Yay for new chapters!
I really love this chapter you guys. It's so full of ACTION and awesomeness.
I don't own Zelda!
Enjoy!
"And in her smile I see something more beautiful than the stars. " – Across the Universe by Beth RevisThe pounding of hooves and the roar of his hungry stomach were the only noises James could hear. He had been riding straight on since he left the fortress. It had been a day, and he was almost to Israna.
He was focusing ahead when he heard thunderous noise coming from the right. He halted the horse and looked over. What he saw filled him with immense relief.
King Farren of Israna was riding towards him with hundreds of soldiers on horses behind him.
He had found the army.
"Go!" James yelled, stirring the horse into action. He rode directly towards the army. When King Farren realized this, he halted his army, and James quickly approached him.
James half-bowed to the King from horseback. The King stared at him silently until the King noticed the Hylian symbols on the horse.
"Are you from the Hylian army, boy?" King Farren asked.
"Yes, your Majesty! I have been looking for you ever since I escaped! Link sent me to find you! They need your help!" James pleaded, his voice weak.
"How did you escape without everyone else?"
"Link and I came up with a sneaky plan and it was very difficult but it worked. They don't even know I'm gone." James said hurriedly. "Please, King Farren. We need your help. Link is in danger, they are hurting him badly."
"We've been looking for the army for a while now. Lead the way, young soldier. We're right behind you." King Farren said, smiling. "It's a good thing you found us, because you can show us the way. The monsters in that fortress won't stand a chance with your army and my army combined."
James bowed again. "We are indebted to you, King Farren. Captain Link, General Hall, and the other soldiers will be extremely grateful." He turned his horse around. "Now let's go! The fortress is this way!"
"ONWARD, MEN!" King Farren shouted, and the group started on its way to the fortress.
"We're coming for you, Link," James whispered.
The wedding was in three days.
Zelda stood at the head of the Great Hall where the wedding is taking place. She looked out over the rows and rows of seats, the carpet down the aisle, and the flowers and decorations that the servants were busily stringing over the room.
"A little higher, please," Zelda said to a servant who was placing hanging flowers. She watched and nodded to the servant when it was in place.
A young wedding florist nervously approached the Princess. Zelda smiled at her and waved her forward. The girl paused before talking. Zelda reached out and put a hand on her shoulder warmly.
"Dear, you need not be afraid. I will treat you without harshness. Please, speak." Zelda said kindly.
The girl relaxed and smiled. "T-thank you, your Highness. I have just been instructed to ask you what colors and flowers you want in the bouquets." The girl looked down nervously when she finished.
Zelda smiled. "Tough question, all flowers are beautiful." The girl looked up at her and smiled again. "But I like purple. A lot. So I'm thinking, a mixture of silk roses in white and different shades of purple? Does that sound alright?"
"It's perfect, Your Highness." The girl said shyly. "I'll make sure that gets done."
"Thank you so much, dear."
Just as the girl walked away, Eliana rushed past her and up towards Zelda.
"Zellie! This place looks great!" Ellie gushed, looking around.
"Thank you! I think so as well." Zelda grinned. "That poor florist was so scared to come talk to me. Like she was afraid I'd attack her or something. Poor girl."
Ellie laughed. "Such is the life of royalty."
Just then, Zelda saw Prince Edmund enter in one of the hall doors. He looked around until he saw Zelda waving at him, and he started towards her.
"The hall looks wonderful, Zelda." Edmund said.
"Ellie just said the same thing." Zelda said, laughing. "Thank you."
"Well, Ellie has very good taste."
"He's right, you know." Eliana said, grinning. Zelda and Edmund laughed.
Ellie's face lit up suddenly. "Zelda! Get that florist over here. Let's see how she reacts to Edmund!"
Zelda burst out laughing, rather inelegantly, but she didn't care. Edmund just look confused.
"What?" He said, smiling shyly.
"Well, this is what happened…" Ellie began, grinning.
James and the army stood just before a thick patch of trees. The trees were tall and there were many, so the fortress was well hidden in the middle.
He turned around to face the army. "The fortress lies in a clearing inside this patch of trees."
King Farren nodded and turned around as well. "Tie the horses up here, men. We march to the fortress on foot." He instructed.
Once the soldiers were on foot and ready, they started the march through the trees.
"They don't keep any monsters out here guarding, which I think is strange. I encountered none in the trees in my escape." James explained to the King.
"Well, we'd still best be on our guard. And also prepare strongly before going inside, because that means they're all in there."
James nodded. "They pace the halls, keeping watch. The point of this fortress is to hold prisoners, so they need a strong watch."
They reached the edge of the clearing, and could finally see the fortress. Its tall walls rose high above them. James looked down at the big wooden doors and was half surprised to see two monsters standing guard at the entrance.
"Only two. That's easy. There's lots of us." James whispered.
"I don't want to rush all of my men and make lots of noise for only two monsters. So you take the left one, I take the right. My army will temporarily stay here." The King said to James, keeping his eye on the monster guards.
"Yes, your Majesty. It will be an honor to fight alongside you."
The King motioned for his army to stay here, and then motioned to James. "Now!"
The two of them rushed out from behind the tree, and the monsters looked surprised, but quickly composed themselves and drew their monsters. With a shriek, the monsters ran at them.
James aimed towards the one on the left, holding his sword high. James feigned a sword attack, and the monster moved to block the sword. But the sword never came, and instead James thrust the shield forward and knocked the monster off balance. James took this opportunity to drive the sword right through its chest. It made a sickly dying noise and when James pulled the sword back out, the monster fell to the ground.
He looked over at the King, who had also just finished besting the other monster.
"Nicely done, soldier."
"Thank you, your Majesty." James grinned. "It's a lot easier when you have weapons. I wish I had some when I was escaping."
The King waved his army forward. The army consisted of fifty men. The rest had stayed in Israna, because the kingdom couldn't be left without defense. The soldiers crept forward quietly.
King Farren grasped the handle of the big wooden door and heaved it open. James peered inside the doors, which opened up to a large stone hallway.
"Strange that it's empty." King Farren said.
James pointed up ahead. "There's another hallway perpendicular to this one up ahead. Once we get up there, we'll probably see some action."
The King waved his men forward, and they crept into the hallway. As they walked forward, they watched carefully for traps or monsters. Soon, they reached the end of the hallway. They could only go left or right from here. But before turning the corners, they pressed themselves up against the wall and carefully peered around the corners.
Both directions extended out to a set of stairs. The left hallway led to a flight of stairs going up, and the right hallway led to a flight of stairs going down. Both hallways had a couple of doors, and both hallways had two monsters pacing them.
"Captain Link and General Hall are being held upstairs, and the rest of the soldiers are being held downstairs." James whispered to the King. "There are probably more guards upstairs than down, so we should get the soldiers from downstairs first so that we have more manpower."
The King nodded. "Good thinking, soldier." The King turned around and signaled the plans to his men. The King looked back at James with a silent countdown. Three, two, one.
The soldiers leaped out from around the corner and the monsters growled and rushed them. James ran to the left to fight the monsters and half the soldiers followed him. The other half followed the King to the right to fight those monsters.
James ran up to the first monster and swung the sword at it. It blocked the swing with its own sword and then took a swing at James. James caught the blow on his shield while at the same time jabbing the monster with his own sword. It speared through the monster's shoulder. The monster fell back, but it wasn't dead. While it was on the ground, James finished the job and ran the sword through its heart. It gurgled and its head fell back, defeated.
James looked over to see that some of the soldiers had defeated the second one, and then looked back to see that the King and the other soldiers had defeated the two in the right hallway. The King started advancing toward the descending stairs, and James and the soldiers followed.
Once down the stairs, they were met by another hallway. This one didn't have any doors except for a large door at the very end of the hallway, straight ahead of them. But also in the hallway were two monsters. The monsters saw them immediately and rushed them. The King and James ran forward once more.
James approached one with his sword high. The monster didn't see the need to wait and quickly drove at James with its sword. This took James by surprise, and he barely managed to get his shield up in time. The monster's sword cut his arm, and James lost his balance and fell over. He was sure the monster would kill him.
Just as the monster was about to finish James, a soldier leaped over James' body and struck the monster through the heart. James exhaled in relief, and stood up.
"Thank you." James said, nodding to the soldier. The soldier nodded back and smiled slightly. But the smile faded when the door opened quickly and three more monsters ran towards them.
Stern and the other soldiers were sitting inside the cell, waiting anxiously. James had been gone for two days and they weren't sure if he had made it.
A sudden noise in the hallway made Stern's head snap up. There were three monsters inside the room guarding their cell, and the monsters also turned to look at the door. Stern could hear monster screeching, and the sound of swords making contact.
Stern jumped up, and so did the other soldiers. Are they here to get us?!
The three guard monsters became concerned, and with a growl they thrust open the door and ran into the hallway, but it closed behind them.
"What is happening out there?" A soldier said anxiously.
Stern turned to him with a grin. "I think we're getting saved."
More screeching and swords could be heard, until the hallway finally went silent.
Then the door burst open, and James ran in flanked by King Farren and fifty men.
"James! You're alive!" Stern said, running up to the cell and grasping the bars. James grinned and held up the object in his hand. "And you have the keys!"
James ran over and unlocked the cell. "I pulled them off the monster. I told you that I would bring the army of Israna to save you. I keep my promises." James gestured to the King. "We owe King Farren a huge debt. I wouldn't be here without him."
The soldiers in the cell immediately dropped to their knees. "Thank you, your Majesty." Stern said earnestly.
"I promised King Harkinian that I would come save you all, and I keep my promises as well. But I wouldn't have found you without this lad." The King put his hand on James' shoulder. "Now stand up and let's go. Your Captain and General are upstairs and we've got to go get them."
The soldiers stood up excitedly, not able to keep the grins off their faces. The soldiers of Israna handed over extra weapons to the newly freed Hylian soldiers, and the large group ran out the doors and ascended the stairs.
Link groggily opened his eyes at the sound of the door opening. His heart began to race as he realized that he was about to be dragged away and tortured again. He looked up to see the monster leader walking towards him.
"Get off the ground, boy." The monster growled. "Your death awaits."
Link didn't know if he could bear another day of beatings. It had been over three weeks already.
The leader yanked the cell door open, but before he could step inside, two monsters ran in frantically and starting talking quickly to the leader.
"Intruders, sir! An army burst in the doors and they already freed the soldiers downstairs. They're on their way to General Hall's room now!" The monster explained.
The leader growled in anger and slammed the door shut, leaving Link locked inside.
"Your torture will have to wait, boy." The leader growled.
Link started laughing; he couldn't help it. "You thought you were invincible. Do you remember that soldier who died? He didn't die. He fooled you, and he sent for help. You won't win this fight." Link taunted, grinning at the leader monster.
The monster roared and pounded his fists against the cell, denting the bars. Link's laughter cut off and he stared up at the bars in shock.
The leader grinned at him, which surprised Link. "They might be able to defeat my underlings, but I'm the leader for a reason. I am undefeated. And I won't let them get to you, Hero. I'll be right here, and when they burst through that door, they'd better be prepared." The monster turned his back to the cell and watched the door. Link, not strong enough to move, continued to lay there, praying that the army would be able to take down this monster.
The King withdrew his sword from the chest of the creature, and the final monster fell to the ground. They had crossed to General Hall's room without much difficulty. James ran over to General Hall's cell and freed him. The General fell to his hands and knees in front of the King.
"Hyrule is indebted to you, your Majesty. I will ensure that King Harkinian knows how you have saved us." General Hall said. The King extended a hand to the General and pulled him to his feet.
"No thanks yet, not until we save Captain Link and make it out of here alive." King Farren said, and placed a sword in his hands. "Arm yourself. We aren't done fighting." The General nodded and gripped the hilt tightly.
General Hall walked over and put a hand on James' shoulder. "You are one brave soldier, and we owe this all to you. When we get back to Hyrule, consider yourself promoted." James couldn't help but grin.
"Thank you, General Hall."
With only one left to save, the large group began maneuvering through the fortress once more. They turned through a couple hallways, and only encountered a few monsters, which they killed with ease.
After a few minutes, they came up to a large door.
"It's this one. Link is in here." James said anxiously. The King and the General looked at each other.
"It's strange that we haven't encountered a leader yet. One that's stronger than the rest." The General said suspiciously, then glanced at the door. "It might be in that room."
The King turned to all the soldiers. "We don't know what might be behind this door. Arm yourselves now, men, and prepare. This is the moment of truth."
A large bang caught Link's attention, and he snapped his head toward the noise. The large wooden door had been knocked open, and what he saw behind the door was a sight for sore eyes.
"General! James! King Farren!" Link yelled weakly. The three men were standing at the door, ready in a fighting stance. The three heard their names and glanced over.
"Link!" The General and James yelled out.
"Hang in there!" James said, while turning to look at the monster.
He was twice the size of the other monsters, about two feet taller than a human, and he was looking at the group maliciously. King Farren stepped further into the room closer to the monster, and waved his men in behind him. The soldiers filed into the room along the wall and all prepped their weapons, staring expectantly at the leader.
The monster casually glanced around at the massive group of soldiers that had infiltrated the room. The monster slowly reached behind him, and the soldiers raised their shields quickly. The monster drew his sword and held it in front of him.
"Well," he growled. "Who's first?"
"Be careful!" Link shouted as best as he could, but it didn't really match a shout. King Farren slowly started advancing towards the creature, whose attention shifted to the King. James took advantage of this to do something.
"Link! Head up!" In training, Link often shouted that phrase at James when he needed his attention, usually because Link was about to throw something.
Link quickly looked over at James just in time to see a bottle flying through the air. He caught it in between his hands, and looked down. Red Potion. Thank the goddesses.
Link quickly downed the content of the bottle, and felt the effects immediately. His pain almost completely vanished, and he felt a burst of strength. Grinning, Link leapt to his feet, only to realize he was still trapped in his cell. He groaned.
King Farren yelled out loudly, and all the soldiers reciprocated the call and rushed forward. With that many soldiers rushing the creature, King Farren was sure that the monster wouldn't be able to do much.
The monster waited until they got close enough and then spun a circle, swinging his sword with him. The soldiers put up their shields in defense, and they got knocked back several feet as the sword connected with their shields. The soldiers landed on their backs and groaned, but got up quickly. One soldier tried to rush him from the back, but the monster heard him coming and knocked the soldier away with his arm.
King Farren was quickly realizing that up close combat didn't work as well. The leader's size and agility were a huge advantage on his side.
"James!" Link called out. "Get me out of here, I can help!" James nodded and looked around for the key. It wasn't long before he saw it hanging on the monster's belt. But if he tried to get close enough to grab it, he would get knocked away.
But he had an idea. James shifted his sword so that it held like a spear. If he aimed it right, he could catch the key ring. He shuffled closer to the monster for aim, but not close enough that he would be seen. The monster was swiveling around, dodging soldier attacks and swiping at them with his sword and arms. He was moving too much.
Finally, General Hall solely got the beast's attention, and the monster stood still while he watched the General. The General yelled and ran forward. The monster stood still and waited while it braced itself.
Three… two… one…
At the exact same time that the monster prepared to attack, James launched the sword. The monster raised his sword in the air and it came down towards the General's head. The General dodged and the sword hit the ground, and James' sword made contact. It went cleanly through the key ring, and the key ring tore of the belt. The sword flew to the other side of the room, hit the wall, and fell to the floor with the keys on it.
The monster roared in anger, and James panicked because he thought the monster knew. It was then that he realized that the General had impaled the beast in the thigh with the sword. The monster knocked General Hall away, and pulled the sword from its thigh. It wasn't dead, but they had damaged it significantly.
James ran across the room as quietly and subtly as he could, grabbed the sword and his keys, and ran to Link's cell. He unlocked the cell door and Link burst through in anticipation.
"Finally!" Link said, grinning. "Now, gather some of the soldiers and follow me." James motioned to a group of soldiers, about 10 of them, and followed Link. Much to James' surprise, Link ran out the door and into the hallway. The soldiers looked nervous.
"Captain Link, we can't shun the fight." One soldier said.
"Oh, we're not. We're winning this fight. But we need the right weapons first." Link said, running to where he had seen the Weapons room. "The General, the King, and the rest of the soldiers can keep it at bay while we prepare."
They entered the room and Link looked around in amazement. "Wow, they've got quite the collection." The room had rows and rows of swords, daggers, spears, bows, and other various weapons hanging on the walls. He looked around until he saw the weapons he was looking for. He handed them to the soldiers. Link and James grabbed weapons as well, and they ran back to join the fight.
The soldiers were still not able to get close. Link ran up to General Hall.
"We're going to give you an opening. Watch for it and strike quickly." Link said. The General nodded. Then he turned and ran back to where James and the 10 soldiers were waiting. "Spread yourselves out amongst the room." Link instructed, and the soldiers did as he told.
He raised his weapon that they had chosen, which were bows. He loaded the bow with an arrow and the saw the soldiers do the same. He did the hand motions they had agreed on for a countdown, until finally they released.
"FIRE!" Link shouted. The monster turned toward the source of the noise and looked angry upon seeing Link freed. But he noticed too late the arrows flying towards him.
Twelve arrows struck the beast from all different directions. His side, his front, his back, his legs, and his shoulders. The beast roared in pain, and General Hall nodded to King Farren. They raced forward, and together the General and the King drove their swords into the stomach of the beast while he was distracted. He roared even louder now, and at this point, the monster fell to his knees.
He wasn't dead yet, but he was near there. One sword through his heart would do the trick.
Link walked to the nearest soldier and grabbed the sword from his hands. He approached the monster, who looked up at him in rage.
The monster tried to speak, but was weak. He had arrows sticking from his body and was bleeding from three stabbing points. "You think… you've won?" The monster said with much effort, snarling up at Link.
Link smiled down at the monster leader.
"Just like Ganon."
And with that, he plunged the sword through the monster leader's heart.
Did you love it?!
Link's last phrase is a reference to the conversation he had with the monster when he first got captured.
Thanks for reading!
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