Damn Daniel! Back at it again with the slow updates!
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"She's gone!" A soldier screamed as he ran out of Zelda's tent. "She's gone! The princess is gone!"
Marth sprinted to the scene, Corrin by his side, and he grabbed the soldier.
"What do you mean she's gone? What happened?" Marth said, gently massaging the soldier's shoulders in an attempt to make him calm down.
"The princess has disappeared whilst under my guard… I'm a failure…" The soldier sobbed.
"That may be, but what happened?" Marth repeated.
"I was guarding the tent on the outside. I didn't hear any sound for a while so I walked inside to check on her, and she was just… Not there... Gone…" The soldier answered. Marth released the soldier and sprinted inside the tent. Corrin followed him and they began looking for clues. They didn't need to look far, however. There was a fine dust floating through the air which seemed to have a sparkling effect.
"Magic…" Marth whispered. He sprinted back outside the tent and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"ROBIN! TO ZELDA'S TENT AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"
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"There's no doubt about it. This is dark magic." Robin observed. Marth cursed.
"What type?" Marth asked.
"I think… Teleportation?" Robin answered.
"It would explain the sudden disappearance. Any other info? No clues as to who performed the deed?" Marth questioned. Robin nodded.
"Actually, there's a strong feeling of darkness looming over the château. I think it's safe to assume this is the work of that Egyptian warlord." Robin noted. Marth nodded.
"Should we launch an attack on the château soon then?" Marth asked. Robin remained silent, his hooded face not giving anything away.
"Good. We attack at first light."
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Richard addressed both armies, Robin aiding with translation via magic. The plan was to fire magic at the moat to freeze it, then have about fifty soldiers climb over the wall. The men inside would then open the drawbridge and allow the rest of the army to enter. The goal: Defeat the Egyptians and rescue Princess Zelda.
There was optimism among the army now that a plan had been established. The soldiers were ecstatic. They were shouting battle cries, sharpening blades and having mock fights.
All except one.
He sat on a wooden log, his sweaty helmet next to him. Although he was sharpening his sword, he wasn't as hyped up as his fellow comrades. There was something about the château that made him feel uneasy…
Was it the tall spires?
No, he knew it was something other-worldly. He could feel it.
Something bad was going to happen soon.
Either way, he was going to fight. If something bad was going to happen, he needed to make sure it was halted right away. He finished sharpening his sword and grabbed it with his left hand. Looking at his reflection, his deep blue eyes stared back at him. He sheathed his blade and dusted the metal fillings off his tunic and peered up to see his superior looking at him, his red hair blowing in the wind.
"What's up with you soldier?" The general asked.
"General Roy! I… Umm…"
"Not too confident about this battle then?" Roy chuckled.
"No… No, it's not that… There's just something about this castle… I fear that tonight may not go too well…"
The general looked him in the eye.
"What's your name soldier?" He asked.
"Link."
"Well Sir Link, may your sword arm be as strong as your instinct. Now if you'll excuse me, I must leave you. The Prince wishes for me to be at his side this coming battle." Roy wished, and he turned his heel and headed for the tent that belonged to Marth.
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Marth, Roy, Corrin, Ike, Richard and Philip all stood behind their army, which was gathering up in front of the drawbridge. Robin stood at the head of the army, tome at the ready, patiently waiting for Richard's signal.
And then the first glimpse of the sun came over the hill.
"FOR ENGLAND AND FOR FRANCE!" Richard yelled. The entire army shouted, and Robin activated his tome and froze a small portion of the moat. Fifty soldiers then ran up to the wall, threw grappling hooks over and began to climb. They eventually made it to the top and they climbed over.
Everyone held their breaths. What was over the wall?
The drawbridge opened, and the army charged inside, oblivious to the dangers held within.
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The army arrived in a large courtyard that had no windows whatsoever. All that was there was the entrance they had just came through and a large staircase that led to two huge double doors. The group of royalty (in addition to Ike, Robin and Roy) were surrounded by their army, so that they were in the safest position.
"This is a very odd layout for a castle." Roy observed. Robin nodded in agreement. There was a dark aura surrounding this courtyard, even darker than the rest of the castle.
A tiny speck of light caught his eye, which he instantly recognised as the darkest and most despicable form of magic there was.
"Sh-" Robin begun to curse, but he was cut off by a huge rumbling that shook the entire courtyard.
"What the hell was that!" Ike screamed, his voice barely audible above the shaking.
As Ike said that, hundreds of skeletons started to climb out of the ground, and they circled the entire army, outnumbering the army seven to one.
They had fallen right into a trap.
"Oh, how pitiful you look down there." A dark voice said, although no one could trace the voice's owner.
"Why, the Princess herself is looking down on you right now!" The voice chuckled. Richard gasped. Was the princess at the top of the staircase?
"Marth! Cover me! I'm heading for the stairs!" He yelled. Marth nodded and he begun hacking at the horde ahead of him. The army followed suit, continuously cutting down skeleton after skeleton. A few soldiers weren't fast enough, and their necks were promptly chomped on by the approaching undead. This only urged the survivors to perform beyond their best.
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Richard sprinted through the horde, slicing at any monsters that came near him, and he began to climb the stairs.
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Link noticed his King opening the doors, much to his dismay. The doors screamed danger at him, and he was certain that nothing but death lurked behind them. Without further delay, Link raised his shield and charged through the masses in front of him, his heart beating out of his chest. Without backup though, he was making slow progress. Would he get there in time?
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Richard slammed his full weight into the door and somehow broke through. He charged onwards and found himself in a throne room. Torches lined the walls, providing a dim light on the chamber. At the end of the room he saw what he presumed was the Egyptian warlord that he had been seeking, sitting on a throne. Behind the throne, a small cage was hanging off the roof, and inside it…
"Zelda!" Richard cried. This just made the Egyptian smirk, and he got off his throne, standing about ten metres away from the English King. His cape hung loosely off his back, the ends of it were in tatters. His fiery red hair had some sort of weird crown in it, and a large yellow jewel was embedded on his forehead.
"Ah, Richard! It's about time you showed up. We've both been waiting for a while you know." He said. Richard frowned.
"What do you want with her?" Richard asked, drawing his sword and holding it in front of him. The man just laughed.
"Straight to the point I see. Well, that's a bit rude isn't it? Why don't we handle the formalities before we fight? After all, this is the last conversation you'll ever have. You should enjoy it while it lasts. Anyway, my name is Lord Ganondorf of Egypt. Pleased to meet you." He said with a smirk on his face and he bowed.
"Save your mockery, and release the princess!" Richard yelled. Ganondorf scowled.
"Well, aren't you persistent? If it's a fight you want, then it's a death you'll get!" Ganondorf said as he unsheathed his blade. The two kings charged at each other and they fiercely swung at each other, the sound of metal on metal filling the hall.
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Marth finally managed to cut enough enemies down around him that he had a couple of seconds to rest. He observed the battle. His army was doing fairly well, but they weren't making any progress. They were all just blindly cutting down the horde in front of them, and there was no real objective. At this rate, they were done for. Marth did notice a small push at the front however. A single soldier was cutting through the skeletons, slowly advancing towards the staircase. Marth smiled. He turned to face the Warriors that were by his side. Roy was tearing through the army was huge flames, as was Ike. Robin was destroying enemies by the tens with his tomes. He was shouting all sorts of spells, and fire and electricity were flying everywhere. Corrin was cutting through the horde just as quick with his magic sword, it's 'teeth' spinning rapidly and sending bone marrow everywhere.
"Everyone! We are advancing to the staircase!" Marth ordered, and the group started charging towards their goal.
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Link was sweating from exhaustion. His progress through the army had slowed down so much he wasn't even sure if he was moving forwards anymore. Every time he cut one down, two more would take its place. His whole body felt numb. He couldn't even feel his arm anymore. All he saw was his arm continuously moving up and down, up and down, up and down…
All he wanted was a small break so he could reenergise himself. Even a few seconds would be enough.
But they kept coming. And coming. And coming. And coming…
If something didn't change soon, he wouldn't make it. He couldn't retreat back to the main group because he had dug too far into the horde. The undead circled him, and he was cut off. The only way to go was forward.
The next thing he knew he was surrounded by fire and electricity instead of the masses of white and grey he had just gotten used to. He looked around him and saw several warriors by his side.
"General Roy! Prince Marth! Prince Corrin! What are you all doing here?!" He asked. Roy smiled at him.
"You looked like you had a good idea. Thought we might join you!" He chuckled as he lit a skeleton on fire. Another flaming sword came crushing down on that same skeleton as Ike attempted to steal his thunder.
"Helloooo?! I'm here too!" He said to Link. Before Link could reply, Marth intervened.
"No time for chit-chat! We need to get to that staircase!" He yelled. Link nodded, and resumed fighting, his strength having been refuelled.
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Ganondorf was a lot stronger than Richard anticipated. Since their fight had begun, Ganondorf had been continuously attacking Richard with no breaks. He would swipe at Richard's left and then attack his right with a quick blast of dark magic. The English King didn't know if he could keep his defence up for much longer.
He stole a glance upwards, where his unconscious daughter resided in a small, iron cage that hung from the ceiling.
"Curse you…" He muttered to Ganondorf. All this did was make the warlord smile an evil smile.
"That's what I like to hear. It's more entertaining when they go down fighting!" Ganondorf maniacally said as he begun a new chain of attacks.
Richard knew he wasn't going to last.
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Link, Marth, Roy, Corrin, Ike and Robin sprinted up the staircase, now free from the carnage occurring behind them. They burst through the double doors. Everyone but Link halted, taking in what was happening before making any silly mistakes. Link, however, drew his sword and shield and charged into the hall, towards where Richard was fighting a losing battle. Time seemed to slow down for Link. He watched as the Egyptian warlord slowly activated a dark magic attack that caught Richard on his sword arm.
His sword fell to the ground with a loud clang and Richard grasped his arm and fell to his knees, doubling over in pain. Link heard Marth yell something, but Link was sprinting as fast as he could, his sword pointed at the opponent.
Ganondorf's arm moved back, sword in hand, preparing to strike Richard.
Link sprinted even faster, getting ever so close to his destination.
Ganondorf thrusted forward.
Link's running ceased. Everything seemed to speed up again.
"I was too late…"
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Also, you know what really annoys me? I pre-ordered Hyrule Warriors Legends from the nearest game store (which happens to be a two hour drive). It came out on March 24th in my region, and the shop hasn't even POSTED THE GAME IN THE MAIL YET!
Now that I got that off my chest, I bid you farewell until the next (undoubtedly late because it's me what did you expect) chapter!