Dusk began to settle upon Hyrule field as the raging fires of war set its open plains ablaze. Chariots, soldiers, and horses all in disarray as the screams of men sounded and sword and steel found their marks. The battle had raged from mid day to setting sun and had taken its toll upon the land. And while the walls of Hyrule kingdom had endured the near constant onslaught of the enemy and its forces, the morale and constitutions of those outside defending the walls were weakening.
A war of this scale had not been seen in Hyrules history for some time. Despite the kings numerous talks of peace and prosperity, tensions between the Gerudo and Hylians had risen to a breaking point. And now, villages burned, families torn asunder and blood of his soldiers now saturated the earth for his ignorance.
With no perceivable end to this conflict in sight, the denizens of Hyrule began to panic. And rightly so, for the Gerudo were fierce warriors. Rumors of their tenacity quickly became confirmations on the battlefield. Their distaste for men was evident with every life they took. What they lacked in numbers was made up for with sheer skill with blade and bow. It has been noted in certain Hylian texts that one Gerudo woman was equal to three Hyrulian soldiers in terms of skill, combat and tactical training.
However, while the Gerudo and their animosity were evident toward the men they fought, there was one man among them who they held in quite a different regard.
Ganondorf.
A man who ruled with such power, such force, he had earned himself a slew of titles that circulated quickly within the ranks of the Hylian infantry. A man rumored to be the very incarnation of evil itself. And yet, the women at his command revered him. Laying down their very lives for any whim, desire or purpose he deigned to give.
This lone man stood taller by far than any soldier on the battlefield. Dressed in impossibly black armor and adorned with richly woven scarlet cape, he could not be missed by any eyes in the field before him. And yet, missed him they did with all manner of volleys. Any arrow, sling and spear directed at him could not seem to find their target. Many though tried to provoke or instigate his attention, however, the king of the Gerudo was unfazed, instead, only staring intensely at Hyrule castles massive gate.
As time wore on and the siege of Hyrule fell further into chaos, there was one woman among the nobles in the kings advisories who understood the true nature of this attack. More importantly the nature of the man she saw leading the ranks of the Gerudo. A man who would stop at nothing to achieve his desires.
A kind and soft spoken woman, Mera was innocent but not naive in nature. Her fair beauty coupled with a sharp tongue and even sharper mind was enough to disarm most who stood against her. A love for Hyrule and all its inhabitants fueled her desire to keep it safe at any cost. More than an advisory, though, she was a friend of the queen. For they both shared something of great importance. Motherhood.
In the early days of their shared pregnancy, both the queen and Mera understood that what was most important in their eyes was to leave a future that would foster hope for Hyrule. This resulted in much time spent on both of their parts to show compassion to the citizens who were less fortunate than them. Working together to solve and fix Hyrules underlying issues. And as hard as they expended themselves for their cause, it seemed only a drop in the bucket compared to the glaring threat outside their walls.
While Mera was skilled enough in wit and persuasion, these attributes did little to sway the bruised ego of the king and his co-horts. For in early visits with the Gerudo and their king, Ganondorf quickly found ways to irritate the king of Hyrule with reports regarding the welfare of the Hylians from his spies and assistants.
These reports were no mere rumors but rather founded in truth and fact which seemed to anger the king even further.
The peace talks agreed to by both parties rarely ever reached compromise. Instead, they often served as a way for Ganondorf to find avenues to undermine the kings sovereignty publicly.
Yet at each turn, accusation, and taunt flouted at one of these peace talks, was Mera.
Her defense of the king but more importantly her profound ability to match Ganondorf in debate and logic was one of the very few saving graces of the meetings between the two nations. Strangely enough though, the Gerudo king at times seemed to take pleasure that bordered on amusement in these verbal bouts with Mera as if it were a sporting pastime.
And and at times this worried her greatly. For if a man who treated these debates as a mere game, how much could be said of his attitude of the very soldiers he commanded.
She was not alone in her thoughts and worries however. For her beloved husband Lier, listened intently to her concerns and observations for they had aided him many times in the more dangerous parts of his occupation as one of the kings noble knights. Giving him advanced warning of the kings antics and foolhardy plans in the war room, her noble knight was given a foresight others in the kings guard were not privy to.
Though these insights served him well and kept him safe, Lier was not one to wallow in the fabricated safety provided by his loving wife. At the admonition of his wife's words to train wherever and whenever the moment allowed, Lier kept his skills and senses sharp. He was arguably the greatest swordsmen in Hyrule. But far be it from him to allow such a title to inflate him with the hubris that others would. Lier was a humble man. Always quick to praise those with honest hearts and kinder to those under his command. For he knew that the soul of Hyrule rested within the strengths and weaknesses of his men.
However there came a time in the war where the ferocity of the enemy could not be ignored and the will of those within the great gates of Hyrule would be tested to a degree never before in its history. So much so that the Mera and her noble knight Lier were forced to consider a most painful option.
To flee the only land they had ever known.
