In the silence that no doubt followed the outburst of the skull kid and the darknut just before the general outrage that normally follows such statements, a something wooden creaked loudly.

Magus sighed breathlessly as he started to shift his body around, canceling his day time nap as the noise of the gathered group finally grew to great to ignore. Forcing himself back to his feet, the hooded figure turned its darkness covered gaze towards those gathered around the graveyard, inspecting those who had also seemed to have answered the call. There was no face to see, so facial expressions where impossible to tell and his tone of voice betrayed nothing in turn. "Either the goddesses have some divine plan for everyone gathered here that is so masterfully weaved together that the presence of all of us will make sense only in hind sight, or they are really, really despite and they are scraping together everything that has nothing better to do than answer their call. There is only one way to figure out which is which and that is to wait for Lethe the fairy to explain herself. While killing each other before she arrives would give me an answer to my question, I would rather hear what is happening in the big picture before the blood starts to fall. Does anyone have any issue with waiting?

A huge figure in black armor was walking close to the cemetery when he heard people talking. The figure stops, and peers into the fog around the burial grounds. He takes out his shield and puts a hand on his blade's handle, and walks into the mist. After a while he sees shapes of people, and stops moving once again. He takes out his sword and approaches the shapes. After he gets close enough to see what they actually are. There were a few hylians, some small wooden looking kid, another darknut (thank the goddesses, a brother in arms) and a few other strange races in the mix. He was just in time for the talk about killing. Oh joy it was not only small, it was violent too. He would have to watch this one. A creepy man in a mask was trying to flirt with a small female, and someone was napping. He resisted the urge to tap his chest with his great sword to scare the wits out of him. He clears his throat and says "So, I'm not the only one that heard voices in the night then? Or is this a party of some sort?"

By the time Ekra turned back to where she thought Veitaru was, Veitaru would no longer be there.

Instead, visible to the perspective of Zephyrus and Archer, Veitaru was pressed against a nearby grave, keeping herself out of sight of Ekra. Anyone else who was paying attention could have easily seen her move, as although her moments were fast, precise, and silent, she was in the open. Only her perfect timing preventing Ekra from noticing the movement.

Her face expressed a measure of silent panic. Obviously, Veitaru did not want to be the subject of the Crazy Skullkid Inquisition.

Until Cain realized that Maryev wasn't really addressing him with his cruel tirade, the Twili was furious. He barely restrained himself from floating over to the surly Darknut and flicking him with his hairhand in the head to topple him onto the ground in an inglorious heap. Once Cain decided that he, being not of this world, was not an intended target of the ridicule, he found he could only agree. The bit about Jira only reflected his own hidden opinions, and the knight certainly made a crude sort of sense when it came to the children being sent on such a mission. He hadn't even considered that, mostly out of neglect for their safety.

Frore, not understanding all of Maryev's words but fully comprehending his scathing tone, looked down at the ground with arms crossed. Had she not been in Hylian form, she would have likely grown angry, but as it was she merely seemed to shrink in on herself. Only when her companion told her, “He's not talking to you, dearie,” did she seem to regain some composure.

Then one of the so-called children revealed herself. Beneath the mask there was darkness, gleaming eyes, and a beak. Before now, he had never seen a Skull Kid; even mention of them was rare, given what percentage of the wanderers in the Lost Woods made it out to tell the tale. Moreover, Ekra was the first one to assign death as part of the mission. Cain couldn't remember where that was said, but found it intriguing nonetheless that the smallest, most least-threatening member of the group was the most warlike and her old, huge companion was the voice of reason.

Any comment Cain was prepared to voice concerning this was lost when Magus spoke up. The other Twili had been silent -perhaps even asleep, it was difficult to tell given his form- until commotion had begun. Cain kept quiet as the historian said his piece. “None at all,” he intoned, “I'd hate for us to tear each other into pieces before we learn why we're here. It would be so...anticlimatic.”

The next instant, a steady clanking coming from the graveyard's entrance seized his attention. His gaze turned to see a second Darknut approaching. This one didn't seem to carry the same degree of ego as his brother in arms, and his questions proved him to be both more objective and less contemptuous. This one, Cain could get used to. He broke his place in the circle and took it upon himself to answer the new arrival's questions. “Very perceptive of you! Except your second guess, which is fairly inane. Regardless, welcome to the club. We are waiting for the arrival of a sprite called Lethe, who will give us further instruction.”

"Fascinating. That either means we're all insane or destined for greatness." He chuckles a little, and extends his arm to offer a handshake after putting his sword and shield away. "The name's Epicoron by the way. A captain of the darknut legion." After cain shakes his hand, if he does, he waves to the other cliff lord to try to get it's attention. Should the darknut acknowledge him, he would walk over to greet him.
If not he would approach anyhow. No reason for him to attack Epicoron or anything.

“...So shut your filthy hole before I find my fist filling it and crushing your larynx so we can all be spared of your groveling.”

The aggressive scolding Jira received from the armor-clad gentleman, whose voice surged with overwhelming condescension, left Felicia all the more red faced and distant. Although she was all for escaping the Rain Spider’s intimate limelight, she felt compelled to feel sympathy for the man. Whether it was sympathy truly deserved, she didn’t have enough time o give it much though before she bit her lip and gave him an empathetic sideways glance.

As everyone spoke, Griz made a beeline for the back of the graveyard, sparing everyone a simple glance before doing so. Whatever observations that they made, if any, were kept well-hidden behind their stoic one-eyed gaze.

“So we all heard some form of magic that a fairy used to lure us into spending an unpleasant morning amongst people that would be better suited for cleaning a privy than being called to some higher purpose,” the gentleman continued without pause, “If someone has something to volunteer that would illuminate why I should waste any more of my time waiting on the whims of a shrieking, glorified moth, please do so. A shrieking, glorified bat that I would like to point out sees fit to throw infants into some presumed crucible, probably as a sacrifice to your damnable goddesses. None of you thought that strange or worth speaking against? It’s no wonder this culture is rotting. You think infants are as competent as adults.”

Maryev rumbled, looking at each person in turn. “You are all disgusting.”

Felicia flinched—so she wasn’t alone in her concerns for the children. That was good to hear, although she hadn’t been expecting it from the likes of him. Even more unexpected was the small child that boldly stepped forward to face the brute.

"Mister, I was probably a walking corpse even before you were born so stop being a- a- a meanie know-it-all!" she shouted.

Felicia wasn’t sure what the masked child meant by ‘undead’, so she dismissed it. It was strange—the child seemed to be wearing an odd sort of mask beneath their other mask. Perhaps this mask was meant to be more intimidating? (Not being well traveled and never having had a reason to visit a place as dangerous as the Lost Woods, Felicia had no idea what a Skull Kid was.) If the brute was upset by the child’s name-calling, he wasn’t given much of a chance to express himself. The child kept talking and what she said next seemed to render everyone silent— but was it a hasty assumption or a shocking revelation?

Killing? …killing?! Felicia felt a bit sick.

"Let's try and stay calm, keep our heads until this fairy addresses us. And who says we're here to kill something? I for one don't plan on going on a war march," the girl's presumed father said, stepping forward. Felicia was grateful for the voice of reason. Right of the bat, she noted that the blacksmith was probably one of the more “normal” ones. The next voice caught her off guard and she realized the shape she’d seen at the back of the graveyard was in fact a person in a cloak.

"While killing each other before she arrives would give me an answer to my question, I would rather hear what is happening in the big picture before the blood starts to fall. Does anyone have any issue with waiting?" the figure finished with an eery sounding creak to his movements as he approached the group.

Yeah. Kinda, Felicia answered in her head. Killing and bloodshed… is this normally what people thought of under such circumstances? She was still holding tight to her anonymous lottery idea (in spite of all sense and reason).

“None at all,” Cain replied, “I'd hate for us to tear each other into pieces before we learn why we're here. It would be so...anticlimatic.”

Speaking of anticlimactic, Felicia’s attention drifted to the graveyard’s entrance once again. Behind the two friends that had entered a few moments prior, a hulking figure appeared—lumbering up that path at a shocking height. He had to be at least eight feet tall. The armor he wore vaguely resembled that of the brutish gentleman that had snapped at Jira, but he clearly wasn’t human. He couldn’t be, could he? Someone-- or something-- that tall. Surely someone would have noticed? Perhaps it was just a costume?

Felicia’s hopeful rulings were dashed as the being unsheathed its massive sword. It glanced across the graveyard—not doubt mulling over the purpose of their odd assembly.

"So, I'm not the only one that heard voices in the night then? Or is this a party of some sort?" he said—rather anticlimactically considering Felicia was expecting him to start mercilessly hacking at folks. His statement perplexed her. He couldn’t have possibly over heard them all talking just now? Were they talking too loud or did this beast of a man have super powered hearing?

Cain instantly took initiative and addressed him. “Very perceptive of you! Except your second guess, which is fairly inane. Regardless, welcome to the club. We are waiting for the arrival of a sprite called Lethe, who will give us further instruction.”

"Fascinating,” the giant said, “That either means we're all insane or destined for greatness." Felicia continued to stare as the giant extended it’s hand to the corporeal form of Cain, as if awaiting a handshake. Before any such exchange could take place, however, a familiar sound drew the attention to the graveyard’s entrance once again….

“A Sprite?” Lethe’s voice, preceded by her customary “sparkly fairy sound”, sounded a ways behind Epicorn. The small indigo-white orb with wings hovered beneath the graveyard gate.

“How vile—to be compared to those impish degenerates.”

[part 2 on it's way...]

An assortment of folks trickled into the graveyard behind Lethe—filing in on either side like a stream being split on a rock. Some walked with apprehensive meekness while others seemed to look everyone over with the brazen pomposity one would expect from someone that’s just been told some great force chose them to save the world. Zora, hylian, and goron alike—everyone was given little time to take a close look at all the new comers Lethe had brought with her since she wasted no time in barking orders.

“I see the Shadow Temple has been up to it’s usual trickery—thus why you’re all huddled up in the graveyard’s center, I assume? If your meager minds are able, I must ask that you all make your way there. That’s where I’m going. Don’t expect me to shout so you can hear me. My lungs are only so big, you know.”

She promptly zipped through the crowd towards the temple’s entrance, ignoring anyone’s further remarks or comments until she up against the steep wall. She paused just long enough to whisper something to Frore. “I’ll be taking my ring back after this. For now I think it’d be best if you stayed that way. Wouldn’t want to send anyone running just yet, you know? Or worse-- calling the guards here." She shot a glance at the hulking eight foot Dark Nut. It was a downright MIRACLE he managed to waltz straight through town and into the graveyard unnoticed. But there simply wasn't any time to address all that now.

---

Last to enter was Nil and Yolanda. After an adventurous little walk, during which Yolanda ranted about her favorite festival performers (all of which were male), they finally arrived at the graveyard. As Nil saw the eccentric assemblage awaiting them, Yolanda quickly wrapped her arm tightly around his and smiled apologetically.

“Alright, honey—I lied. Yes, this isn’t my family. But if you’ll stay and listen to that little fairy over there I’ll still give you what I promised you, deal? That’s all you gotta do is listen, alright? Easy money!”

---

Lethe hovered expectantly as everyone somewhat reluctantly gathered near. "It's nice to see some people know how to follow directions," she muttered curtly, referring to Griz. The Shadow Temple loomed behind her. Her eyes scanned the graveyard-- searching for a particular someone that wasn't supposed to be there. Finding no such person and with everyone more or less gathered around, she took a breath.

"I know you all probably have a lot of questions, but let me do my best to first explain or else this is going to become downright chaotic….

“Most of you already know my name by now, but, for clarity’s sake, I am Lethe.

"There have been rumors circulating these past few months-- rumors that the King of Darkness will soon return to the land of Hyrule and that he will seek revenge for his imprisonment. Suffering will flood the land with pain and sorrow. Talk of the Hero of Time has also been stirring. They say he is on his way to vanquish the Evil King.

"I am here to tell you that Ganondorf is coming-- but the Hero of Time is not.

"The fall of Hyrule is nigh and we few have been chosen to stand in the Hero’s place. Without us, all life will cease. Whether or not you think yourself qualified is irrelevant. The Goddess has chosen each of you for whatever reason and your decision to take on this task will be crucial in determining the fate of us all. I've been chosen by the Goddess Farore to guide you on this vital quest. Destiny has brought us all to this graveyard at this moment in time. Everyone here was meant to be here. It is part of Her great design. History is being written as we speak.

"I’m not going to lie to you. This will be a dangerous undertaking and I cannot promise your survival. The choice is, as always, yours. ”

After a second’s pause, signaling that she had finished, a young hylian woman with long, chocolate brown hair, a large sun hat, and an orange tunic, stepped forward, flanked by two cronies—a large woman in gleaming silver armor and a hooded lady in a dark purple robe.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” she said loudly, “Hold on a tic.” She put her hands on her hips and smirked, “You don’t really think me and my companions are that daft, do you? Taking advantage of all these rumors like that, though—and the creepy whispering at night thing? I’ve got to hand it to you little fairies—it’s a great con. I almost wish I’d have thought it up myself.”

Lethe remained uncharacteristically silent.

“Thanks for the total waste of time and all, but I think I’ll take my chances with the ‘flood of pain and sorrow’. I know these voices have probably been your doing, so let it be known that if I catch any of you little pests whispering in my ear at night, I’ll bottle you up and sell you to the most ruthless atheist scientist I can find.”

She motioned for her cronies to leave and promptly cut through the crowd. The armored woman shouldered Felicia as she passed. Felicia was too shocked to move, however. She simply stood in place and waited. What would everyone do? …what would she do? Was it all true? Was Ganondorf returning? And it was up to her to save everyone? Or was it really just a trick like the mercenary said? Were the fairies collectively conning everyone? But what for? They had no use for money. And according to all the legends, they were some of the oldest beings in Hyrule—ancient and even, to some, sacred. What reason would Lethe have to lie?

These thoughts weighed heavily on her mind as the fairy quietly watched them leave, waiting for further questions.

Magus listened to Lethe in complete silence, gears turning in his mind as he put together what he knew of the so called 'King of Darkness' (Part of him wanted to spit at the foolishness of those who were blinded by the light and afraid of it no longer being there).

Hearing the whispers of those he often passed by in his recent travels of suggestions that the hooded man was an agent of the disposed King of Darkness had spiked Magus's interest long before he had come to the graveyard he was currently standing in. A researcher of history by passion and profession, Magus had briefly ceased looking into the history of his own people to investigate local history for a time. It had been a very interesting tale, even if separating the truth from the tall tales and the legends had been a major chore.

While a lot of the legends were no doubt either made up or simply exaggerated over the years with the retelling, what parts he was willing to consider true painted a very haunting familiar tale of a remarkably powerful magic user who became completely consumed by his own power, unleashing it on those weaker than himself without care or restraint. There were rumors that the triforce played a role in the events of his rule, both while he reigned and in his dethroning. Magus had his theories on the matter...

Once Lethe had finished speaking and those gathered seemed to be arguing over wasted time and fairy cons, the hooded Magus with his unnervingly creaking movements was the first to move from his place and walked to stand by Lethe the fairy in support, everything about the man hidden by shadows. It was quite the strange contrast between Magus and Lethe, what with one being a creature of shadow and the other a creature of light . "I assume that all these years off the throne has done little to quench the desires and madness of the Insane King?" He asked her in his echoing voice that sounded like it was coming from further away than it should have been.

Archer and Zephyrus had conversed through glances and body language as Lethe told the congregation of their supposed duties:
“What are we to make of this?”, Zephyrus’ eyes had asked.
“You mean you don’t know?” A jerky head movement of Archer’s had responded.
“Calm down, Brother,” A thin, ill-practised smile had entreated.
“Screw that,” Archer had said very much aloud.
And it seemed he wasn’t the only one to share this sentiment, either: Soon enough, some boisterous women at the pack’s front had made it fairly clear that she, too, thought that this scenario was pretty ridiculous, and made a scene of her exit.
“And there goes the group’s collective common sense,” Archer murmured.
“I can understand her hesitance. We are, after all, about to trespass upon accursed soil.”
“… what.”
“The Shadow Temple.”
“… byyye!”

Archer turned to pursue her, only to find himself impeded by his brother’s hand, weighing heavily on his shoulder.
Zephyrus seemed always to serve as his conscience… and more often than not, that was a burden.
“What?” he threw an irritable glance over his shoulder, “That woman has the right idea, this is crazy!”
“Perhaps that is the case, but does that make it any less important?”
“It makes it a hell of a lot less appealing!”
“Nothing worth doing was ever easy, brother.”
“You kidding? Picking pockets is easy! Fixing card games is easy!”
“And was it worth doing?”
“It brought in the rupees!”
“But were you happy?”
“I was alive.”
“And was it a good life?”
“…”

Archer lapsed into silence, and exhaled pensively. Zephyrus squeezed his shoulder, supportively.
“Brother, there comes a time when we must do things for the benefit of people other than ourselves.”
“That’s… not in my nature, Zeph.”
“It’s in all men’s natures.”
“That’s all nice to say, but when push comes to shove… I’m a crook.”
“You were a crook. You changed your shape… you adapted.”
“Like water.”
“If you must think of it like that.”
“Sorry, Zeph, I just… I don’t buy into that stuff. I trust what I know, what I know has kept me alive for the last half a decade. And what I know is that this is a bad, bad idea.”
“You must learn to adapt-”
“Fire doesn’t adapt, Zeph. It burns, no matter where you put it.”
Zephyrus frowned, and both brothers shared a few moments of solemn eye contact.

“I’m going to do this, Archer. I won’t ask you to follow me, if you feel as though your interests lie elsewhere.”
“Bro, I…”
“It’s okay,” Zephyrus assured him, with another unrefined smile, “I won’t force you to do this.”
“But you’re going anyway?”
He nodded, “My loyalty is to the royal family, and to the people of this kingdom. It is my duty to protect them, if I can.”
“Can I talk you out of this?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Archer contemplated this, and his shoulders promptly dropped.
“… then I guess I’m coming with.”
“Oh?”
“You’re a killjoy on your own. I’ve gotta come to balance you out, otherwise you’ll bore these people to death.”
Zephyrus chuckled, although it was some hollow, cold sound that seemed unfamiliar to him, “I’m sure they appreciate your concern.”
“They better… we’re all a bunch of dumbasses, you realise that, right?”
“I’m sure they appreciate that, too.”
“Yeah, yeah…” he muttered, waving a dismissive hand.

“Oh dear, are you going to sulk through the entire journey?”
“I’ve earned a good sulk by virtue of being your brother, Zeph.”
“If you’re in so foul a mood, why not go and stand with Griz?”
“Didn’t you say Griz was a guy?”
“I said it was possible. It’s also possible Griz is a woman, although there is nothing to sug-“
Archer was long gone, having manoeuvred his way through the bevy of graveyard occupants. He took his spot at Griz’s side, and cleared his throat.
He swept his hair out of his eyes, and puffed out his chest as he straightened out his leather jacket, before turning to speak to them.
“…” nothing came out.
“… h-hey,” he mustered, before looking hurriedly away.
”Good job, Archer. A+ flirting. Your finest work.”

Zephyrus looked on towards them amusedly, fortunately blessed with a stature that permitted him the ability to gaze over the crowd.
However, whilst watching he caught sight of another face, seemingly frozen through consternation.
He approached- slowly- Felicia’s side, and spoke in a tone that was soft and as warm as a man like Zephyrus could muster.
He smiled, too, but through the gesture his history of introversion became clear: It seemed an unfamiliar act, punctuated by attenuated lips. Still, in his eyes it was clear enough that he meant well.
“You seem troubled,” he observed, “Are you quite alright?”

At a loss, Felicia had taken to staring at her caramel apple for answers again. She looked up as the man’s voice addressed her. It was one of the Shiekah she’d seen earlier.

“Oh… uhm,” she bit her lip and closed her hands around the apple, subtly moving it to her far hand and dropping her arms in an attempt to hide it from his view.

“I’m… conflicted is all,” she said, her voice quiet and just barely audible over the other voices as everyone tried to work out what this was all about amongst themselves. She attempted a smile that was almost as obviously unused as Zeph’s.

“I’m afraid there’s been a mistake,” Felicia hesitantly motioned to her longsword, “I carry around this thing, but I’m hardly skilled with it. I’m nothing but a fishing fishmonger and my hands are full enough as it is trying to keep my rental business afloat. Hylia Village is going down the drain. And with the fish shortage—“ She stopped herself, realizing she didn’t want to be divulging so much. He was a total stranger after all.

“I’m not cut out for this,” she sighed, scratching her arm again for the umpteenth time, “Even if it is true, they obviously got me mixed up with somebody else. But that’s beside the point….” Her eyes sifted through the crowd for the two young girls she’d seen earlier.

“I know Link was but a child when he was called to save Hyrule, but… I’m concerned for them. If either of those two decide to go along with all this… so will I,” she concluded.

So this was the fairy Lethe. Like most of her kind, she was physically unimposing and spoke in a high, shrill voice of a creature that was trying to call out to an existence far above its own; namely every other sentient creature in Hyrule. Out of curiosity more than driven, Maryev had dutifully followed the fairy to the Shadow Temple, the foul construction leaving less than positive impression on the Darknut, which surprised him; there wasn’t anything to the rumours about the old dusty tomb, were there? It was a tale to keep children from desicrating the graveyard with their feces smattered feet and hands and inability to pay heed to the dead, who had accomplished more in that simple act than children ever had in their short, miserable lives. He chose to ignore the feeling, as well as the others gathered around. He had said his peace, and while he took note and interest in the fact that one of his kinsmen was here, a rarity he had never expected to see in some time, he also knew that any Darknut who walked these lands had been exiled for one reason or another. None would willingly walk the lands of their enemies, not without an army at their backs. The real puzzle was why he still possessed his weapon and armour; that simply should not be.

Regardless, his attention was immediately back on Lethe when she mentioned something that lifted Maryev’s feelings substantially. Ganondorf, the Gerudo King, had returned! The fact the fabled Hero of Time, the damnable Inquisitor, was nowhere to be seen was a boon. It quickly dawned on the Darknut that that was the purpose of the meeting; this motley assortment of jesters and low lives was to be the substitute of an apparently Goddess-blessed child. While it was still rather pathetic, it was a step up from enthusiastically expecting a prepubescent boy with no training to speak of to step up to save the world.

Of course, that was one way to look at it, Maryev saw it another way; every time the Inquisitor rose and defeated the Gerudo King, the Hyrule royal family grew more powerful and their influence crept further and further. It was mortifying to think about , and he would have no part in trying to stop the one true friend and ally the Darknut people had so these sniveling cowards could continue to spread like a plague. It was unjust and it was wrong. He found himself quietly agreeing with the boisterous and annoying Hylian girl who spoke out against the exhibition, claiming there was no Goddess (something Maryev didn’t believe in, regardless) telling everyone what to do, but it was likely the whims and machinations of the fairy. Although he knew it was ridiculous to expect her to fly across Hyrule and track down each individual for them to arrive at Kakariko Village after planting a thought in their head, there was something else at work that made her capable of pulling off such a feat. He almost recoiled in disgust at the revelation that he actually agreed with a Hylian. The end times were approaching, it seemed.

"I assume that all these years off the throne has done little to quench the desires and madness of the Insane King?" The Shrouded figure spoke in a voice that was far too mundane for his otherwise sinister appearance.

“Stay your tongue, cur. The Gerudo King has been the lone champion of those the Hylian Kingdom seeks to extinguish in its imperialistic conquests of the lands. We stand upon the graves of his personal assassins as we speak. Do you people not think that perhaps you have been manipulated since you were children, to believing in fantastic stories that play right into the King’s hands? Nobody, not the Hylians, not the Goron, not the Zora, no one stops to question this tale that has been told for countless centuries about how Ganondorf is a great evil that wants to destroy everything; did anyone stop to ask “But what does he plan to do after if he has destroyed the world?” Precisely! Absolutely no one who has power is that bafflingly stupid. Do you not question why the same races flock to join him, and why they all still exist? Likely not, because you think that they are monsters, and even the Gerudo are seen as lesser and backwards compared to the beautiful and fair Hylians.” He said, his voice mocking the very mentality of near everyone standing around him. “No. You question nothing because none of you are willing to do what is unpleasant or admit that you’re committing murder every time you slay a Moblin or a Lizalfos. You don’t see the wretched conditions your ancestors have forced upon them as your precious living space grows because of the might of the Hyrule army. So tell me why we should pay heed and join with this fairy who threatens all of your lives with a frightening tale that has been passed down by your forefathers to keep you from questioning the world you live in? Does anyone have any proof of Ganondorf’s purported evil other than the stories you’ve been told? I thought not.”

Angus maintained his position near the centre of the group, attempting to keep some calm and order in the unusual assembly proved easier said than done, thankfully with some support from the mysterious figure near the back and the arrival of several new people tensions did appear to diffuse somewhat. However with the 'entertainer' and skull kid Ekra at each other's throats as well as the fact that many of the people seemed slightly on edge, the blacksmith became worried that violence would eventually break out.

Thankfully the arrival of the long awaited fairy came before anything more than words were hurled at each other. There was quite a gathering in the graveyard at Angus could hardly believe all of them had come after hearing the same voice, was the goddess truly reaching out to all of them? He glanced around a little more, his height allowing him to see most if not all of them, eventually the eyes of the crowd were directed forward as the fairy delivered it's message. First she identified herself as Lethe, a name Angus hadn't heard before, next she went on to give some very bad news...

Ganondorf was set to return. Was it possible? Could the seal over his dark powers truly be broken? And why no hero, if the legends were to be believed then the two were meant to be eternally locked in a battle throughout the whole of time, now the duty of defending Hyrule was being passed to a group of unknowns? It was a tough sell but for whatever reason Angus believed it, even as some turned to leave, laughing and poking fun he stayed put and listened to the others questions. He was trying his best not to show fear, it wouldn't help anybody but inside he was troubled, he was a blacksmith not a warrior after all.

His eyes were shut and his arms crossed as he focused and thought. Eventually he decided to speak up, hopefully able to get a word in before Ekra inevitably began exchanging words with the entertainer. "The dark lord is very real, I've seen enough in my time to know that the legends are true and the events described did indeed happen." He opened his eyes and glared at the one who was speaking out almost in support of the evil king. "It's obvious now that you are in fact amount one of those to traditionally side with 'him'. However, I believe the goddess and fate would not have brought you to this gathering unless you knew deep down that Ganondorf is evil in it's purest and darkest form."The smith nodded his head to the young Veitaru. "Even the Geurodo, the ones who named him king, know this and reject him." He let out a long sigh and looked down. "If we truly are the ones chosen to stand against the darkness then it's not my place to deny it, we all have our destinies and the sooner we decide to embrace them the better."

Something had been playing on the smith's mind, who or what was this entertainer? The sight of the second creature had stirred old memories, stories of great warrior beasts from far away, it all made sense. The size, the lack of etiquette, the appetite, even the growling which he had overlooked explained it all, now the creature voiceing support for Ganon? That was all the proof and convincing he needed. Angus raised his head and shot one last look at Maryev and coldly delivered his advice. "Ganondorf doesn't care for loyalty, Darknut, go with him and you'll be just another one of his pawns, his minions. I can't force you into anything but if you insist on siding against us I suggest you leave now." With that he lowered his head and waited for the others to speak.

"Snrrrkk." Was Veitaru's eloquent response when the smith nodded his head to her. Given that they had waited ever so long for the fairy, and then the fairy had gone on to once again tell them nothing new, well, nothing new to her at least, Veitaru had eventually stopped paying attention. And she felt plenty apathetic about what came afterwards. To her, it was just long internal monologues, stupid questions, married couple number two holding a duet for longer than everything else put together, long discussions about whether or not one should come, monologues about Ganondorf, rebuttals. There was a long series of stuff going on that Veitaru didn't care about, all in all, and considering the Veitaru made it a point never to sleep for too long at a time, catnapping was a thing for her. Even if right now her head was resting against a grave.

Epicoron started to feel a few stares burn into his back. He takes off his helmet and scratches his head. He decides to keep the helmet off for now, since they weren't in any combat. It's a lot easier to look at a face, even if it was that of a dark nut, then it was to see a menacing suit of armor. He listened thoughtfully to what Maryev said, and said in reply "Well, you can't expect everyone to have the same ideas. Unless you want to make enemies, maybe holding yours to yourself would be wise." He was tempted to put a hand on the other dark nut's shoulder, but decided against it. He was acting vile towards the others. He was not about to be forced to fight another of his kind. "Sure, he could have had other intents. But the question at this point is not goals, it's how he went about trying to complete them. Thousands of innocents died because of Gannon. It would be quite insensitive and childish to not realize the grief he caused millions more."

For a few moments Cain considered apologizing to Lethe about calling her a sprite, but her comment about 'meager minds' both wiped out that possibility and reminded him how deeply he loathed her. Nevertheless, he was forced to follow along with the others as the trundled, alone or in small groups, after her to the entrance of the Shadow Temple. Before now, the Twili hadn't even gone near the thing; this was yet another testament to the prejudice and unfairness of those who shone with the Goddesses' light.

When whispered to by the fairy, Frore -for once- understood what she wanted. The former Chilfos raised her ring finger for the magical artifact to be removed, but Lethe flitted away before she saw. Confused and somewhat upset by this, Frore lowered her finger once more and joined the group following her. After they had all stopped, she clumsily navigated her way among the others until she stood at the side of Cain, who faced her briefly before returning his attention to Lethe.

Though Cain said nothing and betrayed no emotion during the following speech, his mind was a tumult of thought. The news that the legendary Demon King Ganondorf was returning, while rumored for some time, remained somewhat jarring nevertheless. Initially he decided that the Hylians deserved no better than to fend for themselves for once, abandoned by the hero that their deities had chosen. As he thought more about the personage that was Ganondorf, however, the name began to sound somewhat familiar. He wracked his mind to discover why as the others replied, too absorbed in his own thoughts to acknowledge the women that left, the Darknut's defense, or the blacksmith's retort. Finally, a shred of conversation from long ago popped into his head. Along with the distant words came the image of a frightening mask, one that Cain hated above all else.

“You might have gotten past my Shadow Beasts but you'll never beat me,” the vile mask had said. ”Your princess is mine, your people and your kingdom and your realm too, and thanks to Ganondorf soon even the World of Light will fall beneath MY rule! MINE! Now you're BANISHED! HAH! HAHAHAAAH!” That laugh, reaching Cain even as he fell into his foe's portal, haunted him now as much as ever.

So that was it. A memory pushed down into obscurity by Cain's rage, only to be brought back now by the fairy's words. Zant was his mortal enemy, now and forever, and if he and this Demon King were in league, he had all the more to gain by striking him down first before stabbing Lethe in the back. It was a tall order, but if the former Royal Spymaster played his cards right he could hit two birds with one stone. He formed a plan.

“I for one am all for deposing this king of darkness. Naturally, Frore stands behind me.” He indicated her with a tilt of his head, and Frore hazarded a stiff wave in response. Cain continued after quickly taking in Epicoron's canine face, now exposed. “Where I come from there are no Hylians or Sheikah or anyone, but there are legends of Ganondorf. He is infamous even in our realm for his incredible, insidious power. If he is really gearing up for war, I will oppose him." Pretty much anyone here would be hard pressed to find any trace of dishonesty or ill intentions in his words.

Zephyrus listened with soft eyes and empathetic nods as Felicia spoke, and followed her gaze closely as she scoped the party for its youth.
And he felt some pang deep within himself when he saw her smile, too: A sort of self-awareness that could be brought on by catching his reflection in anything but a mirror.
The smile of a person who had been hurt, and sealed themselves away as penance.
He knew that smile too well.
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he spoke, both in reply to what she’d said, and- unbeknownst to her- what he’d seen, “But I don’t think there’s been any mistake.”

He took a moment to glance around, and take stock of their party: A series of misfits if ever he’d seen them, ranging from a creature of shadow, whom he had yet to speak with, to a common pickpocket he called “Brother.”
“I don’t imagine,” he began, after a few second’s consideration, “That there are many of us, who are ‘cut out’ for this… I don’t rightly believe that anybody ever is.”
He glanced over to Archer again, who was busily trying and failing to woo the disinterested mute who’d led them here- ”So, Griz, you’re very… long. Dammit, I mean…”- then returned his gaze to her.
“Heroes are not born, no bairn is destined for greatness. Heroes are made, built and shaped by experience… The Hero of Time could not achieve his goal before first walking this land in her entirety.”

He gestured to her blade with his left hand, “Just as one must put effort into learning, before they can wield a blade. Given time, given experience… you may find yourself a potent swordswoman.”
He motioned to his own guandao, as if to punctuate the point.
Then he offered another ill-rehearsed smile, “But first, you must try. Doing the right thing may not always make you happy… but it will make you great.”

He lingered on this point for a moment, before repeating Felicia’s earlier scoping of the crowd, in search of the children she’d been speaking of.
“As for the younglings… I share your concern. The potential for greatness is in all, but only time will cultivate it… and these children have not had enough.”
Instinctively, he tightened his scarf, as though it would somehow protect him from darker thoughts.
“I’m not sure what I can say, in regards to them… except that I will swear my life to their protection, should they choose to come.”
He threw another glance towards Archer, “We lost our youth. I would not wish it upon another in any lifetime.”
He stared pensively towards his sibling for a few long moments- ”You’re real pretty! I mean, I bet you are… kinda hard to tell. But…”- and then exhaled, and let loose some shaky, unfamiliar sound that might have been a chuckle.

“But look at me, imposing upon your attention with my own beliefs, when to you I am a nameless stranger.”
He stepped back, and bowed deeply, and respectfully, as one would expect of a servant to the royal family, “I am Zephyrus Anders.”

Ekra didn't respond right away - well, how could she? On the one hand, it sounded as though her prediction had been right. Had the target not been so infamous, she probably would've punctuated Lethe's speech with an 'I told you so' because, well, she did. On the other hand, they were expected to kill Ganondorf. Even if the beings who called the Lost Woods their home were fairly isolated, they knew of him. They knew he was responsible for the invasion of the Forest Temple that had happened so long ago that nobody living had actually experienced said invasion. They all only had the horror stories of the phantom on horseback and a Hylian who had broken into the temple.

And then Know-it-all began talking again like he was actually alive for that and she really, really doubted it. At least the blacksmith put him in his place, though she'd have to ask him later what a Darknut was. Those had definitely never wandered through the Lost Woods.

"Yeah, Mister, you believe your stories and go talk to him, we'll believe ours. I just know he wrecked the Forest Temple a long time ago." She looked to Lethe. Everyone was talking, yeah, but it was mostly among themselves. No one had actually asked the fairy the questions that crossed Ekra's mind. "But, uh, question: like...Ganondorf's dead, right? So, what is he a stalfo now, a ghost, just - I mean, no way he's literally alive, right?" She looked to Veitaru, her eyes closed. Ekra blinked and pulled out her flute, poking Veitaru in the shoulder. "Hey, Gerudos aren't immortal, right?" The child, about her own size, didn't seem to be Hylian. Maybe she knew. "Because there's a bit of a difference between going after someone with a regular body, a body that doesn't die, and a spirit." The first two were not uncommon in the Lost Woods, what with Kokori, Deku, and Hylian travelers. The stalfos and stalkids were a little more difficult to deal with. Spirits.... well, how would she have any idea? Those lost in the Lost Woods didn't become spirits. Those who died didn't leave ghosts. The only reason she even knew they existed was due to the one who had taught her the Song of Healing - and somehow she doubted a little tune on her flute would get rid of Ganondorf if he was only a ghost at this point. Not if he was strong enough to command ghosts of his own years ago.

Zephyrus’ response was met with hesitation as Felicia realized this was the first time she had ever met a Shiekah warrior. The thought of experiencing new things, going on amazing adventures, daring sword fights, magic spells, adrenalin coursing through one’s veins, the thrill, the excitement… she recoiled. If this was what she had to do in order to do the right thing, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be ‘great’. ‘Good’ was good enough for her.

For the present her mind remained unchanged, however; if either of those children went, bless their parents, she would take it upon herself to make sure they were safe. It was comforting to hear the Shiekah take such a noble oath, although whether or not he would follow through remained to be seen. Even "honorable" men were capable of dishonorable deeds, after all.

“Thank you,” Felicia nodded, “My name is Felicia Wolfsfield.”

It was at this point that the voice of the unpleasant man who had reprimanded Jira quieted the crowd. All chatter ceased beneath his loud, boisterous sermon, during which he hardly paused for breath. He seemed to have been waiting quite a while for this opportunity to unleash his massively unpopular opinion on them all.

Felicia was in shock. Was he really defending an enemy of Hyrule so ruthless and infamous? Not being one that was easily upset, she grit her teeth. Evil creatures flocked to the Ganondorf. The wolfos, which had terrorized her village for as long as she could remember, were among the armies of Ganondorf back in the days of the legendary Hero. She knew those creatures. She had peered into their eyes and there was goodness there. Only hatred and evil…. This man was off his rocker. His conspiracy theory was so insane she couldn’t even put her frustration into words. Luckily there were others more articulately gifted that quickly shot him down. The blacksmith was the first to speak up.

"Ganondorf doesn't care for loyalty, Darknut,” he glared, evoking a gasp from Felicia and a few others at the sudden revelation, “go with him and you'll be just another one of his pawns, his minions. I can't force you into anything but if you insist on siding against us I suggest you leave now."

A Darknut. Felicia had only ever heard stories of such things. They were canine-like men with unmatched swordsmanship—and devoted servants of Ganondorf. She had heard that they were extremely powerful and very tall in stature. Roughly seven feet was what she had heard, but, looking at the taller of the two men that were completely covered in heavy armor, she slowly began to realize he must be one too.

"Well, you can't expect everyone to have the same ideas,” the other said in a much more agreeable tone as he removed his helmet to reveal a frightening sight. Felicia scarcely heard a thing he said. She could only stare. She couldn’t decide what was more menacing, to be honest—the emotionless helmet or the face of the monster itself. Her heart was racing. Perhaps this adventure was simply too big for her. Perhaps she should notify the guards…? If the shorter one really was an adversary of Ganondorf, then he definitely wasn’t an ally, was he? But then why was he here?

“I for one am all for deposing this king of darkness. Naturally, Frore stands behind me," Cain said frankly, coming forward, "Where I come from there are no Hylians or Sheikah or anyone, but there are legends of Ganondorf. He is infamous even in our realm for his incredible, insidious power. If he is really gearing up for war, I will oppose him."

"Yeah, Mister, you believe your stories and go talk to him, we'll believe ours," the masked child chimed in, "I just know he wrecked the Forest Temple a long time ago."

---

That voice… that armor… and that rotten attitude. How did I not see it before? A Darknut.

Lethe curled her lip in disgust, moving forward. If Lethe was anything but obnoxious, one could definitely say she was brave. Hovering with her tiny chest out and arms on her hips, she stared long and hard at Maryev. The others voiced their opinions and Lethe silently fumed. Eventually she shut her eyes and even tried counting, but by the time the Skull Kid had finished....

“Enough of this blasphemous nonsense!” she shrieked. Indeed, it was incredibly weird to see two Darknuts standing before her on such a holy mission as this—and all the weirder that one seemed to be unbelievably open-minded and sympathetic towards Hylians-- something that was completely unheard of as far as she knew (which was pretty darn far).

Addressing Maryev, Lethe growled, “If you are of the opinion that revenge is what the Dark King deserves then feel free to go to his aid. He is well on his way and I’m sure he would love to add another insect to his filthy swarm.

“I don’t have time for a debate about the nature of evil, you big idiot. The world is ending! Why is it that those who aren’t even of this world have been the quickest to decide whether or not they wish to defend it? Now is the time to stay or go. We have much to do and little time.”

Griz, who had of course been silent as usual in the face of Archer's advances, stoically stepped forward-- their decision made.

Maryev expected the responses he received from the soft, squishy races that had been indoctrinated since birth to love their false Goddesses and their damnable Inquisitor, but this other Darknut, this traitor was unacceptable. He sympathized with the enemy! He was abandoning his post! He was likely exiled without realizing he was, the pitiful lout. Maryev offered this one nothing but distain; the others at least had an excuse for their arrogance, this so-called Captain did not. If a war was coming, he was not where he needed to be and sucking face with his enemy was unacceptable. He may look the part, but this creature was no Darknut. He rebounded on the Traitor. “And have you forgotten what our people have fought and died for thousands of years? You speak of having enemies as an improper thing. A man should have enemies; it means he stood for something in his life. You speak to me of casualties and the cost of war, you should be steeled to them! How many of our people and our allies have perished at the blades of our enemies because they see us as monsters? They didn’t snivel and grovel at the feet of their adversaries, they met death gladly because they had conviction. I have no idea why you are here, but you have abandoned the tenants we swore to uphold and if there is a war coming, you must ask yourself to whom your loyalty lies; to the Darknut or to… these people. It should not be a difficult choice, even for one as weak of will as you.” He said, stepping away from the disappointing monstrosity that had dared try to console him. Maryev resented him for revealing what they were to the others; now everyone knew him as a Darknut, which did not bode well if any of them approached the guards.

His attention turned instead to the Blacksmith, the Ox. While there was something akin to wisdom, Maryev had to blink. “The Gerudo King is very real… of course he is. Why are you trying to convince me of that? Did you not just hear what I had just said?” he asked, genuinely perplexed. His red eyes blinked slowly, not comprehending. He could not muster anger at this man, as misguided as he was. He had an air of a diplomat about him, as well as a quiet and reassured strength. His words did not scold; they reached out, as if to reach an understanding. It was something Maryev was most unaccustomed to. “If I was chosen for some reason for this exhibition, I suspect there’s a reason for it. Either that so-called Lethe did not realize to whom she was planting ideas, which does not bode well to the preparations for this… endeavor. So far, the ones who left were the only ones who were intelligent enough to grasp that more than words are needed to put one’s life at risk.”

The Shade spoke, and it was most unexpected. He, and his companion, the tall and vacant-looking pale woman in ill-fitting clothing committed to the cause. This didn’t surprise Maryev; it was the Shade that brought him here, after all. But he spoke as if he were from somewhere other than Hyrule, not a part of its fabric at all. Nothing in Maryev’s studies gave him any indication of who or what he was. If that were the case, then why join a war he had no stake in? This gave him pause for thought. What drove the stranger? Why would he possibly care if Hyrule fell?

Before he could ponder the implications further, the ugly-looking child that claimed to the Lost Woods confronted him, a nagging little imp if there ever was one. She had turned to address the fairy, ultimately preventing Maryev from explaining things. The fairy rebounded on him last.

“In case you failed to notice in your ineptitude, you are the one who approached me about this prophesy nonsense, as well as everyone else standing here. If you did not know who or what I was, then that means you didn’t know who anyone was and this whole chosen by a Goddess nonsense is exactly that. You claim this is about saving the world, but you offer nothing as to what is to happen other than a vague threat that has been literally repeated dozens of times across the years, often as an idle threat. If I had a rupee for every time someone whispered of Ganon’s return, I would have enough to purchase the entirety of Castletown by now. If the world is truly going to end, then it behoves me to do something about it because no matter how disgusting Hyrule is and how much I utterly loathe the people in it, I quite like living and I still have a mission to complete. Why should anyone trust you? Understand, Rodent, if your so-called Goddess told you to pick me for this charade of yours, then She had some damn reason for it that transcends loyalty to my culture and its independence.” He sighed; it came out as a growl. “And as much as it figuratively kills me to say, I cannot abide the fact children are being roped to do the work of adults. They’re innocents, as far as I’m concerned. I’d prefer they kept safe. And I was promised payment. So out with it.” Maryev demanded.

Lethe continued to fume impatiently as the Darknut addressed the other Darknut. Obviously they didn’t seem to get along. She then waited through his second speech—really, since when were Darknuts so preachy? Never having had a conversation with one she couldn’t say how normal this was, but if he did end up coming along she certainly hoped he wouldn’t make a habit of talking her ear off. She sighed in frustration. This wasn’t just anyone telling these fools about Ganondorf’s return—she was a fairy. A creature of legend-- not a nervous milkmaid or superstitious farmboy. And although Lethe wasn't exactly a prime example (unbeknownst to everyone else), fairies, especially of the healing variety, had a wide-spread reputation of reliability.

“If I had more than words to offer you, do you not think I would have said so already? We fairies have not the ability to plant voices in people’s heads. It was not I who chose you for this mission. If hearing the voice of Farore herself is not proof enough for you, then no sign from the heavens will cure your lack of faith. These children are no younger than the Hero of Time was when he first began his quest to save Hyrule. I will say nothing more to convince you to stay. Now stop wasting my time and leave us if you are not up to this holy mission!”