Chapter 25: Confrontation

Kaikara did not have to see to draw her sword. Questions of who could possibly be down here in this tunnel fled her mind, as it shifted into survival mode. "Back away!" she called, trying to sound as authoritative as she could. "I don't want to hurt you!"

There was nothing for several moments, but Kaikara had gotten accustomed to listening carefully in the dark, and she could hear them moving—she frowned, her eyes wide open, and realized they were trying to flank her!

Kaikara growled, crouching low and swiping her sword to one side, and felt it connect a glancing blow with something. A yell of pain told her it was one of her adversaries. She stumbled to one side, wanting to get them both in front of her again. "I know where you are," she growled. "I said leave me alone!"

"It's her," said one voice, a voice which had a very familiar sort of accent. "I'm gonna tell the boss man!"

"Do it," said the other voice. Kaikara took a step back not liking where this was going—could these guys see in the dark? Why did they sound familiar? The sound of running feet—bare feet, she was sure—made her feel very nervous.

"Who are you?" she called. She didn't know why she was yelling—they should be able to hear her just fine—but not being able to see somehow made her want to talk more loudly than usual.

"Stay where you are," growled the remaining figure. "You're surrounded—and you Hylians can't see in the dark. Just stay put, kid."

'Us' Hylians? she thought. All of a sudden, it all came together for her—they were Mogmas! She laughed, partly in relief, partly in delight at the recognition. "Wait—I'm not gonna hurt you—I've met you guys before, I'm-"

"I know who you are," said the Mogma, sounding irritated. "But you shouldn't've assumed we're all on the same team, kid—that was a mistake."

At first, Kaikara did not understand what he had meant…and then the realization set in. These Mogmas must be working for Ghirahim! She heard the Mogma chuckle at her, and knew she must look pretty stupid, her mouth gaping in shocked betrayal, her eyes wide with outrage. "You-!"

The slight shuffle of a foot on the ground was what saved her—there were others in the tunnel. She sword, lashing out with the Sword, and a second cry of pain told her that backup had arrived. Not needing to be silent anymore, at least three Mogma voices cried out in a sudden sort of battle shriek, and Kaikara reflexively dove to one side—the side she had swiped at, hoping whoever she'd hit was too injured to grab her.

She was wrong. Strong arms grabbed her around the chest, pinning her sword arm to her side, and Kaikara reacted the only way she could: she swiped her left hand, still wearing the Mogma Mitt, back at the one who had grabbed her. There was a sudden scream of pain and the arms around her were gone.

Kaikara bolted, running blindly down the corridor, trying to remember how long the tunnel stretched out before making a turn.

"Don't be an idiot!" shouted the first voice. "You can't see in the dark—you're only making this harder on yourself!"

She did not reply, only ran, but a moment later, her head hit something, and she reeled sideways. She hissed an oath and slapped at the air, finding what felt like a torch. She grabbed it, and her hand felt a stream of air coming from hole in the wall—that was how they had turned off the torches without touching them!

Kaikara's body burned with adrenaline, and she did not even stop to think. She leapt up and grabbed the torch, removing it from its clasp. Normally it would have been a little too high, even as short as the Mogmas were, but every single muscle in Kaikara's body was focused on getting her out of there alive.

She took off running again, squinting down at her new prize, and saw with delight that it was the sort of torch she had seen before in her own hometown: the sort that came with its own flint and steel—a handle that she could squeeze to scrape the flint against the metal, and making a spark. After three squeezes, the oil-soaked batting of the torch blazed up, and Kaikara could suddenly see.

Her eyes adjusted just in time to avoid a Mogma soldier who had been creeping silently toward her. The Mogma, his eyes adjusted to the dark, cried out as the light flared a foot in front of his eyes, stumbling backward with his eyes shut tightly.

Kaikara had no time to gloat; she heard the footsteps of the others behind her, and they would not be surprised by the sudden light.

She ran.

But even with the flickering light of Kaikara's single torch, she still did not know the layout of the tunnels, and after running for sixty seconds, she was lost. Even if she managed to evade capture for a while, could she escape the tunnels?

Even as this thought occurred, someone grabbed her from her right side. She yelled, turning around to slice at her opponent, but the Mogma had taken her completely by surprise. Again she felt the powerful, hairy arms grab her, but this time both of her arms were pinned, and she dropped the torch. She swore, and a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Shut it, you knucklehead!" a voice hissed in her ear. "We're on your side!"

Kaikara was surprised enough to stop fighting long enough for the Mogmas to drag her into the wall.

The wall? There was a hidden niche in the wall, mostly covered by rock, and it was here they crouched. Kaikara heard the rock being moved to cover the opening, and the three of them just waited.

Having decided that Kaikara was not going to yell the world down, the Mogma who had covered her mouth let go, and Kaikara stayed quiet. She heard the Mogmas outside pass by at least seven yards, heard the leader snarl, "Where is it?", had time to be offended at being referred to "it", and then she heard a voice that made her skin chill into gooseflesh.

"Well? Where is she?"

The messenger had gotten his message through to the "boss man". It was Ghirahim.

There was hesitation, and Kaikara did not blame them—she would not want to tell Ghirahim bad news, either. Finally, the leader relied: "We've lost her. But she can't be far."

Ghirahim snarled like a wild beast. "Find her! I'll return with shadowbeasts."

Shadowbeasts—they would sniff her out quickly!

Her new allies knew this, too, and one tugged her arm. Kaikara said nothing, but she decided to trust these Mogmas—they had not turned her in so far, after all. But it was terrifying. She could see nothing, but she knew the Mogmas could, and she had to rely completely on them—at the same time she had to be as quiet as possible. It seemed the secret niche was actually a secret tunnel, and now they were traversing it.

Kaikara was still holing on to the Master Sword, which made things more difficult, but she did not want to make noise by sheathing it, so she had to simply try not to skewer anyone.

Gradually, they made their away from the main hallway, and Kaikara began to see a faint glow. Thirty seconds later, she stopped moving, gripping the hand of the Mogma next to her. "I can see enough," she whispered as softly as possible.

"Okay," one of the Mogmas whispered back. "Be careful."

"Right." As they walked, Kaikara felt safe enough to sheathe the sword. That done, she had a look at the Mogmas she was walking with, and thought they were probably related—and she thought one of them was female—it wasn't so easy to tell girls from boys when you were dealing with Mogmas. "Thanks," she whispered. "What-?"

"Shh," said the male. "Wait until we get there."

Kaikara was quiet.

The glow Kaikara had seen was coming from a single torch, fastened to a wooden beam outside a metal door. Kaikara was so surprised to see the metal door that she stopped walking. The female, concerned at first, looked at her, but soon saw Kaikara was fine—just surprised.

Shaking her head and hoping that all would be explained, Kaikara let them lead her through the door (which needed three keys to open it).

Inside was a sparse room containing only several bedrolls and a single chair and table. Three more Mogmas sat within, and, to Kaikara's shock—a Hylian. It was a Hylian she knew—the Crown Prince of Hyrule! Once again, she stood still, unable to move.

The prince looked slightly worse for wear, but he was alive and looked fairly healthy. She could see a scar on his brow that had not been there before, and it looked like one of his earlobes had been cut or torn off. But she did not have time to see what else the prince might have gone through, because he stood up as soon as she and the Mogmas entered.

Prince Iskander looked over, saw who stood before him, and a huge grin overspread his face. "Kaikara!" he let out an elated laugh, one which made Kaikara grin despite everything, and ran to her.

Kaikara surprised herself by bursting into tears as she and Iskander hugged each other as if they were long-lost siblings finally reunited. Kaikara hardly knew the young man—had met him for less than five minutes when he had given her the Master Sword—but she felt almost as close to him as she had grown with Trow. He had begun the whole thing—and she had feared for his life when she heard he'd been captured.

They hugged for a long time—long enough for Kaikara's tears to halt. Finally she stood back, wiping her eyes leaving dark smears of dirt across her face. In fact she was entirely filthy after having dug in the tunnels so far.

"It is a great pleasure to see you again," said Iskander. "I have heard many stories of your travels and your adventures…and I could not be prouder."

Kaikara was still grinning, even though her eyes were still wet. "Thanks," was all she could say. "How'd you escape? I—I heard they'd gotten you."

The prince's grin disappeared. "They had. And my time with them was…rough." He ran a hand through his long, messy hair—he looked far more rugged than he had when she'd first met the boy, and she figured he'd had his own adventures in the time since the invasion of Woodvalley.

"Have a seat, kid," said one of the Mogmas. "We'll tell you what's been going on."

The prince had indeed had his own adventures…starting with his imprisonment. Ghirahim had tortured the prince, much as he had tortured the guardsmen Kaikara had seen, to find out what he had done with the Master Sword. Despite the horror of what Ghirahim had put him through (Kaikara looked again at the prince's missing earlobe and shuddered) he never told him about Kaikara. Ghirahim had found that out only after the prince hid been rescued.

"How DID you get rescued?" asked Kaikara.

He grinned once more. "The Mogmas—in fact I hear you met some of 'em—Chalka and his crew came after me not a week after they met you and Trow."

Kaikara burst into delighted laughter—Chalka! "Was Degg with him?" she asked.

Smiling, Iskander nodded. "There was one called Degg, yes. A team of six snuck into the dungeon and got me past the guards through the tunnels they'd dug. I…well I was hardly conscious. But as you see they've taken good care of me. And I've joined their efforts."

A resistance…Kaikara was not surprised. Even as she and Trow traveled, they had met those who were quietly resisting the takeovers across the timelines. That they had managed to rescue the crown prince himself was huge—she wondered how many other things they had managed to do.

As if reading her mind, Iskander said, "We've looked for you for weeks, now," he said. "And now we hear the little boy you've been traveling with has been captured?" Kaikara nodded. "Well, you've found out there is a faction of the Mogma people who have been swayed to Ganondorf's side—and they were recruited because of my escape. We've been trying to find a way to use the tunnels they've dug to sneak through their ranks and get into the castle, but they're too well guarded. The only thing we've managed to do is to infiltrate the outer tunnels—the ones you were caught in."

It was a lot to take in. "So…what do I do?" she asked. "I can't just…walk up to the castle, can I?"

Iskander and the Mogma resistance fighters all exchanged glances, so for a few moment there was a lot of head-turning. "Well," said the female Mogma, who during the storytelling had said her name was Flynte, "that's sort of what we had in mind."

While Kaikara gaped at her, she explained. Ganondorf wanted her to come to the castle—that was why he had taken Trow, after all. The resistance's spies had learned that Ganondorf did not intend to execute Kaikara—but to kill her in a fair battle. It made sense, Flynte guessed, because he would want to show the people of Hyrule that he was greater than Kaikara—stronger than the Hero that the people had so rallied around in the various towns.

"Can I win?" Kaikara asked. She heard the uncertainty in her voice, and hated it, but she couldn't help it.

"You're strong and courageous," said Iskander. "But no one can really answer that question. All we know is that you're the only one who has even a chance of saving your brother. We can't get into the castle."

Kaikara was silent for a very long time. Fear and desperation whirled in her mind, and frustration clenched her fists. "DAMN them!" she finally burst out, bolting to her feet and beginning to pace angrily. "Why'd this have to happen, anyway? Why couldn't that jerk just…leave everyone alone?"

Prince Iskander, proving his reputation for compassion and kindness, gently grasped Kaikara's arm, stopping her pacing short. He took the girl into his arms. "You've been through so much, Kaikara," he said, holding her, as a big brother would hold a frightened younger sister—indeed as Kaikara had held Trow so many times. "You should never have been put into this position. But the Goddesses choose their Hero—and if they have faith in you, so do I."

Kaikara did not cry again, but she came close. It had been so long since she had been able to take comfort from someone, and it was almost as good as going home. She hugged Iskander for a long time, and it seemed that she was thinking of what her decision would be, but she was not. She had already made her decision—in fact in her mind, there was no choice. To run away now, when Trow's life was on the line, was unthinkable.

She finally took a very deep breath, drew away, and let it out. "Thanks," she whispered to the prince.

Iskander smiled, then bent and kissed the top of Kaikara's head. "I can see what you've decided.

"Yeah…" Kaikara swiped her hair back from her brow. "Yeah. Can you guys give me a map or something to the castle?"

"Better'n that," said Flynte. "We can take you right there. We have plenty of people who live in the city—they'll get you to the castle gates. From there, I imagine that the castle guards will take you from there."

Kaikara snorted. "Yeah. All right. I guess…"

"Hold it, kid," said Flynte. She seemed to be the one in charge. "You need rest and food. I know you want to get to your brother, but you'll want to be at your best when you meet that bastard in battle. One night. Rest one night, get some good food in you…and go to your battle tomorrow. Okay?"

She was right, of course, and Kaikara was too tired to argue. She made a meal of nutrition biscuits—light and full of vitamins—and slept on the floor of the guardroom. It wasn't the most comfortable bed ever, but it was better than some of the beds she'd had to make along her journey.

When she woke, she was ready. It was decided that Kaikara would have a light breakfast, and then bring only a red potion and her sword and shield. If she lived, she would be able to retrieve them. If she died—she would not need them. It was not a cheerful thought.

"I guess I'm ready," said Kaikara finally. And she was—this was the end, this was the showdown, and the young Hero felt strangely calm. She was doing the right thing, and she had the Goddesses on her side. She just hoped it was enough, because Ghirahim was an evil bastard. How much worse could Ganondorf be?

"Okay, then," said Prince Iskander. "We're going to try and get as many of our people in the crowd when Ganondorf brings them together—as we're sure he will. If we can—we'll fight. While you fight Ganondorf. We'll be staging our revolt."

"We have people in the town, too," said Iskander. "And we're all ready to fight."

It was encouraging news. "Okay," said Kaikara. "Let's—let's go."

It did not take long to get Kaikara to the castle. She was secreted away through the secret tunnels, and came out in one of the marketplaces, behind a large, canvas tent. From there, several different townspeople were able to sneak Kaikara across town to the exact center—where sat Hyrule Castle. Flynte stated with her the entire time.

"I guess this is it," the Mogma said finally, as she and Kaikara stood across the street from the outer gates. They were hidden, for now, but the second Kaikara stepped from their hiding spot, she would be seen. "Good luck, kiddo."

Kaikara could only nod.

If she hesitated, she would never get up the courage to walk into the enemy's fortress, so she wasted no time. Swallowing hard, her hand shaking, Kaikara stepped out into the street and walked toward the gates as if she belonged there.

It did not take much time for her to be spotted. A lookout somewhere above sounded a horn—and the front guards approached, their swords at the ready. "Halt," one demanded.

Aware that the surrounding townspeople had stopped to watch (though no one looked surprised—news in the underground traveled fast), Kaikara did as bid. She had no idea what to say to these guards…but she did not have to worry about it.

Before anyone else could speak, a figure appeared, surrounded by blurs of red and gold diamond shapes. Unsurprised, but terrified, Kaikara looked up into Ghirahim's face.

Ghirahim looked taken aback, but recovered quickly, his usual arrogant smile appearing on his face. "Well," he said, gazing down at Kaikara with reluctant admiration. "What a pleasant surprise."