Destiny is not a matter of Chance.
It is a matter of Choice.
It is not a thing to be waited for.
It is a thing to be achieved.
It was morning...
Fear gripped the kingdom like a chilling dead hand. The entire Castle and town below it were on full alert, with soldiers marching through the streets and reactivated Guardians scouring the perimeter. The Yiga Agahnim had turned to their side had snapped out of their brainwashing and were promptly arrested and escorted to the dungeon.
Princess Zelda sighed into her palm, the weight of the situation grating at her already raw nerves. The Champions had gone back to their Divine Beasts to make sure their people and passengers were alright, leaving her and company to think.
They had moved far into the Castle, to a hidden room behind a wall that gave them utmost privacy in this desperate hour. Her skin crawled as the cold air seeped out as they stepped through the hidden panel.
Inside was a table and a few wooden, padded chairs. It was a panic room back in the day, it still technically was, not that anyone was really panicking.
Agahnim's explanation had been cut off when the Castle Guard ushered them away, even though they had shown that they were perfectly capable of pushing their attackers back.
Nevertheless, the Privacy this gave them was undeniable given the circumstances and nature of their Yiga enemies. Twilight lit a lone torch on the wall, illuminating the gloomy room.
Agahnim settled in a chair at the end of the table, running a hand through his red hair, the golden gem in the circlet he wore shining in the dim light.
Shade had followed them, staying back and walking tall in his Fierce Deity form. Soldiers and Servants alike were intimidated by him enough to back away whenever he passed. Twilight himself seemed shocked that his mentor had decided to stay, but took it in stride.
When they entered the room, he hung back in the shadows, his white eyes glowing in the sheet of darkness.
Twilight placed his hands flat on the table, sapphire eyes glaring at the male gerudo across the table.
"Continue, before I lose my patience." He growled.
Agahnim graced him with a glance of annoyance, before restarting from the beginning.
"I awoke only a few months ago, wearing black armor, with a Trident in my hand. My memories came back slowly, yet my body acted on it's own while my mind wandered. I slaughtered my resurrectors, finding myself journeying out into the desert, leaving behind the blood and gore of the Yiga."
He thought for a moment.
"I wandered for a bit, finding that my memories were quite old and the Era I had lived in was long gone." He frowned. "The hatred and malice that drove me to conquer Hyrule was gone because of an error in the ritual."
"Which was?" Link asked, seated two chairs away.
"They had revived me with the blood of both you and your ancestor, Twilight." He frowned. "This brought me back as myself, just...innocent. If you will."
"And what of Ganon?" Shade boomed from his corner.
"I had to look into it since he was revived elsewhere, after I was brought back. He was revived the same way, but with a jar of pure liquid malice." His expression became grim. "You saw his left eye, how it just swam with that murky substance. I'd assume that stuff destroyed the good in Link's blood and brought him back as he...We'd always been."
He waved his hand. "So, I sought you out to warn you. Little did I know he would attack during your party."
"We really should've anticipated that."
"Listen, we need to track him down. End him and his forces while we can."
Twilight grumbled. "Don't think that makes me trust you, I still think you need to be six-feet under." He turned around. "Right, Shade?"
The Deity didn't respond, instead studying Agahnim with a passive glance. He stepped forward, heavy boots creaking on the wood floor as he moved past Twilight and down the table, looking down at the seated gerudo, who became more and more nervous at the close proximity to his former enemy.
"What would you have us do? A war doesn't seem right, Gerudo."
"War does not determine who is right, only who is left." Agahnim retorted. "War is fear cloaked in courage. You know that better than I, Hero."
"..." Shade frowned, eyes narrowed. "I do indeed."
"Shade, you're not seriously agreeing with this monster, are you!?" Twilight exclaimed.
"War is hell, Twilight." Shade responded, holding his hand up. "But the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. I do believe Agahnim and myself could aid in this strategy with our magic abilities."
Twilight threw his hands up in disgust, walking to the corner of the room in a huff. Zelda and Link watched him idly, before turning back to Agahnim, who's face held no malice towards the antagonizing former hero.
"It's best if we interrogate one of the Yiga in the dungeons." Shade remarked. "Especially their clan leader."
"It's gonna be tough to get him to talk though." Link noted, scratching under his cap. "If that's even a possibility."
"Like I said, We shall handle it." Shade said firmly, moving away to let the Gerudo stand up.
All of them left the room and moved down into the Dungeons. Agahnim walked ahead and alongside Twilight, keeping pace with the former Hero. They were about the same height, so he had no problem seeing the hate in his eyes.
"What do you want?" Twilight growled.
"To apologize." Agahnim said simply.
"Pfft, for what?"
"Everything." He frowned. "With Midna and all the sorrow and worry I burdened you with. I wasn't myself, I was driven by malice and I would never have done those things I wasn't."
"And?" Twilight said, unimpressed.
"And well...If we had met in different circumstances back then, I think we would've been good friends." He smiled a bit. "Would...you mind us starting over? I don't want any hate between us anymore."
Twilight glanced at him questioningly.
Then with a shrug and sigh, nodded his head. "Fine, sorry for giving you so much trouble. I'm normally much laid back, but I don't like the circumstances right now."
"Heh, me either." Agahnim smiled, which Twilight returned.
The underground cells and rooms had gone through extensive renovations, having been hit the worst by the Calamity above. Torches lined the walls, illuminating the murky halls.
"Everyone, hold a moment." Shade stopped suddenly, slowly turning around to face them.
"Something wrong?" Agahnim inquired.
"...No, but I must ask everyone something." He narrowed his eyes, moving his hand outwards with the palm down. "Hold out your right hand."
Everyone did so; Link, Zelda, Twilight, and Agahnim held out their hands, the three black triangles of the Triforce ever present on their skin.
Shade's entire Triforce glowed, albeit with a subtle dark tint to it.
Zelda's bottom left one glowed bright, recognizing that her power had been re-awoken.
Link and Twilight's bottom right one also glowed, the former's a dim gold, the latter's a murky gold to show his Twili magic.
Agahnim's top one glowed nearly the brightest, almost as much as the Princess'.
"Interesting..." Shade mused, withdrawing his hand. "It appears the Triforce still resides within us all, despite the fact that only three should possess a piece."
"Is that bad?"
"Not at all, it could even prove useful in the future." He inclined his head. "Let's continue on."
They did so, coming to the string of cells that held the Yiga prisoners. They had seven in total, two footsoldiers, two Blademasters, and the Clan-Master, Strum. An entire company of soldiers patrolled this single corridor, fully aware of how dangerous their prisoners could be.
And yet, one Yiga was against the bar reaching out towards Zelda, a panicked, remorseful look on his face.
"Princess! Please...Forgive us!" He pleaded, his voice heavy with sorrow. "They tainted our minds and controlled our bodies to attack, we had no choice!"
"It is true m'lady!" Another cried.
"What?" She blinked. "What do you mean, 'they tainted our minds'?"
"Do you believe so many would serve Ganon willingly?" Shade inquired. "Few of the Yiga are Sheikah, I can sense it. Most were Hylians, kidnapped and brainwashed into becoming loyal to the Evil King. He has multiple histories of doing this."
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"Agahnim has the magical ability to undo the brainwashing and turn them back to our side..." Shade went quiet. "A power only available to Wraiths, if I am correct."
"You are. However, the leaders of the Yiga are indeed evil...so far gone that any trace of their former selves are too far buried or eradicated to be brought back." Agahnim noted.
"We...killed...innocent people?" Zelda realized, horrified.
Link's face contorted with anger. "That...No way...!"
Agahnim strode over to the cell containing all the captured Yiga, including those that attacked Link before. He waved his hand, a fine blue-gold light dancing from his head and to their heads. All of them simultaneously grabbed at their heads in pain.
"They speak the truth." He confirmed, a hint of sadness in his voice.
"If it is any comfort. It is better to die than live under a spell." Shade murmured. "It's an experience I know well."
"I..." Zelda couldn't muster anymore words, the shock of this truth hitting her full force. She simply turned and stared into space, sobbing quietly. While Link comforted her, The others turned to the other Cell, where Strum sat in the darkness.
"Bring him out." Twilight instructed the nearby jailer. They nodded and unlocked the cell, two soldiers dragging the weary Strum out and into the hall, his hands bound with metal chains.
Almost instantly, several soldiers became tense, ready to stop any possible uprising or surprise attack the Clan-Master could enact.
None came fortunately, as he looked up to face his captors, his mask long gone, showing off his red facial tattoos, black hair, and short jagged beard.
"Ganon is planning something, Strum." Agahnim said, glaring. "I know you know what that is, so you're gonna tell me and I'll make sure this isn't too painful."
Strum promptly spat in his face. "Piss off, abomination."
Agahnim wiped his face off, grabbing Strum by the chin and drawing his short blade, running the sharp edge along his cheek, blood leaking from the wound.
"Alright, which ear should go first then?" He murmured, pushing the blade down on his right ear.
"Agahnim." Shade said calmly, distracting the Gerudo. "Let's not be barbaric, we have simpler ways of doing this, remember?"
"...Yes, that's right." Agahnim frowned, standing up and sheathing his blade.
"Do you plan on tickling me?" Strum taunted.
"No, you are tainted by darkness." Agahnim said, looking at his right hand. "I'll bring you to the light once more."
"What does tha-AHHHH!"
Strum screamed in agony as Agahnim forced his right hand onto his face, a dark gold magic swirling from his Triforce and onto the Clan-Master's face, his amber eyes slowly changing to blue.
Link and Zelda turned back and watched in horror as brilliant red, gold, and blue light erupted from his eyes and mouth, his pained expression morphing into a shocked one as Agahnim's appearance seemed to change for a split moment, his hair becoming a long mess of flames, eyes sunken and dark with his jaw seemingly missing. Two horns grew from his temple, pointed upwards. Then, during that moment, time froze to a standstill. The lights and magic disappearing as Agahnim spoke in a hushed tone, his normal form returning.
"You serve Hyrule now...!"
Time resumed, Agahnim withdrawing his hand from Strum's cheek. The Clan-Master frozen in place with a golden triforce branded on the side of his cheek, his eyes and facial tattoos glowing an unnatural blue.
The Gerudo knelt and unlocked his bindings, the Clan-Master immediately moving to one knee and bowing his head.
"I...serve...Hyrule now." He spoke, voice hushed and unnatural.
"Did you..?" Link asked, watching Zelda with concern as she turned back around.
"Yes. Like Shade said, I can undo Ganon's brainwashing. But for those who're too far gone, I can instead permanently change their allegiance so they serve me, or in this case, Hyrule." Agahnim explained. "He'll still be himself once the initial shock wears off, but for now he'll follow any order he's given."
Twilight and Shade gave each other knowing glances.
Strum stood up, observing his new leaders with a curious gaze.
"Now, Strum. Tell us what Ganon is planning, spare no details."
"Ganon originally planned to assassinate the Princess and Heroes at the Ball, however the presence of the Fierce Deity has forced him to change to his backup plan."
"Which is?"
"War." Strum began to speak more naturally. "He wants to set up impenetrable fortresses around the kingdom, in each province so he can oppress any resistance from the populace, as he's been done in by a Resistance before."
"Makes sense." Twilight remarked. "Where are these fortresses located?"
"The-"
Before he could finish, Tennessee rushed in from the halls, hollering for the Princess in a frantic tone. This intrusion snapped the Princess out of her trance.
"Oh! Lieutenant, calm yourself!" She held her hand out. "What is the problem?"
"It's the Towers! They're collapsing!"
Tennessee led them up through the castle and to the platform outside the Sanctum, observing the vast expanse of Hyrule around them.
The Central tower was the first to go, slowly loosing it's color and slowly receding into the ground.
"They're not collapsing." Link said, eyes wide. "They're going back into the ground."
One by one, every tower in view slowly sank back into their original position, before Link had raised them. The land was soon devoid of their presence.
Then, it was in the company of a much darker one.
In the place of the Tower's, black structures began to rise, formed by a dark magic as they rose up to the size of the tower's themselves.
"Is that?" Twilight began.
"Ganon's Magic. Those structures look just like his Castle." Shade growled.
"No, not that. That!" Twilight pointed to the west, across the river.
From the depths of the Breach of Demise, a massive black mass arose and moved across the bridge and river into Hyrule Field. It moved slowly away from them and towards the Fortress, the black gates opening to let them inside.
"Is that...Malice?" Zelda inquired, shocked.
"No...Bokoblins." Agahnim gripped the railing. "Dammit! They said they wouldn't side with him!"
"Wait, you talked with Bokoblins?" Link looked at him with a curious expression.
"Probably." Twilight remarked. "I've known Monsters who could speak our language quite well. Do they have a leader like the Bulbins?"
"Yes, he is simply known as King Bokoblin. Named himself after the one in your era." Agahnim pushed off the rail, still watching the far away fort. "Damn, if they get rooted in, we'll never be able to take them down."
He turned to Zelda. "Princess, you need to gather your troops and take these fortresses down quickly."
"But we can't just..."
"Princess, listen to reason!" He cried. "If you don't act now, you'll have Monsters and Yiga at your doorstep, never mind the countless forts all over Hyrule that can attack the Towns and Stbles. Kakariko and Hateno. People will die!"
Zelda stared down at her feet, fists clenched. She was shaking, in either fear or fury.
"Why are you so bent on fighting yourself?" Twilight asked, watching as Link tried to comfort her again.
"I am devoid of the Malice and Hate that made me Ganon, and I've only ever sought to help my People and make peace between humans and monsters." He murmured. "But it's destiny and malice that made me the monster I was, and Ganon is that side of me that I wish to bury. Forever."
"...Then we shall fight." Zelda said suddenly, looking up.
"Are you sure, Princess?" Tennessee said in shock. "Can we even face a task like that?"
"With proper aid, we can not only do that, we can do so flawlessly." Link stated, his hand on Zelda's shoulder. "How many troops are battle ready?"
Tennessee stopped for a moment, seeming to think.
"Thirty Thousand, above average." He frowned. "But there's not nearly enough to take and hold each fortress."
"...Maybe we won't have to!" Agahnim suggested. "The monsters of Hyrule have society of strength, they follow the strongest fighter. As for the Yiga, all I have to do is control the leader, and they won't harm a soul. If all else fails, we destroy the fortress proper."
"And what of the Castle?"
"Leave about Five Thousand Troops here." Shade said. "Do that, plus the Bokoblins at the Fortress if we can ally with them, and all will be well."
"Yeah." Twilight agreed. "The Champion's can run things while we're gone. I can warp to them if we need assistance."
Zelda nodded, staring off the railing to the Fortresses dotting the landscape. A sour pit in her stomach, she steeled up, determined to see this through.
To protect her kingdom and her friends.
"Tomorrow, the first Fortress falls."
Author's Note
A bit mediocre, but it gets the job done.
I'm back in school! Yay...Not really. :(
Anyway, the concept of Brainwashing is from Zelda proper, but I put a little spin on it.
Alot of things from this saga will be similar to elements from Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor/War. I've played a lot of that game this past week and I love the idea of branding Orcs and controlling entire armies.
Something I really wanna do is have Shade not be able to keep a physical form, so he has to bind with Link (Since Twilight isn't really alive anyway.) Link then gets magical powers and can even brand/brainwash enemies like Agahnim. Which is similar to what the Wraith in Middle Earth does.
I might do that...
Don't get me wrong, while there will be elements like that, I'm also bringing back elements from Breath of the Wild itself, since I've strayed a bit away from that premise. The Survival elements and Memories are gonna have a return and things such as the previous champions and other Lore elements will come into play.
So no, this won't just be Hyrule Warriors and Shadow of Mordor in Breath of the Wild. (That'd be an awesome game though.)
It's just...Breath of the Wild with a little bit of Hyrule Warriors and Shadow of Mordor added in. :D
I promise I won't stray far, pinkie-swear!