Establishing Hyrule

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I listen to the younger Sheikah as they do their best to imitate the kick I've been showing them. They cry out in old Hylian as they kick, all of them seeming to move in synchronisation. I wait for a second after they finish, and one of them clicks their fingers. 

"What's wrong?" I ask, trying to pinpoint the young boy's voice.

"I can't get my leg up as high as the others, Caoilainn!" he says. "It hurts when I try to kick high."

"You've got to stretch more," I tell him, bending so that I can show him how exactly to do it. "You see?"

"Thanks, Caoilainn," the boy says, and I nod in his direction. There are a few more clicks from the others, and I answer their queries. 

After the lesson is finished, the students disband and I stay behind to practice my martial arts. I spend an hour practicing, and by the time I'm finished I'm ready to fall over my own feet. I sit down, breathing heavily, running a hand across my forehead and tightening my bandages.

"Caoilainn?" someone calls from the entrance to the training tent. I recognise the soft voice to be Zelda's. "I just wanted to let you know about what's happening with the Hylians. The people still living in Skyloft are going to move down to the surface and settle here. It's for their safety, of course, but some of them may be able to fight."

"I thought your father was reluctant?" I ask, standing. 

"Yes, but...  desperate times call for desperate measures," Zelda says, and for a moment I can hear Hylia in her voice. However, she has a point.

"I agree," I say. "I hate admitting it, but we need all the help we can get."

[Knuckle 484]

((finally gonna post something, sorry about the wait!))

 

The next few days went by in a whirl of preparation; Sault had been tasked with most of the Sheikah in stocking up and preparing for the arriving Hylians. Caoilainn had been kept occupied with her training sessions, as it was her duty now to prepare new recruits in place of all the fallen forces of their last battle. They had little time to speak with each other, but all of it was enjoyable as they got a chance to talk about things. 

 

"I worry that we haven't had any resistance from the Demon Lords, though they must have figured out our plans by now." Caoilainn said to Sault during one of their breaks. Today was the first day of migrations, and the arriving group would be small, so there was little in the way of tasks to complete. It was looking a bit cloudy, but nothing that would hinder any of the Hylians from landing. "I can't imagine the demons are capable of stopping it," Sault assured her, "We're calling in some of Skyloft's knights to supervise the air, and of course we'll have all our warriors in the shadows to counter-ambush a surprise attack from Avani."

 

Caoilainn still seemed anxious about something, however. "It feels like we're overlooking a problem. Help me think back to our first battle with Avani." Sault turned his thoughts to that day; it was utterly chaotic, not only because of the enemies but also poor visibility. It was a huge hassle fighting while being pelted by...

 

"...oh no. Caoilainn, the storm! Avani can control lightning!" Sault realized, but all too late as a crash of thunder sounded to the west. Not too far in that direction they could see a flock of fast-approaching birds, no doubt the expected arrivals. Just a few miles behind the diving flock was a giant thunderhead, and undoubtedly beneath that storm was Avani.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

(( The creepy thing is, that as soon as I read that, it started thundering here o_O ))

 

"Take a few deep breaths," I say in a low, even tone. "And just clear your mind, focus on nothing but your own heartbeat." My class are good as gold today, meditating without a hint of resistance. I think I'm finally getting through to them.

Just at that moment, the canvas door is pulled open and Sault comes rushing through completely out of breath. Students begin snapping their eyes open, their concentration instantly lost.

"Sault I'm in the middle of a class!" I snap.

"I know," he replies. "I'm sorry, but... it's code red!"

"It's... what?" I ask.

"Emergency," he replies. "We think Avani's heading out to target the incoming Sky migrants!"

"Damnit..." I mutter, taking to my feet and dashing out of the tent. Sault follows immediately behind. The two of us race across the camp, rain already lashing down on us. I can see the thunderhead, even from here, brewing, vicious as a weapon. The rest of the team are beginning to congregate, ready to fight, some volunteers step forward, Sheik at the head of the group.

"Not this time," Sheik mutters, suddenly so much more aggressive. "She can take us down once, she won't do it again. Fintan, what's our orders?"

I blink. "You're the chief... you want me to give you orders?"

"This is your team, your mission, and you enemy. You know what you're doing Fintan - now what are the orders?" he asks, his tone deadly serious.

"Okay... I mutter, a plan already beginning to formulate in the back of my mind. "Caoilainn, Leoni, Sault, Sheik and Melaina will take up the front line - have your weapons at the ready, and be prepared to attack on her arrival! I will be right behind you - but I can afford distance to use my telepathic powers." I turn to the volunteers. "As for the rest of you - your priority is to get the Hylians to safety by whatever means necessary. We'll try and lead Avani away from camp, but the rest is up to you. Once you're sure they're safe, half of you need to stay with them - the rest come to join us - and bring any Hylians who can fight!"

The wind picks up, rocketing in my ears, rain pelting against my cheeks like icy bullets. "We don't have time to waste," I shout. "Go! Go! Go!"

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

The chaos is absolutely insane. The noise of feet pounding against the earth coupled with the thunder above is a horrible combination.

I dash forward with the others, trying my best not to stumble. Sault helps me when it's needed, though the tremors that shake the earth make it difficult for both of us.

"Where is she?" I ask, raising my voice so they can hear me.

"Just ahead," Leoni shouts. "And it looks like she has reinforcements with her!"

I try to imagine the situation as best as I can in my mind, running as quickly as I can. The ground seems to tremble more with every step we take, and I have to admire Avani's sheer power, the magnitude of it.

"Melaina," I shout to her, on my left. "Onc we get closer, you should try to get up at a height! There's no point staying on uneven ground when you can maintain some distance!"

She doesn't reply at first, but I'm preoccupied by another thought then. I'm still unsure of my abilities, but it's possible that I could make use of what teleportation skills I have...

[Franne 2]

"Where do you want me then?" I yell back. "In a tree?" I look around. "Caoilainn? Caoilainn! Damnit where is she?!" I yell.

"Melaina, she's right, you have to keep distance! You're the only one that good with a bow!" Sault yells back.

"Okay then! Has anyone seen Zelda? I'd like her to help me!" I yell.

"No sorry!" Sault replies. 

I start to run towards the forest. I don't know if I'm looking for a higher place to stand on or if I'm looking for Fintan. 

"Melaina!" I hear someone yelling behind me. I turn around, and I see Bryarly and her loftwing standing there. Next to her stand Callia, Emzy and two other girls with their loftwings as well.

"What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be up in the sky?" I shout.

"Yes but we thought that you could need some hands down here!" Bryarly replies. "Where can we help?"

I look around, not sure what to say. Until I get an idea. "I need someone to fly me up around this area, beneath the cloud barrier! I want to shoot from above!" 

"I can do that!" Bryarly yells, readying her loftwing. I run over to her and sit onto her loftwing, behind her. She hands me a rope that I can tie around myself to stay steady. "It'll be pretty unsteady and heavy out there in a storm like that!" Bryarly explains when I give her a questioning look.

"Melaina! What about us?" Callia asks.

"Help the other Hylians flying here safely, or help in combat!" I yell. "Good luck!" 

"You too!" they all reply.

"Let's go let's go!" I yell. 

"Okay!" Bryarly yells. She puts on goggles, hands me a pair and her loftwing takes up into the sky. 

I also put on goggles and tie the rope around me. 

"There are extra arrows in my loftwings pouch!" Bryarly yells. "I'll see where I can hover around with my loftwing steadily so I you can shoot!" 

I look in the pouch, and it seems like the Hylian knights were prepared pretty good. There are arrows, Bryarly's bow, a bottle of water, and a knife. This might work out.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I keep off the battlefield, maintaining a position among the tree line that closely hugs the warzone. I need to keep a distance if I have any hope of finding any safe way into Avani's mind. I wasn't ready for this battle to happen so early, but you don't get to pick and choose these kinds of things.

I clench and unclench my fists in an attempt to calm my nerves - and that's when I see her. Standing over the battlefield with a look of such effortless majesty that I almost forget for a moment that she's a demon lord. She almost looks regal, the way she commands her lesser Demons. But I don't have the time to sit around and admire her authority - I've got a job to do.

I duck back behind the treeline, pressing my back up against the thick tree trunk. I press my fingers into the dry bark and close my eyes. I picture the mental pathways in my mind, a bridge built straight from my mind to hers. But she anticipated this - she erected barriers to block me out. I thrash against them with all my might, but they hold firm. And then I realise that this is a mental barrier - it's not something that I can think about physically attacking.

So I strain every last fibre of my being, pushing all my focus into that wall. Slowly, but surely, a crack begins to form, crumbling like dust - and within thirty seconds, the barrier is open.

I begin harnessing my power into stripping down her telepathic power - I don't want to do to her what she did to Melaina. After seeing all the destruction it caused, I couldn't bring myself to, so I'm careful. I focus on her powers alone, on stripping her of them. Slowly, the demonic magic begins to seep away.

And then a bolt of lightning streaks through my mind, electric, powerful. It's enough to drag me from my focus, bringing me back to reality in a matter of seconds. I shudder as the shiver streaks down my spine - whatever that was, it was caused by something in the physical world.

I snap my eyes open, and that's when I see a young Demon lord before me. His lips are curled into a vicious smile, his fingers pressed to my temples. He grabs me by the forearm then, and it's like I've lost all will to resist him. My limbs numbly obey as he pulls me out from the tree line. I'm mentally screaming to run, to kick the Demon off me and run. But my limbs feel heavy and useless, and I can't formulate a single word.

"FINTAN!" Melaina screams from somewhere near by. "FINTAN!"

But I can't do anything but follow the Demon Lord as he drags me over to where Avani stands, that cruel smirk on her face. I realise then what an idiot I am - a bridge, a mental bridge allows access both ways. I walked right into her trap.

"Oh Fintan," she says, mocking pity in her sugar laced tone. "It seems I over estimated you."

Edited 14 Jun 2014 by NayruGoddessOfWisdom (see edit history)

[ElwayGuy7 10]

((Finally! I return! A lot has gone down since I left, and I'm glad to be back! And if anyone's curious, the camp went really well!))

 

The battle rages around me, with swords clashing and arrows flying in every direction. Every blow seems to be punctuated by a crack of lightning or a ball of flames, with all of the chaos centered around Avani. I try my best not to get hit by the swords, which I assume are still poisoned with Avani's magic. I look around to find Melaina and Bryarly sharing a loftwing, trying to get close enough to Avani to fire a shot, and I see Sault and Caoilainn beside me, fighting as hard as I am. I haven't seen any sign of Zelda or Fintan, which worries me, but I can't stop to think about finding them due to the endless onslaught of Bokoblins. After killing what seems like the thousandth Bokoblin, I manage to spot Zelda, standing quite a distance back, bow in hand, but I still don't see Fintan. And then I do. He stands in front of Avani, motionless, helpless to do anything but feel her wrath. I quickly formulate a plan. 

"I need a diversion!" I yell to no one in particular.

"On it!" Sault and Caoilainn yell in unison, and they begin to run towards Avani, parting the sea of Bokoblins with their blades. I get a running start, then I whistle for my loftwing. I jump onto a Bokoblin and leap into the air. Time seems to grind to halt as I sail through the air. I land with a thud on my loftwing's back and we zoom towards Avani, towards the epicenter of the chaos. I can see Caoilainn and Sault approaching Avani from the back, away from where Fintan stands. 

"Link! Be ready to swoop in and get them when Avani goes after them!" I yell.

"Got it!" Link replies, and he banks around, readying his bird. I pick up as much speed as possible, still flying headlong towards Avani and Fintan. Sault and Caoilainn begin to assault Avani with a series of feeble blows, which diverts her attention from Fintan for only a split second. Now, I think to myself. I dive towards Fintan, and with my blade in hand, I slice the Demon Lord who was controlling Fintan. As soon as the Demon Lord dies, Fintan snaps back into reality and takes off running alongside my bird. He leaps and lands behind me, and I ride as fast as I can. I look back and find that Link has executed the same maneuver on Caoilainn and Sault, and it appears that everyone will get away when I hear the crackling of flames and the smell of smoke. I look behind me to see a giant wall of flames rapidly approaching us. It is then that I realize that this is all for not. The Demons have won, I think as the flames engulf Fintan, my bird, and I.

Edited 15 Jun 2014 by ElwayGuy7 (see edit history)

[Knuckle 484]

((glad to have you back, and it's good that you enjoyed your camping trip! ))

 

It's too late to swerve or react by the time a huge wall of fire erupts just ahead of the groups' loftwings. Leoni and Fintan are smothered almost instantly, while Sault and Caoilainn barely have time to embrace each other before impact. The fire never even scorches them; on the other end they come to a quick crash landing next to their comrades, but other than being slightly dazed everyone seems okay. Curious as to what happened, everyone turns back to the inferno to see Zurin conjuring what must be a special, harmless fire. "This is a rather difficult spell," he warned, "So if you'd please think of a way to kill Avani soon I would appreciate it!"

 

"Sault, I want to give my teleportation a shot." Caoilainn insisted. "Do you trust me?" He nodded in reply. "You know I do, probably more than anyone else!" She gave a quick smile before grabbing his right shoulder in one hand and the hilt of his downturned flamberge in the other. He followed her lead as as she bent her legs, both of them jumping in unison just as the teleport spell activated. In an instant they were airborne just a few feet above Avani, who in all her omniscience, hadn't expected two presumed-dead combatants to appear out of thin air with a sword that could very well kill her. Letting out a fierce cry, both of them let gravity do the rest as they plummeted down onto the powerful Demon Lord.

 

It was a perfect hit. The blade entered Avani at a slight angle where the shoulder met the neck, embedding to the hilt into her torso and through her vital organs. The vile monster let out a shriek as the two warriors collided with her and tackled her dying body to the ground. The lightning, which had already stricken killed countless loftwings and their passengers, suddenly stopped along with the rain. Everything seemed to be over.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

The remaining Demon lords look on at the the sight of their dead ringleader with what I can only assume to be shock and disgust. Then, without so much as a glance between them, they all simultaneously teleport away, leaving their dead and wounded behind.

I let out a broad grin as Leoni and I dash over to where the group is congregating around Sault and Caoilainn, who are hugging and beaming.

"Congratulations to you all," Sheik says as I arrive. "Especially to you Caoilainn - I'm proud of you for harnessing your power like that!" A tiny pang of jealousy knots in my stomach that I couldn't harness my power like that, but I push it away. She's my friend, and I'm proud of her for what she did.

"But let's not forget the circumstance," Sheik continues. "I will go back to the camp to report today's events to the rest of the tribe. But in the meantime, you need to start taking care of the wounded. I'm sorry to say this - but Link, Zelda, Leoni, a lot of your people have been lost today purely because of their airbourne position and the thunder. They'll have to be identified and your leader - Geapora, isn't it? He will have to be informed."

Link nods solemnly as he, Zelda and Leoni set out to find their fallen knights. Meanwhile, I begin to search the battlefield for the wounded. My eyes fall on one of the Hylian boys, sat with his leg at an awkward angle. I recognise him as I approach, as one of the boys who first arrived with the Hylians, all dark hair and freckles with a bright yellow tunic. He looks up as I approach.

"You okay there?" I ask.

He grimaces. "That demon fired a lightning bolt at my loftwing - I managed to jump off in time but I didn't land very well, I think I might have broken my leg."

"Okay, come here," I say, stooping down and wrapping an arm around him. He hooks an arm around my shoulders and together we get him to his feet, his weight on his undamaged leg. But suddenly, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I look around, suddenly alert - there's something dark nearby.

Then suddenly, I hear a deep, piercing voice announce: "Consider this a warning."

Everyone looks up, turning to the centre of the battle field, where a demon lord stands. He doesn't strike me as particularly powerful, there's no overwhelming sense of power rolling from him like with Avani or Blagdan. Instead, there's just the lingering sense of darkness. His eyes look glazed, his expression slack - he's been possessed by someone, or something.

"Majora will rise from the destruction," he announces, before his eyes roll back in his head and he vanishes from sight.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

I clutch my hand to my heart upon hearing the demon address us, a knot forming in my stomach.

"Majora will rise from the destruction," I repeat, unwanted memories of my first meeting with Majora resurfacing. I grimace, thinking of that enormous power.

"Are you alright?" Sault asks from my left. I feel him place an arm on my shoulder and I welcome the gesture.

"I'll be fine," I tell him. "We should look for our people."

We set off to look for anyone that may have been injured in the battle, or innocents who may have been caught in the crossfire.

After a lengthy period of helping people into medical tents, I head back to the battlefield to look for any more people we may have missed.

"C-Caoilainn..." a tiny voice calls out, somewhere behind me.

"Who is it?" I ask, moving in that direction.

"Caoilainn, it's m-me," they reply, and I take it to be a girl. "Thadea."

I flinch upon hearing the name, and I walk as quickly as I can to her, tripping and picking myself numerous times.

"Over... here," she directs me feebly. "I'm over h-here..."

Finally, I locate her, and I hear her shallow breaths.

"Where are you hurt?" I ask. "Can I pick you up?"

"It's m-my leg... and my eye. M-my left eye can't see you."

[Franne 2]

"Hi," I say to Bryarly as I sit next to her. Her eyes are still red from crying, and she has bags under her eyes. "I want to say thank you for flying me up there. That was very brave of you, especially with such a storm." 

"It's okay..." she replies softly, her voice unstable. "So many of our people have died... Mostly knights but still..." 

"You knew a lot of them?" I ask.

She nods. "Every single one. It's hard not to when you lived on such a small island..."

"And your friends?" I ask. I don't know lots of them, but I still want to know.

"I haven't seen many of them... Zelda told me that Cawlin died and I mean I never liked him but I grew up with him... And of course, so many knights...." she sighs. A tear rolls down her cheek. "I- I don't know where Groose is and I mean he..." she sighs. 

I remember Groose as the guy with the red pompadour. "Is he your boyfriend?" I ask.

She blushes slightly. "I guess.... And Karane, Pipit, Callia and Emzy... They are probably fine, I saw them not too long before it ended, but I'm not sure... But Link and Zelda are alive luckily..." 

"I'm sorry..." I sigh. It was my idea to bring these people here... It's partially my fault.... 

"Karane!" someone yells from the other side of the tent. It's a boy with a yellow tunic, who I vaguely recognize. He was one with the first Hylians together with Link and Zelda. Next to the bed he is sitting in stands Fintan. 

"Pipit!" a girl with orange hair yells. I remember it now, they're a couple. She runs towards him and hugs him tightly. Fintan's standing there a bit awkward, but as soon as he sees me he sighs and walks over to me. He says hi to me and Bryarly, who is watching her two friends hug and kiss each other. A desperate sigh escapes her lips. She's probably worried sick.

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

"Are you okay?" I ask Melaina, glancing her up and down. She's toying with the hem of her shirt, something she only does when she's concerned about something.

"Fine," she replies. "I don't suppose you've seen the Hylian with the red pompadour have you? Groose?"

I shake my head softly. "Sorry, no..." I reply, glancing guiltily at Bryarly.

Just then, the canvas tent door is pushed in as Caoilainn makes her way in, carrying a small child in her arms. Even from here I can see a sizable slash on her leg. I glance around to her, frowning - why on earth has a small child been injured? As Caoilainn lays the girl in a bed, I find that it's Thadea. I dash over immediately, kneeling down beside her bed. One of Thadea's cheeks are streaked with red marks - what looks like tears mixed with blood, and her eyelid is pressed closed, the skin around it swollen. I swallow hard.

"Thadea... what were doing near the battle? You know that no one under the age of fourteen is allowed to fight!"

"I'm sorry Fintan!" she wails. "I heard all the noises and I was curious - I want to be a fighter when I grow up so I just wanted to see what was happening! But I got too close and there was an arrow flying fight at me! It hit me in the eye so I screamed and I ran away, but I cut my leg as I ran and it hurt so bad I couldn't run any farther."

Caoilainn face is creased with concern as she listens. I sigh as I sit up on the side of her bed. "Okay, just trust me," I mutter. I shield the light from her eye and carefully pull open her eyelids, waiting for some kind of reaction in her pupils - nothing. I remove my hand, allowing light to flood her eye, still nothing. I pull back, letting her eye snap shut again.

"Thadea, can you see anything from your left eye?" I ask. She shakes her head, still softly sobbing. I chew my bottom lip. "Thadea, I'm so sorry," I say "but... you're blind in one eye."

She wails ever harder, but I don't know if it's from shock, her injury, or whether she's just hysterical at this point. Caoilainn moves in to comfort her, and I begin to clean and bandage the cut on her leg.

[ButterflyBabyBlue 2]

After leaving Thadea and helping out the others as best as I can, I sit for a while in my tent and try to clear my head.

I look up at the sound of the tent flap being pushed back, and someone steps inside.

"Who is it?" I ask.

"It's me," Sault replies. "I was just wondering if you were okay, with all that's happened today."

I frown. "Of course I am. "

He sits down next to me, and after a moment he puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me a little closer to him.

"Seriously," I tell him, "I'm fine."

"Alright then," he replies, but I can already tell he's not convinced. And the lump in my stomach isn't convincing me either.

"Thadea," I say. "She's blind in one eye now. That poor girl..."

I can't cry, but my shoulders shake and my chin wobbles, and after a moment I give up and take a fistful of his shirt, burying my head in the crook of his neck.

"Caoilainn," the familiar voice of Fintan arrives, "I was just checking that- oh."

"Fintan," Sault says hesitantly. "I, er, it's just..."

I look in Fintan's general direction, letting go of Sault.

"Does Leoni know?" Fintan asks.

"Nobody knew," I tell him. "Until now, that is. It's nothing against Leoni, though..."

"I... I think you should probably talk to him about it."

I twiddle my thumbs, nodding my agreement. "I will, I promise."

Fintan turns and leaves then, and I let out a sigh. Sault seems to relax a little, and I can feel his gaze on me.

"Fintan does have a point," he says. I nod again, crossing my legs.

"I know, I know. I'll settle it."

[ElwayGuy7 10]

((Gonna back up a little, to right after the end of the battle))

 

The first thing I do after the battle ends is take a deep breath. It seems as though we have won, I think as I brush off the dust from my tunic. I hear a shriek of pain from behind me, and I turn to find my loftwing on the ground, injured. I fumble around for a bit, trying to find the bottle of mushroom spores I keep for loftwing injuries. I check every pouch and pocket two or three times, trying to find it, and eventually I pull out the small bottle. I sprinkle the spores over his injury and my bird immediately rights himself and stops shrieking. I pat him on the bill and he tousles my hair in return. 

"You did well today. Thank you for watching over me and my friends," I say to him. He calls happily in return, and then flies back up to Skyloft to rest. 

I walk back towards the camp, where both celebration and sorrow can be found. Many Sheikah and knights are injured, and many more are dead. Despite the chaos and despair, it seems as though all of my friends have survived. I sigh and head back to my tent. It is then when it hits me. 

Caoilainn... and Sault... They fought together today... And they've been together almost the whole time since the last battle... How could I be so blind? I think, cursing myself for being so foolish. Emotions come in waves: anger, sadness, betrayal, denial, and loneliness all course through me at that point. I walk calmly from my tent and through camp, trying my best to maintain a stoic look on my face, to hide the tears that I feel. I walk out into the forest and I climb the tallest tree I can find. I sit for a while, just thinking about how stupid I was not to see it. Then, I take out my notebook, filling up the pages with just two words: "It's over." After filling ten or so pages with those words, I begin to cry, realizing that everything I have done has truly been for nothing.

Edited 15 Jun 2014 by ElwayGuy7 (see edit history)

[NayruGoddessOfWisdom 8]

I feel a little ill at ease regarding the whole situation with Sault and Caoilainn. I'm happy for them, that they've found something with each other, but I'm concerned for Leoni. He's my friend, just as much as Caoilainn and Sault are, despite the fact that I haven't known him as long. We're very similar people, and he's always been there for me with Melaina. I don't like the way that Caoilainn didn't tell Leoni about any of this, didn't even stop to find out how he felt. It just seems rather insensitive to me. I don't know, maybe I'm over reacting, but I know how I'd have felt if Melaina hadn't fallen for me, choosing someone else instead.

Melaina smiles at me as I enter the communal tent. I help myself to some food before settling down across the table from her.

"Hey," she says. "What's up?"

I take a sip of water. "Sault and Caoilainn," I say simply.

She blinks. "What about them?" I stare at her in silence for a few moments, waiting until she gets the message. Her eyes open wide "What? Really? I never would have seen that coming... does Leo know?"

I shake my head. "No, that's my issue," I contemplate for a moment. "But that's not the biggest issue... what's wrong with you? Something seems to be bothering you..."

She sighs, tearing her bread into little pieces. "I just feel kind of... guilty... it was my idea to bring the Hylians down to the Surface and now all of this has happened... and Bryarly, oh Goddess Bryarly..."

I move quickly around the table, wrapping an arm around Melaina's shoulders. I pull her close to me, gently stroking her hair. "Don't you dare ever blame yourself..." I tell her softly.