They had slept all night in each others arms and broke camp at dawn. It had taken all of the day to reach a village to the south. Zoe tucked Orden’s orange hair under the hood of her razer as they stood in the shadows of the forest beside the road into town. "I'm not sure what the townspeople will think of your hair."
"What about you? What will they think of a girl with a sword?"
Zoe opened the pouch on her sword belt and pulled out a dark green, hooded cloak. "Kela gave it to me to hold." She threw it around her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head. The cloak only reached her thighs but it managed to disguise her femininity. "Are we ready?"
"As ready as we'll ever be," Orden replied. "Be my brother and let me do the talking. Nothing unfair about it; you just don't sound like a boy."
"I hope not," Zoe answered as they stepped out onto the moonlit road and marched into town.
The town was quiet and dark, except one building. "Is this place familiar?" Zoe wordlessly shook her head. "Don't worry, we'll go to the tavern and find out where we are." Zoe let Orden lead the way. Her meek attitude troubled him slightly. It wasn't like her. Maybe it was the shock of being in a world that she knew was Hyrule but didn't recognize.
The tavern was large and filled with smoke and men, large country-folks. Orden walked up to the bartender. "Can I help you two?" He asked cheerfully guarded, wary of two armed strangers.
"What town is this?" Orden asked casually, trying to sound like a weary traveler.
"Saria Town," the bartender answered. Zoe flinched but quickly recovered herself. "Would you like anything?
"A meal for both of us," Orden led the way to a corner table, away from everyone else. The regular customers watched them for while then turned back to their affairs. "Are you all right?"
"This can't be Saria Town; it can't be!" she whispered back fiercely. "I've been to it hundreds and hundreds of times. This isn't the same place!"
"But it's still Hyrule?"
"I can't explain it, but it is," she broke off as the bartender set steaming plates of food on the table.
Orden cleared his throat slightly. "My brother and I are travelers. Who is the lord over Saria Town?"
"That would be Lord Saria, vassal to King Mechkeoff," the bartender answered.
So this is King Mechkeoff's kingdom?"
"Nay, his kingdom is over the Border Mountains. We're just settlers who chose a Lord for protection who chose to remain under the rule of a far-away King." The bartender said no more and left them to their meal.
"King Mechkeoff, a distant ancestor of yours?" Orden whispered to Zoe.
"No, Hyrule isn't even a kingdom. Orden, I think we've traveled back in time!"
"That would explain what you have been experiencing. We have to find a way back."
"What if there is no way back?"
"Don't think that, Zoe. We have to keep hope."
"Why are we here? Why did he send us here?"
"Maybe we're needed."
"But how do we know when we're needed or when we're messing up the past?"
Orden paused, "This is going to be difficult."
Suddenly, screams erupted outside the tavern. A man stumbled through the door. "Moblins! Moblins are attacking the town!" He fell to the floor. All the patrons of the tavern could see the wicked gash that sliced his back open.
The men jumped to their feet. "The weapons, Jolo!" One yelled as the bartender wrenched open a door and passed out swords, bows, and axes.
Zoe grabbed hold of a man's arm. "Ganon's moblins?"
"Who's Ganon?" The man shook off her hand. "The elves control these moblins!"
"Before Ganon," Zoe murmured, confused. "Elves?"
"Come, Zoe!" Orden shouted as he plunged through the door.
Zoe drew her sword and ran into the street. A group of screaming children ran past her, dodging between the tavern and another building. She jerked the hood back and ran after them.
A moblin blocked the end of the alley, towering over most of the children. Another moblin blocked the street end. The largest boy pushed the rest of the children behind him and curled up his fists, facing the one between them and the forest. "You fight us, boy?"
"Pick on someone your own size!" A blinding flash of light enveloped the moblin at the street before another flash flew over the heads of the children to envelop the other moblin. They disappeared. The children stared at her in shock. "Are you all right?" Her voice was harsh; the battlefield was no place for this stupor.
"Aye," the boy answered. "How did you do that?"
She didn't answer. "Where can you go and be safe?"
"We usually go to the forest and hide until the moblins leave."
"Then go." The boy led the way to the edge of the forest. Zoe followed them until she was sure they were safe, and turned back to the town. Fog swirled around the buildings, and the glow of a building on fire was suspended over the town by the fog. Adult women screamed now, punctuated with yells of full-grown men. She gritted her teeth. A moblin pole axe laid on the ground where she had zapped it. She scooped it up and ran down the alley back to the street. Moblins swarmed between the buildings. Zoe let loose a blood-curdling cougar scream, batting moblins left and right as she wielded the pole axe like a sickle.
A horn sounded in the distance, and a moblin yelled "Retreat!" One moblin didn’t listen and raised his sword above a man on the ground.
Zoe reached the moblin first. His head rolled on the ground and she pushed the body away so it wouldn’t fall on the man. "Are you injured?"
He gaped up at her. "Elf! You did this! You brought these beasts here to attack us!" He scrambled to his feet.
"What are you talking about? I just saved your life."
A crowd of humans gathered around. The moblins were running away from the village, leaving the townspeople armed and angry. She couldn’t make out all that they muttered but it was all hostile. "Kill the elf! That’ll teach the rest."
Where was Orden? She glanced quickly around, but didn’t see a yellow razer or orange hair. "I’m not your enemy."
"Your kind always comes with the moblins!"
Hoof-beats pounded on the road. The humans scattered from a group of gleaming white horses and riders. The lead rider grabbed her, yanking her into the air. The last thing she heard was Orden’s voice screaming her name.
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