Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ.
Warnings: Not much in this chapter. Some people die. There's some blood.
The muscles in her shoulder strained, beginning to ache after being held in the same position for so long. The stars alone hung in the sky on the moonless night. A sharp autumn wind whistled and whipped through the trees, biting through the clothing of the woman crouched in a large tree. She longed to move and adjust her position, but it was too late for her. Duchess Veran's archers were legendary.
She'd be too easy of a target if they saw her. Moving was a risk she couldn't afford to take. No, she had to remain as still and silent as possible.
The girl's pointed ears twitched at the first, faint sounds of the approaching enemy. Her guess had been correct, then; she was trapped. She'd hoped she'd left them all behind her, but she clearly hadn't. The girl forced her shoulder to strain more, putting tension on her bowstring. There was pinprick of light along the horizon—a torch. It was just in range. She released the string, letting the arrow shoot silently.
The distant figure fell. More torches lit the horizon. There was no time for rest. She nocked another arrow, loosed it, and felled another. She felled one more. The girl heard a sharp voice. Freezing, the archer let a terrified gasp die in her throat. The Duchess herself had come.
Recovering from her stupor, she nocked another arrow and loosed it. Someone fell. The sharp voice spoke again, beginning to chant in a language the archer knew not. It had to be a spell. She threw the bow over her shoulder and leapt to the next tree. Breathless, she waited to see if anyone heard the rustling. No one had.
She reached for another arrow when an arc of fire split through the forest. The girl yelled in surprise. Her eyes widened. She heard them coming. The fire leapt to the tree she hid in, and she had no choice. She dropped to the ground.
The bow snapped from the impact. The archer rolled to her feet and drew the sword from her back. Its blue blade shined, reflecting the flames around her. She struck at the first warrior that charged. Their blades met, and the girl fought not to cry. The sword was supernaturally heavy. It was like lifting a sword made of lead. It was like trying to lift a mountain, and her back and shoulders popped from the strain of just barely swinging it. "Back off!" came the order.
The warrior did, and Duchess Veran strode forward in her purple armor. "Oh, the Master Sword. It's a pity you can't really use it, isn't it?"
The girl said nothing. The Duchess was right. The archer refused to cry, though. The blade that felt so light on her back but grew heavy in her hands began to burn her palms. The sacred sword wouldn't obey her, and she was about to lose it. "Now, now, why are you glaring at me?" asked the Duchess, in a light, friendly tone, as if the girl were her best friend.
The girl felt sweat drip down her neck; it was stiflingly warm. The Duchess's warriors crowded behind her, their gold and orange eyes as bright as their weapons. "You can't kill us all," said Veran softly.
The girl held the blade out defiantly, silently begging for the sword to obey her. She just needed it once. "Try me!" she challenged.
The Duchess laughed and snapped her fingers. Pain exploded in the girl's head, and she fell to her knees, her hand still gripping the sword tightly, even as burns appeared on her hands. "You know what to do," said Veran.
The girl felt several warriors grab her, one wresting the sword from her grasp. "No!"
Veran raised an eyebrow. The girl struggled, though eventually, she ended up on the ground gagged with her wrists bound behind her back. A tall, red-haired warrior unbuckled the sword belt around the girl's waist before sheathing the sword in it and holding it. The girl struggled, and the Duchess laughed coldly. "That sword is the least of your worries. I do plan on having it melted down, but truthfully? You're in much more danger, Princess Zelda."
The Duchess smiled brightly and ruffled the girl's hair. "And how the Goddess Nayru will weep when she sees what I've done with her Chosen One."