-Link-

After Ouki Mitagi had the Qin forces encamp themselves on the hills in front of the forest, he ordered small teams to go a distance into the forest in all directions, and then larger battalions would follow. In this way the army of Qin slowly entered the forest and searched for the Zhao.

Among the teams to enter the forest was Link's hundred-man unit.

Ouki called for Link. Link entered the general's tent and shared a heartfelt greeting with Matsubi before standing before Ouki. Ouki then inquired of him certain questions. "You have Ganondorf Dragmire in your unit, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Being raised by the Majora, he would have a wolf, yes? And he would be able to easily travel in this place?"

"Yeah."

"Then I want you to go into the forest, not to find where is safe, but to find where it is not safe. Search for the Zhao! With your small size, you should be able to safely traverse without being seen. When you find them, we will be able to flush them out. If they want to hide, we will expose them!" Ouki smiled, extended his hand, and put it on Link's head. "Do well."

Link gulped. Unlike all of the other teams, his objective was not as safe. What's more, it was one with a special privilege. The weight of what he was asked to do fell heavily on his shoulders, but it also made him excited.

Ouki looked on Link a moment longer. His thoughts were his own. He smiled encouragingly before dismissing the boy.

Link returned to his unit, and relayed the mission to them. Ganon was standing on a rock with his eyes over the forest when he heard. He grinned widely. "Good." He had been thinking of disappearing and searching for the Dragmire himself, but now it was no longer necessary.

"We shouldn't engage if possible." Ganon advised Link offhandedly. "I can fight only so many alone, and the rest of you are average, at best. With only a hundred there is nothing we can fight except for patrols or other hundred-man units we can ambush."

"How about a thousand-man unit?" Link asked.

"Unless we can put them into a position to have a mountain fall on them, it would be stupid."

"Then why would Ouki want us to search for the Zhao?"

"Obviously because knowing where they are and knowing where they are not is equally important." Ganon looked across the camp at each of Link's men. "Any of them skilled with hawkery?"

"No."

Ganon sighed. Without hawkery to relay messages, then they would have to use Kagami. Ganon, and no doubt Kagami when the wolf knows, disliked the idea of lowering the wolf to nothing more than a messenger, as Kagami was more skilled at killing and stealth than any of the men here... except maybe the Sheikah boy. Link could hold his own, but stealth was a foreign concept to him.

"You know nothing of stealth, so I, Kagami, and the Sheikah will do most of the work in the front and sides. The rest of you should stay back and follow as best you can while making as little noise as possible." Ganon said.

"Anything else?" Link wondered.

"Don't do anything stupid covers everything I would have to say to you."

Link gave him an insulting finger before walking off to get the men up and going. Ganon turned his eyes back to the forest once more and tried to search out Harken Dragmire, but alas... the forest revealed nothing.

"I can smell you..." Ganon whispered. "You can't hide from me forever. For a man who once stood his ground, you have grown cautious... even scared?"

-Link's Unit, deep in the forest-

A bush rustled. The men stopped, and grew still. Their eyes bore into the forest. Once more the bush rustled, directly next to Hei. He jumped in fright and raised his shield.

"It's the Zhao army!" Hei yelled.

Immediately the others lined up behind him and aimed their weapons at the bush that rustled. They gulped. Once more the brushes rustled, more and more.

A bird flew out.

"It's... a bird." Hei realized. The others promptly kicked his ass for scaring them.

"What a bunch of weirdos..."

"That's because the captain is a weirdo himself."

"The hell was that!? Say that to my face. I'll kick your ass!" Link yelled.

"No need to be so tense." One of the older men said, while wiping sweat from his face. "It's not like we are the ones leading the way. Didn't the barbarian and his dog go on before us?"

"They did." Link answered. They were following the trail Ganon purposefully left as he entered the forest. They had yet to catch up or see the Majora king, but that did not worry Link. If they were having trouble finding him, then probably so too would their enemy. Also Solitare was out there.

They continued on their path deeper into the mountains for the day. Night fell and Ganon, Kagami, and Solitare returned to the unit. They had all found traces of the Zhao's flight, but the Zhao were absent and had fled ever deeper into the forest. With no success in finding the Zhao, they pitched themselves down into a clearing hidden by a rock surface. A river flowed gently around them.

"If anyone tries to sneak up on us, they will make more noise on the water, and their footing will be unstable if we can hold it as an outer perimeter." Link said. Ganon and Solitare both looked at him in shock. To which Link barked, "What's with that look?!"

"You actually used your head!"

"I lived in a cave filled with water for a year! I know at the very least water is noisy and makes footholds difficult!" Link yelled.

"So are you a monkey, a pup, or a caveman? I find I can't keep it straight with you." Ganon asked mockingly. Link yelled his aggravation and stormed off. Ganon chuckled.

"Caveman? Definitely a weirdo..." Some of his men whispered.

The unit settled down. To keep from making too much light, they put their tents together and used them with the stone to hide the campfire light. They allowed themselves only a single one. Despite their desire to rest, they found they could not sleep. They were alone in the forest and it unnerved them. So to settle down and have some rest, they talked. They talked of home. Some of the younger men, including Hei and Tou, wanted to marry on returning home. Others talked about the marriage they already had and offered advice, or talked of their children. Den Yuu talked of his daughter with the brightest gleam in his eye and widest, goofiest smile across his face, to the extent he was picked on in good humor. Kyo Gai talked of his mother and how he would make sure she was well off with the portion he would receive from this campaign.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Even Ganon uncharacteristically participated. He did not speak of his own adopted ward, Malon. In fact, he did not speak at all. Rather he listened to the different fathers and would be fathers as they exchanged advise on child bearing. He found they were remarkably different in many ways and customs, yet also strikingly similar in others. A curious comparison to listen to for him.

Link had nothing to offer to the camaraderie. He had no girl in mind, no desire for a child or marriage, and did not see it coming in his future. Link knew he might change his mind one day, he was only recently starting his puberty, but his dream was to be a great general. Family did not fit well into that plan.

So Link distanced himself from the camp to patrol and found Solitare perched on a high rock overlooking the camp, and the surrounding clearing. Link climbed his way up and raised his hand. "Hey, why aren't you with the others?"

"Why should I?" The boy asked. "I have nothing to offer. Nothing to gain."

"That's the kind of answer I would expect from the mountain king. Yet even he is down there."

"He has yet to say a word."

"That's beside the point." Link sighed. He sat himself by the younger boy. "Not interested in girls, I take it?"

The boy shrugged.

"Neither am I," Link said. "Don't know any pretty ones... except maybe Sarah." Link smiled at the thought. His thoughts drifted towards perversion when his image was invaded with an angry Zelda. A dangerous chill went down his spine. "-or not! She'd kill me. Dangit... why'd she have to be the one with the harem... All those cute girls gone to waste."

Solitare eyed Link, unable to grasp his thoughts, and left only confused and bewildered. "If you must know, it is because I'm a Sheikah."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"I'm a shadow." Solitare looked forward again. "Yes, I may be able to use tricks to disappear like a shadow, but I mean it in parable. I am an agent in service to the palace. I cannot endanger my loyalty or mask to a relationship. If I seek to increase myself, I would no longer be a shadow. A shadow must be empty."

"Oh." Was about all Link could reply to that.

"Don't think too hard about it. Everyone has a life that belongs to them or something for which they fight. A goal. A place they can go to... a place they belong."

"Huh."

Now Link's lack of intelligent responses got on Solitare's nerves. "If you have something to say, then say it," The boy said.

"Well, it's just... You aren't empty. You have us. If you don't have a home or a place to belong, then perhaps it's because you belong with us right now."

"I'm a Sheikah."

"Whatever that is supposed to mean..." Link sighed. "Look. As long as you want to stay, you are welcome. If you leave after the war and need somewhere to go, just look for me. There will always be a place in my unit for you. You're smart, your good, and while I don't get fully how your skills work, you are a valuable member. And you aren't so bad yourself when you aren't a ghost."

Link stood and started to walk down as Solitare did not seem to bother having a response. "Or are you going to tell me you don't like it here?"

"Not really." Solitare replied.

"Then it's decided! You're staying with us!" Link took a step forward, right off the side of the rock. He slipped, and tumbled down the rock into the mass of men below. The men saw it coming and laughed the whole way down as a few unsuspecting victims softened his fall.

Solitare smiled. They were all a bunch of idiots, but it wasn't a bad thing.

A hint of red in the distant forest caught Solitare's eye. His breath hitched, his vision narrowed, his skin paled with sweat, his blood churned hot, and the world slowed to a crawl for one single moment. Then just as fast the glowing redness appeared, it disappeared. Solitare struggled to calm his heart. He awoke from his stupor to find his sweaty hand clutching his short-sword tightly. The red thing was not near, but still even from such a distance a glimpse alone terrified him.

It may be gone, but he had never felt such a powerful presence of bloodlust and hate in his life.

-Later that night-

Gongs.

Ganon opened his eyes. He looked toward where the sound of was coming from. Kagami perked his ears and looked in the same direction.

Gongs. It was distant. Frantic.

Solitare also stirred. "What is that sound?" Link muttered from his tent.

It was faint, but there was yelling in the distance along with the gongs. Then just as suddenly as it started, the gongs stopped ringing.

"The enemy," Ganon said.

"Oh, Farore! Everyone! Wake up!" Link exclaimed. He rose quickly and kicked anyone near who had fallen asleep. There was a brief scuffle as they did not appreciate him waking them with a kick, but as word got around that the enemy was near, they rose quickly and readied themselves.

They entered the forest once more. As the gong had sounded from a fair distance, it would take a little time before they reached it. They moved as quietly as they could so as to avoid any attention, and before them a clearing opened.

They stopped and gasped. Before them were dead Qin, they had been cut to pieces. Their armor and weapons were also broken into pieces. Blood covered the ground and pooled together in puddles. Barricades were broken down and set aflame, tents were flattened and set aflame, Qin flags lay torn and flapping in the wind as if an omen to death, horses were cut in pieces, shields were broken or cut into pieces, arrows were scattered in every perceivable direction, trees were knocked over. The scent of death was too fresh to have filled the air with its decay, but the air did have the metallic smell of blood and faint tint of urine.

Nothing moved. It was a graveyard.

"Wha-what happened?" Link gasped. Ganon stood equally stunned. "Did the Zhao do this? There are no Zhao men nor Zhao flags among the dead! Surely the Qin would have resisted! The arrows and weapons show they did!"

"They did resist." Ganon observed. He pulled out his weapons.

Link looked back at everyone behind them. "Be on your guard! This was only recent! The Zhao might still be near!"

The unit entered into the graveyard with care. They checked the bodies that were whole for the living, and found none alive. They scavenged weapons where they could with haste, as they still used the spares provided to peasants. They ascended the first hill into the mass of tents, and stopped to gape.

The graveyard was not a unit of hundreds of Qin, but thousands! Thousands of Qin laid dead here! Movement coming out of the forest caught their eye, and the unit hid. Link peered out from behind cover. The newcomers wore heavy armor and rode on horseback. The newcomers stopped briefly outside of the graveyard camp and were stirred from shock.

"They aren't Zhao, are they?" Someone whispered.

"I don't see a flag and I can't tell what colors they wear in the darkness."

"Their armor is gold." Ganon answered.

"Who wears gold armor?" Link wondered.

Ganon shrugged. "Anyone could. It wasn't a color Ouki instructed us to use." Qin armor had blue sown into it somewhere to show they were of Qin. If possible the 'bird' from the Qin's flag was on their chest or shoulder. It wasn't full-proof, but it offered something.

They continued to watch carefully. The newcomers entered the graveyard and started to check the bodies for survivors. More and more of them appeared until they numbered nearly a thousand. One of them carried a flag, but they could not see its colors at first, and they watched longer.

"Look! That flag is lit against the fire light. They are Qin!" Hei said.

"Are you sure?" Link asked.

"Yes."

"As sure as you are about the birds?" Tou teased. Hei glared at them.

"It's worth checking out at least." Link decided. "Everyone, stay here. If this goes wrong... well It'll be okay." Ganon raised an eyebrow. He understood what Link meant, but the others did not.

"You should not use your gift so frivolously," Ganon whispered.

"Ganon, you and I both know I don't know what that word means," Link returned.

Before Ganon could say anything more Link left his cover and made his way towards the newcomers. When they saw him, he raised his hands and held up his blade, Midna, still sheathed. They pointed spears at him, but did not pierce him as he neared.

There was a brief exchange.

To their relief, the newcomers lowered their weapons. One of the men shook Link's hand. Link turned and yelled, "They are of Qin! It's Commander Matsubi!"

Link's unit revealed themselves and descended the hill to meet them. The newcomers were commander Matsubi with the former Royal Guard.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Link. Ganondorf Dragmire. I wish we were meeting under pleasant circumstances." Matsubi greeted. "Did you hear the alarm as well?"

"Yep."

"Did you witness anything?"

Ganon replied, "We arrived minutes before you. We have seen nothing you have not, except perhaps the scale of it. From the hill one can see the full battlefield. There are many thousands dead. Just who led this army?"

"They are all dead?!" Matsubi gasped.

Ganon nodded.

"That-that cannot be..." Matsubi whispered. "And what of the Zhao? Any trace of them?"

"No. Again, who led this army?"

"Roubo... twenty-two thousand."

"Twenty-two thousand men!?" Ganon faltered.

Link's unit stirred in horror. Link personally did not know how many that was, but from everyone's reaction, it was a lot. Ganon was stunned speechless. The Zhao had wiped out a full one-fifth of the Qin army in such a short time without a single loss!

This was nothing like what they had experienced the days prior!

"I'll send a report back to General Mitagi. The Zhao look long gone, but there may still be some trace of them. We should look for clues."

"There might also still be some survivors somewhere. Surely not all of them are dead." Link said.

The two groups split up. Link's unit took one side of the battlefield while Matsubi took the other. Every body was checked. Link's unit searched along a hidden path at the base of the hill while Link went to the top of another hill.