"Simply breathe. In, and out. Push, and pull," Sage Nashorla instructed. "Be at peace. You must learn to find a balance within yourself."
"There are two demons fighting inside of me," Harun replied, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. "I am certain there is some poetic metaphor present here somewhere, but that is the truth of the matter. How am I to be at peace under such insane circumstances?"
"That is precisely why you must find peace," the sage insisted calmly.
"Find peace with the demon who forced me to kill Lady Averla…" the prince muttered, unable to believe what he was hearing. But the sage did not respond, so he remained quiet.
Harun opened one eye and glanced to his side. He and the sage were both atop the altar below the statue of Nephysis. Nashorla sat in the same meditation position as him. The ghostly gray flame of her lantern hung above her, swaying softly. Harun closed his eye again. "What should I do now?"
"Try to listen to your predecessor," the sage answered. "Your connection to the old king may be troublesome for you, but few others have a previous lifetime of experience to tap into. There is always wisdom to be found in the past, whether that past be good or evil."
Harun sighed, but did as he was told.
Speak to me, elder one. I am ready to listen.
He tried for a while, but when he heard nothing, his mind began to wander. Thoughts of his home came to him. He saw images of his people; poor and frail old women collapsing at the city gates after wandering in the desert for years, starving children waiting in line for a few pieces of hydromelon, vast seas of sand that no farmer could grow crops in. And then his mind turned to Hyrule; lush green fields, bountiful harvests for even the lowliest peasants, children running and playing in the warm summer sun.
But I have never been to Hyrule.
Harun gasped, opening his eyes.
Nashorla heard him. "Does the spirit of the past speak?" she asked, not moving from her position.
The prince held a hand to his chest, feeling his heart racing in fear. "...I believe he does, Sage."
"And what does he say?"
Harun scratched his head. "He was envious," he decided. It was not his first time hearing about this side of Ganondorf, but now it seemed as if the old king was telling him this himself through these visions. "The Hylians live better lives than we do."
"Do they?"
"Yes." Harun had never set foot beyond the desert, but every Gerudo knew the tales of the land beyond the mountains. Every vai who returned home from her Mother's Pilgrimage spoke of how beautiful it was in Central Hyrule, Faron, Necluda, Akkala, and all the lands the Hylians were blessed with. "Anyone would kill for what they have."
"Then perhaps you have some sympathy for King Ganondorf."
Harun had heard Ganon's side of the story time and time again from the many Ganonites in his life. The way they spoke of him, of course it made Harun sympathize with him. But after some of the recent events in the prince's life, he was beginning to reject the Ganonite view more and more. "No," Harun stated forcefully. "He was a monster, and he turned me into one, too."
The sage was silent for a moment, letting the jingling sound of her swaying lantern emanate throughout the room. "If you could speak to Lady Averla, what would you say to her?"
Harun looked at her with hope in his eyes. "May I speak with her?" he asked, hoping the sage's spirit magic may be capable of such a feat.
"Not now," Nashorla said.
"Why not?" Harun demanded. "Is that not the gift you have been blessed with?"
"It does not work that way." The sage opened her eyes, looking unfocused off into the distance. "I do not command the spirits. Nor do I decide when they are allowed to cross over." She turned to face Harun, but seemed to be looking through him. "I ask again: If you could speak to Lady Averla, what would you say to her?"
The prince felt like he wanted to scream. He wanted to continue to demand his wish be fulfilled, but he knew it would be futile. Instead, he sighed angrily, and thought about the question. "I… I would apologize, of course." Harun hung his head. "What kind of voe kills his own mentor?"
"One who is not in control of his actions," Nashorla reminded him.
"That was my fault, too!" Harun insisted. "I should have stopped the demon from taking over. If I could just be free of this nightmare, I would-" As he spoke, his head began to ache, and an image of the Beast flashed behind the sage. "No!" he shouted, pressing his hands to his face.
The sage did not react to his sudden outburst, but waited a moment before speaking calmly. "I am truly sorry, young one. I do not know why you have been cursed by the Elder Demon," she said. "But I have faith in my Patron's wisdom. She has imparted Ganon's soul to you. If you do not wish to be driven mad by the Curse of Demise, you must allow Ganon to fight against it on your behalf."
"Must I repeat myself?" Harun asked angrily. "What use is there in allowing a demon to possess me in order to prevent a demon from possessing me?!"
"That is not what Alkawbra advised," the sage countered. "As I have said, you must learn to work with Ganondorf. You may consider him evil, but surely he would be the lesser of two evils."
Harun hated to admit it, but it made sense when she explained it that way. "I thank you for not speaking in riddles," he said to her. "I just wish I did not have to choose any evil."
"We all wish that, but life is not always so simple, especially for one in your position. The queen knows this, as will you when you take her place."
The prince had to agree with her on that as well. He had grown up observing Queen Urballa. Ruling a kingdom seemed to be nothing but a series of one tough decision after another. Even the decision to take him from Naboris to the Arbiter's Grounds must have been a difficult one, and after everything that had happened, she must have felt as bad as he did. "I will use Ganon's power," Harun decided, even though he didn't like it. "But I will not be Ganon."
Nashorla nodded. "You are Harun. No one expects you to be anyone else."
Harun laughed internally at that.
Except Kobami. And Urballa. And you.
As if she had been summoned, the doors at the far end of the room suddenly blew open with a gust of wind, revealing Elder Kobami. Using her walking stick, she stepped into the room. "I apologize if I am interrupting, my prince," she said insincerely as she slowly approached them. "But I believe it is time for your training."
Harun sighed.
More training.
"Perhaps it would be better to allow the young voe to rest," Sage Nashorla suggested, rising to her feet. "He has been training with me already."
"Nonsense," the witch said, waving her hand dismissively. "The prince is still young. He does not tire so easily."
"...It's alright, Sage." Harun stood up as well and climbed down the steps of the altar.
"Do not push yourself," Nashorla called after him as he walked away. "Remember: Try to speak with Ganon, not fight him."
"I know." When he reached the elder, the two of them left the room together.
"I am glad to hear we are all finally on the same page," Kobami remarked. "The Sage speaks most wisely. You should embrace Ganon's blessings with open arms."
Harun grunted. This was one of his primary concerns with the current plan. He was doing exactly as the Ganonites wanted, and that gave him doubts.
The private room that the witch had set up for their sorcery lessons was much like the one they used back at the palace. Harun stood in the center of the room and Kobami knelt on a cushion off to the side. The room was not in the temple proper, but Harun could still feel the spirits in the air.
"We shall continue your training with shadowbinding today, young one," Kobami explained. "The Great Ganondorf was a master of this technique, able to maintain many phantoms at once. Try to draw upon his power."
Harun hesitated for a moment. On the surface, Kobami's advice was quite similar to Nashorla's. They both wanted him to make use of the spirit of Ganon rather than attempting to banish it. And yet, it felt very different coming from the witch.
She wants me to be powerful. The sage wants me to be healthy.
Nevertheless, the prince did as instructed. Closing his eyes, he reached out to Ganondorf.
Come, predecessor. If you are truly my ally, lend me your power.
Harun held his left arm out to the side, summoning his own power. As expected, a swirling cloud of darkness was beginning to form on the ground. He willed it to grow larger, taller. Imagining it as himself, he forced it to take shape, forming limbs and a head. However, he soon lost control. The dark figure's head and limbs melted back into its body, becoming nothing but a hazy pillar of dark smoke.
"The power of the Demon King rests within you," Kobami reminded him. "Do not fight it. You must harness it. Unlock your true potential."
Harun directed all of his energy towards his phantom. He took on a more forward stance and strained his body and mind, then closed his eyes again.
Please, old king. Let us work together, as they wish us to.
For another few moments, he continued to feel nothing but the strain of forcing his magic. But then, he felt something different. He did not know how to describe it, but it was as if he had reached an agreement with himself. Suddenly, he felt re-energized. The shadowy figure in front of him began to obey his will, once again taking on a human shape. Soon, it was like the silhouette of another person was standing in the room with him.
"Good," Kobami commended him, smiling a toothless grin. "Well done, young voe. The Great Ganondorf's blessings are quite evident. Now, apply an illusion to your phantom. Make it appear as you do."
Harun nodded. Moving his hands around, he pictured what he wanted the phantom to look like. However, the shadowy figure did not change. The prince furrowed his brow, then exerted himself more, trying to direct his magic more strongly. However, something was wrong. Instead of changing appearance, the phantom continued to grow larger, becoming more than a head taller than him.
"What are you doing?" the witch asked. "Do not delay, young one. Conjure your illusion."
"I… I…" Before he knew what was happening, the phantom did indeed change its appearance. But when it did, it was not a double of himself standing before him. The phantom became the man he had seen in his dreams and stolen memories. The prince's eyes opened wide in shock at the sudden appearance.
Ganondorf.
"No!" Harun shouted. He took a step back, hastily undoing all his spellwork. Ganondorf's color instantly drained away, and the humanoid cloud of blackness collapsed into nothing once again before dissipating harmlessly.
"Amazing!" Kobami said, sounding ecstatic. She stood up, raising her hands to the sky as if in gratitude for a miracle. "That was him! The Great Ganondorf himself has graced us with his presence!" Harun did not respond. He was breathing heavily, still taken aback by what he'd just seen. "What is the matter, young one?"
"He… frightens me, elder one."
How am I supposed to work with him?
"You have nothing to fear from your great predecessor," she assured him. "His supreme power is yours for the taking, if you would simply accept his gift. Truly, it is the ones who hate him and sully his good name that you should be afraid of."
Harun was not so sure about that. "You speak of the Hylianites? I do not fear them. They might hate me, but they have never harmed me."
Whereas Ganon has done me plenty of harm.
Elder Kobami narrowed her eyes, giving him a look that said 'You know so little.' Using her cane for balance, she hobbled closer to him. "Come with me, young prince. There is something you must see."
Harun was unsure what she had in mind, but followed her nonetheless.
She led him to another area of the temple and down several flights of stairs. Eventually, they found themselves in front of a large stone door guarded by two glaive-wielding women.
"Halt. What business have you in the crypt?" one of the guards asked.
Crypt?
"I wish to allow our future king to look upon his predecessors," Elder Kobami explained. "Surely he may do so?"
The guards looked at each other, but seemed to take no issue with her request, either because she had the prince with her or because they knew she worked for the queen. "Very well," one of the guards said. Together, they opened the doors and stepped aside, bowing to the prince and the witch as they entered.
More stairs awaited them, leading further underground. It would have been pitch black, but Elder Kobami waved her hand and ignited a line of wall braziers with violet flame to light their way.
When they reached the bottom, they continued on past dozens of stone statues, each depicting the image of a Gerudo king, a queen, a hero, or some other historical figure. Kobami pointed out a few of the most famous ones along the way. Harun could not see any of their remains, but he knew their Gibdofied bodies rested in the ground beneath their statues.
"Here lie my predecessors," Kobami said, gesturing to a pair of statues depicting wise old witches.
Harun recognized them from his visions. "Kotake and Koume," he said. "They raised the four previous voe."
"Good, young one," the witch complimented him. "It is tragic that those Hylian devils killed them both. Had they not, perhaps the sisters would have raised you as well."
"Perhaps," Harun muttered, unsure how he was supposed to feel about that notion.
"This is Queen Nabooru," Kobami continued, pointing to another statue. It depicted a fierce and beautiful woman wearing a crown much like Urballa's. She was striding forward, raising a scimitar in one hand and holding a shield in the other. Harun noticed the odd design of her shield. It had the appearance of a screaming face.
Bizarrely macabre for a queen.
"Some say she and the Great Ganondorf were lovers, you know," the witch went on. "Although he had many, as will you."
Harun narrowed his eyes. "That is not for you to decide."
"You will understand in time, young one," Kobami said, unfazed. "You will marry the princess, yes, but you also have a duty to repopulate our race with strong, pure Gerudo daughters. The less we are made to rely on Hylian voe, the better."
Harun grunted in displeasure, but did not wish to discuss the matter any further. Averla had always told him the opposite; he would marry the princess and take no lovers apart from her. He had never discussed with Katta what would have become of their relationship once Sabah came of age, but he grimly realized that no longer mattered.
A short distance further, Kobami stopped between two statues. On the left was a man Harun knew well - King Ganondorf, as expected. On the right was a woman he did not recognize who seemed to be cradling an infant in her arms.
"Here lies your predecessor," Elder Kobami spoke, stopping and turning to face Harun. "Do you know how he died?"
Harun raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew how Ganondorf died. It was the climax of the most significant event in the last hundred years of history. "He was slain by the Hylian Hero of Twilight."
"No," the witch said, shaking her head. "I do not speak of the Great Ganondorf. I speak of the last voe who came before you." With her cane, she gestured to the statue of the woman holding the baby.
"What?" Harun asked in confusion, looking at the statue. "Who is that? I thought Ganon was the voe who came before me."
"Once every hundred years, a single voe is born to the Gerudo," Kobami explained, her raspy voice echoing through the halls of the dark crypt. "You are the voe of this century. Ganondorf was the voe of the century before last. But this poor soul," she said, tapping the infant with her cane, "was the voe of the century between you and Ganon. He was born very soon after Ganondorf was murdered."
"Why have I not heard of him?" Harun asked.
"Because he was only alive for a handful of days," the witch replied, the way she spoke becoming grimmer. "He was killed by Hylianites, you see. They feared he was Ganondorf born again, just as the Hylianites of this era fear you now. And for that, they killed him - a newborn child. They killed his mother, too, for the crime of giving birth to him."
Harun's face distorted in disgust. "That's monstrous."
"Indeed." Kobami nodded sagely in agreement. "That is what the Gerudo who sided with the Hylians were like. And those who do so today are no different. They tried to kill you, too, young one. I was unable to stop them from killing your mother, but I was able to rescue you and deliver you safely to our gracious queen."
"I… I had no idea." Harun did not know what to say. He felt sick, he felt angry, and he felt the pain of the injustice.
How could those who shared Lady Averla's values do something like that?
"Do you see now, young prince?" Kobami asked. "This is why I constantly advise the queen to push for independence from the Hylians. They have oppressed and persecuted us for too long, and they have even gone so far as to turn our own people against us. We cannot allow this sort of tragedy to occur ever again."
Harun could not take his eyes off of the statue of the mother and her baby. It made him wonder about his own mother. He had asked Queen Urballa about her when he was young, but all she'd told him was that she had died when he was young. Perhaps she'd wanted to spare his feelings, or perhaps she did not wish him to think ill of the Hylianites.
"Come, young voe," his teacher told him. "Let us return above ground and continue your training."
"Yes, elder one."
After climbing the stairs back to the surface, Harun and Kobami began to head back towards their training room. However, along the way, they were interrupted by the sound of many bells ringing from outside the temple.
"What is that?" Harun asked, glancing about in alarm.
"Hmm…" the witch considered. "Perhaps we are under attack."
"What? By whom?"
"I have no more information than you do, young one. Let us ascend to the roof and have a look." Glancing through an open doorway, Elder Kobami waved her hand. A carpet from the next room lifted off of the ground and flew towards them, a gust of air beneath it kicking up dust as it traveled. "Climb aboard," the witch said, cackling.
Harun did as he was bidden. He wished he was more proficient with aeromancy, as he found it difficult to keep himself balanced while Kobami's carpet flew through the air. She brought them through a window high up on the wall. Once outside, they rose straight upwards until they reached the roof. Harun jumped off of the carpet immediately, fearing he would fall otherwise.
Spotting some guards by one edge of the roof, Harun ran over to them. "What is happening?" he asked.
"There," one of the guards pointed. "Something's coming. Looks like monsters."
From the rooftop, Harun could see every section of the temple and nearly all of the other buildings in the surrounding settlement. Past the city's edge, he could see a large group of creatures approaching from the desert. At first they appeared to be gigantic beasts, but as they got closer, Harun could see the monsters were Blins of some sort riding atop very large boars. The Blins were green-skinned, horned, and appeared to be smaller than a Gerudo, but it was difficult to tell from such a distance.
"What are they?" Harun asked.
"Bulblins," Kobami answered, appearing at his side. "One of the more intelligent Blin species. They served the Great Ganondorf well during the Twilight War."
"What do they want?" Harun asked. "Food? Like the Lizalfos?"
"Likely, yes," Kobami confirmed, nodding her head. "Although Blins are also known to take prisoners for more unsavory reasons."
Harun was shocked to hear that, but then again, everyone always told him that monsters were wicked beings by nature.
He watched as the first wave of soldiers went out to meet the approaching monsters. Judging by the armor they wore, it was a mix of the city watch and the troops that the queen had brought from Naboris. They formed a line and positioned themselves with their spears pointed outwards. A group of boar riders crashed into them, with many of the Bulbins and their mounts getting impaled in the process.
Harun stood there watching the battle for some time, hoping that the Gerudo forces would rout the enemy quickly. However, despite the soldiers' apparent success, their line was eventually broken. Other Bulblins began riding past them, hitting the soldiers over the head with large clubs of wood and bone. Each boar carried two of the monsters, and the one sitting behind the other carried a bow. Any soldiers who attempted to pursue the monsters that had gotten past them were quickly picked off by the riders' arrows.
"Where are the queen and the princess?" Harun asked frantically, addressing the guards lining the roof.
"Were I Bularis," Kobami said, pointing up to the Coliseum in the distance. "I would be escorting them up there, as far away from the battle as possible."
Harun felt a tinge of fear at the mention of that horrible place, and he could not tell if the reaction was his own or Ganon's. However, he had to brave it. "Take me there," the prince commanded. "Now!"
Elder Kobami grinned, perhaps remembering the 'glorious' sight of his possession from the last time they were there. "As you wish."
"The rest of you, get down there and join the battle. Prioritize protecting the civilians," Harun ordered the guards as he and Kobami climbed aboard her flying carpet once more.
"At once, my prince."
As he rose into the sky, Harun looked down on the city again. He observed the way the Bulbin riders moved; the way they stayed together in groups and split into even parties to cover more ground. Given what he'd always heard about monsters, they seemed surprisingly coordinated, and that's to say nothing of the uniformity of their tactics. The fact that they had managed to tame lesser beasts to carry them at all suggested some form of higher intellect.
Even if she claims they operate on base instinct, Kobami herself admitted that they were intelligent. Perhaps they can be reasoned with.
The prince put that thought out of his mind for now. The battle had just begun. Whether the monsters were intelligent or not, diplomacy was likely not presently an option.
Atop the carpet, Harun and Kobami flew over the walls of the Coliseum. He felt the pull of the demon within him, and he knew he had to do something; talk to Ganondorf, as the sage had taught him.
Please, elder one, I beg you. We must control ourselves for the sake of our people.
"Take us down over there," the prince said, pointing toward a group of people gathered in the spectator stands. He could not make them out from so high up, but he saw several Iron Knuckles amongst the guards, meaning they had to be the queen's protectors.
When they landed beside the group of guards, Harun stepped off of the carpet. "Your Majesty!" he called out, stumbling a little. Ganon's presence could still be felt, but luckily, the old king seemed to be heeding Harun's pleas.
"The queen is not here, my prince," Commander Bularis said. Others moved out of her way as she approached him, her heavy armor clanking as she walked. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, while her other arm rested her battleaxe against her shoulderguard. "She has gone below to join the battle. We are here to guard the princess."
"I see." Harun spotted Princess Sabah sitting in the middle of the group. A few other young girls were sitting with her, all of them clinging to one another, looking scared. Some attendants and other noncombatants were there, too, looking no less scared than the children.
"How many are there?" Bularis asked.
"Several dozens, I'd estimate," Elder Kobami said.
The Iron Knuckle grunted. "That's not exactly an army."
"Yes. But we lack an army as well, and their forces are all mounted. They've already broken through our lines and made it into the settlement." The witch glanced around her, counting the warriors and mages amongst them. "We do not need this many to guard the princess," she said.
"Queen's orders," Bularis asserted.
"They will never come all the way up here," Kobami argued. "These are mere Blin raiders. They'll ignore the large buildings in favor of the civilian huts. Their plan will be to take as much food as they can, grab a few women, and make their escape before their enemy has time to regroup and fight them properly."
"If that is indeed the case, then the enemy will be long gone before we reach them," the commander replied, tapping her axe against her heavy armor. "We are not built for mobility."
"Very well," Harun interrupted, knowing an argument would only serve to waste time they did not have. "Commander, keep your guards here. Elder one, fly back down there and join the battle. I will descend into the temple and see if I can find more reinforcements."
Both the commander and the witch smiled at him. "It's good to see you stepping into your role, my prince," Bularis said. "The queen will be proud to hear of this."
"Indeed," Kobami said, stepping back onto her carpet. "Make haste, then, young one."
Harun felt a little embarrassed by their praise, but he nodded in gratitude. "May the goddess guide you," he said, unsure which goddess he was referring to, or how sincere he was in his prayer. With that, he ran for the stairs that led back down into the temple.
The prince regretted not flying down with Kobami when he remembered how long the staircase leading down from the Coliseum was. It took him longer than he would've liked just to get to the next floor, and that time was precious at the moment. But as soon as he reached the bottom, he ran for the hallway, intending to check every room he could.
In many rooms, he found cowering civilians and priestesses who asked him what the alarm bells and the commotion outside were all about. He didn't take the time to explain it to them, but he told them to head up to the Coliseum for safety. He also found women with spears and scimitars helping with crowd control or patrolling the halls. He would tell them to head outside and join the battle once the area they were overseeing was under control and cleared of any civilians.
If Elder Kobami's words were correct, then the battle would likely be over soon, so he knew he would not need to search the entire temple complex. However, he wanted to keep going until he knew the battle was over, assuring himself that every little bit would help.
While in one of the minor wings attached to the side of the main temple, Harun saw a gigantic set of stone double doors had been pushed open, above which was an inscription that read 'Treasury.' He could hear rustling and clanging sounds coming from within.
Oh no, has the battle spread inside the building?
In a panic, he ran through the opening in the doorway, then stopped in his tracks. Inside was a large room with a high ceiling. Lining the walls and filling the room were tables and display cases housing various treasures. Everything from jewelry, weapons, books, and art pieces could be seen. He couldn't see anyone immediately when he walked inside, so he stopped and listened. Once again, he heard rustling sounds, and perhaps even something shattering. But it did not sound like a fight.
Is someone taking advantage of the chaos in order to loot the treasury?
Stranger still, he could hear voices, but he could not understand them. Curious, Harun crept over to a display case and peered around the corner.
Damn.
Somehow, there were Bulblins in the temple. From where he was standing, he could see two of them, but it sounded like there were several more throughout the room.
What the hell are they doing here?
The Bulblin closest to him was tall and gangly. It wore boiled leather armor and head wrappings that left only its red eyes visible. Two spiky horns protruded from the sides of its head, curving forwards. It had a quiver and bow on its back, but it was holding a wooden club with a large stone tied to the end of it, and it was using the club to smash open some of the glass display cases.
What is the meaning of this mindless destruction?
The other Bulblin in his line of sight was short and squat, but it was otherwise identically equipped, which made them seem almost like uniformed soldiers. A voice spoke, turning both their attentions towards another Bulbin that Harun could not see. The speech was deep and guttural, and the language seemed very simplistic. It did not surprise Harun to learn that they could speak. Ganondorf and the Twili had to have communicated with them somehow back during the Twilight War.
That gives me an idea…
If Ganondorf could speak the Bulblin language, and Harun was able to harness Ganondorf's power, then perhaps he could speak with them as well.
...Old king, if you are listening, grant me this favor. I wish to know what these monsters are saying.
Harun continued to listen as another Bulblin began to speak, hoping that Ganondorf would respond in some way. The words he heard remained pure gibberish for a while, but slowly, they began to make sense.
"You! Maggots! Did you find it yet?"
"Not yet, boss."
"Dammit. Well, keep looking."
Incredible. Thank you, elder one.
The fat Bulblin turned towards his tall companion, which made Harun duck behind the corner to avoid being spotted. With his back to a shelf of old treasures, the prince continued to listen.
"This is stupid. Are we even sure it's here?"
"It's gotta be. This is the Gerudo's Spirit Temple, and look at all this shit. Gotta be here somewhere."
"Well, what does it look like?"
"It's a fucking shield! What do you think it looks like?"
Harun furrowed his brow in confusion. The Bublins' presence here was not a mere act of destructive revelry, nor were they sacking the treasury for all the valuables they could find. They were looking for something.
A shield? What shield?
Harun sidled along the shelf to the other end and carefully peered around the corner. As expected, more identically equipped Bulblins were busy rummaging through the Gerudo treasures. One of them found a small chest filled with rupees. It made a sound of joy, then looked over at its comrades. Seeing they hadn't noticed, the monster began stuffing the rupees into its clothing.
So they do care for money. Or shiny things, at least.
Harun tried to decide what to do. He could try to reason with them; perhaps lie and say the shield they were looking for was not there. If that was their only reason for being in the temple, then perhaps they would leave and take the other monsters with them. But the prince had no weapons with him. He had magic, but even that would not save him if he were outnumbered too greatly.
From somewhere in the middle of the room, a Bulblin roared with delight. "Boss! Boss! I found it! I found it!" All the other Bulblins turned in surprise, then ran out of sight.
Uh oh.
If they had what they needed, they'd be coming for the entrance soon. Harun turned to leave, but something stopped him. A nagging feeling in his head told him that he had to know what this prize of theirs was, and why it was so important to them.
But how do I get them to talk?
An idea sprang into the prince's head. Earlier, while training with the Elder Witch, he had created a phantom of Ganon. If he wished, he could surround himself with such a phantom, taking on the Demon King's form. Harun did not expect these monsters to be old enough to have seen what Ganondorf looked like, but perhaps they would recognize him from the statues or the stories, and he would certainly look more intimidating than he did in his true form either way. Standing in front of the doors so as to block them, Harun held out his hands and summoned the shadows.
I know you are aware that I still fear you, Demon King. But please, lend me your form.
The prince watched as the shadows engulfed his body. Once they had solidified, he began creating the illusion to cover it. While he had been wearing simple acolyte's clothing from the temple a moment ago, soon he was wearing great black armor. There was no mirror nearby, but he knew he would look just like the terrifying voe he'd seen in his visions.
Hurried footsteps rushed towards him as Bulblins approached from down both aisles. One by one, six of them came into view, took one look at Harun, and froze in place with a terrified yelp or grunt. He could not see much of their faces, but their eyes betrayed their fear and surprise. Most of them hunched over a bit, but even if they'd been standing up straight, they looked rather diminutive to him.
The seventh and final Bulblin to come out into the open was larger than the others. It wore plate armor on its chest, shoulders, and head. It must have been the leader, as monsters tended to follow the largest of their kind. The leader carried a large axe, like Bularis's, but it was much cruder than the commander's finely crafted steel weapon. In its other hand, the monster also carried what must have been the shield they'd been looking for. When it spotted Harun, it looked him up and down. "Wha… What the hell?" The monster sounded as confused as Harun was, but there was clearly some fear in his voice as well.
Perhaps they recognize the Demon King after all.
"Halt, trespassers," Harun declared, speaking in a deep voice that was not his own and a language he did not truly speak. "State your business here."
The Bulblins looked to one another in fear and confusion, muttering restlessly.
"Is that who I think it is?"
"It can't be."
"How does this human speak our tongue?"
"What do we do?"
"Shut up!" the boss roared, silencing the others. He took a few steps closer to Harun, causing his minions to part to let him pass. "Get out of my way, Child of Nayru, before I split your skull," the monster ordered Harun.
"Hmm." The prince paused for a moment, attempting to seem unperturbed. "So be it," he said. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a ball of violet flame and launched it at the large Bublin. The smaller ones screamed and dove out of the way, but their boss simply raised the stolen shield. Harun realized too late that the shield was mirrored. The fireball appeared to pass right through it, while its reflection appeared to emerge from the mirror. Before he could get out of its way, the reflected fireball hit Harun in the chest.
"Ahh!" Harun screamed in pain. He stumbled backwards, knocking into the great stone door as the flame burned through the phantom. While he frantically tried to put it out, the illusion broke and the shadows melted away, revealing his true form.
The boss Bulblin chuckled. "So you are but a child," he said mockingly. "You can't fool us with your magic tricks, sorcerer!"
"Ha! I told you it wasn't him."
"Shut up. You were scared, too."
"Let's kill him."
"Yeah! Kill him!"
With the intimidating illusion having been broken, the Bulblins became bolder. They drew their weapons and advanced together with clear killing intent.
Fuck.
Harun had to think quickly. If Kobami were there, she could cast a spell that would kill them all at once, but Harun was not confident in his ability to pull off anything like that. Instead, he slipped through the opening in the great stone doors.
Maybe I can take them if they're forced to come through one at a time.
Backing up a few yards, Harun took on a fighting stance facing the doorway. As he'd hoped, the first Bulblin tried to squeeze through on his own. Yelling forcefully, Harun tossed a fireball at the monster. The Bulblin had time to make a noise of surprise before its head was incinerated. However, before the charred body hit the ground, two more Bulblins began forcing the double doors open, creating a larger exit.
That didn't last long. Time to go.
Before he took off running, he quickly hit the closest Bulbin with a lightning bolt. The monster spasmed from the electric shock, then fell over next to its burnt comrade.
As Harun ran, the monsters chased him. "Help!" he cried, speaking Gerudo again. "The monsters have breached the temple!" However, there did not seem to be anyone else around. This wing of the temple had already been evacuated.
Dammit.
An arrow sailed over his shoulder, landing in front of him. He instinctively dodged to the side, and another arrow passed by him. Turning around, he quickly identified the two Bublins that had their bows drawn. He held his arms out, then clapped them together. From either wall, a pillar of shadow shot outwards, crushing the archers between them. The shadowbound structures quickly dissipated, and Harun groaned at the sudden mental fatigue he felt.
I'm using too much magic much too quickly…
Luckily, it appeared his exploits were intimidating enough to cause the pursuing Bulblins to stumble for a moment. The prince took the opportunity to turn down the next hallway and enter the nearest room. Looking around for a weapon, the prince found a crossed pair of spears mounted on the wall as decoration. He pulled one down and readied himself by the door.
"We've got you now!" a Bulblin shouted, bursting into the room a moment later.
Harun grunted as he thrust with the spear, impaling the monster through the chest. Another Bulblin came rushing in afterwards, and before Harun could free his spear, the monster smashed its club across his head.
"Ah!" Harun hit the ground hard, his vision going blurry for a moment. He felt the side of his head, then saw blood when he looked at his hand. "Fuck…"
"Die!" The Bulblin swung its club downwards, trying to finish the job. Seeing a situation he'd been in many times before when training with Katta and the others, Harun rolled to the side and hopped to his feet. However, he lost his balance as soon as he stood up, still feeling woozy from the head injury. Nevertheless, he managed to stumble into the Bublin, knocking it to the ground and landing on top of it.
The prince grabbed the creature and began smashing its head against the floor. "You. Die." He heard the skull crack and saw the blood splatter, but he did it one last time for good measure.
Breathing heavily, Harun stood up. He was exhausted and in pain, unsure if he could fight any longer. However, as he climbed back to his feet, the large, armored Bulblin finally caught up with him, stepping into the room with loud, deliberate footsteps.
The monster looked back and forth between his dead subordinates, then glared at Harun. "You're gonna pay for that, human."
The prince stood still as the monster approached, thinking too slowly about whether to run or to fight. "Why do you want that shield?" he asked in the Bulblin's language, trying to stall him.
"I don't need to tell you a damn thing," the monster declared, advancing forward with the shield raised, likely expecting more magic attacks. With his other arm, he raised his axe, ready to strike.
No!
Harun heard Ganon's voice shouting in his head, and then the whole room changed. He was no longer in the Spirit Temple. Instead, he was in a building with strange architecture he had never seen before. There was still a Bublin in front of him, but it looked different, and it was wearing a crown.
"You have terrorized my people long enough!" Harun shouted in Ganon's voice. He stepped forward and shoved the crowned Bulblin against the wall. With a gauntleted fist, he punched the monster in the face once, then twice, then a dozen times. When he was finished, the broken monster's corpse slumped down to the ground. The wall behind him was cracked.
Harun bent over and lifted the crown off of the Bulblin's head. He turned around and saw a crowd of other Bulblins looking on in shock and awe. Finding the largest one in the crowd, Harun tossed the crown to him. "You. You are king now," he declared. "Serve me well, and you will be rewarded."
With a flash of light, the room changed again. He was back in the Spirit Temple, facing a blank wall with a discarded helmet on the floor in front of him. Turning back around, the boss Bulblin was lying dead on the ground, his head bare, with the wall behind him cracked. Harun realized in horror what had happened.
Damn you, demon! I did not give you permission to commandeer my body like that again!
However, he could not argue with the results. Stepping over the large monster's corpse, he bent down to retrieve the shield.
Time to see what all the fuss was about…
The prince sat down in the nearest chair, exhausted, and took a moment to examine the shield. As he'd noted before, it was a mirror shield - a piece of equipment not uncommonly employed by the Gerudo. In battle, it gave the wielder the ability to blind the enemy with reflected sunlight under the right circumstances, and it also served as a way to reflect certain magical projectiles back at the caster.
But why did the Bulblins want it?
Thinking about it more, this mirror shield was of a rather unique design. Most of the ones Harun had seen were kite-shaped and bore Gerudo symbols. This shield was decagonal, and the design made it look like a terrified face being clutched from the sides by a pair of hands. It didn't even look Gerudo-made at all.
Wait a minute…
He suddenly realized he'd seen that odd design earlier that day. The statue of Queen Nabooru held exactly such a shield.
Is this the shield of the former queen?
That very well might have been true, but it still didn't answer the question of why the monsters were looking for it. Harun sighed, climbing back to his feet and affixing the mirror shield upon his back. Perhaps one of his elders might be able to shed some light upon this mystery. He could not hear any bells or any loud noise coming from outside anymore, so he headed back towards the Coliseum, hoping the battle was won.
"Commander! We found him struggling to climb up the stairs."
After helping him walk across the Coliseum's sand pit, the guards laid Harun down before Commander Bularis.
"Sa'oten," the commander said in surprise. "Are you injured, my prince?" she asked, getting down on one knee beside him.
Harun wanted to say that he wasn't, but he put his hand to his head and found the bleeding had not stopped yet. "...Yes, I am," he said weakly. Climbing the stairs had taken a lot out of him, and now the injuries he'd sustained from fighting the Bulblins did not seem quite so miniscule.
"Bring me a healer immediately!" Bularis yelled over her shoulder.
"Yes, Commander."
"Is that Harun?" came Princess Sabah's voice. The sound of quick footsteps followed. "By the gods," she said when she saw him. Bularis stood up and took a step back, giving the princess room to kneel next to him. "Are you okay?" Sabah asked, putting her hand on Harun's arm.
"I will be fine, Princess," he assured her.
But I do greatly require a healer…
Luckily, the next woman to attend to him wore white healer's robes. Holding her hand over his head, she began reciting a prayer in Hylian. A bright light shone from her hand, and Harun closed his eyes as a feeling of comfort washed over him. Princess Sabah continued to clutch his arm.
"What news from outside?" Harun asked as his wounds were being treated.
"From up here, we could see our forces drive off what remained of the enemy," Bularis explained. "We're still waiting on a full report."
"Hmm. Good." After a moment, Harun realized he no longer felt the shield on his back. "Where is the shield?" he asked hurriedly. "The one I had with me."
"Here, my prince." One of the guards who'd helped him up the stairs stepped into view, holding up the mirror shield for him to see.
The voe sighed with relief. "Thank you. Return it to me, please," he said, holding up his hand.
"Of course." The guard leaned over and handed it to him.
"What is that?" Sabah asked, sounding a little disgusted.
"I do not know," Harun admitted. "But I think it's important."
"It looks dreadful," the princess said. "The face is much too grisly."
Harun chuckled. "Perhaps it is meant to frighten enemies."
"Smart," Bularis declared, planting the end of her axe into the sand.
A few moments later, Harun heard the fluttering sound of Elder Kobami returning upon her flying carpet. She set herself down close by and approached them. "Keep your wretched Hylian magics away from the prince, you wench," the old woman demanded of the healer, her voice making her displeasure quite clear.
The healer flinched and pulled her hand away, extinguishing the healing light. "Apologies, my lady." She quickly hurried away back into the crowd of civilians up in the stands.
Harun growled angrily as he sat up. "She was helping me," he said in annoyance. To check his wounds, he put his hand to his head and examined it. There was no longer any blood. Feeling better, he stood up and affixed the mirror shield onto his back once more.
"Tch." The elder witch sounded displeased, but said nothing more.
"I would hear your report, elder one," Bularis requested.
"The battle is over," Kobami replied. "Heavy casualties on both sides, it would seem. The remaining Bulblins escaped with a few dozen sacks of stolen food and half a dozen prisoners. A shame, but at least that will keep them sated for a while."
Harun glared at the witch.
How can someone who once saved my life appear to care so little about other people?
Bularis seemed equally displeased, but did not voice her thoughts. "What of the queen?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"She lives, Ganon be praised," Kobami said, turning her head. "Ah, here she is now."
It was true. A large party of warriors entered the arena, with Queen Urballa leading them. Her shield and scimitar were sheathed on her back. Her clothing was damaged and she was covered with blood, but she did not appear injured.
"Mother!" Sabah shouted with relief, running towards the queen.
Urballa smiled with warmth, happy to see her daughter as well. She knelt down to hug Sabah when they met in the sand pit, pulling her in tightly. "I have returned, my dear."
"I'm glad you're okay. You weren't hurt, were you?" Sabah asked with concern.
"No, child. This is not my blood." Several of her guards chuckled at that as they continued onward until they reached Harun and the others.
"Sav'aaq, my queen," the prince greeted her. "I am relieved to find you unharmed." He quickly glanced at the women accompanying her. Nashorla was not among them. "Where is the sage? Is she well?"
"Fear not, young one," the queen replied. "Sage Nashorla has not been harmed. She and her priestesses are collecting the fallen and sending their spirits to the next world."
Commander Bularis nodded grimly. "Elder Kobami has informed us of the results of the battle," she said. "It is sad to hear of so many fallen. The defenses of the Arbiter's Grounds were inadequate for an attack of this size. Who could have predicted that a band of monsters that many in number would appear this far from Dragon's Exile or the East Barrens?"
"Yes," Urballa agreed. "It is still unclear where this band of monsters originated from, but I have sent scouts in pursuit of their survivors. Hopefully a rescue expedition can be mounted soon in order to retrieve those who were taken. I will also send word back to Naboris to request reinforcements. The defenses here need to be improved if the Arbiter's Grounds are to be protected from further random attacks."
"The attack was not random," Harun corrected. Everyone turned to him questioningly, so he removed the mirror shield from his back and presented it to them. "A group of monsters slipped into the temple during the commotion. They ignored almost everything else in the treasury and attempted to steal this shield specifically."
"Most peculiar," Kobami said, examining the shield and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "For what purpose would Bulblins attempt to steal such an object?"
"I do not know," the prince said. "But I believe this shield once belonged to Queen Nabooru. Her statue in the crypt depicts her holding it."
"May I see it, Prince Harun?" Urballa asked. Harun handed it to her, and she examined it as well. "I seem to recall seeing other statues of my predecessor holding such a shield," she said. "I had not given it much thought. Perhaps the sage will know more." The queen handed the shield back to her ward. "Regardless, this news is most troubling. If the monsters' goal was to obtain this shield, then they are likely to return for it in the near future."
"Perhaps we should bring it back with us to Naboris," Harun suggested. The Gerudo capital was much better defended, and monster attacks were less frequent the further northeast one went.
"Or perhaps we should toss it out into the desert and be done with it," Commander Bularis said, offering her own suggestion. It was a fair idea. None of them had any idea what was so important about the shield, but it hardly seemed worth dying for.
"Absolutely not," Elder Kobami objected. "If monsters understand one thing, it's power. They want that shield. Therefore, the shield has value. We must keep it for ourselves."
A wise counsel. If a bit predictable coming from you, witch.
Harun watched as the queen weighed everyone's advice. She looked up to the sky thoughtfully for a moment, then turned to Harun. "I would say the decision is yours, my prince, but I suppose the shield is not yours to do with as you please. Let us consult the sage before taking any further action."
Harun, Bularis, and Kobami nodded. "Yes, my queen," they said in unison.
The priestesses moved in a silent procession. Groups of four carried bodies on simple wooden platforms, covered in a shroud. The only sound was a bell that one of the priestesses rang at regular intervals as they walked.
As Harun looked on, he thought about the Gerudo who had been killed on their way to the Arbiter's Grounds.
All of those people died for me, and now all of these people died for a shield? I guess it's fitting that I should be the one to carry it.
He could almost hear Demise roaring in his head as he had that bitter thought, but he clenched his fist in anger, willing the demon to be quiet.
At the back of the line of passing priestesses was the Sage of Spirit herself, the lantern hanging from the end of her staff swaying gently as she walked. However, when the priestesses carrying the fallen passed through the last set of doors, the sage stopped and gestured to the doorkeepers. They slowly shut the doors, and Nashorla turned around, gazing out into the crowd of mourners with her thousand yard stare. Harun was expecting some sort of speech, but she simply nodded and said, "They have completed their journey. Continue yours, and go in peace."
Most of the onlookers began filing out of the room, while others stayed behind to pray. Harun waited with Queen Urballa and Princess Sabah until the sage approached them.
"I thank you for your wisdom and guidance. Alkawbra chose well in making you her sage," the queen complimented her, bowing her crowned head.
"Think nothing of it," Nashorla replied. "You have my gratitude as well. You and your soldiers fought bravely in defense of my temple." She tilted her head down to look at Sabah. "I was relieved to hear you remain in good health, Princess. And you as well, my prince."
"I thank you for your concern, Sage." Harun gave a curt nod. With one hand, he reached behind himself and toyed with the shield on his back. As much as he wished to be courteous given the seriousness of the funeral procession that had just finished, he was hoping to get to the point sooner rather than later.
"Will they be happy in the Spirit Realm?" Princess Sabah asked, her eyes locked on the door that the priestesses had carried the fallen through a moment ago.
"I should think so, Princess," Nashorla replied. "Perhaps they are to be reunited with their loved ones, or to relive their fondest memories."
Sabah seemed pleased with that answer.
Harun did not think about the afterlife very often. He found the whole matter difficult to comprehend. He'd read books from the Gerudo Palace library that claimed there was actually more than one afterlife, and no one knew how many of them Alkawbra managed.
If any are as nice as the sage describes, I should hope to be guided to one like that when I die.
It became even more confusing when he considered the other spirit realms from which spirit beings like Alkawbra originated, as opposed to the spirit realms where the souls of mortals were sent upon death.
Our world alone is too large for mortals to fully comprehend. How do the spirits manage it?
Harun shook his head and decided to proceed with the matter at hand. "Sage Nashorla," he said, reaching behind himself to retrieve the mirror shield. "Do you recognize this shield?"
Nashorla regarded it for a moment, staring into her own reflection. "Yes. It once belonged to Queen Nabooru. We keep it in the treasury. How have you come to possess it, young one?"
"My ward discovered some Bulblins attempting to steal it," Queen Urballa explained. "He says they seemed interested in that shield specifically, and not just as a treasure to steal."
"Have you any idea why that might be?" Harun asked, his curiosity burning for an answer at this point.
Unfortunately, the sage shook her head. "It is only a mirror shield. And I do not know why monsters would desire a Gerudo queen's old treasures."
Harun was disappointed, but also worried. If the monsters knew something they didn't, it couldn't be anything good. "Do you know where it came from?" he asked. "It doesn't look Gerudo in design."
Nashorla thought for a moment. "If I recall the story correctly, it was a gift from a Hylian who was a personal friend of Queen Nabooru."
"What?" Princess Sabah seemed surprised. "Why would the Hylians make something so ghastly looking?"
"Interesting. I have heard of Hylians using mirror shields as well, but this design is nothing like what one would ordinarily find in Hyrule," Urballa pointed out.
Sage Nashorla shook her head. "I do not know if the Hylian in question made the shield. I simply know that a Hylian was the one to give it to her."
"Who was this Hylian, then?" Harun asked. "A member of the Hyrulean Royal Family, perhaps?"
"Or one of Queen Nabooru's lovers?" Urballa added.
"Sadly, I do not know," Nashorla answered.
"Hmm…" Harun stared at his reflection in the shield. None of this new information answered any of his questions. In fact, it only served to raise further questions.
How do the Hylians factor into this? Why would they give the Gerudo queen a gift like this in the first place? Is this related to the monsters' desire for it in some way?
"I wish I could be of further help," the sage said, as if she could read his mind.
"No, you have been most helpful, Sage," the queen said. "With your permission, I would like to place the shield in the care of my ward and bring it back to Naboris with us when we depart from here. If it truly is what attracted the monster attack, then it is too dangerous to be left here."
"Of course, my queen. As Nabooru's successor, you have a greater claim to her possessions than I do," the sage said with a nod. "I shall leave it in your hands, young prince."
"Thank you," the voe said in gratitude. "Let us hope my fears are unfounded."
"My queen!" came a voice from the side. Harun and the others turned their attention to the one who spoke. A captain trailed by two soldiers approached. With them was a Rito woman with a postal bag hanging from a strap slung over her shoulder. "I apologize for interrupting, Your Highness," the captain said with a deep and respectful bow. "This Rito has just arrived. She says she carries with her an important message from the governor."
"The governor?" Harun asked. "Is everything alright?"
Queen Urballa calmly stepped forward, holding out her hand to the Rito messenger.
"Here you are, Queen Urballa," the bird woman said in accented Gerudo, handing her a letter. Harun could see it bore the governor's seal - the viper of House Vapith.
"My gratitude, messenger." The queen unsealed the letter. The others stood still and watched, the anticipation growing with every passing second. Urballa's face remained calm and focused as she read. "Sage Nashorla, it appears we must be leaving earlier than anticipated," she said, lowering the paper after a moment. "Governor Vapith has summoned me to Taafei."