Disclaimer: It's kind of funny that while was working on this chapter, I was listening to a track from the Avatar soundtrack by James Horner. I'd still pick Hans Zimmer though; that's just me.
Here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy it.
This chapter is dedicated to the recently departed Phillip Seymour Hoffman. A great actor, gone far too soon. We'll miss you, Phil. Godspeed.
Chapter XXXVI
Malon peered through the cell portal at the enormous battle taking place in the Royal City and as keen a mind she had, she was unsure of what was happening. She could make out the Moblins in battle against multiple species she heard of but never encountered in person. She knew enough about Gorons and Zora to make those two species out easily, though she was confused as to why they were fighting side by side. There were a large number of Hylian soldiers fighting with the Gorons and Zora, and a force of female warriors she'd never seen before. Malon at least knew enough to recognize a resistance when she saw one, and she was very much seeing one right now. Talon and a couple of other prisoners joined her in peering through the portal at the fighting outside.
In the adjacent cell, Nabooru was gripping the bars while she peered through at Malon. "What do you see outside, Malon?" she asked.
"I can see a whole lot of fighting. I can see those monsters outside fighting Gorons and Zora and even Hylian soldiers." Malon listed but trailed off when she was unable to describe the warrior women.
"And a bunch of women I've never seen before." Talon added.
Nabooru glanced at the girl and stated, "Female warriors, all of them?"
Malon turned around, a stunned expression painted on her face. "Yes." she replied.
Nabooru muttered, "The Gerudo. My sisters have arrived. Someone has rallied the species' of Hyrule and is now leading an insurgence against Ganondorf."
"But who," Talon asked. "Who could possibly gather all these species together?"
That was the same question going through Malon's mind as she looked out at the battle taking place. Then startled realization struck like a bolt of lightning. "He's here," she said before she went into mild hysterics. "Papa, Link is here. He came back for us."
"He has to get through Ganondorf first," Nabooru stated and drew Malon's ire. "I'm sorry Malon, but I don't like your friend's chances."
Malon glared defiantly at Nabooru and boldly declared, "Then you don't know Link."
Façade was starting to wish he hadn't joined the fight against the Moblin horde that occupied the Royal City. Even with an army of Gorons, Hylians, Zora and Gerudo, different species from all walks of life, Façade knew they could only last so long. He was only in this fight for some kind of profit; that was his only motivation. He wanted a reward for all this, but a reward was only good if he was still alive in the end. He was considering just deserting the battle all together, but these Moblins weren't going to allow it. So he fought on, cutting down several Moblins in rapid succession.
Nearby, Aveil of the Gerudo was knee-deep in vicious combat against a group of Moblins all by herself. With two scimitar swords in both hands, Aveil sliced and slashed any Moblins dumb enough to get in her way. There were plenty of dumb Moblins from which to choose. Many of her sisters fought against groups of Moblins several feet away, some them falling in battle while others fought to avenge them. The loss of a sister motivated Aveil to fight on with increased urgency. For every sister that died, three Moblins would follow. Aveil made sure that every Moblin she killed felt it.
Meanwhile, Façade was joined by several Hylian soldier more beasts. Casualties mounted from both sides in no time, with some Hylians taking one or two Moblins down before they themselves died. Façade still continued to battle, slashing one Moblin after the next with his rapier. Other Moblins attempted to face him head on, and Façade was forced back step by step. Still, he fought on and killed more Moblins while unknowingly being pushed toward Aveil, whose own back was turned to Façade's. Aveil took down more of the beast while she was pushed back.
Then as they each dispatched one Moblin more, Aveil and Façade's touched back to back. On instinct, they spun around and nearly attacked each other. While Façade smiled at the sight of Aveil's face, which he found stunning, Aveil pushed passed him and slashed an oncoming Moblin across its midsection. Façade in turn stabbed another Moblin before he and Aveil spun around again. This time, they were up close and personal.
"For a Gerudo, you've beautiful eyes." he quipped.
"Ten-su-yo-ecto-gomut-tau." Aveil said in her native tongue.
"What?" Façade asked in confusion.
Aveil simply and coldly replied, "I said, shut up and fight."
"I like a feisty woman." Façade quipped mere moments before he put down another Moblin.
Aveil was content to ignore Façade's transparent attempts to woo her and cut down another Moblin that got too close to her. Façade smirked as he dispatched another Moblin and then another. More of the beasts approached with an increased sense of urgency, and Façade and Aveil cut them down one at a time. Several of Aveil's Gerudo sisters and some Hylian soldiers entered the fray and continued to battle the Moblins tooth and nail. Some fell in the battle, while other avenged them. Aveil and Façade cut down other Moblins as they came and in doing so, they came face to face again. Façade smirked and winked at Aveil. Aveil only responded by cutting down another Moblin that was approaching Façade from behind. Façade was surprised that a Gerudo defended him, and he more surprised that Aveil produced a smirk of her own before returning to battle.
Façade thought to himself, Works every time.
The battles of all time continued at the castle itself, where the Gorons and the Zora fought many other Moblins as if their lives depended on it. With his Megaton Hammer, Darunia bashed beast after beast and he made sure they felt it. He even resorted to head butting some of them. Many other Gorons did the same in addition to rolling into groups of Moblins and knocking them down. Darunia then finished them off with his hammer. More Moblins stormed Darunia before he could react and pounced on him. Within moments, seven or right Moblins, all of them moderately large in size, swarmed over Darunia. A moment later, Darunia threw them all off without difficulty and pounded five of them into the ground.
Meanwhile, Rutela and her Zora warriors battled another group of Moblins. Rutela took to slashing her spear across the fronts of Moblins that were within reach. Other times, she impaled them on her spear and then tossed them away. Some of her warriors did the same with a brutal fervor that would've rivaled the Goron. Rutela mused to herself that Mikau would've love this had he been alive now. She battled on for the memory of her late comrade, cutting down more of the beasts as they came. A line of Moblins approached in single file, and Rutela charged them. She jumped up into the air and came back down, planting her webbed foot into the face of a Moblin and taking it down before stabbing it. Then she quickly cut a swath through the line of hapless beasts until were left standing.
All this caught the attention of Darunia, who quipped, "Show-off!"
Rutela responded, "Rock head!"
Both of them cracked a smile before returning to battle, while from atop the castle balcony, Ganondorf continued to look on. His previously stoic expression was replaced with impatience, as he'd expected his Moblin hordes to fare better than this. But then Ganondorf turned his gaze down to two particular nuisances; Impa and Link. Both were fighting their way through some of the more battle-hardened beasts that Ganondorf had entrusted with the defense of the castle. But every one of them was being heavily outclassed, including the bigger and stronger Uber-Moblins.
Down below, Link caught the warlord's attention while he cut down Moblin after Moblin. Ganondorf was looking down at Link like he did any and every other person he'd ever encountered. Link wanted Ganondorf badly; he wouldn't have been there otherwise. Rather than meet Link head on though, Ganondorf retreated back into the castle where he intended to wait for the boy so he could kill him personally. Link refocused on fighting his way into the castle, with Impa beside him providing back up.
Darunia and Rutela joined them at the main castle doors and all of them fought as one without pause. After disposing of another round of beasts, Darunia bellowed to Link, "Go, kid. We've got this!"
Link cut another Moblin down before he asked, "You sure?"
Rutela stabbed one more Moblin and replied, "Get in that castle before we throw you in there."
Impa got the message and told Link, "Let's get in there so we can end this, Link."
Link nodded and with haste, he and Impa rushed toward the main entrance as quickly as they could. In their haste, the continued to cut a swath through the many remaining Moblins even knowing that more were likely within the castle waiting for them. Impa rushed forward and with a bound, she literally kicked open the door down. The impact took another Moblin down and Impa quickly killed it before she and Link rushed inside. Just as they suspected, a small group of beasts were waiting with an Uber-Moblin taking point, and Impa and Link charged them. The Moblins themselves growled and charged the intruders.
Link charged in with seeming recklessness, holding the Master Sword to the side. The blade of the mighty weapon began to shimmer blue, just as it did when Link was training. The Uber-Moblin charged forward, not knowing or caring what was about to happen. The Master Sword was fully charged and Link unleashed a whirlwind of light onto the Uber-Moblin. The Uber-Moblin never knew what hit it when it was sent flying into the other Moblins, and all of them landed in a heap in the floor. Link was as surprise now as he was when he used the Spin Attack on Impa, expect was still standing. The Moblins weren't as fortunate.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Link asked Impa, "Where can we find Malon and the others?"
"I know where castle prisoners are usually kept. Follow me and stay alert." Impa said and rushed ahead.
From the main doors and into the castle, Impa took the lead with Link following close behind. Both had their weapons ready to face any resistance they might have encountered and sure enough, another pair of Moblins appeared around a bend into the next corridor. The Moblins quickly went on the attack within a moment of seeing the intruders, one of them bolting straight for Impa. The other Moblin went after Link, who managed to swerve to the side to avoid taking a blow from its club. Impa was in the defense against her foe, blocking blows with her sword but waiting for the right time to strike.
Link brought up his Mirror Shield and blocked the blows his beastly foe heaped on him until an opportunity presented itself. He swung the Master Sword from the outside-in, missing when the Moblin blocked it with its club. The Moblin attempted a strike from above, forcing Link to bring the Mirror Shield up to block the blow. Another clubbing blow came down on Link and then another, and Link couldn't find an opening to strike back.
Impa was faring a little bit better against her Moblin opponent. That Moblin used a mallet against the Sheikah warrior and tried to drive the head into hers. Impa deflected the blows with her sword while searching for an opening, in addition to rolling under oncoming swings and attacking from behind. The Moblin saw through the attempted and retaliated accordingly. The beast spun around and missed a swing when Impa ducked below it. Another overhead blow came down on Impa as she blocked that as well, and then she saw her opening. She pulled a dagger from her boot and drove the blade into the stomach of the beast and it slumped to the floor.
Link was still on the defense as the Moblin he was facing continued to lay into him with those clubbing blows. The Mirror Shield was taking the brunt of the blows before Link took a swift slash at the beast's legs. The desperation move was on target, causing the Moblin to drop to a knee and giving Link a chance to strike. He brought the Master Sword down, only to be blocked by the Moblin's club and pushed back. Link wasn't finished and bolted for the Moblin, who swung the club down toward Link's feet as he was running. Link saw it coming and vaulted over the club as it came. Then, he vaulted up the wall with impossible agility, kicked off the wall and brought Master Sword down into the Moblin's chest.
Impa had a stunned look on her face as Link removed the Master Sword and the Moblin slumped dead to the floor. "That was impressive." she commended.
"It just felt natural." Link modestly replied.
"I've only ever seen one other Sheikah pull that off." Impa implied, and Link instantly knew of whom she spoke.
"My father!" he concluded.
Impa nodded before she changed the subject. "C'mon. The prison cells are down a flight of stairs at the end of this corridor." Impa continued on and Link followed closely.
There was only one Moblin on guard duty in the cell block, brandishing a chain-link mace and snarling at the prisoners. It had no idea what in the world was happening outside the castle and it didn't care. It's one and only priority was guarding the prisoners. Then it caught sight of Malon leering at it and it approached her, the cell bar being the only barrier between it and her. Malon was tired of being afraid. She stared down the Moblin while Talon and couple other prisoners stood behind her. They were unafraid as well, and their defiance caught the attention of Nabooru. She could see the one and only key to the cell doors on the beast's belt, but it was too far out of her reach.
Despite the bar separating them, Malon stood defiantly against the Moblin. "I'm not afraid of you."
The Moblin simply growled at her as if to tell her that she really should've been afraid. To prove that, the Moblin stepped back and swung its chain-link mace across the length of the cell bar. Every strike produced a clang that started most of the prisoners in the cell save for Malon. She flinched, yes, but she didn't back away or falter in the slightest. Her lips were trebling, hands balled into fists and shaking and her breath was rapid. Malon was unafraid, and Nabooru admired it. The Moblin didn't like it, growling at the notion of being challenged by a little girl. It reached its burly arms toward Malon, causing her to recoil out of reach.
The beast growled and snarled more before it suddenly tensed. The tip of a blade that glowed a faint blue hue inched its way out of the beast's stomach. Malon was left stunned but she didn't feel the least bit sorry for the beast as it dropped its weapon to the floor. The glowing tip inched further out so the prisoners in the cell could see more of it. Every inch made the Moblin to tense up while it reached weakly for the tip, and then from directly behind the Moblin and to Malon's shock and joy, appeared Link.
"You are not touching her." he snarled.
"Link!" Malon shouted in relief, while Link removed the Master Sword from the Moblin's back.
Impa appeared behind Link and started rummaging through the dead Moblin's belt for the key, while Link approached and grabbed Malon's hands through the bars. Once she had key, she started to imply to the lock. One twist later, the cell door was open and Link bolted into the cell straight for Malon. They embraced ever so tightly, as if their lives depended on it. Impa meanwhile went to Nabooru's cell and opened the door, allowing Nabooru to stumble out of it. Link and Malon paid little mind, instead breaking their embrace. Then Malon slapped Link across the faced.
"Where were you? I worried half to death about you, Link? How could you just up and disappear on me like that?" Malon ranted hysterically, while Link rubbed his face where she slapped him.
"Ow, that hurt, Malon." Link whined.
"I hope it did. Link, I didn't know where you were or if you were dead or…" Malon was starting before Link cupped her face in his hands.
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm here now, Malon," he said to her as a tear dropped from his eye, the same thing happening with hers. "…and I'm so sorry for leaving you behind. It was so selfish and stupid of me to do that to you and I swear to you, I will never leave you behind again."
Malon was so stunned by Link's sudden maturity that couldn't find the words to express it. Talon however did pat Link on the shoulder and said, "I don't know where you ran off to, but it's good to see you, Link. I like the outfit, by the way."
"Uh, thanks." Link said.
Impa helped Nabooru to her feet and held up on her shoulder. She asked, "Where's the Princess?"
"Ganondorf has her. He's keeping her in the throne room, for what reason I don't know." Nabooru replied.
Impa took the information to heart when she looked to Link. "Link, we have to go now." Impa said.
Link nodded and he, Malon and Talon gathered the rest of the prisoners while Impa helped Nabooru to her feet. In single file, they began making their way out of the prison block with Link leading the way. Malon stayed close to him while Talon helped one or two prisoners. They group returned to the corridor, which was apparently devoid of life with Moblins around. While it seemed like luck was on their side, Link and Impa drew their weapons anyway. Nabooru pulled away from Impa and appeared able to stand up on her own. She snatched Impa's dagger; Impa recoiled briefly on the belief that Nabooru would've attack, but she didn't.
Instead, Nabooru hurled the dagger straight ahead of the pack, right into a Moblin's throat just as it entered the corridor. Then Nabooru fell back into Impa's arms. Link led the group onward into the next corridor and further on until he halted. He pounded the wall nearest to him and the wall gave way, opening the way to the same secret passage that Link first used with Zelda. Impa and Nabooru took point and started leading the prisoners into the passage while Talon helped them along. Link helped Malon into the passage but he didn't immediate follow, something Malon noticed quickly.
"You're not coming, are you?" she said.
"I can't. Ganondorf still has Zelda; I have to save her," Link paused when he saw that Malon didn't understand. He took her by the shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Listen, I don't know how to explain this but I can't leave with you right now, Malon. I have to go back for the Princess. I have to stop Ganondorf. I'm the only one who can."
Malon was shaking her head in disbelief. "But why, Link? Why does it have to be you?"
Link wasn't sure that he had a clear answer for Malon until he replied, "Because, it's my destiny. I finally know who I was meant to be and what I was meant to do. I was meant to be the one who could save Hyrule."
"Link…!" Malon was on the verge of tears once more and lowered her face, but Link brought it back up to face his.
"I'll come back to you, Malon. I promise." he said.
Then Link inched closer to Malon and gently pressed his lips to hers. Unlike the previous kiss Link shared with Zelda, this kiss he was sharing with Malon felt right. It also confirmed what Link already knew right from the beginning; he loved Malon. From the day they first met as children, he loved Malon. He always did love her and if he was to die at some point in the final, imminent confrontation, then he would die still loving her. Most of all, he knew that Malon loved him as she pulled him closer. She held on to him, too afraid to let him go as if her life depended on it. But she had no choice as they broke the kiss.
"You'd better come back to me this time." she whispered.
"I intend to." he whispered.
No other words were shared between when Link began to take a step back, not wanting Malon to leave his sight. Malon did the same, not daring to turn away. Ultimately however, Link turned and ran back down the corridor toward the throne room. Malon stayed were she stood, still unwilling to let Link out of her sight for more than a moment. She was mess of emotions; fear, joy, angst… and most importantly of all; love. It was true love that she was feeling for Link. Pride was another emotion she felt; of what kind of person Link had become. He wasn't the thief she knew, not anymore. He was something more; a hero. A Hero of Hyrule. More importantly than that, Link was Malon's hero.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: I'm going to stop there for now so I can pick up on it later on.
As you might notice, the battle for Hyrule rages on in the Royal City, with Aveil and Façade leading the charge. Just to clarify, I didn't really visualize Façade as an antagonist per say. He's basically a con man in it for the glory, but one who will fight when the need arises. He's at least got a certain charm to him, as was sort of demoed with his brief interaction with Aveil. Wink, wink!
As the battle goes on, Link and Impa finally rescue the prisoners and Link and Malon finally express their feelings for each other. Don't get mad or cry foul; I've always intended for them to get together. The previous exchange with Zelda was just in the heat of the moment; this one with Malon is genuine. I prefer this pairing anyway.
That said, we're heading into the final confrontation between Link and Ganondorf, I'll put forth the very best effort into it. Send some feedback my way and I'll be along soon.
IN MEMORY
PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN
1967-2014