-Somewhere in North-Eastern Qin-

Hooves beat as rain, the horse's heart pumped as a powerful engine. The horse was bred and trained for speed, and today it was needed, as the messenger pushed it to its limits. Fire and smoke was at his back and arrows were in his side. The enemy's spears reached for him, but the horse, with divine purpose, proved to be beyond their reach.

The enemy riders pulled back, allowing the Qin horseman to escape. A few pressed on, but the captain called them back. He told the bow to be lowered and the sword to be hilted.

"Sir! The scout!" They argued. "We can kill him!"

"General Harken was very clear. He wants Qin to know." A raspy voice said from behind them.

Their vice-general, Mangoku, was sitting on a pile of the bodies. He was a tall, lean man with thin white hair, fanatical eyes, and a haggard appearance. He was naked atop a pile of woman. He sat poised and still, staring into the abyss with wide eyes. The soldiers under his command moved through the streets ruthlessly killing survivors, slowly and as determined as death. Their eyes were as wide and haunting as his own. Dread and the stench of death flowed from them like a wind.

The soldiers not under his command kept a fair distance from him and his men. Rumor was he had boiled a few of his victims and eaten them, and while all of the Zhao were angry and lacking in mercy, there was a haunted presence from him that put them off.

Commanders of hundreds and of thousands were sent to the surrounding villages to continue the work. Wherever these detachments arrived, tragedy followed. They salted the earth, burned the villages and trees and crops, butchered the beast and livestock, and raped, pillaged, plundered, and enslaved the woman, boys, and girls. They killed all of the men and weak and old. They did not cease in their singular objective to massacre and lay waste to everything they touched.

He rasped, "Let them come. We will make them remember Chouhei. In... in the end. They can no longer run. Take it all in Qin... breathe it in... Our darkness. Our curse. Have a good taste of it. This is only the beginning of your suffering."

-Kanyou, capital of Qin-

"I bring a message for the palace! Let me through!" The messenger called. He dared not slow his horse down even as he entered into the public gates of Kanyou. He yelled out repeatedly while waving the flag of Qin, and the people scattered frantically. He could have slowed down, but he refused to, even if it meant trampling someone too slow to get out of his way. Thankfully he did not, as he created enough of a stir that he was given a clear path to the palace gates.

"I bring a message! It is urgent! Let me into the palace!" He yelled up at the gate keepers. He clutched his side painfully. His horse halted onto shaky legs and blood dripped from its nose. "I bring urgent news from the east!"

The gates opened, and a horn was blown alerting the inner gates to also open. Seeing the palace before him, the messenger prodded the horse on further. The horse took a moment to catch its breath before continuing on. The horse took him through the final gate, and the rider pulled it to a halt. Royal Guard gathered around him.

"Help me, I am wounded. I must speak with the princess!" He exclaimed.

The Guard helped him from his horse. The moment his weight had left the steed, it collapsed dead. He prayed silently that Farore would watch over the beast in the next realm, for it did its job unto death. He only hoped it had bought them enough time.

"You may not speak with the princess, you may, however, speak with me." Chancellor Impa said from the steps. Having heard the gate horn, she stepped out to see what was the matter. Ryo, Elder, and a few others also stepped out and approached.

"Then wake her!" He exclaimed. "What I bring is for her ears only!"

Impa shared a worried glance with the others. "Elder Fae, please have the princess awoken and escorted to the throne room." Impa said. To a servant she said, "Tell the doctors to come quickly, he is wounded."

"My lady, it will not be necessary. The arrow is poisoned. Already my side is numb." The man said. Blood dripped from his mouth. "Please, I urge you! I do not have long."

"Then I will wake the princess myself." Elder said as he left.

Ryo looked to Impa. "Is there anything you can do to buy him time? You Sheikah have experience with poisons."

Impa shook her head. She looked on the wounded messenger sorrowfully, "No, I am sorry, but already the aura of death is on you."

"It is no matter. If I can only have an audience, I will die in peace. I... oh-" The man said. He collapsed before their eyes. Ryo caught the man's arm and pulled him into his shoulder. Impa took the other arm and together they hauled the man to the door. The servants and guards stepped in to take the burden off of them, but they did not. The moment had become too urgent to take the time to care about formality or have qualms with who carried who. Unlike most nobles, Impa and Ryo were not afraid to get their hands dirty.

"Open the door!" Impa demanded. The guards around them briskly opened the door and cleared the way for them to enter. Servants found soft pillows used for sitting and made a bedding for him. Impa and Ryo laid the man down.

"It's a wonder he made it this far." Ryo mused. "What could be so important?"

"I fear for what the answer is." Impa ripped the man's shirt open and paused on seeing the wound. The poison was evident in the veins all across his chest. Ryo sighed.

"Move." Ryo said.

"What?" Impa replied in surprise, but Ryo pushed her aside. He pulled a small knife from his person, and cut the man's chest open, then then cut between the sternum and a rib where they were joined. To their horror and surprise, Ryo plunged his arm through the cut directly into his chest. The man groaned painfully and shook in pain, but he did not scream. His eyes fluttered and he mumbled incoherently.

"What are you doing?!" Impa demanded.

"Pumping his heart for him!" Ryo exclaimed. "Already it feels weak in my hands. He doesn't have long. He will die as soon as I stop... Don't know how long I can keep this up. Can you do it shortly? Just insert your hand through his ribs, grip the heart, and squeeze in bursts. Squeeze too weakly and his body dies, squeeze too hard and you can destroy his heart in your hands."

"I-I think I can." She gulped. She had never done this before. Nay, she had never even heard of this!

"Good." Ryo continued. Impa placed her hand near the opening ready for when he was too tired to continue.

"Just where did you learn of this?"

Ryo chuckled. "I'm a merchant of many secrets, dear Impa... Din damn it where is she!?"

"I'm here." Zelda said from the doorway. She ran briskly across the throne room to them. She had forgone shoes entirely and was still in her sleeping gown. She bent down onto the floor next to the messenger. "Soldier, are you there?"

The soldier mumbled in response. They shared a worried glance. Zelda leaned down. "Soldier, it is your princess."

"Princess?" He mumbled weakly. "Good..."

"Yes, I'm told you have something for me?" Zelda pressed.

He mumbled something. Zelda brought her ear down to his mouth. Ryo continued to work on the man's heart silently. Impa held her breath. The moment lasted seemingly forever. Finally his mouth stopped moving and Zelda sat up straight again. She nodded to Ryo.

"Let him go. He said what he needed to say."

Ryo sighed sorrowfully and pulled his arm from the man's bloody chest. His arm was red in blood from finger to elbow. They sat in silence for a moment as the man's death reached its finality.

"Someone bring me a bowl to wash my arm in." Ryo whispered.

"What did he say, Princess?" Impa asked.

"Three words. Zhao. Baou. Harken."

"Baou?" Ryo asked. He held his blood-dripping arm up. "That's a village of north-eastern Qin, but it is too far north to directly border Zhao. It is near the mountains- and can someone bring me a bowl to wash in! I just had my arm in a man's chest for Naryu's sake!"

A bowl of water was laid out before him and he washed his arm as best he could.

Impa exclaimed, "We have an army watching the border of Qin and Zhao! How did they get past?!"

"Good question. My spies told me nothing of this. In fact, there hasn't been any word of Harken Dragmire's army being sent out yet." Ryo looked to Impa. "It is best to assume my spies have been compromised."

"So... the mission failed." Zelda whispered. "Your spy network failed to watch him. And your Sheikah failed to stop him." She looked from Ryo to Impa.

"Princess, the sabotage worked. Harken's supply chain is limited. Our failure is in hoping the Zhao's fanaticism was also limited." Ryo said. "Much as I hate to be the one to say it aloud, they are not coming to make war. They are coming to kill us. All of us. They are not coming for our land, they are coming for our lives."

Zelda closed her eyes. It was words she knew in her heart, but she had not wanted said outloud.

"Princess..." Ryo pressed. "Let us put aside our differences for now. This calls for us to work together, because if we do not stop them, there won't be a Qin left to save. Call your faction. Allow my faction an audience as well. Call the Shadowmaster of the Sheikah. Call for a forced conscript!"

"A forced conscript?!" Impa gasped. "No such thing has been done in years!"

"And we are spread thin. What choice do we have? All of our forces are occupied with the Termina border. We have to create a new army this moment to counter this... and we need a general."

"All of our generals are already on the front lines." Impa said.

"Not all. Ouki Mitagi." Ryo murmured.

"We specifically agreed we would not want Ouki involved if Harken comes!" Zelda argued.

"I know... but Zhao is forcing our hand. Unless you have other options?" Ryo asked.

The three of them were silent a moment. No objection could be raised. None of them liked the idea, but nor could they think of an alternative.

"Call for Ouki Mitagi. Tell him the time has come to return from retirement." Zelda ordered. "Chancellor Ryo, call your faction for an audience. Impa, tell mine to gather as well. War is upon us. Harken Dragmire has returned. And send a hawk to our allies in the mountains. In fact, I will send Andim."