Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay in getting this out everyone. Things were crazy last week, and I've been a bit run down and with the Fourth, well, it happens.

CucumberPickles: You can assign yourself a time to write every day. It just really depends on your schedule and how you feel. Right now, for me, that doesn't work. I'm usually tired when I get home from work, it can be a draining experience. I'd like to write for a living some day, I want to write a novel, so that would be a good thing to do, assigning a specific time. It just really depends.

Jules: I had forgotten about that Spike line, I just happened to write than in there. But the Angelus line, yeah, that's where I ripped it from. I rather liked that line and the emotional punch it delivered when he did what he did. So I used it. :)

Shrugb420: Thanks for joining the story and for reviewing. It is much appreciated.

Sweetwater-Rhapsody: And thanks to you for your kind comments and for joining in the story. And thanks again for your emails. :)

Alright boys and girls, on with the show.

Ch. 6

The Lonely Battlefield, Pt. 1

Rage. It consumes us, its passion can drive us forward and make us susceptible to things we never would have considered. Even those of us who are considered the most wise or the most learned, those who know what pitfalls await when emotions are completely given in to will burn in the fires of rage if we let them. And here, now, on this field of battle, on this sea of loneliness and death…I burn. I am not a Queen on this bloody playground, I am not even a Princess, I am a warrior. And my warriors heart burns, its fire rages out of control at the knowledge that vengeance against the man who directly slew my father is denied to me. Denied to me by a fatal fall from that shadowy tower in the distance behind me. But I will have revenge on the man responsible for all of this. I'll cut the still beating heart out of that bastard before the end.

Yes, a nice fairytale. To delude myself from reality. The reality of the man standing above me. This man, swathed head to toe in black, the red eye of the Sheikah that I myself once wore, emblazoned on his chest, his curved sword raised above his head. I delude myself because I can't believe that my end has come here, now. Without my vengeance, without the man I love, the end is here. Because at this moment, all I have…is the fire.

The group walking into the camp of the assembled forces of Hyrule is a small one, a sullen one. They are led by Link, who walks side by side with Zelda, leading Link's beautiful and faithful horse Epona. Behind them comes Sir Joran Omeroth and Aeron, Prince of Xeroth, who was kidnapped and has been forced to live in captivity for weeks on end. And atop of Epona, the covered and still form of the King of Hyrule. His body wrapped in Link's cloak to give it some manner of protection from the elements.

"By the Goddesses," Darunia says, his eyes catching sight of the wrapped body on top of Epona.

"The King is dead my Sworn Brother," Link says, his voice quiet and subdued. "But, he was himself in the end. He was a hero, and saved my and his daughter's life. He should always be honored and remembered for that and the life he lived, not the preceding weeks that led up to this."

"Of course, the King will be treated with the utmost respect and honor," Sahasrahla says. He and the others from the Korai Village had ridden into the camp a short while after Link entered the ancient palace. Sahasrahla studies Link for a moment, "I see now the blocks hidden within you have been smashed. It will come quickly to you now. But, I must give you a word of warning. Power corrupts, and this Power no less than any other. Be wary of how you use it. Now Link, I believe it is time you, and Sir Joran I'd guess, ready yourselves. The forces of Ganondorf are here and are arrayed against us. You must lead us to victory."

"Indeed," Darunia agrees. "If Prince Aeron will not mind aiding Sahasrahla and the Princess for the moment, I will lead Link and Joran to ready themselves."

"I will come as well," Zelda says. "I am Queen now Darunia, and if I choose to be a part of this battle, it is my right. I will not be denied," she says, cutting off the protest she knew would arise from one of her father's oldest and dearest friends.

"It's alright Darunia," Link says before walking off to where he can prepare himself.

"You blame yourself, don't you?" Joran says, walking besides Link.

"Does it really matter right now?" Link asks, keeping his voice neutral.

"It always matters," Joran answers. "Battle is before us. We must go into it with our minds and hearts clear. But, I see there is much pain and hurt inside you."

"I have been through much, seen and done things no one should have to," Link replies.

"Of that, I have no doubt. I remember you from that other time," Joran smiles. "It's ironic really, because you saved my life then as well. I was in Castle Town, fighting against the creatures there. I was part of the resistance, but I had found myself alone. And then you showed up, a blur of motion and action as you cut a path through those beasts and saved me in the process. After that, I went on to tell everyone how a hero had come to us."

"I remember," Link mentions. "That was right after I had been trapped for seven years."

Joran nods his head, not quite sure what that meant. "Well, then time was reversed for us all. My family, unfortunately, were still killed in Ganondorf's attack on Hyrule Castle and Castle Town, that much didn't change. But this time, I decided to dedicate my life to helping people, all people. Because, you see, I never lost my memories of that other time. I quickly found out that everyone else had, but not me. But I knew what had happened, not just to Hylians, but to everyone. Humans, Gorons, Zora, all had suffered equally under Ganondorf's tyranny."

Link frowns for a moment, curious as to why this young man, someone his own age it appeared, would be able to remember all those events when no one else could. "So that's why you became a Knight of Hyrule. To defend all its peoples, not just the Hylians."

"Exactly," is Joran's response. "And you were…are, my inspiration. So, my point is, you may believe yourself a failure right now, that you are somehow at fault. But you also need to consider all those you have saved, all those whose lives you touched and changed, and are better for it. I'm alive because of you, not just then, but because of today also. I have no doubts that if I would have had to face that monster up there, I would be dead now. I know I am good with a blade, I have earned the Tri-Force mark on my sword, my passage to being a Blademaster, but him, and you, are something completely different.

"Thank you," is all Link can manage, but he is touched by Joran's words. "Come on, our fight isn't done yet," he says, entering the tent that Darunia has stopped them in front of.

"How is that your Highness?" Nabooru asks, helping Zelda to strap on the smallest set of armor they could find.

"It will do," Zelda responds. "And please Nabooru, here, like this, alone, call me Zelda as you once did. The armor will work, though it is a bit big for her, but it was all they could find. She hefts the sword she was given, one with a curving blade, and twirls it expertly in her hands. "It has a good balance."

Nabooru smiles softly, "I see your other skills haven't atrophied."

"A good thing, because I plan to fully put them to the test," Zelda says. "I only wish I would find Ganondorf out there, riding at the head of his army, so I could slip this blade into him."

"His time will come," Nabooru says, the anger in her voice at the mention of Ganondorf evident. He is the person she hates most in this world, and she would love nothing more than to see him gutted. A commotion and the sounds of shouting draws both of their attention, and Nabooru peeks her head out the tent flaps. When her head reappears once more inside the tent her face has taken on a slightly paler color. "They've somehow managed to break through the front lines. The Moblins are inside the camp."

"Then it is time we fight," Zelda replies. "What was it you always said Nabooru?"

"It's a good day to die," Nabooru answers, throwing the new Hylian Queen a predatory grin. Though her Sage powers are gone, Nabooru still retains her skill with a blade, which is hers and hers alone.

"Indeed," Zelda adds a wolfish grin of her own. She steps outside the tent immediately into the path of a charge Moblin. Without thought she vaults forward into the air, somersaulting high over the Moblin's head and landing in a crouch facing the creature's back. Immediately upon landing she thrusts her curved blade forward through the beast's unprotected back, straight through its heart. Ganondorf had never bothered to give his lower creatures full armor sets. Since a Moblin would never run from a fight, he surmised he shouldn't bother to armor their backsides. That, and they were nothing more than disposable soldiers to him. "Nayru protect us," Zelda whispers as she catches sight of a large figure stomping through the Moblin ranks. "Al'Mob'lair," she recognizes the beast. "Nabooru," she says, the other woman reaching her side, her own scimitars slick with black Moblin blood. "Go and spread the word, be need to bring those beasts down now before they have a chance to decimate our ranks."

"But what of that one?" Nabooru asks, though she already knows the answer.

"I will deal with it," Zelda replies, her voice hard and commanding, one that would brook no argument. With a slight bow Nabooru rushes off to warn their forces, leaving Zelda alone against the beast she has picked out as her next foe. Though what Nabooru couldn't know, what known of them knew, was that Zelda had once faced one of these creatures, in that other time, when she was masquerading as Sheik. She knew the beast was infinitely stronger than she, but she also knew she had an edge, her speed and agility. Her eyes narrow as she draws a dagger from her belt in her off hand, and then bursts into action. She charges at the first generation Moblin, and leaps high into the air just as she had with the other one. Though, this time when she lands and tries the same trick the creature has spun around and easily deflects her blow with its massive blade. With its other hand it backhands her and sends her tumbling across the ground. Zelda flows with the tumble and comes back to her feet in a sliding halt. She wipes the back of her right hand across her mouth and grins slightly at the blood there.

Zelda leaps forward into action again. This time, as she approaches the beast she pitches forward into a roll underneath the creatures legs. With a blur of motion she spins and immediately rolls forward again, this time under its legs while it spins to match her. As the creature completes its turn Zelda is already at its back and rakes her dagger across the back of its legs, slicing through the muscles and dropping it to its knees, leaving it to roar in pain and anger. Zelda doesn't immediately move in for a killing blow, instead she waits, and stalks around the creature, slowly encircling it, letting it watch her and know it is at her mercy. With a quick flick of motion Zelda sends her sword whistling through the air, and it embeds itself in the creatures stomach. The beat howls in pain, dropping to one hand on the ground while the other grips at the sword and wound in its gut. Zelda stalks back around the creature, and, from behind, slices her dagger across its throat. The massive Old One drops to the ground on its back, to bleed to death slowly from its multiple wounds.

"Why Princess, I would never had suspected you of being so bloodthirsty," a haughty, yet commanding tone says as Zelda pulls her sword from the beasts stomach.

Zelda turns to find a man standing before her, clad from head to toe in black, his eyes a strange crimson, and the eye of the Sheikah painted in red on his chest. "It's Queen now," Zelda says, her voice tight, her body held at the ready. "And who, may I ask, are you?"

"Queen eh," the man muses, "so he is dead after all. I had wondered." He studies her for a moment before nodding his head. "As for who I am, well, I am your executioner. Normally, I take little pleasure from the slaying of people these days, there's no challenge in it. But you are a special circumstance. I can see you might prove interesting." And before Zelda knows it his sword is out and whistling towards her neck. She just manages to bring her own blade up in defense, then quickly leaps backwards to allow herself a moment to set. But her attacker allows her no such moment, he presses the attack again, this time with a thrusting lunge towards her midsection that Zelda hastily bats away. As she deflects his blow she brings her off hand around with her dagger, intent on shoving it into his chest, but he grabs her arm quickly, and the pressure he applies on her wrist causes her grip to break and her dagger to drop to the ground. With a firm grip, he spins, taking Zelda by that one arm and hurling her through the air a short distance before she thuds to the ground unceremoniously. "Perhaps your skills with a blade will not challenge me as much as I had thought," he says casually as Zelda picks herself up to her feet. "But you do have other…abilities, that might prove interesting," he says, and then quickly an unseen force strikes Zelda in the midsection, doubling her over onto her knees. Through her gasping breaths and wide eyes she stares up at him. "Oh yes, Sage of Time, I am much more than a swordsman myself. You see, your Highness…my condolences about your father by the way," he says offhandedly. "Anyway, your Highness," but he never finishes. A solid, yet unseen power slams into his head, lifting him bodily from the ground and hurling him into a tree trunk. Or rather, through the tree trunk, such is the force behind that hit. The trunk splinters and cracks, and the tree falls to the ground as the mysterious man rolls to the ground.

"Was that interesting enough for you?" Zelda growls, trying to hold herself steady on her feet.

"Yes, quite," he answers, staggering back to his feet. "I haven't been hit like that in a very long time. It was…invigorating."

"You're sick," Zelda spits.

He shrugs, "I've been called worse."

"Why doesn't that surprise me," Zelda says, the two cautiously circling one another now as the battle rages around them but never drifts near them, as if they are somehow alone on the field of battle. "I will not allow Ganondorf to win," she says with conviction.

He simply chuckles. "There's nothing you can do to stop him this time Zelda. My Master will gain ultimate power, and then the world will be his. And when he does, I will stand there, at his right hand, over the rest of his simpering followers."

"So you're nothing more than another of Ganondorf's pathetic lackeys," Zelda says, and is immediately struck again, and again by unseen blows.

"You have no idea what I am Queen Zelda," he spits the name out in contempt, standing over her. He picks her up by her armor with one hand, and presses the other to her forehead. Zelda gasps as a cold shiver runs through her, which proceeds something else flowing through her, and up into him. As she begins to feel herself weaken she knows he his slowly killing her.

But a crackle of thunder splits the sky, and a streak of lightning flashes down from the heavens, striking the ground near Zelda and her attacker. When the dust settles back to the ground, there stands a man well into his later years, clad in volumous scarlet and orange robes with the hood from his cloak pulled over his head. The mysterious attacker pulls his hand away from Zelda and lets her drop to the ground in a weakened heap, his eyes now focused solely on the new arrival. "Rauru," he spits out, the name a curse on his tongue. "You don't belong here old man."

"No more than you do," Rauru answers, his voice and face the picture of serenity. "But I remain because the Tri-Force wills it so. You remain only because of the dark powers you so greedily sought. You traded wisdom, love and the light for nothing but darkness, hunger and anger."

"No, I traded being weak for being powerful," the stranger says, and pulls the mask from his head, revealing a pale white face and hair the color of snow. "And you are the last one old man. Finally, after all this time, you are the last."