Thirty-Eight

The Kokiri Forest was quiet, the usual ambient level of sound created by the thousands of refugees packed into the village and the surrounding forest strangely muted as those gathered in the ancient grove contemplated what would happen tomorrow.

Few slept, as nearly everyone in the forest would either be leaving to join the Hero in the battle that would be fought over Castle Town or staying behind to worry over those departing. The army was leaving at dawn, and so many of those who would fight the next day spent a last night with their loved ones, knowing they might never see one another again. Even with all the beings of power arrayed at the head of the Hero's Army, as the force had decided to call itself, casualties were a certainty.

Scattered throughout the village were the major players in the next day's battle, those who would lead the army, and upon these people the burden weighed heaviest.

The ruler of Hyrule, Zelda, stood shrouded in her black cloak upon a cliff overlooking the forest village, her hood raised against the chill that came with nightfall. Tomorrow, the new Queen would fight alongside the Hero for whom the army was named in defense of her country. She had flatly refused Link's suggestion that she stay here, no doubt a concession in the face of her father's death. She knew she would have to join the Hero in his confrontation with the Dark Lord after the battle was over, and she needed to keep her mind sharp and unclouded from grief. Zelda would grieve in private once the crisis was over; she did not have time for it now.

The former soldier Rusl sat outside the house his family occupied, sharpening his sword. Tomorrow, he would lead one of the divisions of the Hero's Army to retake Castle Town from the horde that occupied it, being one of the most experienced warriors among the occupants of the forest village. He looked forward to the next day with a mixture of fear and resolve. As any sane person did, he feared that he would be killed in battle, but this fear was more for his family, who would be left without a provider and a guiding influence for his children. Rusl's son would become a fine young man in time, but his daughter was not yet a year old, and if he died, she would never know him. His resolve was to make sure he returned to his family at the end of the day tomorrow, and to make sure that the men under his command did the same.

The Twilight Princess Midna stood on the balcony of the Hero of Time's house, looking out over the village and the dozens of tents it contained. Tomorrow, she would lend her considerable power to the Hero's Army, in an effort to keep the vastly superior numbers of Raneses' army from overwhelming those who gathered here to defend the Golden Kingdom. Herself included, many of the defenders were not native to Hyrule, but knew its importance nonetheless. Her thoughts drifted to her own people, and how confused and frightened they must be, just like these people. Midna had vanished from the Twilight Realm without a word, forced to flee to the Light Realm after confronting a monster beyond her skills. From what she had left behind, combined with the amount of time passed without word from her, the Twili likely believed her dead. If she ever hoped to see her home and people again, Midna knew she had to survive the battle. The Twilight Realm had seen more than enough turmoil, and she needed to return it to the peaceful world she had grown up in.

The warrior Ivan sat in front of a fire, cleaning and sharpening his weapons. Tomorrow, he would lead a division of the Hero's Army along with Ashei, fighting to keep the monsters under the Dark Lord's command from destroying Castle Town. His thoughts dwelled on his loved ones, slaughtered nearly a year ago by the Dark Lord's forces. His wife, two daughters, and his grandchildren had all been mercilessly cut down while he and most of the other men of his village had been out hunting, oblivious to what was happening. Ivan's oldest daughter had just told him of her second child's first words that morning when he left. Now all of them were gone, and he was hundreds of miles from his home. Ivan fought to keep that terrible tragedy from being repeated here, no matter what happened to him.

Others' thoughts were on the battle taking place the next day, but none of them would be taking part in it. Instead, they would be sending off their loved ones, not knowing whether they would return.

The Hero's mother Nomi Fenris sat in the lone bed of the Hero of Time's house, watching her son sleep where he lay on the floor near the window. Tomorrow, she would watch him ride away at the head of an army, off to fulfill his duty as the chosen warrior of the Goddesses. She could never have imagined this destiny for her son, but knowing he had such a great responsibility both saddened her and filled her with pride. Nomi felt the pride any mother feels at knowing her child has become an adult and is ready to face the challenges the world offers on their own, but she felt a little sadness at knowing her son had no chance at a normal life. For better or for worse, Link was a servant of the Goddesses, and likely would be for the rest of his life. She only hoped he was allowed to find happiness for himself someday.

The girl Ilia who had grown up with the Hero sat next to the creek that ran through the middle of the Kokiri Village, listening to the water gurgle along beside her. Tomorrow, she would watch the man who had always been her friend leave her behind once again, riding away to save Hyrule from those who threatened it. Her thoughts drifted to Link, who seemed to be regarded as some kind of larger-than-life figure by those he defended. To Ilia, he would always be just Link, her friend who had always been there for her. Earlier that evening, he had come to her and talked for hours about anything she wanted to know, listening to her accounts of life in the village while he had been away. It had been just like the dozens of evenings they spent back in Ordon talking about nothing after a long day's work, and she was grateful to him for taking the time to spend with her. It would likely be the last such evening spent, so she would treasure the memories as her path and that of her childhood friend grew further apart.

The wife of Rusl and mother of Colin, Uli, lay awake in her bed like so many other wives and mothers tonight. Tomorrow, she would send both her husband and son off to war, and would spend the entire time they spent apart worrying about them both. It was understandable that Rusl would be taking a leading role in the battle, but she had not expected her son to insist on going along. Colin had grown much in the last year, leaving the timid little boy he had been behind and taking the first steps on the path to becoming a man. His experiences with the Hero had emboldened him, and he refused to stay behind with the other children. Rusl had reluctantly accepted, but he had sternly told the boy to stay near him at all times, pride in his eyes during the lecture. She feared for both of them, hoping with all her heart that they would both return from the battle unharmed.

Worries swirled like an invisible storm over the village, hope and fear, courage and trepidation, and finally, most drifted off to sleep. Night passed, and the day of the battle to decide the fate of Hyrule came at last.

Link Fenris, Hero of Twilight and Bearer of the Triforce of Courage, sat astride his faithful mount, Epona, in the middle of a wooden bridge leading down into the sloping plain in Faron Province where the Hero's Army gathered. The early morning sunlight flashed off of his suit of Magic Armor, the sacred Master Sword drawn and hanging at his side as he finished composing a final word of encouragement for the brave people that would fight alongside him today. He was not given much to words, and was unused to addressing large crowds, but these people looked to him for leadership, and he would do his very best to provide it.

He raised his sword over his head, giving all a good view of the famous weapon, long used in the defense of the Golden Kingdom. Link looked out at the crowd for a moment, surveying the faces turned up in anticipation. He saw a drastic range, from those with hair white from age and faces lined with experience, to those even younger than himself, their eyes bright and alert and burning with anticipation for the coming battle.

"We fight!" the Hero began. "Not for ourselves, but for our homes and families. We fight to reclaim what was taken from us, to keep it from being destroyed. We fight to take back our home, our right to live in peace under fair rulership, without fear of being oppressed and slaughtered by a merciless dictator who cares only about acquiring power with no regard for what he destroys to get it."

He gestured at Zelda, sitting fully equipped for battle atop her own horse next to him on the bridge. Majacen sat on his mount on her other side, and Midna floated a few feet off the ground next to him, dressed in her armor.

"We fight to return our Queen to her throne, and for her to have a throne to return to. Our enemy is even now beginning their destruction of our capital." Link leaned forward, putting fire and righteous indignation in his voice. "Will you let this happen?"

In one, unified shout, the thousands in the Hero's Army bellowed back, "NO!!"

Link shared a glance with Zelda, and she nodded and urged her horse forward a few steps. "Then, go!" the Queen shouted down to the army. "Show these monsters the strength of your resolve! Show them that they cannot come in and take our country from us whenever they please! Send them back to wherever the Dark Lord summoned them from, and let them know we will not be so easily conquered in the future. It is time to make this country ours, now and forevermore! This day is a beginning, the beginning of our renewal, and after this, we will rebuild our country from the ashes to become a glorious nation once more!"

She drew her rapier and held it aloft. "You have your orders. Go!"

The gathered fighters cheered, and Link broke in to give one final word. "For Hyrule! For Zelda!"

The Hero's Army repeated this, and turned it into a chant as they split into three groups. "FOR HYRULE!! FOR ZELDA!! FOR HYRULE!! FOR ZELDA!!"

The division headed west, bound for the west gate of Castle Town, was the smallest group, still numbering over a thousand, and it was commanded by Rusl. Link's former teacher waved from his position at the head of the line, and the Hero spotted Colin nearby, his determined expression obvious even from this distance. Link fervently hoped nothing happened to either of them, and would be watching for them when his group made their way into the city.

The division headed north, the one with the shortest distance to travel, consisted of a little more than a third of the overall force, and was commanded by Ivan and Ashei. They had minimal cavalry, expecting, as with the West Gate division, to do most of their fighting within the city itself. Most of the warriors that had come with Arnak were with this force, as were a great many of the Hyrule Soldiers. Link was confident this division would sustain minimal casualties, being made up mostly of experienced warriors.

The division headed east, through Kakariko, was the largest group, expecting to encounter the bulk of Raneses' army in the wide eastern portion of Hyrule Field. It was commanded by Link and Zelda, and he would personally lead the charge while Zelda and Majacen took care of strategy from the rear, at the Hero's insistence. He refused to risk her any more than was necessary, partially out of concern and the fact that she was the ruler of his homeland, and partially out of the fact that she would need to be with him, uninjured, when he finally confronted the Dark Lord.

Midna, floating next to Link as he discussed this with the new Queen, snorted in amusement. "I noticed that you haven't insisted on anything like that for me."

Link raised a wry eyebrow. "Would you do it if I did?"

She grinned. "No. You think I'm going to let you hog all the glory for yourself?"

He smiled back. "That's what I thought." He turned to Zelda. "Stay safe. I'll keep in contact."

Zelda nodded, and she and Majacen guided their horses off to take their place in the formation, the new Queen's face expressionless, hiding whatever she was thinking. Link's heart went out to her; having to keep her thoughts on the battle and the overall war while having so recently lost her father. It showed her strength, he thought, perhaps greater than his own. If Raneses had killed his mother, Link didn't know if he would have been able to show similar resolve now.

Midna levitated next to Link, keeping pace as he guided Epona to the front of his division, tying a bit of leather cord around his Gossip Stone as he did so. He tied the stone around his neck to leave his hands free, it being the way he and Zelda would communicate during the battle.

He stopped at the head of the formation for a final word to his troops. "Our battle will be the heaviest, and we will be in the thickest fighting today. The enemy will resist us all the way through Kakariko and out into the field. Our ultimate goal is to make it through their lines and to the city, to keep them from destroying it. I will not lie to you; many of you will not leave that field, but know that any sacrifices are made in the defense of your home and family. There is no more honorable death than one defending these things."

His division of the Hero's Army cheered, their voices joining into one to show their determination. Link turned Epona around to lead the way, trotting down a road the two of them had journeyed dozens of times before, the rhythmic thumping of the army's footsteps joining in and echoing off the narrow rock walls.

As had been determined beforehand, Midna swooped off to watch for archers and Oocca, the greatest threat to the army in the relatively confined space leading into the Eldin lands, where they would be able to spread out once again.

Link heard a discharge, a few clashes as blades impacted against each other, and several surprised and terrified grunts as the Twilight Princess dispatched the row of Bulblin archers that had been waiting for them.

Once his division emerged into the field west of Kakariko, split down the middle by a chasm, the Hero called a halt and watched as those appointed to the task moved forward and placed several sturdy wooden bridges across the gap in addition to the one already present. These had been built by eager laborers during the time Link and the Hero's Company had been on their journey to Calatia, spurred on by Rusl and Ivan.

The two veteran warriors had been planning this ever since the Hero's Company first left the Kokiri Forest, and had been dividing their time between training those who wished to fight in basic infantry tactics and organizing construction and distribution of the war materiel. As Midna had joked, all Link had to do was show up and take command; the rest was taken care of.

Link led his troops over the bridges, and paused again for a final conference at the place where the road split to run off to the bridge destroyed late yesterday. Auru joined him, mounted on a gray horse that belonged to the older man.

"Everything is ready, Link," he said. "We will fulfill our duty, just as you must fulfill yours."

Link leaned over to clasp forearms with his friend. "Good luck, Auru."

He nodded. "And to you, Hero. May the Goddesses smile on both our efforts."

Auru turned and led a third of Link's troops off on the road to the destroyed bridge, bringing the constructed bridges with them. They formed a crucial part of the strategy: while Link and the main part of the East Gate division charged the enemy from the front, Auru and his troops would wait until the battle was well in progress and charge their formation from the rear, further disrupting it and providing reinforcement to the Hero's troops.

Two Hyrule Soldiers ran forward and opened the gates to Kakariko, standing aside as Link urged Epona forward and the big red-brown mare trotted into the village, followed first by the mounted fighters that would serve as the cavalry, and then the infantry.

Link glanced about the deep canyon Kakariko occupied, its tan stone walls stretching high overhead, topped by the smoldering cone of Death Mountain. To his right, the shallow pool of the Spirit's Spring reflected the rays of the slowly rising sun. To his left stretched the town, looking much the same as it had the first time he had seen it, only this destruction was more recent. There had been an attempt to rebuild the canyon community, but this had been disrupted by the beginning of the war, and the village had become a frequent battleground as Raneses' army forced the Hyrulians further south. It seemed little more than a ghost town now.

The Hero looked back at his troops. The mix of humans and Hylians kept up their pace, following in good formation for mostly untrained soldiers. A few of them were obviously from Kakariko, judging by their expressions of disbelief at the wreckage their home had become.

As his division passed the entrance to Death Mountain, a hulking shape three times the size of an ordinary man stepped out in front of Link, and the Hero called a halt.

"What is it?" Zelda asked from the Gossip Stone around his neck.

"It's Darbus," Link answered.

Midna swooped in and hovered next to Link, sheathing the Twilight Blade and resting one hand on its hilt. "We've got a problem," she said, her expression one of grave concern.

"A terrible problem, Brother," Darbus added. "The Gorons will fight alongside you, but first you must destroy the dragons the Dark Lord has sent to aid his army."

Link felt his stomach sink. "Dragons?"

There were anxious murmurs behind him as this filtered down the line.

Darbus nodded. "Three of them, Brother. We attacked the enemy army yesterday, and we destroyed a great many of them, but then the dragons appeared and pursued us back to our village. They killed several of us." The massive Goron hung his head in sadness. "We were attempting to disrupt them, so that they would be unprepared for your attack, but it is we who were surprised."

Link frowned. He had fought a dragon once before, and he was not looking forward to repeating the experience.

"This complicates things," Majacen said through the Gossip Stone. "The Hero and the Twilight Princess will have to focus on the dragons while the rest of our troops engage the enemy. When the Bearer of Power arrives, he will be able to provide assistance."

"The troops should stay here," said Zelda. "We cannot risk them to the dragons, and we will need our full strength to engage the enemy."

Midna smirked, nudging Link's arm. "Me and you alone against a big ugly monster, huh? Sounds about right."

Link nodded, half-smiling himself. "We'll go get rid of the dragons, then. I'll signal when I'm finished."

"Though you'll probably be able to tell," Midna added, winking.

Viserys stood on the command platform of Falcon's Pride, looking out at his gathered fleet. Nearly three hundred warships, all that could be summoned here away from the rest of the war effort, hovered in formation, spread across the sky like a flock of enormous birds.

Far off in the distance, he could see their target, the shipyards where the flying fortresses were manufactured. It was arranged in a huge circle, not unlike Nimbus City, and docked fortresses were scattered in concentric rings around a central complex of towers and spires, several miles in diameter itself. Now, observing the facility through his telescope, Viserys modified his plan slightly, adding and removing details based on his observations and the report submitted to him by his Sheikah contact. Apparently, the secretive tribe had sent in a team to scout the place, and once they relayed their findings, the agents remained behind to act as saboteurs. Viserys had been asked to help extract the team, something he would do as soon as he received their signal.

What that signal was, however, was something his contact had failed to mention. He had been expecting the team leader to contact him through the Communication Stone, but when something else happened, he knew what to do.

First, one of the docked fortresses exploded, the bright flash and rush of noise nearly overwhelming even from this far away. Viserys averted his eyes from the flash, and looked up in time to see the first fortress start a chain reaction that, within a matter of seconds, destroyed half a dozen more. Only because one drifted free of its moorings was the chain interrupted.

Viserys leaned over the large Communication Stone mounted in the center of the railing of the command platform, one that tied him into the commanders of the respective battle groups. "Attack!" he ordered. "All ships, begin your attack runs!"

The Mercenary King issued more orders as the ships of his fleet spread out to attack the facility, swooping in like gigantic, fleet-winged birds of prey. More of the mile-wide fortresses detached themselves from their docks, and smaller groups split off to engage these, maneuvering around and providing cover for each other, demonstrating total precision in their formation.

Viserys kept the Falcon's Pride back with the reserve to observe the battle so he could strategize, but he would be taking the flagship in on its own mission shortly.

One of the groups of Balacruf ships succeeded in destroying a fortress, but the detonation spread faster than the captains had anticipated, and several of the ships were swallowed in the fireball. One of the burning wrecks coasted on its momentum briefly, and ended up crashing right into the top of another fortress that was maneuvering around the conflagration. This fortress began slowly listing to one side, and other Balacruf ships took advantage of this to swoop in and unload barrages of bombs on it.

The battle soon resembled a sort of organized chaos, with the smaller shapes of the airships flitting around the greater bulk of the flying fortresses and the facility itself, exchanging shots, destroying and being destroyed in turn.

Viserys surveyed the scene, finding that the battle was going mostly according to plan thus far. But, his enemy was nothing if not unpredictable, and so he braced himself for some sort of terrible weapon that would be unleashed upon his ships.

As it turned out, the terrible weapon was on his side. He hadn't even noticed Arnak leaving the bridge, but the Bearer of Power soon made his presence manifest in the battle by destroying three fortresses in a matter of moments.

The first seemed to have been destroyed by the fleet, erupting in yet another blindingly bright fireball. However, it was followed seconds later by another, which, incredibly, crumpled in on itself as if a giant had crushed it within a gargantuan fist. The mile-wide ball of wreckage stopped its tumble, reversed direction, and passed through the still-fading fireball of the first before impacting directly with the third fortress, sending burning fragments of both careening in all directions.

Viserys caught sight of the bright golden light floating in the midst of these fantastic occurrences, and focused his telescope upon it. He was astonished to behold Arnak, flying without any visible means of support on to his next target.

The telescope nearly slipped out of his grasp, an extreme reaction for the normally reserved Viserys. "What is this man?" he said quietly.

"He's on our side," came an answer from below. Viserys glanced down to see Raskys watching the scene with intense concern. "Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen."

Hundreds of miles away from Hyrule, two people huddled in a cold, dark cell in the dungeon of the Dark Lord Raneses' seaside fortress. Distantly, like far-off thunder, they heard the roar of the surf outside the thick stone walls. There were no windows, and only a flickering torch mounted on the wall outside provided illumination.

They had both sustained serious wounds, but of the two, the man, the Sheikah warrior Erik, was in worse shape. He knew he had internal injuries, and wouldn't last long without a skilled healer. Unfortunately, neither of them specialized in the healing arts, and, what was worse, something was blocking any and all attempts to use any kind of magic.

Erik lay on the cell's cold metal bunk, trying to focus on staying alive. The other occupant of the cell, a woman who claimed to be a Sheikah who called herself Val, cradled his head in her lap, actually weeping in what seemed to be frustration and sadness.

As he looked up at her face, marred by a large bruise on her cheek and a slowly healing cut on her forehead, Erik was struck by how young she looked. For the first time, he realized that she couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. A girl, really.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, biting back a sob. "I'm so sorry."

Erik tried to reply, but groaned instead when something broken ground against something sensitive inside him. He knew several of his ribs were broken, and there was probably a great deal more damage he didn't know about, besides. The Sheikah warrior wasn't sure if he would be able to recover from this.

After being soundly beaten by the Dark Lord, the two of them had been dumped in this cell, apparently forgotten or ignored by their captor afterwards. It was worth it, though, Erik told himself. The Hero had gotten away, and there was still hope as long as Link was alive. He would keep fighting with the last bit of breath in his body, and the Dark Lord would be brought down if it was the last thing Link ever did. During his journey with the man, Erik had gotten to know Link well enough to know that his tenacity and sheer force of will would carry his quest through to the end.

"I should never have done it," Val said suddenly, blinking away her tears and composing herself. "I should never have assumed my control was that precise."

Erik gave her a questioning look, not wanting to speak. He was certain one of his lungs had been punctured, or would be shortly, as he felt a broken rib digging into one of them.

"I only wanted to help," she said by way of answer. "That's why I came along, to help him in any way I could. It's what I'm for, you know. It's the duty I accepted." Val took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down. She sighed in frustration. "But instead, I made things worse. The Hero was nearly killed, and you…" She trailed off, squeezing his arm. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

Erik gritted his teeth as another wave of pain swept through him. Something was definitely wrong. Help needed to come soon.

He wouldn't be leaving this place alive if it didn't.

Midna stood at the top of a cliff just outside Kakariko, Link next to her. They were both in their suits of armor, their poses nearly mirrored as they surveyed the wide plain below.

Spread over the plain outside Castle Town was a massive army, at least nine or ten thousand strong. Closer to Kakariko, a wide strip of the plain had been burned, and where there had once been green grass, there was now a slash of black, as if a giant painter had swiped his brush across a portion of the field.

Midna knew what had happened there, and felt a tendril of fear creep out and whisper to her that the same thing could happen to her and Link. She squashed it immediately, reminding herself that she and her friend had fought much more dangerous monsters, namely the first Dark Lord.

"You see them?" Link asked, his deep blue eyes searching the sky.

Midna turned her attention to the clouds, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Far off in the distance, in the direction of the Gerudo Desert, a bright fireball caught her eye, and she peered closer, thinking it was dragon-fire.

It turned out to be an Oocca flying fortress, in the midst of being destroyed by Balacruf warships. As the clouds shifted, she saw the massive facility Viserys' fleet was attacking, and she nudged Link's arm, gesturing at it.

"I didn't know it was this close," he said, shading his eyes with one hand. I might go over there and help them if I get the chance."

Midna chuckled, unable to resist making a joke. "So much fighting to do, and so little time. It's times like this when you wish there were three more of you, don't you?"

Link returned her grin. "At least." His grin faded suddenly, and he raised one arm to point at something moving in the clouds far above the field. "There!"

Midna looked closer. The shape was indeed a dragon, bigger than the one they had fought at the City in the Sky, and twice as mean-looking. She sighed, not looking forward to fighting the gigantic creature.

Then another one burst out of a cloud, so huge that she had to compare it to the smaller one to get a sense of scale. It was big, bigger than any living thing had a right to be. Its wingspan had to stretch at least an eighth of a mile, and its body was covered in plate armor, black and sharp-angled, giving it a wicked aspect.

Another dragon, roughly the same size as the first one they had seen, swooped down, right into the army camped outside Castle Town, and snatched up a fleeing Bulblin with its long, deadly teeth. It tossed the shrieking creature high into the air, catching it in its mouth and swallowing it whole.

Midna tapped Link's shoulder plate with a fingernail. "You get the big one. And one of the small ones."

He glanced over at her, wry amusement on his face. "How about we each take one of the small ones and work together on the big one?"

She pointed at the armored dragon, which glided silently over the battlefield, seemingly observing and waiting for something. "Meet you there, then."

Link drew his sword. "Right." Nodding to her, he activated the Icarus Wings and shot into the sky, aiming himself at one of the smaller dragons overhead.

Midna watched him for a moment, tracking his progress, then drew her own weapon and levitated a few feet into the air, looking around for the other dragon.

A second's warning, an intense blast of heat at her back, was what let Midna know the dragon had instead found her. She dove, twisting out of the way as an incredibly hot gout of flame occupied the space she had just vacated.

"Ugh," she muttered to herself, "I didn't think something that big could sneak up on somebody."

Midna rocketed backward, hovering up to eye level with the great beast. "You sure are ugly, you know that?"

In response, the dragon breathed more flame at her, and she flew up and over, dodging the fire to speed for its back.

Midna caught hold of one of the spines protruding from the dragon's back and held on as it swooped in a tight circle, trying to figure out where she had gone. It spread its wings and dove for the plain, perhaps thinking that she was hiding among the thousands of monsters gathered there.

Pulling forward and increasing her speed, Midna paced the dragon's head, remaining out of sight above its eyes. The wind rushed over her face, and she could feel it dragging over her armor.

To her surprise and great amusement, the dragon loosed another gout of flame right into the middle of the enemy army, incinerating at least a hundred of them.

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" she asked it, pulling in closer to its head.

Now it was time to get down to business. Reversing her grip on her sword, Midna pulled in until she was just above the creature's spiny green head. Grabbing hold of a spine that protruded from the dragon's forehead, she steadied herself and plunged the Twilight Blade into the creature's right eye.

It howled, a deafening roar of agony that threatened to overwhelm her senses, and thrashed in pain, its wings folding as it spun to try and get a look at what had hurt it.

The Twilight Princess sheathed her sword and gripped the creature around the neck, holding on through its gyrations. She knew just behind its head was the only place it could not reach with its fire.

Astonishingly, she heard a thunderclap, incongruous with what was becoming a sunny day. When she heard two more in quick succession, incredible reverberations of sound, Midna risked a glace up in time to see a lance of jagged white energy stab across the sky and impact Link's dragon directly in the face, the thunder following a moment later.

She scoffed amusedly. "Cheater."

"Whoa!" she exclaimed in the next second, pressing herself tighter against the dragon's neck as it turned upside down and tried to scrape her off on the tower guarding one end of the Bridge of Eldin. Swooping down into the deep chasm under the bridge, the dragon turned back over just as it was about to hit the water of Zora's River.

A spear hit the dragon in the nose, and Midna glanced over the side to see a Zora standing on a rock in the middle of the river below, its arm raised to point at the creature. Three more spears hit the dragon, and Midna faintly heard cheers over the beating of the creature's wings and its roaring.

She chuckled, and abruptly cut off as the dragon slammed its neck into the bridge, trying to dislodge her. It landed on the long span of stone, tucking in its wings as it thrashed its head. After one particularly violent gyration, it succeeded in tearing Midna loose, and she tumbled along the bridge, coming to a stop next to the edge.

It stomped closer as the Twilight Princess shook her head, trying to clear it, and she barely rolled out of the way in time as the green monstrosity breathed fire at her again.

Unfortunately, she rolled in the wrong direction, and dropped straight off the edge of the bridge. After a moment of panic, she summoned her levitation abilities and floated up to press herself against the underside of the bridge.

Midna heard the dragon's heavy footsteps as it paced along the bridge, looking for her. Once, its scaly green head lowered over the side, but luckily its blind eye faced her and it did not notice her, pulling its head back up.

Or so she thought. Suddenly, the dragon's head appeared at the opposite side of the bridge, and Midna dropped again as it spat flame at her.

She slowed her descent and reached behind when she felt heat on her back. The end of her long hair was on fire, and she crushed it out before too much was consumed.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" she told the dragon, still far above on the bridge.

Quickly tying her now shortened hair up out of the way, Midna drew the Twilight Blade and rocketed straight upward, shooting past the dragon at an incredible rate of speed. Surprised, it jumped up and followed her, breathing flame once again.

She was too far in front of it to be harmed, but Midna still felt the intense heat wash over her, and she dove, flying just above the ground.

Midna grinned as an idea formed in her mind, and she swerved into the enemy lines, dodging and maneuvering with all her skill as she weaved her way between formations of Bulblins, Lizalfos, Darknuts, and a group of humans she didn't recognize.

The dragon was just stupid and angry enough to fall for it, and it again tried to fry her with its fire, blasting it right into the enemy army and consuming dozens as it pursued her. She grinned in amusement, not risking a look back but knowing what was happening.

As she pulled up to fly over the heads of the gathered monsters, Midna glanced back to see a catapult-launched boulder suddenly hit the dragon right in the head. It roared in pain, and another missile followed the first, crushing the creature's skull. It dropped immediately, plowing into a formation of Lizalfos that were not quick enough to get out of the way.

Puzzled, Midna looked around for the catapults, and saw them being manned by a group of Darknuts under the direction of a gold-armored one with a long black cloak hanging from his shoulders. One of the missiles shot at her with uncanny accuracy, and Midna dodged it, pulling up to avoid more.

She was just in time to see Link draw the Master Sword and speed at his dragon, cutting off its head in one powerful strike. The body thrashed, a shudder moving through it, and it dropped like a stone, something inside it bursting into flame on the way down. It crashed into the chasm running along the field to splash into Zora's River below.

Link swooped over and hovered in place next to Midna, breathing heavily.

"Having fun?" she asked amusedly.

He grinned in reply. "Oh, yeah." He waved his sword at the armored dragon, which still flew in slow circles high above. "Ready to take that one?"

She nodded, grinning herself. "Whenever you are."

Link took a deep breath, sheathing his sword and pulling out the Staff of Lightning. "Let's do it, then."

The two of them aimed themselves at the massive armored dragon and sped at it, readying themselves for a difficult battle. Something this big didn't go down easy; they'd learned that over and over on their first journey together.

But, like the others, it would fall sooner or later. Hopefully.

Her muscles straining, Nabooru heaved herself over yet another rock wall, dropping with a grunt to the ground on the other side. The border between Hyrule and the Gerudo Desert was nearly impassable, and she never would have gotten her horse this far unless it had wings.

Finally, the end was in sight. The raider paused at the edge of the cliff, looking down into Hyrule. To her right was a great stone bridge she had seen a hundred times, spanning a sparkling blue lake below. Lake Hylia had long been a source of contention between the Gerudo and the Hylians, and it was part of the reason the desert people harbored such animosity for their neighbors.

To have such a plentiful source of water so close to their parched desert home and to be denied access to it was viewed as the ultimate insult.

Taking a deep breath, the raider reminded herself of the Matriarch's words. She focused on her mission; to find the Hero and tell him what she knew.

She heard voices, and ducked behind an outcropping, carefully peering around it to see their source. A group of mounted warriors slowly trotted past, coming from the direction of the city, and they paused just underneath her, as if listening to something.

The mounted warriors were tall, thin humans with long dark hair bound into braids on some and left loose on others. Both men and women were wearing intricately engraved armor inscribed with characters in a language she did not recognize, and they were armed with spears and short, slightly curved swords, different from the scimitars her own people used.

Preparing to jump down from her hiding place and ambush them, Nabooru paused as she heard the noise her intended targets were apparently listening to. It sounded like hundreds of feet walking in sync, along with… chanting?

Looking over to the bridge, Nabooru saw them. It seemed that the Hylians had finally mustered an army, intent on retaking their country. They didn't look as organized as she expected, but they looked determined, and that might make up for it. Pushing down the instinctive reaction of contempt and fear, she reminded herself that those in the army were now her allies against their mutual enemy.

The mounted warriors prepared to retreat, but the Hylians saw them first and charged, brandishing their weapons. Horse and warrior alike fell by a barrage of arrows, and it was then that the raider saw her chance. She only hoped the Hylians would not shoot first, assuming her to be another agent of the Dark Lord.

She tensed her legs and sprang, coming down right on top of one of the warriors. Nabooru shoved him off his horse, kicking him in the head with a booted foot when he tried to get back up. Pulling back on the reins to keep the horse stationary, she held up her other hand when the Hylians saw her.

"Do not attack me!" she said in Hylian, looking back and forth at the row of threatening faces. "I mean you no harm."

One of the mounted Hylians, who she saw was actually human when he drew closer, peered at her, a suspicious look on his face. He was perhaps in his mid-thirties, a trim goatee framing his mouth and a headband holding back his blond hair.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Nabooru," she answered. "Is the Hero among you?"

"No," the man replied. "He is with one of the other divisions. Why are you looking for him?"

"I need to speak with him in regards to the rest of my people. Please, it is important." Nabooru steadied the horse beneath her, obviously nervous at a strange rider. She made sure to keep her hands away from the scimitar at her belt, waiting anxiously for a response other than an arrow or a sword's edge.

"She's a Gerudo!" someone in the crowd shouted. "She's a spy for the Dark Lord!"

"I am not!" Nabooru hastily replied, holding up her empty hand. "My sisters are being forced to serve him, and I need to tell this to your leadership. The Matriarch is even now on her way to Castle Town to help the rest of our sisters decide what to do."

The goateed warrior guided his horse to within arm's length of the raider and extended his hand. "My name is Rusl, Nabooru. I believe you."

She shook the proffered hand, restraining her sigh of relief. "Thank you, Rusl. Please, tell your warriors not to kill my sisters if they see them. We will fight along with you if the Matriarch is successful in her own mission."

Rusl nodded. "I'll make sure the word is spread to the rest of the army. If you want to find Link, he should be at Kakariko Village, to the east of here. If you hurry, you may be able to catch him before his division charges."

Nabooru nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

She put her heels to her horse's flanks, charging past the army and south along the bridge. The Hero himself posed the biggest threat to her sisters, as he could single-handedly wipe out any force sent against him if he thought they were his enemies.

For the good of her people, she had to convince him otherwise.

Author's Note: We're very close to the end now. As always, major thanks to everybody who reads and reviews this story. I hope you're enjoying it! Chapter 39 will be up soon.

(Revision Note: The usual)