CHAPTER 40: THROUGH THE BARRIER
The four shadow beasts still waited at the bottom of the stairs, barring Link and Midna's exit. They were forced to kill those that vainly gave their lives to avenge their fallen leader.
On the way back through the dark palace, Link let his mind wander. He reflected on his confrontation with Zant, and how the Triforce had truly twisted the usurper's mind. It had almost been like looking into a dark mirror, seeing what he could have become if he had made different choices along his journey. The images that Lanayru had shown him of the Interlopers came back and the memories of their sinister faces hung within his mind.
Questions hung in Link's thoughts. He was the rightful heir to the Triforce, the blessing of the goddesses. Zant had not been. Link had always been a person of right and good, but now he had to wonder…. Was there a power that could change that? Could he ever become infused with the same sinister darkness that had lived within Zant … the Interlopers? Or was it because of his status as the true Hero of legend that he had always been a selfless person? Was its power the only thing protecting him from the temptations of other men, the temptations of evil thoughts? What would he be without the blessing of the gods? Who would he have become if not the Hero?
Had he been given the mark of the gods because of his courageous heart, or had the blessing created courage within him?
Link stopped when he realized that they had reached the periphery of the square and that Midna had stopped in her tracks, looking out at the sight of her people stumbling around as if blind. They reached out, conferred with each other, tried to make sense of their situation.
Midna surveyed her people with a glazed expression. She did not saying anything, and Link did not interrupt her. Her eye drifted from one body to another until finally her vision rested upon the twilit sky, its deep violets and blinding yellows casting a watery reflection in her eye.
Link thought he understood what must have been going through her mind. He thought perhaps that she whispered an unvoiced goodbye to her people, words that would live within them if she were to never return home. Link braided his fingers together before him and stood silently at her side. He offered her all the time she needed.
In the long moment Midna remained hovering there and absorbing the landscape she had once described as having serene beauty, Link pondered what form Midna would take if the curse of Ganon was lifted. Each of the Twili were either a few heads taller than the average Hylian or were the same size as the Twilight Princess was now, impish. Would her figure take on only a somewhat different appearance, or would she become one of the taller ones with the slight hunch in their shoulders?
Suddenly he realized the pessimistic tone his thoughts had taken. If the curse was lifted…. The curse would be removed. They would defeat this dark lord, and they would reclaim all that had been lost to them, all that had been lost to both their worlds. In that moment, as Link looked to Midna, he realized he would do anything to erase the numb look on her face. Even if all hope looked to be lost, even if he wavered in face of battle, even if his very breath faltered … he would maintain his oath to an old mentor.
For as long as there was life in him, for as long as there was another step needing to be taken … he would pick himself back up. He would march on.
As Link's vow echoed within his bones, Midna turned to him. She had the same look in her eye, one that said she would willingly sacrifice her life for the sake of their mission. But Link swore to himself that as the Hero, he would never allow it to be her. If someone's life had to be forfeit … it would be his.
After all, Link was not the reigning monarch of Hyrule. That honor was bestowed upon the princess Zelda. Midna, too, was a leader. The people of the realms would need their sovereigns after the battle was won. In a time of peace, a time when the pieces were to be healed, Link thought there would be little use for a hero to save the day after it had indeed already been saved. Link was a warrior, a soldier, and in the aftermath of the final battle he did not expect there to be much need for his role to continue.
Together, Link and Midna marched back into the light … both ready to give their life so the other could survive.
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Once they had rematerialized within the Mirror Chamber, Link and Midna had expected to be greeted by the sages and final words of wisdom, but it was perhaps due to the guilt of which they had convicted themselves that they remained silent and unseen.
Night still reigned in the skies above, making the eve of their return seem all the more ominous. The air was still, and once they had trekked back through the dungeon to come to the boundary of the encampment Link found the reason for the disquiet in his bones. A storm approached Hyrule from a southward wind, and if Link understood the signs in the clouds, the storm would be upon the town only a day ahead of their arrival.
Link began the long road back through the rising and falling dunes and tried to stave off the hunger licking at his insides for as long as he could. What water he could drink due to his rationing was not near enough sustenance, and by noon of the next day, he could ignore the sensation no longer. He crept up on a shaded area where he had seen the sands shifting from about a quarter-mile away. Through this pocket of sand protected from the sun by a short ridge of crags, Link hunted one of the many moldorms that slithered through the area.
He had climbed up onto one of the rocks to get a better view of their nesting ground and found that they stuck together mostly and only to one portion of the rocks. He glimpsed a single pocket of sand moving near the center of the ridge and slunk down and moved across the rocks to approach it, moving steadily away from their main group as he did so. It did not take him long to corner his prey, as it merrily skittered through its sandy blanket, unbeknownst to the danger of the looming Hylian. As the moldorm glided along, it came to a dead end. That was when Link made his move.
Knowing from his observation of their nest, Link knew that the moldorms could tunnel under the sand. It was unclear just how deep they could dive, but he was not about to take the chance that his meal would escape by tunneling under the barrier. He speared the sands with his Master Sword and raised it again with grim smile.
Moldorms were encased by a tough outer shell, stretching the length of their snakelike bodies. Its gray head, with its triangular maw accompanied with three ugly fangs, would be completely inedible. However, the soft underbelly of the creature would provide him with enough nourishment to continue his journey back to into Hyrule's mainland.
He moved to the west side away from the gathering of the other moldorms and prepared to roast his catch. Had Midna not been with him, scouring the desert for fire-starting supplies would have taken quite a while. Before he asked her help, however, knelt down in the sands and took dagger in hand. He worked its steel through the hard carapace of its head and back and soon separated them from the fleshy body. He stabbed his sword through it once more and held it out. One zap from Midna's magic charred the meat instantly and perfectly.
Before he took to his meal, he offered Midna a sliver. She rejected it. "Are you really going to eat that?"
He chuckled. Well, the desert is called a wasteland for a reason, he wanted to retort, but his mouth watered in hunger and decided not to waste any more time in regaining some much needed energy. He sliced off portions of the cooked moldorm and gobbled it up thankfully. Its taste was not much to his liking and it was tougher than steak, but it satisfied his pleading hunger.
As he sat there Link tossed a look to Midna, who sat on a boulder to his right. Her legs dangled at his eye level, and he watched her for a moment as she kept her eyes on the horizon. A thought stemmed from her refusal of Link's catch. He had never once seen his friend eat, neither a crumb of bread nor a sip of water, and he had to wonder how she had maintained a full belly throughout their journey together. Had she taken her meals while he had slept? What kind of food did the Twili eat? Did they even have the need to eat, or did they sustain their hunger in some other fashion?
Link could not help thinking about the manner in which Midna might eat. Did she require knife and fork as he expected was demanded of a member of a royal household, or would she happily dig out a healthy helping with those small fingers? The image of both brought a soft chuckle to his throat, which he tried to snuff out, but that became difficult when his laugh turned to a harsh cough from the rough meat he had just swallowed.
Midna turned to him in concern, but Link waved her off, dispelling the rest of his cough into a fist. He subconsciously kept his head turned as if afraid she would glean the truth of his cough by looking into his eyes. She stared at him a moment longer, watching as he then continued to eat his meal, slicing off another portion of the moldorm and biting it into his mouth straight from the grasp of his thumb and blade. Momentarily, the desert turned into the woods as she imagined what his life had been like before all this … before her. She imagined him sitting under a tree in the woods, graciously stoking a fire as he ate a proper meal of deer or rabbit or some such forest animal. He could be there right now had it not been for her, had she not been so easily cast aside by Zant … had she his courage.
Forest tumbled into desert once more, and she turned her eye from him, looking off into the western horizon. Once all this was over, would Link return home to that forest … or would he explore the lands beyond his kingdom, perhaps even whatever land it was that lurked in the distance?
She promised herself that he would see those days.
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Sometime in the later afternoon of the next day, Link and Midna crossed through the canyon that led back into the western rocks of Hyrule. It took them until evening to cross the Great Bridge of Hylia and approach Castle Town's west bridge. At this point, Midna had descended into her partner's shadow, for they were surprised at the flow of citizens moving out of the town's gates. Link passed each group of people with a concerned look. It was as if they were refugees fleeing the scene of a terrible battle, each cluster or family holding only to the items they would need for relocation. Horses drew carriages and carts along holding food and other necessities along with young children.
Link stopped and cast his gaze up to the castle walls. Hylian archers and soldiers lined the battlement above. Some had their backs turned, watching the goings-on within and others observed the evacuation. With the barrier still shielding Hyrule Castle, Link wondered why now, of all times, the soldiers had deemed it necessary for the residents to vacate the grounds.
The citizens seemed to raise their heads in recognition as they brushed past him. He heard whispers rise through the crowd as he approached the gates. He did not know if they were gossiping about his newest affliction of scratches and cuts or whether they were spreading the hope that he had come in their hour of need.
"Hello, Grasshopper!" a shrill voice called out. Link looked down and recognized the little girl named Agitha who had given him the wooden statue he had needed to help Ilia. She held her pink parasol in one hand as she carried her basket in the other. Something told Link that she had packed bugs instead of survival food. She was an odd one.
"I suppose you've come to help the soldiers," she said. "It's funny. They look like big beetles in all that armor, don't they?" She giggled and then continued on with the other citizens. She called back a blessing of good luck as Link watched her, blinking rapidly as he tried to shake the strange joviality of her comment.
Behind him he heard another voice, but this one was much older and masculine. "You know, if you came here looking to become a solider, you may want to change your mind; I won't say a thing."
Link turned to find an older gentleman kneeling down to reclaim the belongings that had apparently spilt from his satchels. Link bent over to help the old man gather apples, small trinkets, and other fruits and bread. With this gesture from a young lad, the older man's tone shifted. "Do you know what's been going on around here lately?"
Link knew from that question that the old man likely did not know who he was. Link remained silent.
"Hyrule was always known as a sacred land in the past," the white-bearded man said, "and even now it's protected by the royal family and other spiritual figures…. But there was a time when Hyrule was torn by conflicts that swept the land. The rumor is that these recent events may be caused by the leftover anger and misery of the souls who were driven from this land. By the look of that dark magic over the castle, I'd say the rumors are true. They say not even the soldiers can penetrate the wall. There seems to be little hope for the princess."
Together, they had refilled the man's bags, and Link helped him to stand once more against the support of his staff. "You best be on your way, boy. There is no hope left to be found here."
Link watched as the old man hobbled across the bridge, and sadness washed over the young warrior in that moment. Time seemed to pass slowly as he stood vigilant of all the departing inhabitants. He heard the whispers, the sobbing from children, the downcast glances from the adults, but he also heard a group of youngsters rolling away on a cart as they sang a tune to keep occupied on the long road ahead of them.
"Jovani, Jovani, idiotic troll. Blinded by greed, the imps took his soul." The melody brought Link out of his daze, and he head through the throng of people, shouldering his way through. The people who recognized his blond hair and intense blue eyes gasped or cheered at the sight of him so that by the time he reached the gate, the soldier who stood watch over the traffic already knew of his coming.
They stopped Link, for he was the only one trying to get in to the town. Link said nothing and neither did the guard who scrutinized him. The soldier tossed a look behind Link and immediately identified the legendary blade that had, in fact, bestowed the same title to its current owner. The appearance of the Master Sword was now known to all soldiers in the ranks of the Hyrulean army, as were the features of its bearer.
The solider, only after conferring silently with another guard, nodded Link on by cocking his head to the side, a stern look over his countenance.
Link did not wait for the soldier to change his mind and entered the streets of Castle Town. He looked to his right, down the western thoroughfare to see its cobblestone path stripped bare of most of the vendors' kiosks. The tables that had been left in the streets were pushed up against the houses and their boxes of goods shut up tight. Barely any of the houses were filled with light, and the few that cast out orange glows were only alive while their inhabitants packed up what belongings they could carry. Some of the people had even gone to the trouble to stay long enough to board up their doors and windows in fear of invading warriors ransacking their homes. At least this meant that they had not lost complete hope that the town would be lost forever.
As Link made his way along the stones, he took his steps slowly, looking all around. Evening had fully lit the sky, but instead of the red and violet paints that would normally brush its clouds, darkened gray had overtaken with the threat to rinse the town in rain. There was a calmness about its dulled appearance that sent a shiver through Link's spine. It was the still before the storm.
He noticed a few guards spreading light to the torches surrounding the square as he entered it. There were a few dozen residents encircling the fountain at the center, collecting water into buckets and waterskins. Some even took the opportunity to wash a few articles of clothing or blankets. None of the guards seemed to care how the citizens used the water in this time, but a few stood to the side, urging them to do what they needed and then move along to make room for any others that waited to use the resource.
Link longed to splash water in his face, to taste something so cool and luscious as this on his tongue again, but he refrained. Instead, he sidestepped the gathering to approach the bottommost tier of the wide steps that led up to the double doors that would lead on into the castle. There were two guards posted at these doors, and Link already knew that there was no way but by force that he and Midna would be able to pass through.
He did not stop at the bottom of the stairs, instead deciding to redirect his route over to the covered niche where a troupe of musicians had once entertained the people of Castle Town. Now, however, regular citizens and children were gathered here, and Link assumed by their stares into the surrounding crowd of the fountain that they had either been instructed to wait here for their turn or they were the family members of those now collecting water, waiting for their return so that they could join their place among the evacuees.
Quietly, Link slipped into the shadows here, leaning back against the furthest wall at the outer corner so that he could still have eyes on the castle's entryway. He was close enough to the mass to be mistaken as someone patiently waiting for water, but he was far enough away for the people to give him no attention.
He had not noticed that Midna had emerged from his shadow, and when she hovered close, he nearly grabbed his sword in mistaking her as a shadow beast. "To think that Ganondorf was just using Zant to help him return to the world of light," she said, and Link could almost detect a tone of pity for Zant having been so blinded by the power to realize how he had been used. "I guess now we know the true nature of that barrier."
They conferred in low voices on how best to gain entry without anyone's notice, but before they could agree on any one tactic Link felt a slight tug on his cloak. Turning, he found young Soal looking up to him. It was too late for Midna to disappear; the child had already seen her, but he did not seem to be afraid of her dark figure.
"I knew you'd come back," the boy said, his white puppy curled up in his arms. "Some of the other kids heard about you, what you've done for us. But they heard you had gone for good. They said you wouldn't come back, but I told them you would."
Link knelt down to the boy and cupped a hand over his shoulder with a smile.
Soal looked up at Midna. "Who's that?"
Link tossed a glance back at his partner, saw the wary look in her eye. "A friend." He said it while looking at her, and she turned a curious eye on Link before she nodded to the boy. Link turned back to Soal. "She has been helping me."
The boy smiled at her, and she was not sure what to do. She had never previously made small talk with a child, but before their conversation with Soal could deepen beyond simple greetings, they heard his mother calling. Midna sunk away from the torchlight as the mother stepped up to Soal. Link stood and nodded to her in acknowledgement. She smiled, pressed her palm against his breast, and exchanged a few words to thank him for everything he had done to try to prevent this day from coming. She then said her farewell and retreated into the western streets with and arm around her son.
As the couple passed by the fountain, a man sent a nonchalant glance toward them, returned to his attention to filling his bucket … then glanced up yet again, passing his vision to the columns from whence they had come. Immediately the man recognized the figure of the Hero shadowed by the stones and columns surrounding him. Leaving his bucket on the rim of the fountain, he charged over to where Link stood, taking each step as swiftly yet as casually as he could to avoid the notice of the guards.
Link suddenly felt a tight hand grip his left forearm, and his breath caught through his clenched teeth, for the fingers had grasped him round the wound he had sustained in the Twilight Realm. Pain turned to caution in a split second, however, and his right hand immediately dove for his dagger as he swiveled about to look upon the face of his attacker.
Coming face-to-face with Rusl stopped his hand mid-action. "Where in all of Hyrule have you been?" Rusl looked behind Link to see the strange imp he had seen only once before hovering nearby.
"It's a long story," Link answered. "When did the evacuation begin?"
"The order came three days ago. The Gorons left yesterday across the eastern bridge, likely headed back into their mountains. Now, the only road open is to the west. The last of the people are leaving now." Rusl released his grip on Link, and realized the flakes of dried blood on his fingers had come from Link's arm. He tossed a glance about, making sure the soldiers were occupied. "Come. Let's continue this inside."
Rusl watched as Midna descended into the shadow of the Hero and then beckoned Link to follow. He did so, stopping only momentarily as Rusl passed by the fountain to pick up his pail of water. Link questioned Rusl about what had been happening in the town since his absence, and the blacksmith answered each query at a length.
"The Hylian guards have seen movement within the bailey," he was saying now. "It seems that troops are massing within the walls, and the general of the army is afraid that an attack is imminent … which is why he ordered the evacuation. They've been monitoring the castle grounds from the battlements ever since the barrier appeared, but there was no sign of movement, which is apparently why the general didn't inform the people about what was really happening. There was nothing to report until now." Link listened intently as Rusl spoke, being sure to nod or lock eyes with each fleeing citizen they passed. The people needed hope now more than ever, and with a rumor about that Link had abandoned them, he hoped that with the appearance of his face again some kind of courage would return to their hearts.
Just as Link was about to ask what the Group had been doing to help, they had reached the bar. Epona had been tied up outside, and Link raced to her side. Surprise and happiness filled him in seeing his horse, and he patted down her mane, settling her glee in seeing her master alive and well.
"Shad returned with her just two days ago," said Rusl, answering the question in Link's eyes before her could put words to it. "And that's exactly why we've all been worried about you. He said you disappeared."
Rusl ushered Link inside; Link gave Epona a final caress and entered into the bar, where the moans of a half dozen Hylian soldiers greeted him. Link stopped in shock. He gazed about the room. Each of the six tables housed the makeshift bed of a wounded Hylian. Surrounding the tables were several of their comrades and medics who passed from one to the other. Link saw Telma making rounds with food, each graciously taking a drink of water or a helping of hot soup. For those that were more severely injured Telma took time to stop and help them eat.
He saw Ashei standing in the company of two of the standing soldiers, possibly talking about what a poor strategy they had used. Shad sat at the Group's regular table with Auru and another few soldiers. Link was not sure what they were discussing, but a map had been stretched out over the table.
Link turned to Rusl as he shut the door. "Was there an attack?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"What you see is the aftermath of trying to bring down the barrier," he said grimly. "The general tried for the first two days during the evacuation to bring it down. He wanted to strike down the enemy before they were ready."
"The barrier … did this?"
"That's right, honey." Link watched as Telma approached, setting down an empty tray on the counter of her bar. "Old Auru tried to talk reason into the general, but he wouldn't listen. Just marched his men right up to the wall. Swords, fire, battering ram … you name it, he tried it. And got a lot of his men nearly dead in the process."
"There must be more wounded then. Where are the other soldiers?" asked Link. "Did Doctor Borville--"
Telma snorted angrily. "That old coot? Of course not. First thing the evacuation was announced, he was gone. Coward." She let her fury simmer to a mild bubble before she continued. "The army has, however, taken up his hospital to house those worse off. He left behind most of his medicines and potions."
Worse? Worse than these? As Link surveyed the room and the soldiers with what were likely broken ribs and charred arms, he didn't know what could be worse. Then a memory came to him.
"Why didn't you just tell them about the sewer entrance through your cellar?"
Telma's shoulders slumped as she crossed to the other side of the bar. She brought out a hunk of bread and pushed it toward Link, but he did not touch it. Though he was still hungry, all the news of this evening had quieted his stomach.
"I did, honey," she said, "but when they investigated…. Turns out collapsing the passage was one of the first things those monsters did after they sealed off the castle. There's no way in or out that they've found, and there's nothing can break that barrier." She gathered up dirty dishes from the bar and began washing them out with a bucket already filled with dirty water. Apparently, she was rationing it, for there were about seven other pails behind her filled with clean water, and Rusl just then stepped up behind her to add the eighth he had just refilled.
The blacksmith came back around the bar then. "I think it's time you told us your story." He guided him into the other room, and Ashei noticed and followed. "Where have you been? Were you able to collect the last of the Mirror Shards?"
When Rusl asked the question all those within the room gave Link their firm attention; even the Hylian guards gave him ear, recognizing him instantly from the stories they had heard from both the Group and the citizens.
"Yes, ole boy, do tell us," said Shad. "The children were awfully worried about you, wondering where you'd gone off to. I had to leave after a few days, unfortunately. I had to come back to get some more books, you see, for the translations, of course. But … when I arrived, sadly, the town was being evacuated. I couldn't leave again. I feared they wouldn't let me back in if I left. I hope you don't mind that I used your horse. So, where did you go? Did you find anything about the Oocca? Is that why you left?"
Everyone except Link sent a glare or an odd glance toward Shad in that moment as he rambled. Link, however, only nodded as he replied. "I promise I will tell you everything once this is over."
After silencing Shad, Link approached the table and leaned against one of the chairs as Rusl and Ashei gathered. Telma, too, abandoned cleaning her dishes to listen to Link's story. He paused for a long moment, trying to find the best words, the simplest and quickest explanation.
"I was able to secure the last of the mirror pieces," said Link, "and with the Mirror reassembled I entered the Twilight Realm."
Everyone shifted in their seats or where they stood once Link told them this, but it was Auru who appeared the most concerned. "You really did use it…. That accursed Mirror."
"Oh dear," said Shad excitedly. "What was it like?"
With a nudge from Telma, he readjusted himself and apologized for his ebullient tone.
"I met the king of shadows in battle."
Telma gasped and clutched at her heart as the others just looked on in shock. They gazed over Link's battered and dirty appearance; blood and small bruises caked his checks, cuts had reopened on his fingers, and his arm bore gashes that were tying vainly to heal as they were as equally covered in sand as they were of scabs.
"I'm guessing from the fact that you stand before us that you defeated him," said Auru.
Link's mouth tightened into a thin line. How would he deliver this news? The Group waited with bated breath, and Link could tell that they realized the reality was not so black and white.
"I went into the Twilight Realm believing that it would put an end to this, put an end to everything." Link's eyes were downcast, as if ashamed in himself. Rusl, Auru, and Telma noticed this in him, and each wondered just what it was that Link was trying to tell them. "I thought that Zant and Ganondorf both lay within the Twilight … but I was wrong." He finally found the strength to look them in the eyes. "It was after I fought Zant, and defeated him, that I learned the truth. As long as his master remains alive, he will return from the dead. And now … Ganondorf has been reborn into Hyrule."
He let the truth of his words wash over them before he said anything more. They exchanged glances among themselves, trying to digest the complexity of what Link proposed. Was it true that all this time their greatest enemy lie dormant within their kingdom, waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Link waited for the fear in their eyes to level off, and then he continued.
"Ganondorf has been within the barrier this whole time. He was likely the one to have put it in place," he explained. "And now, that is where I must go."
They were still trying to register Link's words, their deepest fears creeping up on them. Ashei did the best in hiding her alarm, but she was not entirely immune to his tidings. Rusl was the first who spoke this time, reminding Link, "Nothing can get through that barrier." His tone switched to something near hysteria, and Link knew that it was solely his concern for Link's wellbeing. "You heard Telma. The guards have tried everything!"
Link met his mentor's gaze. "Not everything."
"You have a way through?" yelped Auru, incredulous.
Link nodded.
"How is that possible?" interjected Shad, somehow immediately transformed into a man of action. "We have been looking through these books for two days, researching all mentions of magic. There's nothing to explain this phenomenon. It's fascinating."
"And the blueprint of the castle," intersected Auru, as Link realized that the map splayed over the tabletop was of Hyrule Castle, "has led us nowhere. There is nothing neither physical nor magical that we can use to break the barrier. What way have you discovered?"
The tight line defining Link's lips turned into a frown as they looked at him. Auru's stare demanded an answer and would be furious, Link knew, if he withheld his method. His hands tightened over the back of the chair, as if trying to wring the right words for the answer to Auru's demand from its wooden frame. He shuffled his feet about one of the back legs of the chair, and he looked down, watched as his boot rubbed against the leg. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting anxiously for his reply, for the hope his news would bring them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mind had already been made up. He had made his choice after the death of Zant--even much longer before, he admitted. He could not lead them into the heart of danger.
"I must ask you now … for something none of you have ever wanted to give."
Link gazed up at them, passed his eyes over every visage before him.
"What is your plan, Link?" asked Auru, the anger in his eyes diminishing slightly from the sincere melody of Link's voice and the promise of helping him in the battle to come.
Link clenched his jaw and looked down at the map of Hyrule Castle, reminding himself that it was for their own good. "We must continue the evacuation … get the rest of the people out, and after they have gone … we must seal off the town. No one in. No one out. The soldiers should remain stationed where they are, protecting the boundaries and stationed to defend the castle gates if anything should come through once the barrier has been broken."
Auru and Rusl were nodding by the time Link had paused to take a deep breath.
"There's only a handful of citizens left," informed Rusl. "The evacuation should be done within the next hour … two at most."
"What is it then," asked Auru, "that you would of us?"
"We're ready to take the fight to them," said Ashei, a grim thirst for bloodshed staining her features.
Shad nodded as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Yes, you know you need only ask."
Link thought that perhaps it was this revelation that Shad was ready to pick up arms against their enemies that was the depth of the reason he needed to ask this of them. Shad was a man not the least bit formidable in battle and his involvement would likely only risk harm to himself unnecessarily … and in the process risk the lives of others. They were so ready to stand with him. It made what he had to say … what he felt obligated to ask … all the more difficult. This was the one favor that he knew none of them would have ever wanted to gratify.
A weary suspiration preceded his words. "I must ask you…." His gaze fell momentarily, but he recovered soon after to look at them. "To not follow me."
A roar of disagreement and argument exploded within the room, one that the tending medics of the other room could not quiet with their loud requests. Link had expected them to toss his words into debate. Ashei had the same deadly scowl across her face as had lit her eyes the time he had left for Snowpeak without her. She threw curses and insults at him for demeaning her abilities, and Auru and Telma demanded that she lower her tone just as Auru also turned more questions to Link. Rusl calmly argued Link's decision, saying something about him needing their support on the battlefield. Even the Hylian soldiers who had listened to Link's news and strategy hurled harsh words at him. As their fury rose, the Hylians refused to remain in Link's presence, calling back insults to his supposed heroism as they left. Shad was the only one who stayed out of the conversation.
Finally, as Ashei's voice rose and threatened to rattle the plates from their place at the bar, Link could stand no more of it. It was the first time he could remember ever really raising his voice to someone out of anger. "Enough!"
Their voices died out, and they again looked to Link. They were surprised at his tone, at the commanding volume of just one word from this young man.
Link's brows had furrowed. He pushed away from the chair, taking only one step away before turning to face them again. "Each and every one of you embrace me as the chosen hero. You wish me to take a stand, but each time I have made a decision that you do not agree with you treat me like a child." These first words were filled to the brim with his full frustration toward them and the way they had treated him through their time together. His tone steadily declined into one of desperation, the need that they fully understand why he could ask something so belittling of them. "In the world Ganondorf would give us, there would be no children. The innocence of every child would be taken. I did not ask for this life or the responsibility to be a Hero. My path was laid out before me. I was born into it. I did not choose it, but … I did accept it. I never understood why the gods chose me for this task. It wasn't long ago when the only world I knew was the woods of Faron." Link looked to Rusl here, as if trying to remember the simple days when his mentor and he would travel into the woods for something as humble as chopping wood or hunting to feed the bellies of the village folk.
His gaze hardened again. "But, no matter how alien it was to me at first … Hyrule is my home. It's as familiar to me as if I have ridden its fields all my life." He could not express the sheer admiration he had for the kingdom of Hyrule, how beautiful it was to him, how precious. His countenance fell into one that gazed inward. "I am no more a hero than the rest of you; you have all helped in saving Hyrule."
He noticed how their eyes perked at his recognition of their skills and their commitment to keeping their homeland safe. Even Ashei seemed to be moved by the words he spoke, though she tried not to show it. "But I know that I alone must face Ganondorf. I was given the gift of the goddesses for no less a fate … as was Princess Zelda. And so only we have the power to stand up to him." He stood before them, trying to reassure them that this was the right choice, that this was not something that they could do. "You have done more than enough, more than most. Now, I ask of you … I beg of you … give me your trust and your resolve. Allow me to carry out the role of Hero."
Link's words sunk into them, and at first they did not look at each other. Each only had eyes for him, searching his deep blue eyes intently, and each looked away in their own time to muse over what he had said. After a long pause, they began to cast glances round the table, conferring with each other silently. When at long last they had agreed on how to respond, it was Rusl who had apparently been elected to speak. He stepped around from the opposite side of the table to stand before Link.
"Link, we want you to understand. It has never been that we doubted your abilities." He touched Link's forearm. "What I mean to say is… It has been our deepest honor to serve you in your quest. Anything we did … any disagreement we voiced … it was done out of respect."
"I…" stammered Link. He gazed upon his old mentor for a moment as if looking at him for the first time. He had always thought their unwillingness to let him venture alone, their disapproval at some of his methods, to be merely some reluctance at accepting someone so young to be someone so important.
"Link, I have watched over you like a son for seventeen years. The very moment I saw the mark on your hand when I found you as a babe, I knew what one day might lie before you. I tried to prepare you as best I could, and I have watched you mature into a man, nay, a Hero. On this eve of our final battle, you must know how very proud of you I am." Link's nerves were awash with such emotion that he could hardly understand the tides that flowed through them in that moment. His mind felt dizzy suddenly, and he realized he had never been more proud, more thankful, that it had been Rusl who had reared him.
Rusl's eyes remained soft as his next words rose in his throat. He took the time to enunciate every word slowly and precisely, giving such life to them as Link had never heard from a human voice. "A hero is not defined only in battle. They also inspire. They bring hope of a new horizon. They return faith to faithless. You are a hero in every way. The courage of your heart is unmatched." Rusl smiled, and Link saw his surrogate father shed a tear for the first time, and he felt the same sensation tug at his own eyelids, but he held back the rain. "So, Link, I ask you … I beg you … let us stand together, for though you are the hero of legend … heroes need not stand alone."
The members of the Group behind them all turned to look at one another again and they smiled and nodded to each other. None of them could have said anything better.
Rusl's speech moved Link, and he found honor in what he had said, felt his words rattle him to his very core. He took a deep breath that wavered behind his lips. Before his emotions betrayed his resolve, Link nodded. He had only meant the gesture to thank the blacksmith for his kind words, but he was also fully aware that Rusl would mistake it as acquiescence to his terms. Link busied himself with looking down at his left forearm as his right hand played with the frayed strips of his sleeve. He listened to the cheerful voices of the Group as they rallied their support in what they had believed to be Link's surrender.
The blacksmith patted Link's shoulder as if to commemorate their compromise, and the Group went to work discussing the strategy they would need to use once inside the castle walls, the details of which they graciously left to Link. Link did not interject his opinion in the matter of how best to storm the castle because he knew that such discussion would be futile. They asked of his opinion, but Link shrank from their side by politely indicating how hungry he was. Further argument about going into the castle alone would prove just as pointless, for in their minds, the discussion was over. He respected how loyal they were, how selfless they were. But they were wrong. He would not lead them beyond the barrier, and he was fixed on that. Opening the armies of Hyrule into the inner sanctum of the kingdom's most feared enemy would do nothing but bring more needless death.
He knew what he needed to do. Now, all that was left for him to do was continue the ruse that he was in accordance with this new plan. He did not like to lie, but this was something he had to do in order to save lives, which was his ultimate mission as the hero chosen by the gods.
Rusl ushered Link away from the Group then, and Telma guided him over to the bar. He sat at a stool and waited in silence as she prepared a hot meal for him. His stomach lurched, thankful that its master had finally allowed it the pleasure of tasting food once more. As he sat there, forearms lying across the counter, he realized how tired he was. Telma served up a bowl of steaming stew and bread to dunk in the broth. As he gratefully scooped one spoonful after the other into his mouth, she poured him both a glass of hot milk and cold water, allowing him the choice of drink to soothe his palate.
With the way she continued passing looks toward the Group, he knew that they had silently elected her to be the one to watch over Link … and, more importantly, the exits. After he had finished the meal, he thanked Telma, took up the mug of hot milk, and then stepped over to the hearth on the other side of the room. He could feel the eyes of the Group and the Hylian soldiers on him as his unstrapped his scabbard and shield to set them against the wall. Next, he removed the bow and quiver and set them gently on the floor before them. After giving a weary stretch, he pulled a chair up to the hearth and sat down, extending the heels of his feet to rest upon a group of stones on the side of the hearth that jutted out more than the rest.
As he watched the dancing flames within, Link's eyes began to droop. He knew what he must do. He could not act yet. He would have to continue his deception until the perfect opportunity presented itself. Yet, he knew that now was no time to escape their eyes, especially since he wanted to be assured that all the citizens had vacated and would not come to harm with the breaking of the barrier. Just as they would be free to enter once it had been removed, the enemy force lying in wait would also then be able to descend upon the streets of Castle Town.
Needless to say, there was time for sleep, and Link grabbed it by the reins.
===============
A soft caress awoke Link to the night; he had been so tired that he could have sworn he had just fallen asleep. He blinked back the tiredness and focused on the mug he still clasped in his lap. The milk had not yet gone completely cold, so his intuition likely proved true, that he had not slept for long. He pulled his feet down from their perch and pulled himself up straighter in his chair, looking up to see that it was Rusl who had stirred him from his rest.
"The evacuation is nearly complete. It will be time to move soon," he informed. He was wearing his full armor, the attire Link had seen him in when first meeting the Group.
Link heaved a deep breath, pushing out the remainder of his sleep. He gathered himself up from his seat, set his mug down on the mantel, and started for his gear.
"Wait, Link," said Rusl, and Link turned a curious eye to him. "I have something to show you first."
Interested but a little confused, Link followed him as he led the way upstairs. Link tossed a glance toward the other room as they went and realized that Auru and Ashei were missing from the bar. He asked their whereabouts of Rusl as they made their way down the creaking floorboards of the upstairs hallway.
"Auru and Ashei went to deliver your message," he said.
"Message?"
"That you will bring down the barrier once the citizens are evacuated." Link nodded at the memory as the blacksmith continued, "And once Auru has the general's assurances to work with us, he will return while Ashei stays behind to make sure the general keeps his word." He winked back at Link at the last part, and Link knew that if anyone could keep a man like this general in line it would be the very abrasive Ashei.
Behind Rusl, Link stepped into the room in which he had spent several occasions resting and recuperating after hard journeys. The room looked very much the same, save for one addition. Rusl brought fire to the few sconces on the walls so that Link could see better. Distributed over a figure before the window was a collection of fine, golden armor. It was an ornate design, but the pieces that made up its grandeur were sparse, as if the suit had only been halfway completed. He looked to Rusl, a question in his eyes.
The older man smiled, with arms crossed. "A blacksmith doesn't only make weapons." He watched as Link turned back to the armor and took a few steps forward to touch the opal jewel embossed in the breastplate. "It's light as a quill, but stronger than most steel."
Link ran his fingers over the designs of the plate of armor, allowed his fingers to follow the curls and loops and turns of their image. Staring at the armor, he realized again that the battle ahead may yet prove to be the last time he took up arms. His lips gathered in tight consideration. Rusl stepped up to him after the long pause of silence and suggested that he try it on. Link accepted, and as Rusl went about removing the pieces from the figure, he directed Link to a basin of water set atop the dresser. Link graciously used the cloth provided to cleanse his face of the blood that had dried there from his encounter with the twilit keese. Though the water was barely warm, just the touch of the liquid against his skin revitalized him, perhaps even more so than his nap had.
Once Link had washed as best he could, he untied his cloak and through it up over the mirror at the dresser. Rusl then set about fastening the beautifully crafted breastplate over his chest. After this piece had been placed, Rusl worked to tighten the other pieces against his body. He strapped on pauldrons, to protect his upper arms and shoulders; next were delicately designed vambraces, of which Link only accepted one to replace the hard leather on his left arm. His right arm he wished to remain unguarded for better use of his shield. After his upper body had been protected, Rusl went to work with lacing a golden greave and solaret against each of his boots. Their whitened gold embellishments made the metal shine. Lastly, were poleynes that set perfectly over his knees.
When Rusl had finished, Link looked over himself, shifting his weight this way and that and bending his torso and arms. He found the armor was indeed light and surprisingly easy to move in given that the pauldrons made his shoulders seem much broader. He made only one adjustment, pulling the burgundy straps of his vambrace tighter against his forearm. Rusl yanked on his left pauldron at the armpit as if to give his seal of approval that the armor suited him perfectly. He passed Link an admiring grin.
"Well, it's quite modest, but it should do the trick," they heard from behind them. Spinning to meet the voice, they saw Midna floating in midair with a set of fingers stroking her chin, considering.
Link was not sure whether she was poking fun at the richness of its golden shine and embellishments or bringing light to the fact his new armor looked incomplete as it barely covered him, but it brought a smile to his face. He was relieved to know that even through the recent pain and sorrows she had been forced to endure, she had not lost her fiery spunk.
Rusl exchanged looks between the two of them, watching how they seemed to converse without words. He could see the emotion within each of them, and finally he perceived and fully understood the complexity of their bond in those moments. Whatever hardships they had faced before and after he had first met the impish creature, it was clear that their time together had solidified a great and unbreakable bond.
They heard a creak and click from downstairs and then the rustling of voices, and they sensed Auru's return. Rusl excused himself from the room and made his way downstairs. Link turned to clutch his cloak but paused momentarily to look over his body in the mirror. He shook loose of his thoughts then, thoughts of bitter finality, and swept the mantle back over his shoulders.
When Link stopped at the final step, looking into the bar past Telma's counter to the right, silence overtook the room. Auru indeed had returned and had been talking with Rusl and Telma when he heard the squeaking of the stairs. He looked over Link's new appearance with a grim yet supportive expression. Then their eyes met.
It was time.
===============
As a unit the four of them walked up the southern thoroughfare of Castle Town. Rusl and Auru led the way, both holding fast to the weapons sheathed at their sides. Link stepped along in their wake with Shad to his left. He tossed a quiet glance at the bookworm to find him adjusting the belt that hung awkwardly against his hip. This sight only reinforced the decision Link had made. If this man were to enter battle, there was no telling how many pieces in which he would exit.
Link turned his eyes back to the road, his mind working on how to escape his entourage. Yet, as they poured into the main plaza, there was still no avenue to which Link could turn. As they came upon the guards at the castle's main archway entrance, Link noticed that with the absence of the population the number of soldiers had multiplied.
They made their way up the tiered stones to reach the open gates that hung loosely on their hinges in the archway. A soldier tipped his spear toward them, halting them in their tracks. "All entry is strictly prohibited right now. I must ask you to go back!"
Auru and Rusl explained the situation, gesturing to Link as the young warrior looked beyond the hindrance. He took in everything and analyzed the resources available to him. His options were thinning and time was running out to think up a plan that would bar them entrance to the castle while still allowing himself to progress. His eyes darted from the gates to the inner rows of pillars which ascended with the inclining stone path. He turned to the soldiers within who stood among tools that had been broken in the attempts to break through the barrier by conventional means.
The guard finally allowed their admittance and shouted behind him, alerting a tall figure inside. This was the man of whom the Group had spoken, the general of the princess's army. Helmet resting under an armpit, he turned his brown-bearded face to them, his judging eyes instantly befalling Link as the Group approached. Ashei appeared from behind the general and gave a nod to Auru that she had held up her end. Link's eyes darted across the countless axes, spears, and swords that littered the ground amongst sporadic blotches of red. Further ahead, through the open double-doors that led to the bridge bearing the foundation of the barrier, he spotted the battering ram that Telma had mentioned.
The general eyed Link suspiciously as Auru introduced Link, who offered a nod of greeting. The general surveyed the young hero for a long moment before remarking gruffly, "So, you're the one they tell me has a way through the barrier." He pursed his lips. "You don't look like much." Link waited, could see his mind working the general stared into his fierce sapphire eyes. His tone altered only slightly. "But if the rumors I've heard are true, about your deeds of helping the people of Hyrule, then I will permit you to pass."
Link saw the man's eyes flash behind him, and he knew he now looked at the glistening blue hilt of the legendary Master Sword. If he were a true general of this castle then Link knew that he would have been privy to the knowledge of the myth from which the great sword had stemmed. Perhaps it was with that final thought that Link thanked him.
He then requested the general and the few soldiers walking and standing guard in the passage to move beyond the gates into the square. Link had been scheming during their entire exchange, and he now had a workable strategy. Although, not only did he ask this of them to gain some leverage between them and his entrance into the castle, he also genuinely feared for their safety. Midna had told him that she could use her magic to crack through the barrier, but they were unsure what effect it would have on the surrounding area. At their skeptical looks, Link voiced this concern to validate his request. They agreed … grudgingly.
The general ordered his men back into the square and called his archers to attention on the battlement above to prepare for any attack forthwith. One-by-one the Group left his side, and Link refortified his composure as they each looked at him in turn. Auru was the last to depart his company, but a sudden, lingering curiosity rose in Link, and he called back to him, "Auru?"
The older man turned to Link, waiting for him to speak the question in his eyes.
"The boy from your story…. The one from before…. What happened to him?" Link wanted, needed, to know that the old hero had lived a good life, that all the sacrifices he had made in his former life had done right by the world.
Auru smiled and approached Link again. "It's hard to say." He dug through the myth in his mind. "Some say … he went on to live out his days in Hyrule Castle as a knight. Others believe he settled down, had a family; others still, say that he left Hyrule, in search of adventure, never to return to his birth land."
Link took those thoughts within him and imagined each scenario as if it were his life … his ending. Auru as much guessed what he had been thinking and placed a palm over the shoulder of his pauldron. "This is not where your story will end." With that, he turned and left Link, the chosen hero, to bring down the barrier.
He passed his gaze over the many faces overlooking the scene, the men bunched around the fountain--keeping a safe distance from the barrier--and the soldiers with arrows nocked and ready to fly atop the battlements.
Link did not need to call for Midna; she knew that her moment had come. She ascended from his shadow, meeting an array of surprised and fearful gasps from those behind. Perhaps it was that Link did not flinch at the creature's sudden appearance or that he accepted her casual pat on the shoulder without a word that the soldiers behind relaxed their tense muscles.
Midna looked back at all the stares of wonderment and fear and for a blind moment her rage returned. She knew they thought her a monster, a dark shadow like those that had sent their world spiraling into a constant night. Her hatred for Zant and Ganondorf returned. Had it not been for them, she would not have held the guise of such a monster at all. Had it not been for their evil, the people of the light would not regard her in this manner.
She turned her crimson eye from them and gazed up at the barrier that held the castle prisoner. Hovering a few head lengths above Link, she took in the glaring majesty of the giant shell. Its mass rattled as its energy radiated, its golden yellows wavering with blacken areas that pulsated through its structure like passing clouds. There were patterns etched along every corner of the barrier as if it were a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that had been put together an improper fashion. Hyrule Castle was nothing but a black silhouette within its grandeur.
Ripping her eyes from its mass, she cascaded down from her niche in the sky and landed on her small feet before the double-doors that lay between them and the bridge holding the boundary of the magical wall. It surprised her how easy it was, calling on the full magic of her tribe. In the instant she concentrated on the task she wished to perform, the Fused Shadows appeared from the corner of her dimension and whirled about her. She watched in awe momentarily as she felt the power consuming her nerves, breathing new life into her as they twirled about her. The power rose within her, and it felt both shocking and amazing in the same moment.
Then, as if with a mind of their own, the Fused Shadows clapped together over her body, covering everything but her dangling limbs. Link almost ran to her when she gasped and her arms flew out in surprise, but when her body immediately calmed with her arms once more resting peacefully at her sides, he resisted the urge.
The rattling of the barrier before them then was nothing compared to the deep rumbling coursing from Midna's imprisoned body. The four separate pieces shook and rocked in place, the edges of where they had been broken quite distinguishable as their energy built and built. The night seemed drained of all color save a deep reddish yellow that glared down from the clouds blotting the heavens.
Link had not known what to expect, and from the flexing of Midna's fingers … neither had she. He knew that the use of the magic drained her, perhaps even hurt her, but he could do nothing to stop it. Even if he needed to, he was not sure if he could have.
He watched on as Midna's body then flung away from the stones. She was tossed roughly into a pillar on the right by the invisible strings of the magic as if a puppet. She yelped at the pain of the hit, and Link's hands fisted involuntarily, knuckles white as snow. He was forced to bear witness to the cruelty of the magic, hurling her left into the wall and then upward against the opposite side again. She screamed painful groans each time her body slammed into the solid stones, until she was finally flung over the right side of the wall.
Link could hear the fearful gasps behind him, could feel the anxiety return to each and every body that looked on, but Link held his ground. If he panicked, so would the mob, and at that point, he would be unable to dispel their fright.
A quiet moment lingered, one that teased the Hylian soldiers and constricted their minds so tightly with fear that half of the soldiers were either frozen or running before Midna even made her reappearance. It was the sounds that then licked the air that had scared them so greatly. A watery moan, like the shifting sands of nightmares, and the crashing force of the invisible waves boomed and pulsed against their ears, threatening to vibrate their hearing so harshly that deafness would surely handicap them for the rest of their lives.
The ground shook beneath them and the very stones around them threatened to jostle free. That was when the deep moans of the magical tides burst forth and rose from beyond the east side wall when Midna had last been sent hurling. A giant golden hand clapped onto the wall, the glimmering, watery surface of its arm descending into peridot greens and deep blacks. Its fingers tightened around the stones it found there as if sucking at them to stay afloat. Another great hand arose and latched on, and with that the headpiece of the Fused Shadows climbed above the wall to greet the countless frozen faces of the Hylians. The soldiers' mouth hung wide open, staring in awe at the creature before them, their fear at such magnitude that they each seemed to have been crystalized where they stood.
The booming figure of the new Midna, the shadow monster of the Interlopers' magic, wailed as it drew up the remainder of its appendages to bring it to its full height on its stone perch. Five additional limbs grew out from its massive body, and after steadying itself, it pushed off the stones, launching it at impossible speed toward the barrier.
It landed against the deadly slope of the yellow wall, and struggled only momentarily to gain firm footholds against the magic. Next moment, it reached back with its rightmost hand, its limb coiling round and round until a great javelin manifested within its grasp. Its sparkling construction made it appear that the shadow monster had plucked a bolt of lightning from the sky which was ready to drench the land with its approaching storm.
After steadying itself with the added weight, the monster reared its giant hand back, and with great and powerful force it stabbed the spear into the barrier.
Link watched from below as a blinding ray of white and golden light blasted into the sky from the crack in the surface of the barrier. The crack widened and popped and rumbled as it deepened throughout the reflective surface. He and the Hylians behind him threw up their arms to shield their faces from the light enveloping the night sky. It was the brightest, most powerful, light Link had ever seen, and it stretched the length of the barrier. As the crack webbed across it, light rays of equal magnitude bolted outward. The combined light threw away the night as if a second sun, but as it radiated through the sky, shattering the barrier into pieces, Link blinked through its brilliance to see the monster diminishing into a familiar, little black body.
Midna fell like a deadweight through the sky, tumbling down, down, down.
Link threw himself forward.
Moments later, when the light had finally receded, the Hylians all cheered. The barrier was no longer. Rusl and the rest of the group shouted in glee.
Midna groaned.
Blinking, she struggled to open her eyes. She felt weightless still, but she did not understand where she was. Another light groan escaped her lips as she lay there, wondering if she had managed to break the barrier. As her senses gathered, she moaned at the pain and the numb weakness that infested her body. She felt warmth embracing her.
Her eye took a moment to focus when she looked up and found Link's eyes very close and staring down at her. A warm smile adorned his lips, and Midna realized that he was holding her in his arms. Her head leaned up against his right shoulder, and she felt his hands cuddling her close against him. She was too weak to smile in return, her lips fading into a faint and thoughtful line. He cocked his head slightly as his smile reduced to a small grin. Their eyes said everything in that moment. They did not need words to express the warmth they felt inside.
Link was the first to look away, casting his gaze up to the now accessible castle, and Midna followed his gaze as her lips parted in shock and delight that she had succeeded. The castle and their final confrontation beckoned, but first….
Link turned about to face the open gate of the archway. The Hylians were still frozen in awe that the barrier had indeed been broken, and those that were capable of movement, clapped each other's shoulders and pounded their fists into the air in cheer. Link looked between them and Midna, and she understood the frown that stretched even into his eyes.
He adjusted Midna in his arms so that he would be able to freely move his left arm without jeopardizing her cradle and then approached the archway. He paused there a moment, watching all the smiling and confident faces that stared back at him. Even the general seemed impressed. In that instant Link found the eyes of Rusl, who also had his sights locked on the young Hero. It was in that silence that the blacksmith's eyes widened and the smile faded from his lips. Link's eyes betrayed him, giving light to the ruse he had been playing all along.
Link was already slamming the gates closed as Rusl started his sprint, and by the time Link had slid all the locks into place, the blacksmith grabbed onto the silver bars and yanked. Link had taken a few steps back at this point, watching painfully as the man who had raised him pulled and banged on the bars that separated them. A look of betrayal showered Rusl's features in that moment, and it was all Link could do to keep from breaking down at the tears welling in his mentor's eyes.
"Link…. Why--What are you doing?" he begged.
Link clenched and relaxed his jaw before answering. "I am giving Hyrule back to its people … and its princess."
By this time the rest of the Group had approached the gates, and the Hylians and their general were on their way.
Rusl pleaded. "I have no doubt that you have the courage to stand against him, but Link--"
The Hero cut him off. Link said the words slowly, meaning every word as his eyes grew vacant and yet strong in the same instant. "If my single life can save the lives of thousands…." He swallowed hard. "Then I will gladly sacrifice it."
Link took a few more steps away and glanced to Midna, who, by his command, used what little strength she had to strike the gates with her magic. Her power helped to stabilize the locks and hinges so that the soldiers would find it harder to break apart, but Link knew that Midna was considerably weak, and the magic would not hold for long. He had to see to his mission before they had time to break through his defenses … or find another way around.
He turned his back on them, Rusl calling in desperation for him not to go without them. But Link passed through the double-doors, pushed and barred them shut, and asked Midna for the last of her strength to magick its locks as well.
They faced the castle together, looking up at its towering majesty once more. A darkness crept within them as rain began to fall, a jolt of lightning flashing in the sky behind the castle. Somewhere deep within the confines of its stone walls they would find the mastermind behind the evil which had crept over Hyrule. Midna, however, was too frail at the moment to face any threat, and after they agreed, she disintegrated into the shade beneath him to rest and regain her energy.
Standing alone then Link thought it was perhaps just his nerves, but he had the distinct sense that the eyes of Ganondorf were upon him.
===============
Lightning flashed and silhouetted his dark frame. Already he stood within the shadows of the night, but with the clapping thunder of the sky above his tall stature grew even more foreboding. He felt a power stir within him as the storms raged on in the heavens, as if the skies themselves held objection over his reign. Yet, it was not protest that he saw deep within the clouds but a reflection of his anger, his hatred, the mirror that revealed the sheer and raw power he held.
The booming skies echoed the dreams of his heart.
He flexed his fingers tighter over the railing of the balcony, his right fist tensing with the energy coursing through his veins. The power sustained him, but it also left him thirsty for more, a hunger so deep, so infinite, that nothing he had could quell it.
And he loved this feeling.
When the barrier had broken into a thousand shards of light, he had stepped out onto the balcony outside the castle's throne room to watch in silence as the light slowly faded to reveal unguarded stormy skies once more. The breaking of the barrier had not angered him. It had filled him with pleasure, the deep hunger within him spiking as he felt the power of his being radiate from his right hand.
The boy was close. He had heard the whispers on the tongues of the soldiers he had slaughtered who had unfortunately caught themselves within the confines of the castle when he had seized control over it. Whispers of the Hero, a young man from the forests of Ordon of whom his twilit slave had mentioned.
Mention of this Hero brought an old, ancient memory back to him. The memory of a small boy who had swayed the king of old that he was in some sense evil. That boy had foiled his plans and he had never understood how. He had stood before his ultimate prize, the Triforce. With a swift hand he would have taken that which he had every right to behold. But the boy….
He remembered the rage and the way his blood had boiled as he had stood chained before the sages. He could recall in every gritty detail the way their hollow eyes had judged him. The screaming hiss he had unleashed in the moment before his death had cursed them and the gods they served. Then had come the cold, harsh sting of their light, which had pierced his very heart and soul and sapped him of all life.
But … his hatred for them…. His absolute resentment for their power…. The cruel sentencing that had left him to be executed surrounded by the very sands of his homeland….
His hatred had revived him, and he had found new power, one that he had unleashed without at first having full control of its overwhelming effects. With a single thought, he had envisioned the sages mutilated, and in the next instant, he had had the strength of a god, snapping his restraints as if they were straw, ripping the blade of the sages from his chest, and murdering a sage with one lunge of a fist.
Yet, with all that power, they had still found a way to deny him. Torn from the world of light, he had existed without form for many long years until he had discovered his perfect opportunity, the perfect vessel for his power. With the help of the pitiful being of the Twilight, he had been reborn unto this realm, and now, he could unleash the crushing fist of his power once again. Hyrule … its princess … its people would feel his wrath, his ultimate hatred. He would punish them for the crimes committed by their ancestors and claim everything that should have been his so long ago.
Already, he had obtained the princess, bearer of a third of the goddesses' power, and with the coming of this forest boy--this puny Hero--he would at last be able to assemble the Triforce.
All he need do was kill the boy.
His square jaw coiled into a grin. The hour of his triumph was at hand.
===============
When Link had crossed the bridge over the moat and pushed open the left door of the entrance carved ornately with the royal family crest, the castle bailey greeted him in dull colors. He took in the details in mere seconds, but the majesty of it seemed to overtake his senses. The fine stone paths leading up to the grand entrance of the castle and forking off to the left and right courtyards were overgrown with moist grass. A grand statue rose before him, constructed of a long silver pole capped with a single, golden triangle. Surrounding the central pole were two other silver rods that twisted about to rise forth in a helix pattern, only to part at the top, each spreading outward like wings bearing the power of the gods.
He could not help a gaze up at the castle, its towers and pinnacles looming upward, the central castle connected at various angles to the outer parapets and flanking and corner towers via several catwalks. Dark blue stones topped the roofs of each spire and building.
Link drew his stare from the castle and noticed that two identical statues as the one before him stood toward the back of the west- and eastward courtyards. Glancing in these directions pulled him back to the realization that the forces of his enemy had without doubt seen the fall of the barrier. He suddenly became aware that the army of his enemy had turned the bailey into an encampment. Fires and torches lit the area, and Link could see where each troop had tucked in and declared claim over a spot in the grasses.
The soldiers were bulblins and bokoblins--with a few kargarok birds of prey perched or flying in circles above--and most still seemed dazed from the light that had overtaken the sky only minutes ago. It was not long before they took notice that the bailey door had been opened, and Link only just leapt out of the way of their vision, thankful that it was by the aid of the night shadows that had kept him shielded completely.
Crouching in the shadows to the left behind a hedgerow, he watched as bulblin archers nocked their arrows in preparation for an attack as two bokoblins slowly crept up to the open door. One stuck its purple head into the crack and saw no sign of any intruders. Shrugging and signaling an all-clear to the archers, the bokoblins pushed the door shut once more and took the time to set its accompanying wooden beam into the slots. Link heard them mumbling explanations, hearing the words "wind" and "rumbles" tossed back and forth.
Though it seemed the enemy force had remained ignorant to his presence, he did not for one moment assume that they had not been put on alert. He would rather overestimate a foe rather than stake his life on their ignorance. The troops littered the grounds so densely that passage to the entry doors would prove beyond impossible without first being seen and surrounded by the massive hordes. Even if he managed a miracle in reaching the doors, they had been chained shut by massive links that joined together in a lock that hung just above the door handles.
He would need to find an alternate route into the castle.
Link moved left as he remained in a crouch and kept to the greenery, the shadows of the row of trees alongside the hedges also helping to blanket him from the eyes of anything that moved. When he had at last come to the westward wall of the main courtyard, the number of soldiers had decreased to a sporadic few, and two bokoblins guarded the doors leading into the grounds beyond.
Quietly, Link approached them. He drew his dagger and snuck up behind the first bokoblin carefully. Once he had the proper angle, he flew at the bokoblin, threw a hand around to its face and yanked. In an instant it fell with a broken neck, and its partner noticed the appearance of the assassin immediately. Prepared for this, however, Link launched himself onto the soldier, one hand covering its mouth, while impaling the dagger through its heart with the other. The force of the impact of Link's body had caused them to stumble back into the wall, but once Link knew his enemy was dead, he tossed the body to the ground, hiding it in the shadows. He belted the knife once more, slid the other limp body from sight, and then silently slipped through the doors.
In the western courtyard, more troops littered the area. Still, there were too many to take on, and so Link dove to the right where the tall grasses and the fence lines would help to conceal him. Adding to his fortune was the fact that a few pairs of bokoblins were sparring with each other. The noise of their swords screeching as they attacked completely masked the sound of his squishing footsteps. He tossed ever watchful glances toward them as he crept and was disturbed at the way they drilled. Unlike the way Rusl had trained Link--and how every Hylian soldier was trained, he was sure--these monsters did not pull their attacks if their partner failed to parry or dodge. They were doomed to suffer the consequences of their novice skills.
Link managed to bypass them, all the while searching the periphery of the castle for any indication of another way in. Not even the stone walls were climbable, and even if they had been Link was not sure he would have surrendered to that avenue. The chance of falling and the chance of being spotted by the troops would have made such a choice suicide.
There had to be another way in, he thought, and he continued along, shielded by the shadows of the storm clouds, but also somewhat exposed when lightning flashed in the sky.
When he reached an open gate, he first looked around the walls inside. This area was square in formation and it looked as if it were a training ground. If that were the case, he wondered why the bokoblins had not chosen to practice their techniques in here. Of course, however, he could not complain, for the area appearance empty and he saw that as a good sign.
He darted into the training ground, at last free of the anxiety of being caught by Ganondorf's minions. He took the reprieve for what it was worth, for if this proved to be a dead end, he would have to descend once more into the hordes. And even if he did manage to find some means of accessing the castle alternately, he knew it would not be long before he faced more foes, and not all of them would be those he could as easily circumvent.
Stretching slightly from slouching for so long, Link went to work feeling along the walls of the castle. He hoped to find some hidden passage somewhere, for it seemed logical that a castle would have secret passages for emergencies like these to usher the royal family away from danger. At that his mind was reminded the sewer. That was the secret passage, and he thought that surely his efforts were in vain and that there would be no other path but the front door.
Almost desperate to avoid the onslaught of the horde, Link glanced up, scrutinized the stones, and he deliberated over just how difficult it would be to scale the wall. He ran his left hand over a few stones, thinking.
Then a giant axe came crashing into the stones only inches away from his fingers. Immediately on guard, Link twirled on his heel to come face-to-face with an ogre. Its small beady eyes glared into Link, glowing red against the backdrop of the raging storm. One of the horns protruding from the top of its head had been hewn in half. Silver vambraces covered its muscular arms, and its large, green belly folded over a loincloth with light armor and sandals protecting its soles.
It almost looked like the same ogre Link had slain for kidnapping Colin nearly a month ago, except its eyes seemed less fierce and its cheeks hung with slightly more fat. Either way, Link had no choice but to engage this enemy.
As the ogre, likely the commander of the bulblin and bokoblin army, yanked on its weapon and unsheathed it from the stone just as Link drew his sword. Link rolled to the side to dodge the axe as the ogre pulled it away from the wall in a wide, sweeping motion. The bulk of the creature plagued its movements with slow reaction time, as Link learned with the way it swiveled its mass around to face him. The agile Hylian backed away from his foe, making the ogre ease away from the wall with sluggish footsteps. Link only hoped that if the bokoblins he had left behind heard the noise of their duel that they would pass it off as just another sparring match between allies.
The ogre heaved up its axe, which gave Link fair warning that another attack was coming. Its swing came so slowly that Link had more than enough time to dodge it as it thundered into the ground the same time that lightning's echo reverberated across the grounds. Link used this opportunity to run up the length of the pole of the axe to strike at the monster's head, but its reflexes and strength surprised Link by tossing him up and over his target instead.
Link somersaulted in midair to readjust his body to land firmly on his feet. Then the ogre flung itself toward him with a mighty spin of its body, an attack that reminded Link of Zant's final assault. His new opponent, however, did not waste all its energy on one attack, and after it realized it had no effect on its nimble prey it suspended the attack, drawing the axe in close once more. The Hylian was quick to respond, hoping to land a strike past its defensive stance, but the ogre blocked his attacks, using his axe like a bo staff to parry each thrust or slice in turn.
The ogre shoved against one of Link's strikes and managed to force him backward and unbalance him only slightly. It took this opportunity to thrash down with its rusted blade, but Link was quick to regain his footing. Learning from his failed attempt of running up the axe, Link instead rolled around to the ogre's exposed side while its weapon lay imbedded within the earth.
He popped up from his roll like a spring and drew his blade up across the ogre's back. Dark blood spilled from its pierced flesh, and it growled in a low whine. It was able to pivot around to defend against Link before any further damage was done. Link's attacks again met the staff of its weapon.
"Enough," boomed its deep, guttural voice, and Link took several careful steps away from his enemy, wary to remain on guard, but respectful to hear its request. If this proved to be some kind of ruse, Link would be ready to defend himself. But, true to its tone, his enemy relaxed its posture. "I follow the strongest side," it bellowed. "That is all I have ever known."
It let out a curious low growl and a gate opened on the far side of the training area that Link had not been able to see through the haze of the stormy air. From within its confides rode three giant boars. One's saddle bore no rider, but the other two each held two bulblin archers. Though their bows were shouldered as they approached, Link readied his saber.
The commander held up a pleading hand. "They mean no harm. They ride with me. I ride with the strongest; I ride with you, little Hylian."
Link's eyes darted from one figure to the next, sure that this was some kind of deception, but his instincts trusted the beat of the ogre's words, and he relaxed his posture. He cocked his head as an idea came to him then. Before he made his request, Link took another critical look across the ogre and its cohorts before making the decision if he could truly trust them.
===============
When Link had prepared for his journey into the castle, he had equipped only those items which he was sure he might need to use in reaching and battling Ganondorf. As usual he had his sword, shield, and bow. The only other weapons he had brought with him he kept on his belt: the dagger, which he had already used to progress through the courtyard, and … a pouch of bombs. He still had four of the small devices left since using one in the city in the sky.
Link's plan would work perfectly if the ogre and his loyal minions remained faithful to their truce.
The giant bulblin and his men galloped through the courtyard of training bokoblins, launching their axes and arrows into the swarm. The troops were stunned by the sudden attack by their commander, and after those still living recovered their senses, they roared and countered by racing after them, each trying to land a swipe on their new enemies.
Riding its giant boar, the ogre burst through the doors that opened into the main area of the bailey. Startled shrieks and angry growls thundered through the air, mixing with the sounds of the crackling heavens. The archers on overwatch called out the threat, alerting every soldier within the grounds to the danger of their mad commander. Arrows plugged the ogre, but its thick skin proved resistant to the full brunt of each blow. It sliced through the throng of troops as if they were butter. As the archers grew more desperate, they light their arrowheads aflame before shooting them down into the crowd.
This was when Link made use of the distraction he had engineered, entering the courtyard with bomb in hand. As the bulblins and bokoblins--and even the kargaroks--were busy entertaining their lethal guests, Link skidded to a flaming arrow that had missed its mark. As he bent and lit the fuse on the explosive, he regained his former speed, and to be assured it would not bounce away before its fuse was extinguished he chucked the bomb toward the chained double doors at the last moment.
Several things happened at the same time after this moment.
Link rolled under a swinging blade and uprooted an arrow while grabbing his bow into his right hand. When he popped up, he had taken a partly crouching stance, a knee and foot centering his balance as he aimed.
Huge chain links and splinters burst outward and impaled several surrounding troops as Link released his arrow, and the courtyard was engulfed in flame and smoke. As his arrow met the heart of a sentry, Link made his way through the cloudy debris field. He charged through as the soldiers around him were still fighting, and they were so disoriented at what was going on that they had started to fight among themselves, placing blame wherever it best suited their survival. Link swung his bow like a sword as a bulblin approached from out of nowhere, and it was hurled back at the force of the blow.
Once Link cleared the courtyard, he leapt over some of the stones of the steps that had been jostled free, and bounded into Hyrule Castle.
On the way back through the dark palace, Link let his mind wander. He reflected on his confrontation with Zant, and how the Triforce had truly twisted the usurper's mind. It had almost been like looking into a dark mirror, seeing what he could have become if he had made different choices along his journey. The images that Lanayru had shown him of the Interlopers came back and the memories of their sinister faces hung within his mind.
Questions hung in Link's thoughts. He was the rightful heir to the Triforce, the blessing of the goddesses. Zant had not been. Link had always been a person of right and good, but now he had to wonder…. Was there a power that could change that? Could he ever become infused with the same sinister darkness that had lived within Zant … the Interlopers? Or was it because of his status as the true Hero of legend that he had always been a selfless person? Was its power the only thing protecting him from the temptations of other men, the temptations of evil thoughts? What would he be without the blessing of the gods? Who would he have become if not the Hero?
Had he been given the mark of the gods because of his courageous heart, or had the blessing created courage within him?
Link stopped when he realized that they had reached the periphery of the square and that Midna had stopped in her tracks, looking out at the sight of her people stumbling around as if blind. They reached out, conferred with each other, tried to make sense of their situation.
Midna surveyed her people with a glazed expression. She did not saying anything, and Link did not interrupt her. Her eye drifted from one body to another until finally her vision rested upon the twilit sky, its deep violets and blinding yellows casting a watery reflection in her eye.
Link thought he understood what must have been going through her mind. He thought perhaps that she whispered an unvoiced goodbye to her people, words that would live within them if she were to never return home. Link braided his fingers together before him and stood silently at her side. He offered her all the time she needed.
In the long moment Midna remained hovering there and absorbing the landscape she had once described as having serene beauty, Link pondered what form Midna would take if the curse of Ganon was lifted. Each of the Twili were either a few heads taller than the average Hylian or were the same size as the Twilight Princess was now, impish. Would her figure take on only a somewhat different appearance, or would she become one of the taller ones with the slight hunch in their shoulders?
Suddenly he realized the pessimistic tone his thoughts had taken. If the curse was lifted…. The curse would be removed. They would defeat this dark lord, and they would reclaim all that had been lost to them, all that had been lost to both their worlds. In that moment, as Link looked to Midna, he realized he would do anything to erase the numb look on her face. Even if all hope looked to be lost, even if he wavered in face of battle, even if his very breath faltered … he would maintain his oath to an old mentor.
For as long as there was life in him, for as long as there was another step needing to be taken … he would pick himself back up. He would march on.
As Link's vow echoed within his bones, Midna turned to him. She had the same look in her eye, one that said she would willingly sacrifice her life for the sake of their mission. But Link swore to himself that as the Hero, he would never allow it to be her. If someone's life had to be forfeit … it would be his.
After all, Link was not the reigning monarch of Hyrule. That honor was bestowed upon the princess Zelda. Midna, too, was a leader. The people of the realms would need their sovereigns after the battle was won. In a time of peace, a time when the pieces were to be healed, Link thought there would be little use for a hero to save the day after it had indeed already been saved. Link was a warrior, a soldier, and in the aftermath of the final battle he did not expect there to be much need for his role to continue.
Together, Link and Midna marched back into the light … both ready to give their life so the other could survive.
===============
Once they had rematerialized within the Mirror Chamber, Link and Midna had expected to be greeted by the sages and final words of wisdom, but it was perhaps due to the guilt of which they had convicted themselves that they remained silent and unseen.
Night still reigned in the skies above, making the eve of their return seem all the more ominous. The air was still, and once they had trekked back through the dungeon to come to the boundary of the encampment Link found the reason for the disquiet in his bones. A storm approached Hyrule from a southward wind, and if Link understood the signs in the clouds, the storm would be upon the town only a day ahead of their arrival.
Link began the long road back through the rising and falling dunes and tried to stave off the hunger licking at his insides for as long as he could. What water he could drink due to his rationing was not near enough sustenance, and by noon of the next day, he could ignore the sensation no longer. He crept up on a shaded area where he had seen the sands shifting from about a quarter-mile away. Through this pocket of sand protected from the sun by a short ridge of crags, Link hunted one of the many moldorms that slithered through the area.
He had climbed up onto one of the rocks to get a better view of their nesting ground and found that they stuck together mostly and only to one portion of the rocks. He glimpsed a single pocket of sand moving near the center of the ridge and slunk down and moved across the rocks to approach it, moving steadily away from their main group as he did so. It did not take him long to corner his prey, as it merrily skittered through its sandy blanket, unbeknownst to the danger of the looming Hylian. As the moldorm glided along, it came to a dead end. That was when Link made his move.
Knowing from his observation of their nest, Link knew that the moldorms could tunnel under the sand. It was unclear just how deep they could dive, but he was not about to take the chance that his meal would escape by tunneling under the barrier. He speared the sands with his Master Sword and raised it again with grim smile.
Moldorms were encased by a tough outer shell, stretching the length of their snakelike bodies. Its gray head, with its triangular maw accompanied with three ugly fangs, would be completely inedible. However, the soft underbelly of the creature would provide him with enough nourishment to continue his journey back to into Hyrule's mainland.
He moved to the west side away from the gathering of the other moldorms and prepared to roast his catch. Had Midna not been with him, scouring the desert for fire-starting supplies would have taken quite a while. Before he asked her help, however, knelt down in the sands and took dagger in hand. He worked its steel through the hard carapace of its head and back and soon separated them from the fleshy body. He stabbed his sword through it once more and held it out. One zap from Midna's magic charred the meat instantly and perfectly.
Before he took to his meal, he offered Midna a sliver. She rejected it. "Are you really going to eat that?"
He chuckled. Well, the desert is called a wasteland for a reason, he wanted to retort, but his mouth watered in hunger and decided not to waste any more time in regaining some much needed energy. He sliced off portions of the cooked moldorm and gobbled it up thankfully. Its taste was not much to his liking and it was tougher than steak, but it satisfied his pleading hunger.
As he sat there Link tossed a look to Midna, who sat on a boulder to his right. Her legs dangled at his eye level, and he watched her for a moment as she kept her eyes on the horizon. A thought stemmed from her refusal of Link's catch. He had never once seen his friend eat, neither a crumb of bread nor a sip of water, and he had to wonder how she had maintained a full belly throughout their journey together. Had she taken her meals while he had slept? What kind of food did the Twili eat? Did they even have the need to eat, or did they sustain their hunger in some other fashion?
Link could not help thinking about the manner in which Midna might eat. Did she require knife and fork as he expected was demanded of a member of a royal household, or would she happily dig out a healthy helping with those small fingers? The image of both brought a soft chuckle to his throat, which he tried to snuff out, but that became difficult when his laugh turned to a harsh cough from the rough meat he had just swallowed.
Midna turned to him in concern, but Link waved her off, dispelling the rest of his cough into a fist. He subconsciously kept his head turned as if afraid she would glean the truth of his cough by looking into his eyes. She stared at him a moment longer, watching as he then continued to eat his meal, slicing off another portion of the moldorm and biting it into his mouth straight from the grasp of his thumb and blade. Momentarily, the desert turned into the woods as she imagined what his life had been like before all this … before her. She imagined him sitting under a tree in the woods, graciously stoking a fire as he ate a proper meal of deer or rabbit or some such forest animal. He could be there right now had it not been for her, had she not been so easily cast aside by Zant … had she his courage.
Forest tumbled into desert once more, and she turned her eye from him, looking off into the western horizon. Once all this was over, would Link return home to that forest … or would he explore the lands beyond his kingdom, perhaps even whatever land it was that lurked in the distance?
She promised herself that he would see those days.
===============
Sometime in the later afternoon of the next day, Link and Midna crossed through the canyon that led back into the western rocks of Hyrule. It took them until evening to cross the Great Bridge of Hylia and approach Castle Town's west bridge. At this point, Midna had descended into her partner's shadow, for they were surprised at the flow of citizens moving out of the town's gates. Link passed each group of people with a concerned look. It was as if they were refugees fleeing the scene of a terrible battle, each cluster or family holding only to the items they would need for relocation. Horses drew carriages and carts along holding food and other necessities along with young children.
Link stopped and cast his gaze up to the castle walls. Hylian archers and soldiers lined the battlement above. Some had their backs turned, watching the goings-on within and others observed the evacuation. With the barrier still shielding Hyrule Castle, Link wondered why now, of all times, the soldiers had deemed it necessary for the residents to vacate the grounds.
The citizens seemed to raise their heads in recognition as they brushed past him. He heard whispers rise through the crowd as he approached the gates. He did not know if they were gossiping about his newest affliction of scratches and cuts or whether they were spreading the hope that he had come in their hour of need.
"Hello, Grasshopper!" a shrill voice called out. Link looked down and recognized the little girl named Agitha who had given him the wooden statue he had needed to help Ilia. She held her pink parasol in one hand as she carried her basket in the other. Something told Link that she had packed bugs instead of survival food. She was an odd one.
"I suppose you've come to help the soldiers," she said. "It's funny. They look like big beetles in all that armor, don't they?" She giggled and then continued on with the other citizens. She called back a blessing of good luck as Link watched her, blinking rapidly as he tried to shake the strange joviality of her comment.
Behind him he heard another voice, but this one was much older and masculine. "You know, if you came here looking to become a solider, you may want to change your mind; I won't say a thing."
Link turned to find an older gentleman kneeling down to reclaim the belongings that had apparently spilt from his satchels. Link bent over to help the old man gather apples, small trinkets, and other fruits and bread. With this gesture from a young lad, the older man's tone shifted. "Do you know what's been going on around here lately?"
Link knew from that question that the old man likely did not know who he was. Link remained silent.
"Hyrule was always known as a sacred land in the past," the white-bearded man said, "and even now it's protected by the royal family and other spiritual figures…. But there was a time when Hyrule was torn by conflicts that swept the land. The rumor is that these recent events may be caused by the leftover anger and misery of the souls who were driven from this land. By the look of that dark magic over the castle, I'd say the rumors are true. They say not even the soldiers can penetrate the wall. There seems to be little hope for the princess."
Together, they had refilled the man's bags, and Link helped him to stand once more against the support of his staff. "You best be on your way, boy. There is no hope left to be found here."
Link watched as the old man hobbled across the bridge, and sadness washed over the young warrior in that moment. Time seemed to pass slowly as he stood vigilant of all the departing inhabitants. He heard the whispers, the sobbing from children, the downcast glances from the adults, but he also heard a group of youngsters rolling away on a cart as they sang a tune to keep occupied on the long road ahead of them.
"Jovani, Jovani, idiotic troll. Blinded by greed, the imps took his soul." The melody brought Link out of his daze, and he head through the throng of people, shouldering his way through. The people who recognized his blond hair and intense blue eyes gasped or cheered at the sight of him so that by the time he reached the gate, the soldier who stood watch over the traffic already knew of his coming.
They stopped Link, for he was the only one trying to get in to the town. Link said nothing and neither did the guard who scrutinized him. The soldier tossed a look behind Link and immediately identified the legendary blade that had, in fact, bestowed the same title to its current owner. The appearance of the Master Sword was now known to all soldiers in the ranks of the Hyrulean army, as were the features of its bearer.
The solider, only after conferring silently with another guard, nodded Link on by cocking his head to the side, a stern look over his countenance.
Link did not wait for the soldier to change his mind and entered the streets of Castle Town. He looked to his right, down the western thoroughfare to see its cobblestone path stripped bare of most of the vendors' kiosks. The tables that had been left in the streets were pushed up against the houses and their boxes of goods shut up tight. Barely any of the houses were filled with light, and the few that cast out orange glows were only alive while their inhabitants packed up what belongings they could carry. Some of the people had even gone to the trouble to stay long enough to board up their doors and windows in fear of invading warriors ransacking their homes. At least this meant that they had not lost complete hope that the town would be lost forever.
As Link made his way along the stones, he took his steps slowly, looking all around. Evening had fully lit the sky, but instead of the red and violet paints that would normally brush its clouds, darkened gray had overtaken with the threat to rinse the town in rain. There was a calmness about its dulled appearance that sent a shiver through Link's spine. It was the still before the storm.
He noticed a few guards spreading light to the torches surrounding the square as he entered it. There were a few dozen residents encircling the fountain at the center, collecting water into buckets and waterskins. Some even took the opportunity to wash a few articles of clothing or blankets. None of the guards seemed to care how the citizens used the water in this time, but a few stood to the side, urging them to do what they needed and then move along to make room for any others that waited to use the resource.
Link longed to splash water in his face, to taste something so cool and luscious as this on his tongue again, but he refrained. Instead, he sidestepped the gathering to approach the bottommost tier of the wide steps that led up to the double doors that would lead on into the castle. There were two guards posted at these doors, and Link already knew that there was no way but by force that he and Midna would be able to pass through.
He did not stop at the bottom of the stairs, instead deciding to redirect his route over to the covered niche where a troupe of musicians had once entertained the people of Castle Town. Now, however, regular citizens and children were gathered here, and Link assumed by their stares into the surrounding crowd of the fountain that they had either been instructed to wait here for their turn or they were the family members of those now collecting water, waiting for their return so that they could join their place among the evacuees.
Quietly, Link slipped into the shadows here, leaning back against the furthest wall at the outer corner so that he could still have eyes on the castle's entryway. He was close enough to the mass to be mistaken as someone patiently waiting for water, but he was far enough away for the people to give him no attention.
He had not noticed that Midna had emerged from his shadow, and when she hovered close, he nearly grabbed his sword in mistaking her as a shadow beast. "To think that Ganondorf was just using Zant to help him return to the world of light," she said, and Link could almost detect a tone of pity for Zant having been so blinded by the power to realize how he had been used. "I guess now we know the true nature of that barrier."
They conferred in low voices on how best to gain entry without anyone's notice, but before they could agree on any one tactic Link felt a slight tug on his cloak. Turning, he found young Soal looking up to him. It was too late for Midna to disappear; the child had already seen her, but he did not seem to be afraid of her dark figure.
"I knew you'd come back," the boy said, his white puppy curled up in his arms. "Some of the other kids heard about you, what you've done for us. But they heard you had gone for good. They said you wouldn't come back, but I told them you would."
Link knelt down to the boy and cupped a hand over his shoulder with a smile.
Soal looked up at Midna. "Who's that?"
Link tossed a glance back at his partner, saw the wary look in her eye. "A friend." He said it while looking at her, and she turned a curious eye on Link before she nodded to the boy. Link turned back to Soal. "She has been helping me."
The boy smiled at her, and she was not sure what to do. She had never previously made small talk with a child, but before their conversation with Soal could deepen beyond simple greetings, they heard his mother calling. Midna sunk away from the torchlight as the mother stepped up to Soal. Link stood and nodded to her in acknowledgement. She smiled, pressed her palm against his breast, and exchanged a few words to thank him for everything he had done to try to prevent this day from coming. She then said her farewell and retreated into the western streets with and arm around her son.
As the couple passed by the fountain, a man sent a nonchalant glance toward them, returned to his attention to filling his bucket … then glanced up yet again, passing his vision to the columns from whence they had come. Immediately the man recognized the figure of the Hero shadowed by the stones and columns surrounding him. Leaving his bucket on the rim of the fountain, he charged over to where Link stood, taking each step as swiftly yet as casually as he could to avoid the notice of the guards.
Link suddenly felt a tight hand grip his left forearm, and his breath caught through his clenched teeth, for the fingers had grasped him round the wound he had sustained in the Twilight Realm. Pain turned to caution in a split second, however, and his right hand immediately dove for his dagger as he swiveled about to look upon the face of his attacker.
Coming face-to-face with Rusl stopped his hand mid-action. "Where in all of Hyrule have you been?" Rusl looked behind Link to see the strange imp he had seen only once before hovering nearby.
"It's a long story," Link answered. "When did the evacuation begin?"
"The order came three days ago. The Gorons left yesterday across the eastern bridge, likely headed back into their mountains. Now, the only road open is to the west. The last of the people are leaving now." Rusl released his grip on Link, and realized the flakes of dried blood on his fingers had come from Link's arm. He tossed a glance about, making sure the soldiers were occupied. "Come. Let's continue this inside."
Rusl watched as Midna descended into the shadow of the Hero and then beckoned Link to follow. He did so, stopping only momentarily as Rusl passed by the fountain to pick up his pail of water. Link questioned Rusl about what had been happening in the town since his absence, and the blacksmith answered each query at a length.
"The Hylian guards have seen movement within the bailey," he was saying now. "It seems that troops are massing within the walls, and the general of the army is afraid that an attack is imminent … which is why he ordered the evacuation. They've been monitoring the castle grounds from the battlements ever since the barrier appeared, but there was no sign of movement, which is apparently why the general didn't inform the people about what was really happening. There was nothing to report until now." Link listened intently as Rusl spoke, being sure to nod or lock eyes with each fleeing citizen they passed. The people needed hope now more than ever, and with a rumor about that Link had abandoned them, he hoped that with the appearance of his face again some kind of courage would return to their hearts.
Just as Link was about to ask what the Group had been doing to help, they had reached the bar. Epona had been tied up outside, and Link raced to her side. Surprise and happiness filled him in seeing his horse, and he patted down her mane, settling her glee in seeing her master alive and well.
"Shad returned with her just two days ago," said Rusl, answering the question in Link's eyes before her could put words to it. "And that's exactly why we've all been worried about you. He said you disappeared."
Rusl ushered Link inside; Link gave Epona a final caress and entered into the bar, where the moans of a half dozen Hylian soldiers greeted him. Link stopped in shock. He gazed about the room. Each of the six tables housed the makeshift bed of a wounded Hylian. Surrounding the tables were several of their comrades and medics who passed from one to the other. Link saw Telma making rounds with food, each graciously taking a drink of water or a helping of hot soup. For those that were more severely injured Telma took time to stop and help them eat.
He saw Ashei standing in the company of two of the standing soldiers, possibly talking about what a poor strategy they had used. Shad sat at the Group's regular table with Auru and another few soldiers. Link was not sure what they were discussing, but a map had been stretched out over the table.
Link turned to Rusl as he shut the door. "Was there an attack?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"What you see is the aftermath of trying to bring down the barrier," he said grimly. "The general tried for the first two days during the evacuation to bring it down. He wanted to strike down the enemy before they were ready."
"The barrier … did this?"
"That's right, honey." Link watched as Telma approached, setting down an empty tray on the counter of her bar. "Old Auru tried to talk reason into the general, but he wouldn't listen. Just marched his men right up to the wall. Swords, fire, battering ram … you name it, he tried it. And got a lot of his men nearly dead in the process."
"There must be more wounded then. Where are the other soldiers?" asked Link. "Did Doctor Borville--"
Telma snorted angrily. "That old coot? Of course not. First thing the evacuation was announced, he was gone. Coward." She let her fury simmer to a mild bubble before she continued. "The army has, however, taken up his hospital to house those worse off. He left behind most of his medicines and potions."
Worse? Worse than these? As Link surveyed the room and the soldiers with what were likely broken ribs and charred arms, he didn't know what could be worse. Then a memory came to him.
"Why didn't you just tell them about the sewer entrance through your cellar?"
Telma's shoulders slumped as she crossed to the other side of the bar. She brought out a hunk of bread and pushed it toward Link, but he did not touch it. Though he was still hungry, all the news of this evening had quieted his stomach.
"I did, honey," she said, "but when they investigated…. Turns out collapsing the passage was one of the first things those monsters did after they sealed off the castle. There's no way in or out that they've found, and there's nothing can break that barrier." She gathered up dirty dishes from the bar and began washing them out with a bucket already filled with dirty water. Apparently, she was rationing it, for there were about seven other pails behind her filled with clean water, and Rusl just then stepped up behind her to add the eighth he had just refilled.
The blacksmith came back around the bar then. "I think it's time you told us your story." He guided him into the other room, and Ashei noticed and followed. "Where have you been? Were you able to collect the last of the Mirror Shards?"
When Rusl asked the question all those within the room gave Link their firm attention; even the Hylian guards gave him ear, recognizing him instantly from the stories they had heard from both the Group and the citizens.
"Yes, ole boy, do tell us," said Shad. "The children were awfully worried about you, wondering where you'd gone off to. I had to leave after a few days, unfortunately. I had to come back to get some more books, you see, for the translations, of course. But … when I arrived, sadly, the town was being evacuated. I couldn't leave again. I feared they wouldn't let me back in if I left. I hope you don't mind that I used your horse. So, where did you go? Did you find anything about the Oocca? Is that why you left?"
Everyone except Link sent a glare or an odd glance toward Shad in that moment as he rambled. Link, however, only nodded as he replied. "I promise I will tell you everything once this is over."
After silencing Shad, Link approached the table and leaned against one of the chairs as Rusl and Ashei gathered. Telma, too, abandoned cleaning her dishes to listen to Link's story. He paused for a long moment, trying to find the best words, the simplest and quickest explanation.
"I was able to secure the last of the mirror pieces," said Link, "and with the Mirror reassembled I entered the Twilight Realm."
Everyone shifted in their seats or where they stood once Link told them this, but it was Auru who appeared the most concerned. "You really did use it…. That accursed Mirror."
"Oh dear," said Shad excitedly. "What was it like?"
With a nudge from Telma, he readjusted himself and apologized for his ebullient tone.
"I met the king of shadows in battle."
Telma gasped and clutched at her heart as the others just looked on in shock. They gazed over Link's battered and dirty appearance; blood and small bruises caked his checks, cuts had reopened on his fingers, and his arm bore gashes that were tying vainly to heal as they were as equally covered in sand as they were of scabs.
"I'm guessing from the fact that you stand before us that you defeated him," said Auru.
Link's mouth tightened into a thin line. How would he deliver this news? The Group waited with bated breath, and Link could tell that they realized the reality was not so black and white.
"I went into the Twilight Realm believing that it would put an end to this, put an end to everything." Link's eyes were downcast, as if ashamed in himself. Rusl, Auru, and Telma noticed this in him, and each wondered just what it was that Link was trying to tell them. "I thought that Zant and Ganondorf both lay within the Twilight … but I was wrong." He finally found the strength to look them in the eyes. "It was after I fought Zant, and defeated him, that I learned the truth. As long as his master remains alive, he will return from the dead. And now … Ganondorf has been reborn into Hyrule."
He let the truth of his words wash over them before he said anything more. They exchanged glances among themselves, trying to digest the complexity of what Link proposed. Was it true that all this time their greatest enemy lie dormant within their kingdom, waiting for the perfect moment to strike? Link waited for the fear in their eyes to level off, and then he continued.
"Ganondorf has been within the barrier this whole time. He was likely the one to have put it in place," he explained. "And now, that is where I must go."
They were still trying to register Link's words, their deepest fears creeping up on them. Ashei did the best in hiding her alarm, but she was not entirely immune to his tidings. Rusl was the first who spoke this time, reminding Link, "Nothing can get through that barrier." His tone switched to something near hysteria, and Link knew that it was solely his concern for Link's wellbeing. "You heard Telma. The guards have tried everything!"
Link met his mentor's gaze. "Not everything."
"You have a way through?" yelped Auru, incredulous.
Link nodded.
"How is that possible?" interjected Shad, somehow immediately transformed into a man of action. "We have been looking through these books for two days, researching all mentions of magic. There's nothing to explain this phenomenon. It's fascinating."
"And the blueprint of the castle," intersected Auru, as Link realized that the map splayed over the tabletop was of Hyrule Castle, "has led us nowhere. There is nothing neither physical nor magical that we can use to break the barrier. What way have you discovered?"
The tight line defining Link's lips turned into a frown as they looked at him. Auru's stare demanded an answer and would be furious, Link knew, if he withheld his method. His hands tightened over the back of the chair, as if trying to wring the right words for the answer to Auru's demand from its wooden frame. He shuffled his feet about one of the back legs of the chair, and he looked down, watched as his boot rubbed against the leg. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting anxiously for his reply, for the hope his news would bring them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mind had already been made up. He had made his choice after the death of Zant--even much longer before, he admitted. He could not lead them into the heart of danger.
"I must ask you now … for something none of you have ever wanted to give."
Link gazed up at them, passed his eyes over every visage before him.
"What is your plan, Link?" asked Auru, the anger in his eyes diminishing slightly from the sincere melody of Link's voice and the promise of helping him in the battle to come.
Link clenched his jaw and looked down at the map of Hyrule Castle, reminding himself that it was for their own good. "We must continue the evacuation … get the rest of the people out, and after they have gone … we must seal off the town. No one in. No one out. The soldiers should remain stationed where they are, protecting the boundaries and stationed to defend the castle gates if anything should come through once the barrier has been broken."
Auru and Rusl were nodding by the time Link had paused to take a deep breath.
"There's only a handful of citizens left," informed Rusl. "The evacuation should be done within the next hour … two at most."
"What is it then," asked Auru, "that you would of us?"
"We're ready to take the fight to them," said Ashei, a grim thirst for bloodshed staining her features.
Shad nodded as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Yes, you know you need only ask."
Link thought that perhaps it was this revelation that Shad was ready to pick up arms against their enemies that was the depth of the reason he needed to ask this of them. Shad was a man not the least bit formidable in battle and his involvement would likely only risk harm to himself unnecessarily … and in the process risk the lives of others. They were so ready to stand with him. It made what he had to say … what he felt obligated to ask … all the more difficult. This was the one favor that he knew none of them would have ever wanted to gratify.
A weary suspiration preceded his words. "I must ask you…." His gaze fell momentarily, but he recovered soon after to look at them. "To not follow me."
A roar of disagreement and argument exploded within the room, one that the tending medics of the other room could not quiet with their loud requests. Link had expected them to toss his words into debate. Ashei had the same deadly scowl across her face as had lit her eyes the time he had left for Snowpeak without her. She threw curses and insults at him for demeaning her abilities, and Auru and Telma demanded that she lower her tone just as Auru also turned more questions to Link. Rusl calmly argued Link's decision, saying something about him needing their support on the battlefield. Even the Hylian soldiers who had listened to Link's news and strategy hurled harsh words at him. As their fury rose, the Hylians refused to remain in Link's presence, calling back insults to his supposed heroism as they left. Shad was the only one who stayed out of the conversation.
Finally, as Ashei's voice rose and threatened to rattle the plates from their place at the bar, Link could stand no more of it. It was the first time he could remember ever really raising his voice to someone out of anger. "Enough!"
Their voices died out, and they again looked to Link. They were surprised at his tone, at the commanding volume of just one word from this young man.
Link's brows had furrowed. He pushed away from the chair, taking only one step away before turning to face them again. "Each and every one of you embrace me as the chosen hero. You wish me to take a stand, but each time I have made a decision that you do not agree with you treat me like a child." These first words were filled to the brim with his full frustration toward them and the way they had treated him through their time together. His tone steadily declined into one of desperation, the need that they fully understand why he could ask something so belittling of them. "In the world Ganondorf would give us, there would be no children. The innocence of every child would be taken. I did not ask for this life or the responsibility to be a Hero. My path was laid out before me. I was born into it. I did not choose it, but … I did accept it. I never understood why the gods chose me for this task. It wasn't long ago when the only world I knew was the woods of Faron." Link looked to Rusl here, as if trying to remember the simple days when his mentor and he would travel into the woods for something as humble as chopping wood or hunting to feed the bellies of the village folk.
His gaze hardened again. "But, no matter how alien it was to me at first … Hyrule is my home. It's as familiar to me as if I have ridden its fields all my life." He could not express the sheer admiration he had for the kingdom of Hyrule, how beautiful it was to him, how precious. His countenance fell into one that gazed inward. "I am no more a hero than the rest of you; you have all helped in saving Hyrule."
He noticed how their eyes perked at his recognition of their skills and their commitment to keeping their homeland safe. Even Ashei seemed to be moved by the words he spoke, though she tried not to show it. "But I know that I alone must face Ganondorf. I was given the gift of the goddesses for no less a fate … as was Princess Zelda. And so only we have the power to stand up to him." He stood before them, trying to reassure them that this was the right choice, that this was not something that they could do. "You have done more than enough, more than most. Now, I ask of you … I beg of you … give me your trust and your resolve. Allow me to carry out the role of Hero."
Link's words sunk into them, and at first they did not look at each other. Each only had eyes for him, searching his deep blue eyes intently, and each looked away in their own time to muse over what he had said. After a long pause, they began to cast glances round the table, conferring with each other silently. When at long last they had agreed on how to respond, it was Rusl who had apparently been elected to speak. He stepped around from the opposite side of the table to stand before Link.
"Link, we want you to understand. It has never been that we doubted your abilities." He touched Link's forearm. "What I mean to say is… It has been our deepest honor to serve you in your quest. Anything we did … any disagreement we voiced … it was done out of respect."
"I…" stammered Link. He gazed upon his old mentor for a moment as if looking at him for the first time. He had always thought their unwillingness to let him venture alone, their disapproval at some of his methods, to be merely some reluctance at accepting someone so young to be someone so important.
"Link, I have watched over you like a son for seventeen years. The very moment I saw the mark on your hand when I found you as a babe, I knew what one day might lie before you. I tried to prepare you as best I could, and I have watched you mature into a man, nay, a Hero. On this eve of our final battle, you must know how very proud of you I am." Link's nerves were awash with such emotion that he could hardly understand the tides that flowed through them in that moment. His mind felt dizzy suddenly, and he realized he had never been more proud, more thankful, that it had been Rusl who had reared him.
Rusl's eyes remained soft as his next words rose in his throat. He took the time to enunciate every word slowly and precisely, giving such life to them as Link had never heard from a human voice. "A hero is not defined only in battle. They also inspire. They bring hope of a new horizon. They return faith to faithless. You are a hero in every way. The courage of your heart is unmatched." Rusl smiled, and Link saw his surrogate father shed a tear for the first time, and he felt the same sensation tug at his own eyelids, but he held back the rain. "So, Link, I ask you … I beg you … let us stand together, for though you are the hero of legend … heroes need not stand alone."
The members of the Group behind them all turned to look at one another again and they smiled and nodded to each other. None of them could have said anything better.
Rusl's speech moved Link, and he found honor in what he had said, felt his words rattle him to his very core. He took a deep breath that wavered behind his lips. Before his emotions betrayed his resolve, Link nodded. He had only meant the gesture to thank the blacksmith for his kind words, but he was also fully aware that Rusl would mistake it as acquiescence to his terms. Link busied himself with looking down at his left forearm as his right hand played with the frayed strips of his sleeve. He listened to the cheerful voices of the Group as they rallied their support in what they had believed to be Link's surrender.
The blacksmith patted Link's shoulder as if to commemorate their compromise, and the Group went to work discussing the strategy they would need to use once inside the castle walls, the details of which they graciously left to Link. Link did not interject his opinion in the matter of how best to storm the castle because he knew that such discussion would be futile. They asked of his opinion, but Link shrank from their side by politely indicating how hungry he was. Further argument about going into the castle alone would prove just as pointless, for in their minds, the discussion was over. He respected how loyal they were, how selfless they were. But they were wrong. He would not lead them beyond the barrier, and he was fixed on that. Opening the armies of Hyrule into the inner sanctum of the kingdom's most feared enemy would do nothing but bring more needless death.
He knew what he needed to do. Now, all that was left for him to do was continue the ruse that he was in accordance with this new plan. He did not like to lie, but this was something he had to do in order to save lives, which was his ultimate mission as the hero chosen by the gods.
Rusl ushered Link away from the Group then, and Telma guided him over to the bar. He sat at a stool and waited in silence as she prepared a hot meal for him. His stomach lurched, thankful that its master had finally allowed it the pleasure of tasting food once more. As he sat there, forearms lying across the counter, he realized how tired he was. Telma served up a bowl of steaming stew and bread to dunk in the broth. As he gratefully scooped one spoonful after the other into his mouth, she poured him both a glass of hot milk and cold water, allowing him the choice of drink to soothe his palate.
With the way she continued passing looks toward the Group, he knew that they had silently elected her to be the one to watch over Link … and, more importantly, the exits. After he had finished the meal, he thanked Telma, took up the mug of hot milk, and then stepped over to the hearth on the other side of the room. He could feel the eyes of the Group and the Hylian soldiers on him as his unstrapped his scabbard and shield to set them against the wall. Next, he removed the bow and quiver and set them gently on the floor before them. After giving a weary stretch, he pulled a chair up to the hearth and sat down, extending the heels of his feet to rest upon a group of stones on the side of the hearth that jutted out more than the rest.
As he watched the dancing flames within, Link's eyes began to droop. He knew what he must do. He could not act yet. He would have to continue his deception until the perfect opportunity presented itself. Yet, he knew that now was no time to escape their eyes, especially since he wanted to be assured that all the citizens had vacated and would not come to harm with the breaking of the barrier. Just as they would be free to enter once it had been removed, the enemy force lying in wait would also then be able to descend upon the streets of Castle Town.
Needless to say, there was time for sleep, and Link grabbed it by the reins.
===============
A soft caress awoke Link to the night; he had been so tired that he could have sworn he had just fallen asleep. He blinked back the tiredness and focused on the mug he still clasped in his lap. The milk had not yet gone completely cold, so his intuition likely proved true, that he had not slept for long. He pulled his feet down from their perch and pulled himself up straighter in his chair, looking up to see that it was Rusl who had stirred him from his rest.
"The evacuation is nearly complete. It will be time to move soon," he informed. He was wearing his full armor, the attire Link had seen him in when first meeting the Group.
Link heaved a deep breath, pushing out the remainder of his sleep. He gathered himself up from his seat, set his mug down on the mantel, and started for his gear.
"Wait, Link," said Rusl, and Link turned a curious eye to him. "I have something to show you first."
Interested but a little confused, Link followed him as he led the way upstairs. Link tossed a glance toward the other room as they went and realized that Auru and Ashei were missing from the bar. He asked their whereabouts of Rusl as they made their way down the creaking floorboards of the upstairs hallway.
"Auru and Ashei went to deliver your message," he said.
"Message?"
"That you will bring down the barrier once the citizens are evacuated." Link nodded at the memory as the blacksmith continued, "And once Auru has the general's assurances to work with us, he will return while Ashei stays behind to make sure the general keeps his word." He winked back at Link at the last part, and Link knew that if anyone could keep a man like this general in line it would be the very abrasive Ashei.
Behind Rusl, Link stepped into the room in which he had spent several occasions resting and recuperating after hard journeys. The room looked very much the same, save for one addition. Rusl brought fire to the few sconces on the walls so that Link could see better. Distributed over a figure before the window was a collection of fine, golden armor. It was an ornate design, but the pieces that made up its grandeur were sparse, as if the suit had only been halfway completed. He looked to Rusl, a question in his eyes.
The older man smiled, with arms crossed. "A blacksmith doesn't only make weapons." He watched as Link turned back to the armor and took a few steps forward to touch the opal jewel embossed in the breastplate. "It's light as a quill, but stronger than most steel."
Link ran his fingers over the designs of the plate of armor, allowed his fingers to follow the curls and loops and turns of their image. Staring at the armor, he realized again that the battle ahead may yet prove to be the last time he took up arms. His lips gathered in tight consideration. Rusl stepped up to him after the long pause of silence and suggested that he try it on. Link accepted, and as Rusl went about removing the pieces from the figure, he directed Link to a basin of water set atop the dresser. Link graciously used the cloth provided to cleanse his face of the blood that had dried there from his encounter with the twilit keese. Though the water was barely warm, just the touch of the liquid against his skin revitalized him, perhaps even more so than his nap had.
Once Link had washed as best he could, he untied his cloak and through it up over the mirror at the dresser. Rusl then set about fastening the beautifully crafted breastplate over his chest. After this piece had been placed, Rusl worked to tighten the other pieces against his body. He strapped on pauldrons, to protect his upper arms and shoulders; next were delicately designed vambraces, of which Link only accepted one to replace the hard leather on his left arm. His right arm he wished to remain unguarded for better use of his shield. After his upper body had been protected, Rusl went to work with lacing a golden greave and solaret against each of his boots. Their whitened gold embellishments made the metal shine. Lastly, were poleynes that set perfectly over his knees.
When Rusl had finished, Link looked over himself, shifting his weight this way and that and bending his torso and arms. He found the armor was indeed light and surprisingly easy to move in given that the pauldrons made his shoulders seem much broader. He made only one adjustment, pulling the burgundy straps of his vambrace tighter against his forearm. Rusl yanked on his left pauldron at the armpit as if to give his seal of approval that the armor suited him perfectly. He passed Link an admiring grin.
"Well, it's quite modest, but it should do the trick," they heard from behind them. Spinning to meet the voice, they saw Midna floating in midair with a set of fingers stroking her chin, considering.
Link was not sure whether she was poking fun at the richness of its golden shine and embellishments or bringing light to the fact his new armor looked incomplete as it barely covered him, but it brought a smile to his face. He was relieved to know that even through the recent pain and sorrows she had been forced to endure, she had not lost her fiery spunk.
Rusl exchanged looks between the two of them, watching how they seemed to converse without words. He could see the emotion within each of them, and finally he perceived and fully understood the complexity of their bond in those moments. Whatever hardships they had faced before and after he had first met the impish creature, it was clear that their time together had solidified a great and unbreakable bond.
They heard a creak and click from downstairs and then the rustling of voices, and they sensed Auru's return. Rusl excused himself from the room and made his way downstairs. Link turned to clutch his cloak but paused momentarily to look over his body in the mirror. He shook loose of his thoughts then, thoughts of bitter finality, and swept the mantle back over his shoulders.
When Link stopped at the final step, looking into the bar past Telma's counter to the right, silence overtook the room. Auru indeed had returned and had been talking with Rusl and Telma when he heard the squeaking of the stairs. He looked over Link's new appearance with a grim yet supportive expression. Then their eyes met.
It was time.
===============
As a unit the four of them walked up the southern thoroughfare of Castle Town. Rusl and Auru led the way, both holding fast to the weapons sheathed at their sides. Link stepped along in their wake with Shad to his left. He tossed a quiet glance at the bookworm to find him adjusting the belt that hung awkwardly against his hip. This sight only reinforced the decision Link had made. If this man were to enter battle, there was no telling how many pieces in which he would exit.
Link turned his eyes back to the road, his mind working on how to escape his entourage. Yet, as they poured into the main plaza, there was still no avenue to which Link could turn. As they came upon the guards at the castle's main archway entrance, Link noticed that with the absence of the population the number of soldiers had multiplied.
They made their way up the tiered stones to reach the open gates that hung loosely on their hinges in the archway. A soldier tipped his spear toward them, halting them in their tracks. "All entry is strictly prohibited right now. I must ask you to go back!"
Auru and Rusl explained the situation, gesturing to Link as the young warrior looked beyond the hindrance. He took in everything and analyzed the resources available to him. His options were thinning and time was running out to think up a plan that would bar them entrance to the castle while still allowing himself to progress. His eyes darted from the gates to the inner rows of pillars which ascended with the inclining stone path. He turned to the soldiers within who stood among tools that had been broken in the attempts to break through the barrier by conventional means.
The guard finally allowed their admittance and shouted behind him, alerting a tall figure inside. This was the man of whom the Group had spoken, the general of the princess's army. Helmet resting under an armpit, he turned his brown-bearded face to them, his judging eyes instantly befalling Link as the Group approached. Ashei appeared from behind the general and gave a nod to Auru that she had held up her end. Link's eyes darted across the countless axes, spears, and swords that littered the ground amongst sporadic blotches of red. Further ahead, through the open double-doors that led to the bridge bearing the foundation of the barrier, he spotted the battering ram that Telma had mentioned.
The general eyed Link suspiciously as Auru introduced Link, who offered a nod of greeting. The general surveyed the young hero for a long moment before remarking gruffly, "So, you're the one they tell me has a way through the barrier." He pursed his lips. "You don't look like much." Link waited, could see his mind working the general stared into his fierce sapphire eyes. His tone altered only slightly. "But if the rumors I've heard are true, about your deeds of helping the people of Hyrule, then I will permit you to pass."
Link saw the man's eyes flash behind him, and he knew he now looked at the glistening blue hilt of the legendary Master Sword. If he were a true general of this castle then Link knew that he would have been privy to the knowledge of the myth from which the great sword had stemmed. Perhaps it was with that final thought that Link thanked him.
He then requested the general and the few soldiers walking and standing guard in the passage to move beyond the gates into the square. Link had been scheming during their entire exchange, and he now had a workable strategy. Although, not only did he ask this of them to gain some leverage between them and his entrance into the castle, he also genuinely feared for their safety. Midna had told him that she could use her magic to crack through the barrier, but they were unsure what effect it would have on the surrounding area. At their skeptical looks, Link voiced this concern to validate his request. They agreed … grudgingly.
The general ordered his men back into the square and called his archers to attention on the battlement above to prepare for any attack forthwith. One-by-one the Group left his side, and Link refortified his composure as they each looked at him in turn. Auru was the last to depart his company, but a sudden, lingering curiosity rose in Link, and he called back to him, "Auru?"
The older man turned to Link, waiting for him to speak the question in his eyes.
"The boy from your story…. The one from before…. What happened to him?" Link wanted, needed, to know that the old hero had lived a good life, that all the sacrifices he had made in his former life had done right by the world.
Auru smiled and approached Link again. "It's hard to say." He dug through the myth in his mind. "Some say … he went on to live out his days in Hyrule Castle as a knight. Others believe he settled down, had a family; others still, say that he left Hyrule, in search of adventure, never to return to his birth land."
Link took those thoughts within him and imagined each scenario as if it were his life … his ending. Auru as much guessed what he had been thinking and placed a palm over the shoulder of his pauldron. "This is not where your story will end." With that, he turned and left Link, the chosen hero, to bring down the barrier.
He passed his gaze over the many faces overlooking the scene, the men bunched around the fountain--keeping a safe distance from the barrier--and the soldiers with arrows nocked and ready to fly atop the battlements.
Link did not need to call for Midna; she knew that her moment had come. She ascended from his shadow, meeting an array of surprised and fearful gasps from those behind. Perhaps it was that Link did not flinch at the creature's sudden appearance or that he accepted her casual pat on the shoulder without a word that the soldiers behind relaxed their tense muscles.
Midna looked back at all the stares of wonderment and fear and for a blind moment her rage returned. She knew they thought her a monster, a dark shadow like those that had sent their world spiraling into a constant night. Her hatred for Zant and Ganondorf returned. Had it not been for them, she would not have held the guise of such a monster at all. Had it not been for their evil, the people of the light would not regard her in this manner.
She turned her crimson eye from them and gazed up at the barrier that held the castle prisoner. Hovering a few head lengths above Link, she took in the glaring majesty of the giant shell. Its mass rattled as its energy radiated, its golden yellows wavering with blacken areas that pulsated through its structure like passing clouds. There were patterns etched along every corner of the barrier as if it were a gigantic jigsaw puzzle that had been put together an improper fashion. Hyrule Castle was nothing but a black silhouette within its grandeur.
Ripping her eyes from its mass, she cascaded down from her niche in the sky and landed on her small feet before the double-doors that lay between them and the bridge holding the boundary of the magical wall. It surprised her how easy it was, calling on the full magic of her tribe. In the instant she concentrated on the task she wished to perform, the Fused Shadows appeared from the corner of her dimension and whirled about her. She watched in awe momentarily as she felt the power consuming her nerves, breathing new life into her as they twirled about her. The power rose within her, and it felt both shocking and amazing in the same moment.
Then, as if with a mind of their own, the Fused Shadows clapped together over her body, covering everything but her dangling limbs. Link almost ran to her when she gasped and her arms flew out in surprise, but when her body immediately calmed with her arms once more resting peacefully at her sides, he resisted the urge.
The rattling of the barrier before them then was nothing compared to the deep rumbling coursing from Midna's imprisoned body. The four separate pieces shook and rocked in place, the edges of where they had been broken quite distinguishable as their energy built and built. The night seemed drained of all color save a deep reddish yellow that glared down from the clouds blotting the heavens.
Link had not known what to expect, and from the flexing of Midna's fingers … neither had she. He knew that the use of the magic drained her, perhaps even hurt her, but he could do nothing to stop it. Even if he needed to, he was not sure if he could have.
He watched on as Midna's body then flung away from the stones. She was tossed roughly into a pillar on the right by the invisible strings of the magic as if a puppet. She yelped at the pain of the hit, and Link's hands fisted involuntarily, knuckles white as snow. He was forced to bear witness to the cruelty of the magic, hurling her left into the wall and then upward against the opposite side again. She screamed painful groans each time her body slammed into the solid stones, until she was finally flung over the right side of the wall.
Link could hear the fearful gasps behind him, could feel the anxiety return to each and every body that looked on, but Link held his ground. If he panicked, so would the mob, and at that point, he would be unable to dispel their fright.
A quiet moment lingered, one that teased the Hylian soldiers and constricted their minds so tightly with fear that half of the soldiers were either frozen or running before Midna even made her reappearance. It was the sounds that then licked the air that had scared them so greatly. A watery moan, like the shifting sands of nightmares, and the crashing force of the invisible waves boomed and pulsed against their ears, threatening to vibrate their hearing so harshly that deafness would surely handicap them for the rest of their lives.
The ground shook beneath them and the very stones around them threatened to jostle free. That was when the deep moans of the magical tides burst forth and rose from beyond the east side wall when Midna had last been sent hurling. A giant golden hand clapped onto the wall, the glimmering, watery surface of its arm descending into peridot greens and deep blacks. Its fingers tightened around the stones it found there as if sucking at them to stay afloat. Another great hand arose and latched on, and with that the headpiece of the Fused Shadows climbed above the wall to greet the countless frozen faces of the Hylians. The soldiers' mouth hung wide open, staring in awe at the creature before them, their fear at such magnitude that they each seemed to have been crystalized where they stood.
The booming figure of the new Midna, the shadow monster of the Interlopers' magic, wailed as it drew up the remainder of its appendages to bring it to its full height on its stone perch. Five additional limbs grew out from its massive body, and after steadying itself, it pushed off the stones, launching it at impossible speed toward the barrier.
It landed against the deadly slope of the yellow wall, and struggled only momentarily to gain firm footholds against the magic. Next moment, it reached back with its rightmost hand, its limb coiling round and round until a great javelin manifested within its grasp. Its sparkling construction made it appear that the shadow monster had plucked a bolt of lightning from the sky which was ready to drench the land with its approaching storm.
After steadying itself with the added weight, the monster reared its giant hand back, and with great and powerful force it stabbed the spear into the barrier.
Link watched from below as a blinding ray of white and golden light blasted into the sky from the crack in the surface of the barrier. The crack widened and popped and rumbled as it deepened throughout the reflective surface. He and the Hylians behind him threw up their arms to shield their faces from the light enveloping the night sky. It was the brightest, most powerful, light Link had ever seen, and it stretched the length of the barrier. As the crack webbed across it, light rays of equal magnitude bolted outward. The combined light threw away the night as if a second sun, but as it radiated through the sky, shattering the barrier into pieces, Link blinked through its brilliance to see the monster diminishing into a familiar, little black body.
Midna fell like a deadweight through the sky, tumbling down, down, down.
Link threw himself forward.
Moments later, when the light had finally receded, the Hylians all cheered. The barrier was no longer. Rusl and the rest of the group shouted in glee.
Midna groaned.
Blinking, she struggled to open her eyes. She felt weightless still, but she did not understand where she was. Another light groan escaped her lips as she lay there, wondering if she had managed to break the barrier. As her senses gathered, she moaned at the pain and the numb weakness that infested her body. She felt warmth embracing her.
Her eye took a moment to focus when she looked up and found Link's eyes very close and staring down at her. A warm smile adorned his lips, and Midna realized that he was holding her in his arms. Her head leaned up against his right shoulder, and she felt his hands cuddling her close against him. She was too weak to smile in return, her lips fading into a faint and thoughtful line. He cocked his head slightly as his smile reduced to a small grin. Their eyes said everything in that moment. They did not need words to express the warmth they felt inside.
Link was the first to look away, casting his gaze up to the now accessible castle, and Midna followed his gaze as her lips parted in shock and delight that she had succeeded. The castle and their final confrontation beckoned, but first….
Link turned about to face the open gate of the archway. The Hylians were still frozen in awe that the barrier had indeed been broken, and those that were capable of movement, clapped each other's shoulders and pounded their fists into the air in cheer. Link looked between them and Midna, and she understood the frown that stretched even into his eyes.
He adjusted Midna in his arms so that he would be able to freely move his left arm without jeopardizing her cradle and then approached the archway. He paused there a moment, watching all the smiling and confident faces that stared back at him. Even the general seemed impressed. In that instant Link found the eyes of Rusl, who also had his sights locked on the young Hero. It was in that silence that the blacksmith's eyes widened and the smile faded from his lips. Link's eyes betrayed him, giving light to the ruse he had been playing all along.
Link was already slamming the gates closed as Rusl started his sprint, and by the time Link had slid all the locks into place, the blacksmith grabbed onto the silver bars and yanked. Link had taken a few steps back at this point, watching painfully as the man who had raised him pulled and banged on the bars that separated them. A look of betrayal showered Rusl's features in that moment, and it was all Link could do to keep from breaking down at the tears welling in his mentor's eyes.
"Link…. Why--What are you doing?" he begged.
Link clenched and relaxed his jaw before answering. "I am giving Hyrule back to its people … and its princess."
By this time the rest of the Group had approached the gates, and the Hylians and their general were on their way.
Rusl pleaded. "I have no doubt that you have the courage to stand against him, but Link--"
The Hero cut him off. Link said the words slowly, meaning every word as his eyes grew vacant and yet strong in the same instant. "If my single life can save the lives of thousands…." He swallowed hard. "Then I will gladly sacrifice it."
Link took a few more steps away and glanced to Midna, who, by his command, used what little strength she had to strike the gates with her magic. Her power helped to stabilize the locks and hinges so that the soldiers would find it harder to break apart, but Link knew that Midna was considerably weak, and the magic would not hold for long. He had to see to his mission before they had time to break through his defenses … or find another way around.
He turned his back on them, Rusl calling in desperation for him not to go without them. But Link passed through the double-doors, pushed and barred them shut, and asked Midna for the last of her strength to magick its locks as well.
They faced the castle together, looking up at its towering majesty once more. A darkness crept within them as rain began to fall, a jolt of lightning flashing in the sky behind the castle. Somewhere deep within the confines of its stone walls they would find the mastermind behind the evil which had crept over Hyrule. Midna, however, was too frail at the moment to face any threat, and after they agreed, she disintegrated into the shade beneath him to rest and regain her energy.
Standing alone then Link thought it was perhaps just his nerves, but he had the distinct sense that the eyes of Ganondorf were upon him.
===============
Lightning flashed and silhouetted his dark frame. Already he stood within the shadows of the night, but with the clapping thunder of the sky above his tall stature grew even more foreboding. He felt a power stir within him as the storms raged on in the heavens, as if the skies themselves held objection over his reign. Yet, it was not protest that he saw deep within the clouds but a reflection of his anger, his hatred, the mirror that revealed the sheer and raw power he held.
The booming skies echoed the dreams of his heart.
He flexed his fingers tighter over the railing of the balcony, his right fist tensing with the energy coursing through his veins. The power sustained him, but it also left him thirsty for more, a hunger so deep, so infinite, that nothing he had could quell it.
And he loved this feeling.
When the barrier had broken into a thousand shards of light, he had stepped out onto the balcony outside the castle's throne room to watch in silence as the light slowly faded to reveal unguarded stormy skies once more. The breaking of the barrier had not angered him. It had filled him with pleasure, the deep hunger within him spiking as he felt the power of his being radiate from his right hand.
The boy was close. He had heard the whispers on the tongues of the soldiers he had slaughtered who had unfortunately caught themselves within the confines of the castle when he had seized control over it. Whispers of the Hero, a young man from the forests of Ordon of whom his twilit slave had mentioned.
Mention of this Hero brought an old, ancient memory back to him. The memory of a small boy who had swayed the king of old that he was in some sense evil. That boy had foiled his plans and he had never understood how. He had stood before his ultimate prize, the Triforce. With a swift hand he would have taken that which he had every right to behold. But the boy….
He remembered the rage and the way his blood had boiled as he had stood chained before the sages. He could recall in every gritty detail the way their hollow eyes had judged him. The screaming hiss he had unleashed in the moment before his death had cursed them and the gods they served. Then had come the cold, harsh sting of their light, which had pierced his very heart and soul and sapped him of all life.
But … his hatred for them…. His absolute resentment for their power…. The cruel sentencing that had left him to be executed surrounded by the very sands of his homeland….
His hatred had revived him, and he had found new power, one that he had unleashed without at first having full control of its overwhelming effects. With a single thought, he had envisioned the sages mutilated, and in the next instant, he had had the strength of a god, snapping his restraints as if they were straw, ripping the blade of the sages from his chest, and murdering a sage with one lunge of a fist.
Yet, with all that power, they had still found a way to deny him. Torn from the world of light, he had existed without form for many long years until he had discovered his perfect opportunity, the perfect vessel for his power. With the help of the pitiful being of the Twilight, he had been reborn unto this realm, and now, he could unleash the crushing fist of his power once again. Hyrule … its princess … its people would feel his wrath, his ultimate hatred. He would punish them for the crimes committed by their ancestors and claim everything that should have been his so long ago.
Already, he had obtained the princess, bearer of a third of the goddesses' power, and with the coming of this forest boy--this puny Hero--he would at last be able to assemble the Triforce.
All he need do was kill the boy.
His square jaw coiled into a grin. The hour of his triumph was at hand.
===============
When Link had crossed the bridge over the moat and pushed open the left door of the entrance carved ornately with the royal family crest, the castle bailey greeted him in dull colors. He took in the details in mere seconds, but the majesty of it seemed to overtake his senses. The fine stone paths leading up to the grand entrance of the castle and forking off to the left and right courtyards were overgrown with moist grass. A grand statue rose before him, constructed of a long silver pole capped with a single, golden triangle. Surrounding the central pole were two other silver rods that twisted about to rise forth in a helix pattern, only to part at the top, each spreading outward like wings bearing the power of the gods.
He could not help a gaze up at the castle, its towers and pinnacles looming upward, the central castle connected at various angles to the outer parapets and flanking and corner towers via several catwalks. Dark blue stones topped the roofs of each spire and building.
Link drew his stare from the castle and noticed that two identical statues as the one before him stood toward the back of the west- and eastward courtyards. Glancing in these directions pulled him back to the realization that the forces of his enemy had without doubt seen the fall of the barrier. He suddenly became aware that the army of his enemy had turned the bailey into an encampment. Fires and torches lit the area, and Link could see where each troop had tucked in and declared claim over a spot in the grasses.
The soldiers were bulblins and bokoblins--with a few kargarok birds of prey perched or flying in circles above--and most still seemed dazed from the light that had overtaken the sky only minutes ago. It was not long before they took notice that the bailey door had been opened, and Link only just leapt out of the way of their vision, thankful that it was by the aid of the night shadows that had kept him shielded completely.
Crouching in the shadows to the left behind a hedgerow, he watched as bulblin archers nocked their arrows in preparation for an attack as two bokoblins slowly crept up to the open door. One stuck its purple head into the crack and saw no sign of any intruders. Shrugging and signaling an all-clear to the archers, the bokoblins pushed the door shut once more and took the time to set its accompanying wooden beam into the slots. Link heard them mumbling explanations, hearing the words "wind" and "rumbles" tossed back and forth.
Though it seemed the enemy force had remained ignorant to his presence, he did not for one moment assume that they had not been put on alert. He would rather overestimate a foe rather than stake his life on their ignorance. The troops littered the grounds so densely that passage to the entry doors would prove beyond impossible without first being seen and surrounded by the massive hordes. Even if he managed a miracle in reaching the doors, they had been chained shut by massive links that joined together in a lock that hung just above the door handles.
He would need to find an alternate route into the castle.
Link moved left as he remained in a crouch and kept to the greenery, the shadows of the row of trees alongside the hedges also helping to blanket him from the eyes of anything that moved. When he had at last come to the westward wall of the main courtyard, the number of soldiers had decreased to a sporadic few, and two bokoblins guarded the doors leading into the grounds beyond.
Quietly, Link approached them. He drew his dagger and snuck up behind the first bokoblin carefully. Once he had the proper angle, he flew at the bokoblin, threw a hand around to its face and yanked. In an instant it fell with a broken neck, and its partner noticed the appearance of the assassin immediately. Prepared for this, however, Link launched himself onto the soldier, one hand covering its mouth, while impaling the dagger through its heart with the other. The force of the impact of Link's body had caused them to stumble back into the wall, but once Link knew his enemy was dead, he tossed the body to the ground, hiding it in the shadows. He belted the knife once more, slid the other limp body from sight, and then silently slipped through the doors.
In the western courtyard, more troops littered the area. Still, there were too many to take on, and so Link dove to the right where the tall grasses and the fence lines would help to conceal him. Adding to his fortune was the fact that a few pairs of bokoblins were sparring with each other. The noise of their swords screeching as they attacked completely masked the sound of his squishing footsteps. He tossed ever watchful glances toward them as he crept and was disturbed at the way they drilled. Unlike the way Rusl had trained Link--and how every Hylian soldier was trained, he was sure--these monsters did not pull their attacks if their partner failed to parry or dodge. They were doomed to suffer the consequences of their novice skills.
Link managed to bypass them, all the while searching the periphery of the castle for any indication of another way in. Not even the stone walls were climbable, and even if they had been Link was not sure he would have surrendered to that avenue. The chance of falling and the chance of being spotted by the troops would have made such a choice suicide.
There had to be another way in, he thought, and he continued along, shielded by the shadows of the storm clouds, but also somewhat exposed when lightning flashed in the sky.
When he reached an open gate, he first looked around the walls inside. This area was square in formation and it looked as if it were a training ground. If that were the case, he wondered why the bokoblins had not chosen to practice their techniques in here. Of course, however, he could not complain, for the area appearance empty and he saw that as a good sign.
He darted into the training ground, at last free of the anxiety of being caught by Ganondorf's minions. He took the reprieve for what it was worth, for if this proved to be a dead end, he would have to descend once more into the hordes. And even if he did manage to find some means of accessing the castle alternately, he knew it would not be long before he faced more foes, and not all of them would be those he could as easily circumvent.
Stretching slightly from slouching for so long, Link went to work feeling along the walls of the castle. He hoped to find some hidden passage somewhere, for it seemed logical that a castle would have secret passages for emergencies like these to usher the royal family away from danger. At that his mind was reminded the sewer. That was the secret passage, and he thought that surely his efforts were in vain and that there would be no other path but the front door.
Almost desperate to avoid the onslaught of the horde, Link glanced up, scrutinized the stones, and he deliberated over just how difficult it would be to scale the wall. He ran his left hand over a few stones, thinking.
Then a giant axe came crashing into the stones only inches away from his fingers. Immediately on guard, Link twirled on his heel to come face-to-face with an ogre. Its small beady eyes glared into Link, glowing red against the backdrop of the raging storm. One of the horns protruding from the top of its head had been hewn in half. Silver vambraces covered its muscular arms, and its large, green belly folded over a loincloth with light armor and sandals protecting its soles.
It almost looked like the same ogre Link had slain for kidnapping Colin nearly a month ago, except its eyes seemed less fierce and its cheeks hung with slightly more fat. Either way, Link had no choice but to engage this enemy.
As the ogre, likely the commander of the bulblin and bokoblin army, yanked on its weapon and unsheathed it from the stone just as Link drew his sword. Link rolled to the side to dodge the axe as the ogre pulled it away from the wall in a wide, sweeping motion. The bulk of the creature plagued its movements with slow reaction time, as Link learned with the way it swiveled its mass around to face him. The agile Hylian backed away from his foe, making the ogre ease away from the wall with sluggish footsteps. Link only hoped that if the bokoblins he had left behind heard the noise of their duel that they would pass it off as just another sparring match between allies.
The ogre heaved up its axe, which gave Link fair warning that another attack was coming. Its swing came so slowly that Link had more than enough time to dodge it as it thundered into the ground the same time that lightning's echo reverberated across the grounds. Link used this opportunity to run up the length of the pole of the axe to strike at the monster's head, but its reflexes and strength surprised Link by tossing him up and over his target instead.
Link somersaulted in midair to readjust his body to land firmly on his feet. Then the ogre flung itself toward him with a mighty spin of its body, an attack that reminded Link of Zant's final assault. His new opponent, however, did not waste all its energy on one attack, and after it realized it had no effect on its nimble prey it suspended the attack, drawing the axe in close once more. The Hylian was quick to respond, hoping to land a strike past its defensive stance, but the ogre blocked his attacks, using his axe like a bo staff to parry each thrust or slice in turn.
The ogre shoved against one of Link's strikes and managed to force him backward and unbalance him only slightly. It took this opportunity to thrash down with its rusted blade, but Link was quick to regain his footing. Learning from his failed attempt of running up the axe, Link instead rolled around to the ogre's exposed side while its weapon lay imbedded within the earth.
He popped up from his roll like a spring and drew his blade up across the ogre's back. Dark blood spilled from its pierced flesh, and it growled in a low whine. It was able to pivot around to defend against Link before any further damage was done. Link's attacks again met the staff of its weapon.
"Enough," boomed its deep, guttural voice, and Link took several careful steps away from his enemy, wary to remain on guard, but respectful to hear its request. If this proved to be some kind of ruse, Link would be ready to defend himself. But, true to its tone, his enemy relaxed its posture. "I follow the strongest side," it bellowed. "That is all I have ever known."
It let out a curious low growl and a gate opened on the far side of the training area that Link had not been able to see through the haze of the stormy air. From within its confides rode three giant boars. One's saddle bore no rider, but the other two each held two bulblin archers. Though their bows were shouldered as they approached, Link readied his saber.
The commander held up a pleading hand. "They mean no harm. They ride with me. I ride with the strongest; I ride with you, little Hylian."
Link's eyes darted from one figure to the next, sure that this was some kind of deception, but his instincts trusted the beat of the ogre's words, and he relaxed his posture. He cocked his head as an idea came to him then. Before he made his request, Link took another critical look across the ogre and its cohorts before making the decision if he could truly trust them.
===============
When Link had prepared for his journey into the castle, he had equipped only those items which he was sure he might need to use in reaching and battling Ganondorf. As usual he had his sword, shield, and bow. The only other weapons he had brought with him he kept on his belt: the dagger, which he had already used to progress through the courtyard, and … a pouch of bombs. He still had four of the small devices left since using one in the city in the sky.
Link's plan would work perfectly if the ogre and his loyal minions remained faithful to their truce.
The giant bulblin and his men galloped through the courtyard of training bokoblins, launching their axes and arrows into the swarm. The troops were stunned by the sudden attack by their commander, and after those still living recovered their senses, they roared and countered by racing after them, each trying to land a swipe on their new enemies.
Riding its giant boar, the ogre burst through the doors that opened into the main area of the bailey. Startled shrieks and angry growls thundered through the air, mixing with the sounds of the crackling heavens. The archers on overwatch called out the threat, alerting every soldier within the grounds to the danger of their mad commander. Arrows plugged the ogre, but its thick skin proved resistant to the full brunt of each blow. It sliced through the throng of troops as if they were butter. As the archers grew more desperate, they light their arrowheads aflame before shooting them down into the crowd.
This was when Link made use of the distraction he had engineered, entering the courtyard with bomb in hand. As the bulblins and bokoblins--and even the kargaroks--were busy entertaining their lethal guests, Link skidded to a flaming arrow that had missed its mark. As he bent and lit the fuse on the explosive, he regained his former speed, and to be assured it would not bounce away before its fuse was extinguished he chucked the bomb toward the chained double doors at the last moment.
Several things happened at the same time after this moment.
Link rolled under a swinging blade and uprooted an arrow while grabbing his bow into his right hand. When he popped up, he had taken a partly crouching stance, a knee and foot centering his balance as he aimed.
Huge chain links and splinters burst outward and impaled several surrounding troops as Link released his arrow, and the courtyard was engulfed in flame and smoke. As his arrow met the heart of a sentry, Link made his way through the cloudy debris field. He charged through as the soldiers around him were still fighting, and they were so disoriented at what was going on that they had started to fight among themselves, placing blame wherever it best suited their survival. Link swung his bow like a sword as a bulblin approached from out of nowhere, and it was hurled back at the force of the blow.
Once Link cleared the courtyard, he leapt over some of the stones of the steps that had been jostled free, and bounded into Hyrule Castle.
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~nasanerd09 Mar 18, 2012 Because this is such an emotionally charged chapter, you are going to hear (read) what I was thinking or saying out loud " In that moment, as Link looked to Midna, he realized he would do anything to erase the numb look on her face." - dawwwww, he might still be clueless, but dawwww
"But Link swore to himself that as the Hero, he would never allow it to be her. If someone's life had to be forfeit … it would be his." - oh Link, oh Link, wait until you...oh Link! *shakes fist at sky and fights back tears*
ok...got too involved in the chapter to continue doing this XD so I'll go on to the commenting...
First of all, I really, really, really loved all of Link's thoughts, especially in the beginning on why he had been the chosen one and his worry over whether or not he could have been corrupted. Fun fact, in the fanfiction I've come up with (it's all in my head, I haven't decided whether or not I want to write it yet) I had Link and I (yeah...I'm in the story...it's somewhat of a crossover. It kept me entertained at the time) had this discussion of why he was the Hero. In my opinion, the goddesses blessed him with the triforce because they knew he'd have such a courageous, kind heart, and all the Triforce did was give him the power to overcome Ganondorf and save Hyrule. But I digress...
I have to compliment you on Link's character and personality again. You've crafted this version of him that is so real, and relateable. He struggles with normal stuff. He doubts himself. He needs encouragement sometimes. He gets hungry and needs sleep But he's still every bit the Hero we've all come to know and love, the one who can stand up to anything, the one who never gives up. He's kind, selfless, strong, stubbornly determined, a bit clueless, and above all courageous. The voice and thoughts you've given him, his actions, they remain true to this, and they deepen his character. You've never strayed from it, you've only made his character even stronger. Your depiction of Link is quite possibly the biggest reason why I consider this one of, if not the best, Zelda fanfiction/novelization I've ever read.
and ok....sappy XD anyways, I also like how you handled the evacuation of the castle town. I agree, the citizens are idiots. You can tell stuff's going down, and yet they run about and shop and go to the bar and do all sorts of normal stuff, and they barely seem concerned, if at all. I don't mind at all how much original stuff is in this chapter, you did an excellent job with it.
And the moldorm bit was interesting, I hope it didn't taste tooooooooo bad. I too, am curious about Midna's eating habits (that's one of the little things I like seeing how fanfiction writers handle, I've come across some funny stuff!) and I kinda hope you elaborate on it later
The way you worked in the magic armor was so much more meaningful than it was in game (and the darn thing is a lot more useful too!!! stupid rupees...) although I have to ask, where on earth did Rusl get all those precious jewels and metals??? oh well, not important
You did an amazing job with the breaking of the barrier, and I smiled like the twitterpated puppy I am around my boyfriend at the Link-holding-Midna bit. It was almost perfect. I'm glad you added in Link's POV in the "cuddle" bit. It was fantastic (can you tell I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic? You could see all the moments between the two as a very close friendship so far if you wanted to, I don't know if you'll keep it that way or push it in a more romantic direction, but it could also definitely be viewed as the beginnings of romance or love and they don't quite realize it yet, which is what I choose to do.) I really love how you've developed their relationship, you've done a wonderful job.
I also almost cried at the point when Link locks them out of the castle. I knew it was coming, I even saw his plan of action coming before you wrote it, but still, the looks and few words exchanged, I almost cried, no joke. I do hope they come in to help him though, I really liked that part of the game. but if you chose to leave it out, I won't be terribly disappointed.
Ganondorf's page of thoughts was also fantastic, I literally started cowering in fear, on my bed, while reading it. You nailed his personality. In TP he's more...evil I guess. Power hungry, terribly intimidating. He's more of a wisecracking guy in OoT who's after power and glory, and more of a tragic villian in WW, but in TP... [he's] evil, corrupted by power, anger, and hatred, badass and intimidating he was. And you nailed it! And as far as I can tell, you pretty much stayed with canon this time.
Also, I'm glad you worked in the bit about King Bulblin and how he chooses to follow Link, and Link's entrance into the castle was simply perfect. No getting trapped in annoying pens and having to fight off hordes of goblins And yay you worked in the arrow bit!!! I is happy ^_^ that is one of my favorite little details in TP. (and it's in SS too ) I seriously almost never buy arrows anymore XD. Great job.
~SlyCooperRocks101 Jun 22, 2012 I'm serious when I say that I almost shed a tear when I read what Rusl had to say about Link being the true Hero. It was beautiful, and it sounded like something out of a five start movie. I'm loving this story more and more, and you give perfect justice to this great game.
*Shadymissionary Mar 12, 2012 I liked Ganon's POV. Nice touch.
~silverheartlugia2000 Mar 12, 2012 epicccccc!!!! i kinda feel bad for rusl though, but like link said it'd be a slaughterhouse. kinda makes me curious if youll put in the bazooka bit though. and that was kinda funny sending kb as a distraction against his own men!
*Mushkikizou-chan Mar 17, 2012 Nice!! Can't wait for the next chapter, seems as though most of the action will be there. But yeah, good job with the ogre scene. I've liked that guy ever since that scene and I like how you incorporated him more by having him attack everything lol
"But Link swore to himself that as the Hero, he would never allow it to be her. If someone's life had to be forfeit … it would be his." - oh Link, oh Link, wait until you...oh Link! *shakes fist at sky and fights back tears*
ok...got too involved in the chapter to continue doing this XD so I'll go on to the commenting...
First of all, I really, really, really loved all of Link's thoughts, especially in the beginning on why he had been the chosen one and his worry over whether or not he could have been corrupted. Fun fact, in the fanfiction I've come up with (it's all in my head, I haven't decided whether or not I want to write it yet) I had Link and I (yeah...I'm in the story...it's somewhat of a crossover. It kept me entertained at the time) had this discussion of why he was the Hero. In my opinion, the goddesses blessed him with the triforce because they knew he'd have such a courageous, kind heart, and all the Triforce did was give him the power to overcome Ganondorf and save Hyrule. But I digress...
I have to compliment you on Link's character and personality again. You've crafted this version of him that is so real, and relateable. He struggles with normal stuff. He doubts himself. He needs encouragement sometimes. He gets hungry and needs sleep But he's still every bit the Hero we've all come to know and love, the one who can stand up to anything, the one who never gives up. He's kind, selfless, strong, stubbornly determined, a bit clueless, and above all courageous. The voice and thoughts you've given him, his actions, they remain true to this, and they deepen his character. You've never strayed from it, you've only made his character even stronger. Your depiction of Link is quite possibly the biggest reason why I consider this one of, if not the best, Zelda fanfiction/novelization I've ever read.
and ok....sappy XD anyways, I also like how you handled the evacuation of the castle town. I agree, the citizens are idiots. You can tell stuff's going down, and yet they run about and shop and go to the bar and do all sorts of normal stuff, and they barely seem concerned, if at all. I don't mind at all how much original stuff is in this chapter, you did an excellent job with it.
And the moldorm bit was interesting, I hope it didn't taste tooooooooo bad. I too, am curious about Midna's eating habits (that's one of the little things I like seeing how fanfiction writers handle, I've come across some funny stuff!) and I kinda hope you elaborate on it later
The way you worked in the magic armor was so much more meaningful than it was in game (and the darn thing is a lot more useful too!!! stupid rupees...) although I have to ask, where on earth did Rusl get all those precious jewels and metals??? oh well, not important
You did an amazing job with the breaking of the barrier, and I smiled like the twitterpated puppy I am around my boyfriend at the Link-holding-Midna bit. It was almost perfect. I'm glad you added in Link's POV in the "cuddle" bit. It was fantastic (can you tell I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic? You could see all the moments between the two as a very close friendship so far if you wanted to, I don't know if you'll keep it that way or push it in a more romantic direction, but it could also definitely be viewed as the beginnings of romance or love and they don't quite realize it yet, which is what I choose to do.) I really love how you've developed their relationship, you've done a wonderful job.
I also almost cried at the point when Link locks them out of the castle. I knew it was coming, I even saw his plan of action coming before you wrote it, but still, the looks and few words exchanged, I almost cried, no joke. I do hope they come in to help him though, I really liked that part of the game. but if you chose to leave it out, I won't be terribly disappointed.
Ganondorf's page of thoughts was also fantastic, I literally started cowering in fear, on my bed, while reading it. You nailed his personality. In TP he's more...evil I guess. Power hungry, terribly intimidating. He's more of a wisecracking guy in OoT who's after power and glory, and more of a tragic villian in WW, but in TP... [he's] evil, corrupted by power, anger, and hatred, badass and intimidating he was. And you nailed it! And as far as I can tell, you pretty much stayed with canon this time.
Also, I'm glad you worked in the bit about King Bulblin and how he chooses to follow Link, and Link's entrance into the castle was simply perfect. No getting trapped in annoying pens and having to fight off hordes of goblins And yay you worked in the arrow bit!!! I is happy ^_^ that is one of my favorite little details in TP. (and it's in SS too ) I seriously almost never buy arrows anymore XD. Great job.
~SlyCooperRocks101 Jun 22, 2012 I'm serious when I say that I almost shed a tear when I read what Rusl had to say about Link being the true Hero. It was beautiful, and it sounded like something out of a five start movie. I'm loving this story more and more, and you give perfect justice to this great game.
*Shadymissionary Mar 12, 2012 I liked Ganon's POV. Nice touch.
~silverheartlugia2000 Mar 12, 2012 epicccccc!!!! i kinda feel bad for rusl though, but like link said it'd be a slaughterhouse. kinda makes me curious if youll put in the bazooka bit though. and that was kinda funny sending kb as a distraction against his own men!
*Mushkikizou-chan Mar 17, 2012 Nice!! Can't wait for the next chapter, seems as though most of the action will be there. But yeah, good job with the ogre scene. I've liked that guy ever since that scene and I like how you incorporated him more by having him attack everything lol