The Hyrueliana Edits Post 8

"I was afraid you had been discovered, my Love. Are you willing to go with me?" Holias tightened his arms around her.

Lont smiled and turned his head. At least Zeldra would be happy.

"To death, if you lead." Zeldra’s voice grew muffled at the end.

"I hope it shall not come to that too soon."

"Sooner than you thought." Agmaraa mocked.

Lont whipped his head back to the lovers. The witch stepped out of the trees followed by a yellow-cloaked figure. Holias shoved Zeldra behind him.

"You had to try to be clever and elope. So now you have to die." Agmaraa’s hand glowed purple that condensced into a fire ball.

Cathina jolted forward when Lont spurred her. He yanked his shield forward and caught the fireball on it. He tossed the burning shield away and pulled out his sword. "Run!"

Agmaraa sighed over the sounds of crashing undergrowth. "Orden, take care of this traitor while I stop the lovers." She vanished.

Orden threw back the hood of his cloak, and drew his sword. Lont dismounted quickly. "Stop being her slave, man! Do you think you’re the first in Lord Saria’s court that she has wooed with sweet kisses and whispered promises?" He stood ready. "She is the source of all this turmoil. She’s the one who commands the moblins!"

Their swords clashed. Orden pressed the attack again. "I will have revenge! They stole the only person who made all my sacrifices worth it. They will pay!"

Lont parried, but managed to hold their swords in place so he could stare into his teeming orange eyes. "You have felt a love like that? A love like they have and you want to destroy it?"

He jerked back. Lont relaxed his guard slightly. Maybe he had gotten through to him. Orden’s sword lashed out and hit his left arm. Lont jumped back, but the sword crashed against his and his sword spun off into the darkness. Orden’s fist and sword hilt slammed against his head. Everything went black.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 7

"Very cheerful bodyguard Lord Saria chose for you," he commented, throwing his head back toward the door. "I could not get him to stop talking."

Zeldra frowned, "He is a strange one, is he not? He looks like as if a terrible burden is tearing apart his soul." She sighed, "I would like to talk to him, but Agmaraa is the only one he confides in." She turned restlessly in the room. "I have to leave this place!"

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 6

"No," Zeldra grabbed his arm. "You can't give my people any more reason to hate your people." She dropped his arm. "I wish it were not so."

Holias knelt next to her legs. "Am I to stand by and do nothing but watch you be shackled to misery? Is that what you ask of me?"

"I want to be with you, I just cannot see how. The only reason I was able to leave the keep is my father had to rush out to Saria-Town and see the remains of a moblin and elf attack."

"We did not attack! The moblins we were tracking attacked the village and we drove them off. Why do you keep creating an alliance between us and those monsters?"

"I don’t! My father sends me away from his meetings now because I stand up for your people. He says I don’t understand politics."

"Oh Zeldra," Holias cupped her face in his hands. "I thought it was dalfas when I first saw you. But something keeps forcing us apart."

"It’s Agmaraa." Zeldra pulled her golden braid over her shoulder and brushed the wisps of golden hair behind her ears. "Father listens to every words she says. She has bewitched the entire court, all but Lont and I." She frowned. "He has seen her talking to someone through her mirror."

"We had no doubts she is a witch."

"She is plotting something against us all."

Holias sighed as he stood up. "If only there were someway to deliver your Father from the witch. Then he would listen to our hearts."

"What can we do? Send a hyrueliana to kill her? Only we are cursed to live in a time without one. You better go, Holias. I must go back before I’m missed." Zeldra turned away.

"Gone but not forgotten, my Lady," he slipped away quietly. And when Zeldra was sure he was gone, she burst into tears and buried her face against the boulder.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 5

The gleaming white horses and their riders had borne his Girlwithsword away. Orden bowed his head, but it didn’t ease the throbbing where the townspeople had clubbed him. They had taken his sword and now two men in leather armor guarded him. Not that he knew which way to follow the riders even if he was free.

"What have we here?" A female stopped in front of him. Her dark gown brushed against the dirt of the road.

"The townspeople said he came with the elf that brought the moblins, Lady Agmaraa," one of the guards answered.

"Indeed." She crouched down to be head level with Orden. "But this is no elf. What’s your name?"

Orden looked at her face. She spent little time in the sun, and her black hair had streaks of grey fanning out at her temples. But the skin around her green eye and her silver eye was supple. Her expression held no malice. "My name is Orden Larksphere. My companion and I had nothing to do with the moblins. We were traveling and decided to stop here for the night."

"They saw the ears," a guard sneered.

"She’s not human, but she’s not an elf either. And we are both enemies of moblins."

"Then why would she ride off with the elves?" The other guard asked.

"The lead rider seized her. That’s being carried away, not riding off." Orden gritted his teeth to hold in his anger.

Agmaraa noticed Orden’s empty scabbard. "You fought the moblins?"

"Is that a crime too? They attacked this village, and the people living here are not trained warriors of any sort. We were trying to help."

She nodded and stood up. "Come, we need to see Lord Saria." Orden scrambled to his feet and the guards followed beside him as she led him to a group of armored men.

"My lord, the keep must be extended to protect Saria-Town. It is too vulnerable to attacks as it is." The speaker broke off as they approached and gained the attention of the oldest man present, a sparse man with a bony face and at ease with command.

His expression did not change. "Is that the elf, Lady Agmaraa?"

"His name is Orden Larksphere and he fought the moblins. He is no elf. His companion was mistaken to be an elf and was kidnapped by the elves that rode into the battle."

"What the elves take is never returned," another armored man muttered. Orden’s heart lurched.

Agmaraa glanced back at Orden before continuing. "Lord Saria, he is not safe here. The townspeople restrained from killing him only because of your arrival."

Saria pulled at his beard. "What do you want, lad?"

Orden lifted his chin. "To save my companion. Can you spare aid in tracking the riders?"

The rest of the group gasped and muttered. Saria smiled wryly. "If you lot had half the guts this lad has, the elves wouldn’t find us such easy prey. There is no way to track them. They live under the hills and the entrances are enchanted. Your companion is buried."

"Perhaps he’d relish the chance to keep the same fate from another," Agmaraa said.

"The elves have designs on my daughter, Zeldra. She is rebellious and does not understand their devious natures. She needs constant protection, and mayhaps you could make her understand the threat. What say you?"

If the elves were after this young lady, it may be his only opportunity to flush one out and demand information on Zoe. "I accept the charge, Lord Saria."

"Good, Lady Agmaraa, please take him back to the keep."

Orden’s sword was given back to him, and Agmaraa led them to a carriage. "Be not fooled by their talk of burials and death. The elves only take those who are willing to go. They offer what cannot be found here above ground."

"Zoe would want nothing that is theirs."

"You speak so confidently, what do you offer her to return to?" Agmaraa’s eyes bored into his. "Love? Why did you not call her your wife?" She laughed and climbed into the carriage without aid. "If she has nay married you, what makes you so certain that another man cannot woe her away? Especially one with magical skills."

Orden frowned and climbed into the carriage.

"I understand what you feel. You are all alone, among people who are not your people." Her smile was compassionate. "They are good people, and need aid to reach their final destiny. Make up your own mind, Orden Larksphere, but I hope you will decide to help me help them. It is better to mend a heart by doing good."

"I’m willing to help for now." Orden said. "No one knows the future."

Agmaraa smiled slightly, but didn’t reply. The carriage started down the road.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 4

"I apologize," the Elf bowed to her. "It seemed the safest path to follow. Humans hate and fear Elves to the point of murder. I would not leave a woman in that situation."

"Instead, you grab me up, don't tell me anything, leave Orden behind; Orden! He doesn't know where I am! He must be worried sick! I have to go to him!"

"No!" The Elf grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the bed. He was about Zoe's height but his strength surprised her. "You cannot leave the Underworld for this Orden or anyone else!" He threw open the door. "I will know what and who you are, Changeling! And you will not leave here until I am satisified." He strode out, taking Zoe's sword with him.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 3

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.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 2

"I can't explain it. The guy who sent us here seems familiar to me." Zoe stopped fanning the fire. The larger fallen branches had finally caught.

"Don’t worry about it. His name will come to you in time." Orden cut the last lashing of the lean-to and stepped back to observe his handiwork. He turned with a smile. "Reminds you of the old times?"

She looked at up. "I thought our traveling to different worlds was done." Her gaze fell back to the flames. "All this is missing is Zauk."

"I’m not missing him."

"He is our friend, how can you say that?"

"Because he was always underfoot when I wanted to be with you alone." He sat down next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don’t fret. We’ll be alright. Actually, this gives us an opportunity to talk without any well meaning interruptions from your family."

"What do you want to talk about?" She leaned against him.

"Us, our future. Is it proving your mother wrong or is it me?"

"What?" Zoe straightened to look at his face.

"Why you won’t marry."

She stroked his cheek. "How can you even think it would be you?"

"Because I can’t think of one good reason why we shouldn’t." He caught her hand and squeezed it.

"Mother has to stop with the meddling. I’m not doing anything because she said I should." Her face darkened. "Besides she’d want a big state wedding and die of embarrassment after I trip in the dress and knock three rows of attendees over. All the kingdom would be a buzz and she’d bring it up at every meal." Her shoulders slumped.

"You can get married in chainmail for all I care."

"Orden...."

He spoke quickly to keep her from going on. "Your mother has nothing to do with us. We can run away and get married if that will make you happy. All I want is a commitment that my leaving my life and world behind was not in vain."

She shifted and turned his head to look at her face. "Do you doubt my love for you?"

"At some point, your actions must match your words."

"Well, take heart in these actions." She reached out and pulled him into a kiss.

The Hyrueliana Edits Post 1

"Well, at least then no one can say we are doing anything wrong."

"I'm just sick and tired of the stupid double standard. The next thing will be it's not proper for me to be in charge at all. I am not playing the docile wife at the Palace. She has no right to demand that of me."

"Oh, is that what she said?"

"Orden, don't make fun of me. But the whole thing is so stupid."