These mist coloured mountains
Are a home now for me

But my home is in the lowlands
And always will be

Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms

And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms

Brothers in Arms, Mark Knopfler

Chapter Thirty Six
War

Left, right, left, right, left; Vic's feet pounded the hard earth as he and thousands of other soldiers marched southwards across the plain. Sweat was dripping down his brow, stinging his eyes. His broad shoulders were burdened with the weight of his chainmail shirt, his hips weighted by greaves, his arms already feeling the strain of carrying spear and shield. The sheer effort of moving was almost enough to push aside thoughts of the mortal peril which he and his fellows were in.

"Spirits up, Vic!" said Haram, marching beside him on his left, "There be no good in fear. We'll be a-sitting on a field of victory by sundown."

"No fear in life, no fear in death," called Vic, over the clunking of metal and leather and soil.

"Till we be medalled to our eyeballs and retired in Hylian villas," said Haram, "then death can take a hike."

"Give me a country farm and a buxom wife then I'll go happy when death comes a-calling," said Vic.

"Give me a stake in your Ma's land, and I'll join you," said Haram. "Or one of her daughters," he added.

Vic smiled and shook his head, but did not reply. He looked up ahead, and glimpsed the Kairin army through a gap in the formation. They were close now. The two forces would soon be within bowstring range of each other. Vic's hand tightened around the handle of his shield until his knuckles were white.

He knew that his battle would be the last great clash of Hyrule and Kaira. It was the sincere hope of every man that this battle would be done by sundown, and that they would live to see Hyrule victorious on the field of battle, but they knew the tide had turned against them. Hyrule's army was weary from heavy campaigning, and heavily outnumbered too, but they would fight until the bitter end.

It was no secret that this battle would not be fought with sword and spear alone. There were powerful magical forces at work here. Everyone had heard rumours that the Southern Ocean had been parted in two by the Kairin commander, and the Prince's Sun Blades claimed to have witnessed it happening. Vic found such a thing hard to believe, but how else could such a large army have crossed the sea so quickly? The Kairin armada had all but been destroyed, after all.

For Vic and his friend Haram there was an extra element of peculiarity about this war. When news spread that the Queen had discovered her long-lost heir, Vic and Haram were shocked to learn that his name was Rael. It transpired that this Prince Rael was indeed the very same Rael whom they had met half a year ago after the first Kairin invasion. Together, with their sergeant Shaef and another soldier named Kopus, they had escorted Rael and five other Taraners from Baradale to Hylia.

Further to their surprise it seemed that one of those other companions, a pretty young woman called Elane, was now apparently the ruler of the Gerudos. Vic had spotted her royal party from across the Encampment yesterday, and had no doubt that she was the very same woman. He did not understand what this meant, and could not explain what had happened, except that he had been caught in a course of extraordinary events.

"Arrows! Shields up!" shouted the nearest officer over the sound of marching boots.

Vic's attention was returned to the present as he looked up to see a volley of arrows falling towards the army. The metal-tipped shafts arced across the sky and fell upon them like a thick black rain. Vic hefted his shield up, ducked his head, and braced himself for the onslaught. Hundreds of steel arrowheads punctured the many wooden Hylian shields. He heard some shouts of pain, as arrows slipped through the shell of shields and struck exposed legs. Vic and his fellows kept marching.

In the distance behind him he heard a deep Hylian voice bark, "Bows ready!" and then, "Volley!", followed by the snick-snicker-snack of hundreds of Hylian arrows launching into the air from further behind them.

"How many arrows hit you, Vic?" shouted Haram

"Two arrows!" he replied, referring to the two clunks he had felt his shield. "You?"

"Just one!" There was another smattering of arrows, striking their shields like hail. "Make that three!" he said, correcting himself.

"Ready – and – volley!" A second wave of Hylian arrows flew up from behind them, soaring over their heads towards the advancing Kairin.

The marching pace quickened and as they came closer to their foe the Kairin arrows began to rain down upon them continuously. Under their shields Vic and Haram were protected from the projectile attacks, but soon they would be engaging in hand-to-hand combat. The command went out to the Hylian archers to let loose their bowstrings at will.

Two lines behind him Vic's Lieutenant shouted out the expected order. "Shields forward! Spears ready!" Vic followed the command and readied himself for combat, though he was now more exposed to arrow fire. "Charge!!"

For a fleeting second Vic glimpsed the Kairin through a gap in the forward lines, and saw in their faces the same fear and hard determination that he felt himself. They were the same as him. Every one of them was someone's son, yet every one of them would kill him if he did not kill them first.

Vic pointed his long metal spear forwards and clutched his shield tightly, and began to run as fast as his legs and the soldiers in front of him would allow, which was little more than a jog now. "Hylia!!" he shouted, as he and a thousand brothers ran towards the foe with reckless abandon. They were a mighty machine of war: shield and sword and spear and soul and spirit.

The front line of the Hylians collided into the front line of Kaira with an almighty crash and the forward momentum of both armies was interrupted abruptly. Vic and Haram fell into the backs of the Hylian soldiers in front of them, and felt the crunch as others were forced to stop short behind them. Kairin spears thrust forwards towards them through the lines of Hylians, and others clattered down from overhead. The spears were caught by shields, and others hit the floor, narrowly glancing off armour, but there were screams of pain as more heavy spearheads gouged deep holes into faces apart and punctured limbs.

Incensed by the onslaught of pain, Vic's empathy for his foe evaporated. He heaved his spear up in his right arm, picked a Kairin target eight feet away, and hurled it with all his might over the heads of the forward Hylians. The enemy soldier looked up in time to meet Vic's eyes as the spear flew towards his exposed neck. The shaft flew deep into his flesh and the spearhead protruded straight out the far side, and into the eye of the man behind. The impaled pair were brutally finished by a frontline Hylian and kicked back into the Kairin ranks. Moments later that frontline Hylian's neck was split wide by a Kairin sword.

Vic kneeled down and pulled his shield up to protect himself from any reactionary spears. Safe for a brief moment he drew his sword from its scabbard and held it ready at his side. Most of his fellows were now adopting this same stance, waiting for the moment when they would be ordered to the front line. Vic looked across to Haram, who had thrown his spear and was now wielding his sword. He had to shout so that Haram could hear him over the noise. "First blood!" He shouted, indicating he had already killed a man.

"First blood!" shouted Haram back to him. The dark knowledge of ending life passed between them in a gaze. Neither of them could look the other in the eye for long.

They remained rooted to the spot, waiting with the rest of their unit for the command to move up to the fighting line. Each man kept his head bowed down, some to keep clear of arrow-fire or spears, others offering a final prayer to the gods for protection.

Before long, the nearest lieutenant bellowed the command to rotate. "Front line fall back! First reserves forward!" Vic picked himself up off the ground, held his shield close, holding his sword at his hip, ready to strike.

The front lines pulled backwards. These hardened fighters were mostly still in one piece, but were now exhausted from the march, charge and immediate battle. Some that squeezed past Vic were clutching flesh wounds; they would be bandaged up and returned to battle. But there were others were missing fingers or hands, or had blood gushing down from their eye sockets. Worse were the bodies of the dead and dying that were left to be trampled upon by the Kairin as they pushed forwards into the next wave of Hylians.

"Fortune be with you!" shouted Haram. "For Hylia!!"

"Hylia!!" shouted Vic.

A Kairin man rushed him, sword barred. Vic hefted his shield up into the air and smashed its hard boss into the foe's face. His enemy stumbled backwards, stunned by the concussing blow. Vic raised his sword up and thrust it into the man's exposed neck. He sliced through muscle and tendon as he pulled the blade back and pulled his shield back in front of his face just in time to repel another man's sword.

Vic pulled behind his shield and looked over his left shoulder to where Haram should have been, but his friend was gone. "Haram!" he shouted. Then he looked down.

Haram was hunched up on the ground beside him with a spear through his neck and a vacant look in his eyes. His old friend had been living and breathing mere moments ago, but now...

"No!" shouted Vic. Haram was dead! And the pain hit him harder than any weapon of men.

"Vic eyes up!" shouted a member of his unit behind him. Vic turned in time to see a Kairin soldier bringing his sword down upon his head. The heavy sword struck him hard, and he staggered back, pulling up his shield to repel another blow.

A Kairan pointed at him, and shouted, "That bastard killed Jad! Kill him!"

"Bloody murderers!" shouted Vic, pushing back into the melee. As before, he used his shield with great effect, using it to batter back one foe. Then, with a few seconds of advantage he looked for a place to use his sword.

On his immediate right a Kairin was raising his weapon up to strike a Hylian on the head. Vic swooped his own blade up in an arc and struck at the Kairan just behind the elbow, cutting into his flesh and tendon, and causing him to drop his sword. Vic quickly brought his sword down from above and hewed the arm clean off, as his Hylian brother went for the Kairan's jugular vein with his blade. "Blood and storms!" shouted the Hylian, as the Kairan fell back with blood gushing from the open wounds.

Vic turned to the man he had battered with his shield only moments ago. With the same precision as before he cut deep into the man's throat and quickly withdrew it, pulling behind his shield to protect himself from the next retaliation.

For the next few minutes Vic held his ground, clashing swords with his foe and doing his utmost to ensure that he did not meet the same fate as Haram. Other Hylians fell around him, but they seemed to be fewer than the Kairin they were fighting, and the courage of his brothers was high.

It seemed like a very long time until the command finally came, "Front line fall back! Second reserves forward!" and he pulled back through the ranks of troops. Hylian faces watched him with trepidation as the front line fighters retreated through their midst, swords shields and armour still dripping with darkest crimson.

"The Kairin are bloody cowards and weaklings the lot!" shouted Vic as he pulled back, doing his best to look strong and victorious, but inside he was suffering from the deepest sense of loss.

Some of his fellows from the front line needed to be bandaged up before they could return to fight, and those whom had sustained more serious injuries would see no more battle now unless at the direst need. Vic had left the fray exhausted and aching from repeated dull blows to his helmet and front, but had no serious injuries; so he took his place at the back of his Thousand, crouched down behind his war-torn shield, and waited until he was called forward again.

......

Rael fidgeted restlessly, standing upon a low hilltop, watching the battle unfold. He longed to be able to fight alongside his brothers, using his magical advantage to turn back the Kairin to keep his people from harm. Yet he knew that he must refrain. If he fought in the melee of battle Ralis would surely come forth to fight him, and if they unleashed the forces of nature over there within that melee, it would be disastrous for Hyrulian and Kairan alike.

So, like a wildcat stalking his prey, Rael waited for a sign of Ralis, waiting to lure him away to a clear distance where they could finish their fight one-to-one. His patience was dwindling, and his nerve wavering, but he would stand his ground for as long as he could bear.

"He's afraid of you," said Anya, resting her hands on his left shoulder. "He knows how powerful you've become."

Rael shook his head. "I know him," he said, "he's not afraid of me." Rael turned to look at his closest adviser, and she took her hands away from him. "He'll reveal himself soon," said Rael, with certainty.

"What then?" she asked, quietly.

Rael stared into the distance...

...and gave her no answer.

......

The Goron army rolled across the plains like mighty boulders falling in an avalanche, making a thunderous noise that would terrify the Kairin men. The Gorons came crashing over the grasslands around both sides of the battle, spinning and bounding past the western and eastern flanks of Gerudo, Zora and Hylian 'Triple Infantry' towards the Kairin foe. A thick yellow-brown dust filled the air as they churned the ground with their hard bodies, two thousand strong, half around the west flank and half around the east flank.

Chief Link rolled in the front line of the western flank, leading his men into the thick of battle. With each rotation of his large body he saw the Kairin flash closer and closer in his vision. The rest of the infantry were cheering them as they rushed forwards.

Together with the Marshal and General Brold he had devised a cunning battle strategy involving the Goron warriors. The Goron army would plough through the Kairin lines from the eastern and western flanks, cutting into the Kairin ranks from both sides and creating a line of immovable soldiers across the front section of their entire legion. They would hold their ground in that position, acting as a wall. The wall would arc around from the front-most edges of the Hyrulian Infantry and meet at a head thick in the centre of the Kairin legion.

Many Kairin would be trapped between the Gorons and the closing Triple Infantry force. As a result the Kairin would be separated from their commanders, and prevented from rotating with reinforcements. They would be demoralised and fatigued quickly, enabling the Hyrulian infantry to encircle and defeat them.

The Chief knew that this was a very dangerous strategy. Whilst the Gorons were much taller, stronger, and thicker skinned than the Kairin, they were not invulnerable. Kairin swords did not worry him - a slice that would deeply wound a Hylian might only scratch a Goron. Yet he feared the brunt of heavy maces, and the skewering power of long, sharp spears.

Closer... closer... closer... The men on the Kairin flanks had drawn behind their shields and thrust out their spears like a great metal porcupine. It would not stop him for a moment.

The Chief smashed into the Kairin ranks and his brothers followed on behind him, falling upon them like boulders. Kairin shields were splintered and their weak frames crushed under the mighty weight of the Gorons. Screams of true terror split the air as they tore the Kairin lines asunder from east and west.

When they lost rolling momentum, the Gorons sprung up to their full height, the very shortest among them standing a clear foot above the Kairin. The Kairin that were unfortunate to be standing in front of them were visibly terrified, and cowered back behind their shields, none of them wanting to engage the rock-like men in combat. For a brief moment Chief Link wondered whether the men would lay down their arms and flee. The Kairin stood their ground though, because they knew that they still had the Gorons surrounded on both sides.

The spears came thick and fast, some thrown from a distance, others being jabbed repeatedly by the closer soldiers. "Follow me, brothers! Maces ready!" shouted the Chief in a gravelly roar. The Chief unhooked his mace from his belt, and brandished it ferociously. His mace was a massive iron bludgeon, three feet long, with a massive spiked head for puncturing armour. It was an instrument of bloody destruction. His brothers readied their own weapons and waited for the command to advance. "Push forward!" Chief Link shouted. "Unite with Brother Brold!"

The slaughter began. Chief Link led the column of Gorons eastward through the mass of armoured men, swinging his mace down upon the Kairin, brushing them aside as though they nothing but bracken in his path. The mace struck the Kairin with lethal force, instantly crushing ribcages underneath their armour and shattering the bones of their arms. A man tried to flank him with a spear; he caught the metal shaft in his left hand, then turned and smashed his mace into the foe's face. The Kairin head was torn from its body and sent flying up over the Kairin ranks, and blood splattered everywhere.

As long they had energy and spirit, nothing could stop their advance. The Goron column was a juggernaut that could not be stopped by mere flesh or steel. They were a living machine of war, and the Kairin were feeble by comparison.

Yet the Kairin always had greater numbers, and they pressed this advantage. Spears fell upon the Gorons like hail, and inevitably found their targets. The Chief heard the roars of agony as spearheads cut through even the thickest of Goron hides. The Gorons bled the same as any other man, and when the Kairin saw this they were incensed. Brothers fell like collapsing statues and the Kairin pounced upon them to fill them with metal. Other Gorons swatted the Kairin off their fallen comrades as though batting away flies, but the Kairin spirit could not be broken.

"Keep pushing!" Chief Link shouted as he smashed his mace down upon the head of an attacker. "Forward to Brother Brold!" Kairin to the left. Smash! Kairin to the right. Smash! Kairin to the left! Smash!

The Chief was strong, but he was an older man among his people, and his energy would not hold up indefinitely. Kairin to the left. Crash! Kairin to the right. Crash! His steps were beginning to slow and his breathing becoming heavier.

Link took two great strides forwards and spun his mace around in a wide arc, growling menacingly at the Kairin who moved to surround him. His lieutenants saw that he was slowing, and ordered the royal guards to move into a box formation around him. "Protect the King!" they shouted.

The Chief knew that was a mistake. The Kairin were weaker but they were not deaf. The Goron King was in their midst, weakened and surrounded. He had deliberately made sure not to wear any distinguishing marks, but despite that he had now become a major target.

The battle was raging higher, and the Chief feared that he had exerted too much effort, and had lost himself in the frenzy. He caught his breath and steadied himself, raising his guard against any wily Kairin soldiers that might slip between his guards. "We stand here!" he bellowed. "Form the wall!"

At his command the Gorons took up defensive stances. The order was repeated along the column, and the Goron warriors dug in back-to-back. Half faced north towards the approaching Hyrulian army and the mass of Kairin in between; half faced south into a relative sea of Kairin. The enemy assailed them unceasingly, and whilst the Kairin lost men in great swathes, it was clear that they had succeeded in killing scores of Gorons already. "Hold firm!" bellowed the Chief, "for Hyrule!"

"Brother!"

The Chief looked eastward towards the sound of a familiar booming voice, and was pleased to see General Brold advancing in his direction, eight feet of Goron power, smashing through the Kairin line with indomitable vigour.

"By Din!" he cried in response as the General reached the Chief's position, moving within the protective square of Goron fighters. He looked strong and full of energy still; the fight had barely begun for him.

The two men briefly clasped arms, and the General inclined his head. "A successful start," he said. "We have some losses, but they have many more. They fear us, brother."

The Chief was proud of his General and proud of his people. He slapped the other man on the back and lifted up his mace. "Let us show them true fear. Brothers! Crush them!"

......

The Chief's namesake, the Marshal of Hyrule, observed the attack of the Gorons from afar. He was seated in the saddle, on a rise in the land from where he could observe the battle and direct the troops. "A successful start," he said, staring intensely across the plain. "This surpasses my expectations."

"I pray our good fortune holds," said Zelda, sitting in at his side. "It must."

Link received reports every few minutes from messengers who rode to and from the battle line in a relay. They carried his orders back down to the generals in the field, instructing them how to proceed.

The Gorons had now trapped the front ranks of the Kairin between themselves and the Triple Infantry of Hylians, Zoras and Gerudos. The trapped Kairin were cut off from their leaders and unable to retreat. Link hoped that this gambit would level the numbers of soldiers on the battlefield. It was a dangerous position to put the Gorons in, and they would suffer heavy losses, but the Goron leadership agreed that it was their best strategic move.

"I am surprised," said Zelda, "that the Stormlord does not seem to be fighting."

"He will," said Link. "The height of his fear of Rael is outweighed by the depth of his malice towards him. He will fight."

Zelda looked past Link to where the Sun Blades mounted division were waiting. Their horses' coats were an unregimented mixture of browns and blacks and greys, but their riders all wore the same brilliant white tunics and shining conical helmets. Rael stood alone at their head, waiting. Simply - waiting. His time was close.

Link gave Edura's reins a gentle tug and heeled his sides, sending him into a brisk trot along the rise. Rael spotted Link approaching, and walked a little way out to meet him. The Marshal dismounted when he was close, and gathered his black cloak behind himself.

Rael looked magnificent in Link's eyes, dressed in the armour of the King, gleaming like gold even on this dismal day.

"No sign," said Rael, apprehensively.

"He will make his move soon," said Link. "Are you ready?"

"You've been asking me for days," said Rael. "I know I should be ready for him, to end this, but something seems wrong somehow..."

"Can you fight him, son?" asked Link, again.

Rael looked at Link with a hard stare. His face carried such determined conviction – it was an expression he had only seen in one other person before.

"You are our only hope, Rael," said the older man. "You're the only one who can stop him."

"Yes, I know," said Rael. His son was quiet for a few moments, and then he said something Link did not expect. "Do you know that?"

Link was taken aback. "Your pardon, son?"

"Only I can fight him. Only I can stop him. Me, not you." He folded his arms and looked away into the distance. "I see the look in your eyes when you talk about vengeance. I heard the hatred in your voice when you told me about this assassin he sent after Zelda. Don't fight him."

"You think I would abandon my duties here to fight someone who could crush me in an instant?" said Link.

"I'm telling you not to go chasing glory," said Rael.

"Rael," said Link, sharply, "don't talk to me about glory." He grabbed his son's shoulder and turned him around to look him in the eye. "I know my duty."

"He's mine," said Rael, "not yours. Mine."

Link stared at Rael blankly for a moment, and then nodded his head, once, slowly.

"I'm sorry," said Rael, looking away again.

The two men stood silently for a moment, watching the battle anxiously. The Gorons were holding firm; it seemed that the trap was working. The Hylian, Gerudo and Zora infantry were pressing their advantage and making steady progress against the pinned Kairin.

Then lightning flashed, followed swiftly by the loud peal of thunder. The two men looked towards the sky in unison, and watched as the sky darkened above them. Dark storm clouds were forming rapidly overhead in an unnatural way. Moments later the first spots of rain pattered onto their helmets and shoulder plates.

"The Stormlord makes his move," said Link.

He just heard Rael whisper. "Where are you, Ralis?"

......

Jevilla hated rain. She shivered, even under the thick cloak wrapped around her body, as she stood waiting for the time to lead her special force into battle. The Gorons had formed their wall through the Kairin ranks, so she knew that her moment was imminent.

"Mount up!" she shouted, striding across the field towards the cavalry regiment. "We ride!"

The Gerudo stables had suffered in recent years but she had been able to muster a strong elite group to provide an extra sting in battle. Jevilla had four hundred riders at her command here, and then the other two hundred...

Jaendral's cavalry were mostly male; comprised of his former followers. Many of these had been part of the bandit teams that had patrolled the low Hylian westlands during the years he named himself King. Those roaming men had been in direct opposition to her then, a constant menace to her southern desert outposts. It was a peculiar now to see them climb up into the saddle at her instruction. Everything had changed.

"This is a strange moment indeed," said Jaendral, suddenly at her side. He could be surprisingly light on his feet when he wanted to be. The man followed Jevilla as she around the front line of the cavalry, casually inspecting the horses. "Jevilla Falsha at the command of her old foe," he said, still slightly disbelieving.

"They're good," said Jevilla, "and I'm proud to lead them."

"They will follow you to the death," said Jaendral, solemnly.

Jevilla stopped, with some distance between herself and the one-time king. "And will you?" she asked. She had meant to sound hard, but she felt the tremor of feminine vulnerability in her voice.

Jaendral's black armour was dripping wet and his flame-red hair was sodden, but he did not seem to notice. He stepped towards her closer, and leaned over so that only she could hear. "I will follow you to the very heart of oblivion," he said. "Sweet Death herself could not tear me from your side."

Jevilla had never heard such strong devotion from this man before. She smiled, despite the pain that awaited them, but said nothing.

......

Whilst the Gerudos prepared themselves on the western side of the hilltop, the Sun Blade cavalry were on the eastern side, getting ready to ride. The Sun Blade cavalry were several hundred strong, and most of them would be riding within minutes. Only a select few would remain behind with Prince Rael, until his moment of need.

Hannary, Third of the Blades, was sitting in the saddle waiting to give the attack command. At the moment it was his sole task to watch the progress of the Gorons as they formed their defensive wall, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The Marshal had predicted that once the Gorons had formed their wall through the enemy ranks, the Kairin would respond in the only way that they could. Thousands of their kindred would become trapped hopelessly between Gorons on one side and the Triple Infantry of Zoras Hylians and Gerudos on the other, and they would have to react. They would begin to spill around outside of the Goron wall to the west and east to strike the Triple Infantry at its flanks.

Hyrule was ready for this eventuality. When the Kairin began to push eastward and westward around the Goron wall the Twin Cavalries would rush in and ambush them; Gerudo cavalry on the west side of the plain, and Sun Blades on the east side. With bows and spears they would try to cause as much havoc and disarray as possible, stunting the Kairin in their tracks.

They would continue their attack run to the far southern side of the Kairin legion, then turn and race northward again, back to the safety of the outer Encampment.

......

"Forward!!" Vic rushed forwards into the Kairin foe, shield high and sword keen for blood. He was rested, refreshed and eager to fight again. By contrast to himself and his brothers, their Kairin foes were in weaker spirits. They knew that they were trapped, caught between the immovable wall of seven-foot Gorons with their maces and fists of rock and the tenacious Triple Infantry.

Vic moved in rhythm with his brothers. Stun them with shields, lunge with swords, pull back behind cover. Shield, sword, cover. Shield, sword, cover. Within his first minute of returning to the front line Vic had slain three more Kairin, whilst only one of his own fellows had fallen foul of enemy steel.

As they ploughed forwards with ever-increasing force and aggression, a battle cry was taken up, and those waiting in reserves beat their shields between each shout: "Hy-rule!" clang-clang "Hy-rule!" clang-clang "Hy-rule!" clang-clang "HY-RULE!!"

......

Link rode back to Zelda's side with Rael's words still lingering in his mind. "Don't fight him." He did not understand what had prompted that comment.

Zelda was sitting upright in the saddle, each raindrop reflecting crystal light despite the gloom overhead. Her elegant white mare Daisa stood with a dignity matching the queen upon her back.

"This is the Stormlord's rain," she intoned, as he drew reign beside her.

"I know," he said.

"How is he?" Zelda asked, referring to Rael.

"He is waiting," said Link, "impatiently."

Zelda could sense from Link's manner that something had just bothered him. "What did he say to you?" she asked.

Link looked away, stony faced. "It does not matter," he said. "He is ready to fight."

From his vantage point Link surveyed the battlefield. The Triple Infantry were making excellent progress now, which pleased him greatly. Within half an hour he expected that all the Kairin caught within the Trap would be slain. However, at this point, the grim reality of the battle would become all too apparent. They Kairin would still have them outnumbered, and the Goron bulwark would be exhausted.

He saw that the Kairin were beginning to move around the sides of the Goron wall, and knew that it was time to send the Twin Cavalries into battle.

He lifted up his voice as loud as he could and shouted, "Sun Blade riders! Gerudo riders! Forward!"

......

It was time. The Kairin were advancing around the outer edges of the Goron wall, and the Twin Cavalries would drive them back. The Gerudo riders would advance first with bows, crossbows and spears. And then...and they would be followed by Jevilla's elite fighting weapon...

During the Gerudo Civil War Jevilla had developed a machine of warfare that provided a critical edge against their foes. When she entered battle she would be standing on the footplate of her chariot. The chariots... deliverer of the winds of pain...

Jevilla had one hundred chariot teams at her command, each one pulled by a team of two horses. Every chariot was built for one driver and one archer, and each one could deliver massive damage upon an unsuspecting enemy. The chariots inspired fear into the hearts of all who came against them because of their speed and because of how hard it was to defend oneself from them.

"Prepare to ride!" shouted Jevilla, running across the field towards the stationary chariot regiment. "Let's show those Kairin dogs how Gerudos fight!"

The chariot teams were all women, veterans of the civil war who had proven themselves dozens of time in battle. The chariots themselves were built from tough Grey Forest wood and had seen many years of service. Chariots took a long time to build, and she had been unable to construct any more since the union under Queen Elane. She dearly wished that she could have brought even more to battle, but she would suffice with what she had available.

When Jevilla reached her own chariot she leaped up onto the footplate eagerly. "Back together again, ma'am," said her driver Milanna enthusiastically as she took her place by her side, "one last time!" Captain Milanna had ridden with Jevilla for long years. She was both a brilliant driver and an unshakably loyal friend. Jevilla had trusted Milanna with her life on many occasions.

"I hope so," said Jevilla, gripping the side of their chariot affectionately. "I'll be sad to say goodbye to the old girl when we have victory and peace, but that is no bad thing."

"No bad thing, ma'am," said Milanna. She grappled the reins and tested the tension between herself and the magnificent beasts that would pull them into battle. "No bad thing."

Jevilla looked across the field a little way towards the mounted cavalry. Jaendral was sitting in the saddle, staring determinedly towards the battlefield. He was magnificent. Truly magnificent.

"You going to tighten that noose, or not, ma'am?" asked the captain, boldly, following her gaze. "Only you could tame a lion like him."

Jevilla laughed. Tightening the noose was old Gerudo slang for marriage, though it was usually only used in the context of kings and queens. "I fear I may have to yet," she said.

Jaendral turned his head and looked in their direction. He was wearing a helmet with a full visor, but she could tell that he was looking at her. She smiled, a simple and beautiful smile. Jaendral raised his arm slowly and touched his fist to his chest. 'And I too',thought Jevilla, as though he could hear her.

She turned away, tearing her mind from soft and compromising thoughts. She needed to be hard.

Her sisters were ready. One hundred chariots and four hundred mounted warriors under her command.

From across the field the command came to her from the Marshal of Hyrule. "Sun Blades riders! Gerudo riders! Forward!"

"Riders!!" Jevilla cried in affirmation, "Forward!!"

Jaendral and the mounted cavalry began riding, building speed quickly as they raced across the plain towards the battle. Then as soon as the space was clear she cried "Chariots! Forward!" Milanna cracked the reins like whips and the horses bolted forwards.

The charioteers were arranged into two columns of fifty chariots, to allow a long and sustained period of arrow fire as they passed along the Kairin flanks. Jevilla rode roughly in the centre of the outermost column, from where she could issue commands along the lines whilst staying as protected as possible.

The chariot bounced mercilessly over the uneven ground, pushing the spoked wheels to their limit. Jevilla kept a tight grip on the handrail to keep herself from falling down. When one travelled so close to the ground it felt a lot faster than if she was riding up on a horse's back. She had fallen at this speed once before, and it had taken a long time to recover. There would be no recovery today if she fell down into the feet of the next horse team.

The rain was falling hard now, and it felt as though it were flying straight towards her at an angle. She wiped her eyes and flattened out her soaked hair behind her head. "Ride straight and true, Milanna!" she called to her long-time friend. She had practised driving in wet weather, but this was no practise run.

Jevilla ripped off her cloak and threw it by the wayside. Her light armour only covered her body and legs, but left her arms completely bare and she was very aware of the biting cold. "Yaaaaah!" she shouted, as they rode forth into the howling darkness.

......

"Spears!" shouted Hannary, Third of the Blades. At his command hundreds of white-clad Sun Blades lifted up their spears to shoulder height and trained them towards the Kairin. They hugged their horses tightly with their legs as they turned their bodies towards the enemy, just as they had been trained to do. "Throw!"

Like rolling thunder the horses rushed along the Kairin flank, and the Sun Blades hurled their spears into their vast midst. Spear after spear rained down upon their enemy. Some hit shields, and others fell short, but a great number hit square and true.

Hannary could see Gorons that had been cut off from their fellows. There were small pockets of two and three Gorons separated from the wall, fighting for their lives and trying to carve a path out of the fray. When they saw the Sun Blades come to their aid they cheered and fought even harder.

"Ready bows!" shouted Hannary.

......

"And fire!" shouted Jaendral, on the other side of the battlefield.

The Gerudo cavalry launched a volley of arrows. Their bowstrings snapped in unison with a loud snick-snicker-snack!

To Jaendral's dismay he found that these Kairin were too well organised. They had created a wall of their shields stretching back a hundred feet, like a giant tortoise shell. They seemed impregnable. The Marshal had warned him that this was a very real possibility, and in that case the cavalry would do best merely to frighten and suppress the Kairin for as long as possible to take the pressure away from some of the Gorons.

With regret Jaendral waved his arm away eastward and cried "Pull away!"

The command was carried along the lines of cavalry, and slowly, as one body, they moved away from the Kairin towards the open fields. The Kairin fired a volley of arrows after them and hefted their spears into the hides of the horses. Dozens of horses and riders fell, and more came crashing down on top of them. "Away!!" shouted Jaendral again, leading his men clear of attacks.

......

Jevilla watched in dismay as Jaendral and his cavalry were forced to pull away ahead of her. She steeled her spirit for the attack. She locked her feet securely and steadied her balance, and pulled her crossbow up to neck level.

"Crossbows!" she cried, but she need not have issued the order. Her sisters were already preparing for their first rush past their foe. The Kairin had clearly seen the chariots approaching, because the army was retreating into itself already. "Ride close!"

The first chariots reached the Kairin and began unleashing their deadly crossbow bolts. Where the cavalry had been unsuccessful, the chariots were successful. As the first chariots raced past they found the gaps in the wall of shields and shot with famous Gerudo accuracy. Wounded men dropped their shields, leaving other soldiers unprotected.

Jevilla's own chariot came close to the Gerudo. She looked along the sight of her bow, and fired. ka-cha! She hit a Kairin in the neck. "Yaaah!" she cried, and gripped Milanna's shoulder. "A hit!"

"Excellent ma'am!" she shouted.

Jevilla took hold of her other crossbow, took aim, and fired. ka-cha! "Another hit!"

They raced on, and the chariots were very quickly reaching the far side of the field. They had left the rest of Hyrule's army far behind. Jevilla was about to issue her next command, but stopped as something odd caught her eye...

Up ahead of them there was a lone man out in the plain, dressed completely in black, like a dark spectre in the middle of the storm...

"A Kairin commander!" she shouted, pointing forward. "Chase him down!"

A heartbeat later she realised her folly.

She saw the Stormlord move,

raise his arms,

and saw the flash of light.

......

The Gerudo cavalry pulled away from the Kairin until they were clear of hostile bow range. When they had come far enough, Jaendral reigned his mount around to face the Kairin legion. "Form ranks!" he bellowed, as the cavalry fell back into line behind him again. Breathing heavily, thankful that his helmet was keeping the rain from his eyes, he re-assessed the battlefield.

Jevilla's chariots were rushing past the Kairin now, apparently with a lot more success. Now that she had stirred up the Kairin flank, he was sure his cavalry could have a better impact.

"Ready to ride again!" he called, raising a fist into the air.

"Ready!" came the chant in response.

Jaendral's eye was caught by a small black figure on the edge of his vision. There was a single Kairan standing all alone, and the chariots were rushing directly towards him.

The figure moved, there was a flash of light, and gigantic forks of lightning burst forth from his arms. The entire battlefield was illuminated in terrifying blue light. There was a crack of thunder, and Jaendral's heart echoed with a painful thud, as real a dire fear took hold of him.

There was an explosion even as the lightning consumed the chariots, and the column of riders was torn apart. In an almighty shattering of wood and steel, the chariots, horses and their riders were torn apart and hurled through the air with cataclysmic force.

Pieces of the chariot column fell for a long time, as wood and bodies soared into the sky and then plummeted back down to the earth in all directions, both into the Kairin mass and across the plains. Some of his riders even had to duck as planks of wood rushed over their heads.

"Jevillaaa!" shouted Jaendral, a cry of pain that seemed to rise up from the depths of his soul.

......

Rael saw all of this transpire, and felt the familiar surge of energy as magic filled every fibre of his being.

At last, Ralis had revealed himself.

At last, the end had come.