Chapter Text

The Hyrule insignia was a sign to many that the fight was over. The golden triforce dead center of a royal blue fabric with wings spreading from edge to edge. Symbolic of the country’s reach and influence from corner to corner of the continent, despite only being in the middle. When their knights set foot into a town, all eyes were on that symbol.

This town, however, wasn’t doing such. The village located in a forest didn’t have many occupants. However, what brought the soldiers to the land and why no voices could be heard were one and the same.

Even from Hyrule castle, past the plain and beyond a river, smoke could be seen. By the time men were sent to investigate, they were squinting through a thick fog with their horses stepping over dead branches. The silhouettes of withered trees and the light from burning bark were all they could see. It was the smell that told them they were too late.

The smell of ash was apparent. Little black specks, barely visible within the smog, settling on top of what was once a small town. The only thing assaulting the men’s noses harder than the blazed wood, were the bodies.

The leader, carrying rank by his black armor, gave a gesture to his subordinates. The white armored knights got off their horses, paired in twos, and began to search. The man in black was the only one on his own. Massive in size, he could easily mount a horse without leaping or using a saddle step. If his horse were the size of the other knights’, he could just swing a leg over and that would be it.

His steps left footprints in the, now gone, grass. The man scanned the area around him, lifting support beams and logs with one hand. All he found were more people who couldn’t escape the fire. A family underneath a collapsed roof. A rancher spending her last moments with a baby horse. A merchant who couldn’t reach a safe in time.

The last one prompted the knight to raise a brow. He knelt down, squatting over the poor soul. He was reaching for an open safe, while already on the ground. Was the knife in his back from the safe, or did someone stab him first and then take from the safe? Either way, the safe was empty. All the knight could find were child-sized footprints leading away from the destruction.

“Commander,” a young knight whispered. “We’ve found,” he paused to cough, “some evidence.” In his hand was a black and red cloth torn from an outfit. The insignia on it was of an upside-down crying eye. Like the red tear going down the middle was instead a tower for the eye to look up at.

The Commander snarled, “Yiga.”

The young man pointed at the prints, “Sir. *cough*”

“I know.” His voice was deep and calm. “Follow me. Keep your sword in its sheath.”

The two followed the prints. The commander wasn’t remotely bothered by the environment. His large strides weren’t slowed in the slightest. The crackling sound of fire second only to his footsteps. The knight behind him, however, couldn’t keep from coughing.

Slightly annoyed, “Use your bandana.”

“Aye Sir.” Tucked into the inside of every Hylian knights’ chest plate, was a bandana. A simple tug and his mouth was covered.

Away from the main section of the village, was a short pathway into the woods. A pair of corpses in matching uniforms laid dead center of the path. One of them only had a single sloppy stab wound claiming his life. The other had their sleeve ripped off, a cracked mask, and two stab wounds. One sloppy, one clean.

The stones and parted trees along the path gave the impression that it was once a place of serenity. A nice trail for anyone to go down. After all, the end of the path lead to a shrine. A little stone goddess with a hood and wings, no bigger than a dog house. It was big enough to shield two scared children, however. One of which, had a short sword that he could hardly swing.

“Hyaa!” A fear-filled battle cry echoed as the boy attacked the stranger. Maybe it was the night of tears and burns or the ash in his eyes, but his attempt went nowhere.

The commander caught the bloody blade with only three fingers. It was small enough that his palm was thicker than the sword’s width. Or rather he was so large that the item was basically a toy to him. Regardless, one hand held the sword and the other instructed the lower-ranked knight to stand back.

“Nice swing.” The commander spoke with reassurance in his voice. His smile was in no way condescending or egotistical. “Are you harmed at all?”

He removed his helmet, setting it on the ground next to the prints in the ash. Despite taking a knee, the commander still towered over the boy. The child’s neck was cranked back just to make eye contact.

He pointed at the Hyrule insignia on his breastplate, “I’m here to help. But you have to let me. Will you?”

The child was shivering like a lost puppy. He was in many ways. No home to go back to. No care given to the wounds on his arms and fingers. His only clothing was a green tunic and brown boots. The girl peeking behind the statue had his coat. She also had something to say.

“He can’t talk!” She intervened, “He’s...mute.” Her blue eyes were pleading with the two men. She hadn’t slept at all, the burns on her legs had been treated with surface-level care, and her feet were becoming numb.

The black knight walked toward the young girl. She needed a few things. A bandage on her ankle was one of them. That was easy enough since the man only needed to use his bandana. The other was compassion. By giving her the first, he wound up giving the second.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

She was in pain, physically and emotionally. Her face didn’t show it. But her voice did.

She didn’t instantly answer him. She struggled to talk. To open her mouth. Her breath had suddenly left and it took effort for her just to speak without crying. It was an uphill fight that the young girl didn’t want to lose, but couldn’t win.

Bursting into tears, “Saria!”

“It’s okay.” He carried the girl in one arm. “You’re safe now, Saria”

The commander looked at the boy again. He was still clutching onto the short sword but not like it was a weapon. The child was too exhausted to even lift it off the ground. The grip he had was more similar to that of a boy holding his teddy bear’s hand.

“You’ve been courageous.” The commander offered his free hand.

It took him a moment to process everything that had happened. From the tragedy to the trauma, the youngster wasn’t too sure how to respond to anything. He had been tensed for hours. On guard and ignoring the pain in his arms, head and ribs for what seemed like an eternity. Everything for him was different now. That knowledge hitting him was enough to do what two Yiga grunts couldn’t.

“Link!” Saria called. Her friend collapsed into the knight’s arm. The sword fell as well, only to picked up by the second knight.

“Don’t worry,” he assured, “He just fell asleep. I got him.”

With no effort yet all the care in the world, the black knight carried the two back to his horse. The men took a quick look at the sight before them. Their commander, an 8-foot-tall man born in the Gerudo desert, gently carrying two Hylian children as if they were his own. It was a reminder of why they were willing to follow this man into battle.

Commander Ganon of Hyrule. The most powerful knight in all the land.

END