EXPEDITION: HEBRA

A chilling breeze suddenly blew from the open slit on the thick stone wall, sucking all the warmth in the room as if the two burning braziers were not there, before whirling past and through the door and on outside the Outpost Keep. In this place, at the foot of the mighty Snowpeak range gleaming proud with their snow-capped crown, the air was cold and the wind cruel all year round. Even now while Hyrule Field was celebrating summer by flaunting its colorful flowers, and Ordon village's farms were at their greenest, the ground here stayed the same: brown and barren and covered in permafrost. Snowpeak range sure lived up to its name.

'And this is just the foot of the mountain range...' thought Marianne with slight dismay, 'If our reports are true, the Light Spirit Hebra is up there, among one of the peaks.....'

She adjusted her cloak -crimson, as usual, clapped snugly around her neck by a silver brooch in the shape of Hyrule Royal Family crest. Underneath the cloak was her traveling attire, black and red, thicker than what she usually wore to combat the cold and equipped with a pair of long comfy gloves which extended to her forearm, accented with Wolfos fur. A set of thick and comfortable snow boots completed her elegant-yet-practical look. And as she moved towards the door of her chamber she fastened her rapier on her left hip and slung her bow and quiver on her back. Her beloved Svitani, The Sunrise Blade, and Setmeni, The Nightfall Bow would accompany her today, for she knew the journey to Hebra Spring would be perilous, even with the Twilight Curtain beaten back.

The Twilight Curtain, beaten back! She hardly believed the news when she first heard it. The encroaching Twilight Curtain had been like a force of nature. Ever expanding, relentlessly ate her lands and consumed it in twilight forever. When the Curtain appeared on Ordon and Snowpeak, she and her ministers had already prepared for the inevitable. Losing Ordona, the breadbasket of The Kingdom, would have been an especially painful blow....

But then... the unthinkable happened. The ragtag volunteers she gathered -The Lightbringers- really lived up to their name and managed restored light to the province. The moment she returned from her eagle owl form back into her Hylian form, she could not be more thankful for the volunteers. Surely, a special reward was in order.

And then news reached her that a previously unknown Light Spirit calling themselves Hebra had appeared somewhere in Snowpeak, and had vowed to protect the region. Marianne knew about the existence of Light Spirits Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru, although she never met them in person until Ordona was revived in their spring. But to have a new Light Spirit appear was surely a great boon. Marianne, as the caretaker of Hyrule, felt compelled to pay them homage in person.

To that end she set out three days after the restoration of the springs, having made arrangements for her competent aide Miss Eva to handle the castle's affair while she was away and to help her cousins as needed. She had also sent a representative to pay homage to the Light Spirit Ordon at the same time as her journey to Hebra, making sure that the returning Light Spirits would feel welcomed and honored. With the looming Twilight, Hyrule's Light Spirits would be its bulwark against the calamity. A very important piece of defense.

Marianne smirked. Ironic, considering how she was a firm believer of the people's own ability over that of the gods....

The journey took a few days by horse, and the more the ventured north the air became colder and more inhospitable. Thankfully, when they finally arrived at this Hylian outpost at the foot of the mountain range, the Commander in charge of the outpost had prepared well for their arrival, having been sent a dispatch from the castle beforehand. After one merry lunch and one even merrier dinner, where the soldiers gave an impromptu celebration as The Queen laughed and approved, the travelers retired for the night to get ready for tomorrow's journey. Their horse would be left in the garrison's care, because where they planned to go they had to traverse by foot.

Marianne, The Queen, received a room for her own: the commander's room, which he vacated for her majesty. The other members of the party had to join the soldiers in their halls and barracks. Though other than increased privacy, the amenities did not differ much. The beds were hard and there were no pillows, for such luxury was unavailable here in Snowpeak Range. Marianne, secretly not a stranger of sleeping outside with only the stars as her roof and grasses as her bed, had no complaints. Nevertheless she had gone to sleep later than everyone, having busied herself with asking about the garrison's condition from the Commander and reviewed the proposed Ordon Landed Property Improvement Act before she finally blew off her candle and slept.

But as was her habit, she woke up exactly as planned. She had instructed her party to gather at the Main Gate at a certain hour before they started their journey. And when she arrived there, fully prepared with her gears and provisions, she was bang on time.

"Good morning everyone," she greeted, noticing her breath turning to mist because of the cold, "Did you get enough sleep yesterday?"