Welcome to the Hyrule War

Chapter 1. Welcome to the second book of 'Hyrule Battle'. I have written this story once before but book 2 is a whole new addition to the series. Originally, I had skipped this war but I felt that it was necessary to recreate this war just for the sake of improving my skills as a writer and to involve you readers into the story itself. I apologize for the cliffhanger in the end of book 1. Many questions have probably arisen but don't worry; they will be answered in time. Now, without further ado, I give you, 'Hyrule Battle Book 2'.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda.

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One month has passed since the war began. Zero never returned from his journey and I fear the worst has happened. Yet, I cannot let this situation overcome my feelings. A war is raging and I need to focus on winning. Saria has taken this experience rather well. She was against the concept of war but in time she learned. "One must kill or be killed". That is the sad and horrible truth to war. It pains me to see such an innocent girl get thrown into this conflict. She must feel upset and grief-stricken, yet she always seems to smile regarding the situation. I truly hope this war ends soon; for the sake of all the people who deserve peace.

-Link

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The sun slowly set behind the rocky peaks of Death Mountain. An overwhelming silence overtook the empty fields of Hyrule as the night crept in. The torches of the draw bridge burst into raging flames as the bridge lowered itself into the ground. Many monsters armed with numerous kinds of weapons emerged from the Castle Town. Stalfos, Iron Knuckles, Moblins, and many other creatures of the darkness swarmed the Hyrulian field. They snarled, growled, and roared in anticipation of the bloodshed soon to come.

A small flicker of light could be seen in the horizon. A lone boy with emerald green clothes and golden hair stood his ground eyeing the armada of monsters without fear. Several other figures emerged from behind the boy: A powerful Goron, a swift Gerudo, a majestic Zora, and a virtuous Kokiri all stood their ground next to the boy.

Link looked back at the sages, "you ready?" Link asked.

The sages all nodded except Saria who stood in the back holding her bow with both of her hands.

"Saria, you ok?" Link asked.

Saria was brought out of her thoughts, "huh...oh, ye-yeah."

Link stared at her for a moment before turning his attention toward the battlefront.

Saria bit her lip, "I hope I don't mess up," she whispered quietly.

"All right! Let's GO!" Link charged into the battlefield with the sages following closely behind.

The small group of five people suddenly increased in numbers as many Gorons, Zoras, Hylians, and Gerudos appeared from the sides, surrounding the monsters in the middle of the field. The monsters where caught off guard and the Hyrulians took advantage of that confusion to strike.

"HYAA," Link shouted as he began slashing and hacking his way through a horde of moblins.

A small group of Hylians and Zoras stayed behind the frontline attacking the enemy with long range attacks. Bows were used by the Hylians and Saria as the Zoras used their sharp fins as boomerangs to strike down the monsters.

The Gerudos attacked gracefully with their scimitars. Their hard training sessions with Nabooru had paid off. Their high accuracy and agility proved to be too much for the strong but slow iron knuckles.

The Gorons used their superior strength to overpower the weaker monsters like the moblins and the stalfos. Their teams were divided into three squadrons. One would supply the bombs, others would roll around the battlefield toppling down any monsters that stood in their way, and the third would back up the Hylians and the Gerudos in hand to hand combat.

The Hylians, like Link, would attack mercilessly with their melee weapons, be it swords, axes, or maces. It was hard for them seeing as they did not posses any unique qualities like the Gorons and their strength or the Zoras and their aquatic abilities. Magic was not an option to them either, for magic was lost along with the Sheikahs. Still, they showed no signs of weakness.

The battle waged on until the dawn of the next day. It was a gruesome battle but the Hyrulians had emerged victorious. There were a few casualties but the majority was still standing.

Darunia approached Link, who was eyeing the castle intently, "we did it."

"No, this is far from over," Nabooru said as she sheathed her scimitars.

"Nabooru is right," Link spoke, "this was just the beginning."

"It is obvious that MajoraGanon was testing us. This was just a small battalion compared to his real army. But I don't understand, he could have easily taken us out if only he had sent out his main armada," Ruto said.

"You said so yourself Ruto, he was just testing us. It's just like a complicated game of chess. The opening moves have been made and now there is no turning back," Link said silently.

A Hylian soldier made his way towards Link and saluted before speaking, "Sir, we have won this battle. What are our orders?"

Link smiled at the soldier, "gather every survivor, we're heading back to Kakariko village to rest, you've all earned it."

"Yes SIR!" the soldier saluted once again and left.

"What do we do know, oh-great-general-Link?" Nabooru smirked.

Link looked at Nabooru and smiled back, "We don't know what MajoraGanon has planned next. But whatever it is, we are prepared. So for now, we celebrate our victory!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Darunia laughed.

"All right! Let's head for Kakariko!" Ruto exclaimed.

"Um…wait. We are short one Sage," Link said with a worried expression.

"You mean young Saria?" Darunia asked, "She's over there," he pointed at Saria who was sitting alone on top of a small hill.

"Thanks, you guys so on ahead. I'll catch up!" Link waved at them before rushing off to see Saria.

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Link saw Saria's cold and distant eyes as he walked towards her. He knew what she was going through that exact moment. He had gone through it too, the first time he set foot outside the forest and had to deal with the cruel and unforgiving world. Yet, Link did not have to take part in a war in the beginning. Now he was older and better prepared for it but Saria was not.

Link sat down next to her and stared at her. She did not look at him. Instead, she kept her gaze over the remains of the battle.

"Saria…are you ok?" Link asked knowing full well that she was not.

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at Link. "Link, is this what war really is?"

Deep down she knew the answer but the tried to deny it. She clutched her chest tightly hoping Link would just lie to her but alas, it did not happen.

"I'm sorry Saria. I knew I shouldn't have gotten you involved in this. I'm sorry," he stared at the cold ground in shame. "I shouldn't have brought her. What was I thinking?!" he mentally slapped himself.

Saria's eyes widened, "No Link." She placed her hand on Link's chin and lifted his head up so he could see her face. "I'm the one who's sorry. I was the one who chose this. I can't start regretting my decision now. I have to be strong. It's my destiny as a Sage. Sorry I suddenly got like this."

"Just because you're a Sage doesn't mean you have to suffer like this!" Link shouted. He hated it. He hated the concept of destiny. Ever since he was a child, destiny controlled his life and made him miserable. He didn't want it to happen to Saria as well.

Saria took Link's hand, "It might seem awful and upsetting but it's not the complete truth of the situation."

Link raised an eyebrow, "What are you saying? How can you not be suffering?"

"Link," she squeezed his hand, "I have you with me, don't I? If it wasn't for destiny we wouldn't be together. Yet, here we are," she took Link's hand once more and showed to him, "here we are together. It makes this…all of this worth it. No matter how sad, no matter how horrible, or painful this might be, its still worth going through because I know that at the end, you will be there, holding my hand.

Link was at a lost for words. He knew Saria was taking the concept of war really hard yet she refused to give in, all for his sake. He felt a little guilty but deep down he was glad she was with him. It was then he made a vow with himself, to always be there for her and to always protect her, no matter what.

Link placed his hand on her cheek and stared at her. She was lost in his gaze and soon found herself leaning closer to him. He slowly closed his eyes and leaned in as well. Their lips were only inches apart but fate has never been so kind.

"What the hell are you two doing?!"

Link and Saria were both startled and quickly jerked back, their faces shinning a bright crimson.

"I leave you two alone for ONE minute and this is what happens?!" Navi shot an angry glare at Link who was too embarrassed to speak.

Saria quickly shot up, "So, I heard everyone is gathering at Kakariko? Good, I'll go up ahead and see if I can help out," and with that, the teenage Kokiri girl left towards the village.

"Got anything to say, Link?" the little fairy asked as she placed her small hands on her hips.

"Yeah," Link looked at Navi with a tear in his eye, "why do you always do this to me?" he whined.

Navi placed her hand under her chin in thought, "I don't…know. Maybe it's just fun," she giggled.

Link sighed and stood up, "Let's just get to Kakariko, shall we?"

"Oooh must have hit a nerve there," Navi giggled to herself one more time before following Link to the village.

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Link was greeted by a soldier as he entered Kakariko village.

"General Link!" the soldier greeted.

"Please, just Link," he smiled at the soldier.

"Oh, my apologies Gener… I mean Link," the soldier bowed his head. "The Sages are waiting for you at the inn."

Link thanked the soldier and began making his way towards the village inn.

"Security sure is tight in this place," Navi said as she hovered over Link's head.

"Well, we are in war and Hyrule castle is very near. The enemy can strike at anytime. It's best to be prepared," Link said.

"I've also noticed that there are a lot more people here than before," Navi said as she pointed at the crowd of people walking through the streets.

"My guess is that they are all refugees that escaped the castle town before it was destroyed. That is why we must work harder to protect these people," Link explained.

Navi poked Link's cheek, "My, how noble of you Link."

"Cut it out, we have to see Darunia and the others."

"Right-o!"

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"Brother!" Darunia shouted as Link walked in.

"Bout time, hero. Take a seat," Nabooru pointed at a small chair in front of a rather large table.

Link obeyed and sat on the chair. He looked at the rest of the sages. Darunia, Nabooru, Ruto, and Saria were all present. "Ok, what is our next move?" he asked.

"Simple, we attack the castle head on," Ruto said.

Nabooru shook her head, "not so simple my dear little fishy princess. We are dealing with a fortified castle. A head on approach will prove useless."

"Well, what do you suggest, thief?" Ruto crossed her arms and sank back in her chair waiting for Nabooru to speak.

Nabooru closed her eyes and placed her hands behind her back, "We wait."

"Wait? Why should we do that?" Saria asked.

"I think I see Nabooru's point," Darunia said. Everyone looked at him waiting for him to continue. "MajoraGanon cannot stay locked up in his castle forever. He will attack us eventually and when he does, we annihilate his troops. Without an army, he will be powerless and then we can stage an attack on the castle."

"So, instead of going to him, we let him come to us! I get it!" Ruto exclaimed.

"What do you think Link?" Saria asked.

Link crossed his arms, "I don't know if we can wait. He still has Zelda. There is a chance that if we wait too long she might die."

Nabooru smirked, "Leave it to me and my thieves."

"What can you do?" Saria asked.

"We excel in stealing…as well as sneaking. A group of gerudos thieves and I will sneak into the castle and rescue the princess," Nabooru smirked.

"Are you sure that is a good idea? I mean, you are entering enemy territory. If they catch you…," Link hesitated.

"I will be killed. I know. That's why I won't get caught," Nabooru winked.

"You are too overconfident, you know that?" Ruto spat.

"You are not confident enough. If you doubt yourself, you will lose. If you have confidence in yourself, you'll prevail," Nabooru smirked.

Ruto rolled her eyes, "I don't know if that's bold or just plain foolish."

"I'll let you decide," Nabooru said as she stood up, "Now, if you excuse me, I got to catch up on my beauty sleep."

The group suddenly turned their attention towards the door when a rather nervous soldier entered the room, "Link! It's the enemy! They are here!"

Link quickly stood up, "What?! Now?!"

"Let's go!" Darunia barked.

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The front perimeter of Kakariko was completely wiped out by one person. The person, if it was human, wore a rare type of armor that covered his face completely with long sleeves that hid his arms. He was accompanied by two weird looking creatures. The creatures were as black as the night sky with weird markings throughout their bodies.

A group of soldiers lined up in front of the enemy with their weapons at the ready.

"Stand down," Link ordered as he made his way past the soldiers. He eyed the intruder intently. "Who are you?" he asked in a low voice.

"Zant, ruler of the Twilight," the enemy answered casually.

"The…twilight?" Nabooru asked. She looked at the rest of the sages. "Any idea guys?"

The sages all shook their heads.

"One simple question, are you working for MajoraGanon?" Link asked.

"Lord MajoraGanon sent me to…"

"Fair enough!" Link unsheathed his Master sword and the Mirror shield and dashed towards Zant.

"Eager to die now, are we?" Zant raised his hand and the shadow creatures began to run towards Link.

"Oh no you don't!" Ruto shouted as she shot one of her fins towards one of the creatures temporarily stunning it.

Darunia took that opportunity to tackle the great beast into the ground. "Let see what yer made of!"

Saria shot an arrow at the other creature. It screeched in pain as the arrow grazed its leg making it stumble into the ground.

Link jumped over the shadow creature and continued his assault at Zant. "I'll leave these guys to you," he shouted.

"No problem," Nabooru said as she unsheathed her scimitars. She stared at the creature as it slowly stood up. "Saria, back me up ok?"

Saria quickly nodded, "Ok!"

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Zant managed to evade Link's attack by hovering in the air just enough to escape Link's sword. "What do you plan to do now?" Zant laughed as he summoned up an energy blast and shot it at Link.

Link smirked and placed his shield in front of him. The blast was immediately sent back the moment it touched the Mirror shield. "Thank you Saria," Link whispered to himself.

Zant was caught off guard by the attack and was sent flying back towards the ground. "Ooof, cheap shot," he muttered as he dusted himself off.

"Don't tell me that's all you got. Come on, I'm just getting warmed up," Link taunted.

"You little Hylian filth!" Zant spat.

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"Darunia, what do I do?" Ruto asked.

Darunia, who was too busy wrestling with the shadow creature, just waved his arm as if telling her to leave.

"OH!" well I never!" Ruto stormed towards one of the guards who was watching the fight intently along with the other soldier. She quickly took the soldier's lance and shoved him out of the way. "No one tells me to buzz off!"

"Man, this guy is tough," Darunia thought to himself as the creature pinned him against the ground. "Uh-oh, I'm in trouble."

Ruto raised the lance as if she were holding a baseball bat and swung at the creature sending flying all the way across the village. The creature collided against the Inn's wall and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Don't mess with princess RUTO!" she shouted making the nearby soldiers to flinch. She then stared at Darunia, "and you!"

"Darunia swallowed hard as a sweat dropped formed over his head, "oh boy…"

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"This guy ain't so tough," Nabooru said as she dodged the monster's attacks with ease.

Saria tried to aim at the creature but it moved too fast for her to get a lock on, "Um…Nabooru, do you think you can stand still so I can get a clear shot at it?" Saria asked shyly.

"Sure thing, sweetie," Nabooru smiled. She quickly ran at the creature and jumped over the creature landing behind it. She quickly grabbed it in a head lock. "Take your shot!"

"Ok then," Saria closed one eye in order to get a clearer shot. She arched the bow back and quickly let go sending an arrow directly at the creature.

Nabooru jumped out of the way as the arrow pierced the creature right through the middle. It roared in pain before disappearing in a puff of smoke like its counterpart.

"Good job Saria, you're getting better," Nabooru smiled at the Kokiri girl.

"Thanks," Saria blushed slightly at the compliment.

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Link had managed to knock Zant back into the ground. "Give up," Link said as he placed the Master sword on his shoulder, "my friends have defeated your little minions. You can't win."

Zant smiled mischievously, "Oh but I didn't come here to kill you. My goal was one much different than that." Zant's hands stretched and wrapped themselves around Link.

"Argh, what the hell is this?!" Link said as he struggled to get free.

A weird black hole in the sky suddenly appeared.

"How would you like a tour of the Twilight realm?" Zant asked with a wicked grin.

Link looked to his side to find Saria and the rest heading his way.

"Link!" Saria shouted.

Link didn't have time to reply as he and Zant got swallowed up by the black hole and disappeared.

"Link! What happened? Where is he?!" Saria was almost on the verge of tears.

Nabooru walked up to Saria and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure he's fine."

Saria looked at Nabooru, "but where is he?" she asked as a sob escaped her mouth.

"That Zant guy mentioned the Twilight realm," Darunia said as he placed his rocky hand under his chin in thought.

"The question is…where is that?" Ruto asked as she looked up at the night sky hoping to find an answer.

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MajoraGanon stood in his throne room looking at the outside through a window. He caught a glimpse of the black warp hole Zant had created appear and then disappear in an instant. A satisfied grin formed on his face, "Let the war begin."

End of Chapter 1

A/N: And I'm done with the first chapter of book 2 woohoo! applause Now, I think I've placed every single Zelda baddie in my story. Isn't that great? Again, very sorry for the cliff hanger but it will be all sorted out soon…if I feel like it.

Hasta Luego!