The Lost Hero

Chapter 14

The training in the barracks was nothing Dahvi wasn't already familiar with. Russ's leadership, however, was far more brutal than even the training he went through with the Sheikah. Russ was merciless, and he shouted at them with each misstep. He worked them tirelessly from sunup to sundown, barely giving them any opportunity to rest and catch their breaths. A few had even collapsed under the pressure, and Dahvi never saw them return.

It seemed one by one, the recruits dropped out. Perhaps they were sent to another division, tasked with a different mission. Dahvi couldn't be sure as they were never really granted any time to themselves, except at night to sleep. In the first few days, the recruits were eager and excited, and they chatted and gossiped and laughed. But as the days progressed, they had hardened and silenced, too afraid to anger their commander.

Dahvi had never encountered a man so hardened by life as Russ seemed to be. In his travels, most of the folk he had met were friendly - chatty, even. All were eager to share and discuss, even those weary from the day. There was an unspoken comradery between travelers, regardless of their background, their heritage, their family history. Some were certainly harder than others, but they all had a soft spot that came out, whether it was in gesture or in words.

Russ didn't seem to have a soft bone in his body, and Dahvi didn't know what to make of such a person. Perhaps he was naive. No, he was certain he was. Still, he couldn't help but to wonder at the kind of life Russ had lived over the years. Surely something had to have happened in his past to make him as hard and emotionless as he was. His soldiers were nothing more than tools to him; tools that did what they were told, and if they didn't, they were useless to him and discarded.

But Dahvi simply ignored his ill remarks, focusing only on his training. The days were long, but he pushed through alongside the other recruits. They battled amongst each other, practicing their footwork, and soon, their expressions hardened almost as much as Russ's had. They took their duty serving Hyrule seriously, and the harder they trained, the more they realized just what the future held for them.

It was just as Robbie and Urbosa and Zelda had all said. War was on the horizon. Every soldier knew it. Perhaps that was why Russ pushed them so hard. The fate of Hyrule lay not only in Zelda's hands, but the hands of her soldiers as well, for without them, her efforts would be for naught.

It was several days into their training when they were finally granted a day off. Dahvi had caught wind that Urbosa had arrived at the castle the day before, and he took advantage of his temporary freedom to seek her out. He found her outside of the barracks, seemingly waiting for him.

"Dahvi," Urbosa said warmly. "Sav'aq."

"Sav'aq," Dahvi replied. "What are you doing here?"

Urbosa offered him a sad sort of smile. "I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a moment?"

Dahvi followed her away from the barracks and inside the castle where they found Princess Zelda and King Roham. They both greeted them warmly when they entered. Dahvi bowed to them as King Roham spoke.

"Dahvi," he started, a smile pulling at his lips. "I've heard your training is going well. Nothing but good reports."

"Thank you," Dahvi said, though puzzled. His confusion must have shown on his face, because King Roham laughed boisterously.

"Russ knows a decent soldier when he sees one," King Roham explained. "Of course, he didn't use so many words, but I've known him for years. I've gotten pretty good at reading between the lines." He turned to Urbosa. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to."

"What did you want to talk about?" Dahvi asked Urbosa, but it was Zelda who spoke.

"The Sheikah believe that Calamity Ganon will rise soon," Zelda said. "I have been meeting with the Champions to make sure everyone is prepared for whatever may come."