#hmmm not enough volink in this one sorry :-(

[volganic]

Song of Communion

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] || [AO3]

sorry this one doesnt have as much volink but :^) ive written a good chunk of the next few chapters ahead of time 

Volga was right when he had predicted that Link would have to adapt to any situation and learn to harness the power of magic.  It took a few tries to point the flames that were bottled up within the fire rod in his hands, but in the heat of battle he learned to at least point it away from himself.  Their current mission in Faron Woods would end in failure if he had set the entire forest alight.

With word of a "small" horde of monsters headed to the castle and their previous squadron dwindling down to only a handful of men left to ward them off, Link and Impa joined in the fray alongside the last of their forces.  They learned quickly that they weren't the only ones fighting off the horde -- a blue-haired spell caster had taken charge before they had arrived, simultaneously taking out wave after wave of Bulbins here and there while tending to the injured.  The captain and general shared a doubtful glance between them; questions could wait.  

The morale improved among Hyrule's soldiers with their leaders now fighting alongside them, and soon the incomprehensible number of enemies had dwindled down close to nothing.  Link held the fire rod in his hands with a tight grip -- it wasn't as effective as his white sword, but it proved to be of some use.  He made a mental note to thank Volga for the earrings later for sparing him the brutal fire magic that could have burned him, but quashed the thought to point the red sphere of the rod at the smiling stranger approaching him.  Impa took her place behind him, staring at her through narrowed eyes.

"My name is Lana, and I'm here to help!"  Her coy smile wavered as she looked to Link for a split second, unable to meet his eyes.  "And to warn you about Cia."

--

"Cia?" 

Zelda tilted her head inquisitively.  She turned her gaze to her general and captain at her side for guidance, but they only offered a baffled shrug in response.  The Sheikah was hesitant to bring Lana back to the castle, but to deny any information could cost them the war that lingered outside of their borders.  Still, it didn't stop her from taking any necessary precautions as the silence among them broke with the rattling of Lana's bindings.  It made it difficult for her to properly curtsy before the princess, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Yes, Cia!  She's a sorceress of tremendous power, but... she hasn't made it here yet?"  Purple eyes diverted from the trio's judgmental stares to look skyward at the ceiling.  She leaned her weight from one foot to the other, even going as far to do a little spin.  "I wonder why that is?"

"The witch was pushed back by the dragon that resides in Death Mountain," said Impa flatly.  Her stare turned cold; Lana moved around too much.

Their prisoner spun back around to match Impa's glare with a fearsome pout.  "Sorceress," she corrected through clenched teeth, but soon relaxed with another smile.  "It's surprising!  I thought he didn't choose sides," she mused out loud, eyes back up to the ceiling as she did another spin in her place.  The soldiers kept her chains taut as they could -- if she did another twirl, she surely would fall flat on her face.

"Volga still doesn't choose to align himself with anyone!" Proxi interjected.  The blue fairy flew away from Link's side to draw Lana's attention.  "We are lucky that Link has come to an agreement with him!"

"An agreement?"  The blue-haired girl blinked owlishly at the words -- even she knew that the dragon knight wasn't keen to take any sort of bribe, much less an agreement.  She finally turned to acknowledge the Hylian in question with a faint blush painting across her pale cheeks.  "Oh no, this is all wrong... So wrong!"

"What's wrong?  Hello?" Proxi moved to keep Lana's attention on her.  Lana was suddenly acting so frantic!  The fairy opted to keep her distance and returned to the Hylian's side, subtly noticing how Impa and Link's hands were reaching for their weapons.  Zelda, however, remained collected and tapped her manicured nails against the arm of her seat.

Lana sighed loudly, seemingly exhausted from the tension that hung in the air in the throne room.  Her posture went back upright, eyes shining bright as ever.  "Nevermind it!"  She laughed heartily and brought her bound fists up to her chest.  "Without my help, you guys are doomed!"  She opened her palms to reveal nothing, but by some force unknown to any of them, the chains that held her wrists together came loose and dropped to her ankles.

A collective gasp was all she heard as she paid them no mind, stepping out of the pile of chains and kneeled down to reach for her oversized book that was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.  She gave the soldier who had dropped it a small wink, even with the tip of his blade pointed between her eyes.  Link took his place to shield the princess while Impa took charge of the escalating situation.  

"You conniving witch!" she roared, raged laced with her words as she marched up to their prisoner.  The fury in her eyes would have sent a thousand of her soldiers running back to their homes, but Lana was unphased, holding a hand out to halt her in her place.  She paused as so ordered -- if it were up to her, Impa would have mounted her head on a stick by now.  However, the princess was still present.

"I don't want to correct you for a third time, so remember: it's sorceress.  We don't like being called --"

"We?"  Zelda spoke up suddenly.  She finally stood from her throne and motioned for Link to lower his guard.  It was now his turn to look to her for reassurance, but lowered his blade with the guards following suit as the princess descended down the stairs. Still leery of Lana's true intentions, her feet came to a stop behind Impa.  "Who is 'we'?"

"Oh-" Lana's defensive stance crumbled.  Flustered, she held the book to her chest tightly and dropped her gaze to the floor.  "I... I didn't want to have to say it so early, but Cia... Cia and I are from the same magical clan."  Zelda placed a gentle hand on Impa's forearm to keep the Sheikah calm, having grown rigid with the idea that she herself had let something malicious breach their defenses.  Lana's figure trembled, but she willed herself to meet Zelda's eyes, pleading for a chance.  "But I'm not like her!  I want to help save Hyrule!"

"Can you tell us what her intentions are as to start a war?"

"No, but--"

"Then why bother helping at all?" Impa seethed.  "If you cannot -- or will not -- offer any more information than we know already, what good will you do for the kingdom of Hyrule?"

"That's enough, General Impa."  The Sheikah turned behind to look at the princess, dumbfounded.  Her expression fell from cold to turmoil, nervous with this idea that she knew Zelda was hatching.  "Princess... Princess, you can't be serious!"

"I am," she nodded affirmatively, smile spreading across her lips.  "Though Cia's intentions have not yet come to light, I truly believe that Lana has come this far to assist our forces to spare our kingdom from suffering at the hands of a war."  The royal broke the distance between them and placed her hands over Lana's, giving them a reassuring squeeze.  "You do not have to reveal everything at once, but I speak for the kingdom of Hyrule and say that we would gladly stand on your side in these uncertain times."

Lana looked as if the weight of the world had fallen off her shoulders.  She nodded enthusiastically despite the few tears rolling down over the curve of her cheeks.  "Thank you, Princess Zelda!  I... I could never thank you enough!"  The two women then shared a laugh, bubbly and full of mirth.

The Hylian cautiously approached his commander who was still left in a state of shock over the princess's ultimate decision.  Impa refused to show that her pride had been hurt to anyone lesser, folding her arms across her chest to face Link.  "I suppose we'd better get used to seeing her around when it comes to our discussions and the like from here on out."  Her voice was back to its flat tone.  Link nodded in agreement, choosing to side with Impa's distrust toward their newest ally.  "Thank you, Link.  If there's nothing you'd wish you say, you and the other two men can join the rest of the troops for a moment's rest."

"I'm starting to learn I don't like politics either," he signed meekly.  The Sheikah scoffed.  "You'll settle in fast."  She patted him on the shoulder and waved him off.  Link finally allowed his posture to relax when given the green light for dismissal, completely unaware of Lana's fixed gaze on him as he exited the throne room.

--

"Fire rod?"

Link had taken another detour to the Eldin Caves on their next excursion outside of Hyrule's province -- needing time to clear his mind from the political side of war, he claimed -- to reunite with his self-proclaimed ‘mentor’.  Volga looked less than ecstatic at the sight of the bulky item.  The Hylian still seemed proud of it, finally learning to master at least one element of magic on his otherwise empty belt of experience.

"Used it against an army of monsters off in Faron Woods."

"In a forest of all places?" Volga scoffed.  The boy was either brave or just plain stupid.  "I'm appalled it still stands in its grandeur and not in a bed of ashes."

"I'm only doing as you had instructed," he retorted, pointing the end of the rod in the dragon knight's direction.  "Getting used to magic and adapting to situations, remember?  I made do with what I had!"

"I'm sure your general thoroughly enjoyed the idea of her army's pride and joy leaving his weapon in the barracks."  Now he was being insulted.  Link frowned and, despite how tempting it was to let the rod swallow Volga in a wall of flames, thrust the rod in a direction that wouldn't harm anyone.  The small burst of fire dissipated against the wall of rock.

The dragon clicked his tongue.  "Pity."  He pulled Link in and cast the sad excuse for a magical item aside.  Volga anchored him in place with his hands on the boy's shoulders, bringing his head close to the Hylian's ear.  Link's instincts told him to run but with Volga kept him in a vice grip.  It was too late to escape as the roaring sound of Volga's throat releasing a jet stream of flames in the cavern filled his ears and nearly setting his scarf on fire.  Reds and oranges and even blue caught his periphery, instantly running his blood cold despite the heat it radiated.  In reality it was a short display, flames no longer burning in his ears when the dragon knight shut his mouth, but it felt like an eternity.  

Link changed his mind on thanking him for the earrings -- he wouldn't dare feed the ego that bled into Volga's voice.

"Come back when you have something worth sharing."