma. Finally, she relented and let out a heavy sigh. “I guess Renado’s right. I see that same look in your eyes he mentioned. Alright then, I’ll bring you to Lake Hylia, but promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.”

Smiling at this, Danielle nodded. “I’ll be careful, Telma. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but I’ll hold you to your words, honey,” Telma replied, smiling a bit herself. “And when you get back to town, drop by my place. There’s some friends of mine I’d like you to meet. They’re all fighting to return order to Hyrule when so many have lost hope. Seeing that look in your eyes, I think you’d be perfect to help them…”

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“Walk on the leg you had an arrow stabbed through by your older brother the day before. Brilliant idea,” she hissed under her breath, limping along towards the entrance to the spirit’s spring. Several times she had to stop and take the strain off of her injured leg, the wound throbbing sharply beneath the bandages. “Next time I’ll be sure to let it something heal before I walk on it, let alone take a swim in Lake Hylia.”

Danielle stepped into the spring, looking around slowly to see if Link had arrived. “Guess he’s still off looking for that piece. He should be back soon, though… I hope.” She sighed, contemplating if she should just go ahead and sit down to wait while her clothes finished drying off when a chill ran up her spine suddenly. Particles of Twilight shot down to take the form of Link, the hero’s back to her. As he went to turn, the black-robed figure that had invaded Hyrule Castle appeared out of thin air in the blink of an eye. Shock filled Link’s face as he very nearly walked into the helmeted king of shadows, Danielle moving to charge at the one who controlled her brothers and father with his dark magic.

In an instant, everything went wrong.

Sching!

Danielle both felt and heard her sword being drawn by someone behind her; before she could even turn her head, a sharp pain ripped through her stomach. Time seemed to slow down, Link crying her name while his voice sounded very far off. Slowly looking down, her sapphire eyes fell upon a bloodstained sword impaled through her stomach. It was her own sword, the Champion Blade, and her attacked leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

“Hello, Danielle…”

Father…?

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 15: Sacrifice

Danielle felt the sword being jerked out of her chest, the pain intensifying as her legs gave out from under her, the wounded young girl collapsing to her knees on the soft grass. Unable to focus, she was unaware of Zant forcing the light spirit Lanayru beneath the spring’s waters until she found herself once more in her dragon form, Twilight overtaking the world of light once more.

Greil circled around to her front, Exaccus held in his right hand and the Champion Blade in his left. Clad from head-to-toe in demonic black armor, she couldn’t even see his eyes as she raised her head weakly. This wasn’t a human. It was a demon, cold-hearted and bloodthirsty.

He… attacked me… he really attacked me… Am I… going to die?

Shapes shot through the air, the weapons of her brothers landing in a loose circle around her. She could make out Zant standing before Midna, who was bound in the air by unseen magic. Link was lying on the ground motionless not too far away, having been hit by an attack from the helmeted figure. Zant had apparently taken both the Fused Shadows and the sealed weapons from Midna with ease, mocking her right now while Greil stood over her.

“Rejoice, my daughter… for you have finally become of some use.” Danielle turned her gaze up to Greil once more, vision heavily blurred. All she could make out was a giant black figure there. The horrendous pain prevented her from moving or thinking straight, but she was able to make out the voices of Zant and Midna.

“This power is granted to me by my god! It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you will respect it!” Zant suddenly roared, causing Danielle to flinch and look his way. The part of his helmet covering his mouth had retracted, revealing strange pale skin and a disgusting mouth. He lowered his voice, continuing on as Greil just stood there silently. “My Midna… Did you forget? Those beasts are two of the light dwellers who oppressed our people. No matter how much you may desire otherwise, you will never be more than a shadow in their world. You cannot consort with their kind! But if we can make their world ours, Midna…light and darkness will meet at last. Our tribe will take back their realm…and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! And that, Midna, is why…” He leaned his head forward until it was right near Midna’s, his voice dripping with venom. “I need you. Not just for me, but for all of our people…Lend me your power.”

Midna narrowed her eye, gazing at Link for a second before looking to Danielle. She was still gasping for air, blood flowing from the wound as she met the imp’s gaze. Resolve filled that inhuman eye as Midna turned her face from Zant in rejection, the dark ruler stepping back. “So be it… I will return you to the light world you covet!” He didn’t even have to motion with his hand, his powerful magic pulling up Lanayru from the depths and dispersing the Twilight.

On her hands and knees before Greil, her skin pale and her entire body trembling, Danielle watched as in an instant the Champion Blade shattered, shards of its steel blade falling to the grass. There were flickers in the crystals of the weapons around her before agony overcame her. Her body felt as if a thousand set of claws ravaged it, every ounce of her strength slipping from her body like a stream of water. Head raised to the sky, she let out a ragged scream that drowned out Midna’s. A young girl whose very life was being ripped from her body, and a shadow being exposed to the light of a great spirit…

The pain stopped as suddenly as it began, each breath a struggle as darkness crept forward from the edges of her vision. Her body barely clung to life, the thick fog that settled in her mind making her unable to think at all. With the last of her strength, she managed to utter out one final cry before pitching forward to the ground. “P-Prin…cess…”

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Greil held up Exaccus, the once-clear crystal now filled with clouds of black. The blade pulsed with power, as did the other five weapons. Smirking cruelly beneath his helmet, Greil kicked Danielle over onto her back before looking over his shoulder at Zant. That troublesome light spirit had transported Link and Midna away from the spring, but had left the nearly lifeless Danielle there. Zant seemed to be indifferent to this, approaching Greil while summoning Durandal to him. “Their sacred power is unleashed, and Midna will bother us no more.” Turning the sword over in the air before him, he examined the fiery red crystal on it. “This power… my god will surely be pleased with this. You have done well.” With a snap of his fingers, the five weapons vanished. “The last preparations must be made. Do as you wish with the mongrel.”

Saluting, Greil watched Zant teleport away before crouching to grab his daughter roughly by her pale neck. It was a miracle she still even lived, clinging tenaciously to life. But soon that wouldn’t matter. Her own life now powered the sacred weapons, leaving nothing more than a nearly-empty shell. “The last word you spoke was a cry to your princess,” he growled, caring little if she could hear his words or not. “If you care so much for that powerless royal, then die in her arms…”

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Princess Zelda felt an icy hand clutch her heart as she stood at the window, staring out across the dark land. She knew something dreadful had come to pass, for Twilight had fallen briefly over the Lanayru lands before lifting, being replaced by dark storm clouds. Did something befall Midna, Danielle, and that other Hylian? Her heart told her yes, and it did not often steer her wrong.

The chamber door opened behind her, but she did not turn to look towards it. Heavy footsteps, unmistakably Greil’s, filled the air, but he said nothing to her while she never acknowledged his presence. Something was tossed to the floor before Greil turned and left, leaving the door open just a crack as he proceeded down the tower’s staircase.

Turning slightly, her blue eyes fell upon the motionless body of Danielle lying there on the cold stone. Unable to suppress her gasp of surprise and worry, Zelda strode to Danielle’s side and carefully lifted her up to place her on the bed in the room. The first glimpse of the wound sickened the princess, who adverted her gaze and looked down at the noble child’s face. One would think she was dead at first glance had it not been for the slow rise and fall of her chest with each strangled gasp and the still-bleeding injury.

This may be out of my power to heal. How did this happen? Where are Midna and the chosen one?

Zelda placed a gloved hand on Danielle’s forehead, worry filling her eyes as she frowned. What little life remained was slipping away, the young girl’s condition worsening. She would not last the night at this rate. Greil had brought her before Zelda as an example to the punishment those who defied Zant received. “Danielle, forgive me,” she whispered. “I thought you would be safe… but my actions have resulted in this.” Closing her eyes, she held in the sorrow that filled her heart, trying to focus instead on what she could do to help.

The sound of claws ticking against stone reached her ears, Zelda lifting her head to see the wolf from before entering the room. On his back sat Midna, even though she couldn’t exist in the world of light. The imp’s normally orange hair was a strange blue color, her flesh inverted in color with mostly a sickly grey and patches of black. Princess Zelda realized that she was dying, and her companion had been forced into his wolf form by some unknown power.

Midna’s eye flickered to the fatally wounded young Hylian, her gasps for breath weak before she slid from Link’s back and to the floor. Zelda turned and knelt by her, the dying imp looking up at the princess. “Please… Please tell me… How do we break…the curse on this one? This…is the one… You need him…to save your world! No… not… not just him… Danielle… That’s why… Princess… Please… You must help them…”

Zelda bowed her head slightly before raising her gloved right hand and pointing it towards Link, observing the strange magic that held him in this form. The power chilled her to the bone, an evil taint filling the Hylian’s body. A golden crest glowed briefly on the back of her hand, the crest of the Triforce appearing with the lower left piece brighter than the others. “What binds him is a different magic than what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of Twilight. It is an evil power.” She lowered her hand, gazing down at Midna. “Our world is one of balance… Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so, too, is there benevolence to banish evil. Head for the sacred grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil’s bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages…the Master Sword. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch.” The princess turned her head towards Link, who was listening intently. “Evil cloaks you like a dark veil…and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it. Link… Hero sent by the goddesses… Like you, I have been granted special powers by the goddesses…”

Midna winced slightly, her eye flickering towards the bed where Danielle laid. “What… about her… can you… help her?”

Closing her eyes, the princess shook her head slowly. “The sealed weapons have been unleashed at the cost of her life… I cannot heal this injury.”

A regretful look came to Midna once more, the imp looking back at Link. “Then… there is no… way to help her… Fine… Link… You can… You can get to the woods…on your own, right? Princess… I have one last request…” Zelda looked down at the imp, listening silently. “Can you tell him…where to find the Mirror of Twilight?”

Eyes flickering, Zelda stared down at Midna, a pang of guilt and sadness in her heart. “Midna… I believe I understand now just who and what you are… Despite your mortal injuries, you act in our stead… These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty.” She took Midna’s tiny hand in her own, closing her eyes. The princess knew what she had to do. There was only one way to save the lives of both Midna and Danielle. Crest reappearing on the back of her hand, soft light covered Midna’s body. “Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you… You know what you must do.”

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Midna’s single eye widened as she realized what was happening, her body floating in the air as the light from Zelda began to surround her. “No! Link! Stop her!” she shouted, but there was not enough time. Zelda stared up at her one last time before her body faded away, leaving only empty space there. The horrible pain she had felt was gone, and as she stared down at herself, she saw that her skin was its normal color once more. Why had the princess done this? Why make such a sacrifice?

“You know what you must do.”

Those words echoed in her mind as she looked towards Danielle. She was fading quickly, and not much time remained. Zelda had given up her power to save Midna’s life, but there was another sacrifice she had made, one that Midna needed to fulfill for her. Floating over to the bed, she stared down at the mortally wounded Hylian. Before, she had cared nothing about the people in this world. Danielle had been the one to learn that from Midna’s threats and treatment of her. But that had changed after seeing Link risk his life so many times to try and help others and Midna while Zelda sacrificed everything for the imp. Now she found herself regretting the way she had treated her allies.

“Mm…” Midna peered down at her hands before placing one on Danielle’s forehead and the other on her chest over her heart. “Now… is not your time to die, Danielle. We still need you…” Light slowly spread from her hands into Danielle’s body as the young Hylian’s features began to change.

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Outside of Castle Town, Midna and Link appeared in the field after warping. The imp looked back at Hyrule Castle as a diamond of strange magic covered it, blocking all access. It seemed that Zant had discovered they had snuck in and was taking measures to prevent that from happening once more. With a frown, Midna looked down at Link. “We left her where that Telma lady or one of her friends will find her, so she’ll be taken good care of. We go back, Link! Back to Faron Woods!” He nodded slightly, setting off across the lush green field with Midna leaning forward on his back and holding onto him.

“Zelda… I’ve taken all that you had to give…though I did not want it,” she whispered quietly, single eye narrowed intently. They would restore Link to his normal body and claim the blade of evil’s bane. With it, they would make Zant pay for what he had done to them all.

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 16: Veritas

She felt like she was drifting, unable to control her destination. Upon opening her eyes, all she saw was a vast sea of white light, not a single physical object in sight.

Am I dead?

Danielle stared down at herself, not seeing the injury she had sustained at her father’s hands. If she was dead, then where was she?

Remember…

Everything suddenly changed with that single whispered word that came from seemingly everywhere at once. She was in the throne room of Hyrule Castle, the king of Hyrule seated there before her. His emerald eyes carried a weary gaze, elbow resting on the arm of the throne with the side of his face leaning against his fist. A trimmed brown beard covered most of the lower portion of his face, specks of grey appearing in both it and his hair beneath his crown. The only other person with the king was a much-younger looking Greil, who strode in past her and didn’t even bother to kneel before the king.

Father not paying respect to the king? And, for that matter, what am I seeing? The king died when I was but a child!

“You summoned me?”

The king nodded, closing his eyes. “How does Cale fare?”

Greil raised an eyebrow slightly, apparently not expecting such a question after being summoned by his liege. “He is training hard to become a royal knight, but I still do not understand why—“

“My wife has given me another daughter,” the king spoke, cutting him off.

Surprise filled Greil’s face as he began to smile. “A daughter? I was not aware the queen was to give birth. I was under the impression that she was bedridden from sickness for many months. Congratulat—“

“The queen is gone, my brother, her life lost to deliver this child.”

That smile froze, Greil stunned into silence by this. Danielle stared at her father in shock. Greil was the king’s brother? He had never once mentioned it to Danielle or her brothers before, but why? And the queen had more than one child? She had heard of no such thing during her entire life in the castle.

After several seconds of silence, Greil finally spoke with a somber expression upon his face. “I am sorry for your loss, brother. Is there anything I can do to aid you?”

Opening his eyes once more, the king stared at Greil. It was obvious that he was enduring great sorrow, although he tried to hide it. “Take my newborn daughter and raise her as your own, Greil.”

“But brother, I have already done so with Cale! Surely it would be best to raise her—“

“No!” the king shouted, sitting up straight in his throne and causing Greil to recoil. With a weary sigh, the king sat back in the throne and leaned back his head slightly. “No… My wife spoke of a vision before she passed, of dark times that would befall this fair land. Ancient evils will threaten to be released, and this child will fight to defeat them.” He turned his head slightly towards Greil, frowning. “My enemies are numerous, brother. The Gerudo are threatening rebellion, their king ordering raids against our land. War will soon break out, and I fear that when it does, I will no longer be here. What I request is for the safety of all of them… Zelda is to take the throne after me, and our enemies will do all they can to eliminate her as well. This is the safest course of action to preserve the kingdom, as they would surely target any relatives of the royal family to get at the ruler.”

Greil furrowed his brow, obviously having reservations about this. “What of Zelda? Surely she’ll suspect something.”

“Zelda is young. With time, the memories of anything suspicious regarding her mother’s condition will fade, and she will never know of the existence of her sister.”

“Brother, this isn’t right! To hide this from your daughter is—“

“Enough!” the king roared, standing to his feet now. Greil fell silent in an instant as the king sighed heavily. “Enough. Leave me be, brother.”

Greil closed his eyes and bowed, turning on his heel and exiting the throne room. The king sighed once more, shoulders slumping as he sat in his throne. “This is what must be done…”

Without warning, a strangely clad woman appeared beside the throne. She wore unfamiliar clothing, a lightweight steel chest piece accompanied by skin-tight dark blue and black shoulder guards, shorts, and shoes. Tall and muscular, her white hair and peculiar red eyes sent shivers up Danielle’s spine. “The princess is a bright child, even at the age of ten. She will figure it out somehow.”

“It is your duty to make sure that does not happen,” he replied, raising his head slightly. “Do not mention a word of this to her, and make certain she does not discover anything.”

“I understand, my liege.” The strange woman looked past Danielle before everything faded to white. Confuse thoughts swirled about in her mind, but before she even had a chance to try and understand what she had witnessed, another scene played out before her. Within one of the castle bedrooms stood a young Princess Zelda, cradling an infant in her arms while humming a strangely familiar tune. The baby was wrapped in a white silken blanket, sapphire eyes peering up at the princess. Greil had entered the room, stopping in mid-strike while he stared in surprise at the princess standing there with his child in her arms.

“Princess? I did not expect to see you here. Are you not supposed to be at your lessons?” Greil questioned, one eyebrow raised. He was even more surprised that the young daughter of the king, now placed in his charge, was giggling and cooing in Zelda’s arms.

“Ah, Commander Greil!” Zelda turned and smiled, still holding the infant. Despite that smile, there was a deep sadness in her eyes. The princess was grieving the loss of her mother so suddenly, and Greil himself had recently lost his wife to illness, leaving him reeling and in shock. “I am sorry for intruding, Commander. I heard crying, so I thought I’d hold her for a bit.”

Greil paused, relaxing just slightly as he watched Zelda lower her head and whisper baby-talk to the infant, who giggled and reached up towards her face. “It is quite alright, Princess. I was just coming by to see how my daughter was doing. I am thankful that you came to take care of her.”

Never taking her eyes off the infant, Zelda gently rocked her. “She’s so precious, is she not?” the princess questioned, smiling at the child. “Such a charmer… Look at those beautiful sapphire eyes.” The infant giggled happily, causing Zelda to do so herself. “Commander, you must be so proud.” She leaned down her head once more, a lock of blonde hair slipping into the child’s reach. “I think she likes me.”

“Heheh, proud is quite the understatement, princess. Although I am surprised she has bonded with you so quickly. She’s typically terrified of strangers.” Greil was smiling faintly, but he was watching Zelda like a hawk.

“Really? Well, I think with us it was love at first sight,” Zelda continued with a smile as the infant grasped at the hair and felt it with a tiny hand. “It’s like we’re sisters.” With a grin, the princess brought her face to the child’s and mumbled more baby-talk while an odd expression quickly crossed Greil’s face, vanishing as fast as it had appeared. After giggling and feeling Zelda’s face one last time, the infant began to tire and let out a small yawn, those little eyes closing. “Oh, someone’s sleepy… guess it’s time for you to go back to bed, little lady.” Leaning down one last time, Zelda gently rubbed noses with the infant before kissing her forehead and setting her carefully in the crib.

At this the scene ended, everything dissolving into white as it had after the first scene. Danielle stood there, having all of the pieces of the puzzle in her head but unable to really believe the answer that was staring her right in the face. A daughter of the royal family sent to be raised by the secret brother of the king? The same being done for her brother Cale years before?

Cale and I… The two hidden children of the former king and queen, and Cale and I are those children…! We… I’m…

“A princess of Hyrule.”

Danielle spun on her heel as the voice from before sounded directly behind her. Princess Zelda stood there in all her glory, her beautiful dress no longer hidden by that black robe and her face as kind as always. But it didn’t seem real. It all seemed like some sort of dream.

That’s it… a dream… this all must be a dream… None of this can be true. There’s no way I can be…

Zelda smiled faintly, but there were no hints of what she was really thinking revealed on her face. “None of this is a dream, Danielle. What you saw were the memories I held dearest to my heart. On that day you were born, I had snuck into the throne room and overheard little of what my father spoke. I waited for a time before I decided to see you for myself.” That smile widened, Zelda stepping up to Danielle and placing her gloved hands on the young girl’s shoulders, squeezing gently. “When I first laid eyes on you, I loved you. When I held you in my arms, I knew. Princess Danielle… my sister.”

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 17: Awakening

Danielle stared in shock at Princess Zelda, her mind gradually processing the magnitude of this revelation. Everything changed, everything made sense. The truth had finally sunk in, the youth slowly coming to terms with this. "All of the time you spent watching over me, then... why you put such effort into teaching and training me..."

Still smiling, Zelda nodded. "The truth was known to very few. Those who knew of my mother's child believed it to have died and never spoke of it again. Fooling your brothers had been a difficult task for Greil, but he had managed even while shouldering the grief from his wife's death. All while they believed me ignorant of the truth, I knew more than most and took care of you."

Memories flickered through her mind, vanishing as soon as they appeared. She thought back on all the times that she had noticed Zelda there watching her spar with her brothers or catching her when she tried to skip out on her studies, occasionally helping her to get out of them with a mischievous smile on her face. How had the princess managed to live with such a secret and not reveal her knowledge of it?

Father... is my uncle... and Blaine and Rurik are my cousins instead of my brothers?

She paused now, her thoughts drifting back to what had happened in Lanayru's spring. "The blood of the royal family would break the seal... You were never the target. It was me."

Zelda nodded slowly, the smile falling away. "Greil knew the legend of the Champion Blade and probably informed Zant of it. I was too valuable to sacrifice, and so they hunted you down instead."

Danielle's hand curled slightly into a fist, anger rising within her. The memory of that horrendous pain she suffered was fresh in her mind. Without even thinking, she shot her hand up to grab Zelda's throat, tears burning in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?! If you knew what they wanted me for, why didn't you warn me about it before I left the castle?!" Her body trembled slightly, her breaths coming in short gasps.

Still calm despite the fact the youth had her by the throat and almost as if she expected this sudden outburst, Zelda never flinched and locked eyes with Danielle. "What would that have changed? Would it have made things any different?" Faltering, Danielle tried to come up with an answer. Seeing that she was at a loss for words, the princess continued. "You would have still fought to free your family and protect yourself from them. Such knowledge would have hindered you and distracted you from your goal. You were not ready to know, even before this. Young and stubborn, for so long you only wanted what you desired and not what was beneficial to the kingdom. When you finally began to change, I believed the time to reveal this to you was soon approaching." Sorrow filled her eyes, Zelda raising up her right hand and slowly pulling Danielle's hand from her neck and gently holding it in her own. "Fate had different plans. When Zant invaded, I knew that he would discover the hidden power of the sealed weapons. I asked Midna to take the Champion Blade and flee from the castle with you." Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and lowered her voice. "I did not expect Zant himself to appear before you along with Greil. I failed to protect you, and my mistakes very nearly cost you your life."

Danielle stood there in silence, the anger within her extinguished as Zelda held her trembling hand. The princess now released her hand, instead wrapping her arms around the young girl and resting her head on top of Danielle's. In that one embrace, she felt all of the love Zelda had for her but was forced to keep buried inside. Regretting yelling at the princess and trying to harm her, Danielle closed her eyes and let the tears fall. "P-Princess... I..."

"Ssh... You need not apologize... I love you, Danielle... and I've given everything I have for you," she whispered, holding Danielle tighter. "I... am always with you.�"

--------------------------

"Ever since that strange barrier appeared, the people have been growing anxious. Monsters, the princess missing... things are going downhill real fast, yeah?"

"Not to mention the guards in town have seemed to lose all of their nerve. Letting beasts roam the town streets? I must admit I share in your distaste for the soldiers, Ashei."

"Men empty of valor, I say. At least Ashei found Danielle out there. The guards are probably so brainless they wouldn't have known what to even do."

I must have a record for being knocked out and waking up somewhere else, Danielle thought, stirring slowly as the sound of voices awakened her. Wait... that means I'm not dead?

She forced open her eyes, lying in a bed in a rather dimly lit room. Every inch of her body felt sore, and a damp rag rested on her forehead. Somehow she had survived, but her stomach burned like fire. How did she end up here? She was last in Lanayru's spring, wasn't she? And for that matter, where was here?

"That girl isn't quite what I expected, Telma. I thought she'd be younger."

"She is, but I have no idea how she wound up this way. Without a doubt it's her, I know that. I'm guessing what turned her this way is connected with all of these strange happenings."

Telma's bar? What're they talking about?

"Strange times indeed... I still can't help but wonder where this child's family is. One would think that, given their reputation, they would be out here with us helping to fight to free Hyrule." The current voice that spoke, that of a young male's, was approaching Danielle's bedside. Her eyes flickered to the side, spotting a young Hylian man who looked to be around seventeen or eighteen. His garb was perhaps the most unusual Danielle had ever seen. Tan leather pants reached down to his kneecaps, his socks in white-and-peach diamond patterns with his shoes matching the color of his pants. His belt held several pouches, the buckle carrying a peculiar engraving. A white undershirt was mostly covered by a light pink vest, a dark purple jacket that reached down to his elbows just over that with a high color that reached up to his pointed ears. His light brown hair was neatly fixed, his large circular spectacles sitting on his face. As he walked, he was scanning the pages of a purple book he held with strange golden engravings on its surface and a dagger held in the pages. "But there has not been a single sighting of them... Perhaps we should..." he glanced up at her, stopping in surprise before turning to look elsewhere. "Telma, our guest is awake."

Telma almost immediately stepped into sight, relief filling her face as a wide smile crossed it. "Thank the goddesses you're alright, sweetie! We thought you'd never wake up." The young man closed his book, peering down at her slightly while stepping back. Right now, Telma looked as if she would have crushed Danielle in a hug if it weren't for the fact she was still recovering.

"Ah, Telma..." Danielle managed a weak grin, her voice raspy and strange as she spoke. It sounded deeper than usual, which confused her. Yeah, her mouth was dry, but would that affect her speech in such a way? "How... did I get here?"

"My friend Ashei found you and brought you here a few days ago. What happened to you?"

Danielle blinked slowly, gradually becoming more aware of her surroundings. The bar had a handful of patrons, but things were mostly quiet. Most of the people inside were at the back of the bar, sitting around a table with a map laid out on it. "Attacked... it was a surprise attack. I thought... I would die." Bringing up a hand to her face, she was about to rub at her eyes when she noticed something curious. Her hand seemed a bit larger and stronger than she remembered, as did the rest of her arm. "Ah...?"

Quick to notice her confusion, Telma did her best to explain. "Your whole body, Danielle... It's changed. You look like a grown young woman now instead of a child." At the incredulous look Danielle shot her, she merely shrugged and stood with her hands on her hips. "I was hoping you had some answers to this, but judging your reaction I guess that's not the case."

This is impossible... my body looks like it's older? But Telma wouldn't lie to me about something like this... How did this happen though? First I survive being impaled upon my own blade, and now my body has apparently aged...

Narrowing her eyes a bit, she glanced sideways at Telma, still lying there on the bed. "What about the wound? How bad is it?"

"Mostly healed, actually. Got quite a nasty scar, though. I treated it as best as I could." Telma sat at the edge of her bed, giving a slight nod to the young Hylian who had notified her of Danielle's awakening. He smiled and with a nod in return, headed over to the table with the map, joining a few other patrons. Sighing, the barkeep placed her hand on Danielle's head, a relieved look on her face once more. "I would give you quite a lecture about how you should have never left, but I figure you've been through enough. I'm just glad you're okay, honey."

Closing her eyes, Danielle just relaxed as Telma gently stroked her hair, gathering together her thoughts and the tidbits of information she had overheard. It had been days since what had happened in Lanayru's spring. If Link wasn't here, then where was he? And was Midna okay?

That scream I heard... it was her screaming...

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked to Telma. "What about Link? Have you seen him?"

"He came by yesterday, actually. He met with the group while he was here and asked if we could get a blacksmith to repair a broken blade he had. As a matter of fact, I think it was yours." The look Telma gave her asked what had really happened back to her, but Danielle avoided saying anything. If she were to find out Greil had nearly killed her, the barkeep would be appalled.

"So he's okay..." Reaching up a hand, she slowly pulled the rag from her forehead and sat up. The pain in her stomach had lessened considerably, but she still felt somewhat weak. Telma rose and placed her hands on her hips, expression one of amazement and admiration. Apparently she had expected Danielle to be bed-ridden and too weak to move for considerably longer.

Danielle took another deep breath, relaxing her body and being careful not to move too fast as she turned her head to the side and stared at the table near the back of the tavern. Three rather odd people sat around it, the man who had announced Danielle's awakening among them. A man there wore a sword strapped to his back, dark green and white clothing, and brown sandals with a helmet masking his face. She guessed his clothing was Ordonan origin, and he sat with his arms folded across his chest. The other person was a human woman with strangely worn black hair. Her thick pants were dark red in color with a thick, long-sleeved grey shirt covering most of her torso. Unusual mint-green armor covered her entire left arm, her right forearm, and her midsection, with heavy metal boots of the same material reaching up to her kneecaps. At her side was a thin sword, and she leaned against the table with one hand examining the map. With how she was dressed, Danielle thought that perhaps she was a knight, but immediately dismissed the thought. She knew of no female knights within Hyrule's ranks. "Who might your friends be, Telma?"

At this the barkeep smiled, offering a hand to Danielle and helping the youth to her feet. She was now closer to Telma's height, and it took her a bit to get used to a body that felt so different. "These are the people I mentioned to you before, all fighting to save the land we love." As the two walked over to the table, the three people all turned their eyes towards the girl. "Rusl hails from Ordona, and he's quite a swordsman. Even trained your friend Link. He's a longtime friend of mine, and he came to help as soon as he recovered from the beating those monsters gave him in Ordon." The helmeted man merely chuckled slightly, although it sounded more like a grunt than anything before he nodded to her.

"Shad is a scholar interested in a race of Sky Beings who's frequented my bar for quite some time. Despite not being the strongest, his research has been invaluable."

The young man who Danielle had seen upon awakening smiled and bowed his head just slightly. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Danielle. Telma has told us much about your skills and bravery, and it's an honor to have you fighting by our side."

The final person, the young woman, glanced up at Danielle with an indifferent expression on her face while Telma spoke. "Ashei's father used to be a knight, but he left after a disagreement with his superior. Raised her like a son and trained her pretty well, too. She's one of the best fighters I've seen."

"Hmph." Ashei said nothing, seeming to give Danielle a cold shoulder. The youth blinked rapidly, wondering if she was like this to everyone or something while Telma went on.

"Danielle is Commander Greil's daughter. She's got a heart of gold and more courage than all the soldiers of Hyrule. She helped Link and I reach Kakariko to save the young Zora Prince's life." The barkeep motioned with her hand towards the three. "This is the group, Danielle... and we want you to join us to fight and free Hyrule."

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 18: Rebirth

Danielle sat at the table, listening as Ashei briefed her on the current situation. Another member, Auru, was at Lake Hylia investigating strange activity within the Gerudo Desert, and Link had been pointed in his direction. A strange beast had been sighted in Zora’s Domain lately, which had recently recovered from being completely frozen over. Rumors of an unusual set of ruins past the temple in Faron Woods had reached their ears, piquing curiosity. Hyrule was having a never-ending series of problems, and the soldiers were too overwhelmed to do any good.

It’s harder when you have knowledge of what is really going on but cannot reveal it.

“Before you actually do anything, it might be good if you had a weapon, yeah?” Ashei continued, a frown on her face as she glanced at Danielle. “We gave that sword of yours to a blacksmith in town to repair. You should go check to see how far along it is. Doric is the best in Hyrule.”

With a nod, Danielle rose to her feet from the chair. Telma glanced over at Danielle, hands on her hips. “Doric is over in the western part of town, in an alley past the church. Just follow the racket and you’ll find him.”

Grinning, Danielle nodded her thanks and strode towards the door, stopping when the barkeep placed a hand on her shoulder. “Huh?”

The barkeep smiled warmly, but there was concern in her eyes. “I know you’re trying to be strong, Danielle, but don’t be reckless. You may be into something bigger than any of us, and I won’t wrestle the truth out of you. Just don’t die, honey. Okay?”

“I’ll be careful this time, I promise.” Danielle pulled away, giving her an encouraging grin before stepping out of the bar and into the town streets. The grin fell away as she sighed softly, shoulders slumping a bit. She could only imagine how worried for her safety Telma had been. “Loves me like I was her own daughter,” she murmured under her breath, leaning back her head and staring up at the clear blue sky. “This time, I will make sure to not make her worry like that again about me.” Closing her eyes for a few seconds to enjoy the cool breeze, she opened them and set off, passing through the crowds with a focused gaze in her eyes.

Proceeding through the southern thoroughfare, the youth entered the plaza and headed to the western part of the bustling Castle Town. Things seemed to still be mostly normal, although she noticed anxiety in the faces of most of the people as their gazes flickered nervously to the castle and that dark barrier. Rumors of the princess’s fate swirled through the townspeople, most of them not exactly hopeful ones.

With a frown, Danielle turned to the right down a small alley past the church, spotting a wooden house a good bit ahead with smoke drifting lazily from the chimney. That had to be Doric’s home, but there wasn’t quite a ruckus as she had expected from what Telma said. Why was everything so quiet? Was he not home?

No, not just from that place… there’s no one else around here. And there’s this ominous feeling…

Reaching the heavy wooden door, Danielle paused outside and tried to peer in through the windows. They were shuttered, preventing anyone from seeing inside. “A blacksmith performing his trade inside a wooden building… perhaps not the smartest decision, but he has his reasons I suppose…” She raised her hand, knocking quickly with her fist while raising her voice. “Doric? Are you there?” The door swung open upon her knocking, revealing the empty interior. All of the smith’s tools were out, the fire going strong in the forge. But where was Doric?

She stepped forward into the room, wood creaking underfoot for a few steps before she passed onto the stone floor around the forge and anvil. It was odd. The Champion Blade rested on the anvil, partially completed but still in pieces. Doric had recently been working here, but for some reason he had left. Why?

Slam!

Danielle jumped slightly, spinning on her heel to see the door now shut. About to step forward towards the door, she stopped when a wave of heat swept over her. Her blood ran cold, the Hylian slowly turning. There was a large demonic figure composed of flame, one claw reaching out for her. Skin seared by the burning heat, Danielle leapt backwards to put space between herself and the creature, its other fist slamming down into the wooden floor and catching it aflame.

Something as powerful as this, an elemental… Animus!!

The elemental roared and shot into the air, flames engulfing the ceiling as the fire on the floor spread quickly and took on a life of its own, creating a ring of fire around her that blocked off the way to the door. In a matter of seconds it had become unbearably hot, Danielle searching the room quickly for any sign of the gauntlet and its wearer. An open doorway was past a growing line of flames, a dark figure standing on the other side of the raging inferno.

Glancing up, she noticed the elemental reforming and reaching for her, Danielle sprinting forward and diving through the flames. She rolled and came up a crouch, shooting up her hands in the nick of time to catch the gauntleted fist about to slam into her face. Blaine stood there, dark armor replaced by loose-fitting leather armor. Instead of malice and rage, his eyes were empty and devoid of any emotion. The gem on Animus glowed amber, a dark force radiating from the gauntlet.

“Tch!” Danielle ripped Animus from his hand while leaning back and kicking Blaine’s gut. He didn’t even grunt as he stumbled back, eyes flickering for an instant before returning to that empty expression. But the elemental didn’t stop. Its claw reached for her, the flames of its body seeming to lick at her, eager to devour her…

There was no other choice. She slipped Animus onto her hand, spinning on her heel and pointing the gauntlet at the elemental. Willing it to vanish, it roared and flailed about before falling apart, the flames joining the raging inferno. Smirking with satisfaction, she lowered her hand, only to suddenly double over in pain. A feeling of claws tearing at her insides forced her to her knees, breaths coming in strangled gasps, smoke causing her to gag and choke. The dark presence within Animus now attacked her, leaving her at the mercy of her brother as it tried to overpower her mind and take her for its own. All too late she realized that the forces within the weapons controlled Blaine, and now it sought to do the same to her.

Is this… how it’s going to end? No… I won’t let it! I won’t let it end this way!

Warmth filled her cold hand, the pain receding, being pushed back by the power within her. She could almost feel the presence writhing in pain, but there was no time to dwell on it. Danielle knew she had little time before the building was completely consumed, stumbling to her feet and facing Blaine. A flash of silver caught her eyes, Danielle instinctively moving her head to the right. Pain seared the side of her face before it suddenly became freezing cold. Stumbling back, she touched the cut on her face and discovered the blood and flesh had been frozen.

“Lance of Ice… No wonder it’s called that,” she hissed. “Not even the heat stops it…” Blaine struck sideways with the lance tip, forcing her to duck even as the ceiling beams began to give away and fall to the floor. Embers burned her skin while she dodged the quick jabs, sweat rolling down her face. “Have to end this…!” Blaine lunged in, the shaft of the lance cracking across her jaw and resulting in a dazed stagger as she fell back against the wood. Cold steel pressed against her throat as the knight planned to strangle her, ice spreading from where the lance shaft touched her flesh. Either he would encase her in ice and leave her to burn to death within the structure, or he would sacrifice himself to kill her.

“Sorry, Blaine… not going to work!” Danielle yelled, throwing a powerful punch with Animus to the left side of his face. Blaine stumbled back and scowled deeply, about to plunge the tip of the lance at her chest when another loud crack caused him to look up sharply. A wooden beam had given way, crashing down into Blaine and pinning him face-down to the floor. Malte rolled forward and stopped against her boot, a groan of pain rising into the air.

Danielle panted, picking up Malte in her hand before crouching in front of her brother. “Blaine? Blaine!” She coughed violently, inhaling the acrid smoke as an icy pain spreading up through her arm as Malte tried to do what Animus had failed at. “Not now!” she growled, forcing the presence back with the powers the light spirits had granted her. Blaine’s eyes flickered open, the young man dazed and confused. He groaned again, the roar of the flames making it hard to even hear him as the fire that engulfed the beam burned away at his back.

“Get… get out… save your…self…”

She grabbed the edge of the timber with her left hand, not daring to touch it with her unprotected right as she strained to lift it off her cousin but to no avail. “I’m… not leaving you!” she shouted, grunting from the effort. What was she supposed to do? She had freed her cousin, but was she now going to lose him to this inferno? “Goddesses, help me… I don’t want him to die!”

Crash!

The window in the room blew inwards, an armored figure climbing in. Danielle squinted through the smoke that burned her eyes, recognizing the newcomer as Ashei. It took her a split second to observe the situation before joining Danielle, shouting over the roar of the flames. “On three!”

Danielle tensed up her arm, sliding Malte through the back of her belt before grasping the beam with her other hand, ignoring the burning pain. “One…” Ashei wrapped her armored hands around the other end. “Two…” Heart pounding in her chest, she felt a fresh wave of heat wash over her, flames licking at her body all around her. “Three!” She pulled at her end of the heavy beam with all the strength she could muster, lifting it up slightly as pain ripped through her arms. The two shifted the beam off of Blaine, dropping it as soon as they moved it away from his feet. Ashei wasted no time in picking up Blaine and moving towards the window. “Hold him and hand him down to me!” she ordered, handing Blaine off to Danielle before climbing out the window.

“Hang on, Blaine… We’re almost out of this nightmare,” Danielle murmured to him, grunting a bit as she struggled to lift him up and get him feet-first out the window. In order to avoid hurting his back even more, she turned him over and nearly gagged at the sickening smell and sight of his charred back. It took a few seconds to get him out of the broken window, but to Danielle it seemed like an eternity. Her knees were weak and stomach churning as the building finally began to collapse. “Ah…!”

“Danielle, jump!” Snapped out of her state of shock, willing her legs to move, she looked back at the raging inferno that sought to devour her one last time before sprinting towards the window and diving through. The jagged shards of glass that remained sliced into her, causing her to cry out as Ashei caught her in her powerful arms. Coughing and gasping, she trembled from her close call while looking back at the building, watching as the whole structure gave way. If it weren’t for Ashei holding her up, her legs would have given out from under her right then and there.

I freed Blaine, but at such a cost… The Champion Blade is gone, Doric is missing, and Blaine was nearly killed… can we really afford many more of these “victories”?

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 19: Reunion

“Ow!”

Danielle flinched as Telma used a damp rag to clean the soot from her face, the rag touching the cut on her left cheek and causing it to sting sharply in pain. The barkeep frowned but didn’t stop, a stern and slightly annoyed expression on her face. “You just don’t listen, huh?” she questioned. “I told you to stay out of trouble, and what do you do?”

“It’s not like I purposely ran into a burning building looking for a fight!” Danielle protested before hissing slightly as Telma now began to use a clean part of the rag to work on the rather deep cut. A sudden, sharp burst of pain unlike she had felt before caused her to yelp and pull away, slapping a hand over the injury and feeling blood trickle from it.

Telma placed her fists on her hips, frown deepening and giving Danielle a look that made the youth wonder if Telma hadn’t pressed down harder than needed on purpose. “Then why don’t you explain to all of us just what happened in there? Ashei pulling you and your brother out of a burning building seems like you getting into trouble to me. And just where has your brother been all this time?”

“Mm…” Danielle bit her lip slightly, her free hand gripping her kneecap slightly. She lowered her gaze to the floor to avoid the stares of the rest of the group in the room, not sure what to say. She knew she had hidden a lot from them, but what was she supposed to say? That an evil dark being had plunged their entire world into twilight and turned the residents into spirits without them being aware of it, and that same figure had used her blood as a sacrifice to bring to live ancient spirits within the weapons her family had carried? Had she not seen it all herself, she would think it crazy and impossible.

“We know you’re hiding something, yeah?” Ashei spoke up, walking slowly forward. It was hard to read her expression, but Danielle recognized skepticism and suspicion right off the bat in her heavy-lidded brown eyes. “I saw you fighting Blaine in there before I came in and got you both out of there. You might want to tell us what’s going on before you lose our trust for good.”

Danielle flinched once more, more from the fact that she was now backed into a corner than the pain of her injuries. Already she knew that Ashei wasn’t too fond of her, and now the warrior seemed ready to just turn against the youth completely unless the truth was revealed. Even Telma still looked cross, and that was a rather rare sight from the barkeep. Defeated, Danielle only risked a short glimpse at all of them. Rusl’s expression was unreadable behind his helmet, while Shad glanced up at her from over the top of his book every now and then. “I… alright… I’ll try to explain what happened, but… my own knowledge is pretty limited of this.” Keeping her gaze lowered, her mind churned to think up some explanation that wouldn’t reveal too much to them… She didn’t want to jeopardize Link and Midna’s mission.

“All those monsters lately… they’re the result of a powerful dark sorcerer. I don’t know who, or what, he is. My family… they tried to fight him, but he was too powerful… With his dark magic, he placed a curse upon their weapons, forcing my brothers and father to serve his will. They’re after me… Apparently removing their weapons from their possessions is enough to release them from the curse, and so that’s how I managed to return Blaine to normal after that fight at Doric’s… But Cale, Rurik, and Father are all still under that sorcerer’s control, and I have to find them and release them before they do something terrible at the command of that sorcerer.” She clenched her left hand into a fist, still not looking up. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of them.”

Silence reigned for several seconds as the group took this all in. Then, without a word, Telma placed her fingers beneath Danielle’s chin and lifted her head so that the barkeep could look into her eyes, a warm smile on her face. “I guess you felt that because it’s your family, it all rests on you to save them, huh? You didn’t need to hide this, though.” Wiping away the last bit of grime, she stepped back and stood with her hands on her hips once more, but that stern expression was now replaced by that heartwarming smile. “But you need to learn that you’re not alone. We’re here to help, too. The group is here to restore peace to Hyrule… and that includes setting free the few knights in Hyrule who have any real guts.” At this her eyes glittered a bit with humor, although Ashei just gave a small snort in reply from where she stood against the wall with her arms folded.

Well, at least that didn’t go nearly as bad as I had thought it would… but it seems that Ashei still isn’t too trusting of me. I guess I can’t blame her, though… There’s no way I can tell them absolutely everything about what had happened.

Taking a deep breath and feeling immensely relieved that they weren’t going to interrogate her any further about everything, Danielle squared her shoulders and looked around the room at all of them. “I appreciate the help, I really do… In all honesty, it was pretty overwhelming thinking about having to go up against all of them just by myself.”

With a wink, Telma played with the rag in her hands a bit as she headed to toss it into the basin behind the bar. “No need to thank us, honey. You’re our friend, and we’re more than happy to help. Just try to avoid hiding any more stuff from us, okay?”

“Uh… heh heh, okay. I’ll do that, Telma.” Danielle rubbed the back of her head slightly, feeling a bit guilty that she was still hiding some stuff from the motherly barkeep.

“With that settled…” Telma now took up her usual position behind the bar, leaning on the counter. “If we have to get rid of those weapons, then freeing them won’t be too hard. Finding them will be the hardest part, though.”

Ashei pushed away from the wall now, hand resting on the hilt of her blade. “Auru is supposed to return shortly, so I’ll be setting out soon to scout Snowpeak. I’ve heard the way to the mountain is open, but some pretty strange stuff is going on up there, yeah?”

Snowpeak, the mountain past Zora’s Domain, she thought to herself. If Zant is up to something up there, then the chance of one of them being at Snowpeak is pretty likely.

“I’ll go with you, then. If one of my family is there, you’ll need all the help you can get in taking them down. They’re already good with their weapons… and the dark boon they have makes them even deadlier than before,” Danielle spoke up, rising to her feet.

Ashei paused, glancing sideways at her with a slight frown. “Do you even have any weapons to fight with?” she questioned, seeming just a bit irritated but mostly hiding it.

“Actually, yes, I do… I’ll use Blaine’s weapons, his gauntlet and his lance. But first I want to go visit him to see how he’s doing, though, so I’ll meet up with you in Zora’s Domain after I’m done.”

Pausing, the warrior merely shrugged and turned for the door, waving a hand slightly. “Then I’ll meet you there, but don’t expect me to wait on you forever.” Without another word, Ashei headed out through the door of the tavern, leaving a dumbstruck Danielle wondering once more why the human wasn’t fond of the young Hylian.

“Er… Is she always like that?” Danielle questioned, receiving a slight chuckle from Telma.

“Sometimes, but she’s a good girl. She’s just a little rough from being raised the way she is, that’s all.” The barkeep now tilted her head slightly towards Danielle, her smile fading slowly. “Now then… Go see how Blaine is doing. I’m sure he’d like having his sister there to check up on him. But… I’ve told you time and time again to be careful. If you go off and get yourself hurt again, I’ll really let you have it.”

Flinching, she instinctively stood up a bit straighter, nodding her head. “Yes, ma’am…” Telma smirked just slightly at this, motioning for her to head along. Danielle wasted no time in heading out, shooting a backwards glance at the bar and its patrons before striding out the door.

--------------------------

Ignoring Doctor Borville’s grumblings, Danielle sat at Blaine’s bedside and watched him rest, noting the pained expression on his face. Bandages were wrapped thickly around his torso to cover his damaged back, his shirt removed and parts of his burned flesh peeking out from beneath the cloth of the bandages. The damage had been severe, and the doctor had states his opinion that a complete recovery seemed unlikely. To see the knight who had always been so strong in such a weakened state brought the sting of tears to her eyes. It was so unfair. Why did her cousin, someone she had known so long as a big brother, have to get so badly hurt?

“Danielle?”

Lifting her head, Danielle noticed someone step into the small room. “Ah, Link!”

The Hylian nodded, smiling faintly before he stared down at Blaine. “I paid a visit to Telma’s bar and heard about what happened… How is he?”

Sighing heavily, Danielle ran a hand through her hair slightly, lowering her gaze. “Well, he’s not dead, and he’s no longer being controlled by the weapons, but it will be a long time before he recovers, if he even does.” Her blue eyes stung slightly as she leaned back, gazing now at the wooden ceiling. “Went through all that, and now I don’t even know if Blaine’s going to pull through…” Feeling useless and frustrated, she shook her head and turned her attention now to Link. “What about you? Zant didn’t hurt you guys too badly, huh?”

“Actually, we’re both fine.” The voice that spoke wasn’t Link’s, but Midna’s. Much to Danielle’s surprise, the imp popped up from beneath Link’s shadow in her physical form despite being in the light world. Before Danielle could even open her mouth to ask how, Midna cut her off and explained. “The princess… she gave up her life to save the both of us.” A remorseful gaze in her eyes, Midna stared down at her tiny hand, curling it into a fist. “Her power allows me to exist here, and her body is one with yours, allowing you to live despite the fact those weapons drained just about every ounce of life energy from you. That’s why you look like you do now… your appearance so similar to that of Zelda’s.” Frowning, she lowered her fist and stared Danielle in the eye. “That was her request… before she gave up her life for us.”

“I see…” Danielle lowered her head, hunching forward a bit with her elbows resting on her knees as she thought about this. That explained a lot, but did they have any idea of the heritage that had been kept a secret to Danielle herself until recently? “At least I know now… I was pretty confused when everyone kept giving me weird looks because I look a whole lot older. Not only that, but I’m a good bit stronger now, too…” She raised Animus slightly, staring down at its gold-plated surface as she reflected on all that had happened. Midna’s gasp startled her, Danielle glancing up just in time to see the imp recoil slightly. “Huh?”

Midna stared at Animus, unsettled and baring her teeth. “Danielle, what are you doing with that thing? It contains powerful dark magic! You shouldn’t be wearing it!”

“I know it does, Midna.” She clenched her hand into a fist. “But it also contains my very life energy… I think that’s what allowed me to control it when it tried to take over me after first putting it on. The same goes for Malte. I think I may be able to control them instead of them controlling me…”

Link wore a frown on his face, definitely not too keen on the idea of Danielle now possessing the cursed weapons. His head tilted slightly to the side, though, his eyes narrowing at the sound of approaching footsteps. “He’s coming back,” he hissed. “I think you caught his attention, Midna. Hold on.” Link turned and hurried out of the room now, his voice drifting in through the open doorway from further down the hall as he began to converse with the doctor.

Floating over to Danielle, Midna placed a hand on her shoulder and lowered her voice. “You may be able to control that power… but you can’t get rid of them, can you?”

Her smirk was devoid of humor, the weariness she tried to hide revealing itself. “You figured it out pretty fast… Didn’t expect that.” Shoulders slumping, Danielle lowered her head. “I feel like that power inside of it is calling out to me, even though I can control it. Maybe I’m not the one in control… maybe that power is keeping me from leaving the weapons behind, using me. I’m not a servant chained to their power, but their influence is rooted pretty deeply in me. I suppose the fact that my own life force was used to empower them makes it a bit rougher, too.”

“Danielle…” Much to her surprise, Midna looked genuinely concerned. What was with her sudden change in attitude? Hadn’t the imp always been scathing and uncaring? “Is all of this worth the risk of losing yourself to that evil power?”

Lifting her head, a resolute gaze entered her eyes. “If it means freeing my family, then yes, it’s worth it. And once I find a way to seal these weapons again… I’ll make sure no one will be able to get a hold of them ever again.”

Midna tilted her head slightly, listening to the voices down the hallway before closing her eyes. “I see why the princess trusted you, wanted to save you… You’re loyal to a fault, you know that?” She pulled her hand away, floating in front of Danielle with her back to the Hylian. “But be careful of that power, Danielle. Don’t let it consume you. I’d hate it if we were forced to fight you.” The imp glanced back at Danielle, her expression showing just how sincere her words were. Footsteps now approached, Midna diving down beneath Danielle’s shadow to hide.

Rising to her feet, Danielle looked at Blaine’s resting form one last time before Link entered, apparently frustrated by the doctor he had delayed. He quickly noticed Midna was nowhere in sight. “She’s hiding?” he questioned, relieved.

“Mmhmm.” Danielle folded her arms across her waist, deciding to not bring up their conversation with Link. Recalling what Ashei had told her, she cut to the chase. “You’re going to Zora’s Domain now, right? Telma mentioned you were also helping out the group, and Ashei went on ahead to scout Snowpeak.”

Link nodded, motioning for her to follow. Keeping quiet, he said nothing until they exited into the eastern thoroughfare, speaking in a low tone. “Zant took the Fused Shadows and fled to the Realm of Twilight, breaking the Mirror of Twilight into four pieces. One of the pieces was still there in the Arbiter’s Grounds, so that one is accounted for.” He closed his eyes now, seeming to quote something. “One is in the snowy mountain heights. One is in an ancient grove. And one is in the heavens.” He glanced sideways at her now, Danielle taking in the words he spoke. “If we’re to defeat Zant, we must restore the mirror.”

“Hm… Fix the Mirror of Twilight, huh? If it means defeating Zant, then you can count me in. I don’t doubt that he’ll be trying to use my family to stop you… so my task of freeing them might be easier if I tag along with you for a bit.”

At this, Link smirked and nodded his head slightly. “Then we go to Snowpeak.”

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 20: Struggle at Snowpeak

Danielle looked around as her body reformed from the warp, recognizing the area as being just outside of Zora’s Domain, a boat rental shack behind her. She heard Link warping in just above her, and Danielle had little time to react before something landed on her back and sent her crashing to the ground.

“What’re you laying around for, Danielle?” Midna questioned, Link quickly stepping off of the Hylian with an apologetic look on his canine face. When he warped, Midna always reverted him to his wolf form. Danielle was just happy that no one saw her warp in.

“A little warning about Link appearing right on top of me would have been nice,” she grumbled, receiving a playful grin from the imp as she brushed the grass off of herself. When she looked back at Link, he had returned to his Hylian form, the legendary Master Sword in a scabbard on his back. He still looked just as apologetic as before.

“Sorry about that… Midna has to have her fun somehow, I suppose.” Link rubbed the back of his head while looking off towards Zora’s Domain. “Come on, let’s catch up with Ashei.”

Nodding, Danielle jogged after him as they headed into the domain along the raised banks, the flow of the river relaxing her with its soothing sound. Upon entering the home of the Zoras, she was relieved to see that they were fully recovered from the domain being frozen over earlier. It felt strange to her, being here amongst members of the amphibian species. This was the first time she had stepped foot in her Hylian form in the domain. Never had she actually traveled outside of the castle, let alone to the territories of the other races. Glancing about curiously at all of them, she followed Link towards a rocky tunnel that was guarded by two Zora sentries. One of the helmeted Zoras glanced at them curiously. “More travelers? If you seek the human that came through earlier, she is through this passage. Be warned, as Snowpeak has grown far more dangerous than in times past.”

Link nodded his thanks before continuing on without a moment’s hesitation. A bit impressed by the hero’s fearless attitude, Danielle followed close behind through the dark tunnel. Almost immediately the air grew frigid, snow beginning to crunch underfoot as light shone from up ahead. If it weren’t for the fact she was so cold, she would have been amazed by the white land that stretched on before them, vanishing in a fierce blizzard. Shivering, her teeth beginning to chatter, Danielle couldn’t help but wonder how Link was barely fazed by the cold, his focus instead on a figure a few feet ahead.

The figure wore a strange white-furred mantle that covered their chest with a rather strange helmet covered in the same fur, but the red leggings and heavy armor on parts of their body was instantly familiar. “Ashei!”

Glancing back, the person removed the helmet to reveal Ashei herself, snowflakes falling on her dark hair. “I wondered when you’d come, yeah?” Her eyes flickered to Link. “And I guess you came to investigate the mountain.” She now turned her gaze to the raging blizzard. “I lived in the mountains for many years, but never has there been a blizzard such as this.”

Danielle trudged through the snow to Ashei’s side with some difficulty, trying to keep her teeth from chattering now while wrapping her arms tightly around her body. “Really? This doesn’t seem as bad as it could be, though.”

“No, not that.” Frowning, Ashei shook her head. “Evil fills this mountain. This is far from a natural occurrence.” Danielle pondered the meaning of this, realizing that her knowledge of this mountain was very, very limited. As she stared out into the distance, the human murmured something to Link while handing him a folded paper. “I’ll keep an eye on Danielle and keep looking for the creature. Show that picture to the Zoras around here to see if they have any information on this creature, yeah?”

With a curt nod, Link slipped the paper into his tunic. “Take care, Danielle,” he called back as he turned and headed for the domain once more, wasting no time at all.

“He’s interesting, yeah?” Ashei commented, still wearing a frown. “His name always comes up when something strange happens.” She pulled on the helmet, face now hidden once more. “Seems you know him well, too.”

“Eh, know him well? Not really…” The frigid wind was intensifying, stinging her exposed skin. “Mm… Hey Ashei, what’s with you always having such a bad attitude towards me? I mean, what did I do to get you so upset with me, huh?”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, Danielle shifting uneasily as she looked towards Ashei, still shivering from the cold. The human turned her head just slightly to look down at Danielle, making her shrink away just slightly as she felt Ashei’s eyes glaring down slightly at her. Without warning, Ashei grabbed Danielle roughly and yanked her back. Her startled cry was lost to the howling wind, Danielle having no time to ask what was wrong as Ashei gripped her wrist tightly with her ice-cold gauntlet and lifted it up. A thin line of crimson ran down her snow-flecked arm, startling the youth. When had she been cut? “You didn’t feel this?” Ashei questioned.

“I’m freezing cold… I can’t feel anthing!”

Immediately Ashei released her arm and drew her sword, her head snapping sideways. Something in the air was different, Danielle could feel that. “This blizzard has changed… Something’s here!”

Danielle blinked rapidly, slowly realizing what this mean. She already carried Malte in a leather strap on her back, which meant that this blizzard was being strengthened by something else: the Gale Bow, Mugre. “Ashei, it’s Cale! He’s here!”

Someone grabbed her shoulder, gripping it painfully tight. She already knew it was Cale without having to look, his other hand sliding over her mouth as wind gathered and formed an intense twister around the two. “Your little adventure ends here.” No remorse. No emotion. Just cold, harsh indifference.

I’m not going down like this!

Drawing upon the power of Animus by focusing on it, she managed to disrupt the power of the tornado, the winds faltering. “Ugh!” Cale grunted, abruptly releasing her. Stumbling forward, Danielle spun awkwardly in the thick snow, seeing a blade jutting out slightly from his left shoulder. Ashei stood behind him, thin blade held in both hands, face hidden by her helmet. She stepped back, Cale never grimacing as he unslung his bow and held it in his left hand. He wore no quiver, but Danielle knew he didn’t need one. “Watch out! He controls the wind with that bow!”

“You think her knowing that will make a difference?” Cale questioned, moving as if he was notching an arrow. The instant he released the string, a small but extremely powerful and focused gust of wind shot forward, ripping through the air like a crossbow bolt. Sharp pain tore into her shoulder, the air shredding the leather tunic. Somehow, that single bolt of air had even more powerful than a real arrow. Danielle clutched the injury and hissed in pain, the wind beginning to pick up once more and lessening her range of sight. The frigid air has just about numbed her completely, and if this wasn’t finished quickly, she’d likely freeze to death in the extreme cold. “I know what you’re thinking…” Cale’s voice called out from the blizzard. “How long can the body survive before freezing?”

“Tch…” Danielle flexed her hand within Animus, knowing that a new plan was needed as she tried to squint through the raging storm. Her movements were sluggish, but Ashei seemed to have little trouble moving in the snow. Raising her left hand, she focused the power within the gauntlet as the wind ripped at her. Cale’s focus was solely on her, and she would use that to her advantage. The wind around her died down gradually, instead swirling into a humanoid shape. The air elemental formed a blade of air and ice now, flying at Cale swiftly. Jumping sideways, he avoided the attack, only for Ashei to deliver a slice deep into his right arm. Crimson stained the pure white snow, Cale’s arm now hanging limp at his side as he swiftly kicked the warrior away from him.

Danielle could just barely make out his appearance through the snowstorm, but she could see him looking down at the injury before glaring at the youth, his face finally displaying emotion. Frigid gusts ripped at her body, her limbs refusing to move as Mugre slowly came up, fierce winds gathering before it. “Goodbye, sister.”

So cold… I can’t move!

Ashei suddenly slammed into her, arms wrapping around Danielle as the human tackled her to the snow. The bolt of air that ripped through the space she had just occupied made an ear-rending screech, the attack one that would have been instantly fatal had it not been for the warrior. Cale didn’t even need to use his right hand now, and his bow was leveled right at them.

“No!” Using what little strength she had left, the ordered the elemental to charge at Cale, the fierce winds of its body engulfing the knight. He struggled against it, the elemental weakening greatly. “Ah…! Hurry! Knock the bow out of his hand!” she shouted over the roar of the snowstorm.

Ashei wasted no time, rising to her feet and rushing forward at Cale, even as he broke free of the elemental and dispersed it. A flash of her blade and a thin line of crimson appeared from the center of his brow diagonally to just under his left eye. Before he could react, her left fist slammed into his chin in a fierce uppercut, and her sword slipped between the bow and its string. Eyes narrowing, she pulled the blade back and jerked the bow out of Cale’s grip, Mugre landing in the snow.

Danielle clenched her jaw, feeling numb as she scrambled through the snow and snatched up the bow, aiming at Cale even as its dark tendrils began to creep into her body. Wind wrapped around the entire bow, focusing into an arrow shape. But as she aimed at her brother, she saw his eyes flicker, confusion filling his gaze. “D-Danielle? Danielle, help me!!”

Faltering now, her eyes going wide, she could only watch as her brother’s body dissolved into Twilight particles. Her arm fell to the snow, each breath strained and bringing icy pain to her lungs. Cale had regained his senses, but something had forcefully warped him away. They had come so close to freeing her brother, only for the enemy to take him captive once more. That cry for help echoed in her mind, haunting her. Never had such fear filled his voice before.

Her blue eyes flickered weakly to Mugre, its dark power still creeping through her like icy tendrils. It didn’t fight to control her as Animus did, but its power was now rooted deeply within her. These cursed weapons were powerful enough to control well-trained knights, but not her? What made her so different? She let her eyes close, feeling exhausted and numb from the freezing air.

The crunch of snow reached her ears before she felt powerful hands lift her up slightly, something warm and a bit furry being wrapped around her. She barely opened her eyes, seeing Ashei standing over her. She still wore her helmet, but she lacked the white fur mantle, which was now wrapped around Danielle’s torso to try and warm her up. “Stay with me. You’ve been out in this cold too long, yeah?” With ease, Ashei lifted her up, her voice sounding a lot more gentle than Danielle had ever heard before. “I’ve got ya… Just stay with me.”

Danielle just felt like curling up beneath the warm fur and sleeping, but she knew she couldn’t allow herself to doze off even the slightest. “A-Ashei… Cale… he…”

“I heard him,” she responded, her voice a bit flatter as she said this, carrying the young Hylian down the cave path to Zora’s Domain. “Don’t try to speak, just relax. Everything is going to be okay.”

Doing as the warrior said, Danielle just let out a shuddering breath as she shivered, letting the fur warm her nearly-frozen body as she was carried by Ashei into Zora’s Domain.

Cale… I promise you… next time, I will free you…

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 21: Bloodstained Past

Danielle trudged up the steep cave path, growing used to the cold slowly, but it still just wasn’t enough for the youth. She went out to join Ashei on the snow-covered ledge, arms wrapped tightly around her, bandages covering the few injuries she had received in her scuffle with Cale. By now the blizzard had died away entirely, the sun shining down on the mountain trail. “Huh… It feels like… some evil power was wiped away from here for good,” Danielle murmured, shielding her eyes to stare up at the trail. Ashei didn’t respond. Turning away and tucking her helmet under her arm.

“Let’s go, Danielle.”

“Eh?” Danielle turned back slightly, giving the warrior a questioning look. “We’re leaving?”

“The blizzard is gone, and that creature has not returned since Link left. Our work here is done. I’m sure we’ll run into Link back at Telma’s place and find out what happened, yeah? Maybe he somehow made it up the mountain while I wasn’t here standing guard, tending to you.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Danielle didn’t say much in reply to that, knowing that Link had made his way up the mountain in his wolf form. As they both made their way into the domain, the youth felt immensely relieved to finally be out of the cold once and for all. Most of the Zora gave them curious looks once more, but they apparently figured that the two’s work was done as they didn’t really bother them. Maybe Ashei intimidated them as much as she did to Danielle.

Passing into Hyrule Field through a rocky passage, they came out on a rugged trail overlooking the lush green fields, the castle ahead of them encased by that golden barrier of magic. The setting sun cast an orangish glow over the entire land, the beauty of it taking her breath away. As the youth stared out across the field in amazement, Ashei looked over and actually gave a smirk, something that was very rare from the human. “Amazing, yeah? I had the same reaction the first time I saw it, too. This beautiful land is what I gladly fight to protect and return the peace to.”

Danielle stared at the castle now, longing tugging at her heart. She yearned to be home with her family again, and the emotion was clearly displayed on her face. “Yeah… it really is something else,” she replied half-heartedly, heaving out a sigh. The human gripped her shoulder slightly now, Danielle looking sideways at her. “Every time I look at the castle, I just wish I could be back home with them… but I remember the invasion, those beasts, seeing my brothers fall…”

“You were in the castle when those things came, yeah? How did you get out?” Danielle’s eyes flickered, gaze returning to Hyrule Castle. There was no way she could explain that all of Hyrule’s citizens were forced into spirit forms while she had been changed by Zant into a weak-looking dragon. She just remained silent, hoping that maybe Ashei would drop the question, but from what she knew of the warrior, she usually didn’t let the truth remain hidden. Surprisingly enough, Ashei apparently took her silence as the memory being too painful. “Still hurts to think about it, yeah? Guess you don’t have to tell… but when everything settles down, I do want to hear about it.”

“Ashei! Danielle!”

A voice called out their names, the beat of a horse’s hooves against the earth steadily growing louder. She didn’t recognize the rider on a powerful brown steed, but Ashei apparently did. “Rusl?”

The Ordonian swordsman pulled up to them, lifting his helmet slightly to look down at the two young women. “I came to check on you two before I headed to Ordon Village. I take it you’ve finished your investigation?”

Ashei nodded, one hand resting on her hip. “As best as we could, yeah? I’m not sure what Link did, but things have settled down now. What about Ordon?”

“So far everything is peaceful, just interested in investigating the ruins in Faron.” Lowering his helmet once more, he took both reins into his hands and tilted his head slightly. “And the knights?”

“Cale. We retrieved his bow, but he escaped,” Ashei replied without hesitation, her voice hardening slightly.

Rusl frowned after hearing this, mostly because of the slightly confused look that Danielle gave her. “Escaped, hm? I see. Danielle?” Taken aback, she quickly shifted her gaze to the swordsman. “Would you like to come with me to Ordon? My wife Uli will take care of you while we’re there, and you look as if you could use some rest.”

“Er, thank you, Rusl. Yes, I’ll go with you.” As he reached out a hand to her, Danielle took it and was pulled up onto the back of the horse. Ashei gave a short wave before turning to head off, pausing when Danielle called her name. “Hey, Ashei? Be careful, alright? And please, take care of Blaine for me.”

Ashei glanced back somewhat, one eyebrow raised. “That undignified, callous, pig-headed fool? I suppose I could. And you be careful yourself, Danielle. Don’t get hurt, or it will be both Telma and myself having your head, yeah?” Turning once more, the warrior trekked across Hyrule Field towards the town while Rusl urged his horse on.

“Er… was Ashei being serious about what she called Blaine, or was that her cracking a joke? I didn’t think she actually joked about things.”

“Heh.” Rusl gave a bit of a chuckle, shaking his head. “Ashei has seemingly taken a liking to you.” Glancing over his shoulder, he was met with Danielle’s surprised stare while she held on tight to him so she wouldn’t fall. “I’ve known Telma for some time, and as soon as Ashei began to frequent the tavern, Telma took her under her wing. Being raised by her father has left her rather lacking in manners and harsh towards the soldiers of Hyrule.”

“Taken a liking to me? It still seems to me like she hates my guts sometimes,” Danielle thought aloud, inciting another chuckle from the older man. “Ashei’s father was a knight, correct? Why did he leave? I’ve only heard that he did leave, but no real details about it.”

“Hm… A touchy subject to bring up before her. Yes, he was a knight, a royal knight at that.” Danielle’s eyes widened briefly, but Rusl never looked back as he continued on. “He was at odds with your father many years ago after a skirmish in which innocent life was lost. Frustrated, her father left the royal knights and took Ashei to the mountains, raising her as a son and teaching her the ways of swordplay.”

“And what was that argument between them?” Danielle questioned in a lower voice.

Rusl sighed, still looking straight ahead. He seemed reluctant to speak, but continued on regardless. “Several young children had lost their families during the skirmish. With his sons watching, Greil had cut them down when they tried to attack him out of vengeance.” He paused, letting this sink in. Danielle could only sit there, shocked, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Without hesitating, your father slew them in cold blood, claiming afterwards to do it in defense. Greil swore his men to secrecy, but Ashei’s father spoke out. What followed has since tarnished the reputation of the royal knights to those who know of this dark secret. An assassin murdered Ashei’s mother and very nearly killed the young girl before being driven off by her father. The ex-knight fled to Snowpeak with his daughter when she was eight, and they lived there since. He still remains there, even though Ashei has since set off on her own and returned to castle town.”

Danielle tried to take all of this in, but it wasn’t really working so well for her. She was appalled to think that her father, of royal blood, the brother of the former king, had been heartless enough to cut down innocent children like what Rusl told her. But why would the swordsman lie to her? He had nothing to gain from doing so, which meant Danielle could only assume all of what he spoke was the truth. “Who… was the assassin? Do you know?”

“Nobody will speak of it, but Ashei knows the murderer’s identity.” They were passing over a wooden rope bridge now, the horse slowing down to a trot now that they were in Faron Province. “She revealed it to me in confidence… and I believe you have the right to know.” Removing his helmet, Rusl looked back at her over his shoulder, his face carrying a weary and sorrowful expression. “The assassin, a young knight in training at the age of thirteen… was Cale.”

--------------------------

Rusl felt his wife’s hand fall on his shoulder, looking back at her. “Uli… Thank you for being willing to give Danielle shelter on such short notice.”

His wife smiled, wrapping one arm around Rusl’s waist now as she joined him at his side. “I’m just glad you arrived home safely. And the children?”

“Safe. Kakariko’s shaman is taking good care of them.” Rusl allowed a slight smile himself. “Colin has grown, too. There’s a courage in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. I’m very proud of him.”

Uli chuckled slightly, staring out the window into the night. “He always idolized Link as a hero, so I suppose it’s natural that some of Link’s courage rubbed off on him.” She looked off to the side to where Danielle sat in a chair, fast asleep with her head leaned back, a blanket having been placed over her by Uli after she dozed off. “How long will you stay this time?” she asked Rusl thoughtfully.

“As long as my investigation takes. Link will join me in Faron Woods to look into the strange ruins past the Forest Temple. When we are done, I must take my leave and return to Castle Town.”

“As busy as ever, I see,” Uli murmured slightly in disappointment.

Rusl sighed softly and looking down at her, cupping her face in his hands. “Uli, as soon as this is all over, I will return here with the children, and things will settle down… It will just take a little more time, that’s all.” He kissed her forehead gently, smiling down at her until she finally returned the smile.

“I’ll take your word on that… But you should perhaps focus on getting your rest now. It seems like you’ve had quite a long day.”

“Heh, that I have…” Lowering his hands, he watched his wife make her way to their bed before turning his gaze to where Danielle rested. He was now having second thoughts about revealing what he had to the young girl. That pale, shocked look that had been on her face had shown just how hard the revelation had hit her. Those who knew of that dreadful secret were few and far between. Had it been wise to share this with that very knight’s own child?

Rusl frowned, turning away to join his wife. He had made the right choice in his heart, and now it was up to Danielle to choose how to take it. He had to admit that if he had been in the Hylian’s place, he would have not taken it as calmly.

Something about her seems different from when I saw her before her appearance changed so drastically. There is a different expression in her eyes, and she carries herself with much more confidence. I wonder what has caused such a change within her?

“Whatever the cause, I merely pray that the goddesses aid this child in succeeding at whatever task it is she fights to complete. There… are still things that she carries by herself, burdens that she wishes not to place on anyone else… burdens that a child like herself shouldn’t be forced to carry.” Sighing softly and shaking his head, he turned and slowly walked off.

--------------------------

Ashei frowned as she stared down at Blade’s resting form, one hand gently gripping the hilt of her sword as it was rested upon the sheathed blade. He had no idea she was here, and in one strike she could rid the world of a son of a murderer. But what would that accomplish? For so long she had harbored anger towards all knights, especially the ones involved in ruining her father’s life and killed her mother in cold blood. So why her change of heart? Back at Snowpeak, she could have executed Cale in one swift stroke before the eyes of his sister.

“Why didn’t I? Was it just because Danielle was there? I have always been disgusted with those three men, and I hated the fact their sister was so enamored with them, especially that Cale. She cherished as heroes the ones I so despised…”

Scowling, she couldn’t turn her gaze away from Blaine. Maybe she had been wrong to judge him in such a way, she didn’t know. People did change with time. Perhaps even those three boys had as they became young men. What she did know was that her desire to take vengeance on the callous knights had dissolved ever since she came to really know that young girl. It made no sense, it was something she just couldn’t figure out…

I can’t take away the only remaining family of a child who has already lost her mother… who has had to deal with her own family trying to kill her.

“Danielle… you are truly a strange one, to affect those around you in such profound ways…” Ashei sat down, arms crossed as she watched Blaine sleep, that scowl melting away as she pondered her own feelings. “But would you love your family as much if you knew the truth?”

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 22: Lightning Tempest

Thunder rumbled deeply, snapping Danielle out of her peaceful rest with a jolt. Bolting upright in the chair, she looked back and forth quickly while still fighting off the drowsiness, blanket wrapped around her still. The sky was dark outside with the exception of the occasional flash of lightning. “A storm…” she mumbled tiredly, sitting up straight and pulling the warm blanket off of herself.

“Danielle, you’re awake.” Lifting her head, she saw Uli walking over with one hand resting on her stomach. “This storm came in not long ago, and it seems to be a bad one. Normally Rusl would return by now with it so severe, but he hasn’t. I’m worried.”

Rising to her feet and wiping the sleep from her eyes, Danielle took up her weapons, still getting used to the feeling of being weighed down by them. She held Malte in her right hand that was covered by Animus, resting the lance on her shoulder. “I’ll run out to look for him, Uli.”

Both surprised and relieved, Uli nodded. “You’re very kind, but please be careful. If the storm gets too bad, you must take shelter. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you out there while you’re searching for him.”

“Yes ma’am, I’ll be careful.” Danielle smiled a bit, waving as she headed out the door. Fierce winds ripped at her, the skies nearly pitch black. Uli was right, this storm was bad. But there was also something about it that just didn’t seem right… The feeling reminded her of when she was in the blizzard at Snowpeak, as if this wasn’t quite natural. Getting her bearings straight, Danielle headed through Ordona towards Faron Province while the villagers made their way to their dwellings. The branches of the trees cracked from the force of the winds, lightning flashing overhead. Moving at a brisk pace, Danielle hurried until she was stopped by an area filled with unusual purple mist. Evil radiated from it, making her feel sickened to her stomach slightly.

There was no way she would risk touching it, but she wasn’t sure how exactly to manage to get through. Frustrated at her current predicament and wondering why the wind didn’t even stir up the fog, she stood with arms folded and head lowered slightly as she contemplated this. How had Link managed to get through here earlier? “Hm…” Tilting her head to the side, she listened to the roaring thunder as she thought. Maybe if she used Mugre…

Snapping her fingers, she unslung the bow and aimed it towards the mist, calling upon its power of wind. It was getting easier for her to figure out how to use those powers, and as she willed a strong gust to clear a path before her, air gathered before the tip of the bow before flowing forward. It took almost all of her concentration to keep up the steady stream of wind that allowed her to pass through the parted mists, and by the time she reached the other side, she felt a bit drained.

“Man, wonder how Rusl got through here in the first place,” she murmured, returning the bow to its position over her shoulder as she trekked through a short cave to a clearing just before the Forest Temple. As soon as she stepped foot out of the cave, she heard the sounds of battle over the rapid peals of thunder. “Rusl? Rusl!!”

“Aaagh!” a pain-filled cry answered from just up ahead, close to the path up to the temple itself. As she sprinted forward and readied Malte, a shape flew past her in a rush of air, very nearly colliding with her before lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. It took her several seconds to realize that it had been Rusl who nearly slammed into her, the young Hylian shooting a glance back over her shoulder as he groaned in pain.

“What the… Rusl!” Turning her gaze towards the direction he had come from, she saw a flash of steel before she was slammed sideways by a powerful blow. As soon as she landed she rolled sideways, avoiding an axe that burrowed into the ground. She instantly knew just who her opponent was at the sight of that gold-plated axe, shouting his name as she scrambled to her feet. “Rurik!”

The knight swiftly pulled up his weapon, that blank expression on his face eerily similar to the one Blaine had worn during his ambush of her. He lashed out with a powerful strike aimed to decapitate her, Danielle pulling her head back in the nick of time. She gulped heavily, feeling a slight sting across her neck from where the steel had grazed her skin, amazed by his sudden increase in speed. “Tch… I get hit good by that thing once, and I’m done for…” she muttered under her breath. Bringing Mugre up horizontally across her chest, she focused upon its power even as Rurik prepared to charge. “Hah!” With a swing, sharp icicles shot out and slammed into Rurik, not piercing his heavy armor but knocking him back. Flipping Malte now, she thrust the spearhead into the ground. “Freeze!” Ice shot along the ground and up the knight’s metal boots, encasing his legs to the ground. He looked down with a scowl, trying to pull his legs free but to no avail, even as it reached up to his waist.

Smirking and satisfied that Rurik wouldn’t be able to get free anytime soon, Danielle pulled up the lance and turned her attention to Rusl, who was still struggling to stand after the blow he had taken. The youth rushed over to help him to his feet, taking note of the reddened marks on his skin, as if he had been burned. “Are you okay?”

“Your brother… I underestimated his strength…” Rusl shook his head, pulling away and picking up his fallen sword. When he turned towards Rurik, he immediately brought up his blade. “Watch out!”

The ice encasing the lower half of Rurik’s body was beginning to crack, his axe pointing towards the dark skies. Bright white electricity crackled around the gold-plated weapon before a bolt of lightning shot through Rurik, shattering the ice and sending slivers of it flying everywhere. “Gah!” Danielle cried, shielding her face from the shards even as she felt them cutting slightly into her exposed skin. There was suddenly a loud boom, the Hylian now finding herself lying on the ground staring up at the cloudy sky. Each breath brought nothing but pain, her very flesh feeling as if it was on fire.

Standing over her, Rurik raised Armads while she laid there, unable to force her body to respond to her commands. She was paralyzed and in shock, having been hit by a bolt of lightning that sent her sprawling. Rurik’s power was truly something else, utilizing perhaps one of the most destructive forces of nature. In one hit he had taken her down.

The axe came plunging down, and just when it seemed that the battle was over for her, a boot hit the side of the axe and caused it to veer off target and hit the ground mere centimeters from her arm. Rurik snapped his head up just in time to see Rusl crack his elbow across the knight’s fact and send him stumbling back, pulling up his weapon. Scowling, blood flowing down from his nose, he slammed Armads into the earth, lightning surging through the ground and instantly into Rusl. He yelped in pain, the swordsman flying backwards once more, gasping for air.

Danielle struggled to move, hand twitching slightly within Animus. How could they combat such a powerful element? A single strike at the right strength could kill them! “Have… to move…” she hissed through clenched teeth, managing to curl her hand into a fist even as her dark executioner approached.

“Hey, big guy!” Rurik looked up, distracted by the voice as a longsword cut down his breastplate, sending sparks flying. Grunting in surprise, the knight jumped back and held his axe down by his side, a familiar man now standing between him and the two injured fighters.

“Uh… You have… got to be kidding me…” Danielle murmured, recognizing the dark-skinned fighter from Kakariko Village. “Leon!”

He looked back with a roostery grin, even though it was apparent he didn’t recognize her. “What? Am I that popular already? I’m flat—Whoa!” Leon managed to block the strike aimed for his head, in a stalemate with Rurik now as he held back the axe.

“Tch…” Now having most of her movement back, Danielle pulled Mugre off of her back, lying on her back as she made the motion of notching an arrow as she held the bow horizontally in her hand. Air flowed along the wood, condensing into a swirling arrowhead. “Leon, move!”

The warrior didn’t hesitate, jumping back from Rurik and letting Armads fall. “Goddesses, let my aim be true…!” she whispered, letting loose the wind bolt, aiming not for Rurik but his axe. The “arrow” hit the side of the axe with such precise force that it flew out of Rurik’s grip and cleaved into the thick trunk of a tree nearby. Even Danielle was shocked by how well her plan had worked, lying there in shock.

Rurik blinked rapidly, his shocked and confused expression almost comical if it weren’t for the fact that he had nearly killed both Danielle and Rusl. “What… how did…?” Trailing off, he looked around at everyone before rushing over to Danielle, pushing past a very confused-looking Leon to reach the youth.

Sighing with relief, Danielle lowered the bow and managing to sit up, still aching all over even as her cousin wrapped his arms around her, very nearly picking her up off the ground in the process. “Heh, good to see you again, Rurik…”

He held her tightly, but not too much to spare her from being crushed by his armor. Regret and sorrow filled his eyes as he looked down at her, shaking his head, his voice quivering as he spoke quickly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay?”

“I think so… Just whatever you hit me with back there took a lot out of me,” she murmured with a weak grin as Rurik released her and gave her some room to breathe. “What about Rusl?”

“Ah…” Rurik looked to the side where Leon was helping the swordsman to his feet. “He should be okay. You two just need to rest for a bit to get over being hit with lightning.” Turning his gaze back to Danielle, he lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry… That entire time I was fighting, I… I couldn’t control myself. I saw everything, but my body was not my own. I tried to fight against it, but its will was too strong.”

“I know, Rurik…” She gripped his armor slightly with her left hand, leaning on him as she unsteadily rose to her feet. She felt his arm wrap around her waist as he supported her, and once she could at least stand on her own, he embraced her gently once more. Tears were now coming to his eyes, and Danielle couldn’t help but feel shocked. She had never seen him cry before, and yet here he was now hugging her tight and struggling not to break down and sob. “Mm…”

The storm clouds gradually gave way overhead to clear skies, the sun revealing itself and shining down on the two as she rested her head on his shoulder, her own tears beginning to fall.

--------------------------

Leon scratched at the back of his head, watching Rurik and Danielle riding on Rusl’s steed out of Faron Woods. “So, let me get this straight: the axe was evil and controlling the big knight? Are you serious?”

“Very much so.” Rusl folded his arms, shaking his head. “Farfetched, I know… but that is the truth. I was doubtful before, but now that I’ve seen firsthand…”

“Hmph. Well, I find it even harder to believe that some girl is the only one able to use those weapons safely. And some noble brat from the castle, at that? Tch. Give me those weapons, and I’d cut down any fiend in the way. I could put them to much better use than that kid.”

Rusl frowned at this, noticing the scowl Leon wore. “I wouldn’t be so quick to judge her, Leon. After all, she is aiding us in our cause.”

“Maybe she is, but that doesn’t mean I believe that crazy story of hers.” Leon shrugged, placing his longsword on his back now. “Anyhow, I’m getting out of here. Just came by to check on things at Telma’s request, so now I’m heading to around Kakariko before I actually go back to castle down. Let Telma I won’t be around for a while, but she better make me something good next time I’m back at her bar.” The travelling warrior waved slightly, letting out a loud yawn as he now set off, leaving Rusl standing there with folded arms.

“Hmph, hard-headed, but he’s a valuable asset.” Sighing, Rusl now turned away himself and began his trek back to Ordona.

Well, Link… I hope you made it to the grove on the other side of the temple… You had left just before that possessed young man arrived. Be careful… for I feel that our very fates rest on your young shoulders.

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 23: Scholar of the Sky

Shad quietly murmured to himself, idly flipping through the pages of his book. “I have read this near a hundred times, yet there is no single reference to what word breaks the seal…” Shutting the book closed, her stared at the ancient statue before him that had dwelt in the passage beneath Renado’s house for as long as the shaman had been there. Even with his father’s research, had he finally reached his wit’s end? “Perhaps that Link fellow will find something…” He sighed, adjusting his spectacles while turning away from the statue, feeling defeated. Abruptly he stopped, seeing the youth from Telma’s bar standing there. “Hm…?”

Since he had first seen her several days ago, she had changed. Deep-rooted weariness filled her face, eyes displaying a haunted look that she did her best to hide. What ordeals she had faced, he did not know, couldn’t even begin to fathom. The innocence that he remembered was long gone.

Battles are ugly affairs… for they tear apart the soul and mind as much as the body. And for her to be forced to face her very family…

“Uh, you’re Shad, right?”

The scholar smiled gently, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind as he bowed his head slightly. “Yes. How has your endeavor come along?”

She walked forward slowly, carrying the multiple weapons without much effort, despite the fact that they had to be weighing her down considerable. The gold-plated axe Armads hung at her side, Animus on her left fist, Mugre slung over her shoulder and Malte in hand resting on her shoulder. “Rurik is safe in Castle Town now, keeping an eye on Blaine as he’s trying to recover. Cale and Greil are the only ones left.”

Shad was curious about Danielle referring to her father by his real name, but he filed away the detail to the back of his mind as he continued on. “So I assume your search for them has brought you here?”

Danielle nodded a bit, leaning back against one of the rock walls. “Well, Rurik attacked Rusl back in Faron before I had even joined him out near the temple… so I believe their targets right now are Link and whoever aids him.”

“And so that puts me on that list, along with the rest of the group? I’m flattered to have you protecting me, then.” His words caused Danielle to shoot him a double-take, but Shad merely turned his attention to the statue, opening his book once more and idly flipping through pages. “Link has been by already. He is searching for a way to restore his young friend Illia’s memory.”

“I know, I saw him in Telma’s bar when he was retracing his friend’s steps and told me all of what he was doing.”

“Then I suppose you aren’t aware that he went with the Goron patriarch Darbus to the hidden village of Old Kakariko?” As he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed Danielle sitting with her back against the wall now. Not only that, but she looked quite surprised and confused.

“Er… Old Kakariko?”

Shad nodded, beginning to pace with his book in hand, although he wasn’t looking down at its pages. “The hidden village… said to be founded by the mysterious Sheikah.” Looking to see her reaction once more, he was rather dismayed by her further confused expression. “You… do know of the Sheikah, right?” Upon shaking her head, Shad released an exasperated sigh. “What do they teach the younger generations these days…?” He crouched before her, book in one hand and his free hand resting atop his left kneecap as he looked her in the eye. “The Sheikah were servants of the Royal Family. Well, servants would be an inappropriate term for them… they served the royal family as guardians in secrecy, their skills unmatched. Their shadow arts made them the perfect sentinels and assassins, and they aided the Royal Family through several various wars.

“The original Kakariko Village was the home of the Sheikah, but it has long since been abandoned. According to Gor Coron, a rockslide blocked off the entrance to the village quite some time ago. For generations the Sheikah existed in secret, serving the royal line and dwelling in that hidden, lonely village. But their numbers dwindled due to the numerous wars.” Shad frowned, pushing up his glasses with his index and middle fingers. “If there remain any Sheikah, their presence is well-hidden, otherwise that ancient tribe is gone for good.”

Apparently this subject had piqued Danielle’s interest, as she was now sitting up straight and listening intently. “What were the features of the Sheikah?”

“Features?” Shad contemplated this, sorting through the vast collection of facts and knowledge he had stored in his mind. “Piercing red eyes with the typical physical traits of a Hylian. Their garb was quite unusual, as it was of a strange lightweight design that focused more on agility than actual defense.” He closed his eyes, trying to recall any other important details he may have missed. “The emblem of the Sheikah… was a three-lashed eye with a single tear falling from it. The meaning behind it, though, has been lost in the tides of time…”

“For someone specializing in the Sky Beings, you sure know a lot about the Sheikah, too.”

The scholar allowed a thin smile, rising to his feet. “I specialize in that magnificent race, but that does not mean my knowledge is limited to that one subject only. My father instilled the value of knowledge into me at an early age, and so I sought to broaden my understanding of many subjects with the Sky Beings being the primary one.” He noticed that now she looked somewhat troubled, her eyes downcast. “Does something ail you, Danielle?”

Lifting her head, the young warrior seemed uncertain about how to answer. “I’m… not really sure, to be honest. I suppose I just feel uneasy about everything.”

Shad was about to ask her to elaborate on what she meant but then decided to avoid questioning her despite his curiosity about her melancholy state. It was not his place to interfere in her personal matters, after all.

Silence filled the air for several minutes, broken only by the occasional turn of a page from Shad. He had returned to his efforts of solving the riddle of the ancient statue despite how many times he had gone through his notes already, frustration quickly setting in. However, the sound of little feet against the wooden rungs of the ladder caused Shad to look up. The young son of Rusl hit the ground, running over with urgency on his face. “Renado said he’s here! A man named Cale has come to Kakariko!”

Shad’s eyes flickered towards Danielle as she rose, her expression one of seriousness and hesitance. “He’s already here then… Dangit, I was hoping Link would have returned before Cale arrived.” Her gaze met Shad’s. “I don’t know if I can defeat Cale on my own, Shad. We may need reinforcements.”

A frown crossed his face. “You are going to try and fight him by yourself despite the fact you just said you can’t beat him?”

“Yes. I don’t have many alternatives, and if I delay too long, innocents may be killed, maybe even you.” Danielle turned now, striding towards the ladder and brushing past both Shad and Colin. The scholar paused, watching her ascend the ladder without even a backwards glance. Even if help was sent for, would it arrive in time?

“Link, where are you?” Shad heard Colin murmur, the same question crossing his mind. The scholar tucked his book into his jacket now, making his own way to the ladder and climbing up it.

--------------------------

Cale stood in the middle of Kakariko’s street, the villagers observing him from a safe distance with fear and apprehension. Malevolence emanated from him in waves, his eyes narrowed and filled with rage. Yet he didn’t strike out at anyone, waiting while Danielle cautiously approached. What controlled him was not just the weapon, but a dark magic that had to be Zant’s. She could feel it, the worst of the power centered in his chest, that evil force making her skin crawl and sending chills up her spine. “Cale… This is what that monster is forcing you to do? Apparently he learned that relying on just the weapons won’t let him control you… but I will find a way to free you with this battle.”

He scowled, hands wrapping around the hilt of Durandal, his blade resting with its tip lodged in the ground. “Free me? I am freed from the shackles of that simple life I’ve been living. I finally have a chance to take everything into my own hands. This is what I desire!” Suddenly he pulled up the blade, rushing forward faster than Danielle had expected, that dark force enhancing his strength and speed as he brought his sword down at her head. Danielle managed to block with Malte, gasping at both the shock that ran through her arms and at her brother as he leaned his head forward to whisper to her. “You… are the only one who stands in the way of my goal…!”

Arms trembling from the effort of holding back his longsword, Danielle met his gaze and managed to utter a single question. “And what is that goal, huh?”

“The throne of Hyrule.”

Her eyes widened briefly, her moment of surprise giving Cale just the opening he needed to overpower her and shove her backwards. Cale’s hand lunged forward, grabbing the collar of her tunic. “The throne? What’re you—“

“You know what I speak of!” he snarled now, surprising her by his ferocity. Never had she seen such a visage of twisted anger upon that handsome young face. When she had faced her two cousins, they had seemed mostly emotionless. Was it the darkness within him that made him this way, totally different from when she had fought him on Snowpeak? He brought her close to his face, eyes narrowing. “With you out of the way, the throne will be mine like it always should have been.” Cale lowered his voice, a jealous fire burning in his eyes. “I was the firstborn son, it should have been mine!” he hissed. “But father gave both of us up just so that wretch Zelda would be the heir. My birthright… taken by her!” The enraged knight shook with anger, now flinging her to the ground as he growled in frustration.

Danielle pushed herself backwards, still on her back before she scrambled to her feet, reaching for Malte as she rose. What was with Cale? Was the insanity just another result of what controlled him?

Darkness in his heart… Was this small spark of jealousy what Midna had meant? Did Zant manage to amplify that a hundredfold to turn him into an enraged madman?

“Cale… Zant’s turned you into an insane maniac, you know that?” she muttered, sliding into a defensive stance.

His eyes narrowed sharply as he slowly raised Durandal to point the sword at her, flames leaping up along the steel, completely engulfing the blade. Even from where she stood she could feel the intense heat that radiated from it, but Cale seem unfazed by the heat his own weapon generated. “Zant… has not turned me into anything. He’s given me the power to claim what is rightfully mine. Prepare yourself, sister… Soon you will get to join our wretched parents in the afterlife!”

--------------------------

Link rode towards Kakariko, a sinking feeling in his gut. He couldn’t push Epona any harder without injuring the horse, making the ride seem like eternity. Midna was unable to warp into Kakariko directly, as something there was blocking her power. That pretty much meant something very bad was happening in the village, and everyone there was in danger.

“Stop, Link!” Midna suddenly shouted, surprising the Hylian. He pulled on Epona’s reins to slow her down, the Twili appearing and floating by his shoulder, her eye turned in the direction of Kakariko. “In the village… I can feel a terrible power now. It’s Danielle’s brother, Cale. Seems Zant has finally decided to unleash his dark heart.”

Link looked at her quizzically, Midna frowning before continuing on. “Envy, anger… Zant tapped into and fueled those emotions. What was once tiny and harmless turned into something pretty huge. That guy is out of control, chained by the feelings he once harbored.” Scowling, Midna folded her arms and crossed her legs, sitting there in midair. “This time Zant has outdone himself. Knocking that weapon out of his hands won’t be enough, and he know Danielle won’t be able to bring herself to really hurt her family. She has no idea how to force out that evil magic.”

“Then why are we waiting here discussing it if she needs our help?” Link caught the smirk that Midna gave him before the Twili swiftly returned to his shadow. Wasting no more time, Link whipped the reins, causing Epona to dash forward and race towards the village.

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 24: By Blood Betrayed

Danielle rolled across the dusty ground, coming up in a crouch and barely avoiding Durandal’s tip as it embedded itself into the earth. Exhausted and hurting, sweat pouring down her face, the youth staggered to her feet and gasped for air, attempting to put some distance between Cale and herself. Twice she had knocked away Durandal, only for him to pick it back up and continue his relentless assault, confirming her theory that Zant’s dark power was what really controlled him.

How am I supposed to get him back to his right mind? I don’t know what to do!

Cale smirked, noticing her exhaustion and unsteady stance. She was having trouble standing up straight and keeping her balance, while Cale didn’t seem fatigued in the slightest. Darting forward, he brought his sword down in a swift slash, Danielle being forced to block with Animus. The shock that ran through her arm numbed it, causing her to stagger back and favor her right arm. In one swift move, Cale stepped behind her before she could even react, his sword slicing diagonally across her back. Searing hot pain ripped through her back, the knight now plunging Durandal’s tip into the earth. Danielle staggered forward, tears of pain in her eyes as she was sent reeling by the blow for merely a second before a fiery explosion went off at her feet, propelling her into the spring. Against her burned skin, the cool water lessened the sting of pain, but the opposite occurred for her back. Gasping in pain, she choked on the water that filled her mouth and nostrils, pushing herself over onto her side.

“Pathetic. Is this the best you have to offer?!” Cale spat, glaring at her like she was an undesirable vermin. “You managed to only defeat Blaine by yourself, and had to rely on others to help you against myself and Rurik… and now that you’re facing me by yourself, you’re nothing but a weakling who can barely defend yourself. This time… no one is here to save you!”

Danielle spat out blood and water, eyes flickering up to Cale as he raised his cursed blade, hungry flames licking at the air from the steel. The blow to her back had been pretty severe, and she could barely move without pain ripping through her, but the healing effects of the water were slowly but steadily mending the wound. It wasn’t fast enough, though, as Cale prepared to deliver the final blow that would snuff out her life. She was about to reach for Armads at her side when Cale yelped in pain, dropping his sword to his side. As he turned slightly, Danielle could see an ornate and familiar dagger embedded in his flesh. He reached over his shoulder, feeling around for the weapon’s handle before grasping it and pulling it out, shooting a glare at his surprise attacker.

Of all people, it was the one she had never expected. Shad stood there, right hand outstretched from throwing the dagger. The moment Cale glared at him, the scholar flinched and stepped back while the knight flung the bloodstained dagger to the ground. “Hmph. You have some nerve. And here I was thinking of you as nothing more than a cowardly bookworm.” He brought up Durandal, a large circle of flame appearing around Shad’s feet and causing him to cry out in surprise. “If you’re in such a hurry to die… then I’d be happy to oblige!”

“Shad!” Adrenaline shot through her, Danielle scrambling to her feet in a burst of strength as water sloshed underfoot. The scholar stood paralyzed in fear, even as the flames in the circle around him began to rise up, threatening to engulf him entirely. With a grunt, she slammed into him, shoving the scholar out of the way a second before the flames shot up, completely wrapping around her body as it hit the ground. Shutting her eyes, felt the burst of heat along her body as she prepared for the pain of death, only for the heat to abruptly vanish while a cool hand rested on her arm.

“Open up your eyes, Danielle.”

Confused, Danielle did as the familiar voice instructed, finding herself staring at the grinning, impish face of Midna. “Midna!? How…?”

At this the imp chuckled. “No thanks for me saving your life then? I’m hurt.”

“Ah… Wait, Cale!” Danielle went to rise to her feet, but Midna held on to her arm and shook her head, eye flickering to the side. “Uh…” Danielle followed her gaze, realizing that she had been warped a short distance away to the top of a cliff overlooking the village. Down below, Cale stared at the pillar of flame that he thought had engulfed his sister, apparently unaware that she had escaped. Behind him, Link stood with Master Sword in hand, ready to strike even as the flames of the pillar began to die away. “Link’s here…? You guys got here faster than I expected…”

“Well, we did run into a few troubles. I couldn’t warp in here, but once inside, I can warp anyone or anything around this area. You’re fortunate I was able to do that.” Midna was also watching the two down below as Cale looked back over his shoulder, just as Link struck his back with a swift diagonal slash. Cale’s surprised cry of pain rose into the air before he spun and retaliated with his own blade, the two Hylians now locked in combat. Their blades glinted in the sun as Cale finally met his rival on the battlefield, the odds evened as the green-clad hero dueled the knight. “Don’t worry, Link’s got things handled for now.” Midna floated by her shoulder now. “Knocking the sword out of his hand won’t work, as I’m sure you’ve probably learned by now. You have to dispel the magic controlling his heart.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Danielle questioned wearily, eyes drifting to the side.

“Well, you’re the one who has that nifty little power with light.” Midna smirked as she glanced sideways. “I have some magic of my own, so together we should be able to do this.”

Hesitating, Danielle looked down once more to where the two Hylians dueled, her mind churning over possible actions to take. Did she have enough mastery of her power to do this? She had no other choice but to try. “Alright, alright…” she murmured mostly to herself as she took a deep breath. “I can do this. I… need to catch him unaware though. Close combat won’t do any good, so maybe if I used Mugre with my power…”

“Now you’re using your brain!” Using both of her tiny hands, she lifted up Danielle’s gauntleted hand so that her palm face upwards and put her hands on the youth’s. “Summon your light into your hand.”

My light…? Danielle frowned, thinking back on each time she had received the power from the light spirits. Holding on tight to the memory of how it felt to control that warm, refreshing light, she willed it to come forth and take shape in her hand. Soon, as if responding to her commands, light gathered into her palm as if being drawn from their very surroundings. A loud snap soon sounded, Midna calling forth her own magic, twilight interweaving with the light as the imp molded the two radically different magics into arrow-like shapes. Once finished, she folded her arms with a smirk. “Not bad, wouldn’t you agree? But you may need to use those arrows only with your covered hand. Twilight magic is dangerous to light-worlders, even if it’s mixed with your light.”

Nodding, Danielle slipped the arrows into the empty quiver at her side and turned her gaze down the trail, taking Mugre from her shoulder. “Alright. You ready, Midna?”

“Heheheh… Of course! Guess it’s your turn to play the hero.” The imp dove into Danielle’s shadow, the Hylian youth now racing down the trail, determined to finally release her brother from the darkness that held him.

--------------------------

Link was getting worn out from trying to hold Cale off, but the knight seemed indefatigable. It didn’t help that Cale’s sword was engulfed in flames, the blistering heat taking its toll on Link.

Cale smirked now, parrying away Link’s blade. His own sword lashed forward, nearly beheading Link had he not leaned back to avoid it. Cale’s boot connected squarely with Link’s chest, knocking the young man flat on his back on the dusty ground. Link had no time to get back up as the knight pinned down his left arm with his foot, Durandal’s tip pointing at his chest. “Your story ends here…!” The instant he went to plunge his blade through Link’s chest, a strange arrow pierced through his gut. No blood flowed and no arrow jutted from his flesh, but he was visibly in pain as he reeled backwards, clutching his stomach.

Rolling to the side, Link leapt to his feet and spotted Danielle standing there with bow in hand, an arrow of dark and light in her gauntleted hand. Her gaze was hardened and focused as she brought up the arrow and notched it. “Link, I’m ready… let’s finish it!”

Good. So she’s ready now.

Link raised his shield slightly, Cale now looking none too pleased. “You think your little magic tricks will save you, huh? All of you… all of you will burn!” he shouted, voice filled with madness. The flames that engulfed Durandal increased in ferocity, as if responding to his insanity.

Leaping at them, Cale swung hard at Link, who managed to block with his shield. The force of the impact was far greater than he had expected, the hero getting thrown back as Cale let loose a howl of pain from getting hit in the shoulder by an arrow. Bloodlust filled his eyes, the knight now bearing down on his little sister. He took another arrow to his gut, but this time he didn’t even falter, determined to rip her apart. There was no way that Link could intercept him in time, only able to watch the youth backpedal slightly and pull out her last arrow.

The Blazing Sword cleaved through the air over Danielle’s head as she crouched down, plunging the arrow upwards into his chest. Cale froze in place, eyes wide, the flames on Durandal dying away as it dropped to the ground. As Danielle released the magical arrow, it sunk into Cale’s flesh, a strange black ichor dripping from his chest to the dusty ground. With the last of the ooze now puddle on the ground and squirming about, Cale regained full comprehension and control, the knight sagging slightly. Tears rolled down his face as he wrapped his arms tightly around his younger sister. Danielle’s own eyes glistened as she dropped Mugre and returned the embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

Link slowly walked forward to where the black slime writhed in a puddle on the ground. It oozed malevolence, obviously the entity that had forced Cale to fight and fed off the darkness in his heart. This thing was born of Zant’s magic. Placing his shield on his back, he turned over the Master Sword and plunged the tip into the writing mass. He could almost hear it squeal in pain as the holy blade pierced it, the ooze beginning to dissolve and vanish. Once it was completely eradicated, he sheathed his weapon and gazed once more at the tearful reunion between the two siblings.

“Aww, what a touching reunion,” Midna commented from Link’s shadow, although her voice wasn’t as sarcastic as it would usually be. “But we’re almost done with this whole thing. We get that last Mirror Shard, and we’ll finally be able to defeat Zant and end this ordeal.”

“Yes… but we’re not done yet. We have one last shard to get… and she still has to free her father. We may both be at our hardest tasks yet… but we will prevail.”

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 25: A Time for Rest

The four of them were in a lopsided square, Blaine lying in his bed while Cale, Rurik, and Danielle sat in chairs. Doctor Borville had left in frustration after Cale argued to gain them a bit of privacy, so now they were able to have their reunion without any interruptions. The joy had lasted for quite some time, but it had soon faded.

Danielle lifted her head, staring into each of their faces. It took a lot of will to break the silence, but she managed it. “So… I can assume that you all know the truth about our family, huh?”

Her cousins nodded, but Cale stared down silently at the floor. “We… only just learned about it when Zant invaded, and father revealed it to him,” Blaine spoke up with a frown. “But you… came to the truth the hard way.”

“Tch. Don’t I know it,” she muttered, resting a hand over the scar beneath her leather jerkin. Wearing a frown of her own, Danielle glanced at Cale. “And you, Cale? Do they know about what you did?”

He flinched slightly, lifting his head to stare at her, trying to act like he was ignorant of what she asked. “What do you mean?”

“You know good and well what I’m talking about, Cale,” she spoke, her ire rising. “Ashei’s mother.”

Blaine and Rurik glanced uneasily at each other, making it apparent that they also knew about the incident that had turned Ashei against their family. Cale bit his lip slightly, looking up at her. What was so surprising was the fact that he seemed almost intimidated by his younger sister. “Yes, they all know… but you don’t know everything about that.”

“I don’t know everything about it? I know enough.” Growling in frustration, she rubbed at her eyes with her left hand. “Why? Why did you do it, Cale?”

Lowering his gaze, Cale sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. “I should probably give you a bit of background information. Did you ever notice that, when father had Exaccus around, he seemed different?” Danielle paused, lifting her head curiously. “That sword… even back then it had a hold on him, despite its seal not being broken. He never even noticed it… or maybe he didn’t want to admit it. When he carried the blade, he seemed harsher, less caring. When those children had attacked Uncle Greil… I could see something unnatural in his eyes. Maybe… he really felt some semblance of anger towards them… but that weapon amplified it so much, he was willing to follow through.”

“You mean… just like what was controlling you?”

He nodded slightly, frowning even deeper. “Perhaps Zant even drew on that power and mixed it with whatever twisted magic he uses, I don’t know.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Danielle continued to look at him. “But how does that explain what went on with you, why you did what you did?”

“I was afraid of him, yet… I wanted to prove myself to him, so that he would be proud of me, and I would have no need to fear him. That’s why I accepted that mission. But when I actually got there, I wanted so badly to just be able to turn and run, to abandon it… but I was terrified. I feared what he would do to me if I refused his orders after saying I would. For me, there was no turning back. I forced myself to slay the mother, trying to force myself to think of her as an enemy, but when I saw Ashei there, cowering and crying… I couldn’t do it. I fled from the area and lied to Greil about me finishing her off.”

Danielle rose to her feet now, pacing uneasily, her eyes never meeting theirs. The fact that Cale sounded remorseful, that he had been hesitant about carrying out that gruesome mission, had put her mind slightly at ease. But that didn’t change the fact that Cale had shed innocent blood. “All this time, you knew what had been done to that family, an act that stains the name of our own family.” The words seemed to rush like water from her mouth, but she knew not their source or inspiration. “Your actions and the actions of Greil have left a crimson stain on the name of the very royal family itself, even if no one is aware of that.” Stopping, she narrowed her eyes and turned to face them. “Ashei saved my life twice, rescued Blaine from that inferno, removed Mugre from Cale’s possession… all when she could have let us been killed in revenge for what was done. What do we even have to thank her for this when we ripped away her own mother from her when she was but a child?”

Uneasy silence filled the air, no one else speaking for several seconds until Blaine voiced a quiet question. “Danielle, those actions were ours, not yours… so why include yourself in the blame?”

Confusion tugged at the back of her mind, but she didn’t let it show. She wasn’t sure why she did this, just that something deeply compelled her to. “We are all of royal blood, of the same noble family. This burden was laid upon us because of Greil’s actions, and we must make amends for the sins of our father. The royal knights who went along with Greil’s decision were too fearful to speak out, but the one who did suffered all because he clung tenaciously to the truth.” Closing her eyes, Danielle exhaled softly, lowering her voice. “I don’t even know where to begin with making amends… only that it is a daunting task. But it is something we need to do.”

None of the young men spoke, all looking at her with expressions of surprise, as if they were impressed that one so young spoke in such a mature way. Danielle suddenly felt weary and mentally drained, turning now for the door. “I’m going to head back to Telma’s bar. All of you should rest and maybe think about this, come up with something.”

“Danielle, before you go…” She looked back, seeing Rurik looking towards her. “Father… he’s still out there.”

“I know. I’ll free him, too, I promise.” Not really giving them much time to interject again, Danielle strode out of the room, slipping through the door of the clinic and into the bustling streets of the town.

Feeling uneasy, Danielle headed towards the other side of town, ready to rest and kick up her feet in Telma’s bar for a while. The clouds were darkening overhead, which meant soon rain would wash the earth. A few warm droplets splattered against her skin and clothing, most of the people already rushing for their dwellings at these first initial drops. Thunder rumbled, and despite her quickened pace, the clouds released their precipitation while she hurried down the southern thoroughfare. Very nearly slipping down the now-slick stone steps, Danielle hurried through the door into Telma’s tavern. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light, the young Hylian noting that there were only a few patrons off to the left, including the mailman who could often be seen running across Hyrule Field.

As usual, Telma stood behind her bar to serve the customers, and also as usual, the ragtag group of adventurers sat in the back around the table. It took her a second to realize Shad wasn’t there, but she figured that maybe he was out somewhere around the town. As she approached the bar, Telma’s eyes lit up upon noticing her, the barkeep chuckling humorously. “Looks like someone here took a swim in Lake Hylia.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t really fast enough to get in here before the whole sky fell on me.” Telma dug around under her counter slightly, coming up with a dry towel that she tossed over to Danielle, the youth catching it and trying to dry herself off the best she could. “I heard from Shad how you managed to free Cale. I bet you feel mighty happy about that.”

“Heh, yeah… wasn’t easy though. I’m pretty much exhausted now. Cale and Rurik will be staying with Blaine for a while.” Once finished, she passed the cloth back to Telma, who stowed it away with the rest of the dirty rags that needed to eventually be cleaned.

“Well, is there anything I can get you, sweetie?” Telma offered.

“Well, something warm to drink would be nice.”

“Sure thing. How does a helping of some nice warm milk sound?” Telma questioned with a warm smile as she turned and began to prepare the young Hylian’s drink.

Danielle couldn’t help but give a weary grin, relieved that she could finally just take a breather and relax. “Sounds pretty wonderful to me, actually.”

Once finished, the barkeep set down a bottle of warmed milk on the counter, her own smile widening. “There ya go, sweetie. Take a seat and rest those feet of yours.”

“Heh, thanks a lot, Telma.” Taking up the bottle of milk, she sipped at it now as she joined the others at the table, taking a seat in the chair that Shad normally occupied.

Rusl was the first to speak, grinning slightly as she noticed her still-wet appearance. “It seems someone got caught in that storm brewing outside,” he chuckled. “Sure got pretty nasty in a hurry, didn’t it?”

“Tell me about it. It sure came over us pretty quickly.” Danielle took a large sip of her milk, savoring the taste while noticing that Ashei was glancing at her. “Hm?”

“I told everyone about what happened with your father and brothers.”

At hearing the rather blunt statement, Danielle’s eyes widened and she inhaled sharply, only to begin choking on the milk she had been drinking. Covering her mouth with her arm, she hunched over and attempted to stifle the coughing fit, Telma leaning forward over the bar to look curiously their way. “You… you told them?” she panted, tears in her eyes from all the coughing.

Ashei nodded slightly, one hand on the table as she bent over and leaned forward a bit. “I figured everyone deserved to know… that there was no reason to hide this anymore.”

Danielle fidgeted nervously in her chair, lowering her bottle of milk to the table. The human’s expression was unreadable as she stared down the young Hylian. “Ashei, I… I’m sorry for what they did, I—“

“Don’t worry about it, yeah? It’s not your fault. What happened all came from your father’s orders.” Ashei sighed now, closing her eyes as she stood up straight. “I couldn’t take vengeance… because I would be just like them. And what would that have accomplished? Vengeance breeds vengeance, hatred breeds hatred… I would have just put you in the position I myself was in… hurting from the loss, wanting revenge for the loss of loved ones....”

“I… do suppose that’s true… but justice still needs to be served. That thought nags at my heart. Maybe when this is all settled, we can do something about that.”

Ashei tilted her head slightly, about to comment when a loud peal of thunder seemed to shake the very table and chairs they sat at. For a few moments it had become silent… but the silence was broken abruptly by the door being slammed open, a figure stumbling in and falling to his knees. “Uh?” Ashei paused slightly, her eyes widening as she recognized who it was. “Shad!” She rushed from around the table, going over to him as Rusl and Auru shoved their chairs back and followed.

Danielle was frozen in shock for a moment before she left the bottle at the table and rushed over, crouching in front of the drenching wet scholar. “Uh, Shad, are you alright? What happened?”

“Ah… Ah… Ah…” He was panting heavily, struggling to catch his breath. Apparently he had been running as fast as he possibly could through the pouring rain. “Ba… Ba… Black… Black Armor…” he gasped as Telma came over with a glass of water. As she held it out to him, he snatched the glass and quickly downed it.

Her blood ran cold now, Danielle hesitating. Could it be…? “Black armor? What do you mean, Shad?”

After taking in and exhaling a deep breath, Shad looked up at all of them. “In the plaza… a man… with black armor… and a huge sword.” He winced, pushing himself up to his feet now. “As soon as I saw him, I ran as fast as I could…”

Auru frowned, stroking his grey beard thoughtfully. “It sounds like we have some trouble.”

“Yeah… and I think I know just who it is,” Danielle spoke up, drawing all of their gazes as she tightly gripped Durandal’s hilt. Without another word, she hurried out the door, hearing Ashei’s surprised reply.

“Uh? Hey, you’re not going out there alone!”

Not looking back, but seeing the warrior keeping pace beside her out of the corner of her eye, Danielle raced through the downpour as her stomach twisted into knots. Greil had come.

[Stormsworder -ACE-]

Chapter 26: Broken Promises

Their feet pounded against the wet stone ground, rain stinging their eyes as the group charged to the central plaza. Lightning flashed in the skies above, the whole town darkened by the storm clouds. Danielle and Ashei led the charge, Rusl hot on their heels and Auru and Shad bringing up the rear.

Skidding to a halt on the slippery stone once they had gotten around the fountain, Danielle stared at the armored figure that stood there before the gate towards the castle, Exaccus in hand. The jagged black armor bore spiked sections on the back, shoulders, knees, and forearms, the spines not jutting straight out but curved slightly towards the back. Around him were the unconscious forms of some town guards who had the guts to try and take him on, and much to Danielle’s surprise, Leon was among them, looking pretty beaten up. Malevolence radiated from the figure, his head lifting up slightly. The opening for the eyes was barely noticeable, his voice muffled by the dark steel of his helmet.

“So, this is the little ragtag group of fools who helped you defeat those useless boys. What a disgrace.”

Danielle drew Durandal, still getting used to the weight of the unfamiliar weapon as she held it in both hands. “You’re the only one left, Greil. I’m going to set you back to your right mind!”

“Hahahaha! Idealistic fool… Do you really think I’m being controlled as a mindless puppet? You think that everything will be set right? You always were childish, and it seems that hasn’t changed although your appearance has.” He reached up, removing his helmet with his left hand and tossing it aside, the helm clattering to the ground. His normally rugged-yet-kind features were twisted in hatred, dark eyes narrowed dangerously. But it didn’t look as if he was being controlled, seeming perfectly rational. “Once you lot are eliminated, I will rule this land and take my rightful place as king.”

Just like Cale when he was possessed, desiring power and dominion… he’s being manipulated like a puppet, even if he doesn’t believe that.

“You’re insane, yeah?” Ashei retorted, stepping forward. “If you think you’ll win and gain the throne, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

Greil titled his head slightly. “Ahh… so you’re that fool of a subordinate’s daughter. I figured Cale lacked the guts to finish you. You look so much like your mother…” At this, the warrior flinched and narrowed her eyes. “I heard she begged for mercy as Cale spilt the lifeblood from her frail body. Rejoice, for today you’ll get to join her.”

Ashei’s expression very nearly twisted into one of rage as she heard Greil’s words, but she managed to control herself and remain focused, although it was obvious it was quite a struggle. “You… will regret speaking those words,” the swordswoman replied, drawing her blade and turning the weapon towards her opponent.

“Hahaha, is that so?” Greil raised his left hand, beckoning to Ashei now as he held Exaccus at his side. “Then come! Show me that your useless father taught you!”

Danielle looked to the side as Ashei darted forward, charging through the rain and pulling her blade back, bringing it around in a swift horizontal slash. But the blade clanged harmlessly against the thick black armor, Greil smirking now. “Is that all your letter opener can do?” he taunted, raising Exaccus in one hand and preparing to bring it crashing down on the human.

“Tch!” Danielle bent at her knees and sprinted in, bringing up Durandal with the palm of her left hand braced against the flat of the blade and blocking the blow before it could slam into Ashei. Unfortunately for her, the sheer force of the impact sent her flying backwards to the wet ground. Greil wasted no time in bringing down his fist towards Ashei’s head though, the swordswoman sidestepping the blow and preparing to strike again. But she had made a mistake and left herself open for a counter, Greil taking the opening swiftly. Exaccus came around, tearing into her side and throwing her backwards. Ashei landed hard on her back, skidding along the ground as she clasped her free hand over her bleeding slide.

“Ashei!” Rusl cried, charging in with Auru in a duel attack. Auru had a blade in hand while Rusl carried his own sword, the two thrusting their swords forward in a dual-stab. Despite his bulky armor, Greil sidestepped and quickly retaliated with a sweeping slash, catching the two older men before they could bring up their swords to block. Rusl’s armor lessened the blow a bit, but the two were both easily swept aside, landing in heaps upon the ground.

Danielle scowled, lifting her head as rain dripped down her face, grasping Durandal tightly. Greil was defeating them without any trouble, his might definitely something else. “Grah!” She kept low as she rushed forward, sweeping Durandal in an upwards arc to catch Greil under the shoulder as he lifted Exaccus back up, being rewarded with a grunt of pain. The young Hylian quickly made her way past him and to his back, Rusl managing to recover to try another strike. Rusl’s sword nicked the side of Greil’s face, the knight’s visage twisting into an angry glare as he brought down his left fist in a powerful blow that slammed into the Ordonian’s helmeted head.

“Rusl!” Danielle saw him collapse to the ground, now quickly dashing away from her uncle before he could turn around towards her. Things were not looking good at all. Ashei was still on the ground holding her side, trying to get up, while Auru was pushing himself away from the battleground, apparently already out of the fight. Greil turned his head towards her, smirking now and beckoning for her to come.

He knows he has this battle in his hand… Dangit, what are we supposed to do?!

She stood up straight, catching her breath before lunging forward again, leaping into the air to deliver a powerful jumping slash. But he reacted quicker than she expected, easily catching her throat with his gauntleted hand. “A-Agh!” Squirming in his grip, Danielle tried to use her left hand to pull away his, but to no avail.

“I’m deeply disappointed. This is all your little band of friends has to offer? Hmph. Hopefully Link will give a better challenge before I crush the life from him.”

Danielle glared weakly at him, feeling light-headed and dizzy as his grip tightened even more. Suddenly, of all things, a rock hit Greil squarely in the forehead while a familiar voice shouted from behind Danielle. “Hey! You… you leave her alone!”

A scowl of irritation crossed Greil’s face as he lowered his captive niece slightly and scanned the area behind her, but apparently there was nothing there. “Hmph. Cowardly boy.” His dark gaze flickered down now to Danielle. “Perhaps I’ll let you live long enough to watch all your friends die,” he muttered, now flinging her towards the fountain.

Danielle’s shoulder slammed first into the stone edge of the fountain, her head hitting next painfully hard. The world became an explosion of colors before her eyes, fiery pain ripping through her left shoulder. She had felt more than heard the cracking in her shoulder as it impacted the stone ledge, the youth knowing that something was broken.

--------------------------

She wasn’t sure how she had managed to find the strength to rise to her feet, but she did. Relying on her sword as a crutch she rose, Ashei now glaring down Greil as he peered around at the fallen members of the resistance. “What, all of you are already defeated? What a bore…”

“You… You haven’t won yet…” she growled, clutching her injury.

Greil turned his head just slightly, smirking as he observed her injured and weakened state. “It seems I have. If you’re the only one able to stand after just blow, then this battle is already mine.”

Mustering up her last reserves of strength, the swordswoman raised her blade and pointed it at the knight, eyes narrowed. “Your… overconfidence… will be your downfall…” she managed to say between gasps.

“Hahahah! You’ve got spunk, just like your father… I’ll give you that much.” Greil took a step forward, Exaccus held by his side. “Maybe I’ll bring your head to him when I’m finished with you. I’d love to see the horror on his face just before I finished him.”

Glaring into Greil’s eyes, Ashei stood her ground. “You… are nothing compared to my father! That will be proven once you’re defeated here… at the hands of his daughter.”

Greil paused now, looking rather amused by what she said as he raised his blade with ease. “That… we will see about!” He lunged forward, swinging Exaccus sideways in a powerful blow to incapacitate her.

‘Ngh!” Ashei turned to the side, trying to block the blow with her blade, but only succeeded in slightly lessening the force of the blow. Yet again she was flung to the ground, clutching at her injury as she gasped in pain, now too weak and exhausted to get back up and continue the fight.

“Hmph. Foolish girl. Your time… is over.” As she looked up, Ashei watched Greil approach, her dark executioner preparing to finish the job that Cale had failed to do.

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“D-Danielle…? Hey… Danielle… wake up! Danielle, you must wake up!”

Shad’s quiet but frantic voice confused her. Had she blacked out? She could feel him gently but rapidly tapping her cheek to bring her around. Opening her eyes gradually, she saw Shad crouched there with a panicked expression on his face. When he looked back over his shoulder, he grew even more frantic. His warm hands took her right hand, closing it around the hilt of Durandal, which lay on the wet stone at her side. “Come on, you must get up, Danielle! Ashei, she’s…!”

Danielle blinked slowly, trying to get her bearings straight as she looked to her uncle, who stood over a prone Ashei, the young woman staring up at her opponent. Everyone else was out of the fight, all of them now at Greil’s mercy. She gripped the hilt of Durandal weakly, now struggling to rise to her feet while using the sword as support. Shad wrapped an arm around her waist to help her up, raindrops covering his spectacles.

If I… don’t do something… everyone is going to die…!

Panting weakly, Danielle lifted her head and stumbled forward, feeling the warm light within her gradually building up, restoring some of her lost stamina as she prepared for her final desperate strike. She wouldn’t let him win, wouldn’t allow her friends to be slaughtered. Willing her legs to move, she now lunged forward as Exaccus was slowly raised into the air, her uncle preparing to cleave Ashei into two.

I will not fail!

As she rushed forward, her body seemed to move of its own accord, the world a rush of colors to her own eyes. Her uncle’s shocked expression soon filled her vision, something warm trickling down her blade and onto her hand. At first she was confused, not realizing exactly what she had done until she looked down slightly and saw that the tip of Durandal was through Greil’s neck.

No… please no… what… have I done!?

She saw the crimson trickle that raced down the sword to her hand, Danielle jerking her hand away quickly. Greil’s now-lifeless body toppled over sideways with a crash, the reality of what she had just done slamming into her. It had been an accident as she had tried to save Ashei from her possessed uncle, and instead of knocking him backwards, she had slain the man she had thought her father for her entire life.

Her knees cracked painfully hard against the street as she collapsed, staring down at the bright crimson on her hand that was gradually being washed away by the heavy rainfall. She pitched forward to her hands and knees now despite the pain in her left shoulder, retching at the painful twisting of her gut from the sorrow that tore at her viciously. The tears in her eyes were brought on not by the burning acidic bile she tasted in her mouth, but the guilt and grief that made her wish she could just crawl into a hole and die.

Why, goddesses? Why!? Why did this have to happen!? she lamented, sobs escaping from her throat as she shut her eyes against the burning sting of tears.

“Danielle…” Shad’s voice came from nearby, the scholar approaching with a sympathetic look on his face as he placed his hands upon her shoulder. “You… You did what you had to do, Danielle. He was going to kill innocent people. He was going to kill you… It was self-defense.”

Danielle flinched slightly as she felt his hands on her shoulders and heard the words he spoke, but they did little to comfort her. How could she be consoled after what had happened? She had promised her brother and cousins that she would free Greil, and now she had been the one to break her own promise.

Pushing herself up to her knees with her good hand, Danielle reared her head back to stare up at the blackened sky above, Shad still gently grasping her shoulders. She shut her eyes tight, releasing the sorrowful cry that built up within her towards the uncaring sky, heard only by her friends who had witnessed what she had done.