Disclaimer: If Legend of Zelda was mine, would I need to write disclaimers?
A.N: This is a must read chapter because of a new plot development, but I'm not going to tell you what that is ;) but, I must warn you that this story is rated R for a reason, and that is blood. Lots of blood.
You have been warned.
Chapter 4: Let Battle Commence
The sound of a bell ringing loudly awoke Zelda with a start. She shook her head groggily and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head and closing her eyes to blot out the noise.
"Rise and shine gentlemen, we have a campaign to win you know!" Olaran's voice bellowed.
Zelda sat bolt upright and gasped in shock when she realised that she was in her real state, and not that of Sheik. Cursing her foolishness, she made amends to her mistake and walked outside, trying not to look sleepy and to look as enigmatic as possible.
"Morning Sheik." Hathan greeted brightly.
Many of the others camped in the area looked up and acknowledged the 'Sheikah' with polite nods and grins. By the time she had finished her tale of Link's exploits, Zelda had come to realise that almost the entire army had stopped to listen to her. She had even had questions put to her about aspects of the story that she had not explained, such as why the Seventh Sage had sent the Hero of Time back to his youth when it was painfully obvious that each had strong feelings for the other. Zelda found herself unable to answer and continued to put the question to herself, until Olaran had asked her a question that had taken her by surprise.
"What degree of truth is there in this story Sheik?"
Sheik had stared back into the general's eyes and had recognised an expression she had seen somewhere before, an expression of intense desire to believe but at the same time it was one that was not quite so sure what to make of what had just been heard. It was an expression that had once been worn by a ten year old boy.
"There is truth in all myth general," she had replied. "Yet there is also myth in all truth."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It is supposed to mean that the truth can only be found when one puts his trust in it."
Zelda had become used to the baffled looks she received when she talked in riddles. Link had always looked confused everytime Sheik had spoken to him, and so it was only natural that she kept up the good work for their sake.
"Welcome to the world of army rations." Forn said cheerfully, handing her a tin bowl full of gruel.
Zelda felt her stomach lurch involuntarily at the sight and smell of her breakfast.
"Trust me, it tastes worse than it looks." Voren said with a smirk and draining the rest of his bowl. "But it beats fighting on an empty stomach!"
Yorich belched loudly.
"You said it."
Zelda was glad that her nose was covered, as it wrinkled in disgust at his actions. Yorich noticed that she wasn't eating and grinned smugly.
"Whatsa matter Sheik? Isn't our food good enough for the great storyteller?" He sneered.
The princess tried her hardest to remain impassive and uncovered her mouth. She merely dipped her spoon into the viscous mixture before spooning it into mouth. And she gagged.
"Foul ain't it?" Tristian said, clapping her on the shoulder. "At least you're handling it rather better than Hathan is!"
Hathan had retreated to a bush, and was making extremely loud and unattractive noises which left little to the imagination as to what was going on.
Zelda smiled a little and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Tristian and the twins looked at her in surprise.
"Sheik, don't take any offence but..." Tristian began.
"You laugh like a girl!" The twins finished.
Instantly, she covered her mouth to make up for her mistake.
"Do I?" She asked, making certain that her voice was gruff and deep.
The others looked confused but didn't have time to press her further for information as General Calamar was marching through the area.
"Right gentlemen, I assume we're all fed and watered. If not, there's no time to make amends. General Olaran wants all of you outside his tent, fully equipped for battle in two minutes. Got that?"
"YES SIR!"
******
Serpius regarded his men through narrow eyes as he patrolled up and down the lines.
"Today, we're going to fight." He announced. "And we are going to win, because as we all know, Hyrule is the richest jewel in the crown."
"But I thought we were here to stop the birth of endeffera." One of the serpent men whispered.
Serpius' blackened and twisted blade hissed towards the serpent's throat and stopped just millimetres from the fatal blow.
"Endeffera cannot be born if there is no Hyrule for the birth to take place in." He snarled. "And so, endeffera's prophecy can never come true."
The serpents shuddered visibly at every mention of the word endeffera. Serpius caught onto this and smiled evilly.
"It is that sort of attitude that we are fighting to get rid of. The word endeffera will never be used again once we have destroyed the child's mother. It will never come to pass."
He breathed in deeply and marched along the lines.
"Now, you are to kill every man you see, but you are not going to touch Calamar, Aidyn or Olaran, especially not Olaran. He is mine, and his deputies afterwards."
At this comment, the entire serpent army cheered rapturously, much to their leader's satisfaction. If everything he heard was true, then Olaran was the greatest known warrior in the land and the only man worth fighting. Of course, he had heard that his son was not to be underestimated either, but all Serpius wanted was the glory of having the spilt blood of Hyrule's greatest on his sword and his skull around his waist.
******
Zelda felt grossly inadequate as she stood alongside the men of her regiment. Hathan, Tristian and the twins were all armed with long swords that hung at their hips, while Yorich stood clutching a ferocious double headed axe in both his hands. He had discarded swords when he realised that he could be a lot more feared in battle with his reputation as the Mad Axe-Man. But amongst all of these powerfully built men with their terrifying weapons, there stood a skinny young Sheikah with only bare hands and wits as weapons.
But within Zelda, there dwelled a power source so great that if she were to use it to its full potential she would have easily been able to destroy the serpent army with it. And she knew that, but was afraid to do so.
"Cheer up Sheik, we'll beat 'em!" Hathan said cheerfully, slapping her on the back. "Look at everyone and tell me our chances. We've got the living cannonballs of the Goron army, the deadly lovelies of the Gerudo Valley and the best damn General ever to run the Hylian army!"
"Here here!" The twins agreed heartily.
"I am not worried, I just ponder over something." She said softly. "Is there a warrior serving with this army who goes by the name of Link?"
Well, it was worth asking. If he was here, she could go home.
Yorich's knuckles whitened as his fingers tightened their grip on the shaft of his hellish axe.
"The little guy? Nah, no-one's seen him since he won the tournament." Tristian said. "Man, that kid could fight, I reckon he could even teach Olaran a trick or two!"
"If that punk showed his face round here, I'd wipe the smirk off it." Yorich growled. "He made an idiot outta me..."
"Slow down pal, save the aggro for the battle." Forn said, patting Yorich's shoulder. "You can put the kid's face on every serpent man you see and then maybe we'll win the campaign with your axe alone."
Zelda stared out across the valley at the massing forces on the opposite hillside. After a full day's training and instruction from their general (which was Calamar in her case), they were finally ready to make their first charge at the enemy, just as the sun was beginning to set.
Olaran, Aidyn and Calamar appeared on their horses, their cloaks billowing out behind them with the early evening breeze while Nabooru, mounted on a dun mare, and Darunia, fully equipped with a massive steel breastplate, followed behind them. Every head turned in their direction, Hylian, Gerudo, Goron and 'Sheikah' alike.
"Here it comes," Voren whispered to Sheik and Hathan. "Olaran always gives one helluva speech, and it's always like he's only talking to you."
"I want you to know that before we start this every single one of you here is equal. Divided we are nothing but men..."
Nabooru cleared her throat.
"And women," Olaran added, bowing in the saddle to the Gerudo. "With nothing but a few weapons and good intentions. But we can be so much more than that! Everyone here is your brother, or sister, and if you forget that then you'll find yourself lying on the floor with a serpent sword in your gizzard. Look out for everyone as if they were your own, for that is how I will regard you."
There was a mighty roar from the approving Hylian forces.
"Now then ladies and gentlemen! Are we about to stand here and watch while these sorry whore-sons try and take over our homeland?"
"HELL NO!"
Zelda found herself momentarily deafened by the lusty bellows of her battalion.
"Are we going to wait until they get here or are we going to charge now and scare the living shit out of them?!"
"CHARGE!"
"WELL WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?" Olaran bellowed, spurring his horse forwards with a mighty yell.
The Hylian army charged out behind him, roaring like a raging sea. Several thousand men tore down the hillside, swords and shields raised with their armour glistening in the sunlight. Had the opposing army had time to marvel at the sight, then they certainly would have. Yet they too were running at the Hylian force with full momentum, looking like a black mass of blood that oozed from the flesh of the hillside. Soon the green grass was indeed stained with blood as sword after sword cut murderous and fatal blows into the body of the enemy; horses fell with their riders toppling over their heads and crashing to the ground in unnatural positions, their limbs torn and shattered. Neither side gave ground, no man broke and ran but rather died at the merciless hand of the serpent they fought or caused that serpent to die at their own. The echoing sound of battle filled the hilly valley as the sky turned blood red with the setting sun, the picturesque scene destroyed by the littering of corpses on the ground and the blood curdling shrieks of men and serpents who died in agony, staring into the eyes of a nameless man to later die a nameless corpse.
Olaran's blade was swift and merciful, putting an end to the lives of his enemies before they even had time to realise what was happening. Atop his iron grey stallion, he was a sight that not many men would forget. Many of the men would return home and later tell their sons and grandsons that they had fought with the undefeated General and tell of his splendour in that battle with his red cloak billowing in the wind and his armour gleaming golden in the light of the dying sun. Even his own son, fighting with all his strength on the ground, looked upon his father in awe as the depleted enemy number began to retreat. This was a man that anyone in Hyrule would be proud to call father.
With the exception of one man, who couldn't bear to face the fact that he was Olaran's son.
******
It's at times like this when I really question my own sanity. Zelda thought furiously as she threw another mighty orb of magic at an attacking serpent.
Behind her, Yorich's axe sliced through the bodies of countless serpents, spraying green serpent blood everywhere. A screech split the air as Voren and Forn both plunged their swords simultaneously into a massive serpent who fell to the ground with a thud, only to disappear into thin air with a wiry purple vapour.
"Hey, this sure beats fighting sacks of grain!" Tristian laughed.
Zelda's brow was furrowed in concentration before she heard another serpent come running behind her as one was charging towards her. With a loud crack, she disappeared and reappeared yards from her original position, baffling her attackers. With a yell, she flung two orbs at them and smiled as they both disintegrated before her eyes.
"Neat trick!" Hathan praised as he pulled his sword clear. "You gotta teach me it later."
Zelda nodded.
"As soon as these beasts are dispatched. Then I shall show you some real magic."
"Shit, the General's down!" Tristian called. "Calamar's down!"
It was true, the general's horse had slipped under him and fallen, throwing Calamar out of the saddle and trapping his leg under the horse's bulk as it landed. Zelda watched in horror as a mass of serpents took advantage of the stricken warrior's position. She gritted her teeth and activated a Farore's Wind warp to get to his side. Just as the nearest serpent was about to plunge his sword into the immobile General, his body was burnt up with a mass of flames as a fireball launched itself at him. Calamar looked up in a pain-induced haze to see the seething red/brown eyes of his saviour.
"Sheik! By the Gods Olaran was right, you are a good omen!" The General gasped.
Zelda acknowledged his compliment with a nod and flung two energy orbs at charging serpents before casting Nayru's Love over the helpless Calamar.
"You cannot say that until you are safe in the medical tent." She said. "I haven't the time to heal you now, but I shall do so..."
As she was speaking, another huge serpent had crept up behind her and sent her sprawling to the ground. This was no ordinary serpent; it was one of the monstrous captains that had ridden behind Serpius himself. His eyes gleamed blood red as he glared maliciously at his victim. Dazed and winded, she was at the beast's mercy. His twisted black blade flashed high above his head in the evening sunlight and Zelda realised in that instant that her time was up. She was as good as dead.
Something saved her.
She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but green blood bubbled over its grey-green scales as the serpent staggered and toppled backwards, hissing madly as it fell to the ground. For a horrible moment, Zelda thought it would get up again until from out of nowhere a sword slashed its head clean off its shoulders. The beast evaporated with a mass of purple smoke, shielding the Princess' saviour from her eyes. Almost at once, half a dozen serpent men who had seen this demon slay their captain charged at him, unaware of the swordsman's catlike reflexes. With an angry battle cry, he destroyed them effortlessly, slicing through their armour as though it was air. Only when the call for retreat was raised did the warrior stop for breath. He plunged his sword into the earth to clean it and then turned to Sheik.
"You had better have a good excuse for being out here, otherwise I am going to be very angry."
Zelda smiled an unseen smile beneath her mouth covering.
"It's nice to see you too, Link."