Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ To Forge the Master ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

“It’s time,” Sheik said solemnly.

Link pushed himself onto all fours before sitting up on his knees. The sheets and comforter slid off his back to pile on the bed. He sat still and listened as Sheik left the room, shutting the door behind him and walking away down the hall. Outside he could hear muffled voices of soldiers shouting orders, horses whinnying, and the clang of metal as weapons and armor were prepared.

Around him, the room was cloaked in darkness. The sun was still well below the horizon and the only light snuck in from flickering torches in the courtyard below. Cold puffs of morning air drifted through the room, carrying with it the faint smell of smoke mingled with the lavender that had been used to wash his bedding. The scent of fresh bread haunted the castle as servants hurried to feed the soldiers.

Silently he slid from the bed, flinching at the cold bite of the stone floor on his bare feet. Without a word, he dressed and donned his armor as Sheik had shown him. The Master Sword hummed warmly against his back, anxious and soothing at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, he left the room. The soft thud of his boots echoed strangely in the silent hallway. He made his way to the Great Hall, where several tables had been set with food. Nobles and soldiers sat together eating in silence. The nobles all had armor similar to his own while the soldiers sported simpler armor.

Link took an open seat next to Dusan, who passed him a plate of cold ham. He nodded his thanks and ate silently with everyone else. As each person finished, he rose and left the room, not speaking to any one. If anyone did speak, it was in a low hushed voice, as if they feared breaking the silence.

Even after he left the castle and entered the streets of Castle Town, the silence persisted. Soldiers and those drafted moved to their assigned posts with as little communication as possible. Link spotted several farm boys, some younger than himself, looking ill, and others ridding themselves of their breakfast.

Finally he made his way to the top of the battlement, where Sheik stood looking out over Hyrule. On top of his usual blue attire he wore nobleman’s armor. It was undecorated except for a golden Triforce on the breastplate. He turned his head slightly and nodded to Link, before looking back over the field.

The sun was just cresting the mountains, its luminous finger creeping across the land. Before Link’s eyes dark shapes began to appear, silhouetted against the rising sun. He swallowed hard. From one of the towers a trumpet announced the first sighting of the enemy. Below, armor clattered as men hurried to their positions. Link glanced to the side to see archers lining the battlement and notching arrows.

“Ready, Hero?” Sheik asked.

“Do I have a choice?”

Sheik chuckled softly. “Not much at this point.”

Link nodded as he pulled off his bow and drew an arrow from his quiver. Notching the arrow, he waited. In the silent blanket of twilight, he could hear the breathing of the men around him, the soft clink of their armor as they shifted their weight, and the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.

The golden sun turned a warm yellow as it mounted into the sky, bringing the world into the light. Link’s heart skipped a beat. What lay before them was not an organized army, but a mixed bag of moblin, bokoblin, and lizalfos. Some were mounted on boars, while the majority were on foot.

But it was the creature bringing up the rear that held Link at rapt attention. The massive moblin sat astride an equally massive boar. Both had cruelly curled tusks the size of swords and dull glinting eyes. The moblin was clad in armor forged from many breastplates of Hyrulian soldiers, and carried a triton over his wide, muscular shoulders.

Yet, it was not the moblin that made Link’s skin crawl. Overhead, two figures, flying too high to properly make out, circled, each riding what appeared to be brooms. Even from the distance he could feel a darkness rolling off them, and it made the sword on his back pulse eagerly. Link set his jaw and returned his attention to the more immediate problem.

The Hyrulians watched in silence as the army approached the erected barriers. Days had been spent breaking tables, chairs, bookcases, and anything else they could find into splintery chunks, and stacked, spikes facing out, into a long “fence” around the front of the castle.

The foot troops approached, pressed onward by those behind, and began to scale the haphazard wall. Link raised his bow and drew the arrow to his cheek; the rest of the soldiers did not move. Link aimed down the shaft so all he saw was a bundle of string peeking out from amidst the wall.

“Fire!” Sheik said softly. Link released the arrow at the same moment the arrowhead burst into flames. It hit its mark with a soft thump. The ropes hissed for a few seconds before a deafening series of bangs shook the morning. Wooden spears and splinters flew in all directions as the barriers were ruptured by the bombs Sheik had rigged inside them. The sharp projectiles showered those surrounding them.

“Fire!” Sheik yelled and all the archers raised their bows, letting loose a volley of arrows. The shafts rained down on the approaching horde. The large moblin in the back screeched and they charged. “Fire at will!” Sheik yelled and the archers responded.

Link drew the string to his cheek again and let the shaft fly. It cut the air with a hiss and sank into the neck of a lizalfos. The castle’s moat, which was shallow and more for show than function, proved little obstacle to the charging army. When they reached the outer wall, however, the moblin were forced to stop. The lizalfos hissed and began scaling the stone like massive geckos.

Link thrust his bow into his pouch and drew the Master Sword as the first lizalfos appeared over the wall. He beheaded the first one before it could draw its weapon, but more quickly followed. Beside him, Sheik yelled something he did not understand and what appeared to be chunks of buildings soared overhead, crushing anything it landed on. He did not need to look back to know the Gorons where the ones throwing the rubble.

“Hold this line!” Sheik yelled over the din. Link sliced into another lizalfos. It was closely followed by another and Link had to block with his shield before planting his foot in the creature’s chest and kicking it back over the wall.

Soon Link stopped counting how many he had fought. The cacophony of battle droned in his ears. Men shouted, metal clashed, and blood splashed against stone. He felt oddly disconnected. He still felt every vibration of his sword, every sting of steel when he missed a block, every hot splatter of blood on his skin, every gasp of his lungs and groan of his muscles. Yet, it all seemed so fleeting, pushed aside and forgotten as quickly as it happened.

When the lizalfos finally retreated back over the wall he found himself leaning against the battlement trying to catch his breath. The heat of the late morning sun was beating down on him, cooking the blood on the stones around him so the air took on a putrid stench.

A hand clapped him on the shoulder and he reached for his sword. “Easy, Hero,” Sheik said, raising his hands. He had a deep cut over his right eye and favored his left foot as he stood. “They are regrouping. Go get some water and clean up. Can you bring me back some food and water? I have some stuff to do and I don’t know how long this regrouping will last.”

“Sure. You okay?” Link asked as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Yeah, just a cut and a sprain. I’ve had worse.”

&&&
“What do you think, sister Koume?” Kotake asked as she leaned forward on her broom, her blue hair falling over her shoulder. “They are stronger than we expected?”

“They have the Goddesses’s chosen one, sister Kotake. He has probably infused his power into the castle and all who live there,” the redhead replied. They watched in silence as the monsters below them gathered to lick their wounds. “I believe a change in tactics is in order, sister Kotake. But we will need a few things.”

“Indeed, sister Koume.”

&&&

“What are those?” Link asked as he handed Sheik a sandwich and a bottle of water.

Sheik did not answer right away as he watched through a spyglass the two beings in the sky slowly circling the area before flying away. “I hope they are the owners of those panties you found. Beyond that, I don’t know. One of them looked like a Gerudo, but I’ve never heard of any Gerudo that could fly.” he took a bite out of his sandwich and turned his attention to the monsters surrounding the castle. “On the downside, we are definitely outnumbered; but on the bright side, they did not come prepared for a proper siege.”

“Okay...” Link drawled as he took the spyglass and scanned the horde below.

“No ladders or catapults,” Sheik provided. “In fact, they don’t appear to have any range weapons at all.”

“Maybe they are just going to wait us out,” Link suggested. Through the spyglass he spotted the massive moblin and took a moment to study him more closely. “Hey Sheik, is that Ganon?”

“Yeah, it is,” the older man said evenly without bothering to reclaim the spyglass.

“And you tried to fight him on your own?”

“Yes...” Sheik said in a slow, exasperated voice.

“Kudos for not being dead! Ow!” Link stuck out his tongue as he rubbed the new sore spot on the back of his head. “So what now?”

Sheik sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. “We wait. We don’t have the forces to face them on open ground.” Sheik set a schedule for patrols and sent Link to get a count of the wounded and dead. The rest of the afternoon passed without incident.

The stalemate went on well into the night. Link had been assigned the night shift and stood on the battlement as the patrolling soldiers made their rounds. Beyond the wall he could see the silhouettes of creatures as they moved in front of the scattered bonfires. Nothing had changed since the lizalfos had pulled back. The creatures milled about aimlessly, some breaking into smaller groups, but by and large they did not even seem to know the castle was there.

With a tired sigh, Link closed his eyes and leaned against a wall. The rhythmic thumping of the patrol’s footsteps was soothing. Below, inside the walls he could hear men talking. Some bragged about their part in the events of the day, others wondered about what tomorrow would bring. On the outside he could pick up the guttural grunts of the moblin and the hissing language of the lizalfos.

Opening his eyes, he frowned out into the darkness. Something was not right about this whole situation.

A whoosh of air drew his attention heavenward. He narrowed his eyes, but could not make out anything except that clouds were gathering. He flinched when a cold drop of rain hit him on the forehead. He sighed as the rain began pelting down. It quickly became a torrent, the water coming down as heavy white sheets.

Thunder cracked and lightning flashed across the sky, turning the world noon-bright for a fraction of a second. Link’s ears rang and his eyes dazzled as his senses were overloaded. Disoriented by the sound and light, he looked for shelter, but found none, not without leaving his post. Resigning himself to his fate, he crossed his arms to ward off the chill and did his best not to let the thunder and lightning bother him.

It was during a particularly loud clap of thunder and bright flash of lightning that he felt it. A distinct, yet faint, magical trill. It felt more like an echo, stretching through a canyon from an unknown origin. Lifting his head, Link looked around. Like him the soldiers were huddled against the rain, and the chatter from below of both men and monsters had stopped. Except the rain, nothing seemed to move.

The next burst of sound and light was accompanied by an even stronger echo of magic. Link frowned, pushing past his disoriented senses to focus on the feeling. When the next echo came, riding with the thunder and lightning, he was ready. He spun in the direction it had come from and squinted into the driving rain.

At first he could not make out anything, and then there was another flash. This time the echo was so strong it made him stagger. Gripping the wall he wiped the wet hair from his face and, even through the rain, picked out a dark orb. It rolled and throbbed, like two angry snakes trying to crush each other. Swirls of black, blood, and amethyst clashed and mixed across the surface in a sickening dance.

Lightning split the sky again, and Link realized that all the strikes had been hitting the orb. The electric charge wrapped around the ball like a terrifying cocoon, before mixing and making the dark mass even larger.

Link grabbed the arm of a passing soldier. “Go tell Sheik, Link needs to see him immediately!” The soldier looked perplexed, but nodded and hurried off.
&&&

“Meredith, I don’t give a damn if it is raining,” Sheik growled. “No one else is bitching about it. You have the next shift. You will relieve Link in one hour or I will greatly enjoy kicking your ass.”

“You are nothing more than a servant, how dare you talk to me like that!”

Sheik’s eyebrow quirked up, but kept his voice perfectly calm as he spoke. “I never have, nor will I ever be, your servant, my dear brother. I am, however, your commanding officer until such time as Zelda releases me from her service. Do as you are told,” he rose from his chair and leaned closer to the younger man as he spoke, “or I will consider it insubordination and treason, and see you punished accordingly.”

Archelaus narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare...”

“Try me.”

“Commander Sheik!”

Sheik broke off his glaring match to look up at the man who had entered. The soldier was soaked, a small pool of water forming at his feet, and shivering. Still, he stood at attention.

“What?” Sheik huffed.

“Commander, Link requests your presence on the battlement. He says it is urgent.”

Sheik frowned as he grabbed his swords from their place next to his chair. “Did he say what it was about?”

“No, sir. But he was acting strangely.”

“Strangely how?” Sheik persisted, pushing past the guard and out into the storm. Ice cold rain pelted down on him and he gave an involuntary shiver. Shading his eyes he looked up to see the darkest clouds he had ever seen, and another shiver ran through him that had nothing to do with the cold.

“Just strange, sir.” The guard hesitated. “He was fine until the storm came up, but then it was like he was drunk; he kept staggering and holding his head. When he sent me for you he was leaning over the wall like he was going to hurl and staring into space.”

Sheik grunted his acknowledgment before taking off at a run. It was a long way from the castle’s main hall to the battlement that surrounded the city, but with everyone hiding from the storm the roads were clear. When he reached the battlement where Link was stationed, he found him just as the soldier had described. Half leaning over the wall he stared out into the rain with a blank stare.
“Hero?”

Link did not move or acknowledge him in any way. Sheik moved forward and put his hand on Link’s shoulder, only to have Link gasp in surprise and whirl on him. It was only his faster reflexes that kept the Master Sword from taking off his head.

“...Sheik?”

“Yes, it’s me. What in the name of Nayru is wrong with you?” Sheik asked as Link sheathed his sword.

Turning back toward the wall, Link pointed out into the rain. “Don’t you see it?” Frowning, Sheik peered out into the rain. For a moment he saw nothing, then lightning turned the night to day and he saw the writhing ball. It continued to glow for several seconds after the strike before again becoming hidden behind the rain. “What is it?”

“I have no idea...” Sheik answered. “But I don’t think it is good.”

&&&

Link sat awake in bed. Sheik had called a meeting of anyone who knew about magic to discuss the strange orb. Since Link’s knowledge was still very limited he had been told to get some sleep instead. But he could not sleep. Rain was still pounding the castle and with every flash of lightning he could feel chills break out all over his body.

Finally he could not stand it anymore. Climbing from bed, he dressed and grabbed his sword and a cloak. The castle was dark, occasionally lit by bright flashes of lightning. The accompanying thunder drownd out the distant murmur of the meeting. Link ignored both as he hurried outside into the storm. The weather had become worse since they had retreated into the castle. Hail had started to come down with the rain and the balls of ice were becoming progressively larger. Pulling the cloak tightly around his shoulders, he ducked his head and ran out into the maelstrom.

The rain and ice made the cobbled streets slick, and several times he nearly fell as he raced towards his destination, but Link refused to slow down. When he finally reached the building he was drenched and cold. Water pooled on the stone floor as it dripped off his cloak, and his soggy boots thumped softly in the eerie silence. The whole place was dark, lit only by a few candles. When lightning flashed across the sky, the stained glass turned the large room into a momentary kaleidoscope of color before he was plunged back into the semi-darkness.

Link pushed back the hood of his cloak as he crossed the room to the altar. Two half-burned candles stood silent watch in their holders, their pale wax collecting on the stone table. The silence was heavy; even the steady drum of the rain and hail could not be heard and the thunder was only a distant whisper. Nothing else moved. There was no disembodied choir or even a priest to tend the altar. He could only guess they had been evacuated.

“Well!” Link shouted into the silence. The only answer was his own echo. “Aren’t you there?!” he shouted again. “Your people are dying! Don’t you care?! Is this why we were created, so we can destroy each other? I’m supposed to be some Holy Knight, but what difference have I made? Where is the great power of the Goddesses? Nayru! Farore! Din! Answer me!”

His voice echoed around him before fading, leaving only the sound of Link’s own breathing. Another flash of lightning threw bright colors across the stone. Link sighed and leaned against the altar, the stone cold under his hands, as he tilted his head back to look up at the ceiling. He could make out the vague outlines of the windows in the darkness, but the high ceiling disappeared into the gloom.

Lightning flashed again, and for a second the stained glass he was staring at was lit up. He blinked in surprise, not sure what he had seen. Staring hard, he waited for the next flash. When it came his suspicions were confirmed.

The picture depicted a young man, dressed in green, who stood with a blue-hilted sword thrust over his head. The background was a deep forest with random red eyes peering out between the trees. In a smaller round window over the scene was a picture of a woman’s face with her eyes closed and head bowed as if in prayer. Tawny skin set off the swirl of greens that made up her background.

Startled, he slowly pivoted to look at the other images in turn. To the right of the first window, a second one showed the young man again. This time he was grappling with several red tentacles coming from the right side of the window. In the small, round window above the scene was another praying woman, this time in a swirl of blues.

The next picture showed the young man clinging to the neck of a black dragon as fire and brimstone rained down around them. In the round window was another woman, this time surrounded by red.

The fourth picture showed the boy, his arms spread wide as he plummeted over the edge of the cliff while a violent storm raged around him. In the round picture a young girl was surrounded in swirls of gold.

In the final window the boy stood, sword raised. But he was dwarfed by a monster that seemed to the crawling out from behind the mountains while dark clouds that spewed lightning billowed behind it. In the round window above was an image of the Triforce, light streaming around it.

Link stared at the window through several more lightning strikes until the image was burned into his mind. Something cold settled into his gut. “Is that it then, I’m supposed to fight the monster those witches are creating?” His only answer was another crack of lightning.

Circling the altar, he came to the large stone door, behind which was the room where this had all begun. Placing his hand on the stone, and was surprised to find it felt warm to the touch as the tingle of magic ran up his arm. Swallowing hard he leaned his head against the door. “I...I don’t think I can do this... Tell me how I can win... You said I would hear your voices when I needed your aid. I need it now...” More silence pressed in on his ears. With a growl he slammed his fist against the stone door. “Answer me dammit!”

With a booming grind that echoed around him the door began to slide open. Link stepped back in surprise, not sure what to expect next. When the door heaved itself to a stop, Link found himself looking into the room beyond. It, too, was dark and empty. Curious he stepped through the open door, using his toes to feel his way through the darkness. He had moved several feet when the door began to grind back into place.

He spun around and sprinted back, but the stone slammed into place before he could get out. He banged on it with his fist, but to no avail. With a frustrated sigh he turned and leaned against the door. “Okay, I give up. Where to next, oh all knowing ones? I’ve already fallen this far down the rabbit hole, so it can’t get much worse.”

He was answered by a strange tugging in his chest. Following the pull, he felt his way across the room until his foot touched another wall. Gingerly, not sure what to expect, he reached out and ran his finger against the stone. It was rough and cold under his fingertips and he frowned at it in the darkness. After several minutes of blind probing, he realized he was feeling words carved into the stone. Feeling his way along the wall, he realized the words took up most of the surface, starting somewhere overhead and ending near his knees. No matter how hard he tried he could not make out any of the words.

Finally his fingers found what felt like a Triforce carved below the words. The moment he realized what it was, it grew hot and began to shine gold. Link stepped back, watching as the liquid light oozed its way upwards, filling in the letters as it went. As the letters filled in the glowing golden light filled the room until it was as bright as day.

It was then he realized why he could not make out the words. The whole paragraph was written in ancient text. Link frowned. “Okay, girls. Farm boy, remember? I didn’t study this kind of stuff.” He could have sworn he heard a faint giggle before the words morphed into modern language.

When evil comes to Hyrule’s Field, Zora’s Domain, and Death Mountain’s spire,
When forest, glen, and aerie cliffs watch in dread as fell deeds transpire,
The King of Evil will not rise alone, but challenged shall be.
The Hero’s courage will act the shield, the sword, and set free
The powers of the goddesses three.
Watch, oh Hyrule, and remember your past,
For the darkness’ return will not long last.

Link stared at the words, reading them several times, before he sat down on the floor. He was not sure how long he sat there, but it felt like hours. Finally he stood and made his way out of the temple – happy the door let him out without a fuss. The storm was still raging outside, but he hardly noticed the pelting mix of water and ice as his feet slowly carried him back to the castle. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, he did not realize he had returned to the castle until Sheik grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“Huh...?” Link blinked owlishly at him for a minute. “Oh, I couldn’t sleep. So I went to the temple to see if the Goddesses could advise me.”

“And...?” Sheik stretched out the word as he released Link and began leading him through the castle. Link vaguely recognized the direction as heading towards the smaller dining hall Sheik had established as his “War Room.”

“I don’t know. All I got was a poem.”

“Great, I’m pretty sure all the priests and scholars were evacuated.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair as they entered the War Room. Sheik dropped into the chair behind the desk and pulled out a quill and ink, while Link took the opposite chair. “Okay, I’m ready. What did it say?”

Link repeated the poem and Sheik quickly scratched it out on the parchment. Putting his quill down, he read it several times in silence. A frown creased his brow. “This almost sounds like a prophecy.” He sighed and sat back. “I’ll send it with a runner to the priests, but there is no telling how long it will take them to answer. In the meantime, morning is coming and we need to form ranks for whatever the day brings.”

&&&

As the sun crested the mountains, its golden rays sliced through the heavy clouds still clinging to the sky. Water clung to the grass from last night’s storm, sparkling in tiny rainbows when the light caught it. A cool breeze swept over the land, kissing the faces of all it touched, and bringing with it the smell of rain and wet earth. The moblin army was nowhere in sight, but they had left scorched and torn earth in their wake.

Link stood next to Sheik as they surveyed the scene. Behind them, the soldiers shifted uneasily. Glancing at Sheik from the corner of his eye, Link noticed his stiff posture and the clenching and unclenching of his jaw. Of all the things they expected to find at dawn, an empty battlefield was not one of them. It was unnerving.

“Do you think all that noise last night was just a diversion?” Link asked quietly.

“Looks that way.”

“Now what?”

“Nothing,” Sheik said simply. Link looked at him in surprise.

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“We don’t have the forces to run them to ground, and it could be a trap to draw us out. For the time being, we wait.”

The day quickly turned hot and humid as the rain began to evaporate. Soldiers patrolled the walls, their clothes heavy with sweat. But even the humidity was not as thick as the tension inside the castle. Whispers bounced from person to person in a nervous murmur. Even Sheik was pacing the battlement, his brow knitted and his jaw set.

Link sighed as he leaned against the wall. With a small spell he drew water from the air around him, forming it into a small sphere before drinking it. “How long are we going to wait? We haven’t seen a moblin all day.”

“I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll send a few scouts out to see what’s going on.”

“I’ll go.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Hero.”

“Why not? I’m not doing much good here, and if I don’t do something soon I’ll lose my mind.”

Sheik chuckled, smiling for the first time all day. “I know the feeling. Okay, Hero, pick your men. Keep the list short and take only those you would trust with your life.”

Link nodded and turned away. Climbing down from the battlement, he wove his way through the crowd of soldiers and farmers all gathered and waiting for orders. After several minutes of searching he found Alexander, Dominik, and Filip.

The three young men had secured a table and were sharing a skin of water, laughing with each other. Link drew up short to watch them. Not so long ago he would have been there too, laughing at Dominik’s jokes and goading Filip, while Alexander tried to keep the peace. They would share talk of next year’s festival, sharing new animal raising techniques, and trading bawdy stories about the local milk maids. They would talk of what they would do when they returned to their farms, complaining about the time they had lost.

Now his time was filled with nobles and war tactics. His biggest concerns were counted in lives lost and families destroyed. He no longer gave more than a passing thought to his own farm, but spent hours weighing how much ground could be lost without losing the kingdom.

Suddenly he felt a distance from his childhood friends that units could not measure. Sighing to himself, he walked over to them. Alexander was the first to notice him and raised a hand in greeting.

“Well, look who came from on high to slum about with us common folks,” Dominik hooted, as he cast Link a broad grin to take the bite out of his words.

Link gave a short laugh. “Yeah, thought you guys might want some action. I need a few men to go scouting with me outside the walls. You three up to it?”

“Wouldn’t you prefer soldiers?” Filip asked with a raised eyebrow.

“What would I want with those pansies? I want people who aren’t just going to run and leave me hanging.”

Alexander laughed. “All right, Link. I’m with you.” The other two nodded in agreement.

They started for the stables, but Link stopped them short and gave a broad grin before catching a passing soldier by the arm. “I need my horse and three other fast horses saddled and brought to the front gate.”

“Yes, sir!” The soldier saluted and hurried off.

“It’s good to be the hero,” Dominik quipped as the soldier disappeared around a corner.

“It has its perks.” Link grinned. He led them through the city to the front gate. Sheik and several soldiers met them there.

“You picked farmers instead of soldiers?” Sheik chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. “Somehow I am not surprised.” Behind Sheik’s back one soldier nudged another and chuckled. Link cut them a glare and they both straightened quickly.

“Is there a problem, sir?” Alexander asked in an even voice.

Sheik smiled at him and shook his head. “I’ve known Link long enough not to question his judgment. His logic often makes my head hurt and question his sanity.” Link made a rude gesture and his friends snickered. A moment later two guards arrived with the horses. Sheik continued as they mounted. “If you run into trouble come straight back, we’ll be here to shut the gates behind you. No playing hero.”

“Killjoy,” Link huffed good naturedly. The soldiers lined up behind the heavy doors and pushed them open while Sheik returned to the battlement. Link led the small group out the gate and across the drawbridge and into the field.

He was instantly struck by how quiet it was. Even listening hard he could not pick up the sounds of birds or insects. It sent a chill down his spin and made his palm itch to hold his sword. The Master Sword hummed and began seeping a soothing warmth into his back.

Slowly they picked their way between the piles of ash that remained of the moblin camp. The ground was littered with bones of past meals – many broken by careless hooves, bits of armor lay forgotten, and a few crude weapons were half-buried in overturned earth.
Alexander slid from his horse and knelt down, carefully tracing a few prints with his fingers. “All these tracks are heading in the same direction.” He stood up and shaded his eyes. Link followed his gaze as the land sloped away from them and out of sight.

Placing a finger to his lips, Link slid from Nightfire’s back and passed the reins to Filip. He motioned to Alexander to do the same and they carefully crept towards the slope. As they drew closer, both young men got down on their stomachs and army crawled across the grass until they could peer inconspicuously down into the valley beyond.

Link raised an eyebrow at what he saw. The moblin were corralled like cattle. They were kept in place by a series of stylized marble posts, each over eight feet tall, with electricity arcing between them. Oddly, the pigs did not seem to mind the confinement and huddled together with dull, half-lidded expressions on their faces. A quick scan of the cage told Link that Ganon was not among them.

Link made a face, and Alexander only shrugged helplessly.

They quietly began to back away, when a rush of air zoomed overhead. Dominik and Filip yelled and Link’s head snapped around. The two witches were swooping towards the two men. The witches raised their hands, summoning a fistful of fire and a swirl of icy magic, respectively. Link was not sure how he contorted his body, but he managed to fire an arrow while only halfway sitting up. The projectile exploded between the diving witches in a blinding golden flash that sent them screaming off course.

“Go!” Link shouted, pushing Alexander towards the other two as he drew his sword and shield. “I’ll hold them off.” Alexander hesitated, then nodded and sprinted after his horse.

Link turned back just in time to have a ball of fire break across his shield.

“Oh, look, Sister Koume,” the witch with the icy hair cooed, “we have finally found the Goddesses chosen one.”

“So it seems, Sister Kotake,” the flame-haired witch answered in the same sugary voice. “Let us properly introduce ourselves.” They dove at him, short swords appearing in their hands. Link blocked the first attack, but it left him unbalanced and only a lucky stumble kept him from losing his head. The witches cackled as they rose into the air again.

“Link!”

Jumping to his feet, Link turned to see Dominik racing towards him, ponying Nightfire behind him. Before the witches could double back, he leapt onto the horse’s back and spurred him towards the gate. He was only halfway there when a ball of fire caught him on the shoulder, sending him tumbling across the ground. Nightfire screamed and bolted after the other horses.

Link groaned as he pushed himself upright and leveled a glare at the witches hovering smugly a few feet in front of him. Raising his sword and shield he stood ready for their attack, but they only laughed.

“Little Hero, Sister Koume and I have much more important things to deal with than you.”

“But don’t be sad, Little Hero. We’ll leave you with plenty of playmates to keep you company.” With another cackle they zoomed off away from the castle.

Under his feet, Link felt the ground begin to rumble. He turned and, as if in slow motion, saw the moblin army cresting the hill. He could see the earth churn under their feet, see the dull flash of their armor in the sunlight, watched their mouths open as they roared. Turning towards the castle Link began to run. Then his eyes widened.

&&&

Sheik tightened his grip on the rough stone as he saw Link flung from his horse. The other men and Nightfire dove into the safety of the castle walls, never looking back or realizing they had lost Link. He saw the moblin charging, and knew the moment Link realized it as well.

“The men are assembled to assist the Hero, sir!” a soldier called from behind him. “What are your orders?”

“Shut the gate!”

“But sir...”

“I said SHUT THE GATE!” Sheik yelled. The soldier flinched and quickly passed on the order. Sheik leaned over the battlement, watching the heavy oak doors creak closed, sealing Link out with the moblin. “...don’t die, Hero, and may the Goddesses have mercy on us both.”

&&&

Link felt his chest tighten as he saw the gates beginning to close. Beyond them he saw Alexander being held back by guards as the gates slowly blocked his view. The boom of the heavy oak doors closing and the crossbar slamming into place was deafening.

Skidding to a stop, he turned and faced the horde.

Forcing magic into the Master Sword, he swung it in a horizontal arc. Golden light erupted from the blade, cutting through the air and slicing into the moblin front lines. The pigs fell, but their comrades simply charged over them, killing those that were still alive. Link had time to repeat the action only once before they were upon him.

&&&

Sheik felt his throat close as Link vanished beneath the mass of moblin. He closed his eyes and turned away, unwilling to see the inevitable outcome.

“Sir!” a soldier yelled. “Look at that!”

Turning, Sheik followed the man’s gaze. “Holy Din...” Behind the wave of moblin, bokoblin were leading giant boars by rings in their noses. More little monsters were lashing the beasts from behind, their sticks leaving bloody trails. The boars strained and grunted as they pulled at three catapults – each cocked and loaded – and several carts of boulders. “Retreat!”

Lines broke as everyone moved deeper into the castle. Sheik barely made it off the battlement when the whistling started. He dove for cover behind a house moments before part of the castle wall exploded. Jumping to his feet, he took off running again, yelling orders as he went.

It was a wild scramble as people made for the inner walls of the castle, wedged their way through the narrow gate. Behind them lizalfos, bokoblin, and moblin poured through the holes as more boulders whistled through the air. Sheik ordered the second gate locked and barricaded, hoping most of the people had gotten through.

“Archers, take your positions. Fire at will!” Sheik yelled even as he began to climb to the top of the wall to survey the damage.

Several sections of the outer wall were completely collapsed, the rubble scattered across the cobblestone streets. Some boulders had missed entirely, crushing house and market booths instead. A small fire had started in the marketplace, sending up a wisp of black smoke. Bokoblin chatted loudly as they charged the gates, grappling hooks in hand.

The archers around him fired, but missed more than they killed. Sheik growled and raised his hand, palm out and fingers splayed. “WIND!” The air howled as it was whipped into a wild twister that rushed down the path, sucking up everything in its way and slinging it like a rag doll. One bokoblin hit the wall with a sickening crunch, before oozing to the ground on a trail of its own blood. “Magic users, to me! NOW!”

&&&

Everything hurt.

It hurt to stand. It hurt to move.

Every breath came in a painful pant. Every heave of his sword made his muscles scream.

Blood and sweat dripped from his hair and plastered his clothes to his body. He could not even tell how much was his. His world had become a long, painful haze with no beginning or end.

Still, he fought. Still, he drove his sword into the moblin surrounding him. Still, through the haze, he felt a grim satisfaction as he was sprayed with more gore.

He had lost count of how many had fallen. He did not care. Only the haze existed. If it stopped, his world would end. So, he fought.

There was a flash, so bright it turned the day into a world of white, and a roar, like a hundred claps of thunder. Wind, like the claws of a monster, scored everything in its path. He was thrown off his feet, landing hard a moment before something heavy landed on top of him. He could do nothing as the wind forced the object down onto him, making it impossible to move. Slowly the light faded and the roar of the wind subsided, leaving his world a mess of static. Spots danced before his eyes and his ears rang.

Carefully he lifted the object that had landed on him, mildly disgusted to see it was a moblin who had taken the brunt of wind. The remains were torn and charred, and Link briefly wondered at the irony before peering around the corpse.

In the wake of the light and wind Hyrulian Field had been cleared. Nothing remained standing. Moblin lay in bloody, charred lumps on the ground, and the grass had been burned or completely ripped from the ground. Thin wisps of smoke curled up from the ground.

Then one of the lumps close to the center of the devastation moved. Slowly, Ganon staggered to his feet. Despite the destruction surrounding him, he was unmarred. Yet something did not seem right. The giant moblin kept staggering as if drunk, alternately grabbing his skull and stomach. He stumbled and fell onto all fours, making a sound somewhere between a roar and a scream. The vaguely human-shaped body began to contort. Clothing and armor stretched and snapped. Muscles bulged and his tusked extended. Finally the huge monster collapsed to the ground, panting. Its breath came in heavy gasps in the silence of the field. Then the breathing slowed and the silence pressed in.

After several minutes of watching from behind the dead moblin, Link moved. Pushing his savior aside to sprawl bonelessly on the ground, he stood up. Sword in hand and shield at the ready he carefully made his way over to where the thing lay. Even from a distance, he could tell it was massive – easily the size of a small house.

Link was only a few feet away when the Monster opened its eyes. For a moment the two stared at each other, and in that instant Link know he would never forget those eyes. They were not the eyes of a moblin, dull and empty; but eyes of depth and intellect. So black he could see himself in them like a mirror, yet the darkness was more than a color. It seemed to take form, pouring out of the eyes to infect everything around them.

They were eyes he knew, he had seen them before, but he could not place them, as if out of a half-forgotten dream.

Then it moved. Link jumped back as the mountain of muscle surged forward. One huge tusk slammed into his shield and the world became a blur. Landing hard, he felt himself bounce and skid across the ground. A moblin blade cut into his leg. Pushing himself up, he hissed to see the wound was quite deep and ran from his knee to the middle of his thigh, where the blade stuck. But he did not have time to dwell on the injury as the ground began to shake.

He looked up to see Ganon, still firmly on all fours, bearing down on him. His head was lowered so those fierce tusks jutted out like massive swords. It was like being caught in the path of a siege engine. Vaguely he thought to dodge, but there was nowhere to go. It was only some deep-seated instinct, that Sheik had no doubt pounded into him, which made him lift his shield.

He was flying again. But this time the world did not streak past. In fact, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The sky and ground barrel rolled around him. Sounds became muted. Even the bounce and skid failed to cause pain. When everything stopped, he found himself lying on his stomach in the mud near the moat. From that angle, he could see Ganon standing several yards away, staring at him. He must have been satisfied that Link was dead, because after only a few moments he turned and lumbered toward the castle.

Get up. Link growled at himself, but his body refused to comply. Something was crushing his chest, making it hard to breathe. Get Up! He managed to roll over with a sickly flop. Looking down he saw the breastplate of his armor had buckled, though if the damage was from the blow or the landing he could not tell. The bent metal was pressing in on his sternum and crushing his lungs. Get UP! It was only extreme force of will that pulled him to a sitting position. He had to contort painfully to reach the straps holding the plate in place.

The ruined armor fell to the mud with a wet thump and Link sucked in air. The fuzzy quietness around him began to fade as oxygen flooded his body. After several minutes of just breathing he lifted his head to look around. Ganon and the witches were nowhere to be seen, and for the first time he noticed the damage to the castle walls. Then he heard the screams.

Jumping to his feet, he winced, stumbled, and fell back to the ground, just barely catching himself on all fours. Panting, he watched as trails of blood slid down his arms. He tried to follow them to their origin, but they merged with his tunic and all the blood soaked into it. Gripping the Master Sword, he begged for strength, then stood up slowly. Setting his jaw, he began moving towards the source of the screams.

&&&

“Everyone behind the wall! Barricade the gate!” Sheik shouted. He could not believe what he had seen. He had secretly hoped the blinding light that had scattered the bokoblin belonged to Link. Praying the boy had managed to call on the power of the Goddesses to save them all. But now he feared the worst.

A monster, the likes of which he had never seen, was making its way towards them. So large it smashed houses and rubble in its path. Unhurried, the creature came at them with a single mindedness that was disturbing. They shot it with arrows and slammed it with magic, but neither seemed to faze the beast.

Now they stood, with braces against the gate and magic barriers of all kinds raised, waiting...

The ground began to rumble. Men shuffled their feet nervously, yet had nowhere to run. The bang of flesh ramming wood and steel was deafening. The wood cracked and the steel whined, but the gate held. They waited for the next charge.

“Hey, big and ugly. Do you always run from a fight, or should I feel flattered?”

Sheik’s heart leapt into his throat. Against his better judgment, he broke ranks and began to climb back to the top of the wall.

&&&

“Hey, big and ugly. Do you always run from a fight, or should I feel flattered?” Link yelled, sounding much stronger and more confident than he felt. Ganon stopped as he backed up to make another charge and turned to glare. Link stood tall and strong under the glare, not letting on that simply gripping his sword and shield was draining his energy. Behind him a few moblin and bokoblin hid in the shadows, though if they feared him or the monster was hard to tell.

Ganon stamped the ground, growling and snorting. Link dug his heels into the ground and raised his sword. Everything hurt. Blood covered him so thickly he could no longer tell what was his. The world swayed unevenly around him, but he stood his ground. The great beast snorted and stamped its forelimb, a swine-like snarl curdling from its throat. Link growled back.

With a scream, the monster charged.

Something in Link shattered. Color and sound exploded in every direction. He raised his shield and the former moblin slammed into it with a force that by all right should have sent him flying, yet he stood firm. It became his world; forcing this creature back was all that mattered. He put all his power behind the shield, even as it warped under the pressure.

Glowering over the top of the shield, he stared into dark, pitiless eyes. Link raised his sword, ready to end this forever. The monster squalled and with a single powerful thrust, hurled Link off his feet and into the sky.

&&&

Sheik watched in open mouthed horror as the bloody rag doll-like body flew higher than the wall. A dented shield slid from its arm even while the sword stayed firmly in its grasp. The body flew heavenward, past the walls, higher than the battlement, and beyond the towers; as if the Goddesses themselves were calling him home. Sheik felt sick.

Suddenly a blinding flash lit up the world.

&&&

Link felt weightless. He could feel the wind rushing over him and he slipped from gravity’s grip. The world was quiet, peaceful; no longer could he hear the clang of swords and shields, or the cries of men and beasts. His broken body cried for rest, and his eyes slid closed. It seemed as if nothing mattered; he could not make himself care anymore. It was too hard; sleep, that was easy.

A strange tingling around his head forced his eyes open. The wind was slowing as gravity reclaimed him. The tingling turned to a buzz and the circlet felt suddenly cool. Light, golden and radiant, flashed as power rushed from the sword still clenched in his fist to the winged circlet still clinging to his brow.

As he reached the crest of his flight, he twisted in mid-air, turning to face the ground as he hung suspended for a moment. Then the ground began to rise. He felt wings he could not see flex and fold, giving his freefall direction. Gripping the sword in both hands, he saw a mass of golden power surrounding the blade so thick and fierce it rolled over the metal like a living fire.

Below, every being stared up at him, but all he could see was the monster. A fury like nothing he had ever felt tore through him and a snarl curled his lip. The monster tried to run a moment too late. Link saw terrified black eyes and a splash of blood before everything stopped.

Opening his eyes, he saw he’d landed several meters away from what remained of the monster moblin. His head spun and his body felt drained, yet he could see the remaining enemies closing ranks around him. It took all he had to climb to his feet and lift his sword.

A trumpet blast heralded the sound of the gates being thrown open. Horses screamed as they charged, and the creatures surrounding him broke ranks and ran. Link felt a smile crack the dried blood on his cheeks as he faced his approaching comrades. He staggered a step and their movements became a blur of color.

Trying to take another step, he stumbled. Strong arms caught him, and a voice he could not place said something he did not understand, before everything went black.