Chapter 10: The Price of War
Me: Hello everybody. Sorry I'm so late; GerudoGirl89 started her own SSB story (Read it!) and forgot all about finishing my chapter. No author's note today. And please, if you read this, review? They're good for the soul.
Talim: Last chapter, people!
The Fortress was quiet. Only those on guard duty made any noise. The sun had not yet risen, most everyone was asleep at this early hour. No Guay flew through the gray sky. Even Maria was sleeping, though uneasily.
Peace.
-
Yenna lifted her head. She was guarding the base of the hill on which the Fortress stood. It was the normal boring routine, until hoof beats alarmed her. There were only two options: the two parties on duty outside the Valley entrance had been defeated by a mounted intruder, or seen something that worried them. She gripped her weapon hard and prepared to confront whoever came close.
Sure enough, here came Kaiz, mounted on her black stallion, purple cloak snapping in the wind. She jumped before her horse came to a full stop, rolling on the ground to break her fall, and ran hastily to Yenna's side. She was pale, trembling in fear and horror. Yenna instantly went cold. Kaiz was one of the bravest people she knew.
"Hylians," Kaiz gasped, "hundreds. A few hours away."
And just like that, the peaceful silence of Gerudo Valley was shattered.
-
An hour later, everything was chaotic; messengers ran up and down the halls to the leaders of the different warrior groups, assistants checked weapons and armor supplies, Healer trainees checked supplies of potions and herbs. Two floors underground, a still-pale Kaiz and the majority of the warrior division leaders sat in conference.
"So," Ganondorf leaned heavily against the wall, "how many, you said?"
"Maybe fifteen-hundred, Milord," answered Kaiz.
Nabooru gulped. "That's . . . that's five to one! There are three-hundred of us, ten are Healers, fifteen are Trainees . . . only twelve others besides the two of us," she motioned to Ganondorf, "can use Magic . . ."
"What about Maria?" interrupted Kuza. "After last time, I don't think she's going to go down the Evacuation Tunnel alone, nobody's pregnant and the oldest kid is Narini, she's nineteen. Moreover, Maria can use spells. She does better fighting than Wards or anything, but . . . well . . ."
"Get her," ordered Ganondorf. Kuza nodded and ran out. The moment she left, his head drooped. "We're not going to get through this without fatalities. We have to kill them quickly, send in one or two groups at once, only the best. Nabooru, go with the second group, I'll go with the first. Rupee can go with the third, figure out the rest." He directed his orders to the messenger sitting beside the door. "I want everyone able to create Wards here in three minutes, battle-mages to Nabooru. Leave those with Healing abilities alone." She stood up and left hurriedly. Almost as soon as the solid doors closed, they banged open once more, this time by Kuza, dragging an irate Maria behind her.
"Maria," she looked up at Nabooru. "Can you use Wards and fight at the same time?"
The girl nodded swiftly. "But I do better at blowing things up, Ma'am."
Even Ganondorf had to grin at that.
"Good," replied Nabooru. "You'll go with the first group of fighters. Get ready." Maria inclined her head slightly and turned, vanishing through the doors again. "The rest of you, disperse!"
As the others followed Maria, Nabooru leaned in to talk with her brother. "She's a good kid," she muttered.
"I know."
-
The first group of warriors assembled outside. Tinges of red and pink scattered across the dark sand as the sun began to rise. Everyone was tense, waiting silently, except for the occasional, distant whinny from an impatient horse. Two women were stationed at the Valley entrance to warn the others when the Hylian party arrived.
Maria stood at the back of the party, standing on the second floor, testing the bow she'd snatched. Ganondorf stood near the front of the group, practicing absently with a sword twice as wide as she was, and much taller even at the hilt. There was dead silence. And then, "FOR HYRULE!" The reaction was instantaneous. As one, the Gerudo drew their weapons, those on horses tugged sharply on the reins; archers fit arrows to their strings . . . .
The first row of Hylians approached, mail gleaming in the rising sun, weapons polished, horses well groomed and powerful. The leader waved the banner, a yellow Triforce, above the holy red Phoenix, on a sky-blue field. Ganondorf raised his fist, waited a second, and let it fall.
Both armies charged, Hylians with screamed battle cries, Gerudos almost soundlessly, save for a few yells of, "Death to Hylians!" in their native tongue. Ganondorf fearlessly surged forward, running through three soldiers despite their body armor. Nabooru used her twin swords to cut the heads off two soldiers, blocking an attack from a second. All around was struggling and chaos. Hissing angrily, Maria slashed through a soldier's neck. The soldier, bleeding fiercely, collapsed to the ground, blood pooling in the dirt. Maria then shot one soldier in the neck, chased down a second with her sword, stabbing him through a gap in his armor. A two-handed sword flashed once over her head; she barely managed to lift her shield in time before it came crashing down. She shook off the pain and threw the mangled shield into another soldier's face, preferring to blast her two-handed swordsman opponent away. Another soldier tripped her. She growled, flinging away her sword to avoid being impaled, and hit the ground, scraping her jaw. Grimacing, she rolled to avoid being sliced in two and blasted a small knot of Hylians away from the struggling Gerudo. Safe.
-
A noise to her left, and before she could react Enari fell, blood gushing from her stomach. The triumphant soldier prepared to end her life immediately. Enari hissed defiance and jabbed him in the leg; the sword skated off his armor in a burst of sparks. Too late. Death stared her in the face.
And then a long, thin strip of steel protruded from his unprotected chest. He fell soundlessly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. A small figure stood in his wake, unprotected except for hard leather encasing her arms and a breastplate, reddish-brown hair pulled back with a blood-red tie. Maria dropped to the woman's side and hauled her up, pushing through enemies and friends over to the wall. They huddled behind a line of comrades that blocked the enemy's path. She thrust a purple-glowing hand into her stomach, but instead of a blow, Enari felt Healing magic knit her skin back together.
"You healed me," she said incredulously. Maria grinned and turned, jumping back into the fray, slicing off a head and hacking through one man's arm. She was completely ruthless, not caring about the men she killed, about the blood staining her hands and clothes, her own injuries didn't matter at all. Death to Hylians, victory to Gerudo.
-
Hours passed, the Gerudo were winning. No one had died yet on their side, but Runa and her Trainees were kept busy with injuries. Only those with life-threatening wounds were treated immediately, Red Potion handed out sparingly.
Maria fought her way through a thick cluster of Hylians, delivering crippling blows with the spear she'd traded for her sword half an hour ago. Scratches and cuts adorned her face, hands, and arms, and her left arm didn't work properly, but it was nothing fatal. She somehow ended up beside Ganondorf, who, despite a large, bloody wound on his arm that had completely cut through his armor, fought perfectly. Another blow, three fell this time, sparkling black energy clinging to their dead, unmarked bodies. He noticed her, and the arm that hung useless at her side.
"You should get that taken care of," he yelled over the din.
She grinned. "Duly noted!" she shouted back, and jabbed at the throat of the soldier trying to break through the ranks of Desert Women. He fell into the arms of Kuza, who threw him off with disgust and killed the soldier next to him.
The first decent conversation between the two of them . . . .
-
"HYRULE!" their second rallying cry as the afternoon darkened into evening. So few, perhaps four or five hundred men now, remained. They bunched together and prepared their next surge.
"REINFOCEMENTS!" came the scream. The last group of fresh soldiers rushed from every door, some leaping through larger windows, bows and arrows, spears, swords, and staves in hand. Kuza howled at the top of her lungs, fresh heart in her, and killed three in an instant. Black and purple fireballs crisped the Hylians to bits. Maria grinned and snapped one soldier's neck with a useful spell, keeping the fireballs away from any Gerudos.
And then, in one heart-stopping moment, a soldier charged from his ranks, wielding an enormous axe. Maria didn't see his target until he roared in triumph and chopped downward into the Gerudo King's chest.
Ganondorf's eyes widened in shock and horror, then glanced toward Maria in an infinitesimal instant. Their eyes met briefly, and she started forward, yelling "No!" And then, his eyes closed. He fell.
It took an age for him to fall, and once he did, screams rent the evening air, screams of denial, shock, rage, fear . . . . but Nabooru's and Maria's were the loudest of all. They reached the murderer simultaneously, swords drawn, and skewered him; he roared in pain as he died. Maria wailed in anguish upon seeing Ganondorf's body behind her, but it was met by an equal yowl of rage. Her body glowed purple, as did her burning eyes. This was nothing she controlled, it was raw power that was unleashed with her father's death. She rose high into the air, shrieking her pain. Overwhelming heat and energy burst forth from her small form, white-hot and impossible to see without injuring the eyes. Those on the ground shielded their faces and prepared for death. Hylians howled and roared as they were burned alive, ashes scattering across their half-melted and charred armor. No Gerudo was touched; they were protected by whatever force destroyed their enemies.
It was all over. Maria fell to the ground, exhausted beyond belief, shaking all over, hands barely able to hold her weapon. She staggered to her feet and stumbled over to the cluster of Gerudo concealing the body from view. Farore, no . . . please, I beg you . . . .
Nabooru already knelt by her brother, sobbing and wailing her lamentation to the sky, hand on his bloody chest. Even the most hardened Gerudo had tears on their faces with the death of their leader. Maria dropped to her knees beside the body. The raw wound made the body unbearable to look at, so she didn't.
"Mother Farore," Nabooru whimpered. "Why?"
Maria wrapped her arms around the older woman, allowing Nabooru to rest her head on her shoulder. Slowly, they stood, shouldered through the group, followed by the warrior group leaders.
Wails and screams followed them downstairs to the Conference Room.
-
Nabooru dropped into a chair with the others, hands over her face. "There is the matter," she said, voice muffled, "of . . . succession . . . . I can't do it. I can't. I'll stay as second. I could never . . . ." she broke down and began to cry.
Maria stood tall and straight, injured arm pressed tightly against her stomach. Her face was pale, set, no tears adorned her features. "Then it has to be me."
They all looked up, even Kuza, who was nursing her broken fingers. Disbelief was etched into their faces, mixing with sorrow and tears. Finally, one found her voice, Yezr, commander of the fourth party. "What?" she demanded. "But, you're a kid! A kid lead us-"
Temper frayed, Maria slammed her dagger into the table, pounding a dent into the smooth wood. Everyone visibly flinched. "But nothing, Yezr! It is mine by right of birth if Nabooru refuses. I'll have advisors, a second-in-command who I know will not fail, why not?!"
"You're a-" she began, but Maria overrode her.
"I know, I am just a child, but what you fail to understand is the fact that I am more intelligent than it seems! I've managed to survive this long without running away, I've endured pain, torture, loss . . ." she faltered briefly. "But I know I can do this. I can."
"She would make a good leader." At first, no one saw the speaker, and then Maria noticed Enari, huddled in a chair, tears streaming down her face. "She saved me. Maria," she stood and knelt at Maria's feet. "I'm so sorry for what I said. I was wrong, you're no coward, you're braver than I thought. You still saved me, even though I treated you harshly. I will never make that mistake again. I would be honored to have you as my leader."
Maria was at a loss for words. "Rise, Enari, you needn't pay tribute," she said finally . "Thank you for your support." She turned to the others. "Any other takers?"
Yezr sighed. "I support the decision."
"As do I," admitted Nabooru. She sniffed.
"Me too," said Kuza bluntly. "You'll do great, kid."
"Decision accepted. Maria will take over for Ganondorf, then. Her team of advisors will always be on hand for when she needs assistance," said Nabooru formally. "Now, someone needs to inform our Pirate cousins . . . ."
A messenger burst in. "Forgive me, Milady," she gasped. "But Yenna and Seva went to move the body and, and, it's gone, ma'am, vanished without a trace."'
Silence.
"Those bastards," Maria spat. It was her first true emotion since seeing him lying there, dead and cold. "They stole the body . . ."
And as the horror of this statement settled on the others, Nabooru burst into frest tears. There were shocked murmurs and protests, not even scratching the surface of their true emotions, of the endless, burning rage, sorrow, and fear. Maria remained stone-like the entire time. She couldn't cry, if she did, it would kill her.
At last, emotions under control, Kuza said quietly, "there's still the issue of informing the Pirates . . ."
"Send me," interrupted Maria. "I'll do it. I have connections in Termina."
Nabooru nodded after long deliberation. She prepared the spell. "Gods go with you."
-
The orange-brown aura cleared. Maria stood on the beach of Great Bay. It was night now, the moon glowed overhead. She turned away, unable to face the Pirates at the moment. The Carnival of Time was tonight, and still, a light burned in Vaki's window. He bought the seemingly small hut next to the old fisherman's five years ago. She hurried over to it and knocked on the door.
It took him a while, but eventually, he opened the door, white hair messy and dark red robe wrapped around his thin figure, book in hand. "Maria?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was in the neighborhood, figured I'd drop in. You getting ready for the Carnival?" she asked.
"Right, the Carnival. Hold on." He closed the door, reappearing moments later fully dressed and ready for a night of celebration. "You can ride with me," he offered. She nodded and tried to smile. It didn't work. She didn't want to go, really, she just wanted to be alone.
He mounted his gray horse, not bothering to saddle her up, and Maria mounted behind. They rode wordlessly into Termina Field, passing tourists in town for the celebration. Vaki left his horse beside the South Entrance and entered into the brightly colored lights and cheery people gathered eagerly around the Clock Tower. Setka and the rest of the group soon joined them, but Maria wasn't interested. She left Clock Town and sat against the wall, where there were no people to intrude.
She remembered the pain she'd endured before coming to Gerudo's Valley, the endless work and torture, the blood spilled and the improperly healed broken bones. But all of it was insignificant. She had never really spoken to Ganondorf, as Enari had put it, he'd never "called her by name." Only a few moments before his death was their first conversation. And what a conversation.
She gazed over the Field, up at the night sky, face as hard as stone, and . . . .
Burst into tears for the first time since coming home to Gerudo Valley.
Farore, why? She cried helplessly, tears dripping from her cheeks to the dirt. Her body racked with sobs, moaning in anguish. Din, why take this away from me? It's not like I even knew him, but he did bring me to the Valley . . . the full impact of that hit her, bringing even more sorrow. He brought me to the Valley. He truly loved me after all.
Fireworks began to explode overhead, lighting the ground in bursts of green, orange, blue, pink, purple, and red, reflecting off the tears on one girl's pale face. She mourned her loss, a loss more acute than that of her only friend. She cried until she had no more tears to shed, sitting there for what felt like hours, reduced to hiccupped whimpers and shuddering breaths. Farore, why . . .?
Emotions spent, she staggered to her feet. Though pain and loss bled through her like poison, there were people to inform, people to share her pain, people to lead, people to protect. And she would protect them with her dying breath.
Me: End.
Talim: Amazing. You finished something.
Me: Any questions, PM me! And review, please? It's the last chapter. It's over! I want to know what you guys think. Until next story!
(Okay, I know I'm late, but I have a pile of homework to do (4-5 essays) and, yeah, um . . . my stories won't be updated for a while (if anyone's reading MY Zelda story, wait about two weeks. I apologize again! GerudoGirl89)