Another pleasant Spring day had dawned on Hyrule, blanketing the land with warmth. For many citizens, there wasn't much time to stop and enjoy the incomparable conditions. People had packed the streets of Castle Town at an early hour, each hoping to get as close as they could to the towering fortress in the distance. Most of them had little chance of being allowed in, but they each meant to catch a glimpse of the party that was underway.
Within one of the cavernous dining rooms, a banquet had been going on for hours into the afternoon, filling the space with music and laughter. This gathering was to honor respected members of Hyrule's trade community, many of whom had been instrumental in Hyrule's economic recovery. Such celebrations had become a regular occurrence throughout the years, where guests were honored and the finest foods sat atop dozens of tables throughout the beautiful rooms. Even after withstanding great damage in the coup, the castle still retained much of its splendor. Amidst the dancing and laughter, the guests could not help but marvel at the astounding architecture and surviving priceless artwork.
However, for one person, this event lacked its usual levity. A lone woman clothed in one of her most elegant outfits sat at the end of a large table, her head resting on her hand. She said nothing, other than to greet a guest if they approached her. Her mind was elsewhere, and she cared little for the proceedings around her. She awaited the end of the festivities, hoping to return to more pressing matters.
"How long has it been?" Zelda asked herself. "Something is amiss. It's unlike him to be gone for this long."
The queen stared off through a distant window, paying little attention to the people near her. As they noticed her somber expression, their own expressions turned noticeably more sorrowful. They did not know exactly what was going through her mind, but it was easy to guess. Were it not for the sake of appearances, Zelda would have excused herself several hours ago.
A young girl made her way through the throng of dancing couples, being extra careful not to step on anyone's feet. Her fairly short stature would make it easy for them to accidentally trip over her. It was difficult to see through the crowd, especially with so many of the ladies wearing flowing and complicated dresses, but she was able to spot her friend nonetheless - Zelda was unmistakable in appearance.
She approached the young queen and took a seat next to her, initially saying nothing. Zelda noticed her presence but did not turn to look at her. They sat in silence for a few moments, passively observing the party, but it hardly interested them. Perhaps more than anyone else in the entire castle, she knew what troubled the queen.
"Lera, I think I've made a mistake," Zelda stated flatly, being careful not to let the guests overhear.
"By asking Link to go to Frasell?"
"Yes. Something is… wrong. We've heard nothing from him in days. By now, we should have received a letter or something."
"That village was pretty isolated, Your Majesty. I suppose that they may not have much of a mail system." It was the only explanation that she could think of that didn't involve something terrible happening to him. Whatever horrid possibilities entered her mind, she would not share them with Zelda.
"I don't know. I just fear the worst." She slowly turned to look at her Royal Adviser. "I fear that I've asked too much of him."
"Queen Zelda, I know that bandits are nothing to be trifled with, but how can they be any match for Link? If he defeated Ganon, then what chance do they have?"
Zelda shook her head. "It's more than that, Lera. It's about everything we have asked him to do for years. Conflict after conflict, trial after trial..."
Lera could not help but remember Link's hurry to get to the village. His only pause was for his wife, rather than any personal uncertainty. Even now, she was quite stunned by the fact that he had decided to leave with no immediate assistance from Hyrule's troops.
"And he's always prevailed," Lera noted, trying to bring some optimism into the conversation. "He jumps at the chance to do things like this. He knows what he's capable of. Don't let yourself become consumed with worry, Your Majesty." Her words were directed not only the queen, but also at herself.
Zelda's shoulders drooped slightly and she let out a sigh. "I've thought about our last conversation with Malon. Poor dear… as much as we're worried, I can't imagine what she's going through. I just hope something we've said has comforted her."
"She's a very strong young lady," Lera declared with a faint smile.
The queen became silent once more and began to stare off at nothing in particular. The party continued on around them with no less enthusiasm and cheer, as if their conversation was not happening at all.
Zelda placed her arm on the table and rested her head on her palm. "Hero of Time or not, he shouldn't have to carry such a huge burden. He's done more than enough."
Lera stayed quiet but waited intently for what the queen said next. Her eyes widened slightly, anticipating something.
"He will return to Hyrule soon enough," she declared, erasing the doubt from her tone. "When he does, I will urge him to go back to a normal life."
"Sounds like you've made up your mind," Lera replied.
Zelda nodded her head and looked to her friend. "He's never really lived like the rest of the people. While the children of Hyrule were still learning basic arithmetic, he was off slaying monsters. I can hardly imagine what that must be like."
Lera became quiet for a moment. She supposed that she had taken her relatively carefree life for granted. Not once had she ever had to draw a weapon, even for practice. No army or nation had ever looked to her for leadership. Nobody had ever asked her to mediate in a complex, decades-long geopolitical disagreement. She would never have to carry the weight of a nation on her shoulders.
The queen continued, recalling the first time she had met the young man. Even back then, he was clever and brave. He had never shied away from any challenge, no matter how difficult. She smiled as she realized how little he had changed.
"Link is long overdue to lead a normal life. From now on, I will ask no more of him. The only letters I intend to send to him will be party invitations… no more requests to travel far away or battle some terrible foe."
"Do you think that's what he wants?"
Zelda's thoughts drifted to the countless times that Link and Malon were together. She could think of no other times that she had seen either of them so happy and excited. Their smiles and their laughter were infectious- they could make even the dreariest of days in the castle seem like a small party.
The queen smiled. "I know so."
Link awoke the next day feeling only a bit better than the night before. Sleeping in such a cramped space with only a few blankets had not gotten much easier over time. The morning went on as usual- a breakfast of whatever could be scrounged up, followed by plenty of training through the afternoon. Even during the exercises, Link found it hard to remain focused on the progress of the guards. The song from the previous night still went through his mind, almost constantly.
Lieutenant Sifan walked up to him as he observed another sparring session between some of the soldiers.
"General," he said with a subdued grin, "I have to say that I'm very pleased with how things are going. We're fortunate to have you here."
"Happy to do it," Link replied, still observing the session before him. "Watch your footwork," he said, motioning to one of the participants. "You're about to lose your balance."
The soldier acknowledged Link's statement and resumed his training. Sifan spoke up again. "General, if you'd like, you can return to Hyrule. I'm sure we'll be alright now."
Link turned to the lieutenant with a slightly incredulous look on his face. "Why would I do that? Our task isn't over yet. I've only been here for..." he trailed off, having lost track of how long he had been with them.
"…about four weeks, sir," Sifan finished with a bit of a laugh.
"It's really been that long?"
"We've learned so much during your time here," one of the soldiers chimed in. The others around him nodded and spoke in agreement.
"That may be true," Link began, "but I strongly doubt that the raiders are gone for good."
"But we can handle them, sir!" boasted one of the guards.
"Yeah, you've seen us in action!"
Link stroked his chin as he looked at the encouraged soldiers. "Maybe, but I don't know what they're fully capable of. I'm not leaving yet."
The soldiers were simultaneously relieved and saddened to hear him say that. While they were happy to have him around, they all shared Calor's sentiment - Link was probably overexerting himself. More than a few times, some of them had found Link studying maps and going on extra patrols at rather unreasonable hours. His unexplained demeanor during the previous night also troubled them.
A man quickly approached the group. "General, I think you need to see something."
Link and the others immediately began to follow. "What's going on?" the Hero of Time asked. "Is it an attack?"
"I'm not sure," he replied uneasily. "We can just barely see it on the horizon."
The soldier led the group away towards one of the outer walls. They scaled a set of stairs taking them to the top of the structure - it was not much taller than the buildings that it surrounded. Link surveyed the area but could not spot anything unusual until the soldier pointed him to something off in the distance. It was barely a shadow on the horizon, just large enough to see, but not nearly close enough to see any detail.
"Can you tell what that is, sir?"
Link shook his head, trying to focus his vision as best as he could. There was light fog across the plains, making it rather difficult to see much.
"I think it's headed this way," one of the soldiers noted.
"Can anyone tell how far it is?" another asked.
"Looks to be about... fifteen hundred meters, give or take."
"Everyone stay alert," Sifan commanded. "Bacen, alert the other guards at the shop. Archers take your spots." Sifan desperately hoped that it was nothing, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew better. The tension in the air was all too familiar to him.
The soldiers filed into their positions and began to wait. Everyone remained silent, still not exactly sure what was heading towards them. They all figured it would be another group of raiders, though none of them could guess how large it was.
With every passing moment, the men became more uneasy, and they began to sweat heavily, even in the pleasant spring air. Their pulses increased as time dragged on, many of them wishing that they could simply charge at their foes, rather than prolong the wait. The silence in the air was eerie and unnatural to them - even before other attacks, it had never been so quiet.
Without having realized it, Bacen had begun to breathe more heavily. Every stray sound seemed to draw his attention. His tried to focus his heightened awareness only on what the fog was concealing. He nervously wiped some sweat from his brow with his bandana. As he gripped the hilt of his sword, he could already feel his arm shaking.
Minutes later, the fog dissipated slowly, giving them a far better view of what was approaching. To their horror, a massive army awaited them just under five hundred meters away. Their pace was increasing as they neared the city in rather disorganized formation.
Sifan glared at the sight before him before he motioned to several of his men. "Tell the citizens to get to their homes! Quickly!"
The small group of men wasted no time and dashed off towards the inner portion of the town, urging people into whatever sturdy buildings could be locked and protected.
Calor stared at the army and tried to estimate their numbers. "There must be hundreds of them," he said. "How is that possible?"
Bacen scowled at the enemies in the distance. "They must've brought some other raiders. There's no way the Ganth Warriors have that many." He paused before he went on. "These lowlifes aren't just here for plunder now."
Calor nodded his head. "Revenge."
Link quickly scanned the incoming group. "Archers, don't fire until you have a clear shot!" he shouted, drawing his own bow.
He gripped the end of an arrow and aligned it with the incoming bandits. "Four hundred meters..."
"Yes sir!" they shouted together. They each reached into their quivers and prepared their own arrows.
"Foot soldiers!" Sifan yelled, "Get to the entrance and hold your ground!"
The swordsmen heeded the lieutenant's command and headed straight for the narrow pathway into the city. They formed into ranks as best as they could with the limited manpower that they had.
Link shut his eyes for a second, dreading the fact that he would surely be ending so many lives today. He would find absolutely no pleasure or glory in it, but it had to be done. He opened his eyes and stared down the arrow he had readied and towards the approaching foes.
"Three hundred meters..."
Link and the others kept their bows trained on the enemy army, slowly but surely seeing them more closely. Their weapons and armor were rather random, some of it obviously having been stolen from Sifan and his men long ago. Even for Link, it was difficult to tell who their leaders might be - there were no banners of any kind, and nobody seemed to be giving orders among the others.
"Two hundred meters..."
Link gave quick glances at the archers to his left and right and to the foot soldiers nearby. "Men, this is it! This is what we've been training for!" he shouted. "Remember your families! They're counting on all of us! Hold nothing back!"
All of the men released the loudest yells they could muster. Several of them even began to taunt the approaching army. Link's vision was completely fixated only on the arrow he was about to release. He kept his grip firm on the end of the projectile and on his bow - he was far too experienced to become unsteady or nervous now. His peripheral vision blurred as he slowed his breathing, hearing his heartbeat become louder and louder until it almost completely obscured everything else around him.
"…One hundred meters."
"Attack!" Link yelled.
The archers released a volley of arrows, carefully arcing their shots to rain down on the enemies. A handful of raiders fell as Link took rapid shots at the enemies closest to the city entrance. His own accuracy was nearly flawless.
The other archers struggled to keep up with Link as he continued to pick off foes one by one. Over and over the bandits fell, but the rest of the army advanced without hesitation, practically ignoring the lifeless raiders around them.
As the main force neared the gate, Link sprang from the wall and quickly joined with the swordsmen nearby - they would see the worst of the fighting. He drew his Master Sword from its scabbard and stared down the assailants as they neared him.
"Archers, keep pace with me!" Sifan ordered, firing off another shot.
Link had little time to ready himself before he and the others were met by the advancing raiders. The Hero of Time stood at the forefront of the small formation, cutting his way through as many of the attackers as he could. He moved with astonishing speed, each strike flowing into the next. The few that slipped past him were met by his allies behind him.
Link delivered a stab to the shoulder of one of the bandits and swiftly pivoted on his foot to deflect an incoming strike from another fighter. To catch them off guard, Link slammed his shield into one of their faces and shoved the raider towards the other attackers, knocking several of them off balance. He sprang towards the enemy formation and attempted to draw as much of their attention as he could - he could handle far more bandits than any of his allies. Whenever he could, he delivered strikes that would ensure faster and less painful deaths.
Most of the bandits were not nearly as skilled as he was, but as Link glanced at his allies, he knew that they would have significantly more difficulty.
"Bacen! Keep your shield up!" he ordered, just before his sword clashed with another. He released a slash towards one of the raiders, bringing him down quickly.
"Yes sir!" Bacen returned, taking down his own opponent with an effective swing.
Link found it hard to monitor the men around him and stay alert of the enemies in front of him. Though it pained him, he would have to focus on his own well-being first, rather than try to address every mistake that he saw.
For their part, Link's allies began to call out to one another, warning of surprise attacks and approaching enemies. It relieved Link to know that they were watching each other's backs so thoroughly.
As more enemies fell to his blade, Link began to pace himself, his breaths becoming heavier and his arms hurting slightly. Every so often, an attacker would land a glancing blow across Link's body, sending a surge of pain through his body. During a brief lull in the fighting, he examined a gash across his arm.
Calor disposed of a raider before briefly turning towards the general. "Holding up alright, sir?"
The pain was intense, but he wasn't about to say that in front of the others. "Yeah, I'm fine."
The green-clad swordsman backed up to stay closer to the other soldiers as more and more fighters rushed towards them without ceasing. Link cut down yet more of them but slowly began to realize that they were starting to avoid him, and instead were focusing on the less experienced men. Whenever he could, Link would jump into the path of a charging raider to take them down quickly, rather than allow them to overwhelm his allies.
Suddenly, Link heard a yell from behind him. He turned around quickly to find one of the soldiers - a young warrior name Toran - collapsed on the ground, having been struck by a raider. Link rushed over to quickly to examine him.
"Hold on, where is your wound?" he asked, frantically trying to find the injury.
Toran shook his head and looked up at Link. His breaths were labored as he spoke. "Don't worry about me, sir... Just keep fighting..."
"No, you're going to be alright!" Link exclaimed. "I-I think I have something…" He searched his pockets desperately for something to help the soldier, but could find nothing.
He motioned towards the other soldiers. "I need some medicine over here!" he shouted, knowing that they too probably had nothing with them.
Seconds later, the soldier fell motionless. Link silently stared at him in sorrow before he lowered his head. The noise of the battle around him faded for a few moments as he was overcome by what had just happened before him. He had only know this man for a few weeks, but that did nothing to remove the pain of losing a fallen ally. "I'm sorry, Toran. You fought hard until the end. Can't ask for any more than that."
Link released a shaking breath as he raised his head. "The others need me. I can't do anything for him now."
Regretfully, he picked up the man's body and moved him away from the conflict before he returned his attention back to the battle and charged into the fray. A raider took a wild swing at Link, missing completely, prompting Link to deliver a swift strike with his shield into his enemy's face.
As he fought on, he could feel his attacks become laced with anger, having seen the suffering of his allies. At one point, he struck with such ferocity that he split a raider's shield completely.
The battle carried on for what seemed like an eternity. Link was able to pace himself, saving his energy with small, methodical strikes to pinpoint spots on his foes' anatomies. His lungs burned and he became desperate for even a drop of water. Looking around, he could tell that everyone else was growing increasingly fatigued as well. He winced at the sight of several of them fighting on with obvious wounds across their bodies.
"Sir!" an archer called out, "we've almost run out of arrows!"
"Conserve your shots! Only fire at the ones who slip past us!"
No matter how many enemies fell before him, there seemed to be an endless number of them. Only a few of the attackers appeared to even consider the idea of giving up. Looking past the approaching foes, he could not see a clear end to them.
Looking around to his allies, he saw that several of them were wounded badly and could no longer stand up. Others lied on the ground motionless, having succumbed to their injuries. Link was overwhelmed with sorrow every time- so many of the brave men that he had come to know were gone.
Link knew that with their diminishing numbers, they would not be able to hold their current spot, as several raiders had already gotten past their defenses into the city. "Everyone! Gather the fallen and regroup at the shop! I'll cover you!"
The soldiers quickly complied and began to carry the wounded and deceased towards their base. Link backpedaled as the enemies attempted to surround him. They could not hope to land a solid attack on him, but Link could feel his arms and legs aching badly. As he moved his legs, it felt as though he was waist deep in water.
Link delivered a blow to another fighter and turned around to find that his allies were all far behind him. Turning around, he broke through the raiders and sprinted to rejoin with them, ignoring the severe pain in his lungs and legs.
He rushed down the winding streets towards the shop, eventually reaching it along with the rest of the soldiers. Even in his fatigue, he was certain that he was able to outrun the raiders, and he doubted if they had seen him enter the building.
Link stood before the men inside the small building, many of them too winded to even speak. They frantically tried to quench their thirst with what little water they had left. Several others simply stood in silence.
"How many more of us can still fight?" Link asked, almost falling to his knees in exhaustion.
Sifan looked around the room. "I'd say about ten of us, sir. That includes the two of us."
"And what of the wounded?" Link asked. "Do we have any medicine?"
Calor shook his head and spoke between breaths. "No sir... our village hasn't had a reliable stock of medicine in months... that's usually among the first things that the Ganth Warriors take when they can."
Link slowly recovered his breath and looked out of one of the windows. To his dismay, the raiders seemed to be surrounding the small shop, and began to hurl rocks and debris at them.
"Blast... looks to be at least sixty of them," Link stated.
Bacen stood next to a window, trying to get a good look out of it without being noticed. "They're just toying with us now," he said, barely able to contain his anger. "They're not gonna stop until -" He stopped himself, realizing that the last thing they needed was a demoralizing remark.
Several of the soldiers began to murmur among themselves, uncertain that they would survive another fight. One man slowly fell to his knees as he realized that he would likely never see his family again. A tear formed in his eye, which he slowly wiped away. The others around him tried to comfort him as best as they could.
Link looked at each of the men in the room. Their faces were cold and empty, most of them doubting their chances, even with the Hero of Time by their side. The swordsman sat down next to the wall and lowered his head.
"They could overrun us at any second…" Bacen said with a glower. He smashed his fist into one of the walls in frustration and hung his head in shame, his face becoming blank. "I- I've let everyone down…"
"Settle down," Sifan replied. "We've made it this far - we'll be alright." He knew full well that the soldier may have been right about their chances, but such words would not help them.
Link's vision became blurry as he tried to steady his focus on the others around him. As he attempted to lift his arms, they felt like dead weight. His legs were not much better - he knew that he would not be able to keep running as he had earlier. The adrenaline in his body appeared to have worn off as well, and he didn't know how much longer he could go on.
Looking at his arm, Link examined the gash that he had received earlier. "Didn't strike an artery, but I can't ignore it for much longer." With no extra medicine handy, he simply ripped a piece of cloth from his tunic and carefully wrapped it around the wound, hoping that the pressure might help a bit. It remained painful, but he couldn't do much more for it at the moment.
Calor slowly moved towards Link and knelt down next to him. "Sir... we can hold them off. Just do what you can to escape." His tone was nervous, yet completely sincere.
Link stared at him blankly, not entirely aware of what the soldier said.
"You've done enough for us. You're too important to this world to die here like this." The other soldiers nodded their heads in agreement, several of them patting him on the shoulder.
"He's right," Bacen added, trying to conceal the fear in his eyes. "You're the Hero of Time… we're just common soldiers."
Link gave no response, instead shifting his gaze around at nothing in particular. He decided to reach into his pocket, hoping to find something that might help them. He stopped for a second as his hand brushed against something metallic.
He removed the small item from his pocket - it was the brooch that his wife had forgotten. This was the first time he had even thought of it since arriving in the village. He examined it in slight astonishment for a moment as memories came flooding back to him. A very faint smile slowly crossed his face as his mind took him away from the battle at hand.
This brooch was the very same one that she had been wearing upon meeting him so many years ago. He was just a naive young boy at the time. His journey out of the tranquil Kokiri Forest and into Hyrule had taken him to Castle Town, where he met the young girl almost entirely by accident. It seemed like everyone in the town had been looking at him with amusement. But Malon was different. She was kind, and remarkably so.
Not long after that, he found himself at her humble little ranch, and he was quick to make friends with the young girl. The beautiful melody that she taught him still resonated in his mind.
The days flew by in his thoughts. As they grew to know one another more, they teased each other endlessly. He recalled countless hours of the two of them laughing and playing together in the beautiful Hyrule Field. When he was with her in those meadows, there was no war or death. Just the happiness that came with being a child.
As the older memories faded, they were replaced by more recent ones. Link remembered sitting in bed in terrible shape after nearly drowning in Lake Hylia. The farmhouse was quiet, even with the howling storm outside. He could almost recall the wounds from that night, even now. As he struggled to recover in the bed, there before him was his rescuer - the girl who had been by his side for so many years. He could still recall the calm look in her deep blue eyes as she tried to help him cling to life. Perhaps it was at that moment, he supposed, that he truly had fallen in love with her.
"...You saved my life, Malon. Without you, I don't think I would've made it."
Another bittersweet memory made its way into his mind. He was standing before the young lady at her ranch, both of them with tears in their eyes. More than anyone else, he had wanted to see her again, for what he thought would be the final time before he was exiled for the rest of his life. They held on to each other tightly, both overcome with sadness.
"I'll never forget you." Gazing at the brooch, he wondered if such a thing were even possible now.
But, nothing else stood out to him as vividly as that moment in the forest so long ago. It was a cool, autumn day in the middle of a rather unforgiving wilderness. After she had traveled far from Hyrule to find him, they were overjoyed to see each other once again. Link noted how unusual she had been acting at the time as they traveled towards home. Her demeanor was fairly upbeat, but she was oddly nervous. She brought them to a stop, confusing him for a moment.
"You mean so much to me, Link... You always have. I've never felt this way about anyone else before."
Then, she said something that made his heart leap.
"I... I love you, Link."
Though it was just a memory at this point, he felt a wave of happiness wash over him, even in his current shape. The pain in his body faded for a moment as her statement echoed in his thoughts. No matter how many times he remembered her words, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a wonderful young lady in his life. He knew that he would never meet somebody who was nearly as kind, selfless, and strong as she was.
"I'd give anything just to see her one more time..."
Link returned his attention to the present as the soldiers stared blankly at him. They noticed the brooch in his hand but could not begin to guess what it meant to him. Link squeezed it slightly and looked at it one more time before returning it to his pocket.
Calor spoke up. "Sir? If you want to leave, we can hold them off -"
"No," Link interrupted firmly, rising to his feet. "I'm not leaving."
The soldiers around him let out subdued cheers, still aware that they were in a very undesirable situation.
Link paced about the room with renewed vigor. He could still feel the burning in his muscles, but it became less of a hindrance and more of a slight annoyance. He stretched his limbs, figuring that he could now take on an entire army on his own. The pain in his body would not hold him back any longer. It was impossible for him to give up now.
For a moment, he gazed at the illuminated, golden triangle on the back of his clenched hand. His mind briefly flashed to the split second where he defeated Ganon so many years ago. Link looked around the room, knowing that the others were probably in far worse shape than he was.
"I'm not going anywhere. But, I know that you all have given it everything you have. If anyone wants to leave now and return to their family, I won't hold it against you."
Sifan, Calor, and the others all stepped forward. Even some of the wounded tried to rise to their feet. "No sir," Calor replied. "We're with you."
Link drew his Master Sword from its scabbard and headed towards the door. "Then let's end this."