The Legend of Zelda - The Tainted Blade (Season 3)

The Plight of Lynels - (S3:E8)

Adara stood over the golden-haired lynel she had tracked down in the Akkala Wilds. His weapon lay on the ground beyond his reach. He clutched a bleeding wound in his side and his skin grew pale. On the other hand, he propped his torso up, the only show of strength he had left. His long, horse-like body lay on the ground, forelegs folded and one hind leg broken at an odd angle. Though he barred his teeth, he had no fight left on his face.

Adara narrowed her purple, glowing eyes, the same color as the jewel in the middle of the cross-guard of the Four Sword she held pointed at the lynel's neck. She had no injuries. The magical items she wore, the strength of the sword, and the power of the Triforce of Courage had made her far more dangerous than any lynel.

"You WILL answer me, monster," she sneered, a ripple of purple energy cascading down her body. "Where is the lynel called Rangtar?"

***

Adara slogged through the soft snow of the Tabantha Tundra. She pulled Princess Zelda's short cloak tight as the wind swirled.

Suddenly, muffled hoof beats galloped toward her from beyond the haze of snowfall. She smiled and tossed the cloak away from her sword arm. With the Four Sword clenched tight, the red jewel in the cross-guard sparkled. She narrowed her bright red eyes and waited for the approaching lynel.

The half-monster, half-beast came into view, golden mane caked with ice and swinging a long, curved sword bigger than Adara was tall. She stood her ground and raised the Four Sword to block as a ripple of red energy trickled across her skin. The strike sent a shock of sound through the air. A bubble of emptiness formed as the falling snow caught in the concussion.

The lynel recoiled head over body, to land on his back. Adara felt nothing. His curved sword arced through the air and disappeared into a snowbank. Adara charged, striping red through the snow with the power of the Pegasus boots. The lynel scrambled to find his feet. Just as the monster managed to right his body and get his forefeet under him, she sliced one front leg, easily removing it from his body.

The lynel fell back to the ground with a loud cry. He scowled up at her, terror painting every inch of his distorted face. "Who are you?" he growled.

She grabbed his snow-decked mane and placed the edge of the Four Sword to his neck. "Where is the lynel called Rangtar?"

***

From the top of Whistling Hill, a high vantage point in the southeastern part of Hyrule field, Adara surveyed the vast, open plain stretched out in front of Hyrule Castle, the kingdom's center of travel and commerce. A small group of soldiers traveled along the Mabe Road, skirting Whistling Hill on the western side as the road circled the hill to continue east. The soldiers weren't meant to be recognized. They wore plain, brown traveling cloaks, their weapons hidden well, and their horses tacked with modest saddles and bridles. But she had spent far too much time among their ranks, training many of them, not to recognize their riding postures or the gaits of their warhorses. Not only that, but a single rider appeared to be the epicenter of the group — a person of importance, protected by a band of elite soldiers and traveling incognito. Just the kind of oddity for which Adara had been searching.

As the small band of soldiers passed by Riverside Road and continued east toward Owlan Bridge, Adara ran down the hill, darting from tree to tree. From a small copse, she watched the soldiers cross the bridge and veer off into the forest. As they did, they dispersed. The lone, central rider continued forward.

Adara sprinted across the bridge. She narrowed her bright blue eyes, the same shade as the jewel in the crossbar of the Four Sword on her back. She reached back and drew it, letting the ripple of blue energy crawl across her skin. With the combined power of the sword and the Triforce of Courage, she knew she could follow the single rider unseen. She wouldn't be invisible and would still need caution, but a casual observer would see her and simply look away. It's how she had traveled so far without notice.