LOVE IN A TIME OF CALAMITY
Part 1: The Return of Calamity Ganon
Chapter 2: Power Awakened

Author's note
12/3/17: One small new scene added! Otherwise mostly the same with minor edits.
Warnings: blood/gore, violence

They hadn't even made it out of the graveyard before needing to regroup. Beneath the dark and foreboding sky, monsters of every shape, size, and color had flooded Hyrule Field, following the roads towards the screaming residents of Castle Town and out into the far reaches of Hyrule. Every manner of beast and monster filled the grassy plain: bokoblins, moblins, stahls, lynels, swarms of keese, lizalfos, hinoxes… More were appearing every few feet in swirls of red and black. In the short span of time they'd argued in the graveyard, Hyrule Field had been transformed into a veritable death trap. The Castle Town guard was overwhelmed, and despite a flood of soldiers pouring out into the field from the barracks and the mass of monsters guardians felled left and right, their defensive perimeter was being steadily pushed back towards the city walls.

Zelda hid within the graveyard, leaning heavily against the outer wall as she gazed skyward with weary trepidation. Rain poured down in icy droplets; she could feel them landing on her cheeks and trickling down her face and shoulders, soaking her prayer dress and causing it to cling uncomfortably to her skin. The moment she'd come within view of the field, her heart had started pounding furiously and it hadn't yet stopped. She had known the coming of Calamity Ganon would herald, well, calamity… but she hadn't pictured much outside of Ganon itself, let alone that she may be faced with such a massive obstacle as the one before her simply to reach it.

Link was peering cautiously around the archway to survey the field. After several silent moments, he pulled his head back to rest against the wall, turning to Zelda appraisingly.

"Do you have experience with weapons of any kind?" Link asked, making to move towards Epona who stood with Flint beneath a nearby tree. Zelda nodded, clearing her throat with difficulty.

"I… I was taught the basics of how to wield a dagger after my mother's death."

Link began digging through his saddle bags before producing a small, sheathed blade attached to a leather belt. Returning to her side, he extended it towards her.

"Just in case."

She tried to hide the trembling in her hands as she grasped the handle, making to pull it to her, but it didn't go unnoticed. Grabbing the hand she had wrapped around the dagger, Link stilled the trembling of her hand with his own. Lowering his head slightly, he caught her eye.

"You don't have to do this."

Zelda held his gaze, seeing in his steadfast resolve her own failure atop Mount Lanayru, at all of the shrines, and in her daily prayers and devotions. Steadying herself, she pulled her hand free, dagger in tow.

"Yes, I do."

Looking down, she avoided the intensity in his eyes, wrapping the leather strap around her waist so the hilt of the dagger was within an easy arm's reach. Goddesses willing it wouldn't come to that.

Link stepped away, moving to peek beyond the archway once more, but the moment his head became visible a loud horn sounded nearby. Link tensed, pulling back and turning his head quickly in her direction while unsheathing the Master Sword.

"Stay back!"

No sooner had the words left his lips before the lead bokoblin with horn in hand stumbled into the graveyard, feet slapping along the wet dirt. Head turning rapidly in search of its prey, it had only just spotted them when, swiftly and silently, Link leapt into the air, Master Sword held above his head. The bokoblin barely had a moment to blink as, with incredible strength and speed, Link brought the sword down on its head, splitting its skull with a sickening crunch and landing deftly on his feet. Pausing long enough to take a single breath, he spun once launching the sword straight at the next bokoblin, embedding itself in the center of its chest. Sprinting forward, he pulled the sword free of the stunned monster, and spun again in a large circle, sword arm extended, slicing two deep, horizontal gouges into the third bokoblin as it ran in through the archway.

Zelda stood, stunned, leaning against the graveyard wall. He had just killed three bokoblins in a matter of seconds. She had never seen Link fight, not really. Sure, she'd seen him in the practice yards a handful of times, and she'd been present when he'd killed that Yiga in the desert—something she didn't think she could ever forget; but it was nothing like this. Her stunned reverie was broken by the sound of a sudden pop as the three bokoblin corpses disappeared in a a puff of black smoke, the only evidence of their presence the dark blood which stained the ground.

Suddenly, overhead, a massive red beam appeared in the sky with a loud hiss, striking the inky aura Gannon's presence had slowly created around the castle. It let loose a deafening cry, prompting Zelda to pull her hands up to cover her ears, grimacing. Though her view was obstructed somewhat by the walls of the graveyard, following the source of the beam north-east with her eyes, it suddenly registered in her mind what it was; Vah Ruta—Mipha! A surge of hope bolstered Zelda's courage. Maybe they could still do this after all.

Tearing her gaze away from the beam to look at Link, she saw he too had noticed. Eyes on her, he offered her a brief, heartening smile before returning to the task at hand.

Link sheathed the Master Sword, relaying their next steps, "It looks like the majority of Gannon's forces which haven't already left the field are heading towards Castle Town. With the guards and guardians occupying their attention, we should be able to head in that direction largely unnoticed until we near the city. Stay close and watch your surroundings. Once we reach the city, stay away from the battle and stay on your horse. I'll cut a path through and when I do, run behind the defensive perimeter. Do you understand?"

It took a few seconds for Zelda to process all of what he'd said. Vaguely the thought occurred to her that he would make a great general—if they made it out of this alive, anyway. That thought sobered her. She nodded firmly, moving towards Flint and hopping into the Saddle. With a leap, Link mounted Epona and positioned himself at the entrance to the graveyard. Zelda placed herself directly beside him.

Link reached for his bow and quiver strapped to his saddle bag, slipping the quiver on his back and keeping his bow in hand. Speaking over his shoulder as he prepared himself, he gave his final instructions, "On my mark, we go. Push flint for all he's worth. The longer we stay in the open, the higher the chance of drawing attention."

Her heart was beating a hole through her chest. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded distant and faraway when she responded, "On your mark."

Link turned briefly in his saddle to look over at her fully. Catching her eye, his gaze was intense but inscrutable for the brief few seconds he looked at her; she felt like a specimen under a microscope, a faint flush creeping up her cheeks. Turning forward, he leaned into his saddle, one hand gripping the reins while the other gripped his bow. "On the count of three."

Tension filled her from head to toe.

"One."

Zelda's palms began to sweat as her grip on Flint's reins tightened.

"Two."

Her heart leapt into her throat.

"Three!"

She leaned forward, flicking the reins and digging her heels into Flint's side, hard. Like lightning, both horses raced forward, hooves squelching in the mud.

Wind whipped at her face as she squinted her eyes trying to keep the rain from obscuring her vision. However, the sight which greeted her as she galloped toward the city made her wish she could see less. Fires dotted the field around Castle Town, despite the rain, embers floating into the air like red fireflies. Piles of bodies littered the ground around the outer wall, having been dragged from the battle by comrades; figures clad in Hyrulean blue, tunics stained red. The writhing corpses of bokoblins and moblins, wounded but not yet dead, littered the field. Near the south-eastern corner of the city wall, a guardian locked its laser onto a hinox which was running towards it with an uprooted tree in hand and releasing a feral roar. With a blast the guardian knocked the Hinox back twenty feet, its tree exploding in a burst of fire and wood shrapnel. In the distance Ganon circled the castle, and Zelda watched in horror as it veered suddenly into the astronomy tower, sending a tremendous crunching sound echoing across the field as the top of the tower crumbled into the moat.

Wrenching her eyes from the sight, Zelda looked forward to see Link sitting up in his saddle, reins resting against Epona's neck as he swiveled, firing off arrow after arrow, every one hitting its mark between the eyes of bokoblins, moblins, and lizalfos.

Suddenly, overhead, another red beam appeared in the sky with a hiss, striking Gannon. It let loose another screech, making Zelda cringe. Arching her head to follow the beam southward with her eyes, it seemed to come from the direction of the Gerudo Desert. Vah Nabooris—Urbosa! Inwardly, Zelda cheered. They were doing it!

So far she and Link had remained largely unnoticed in the wet, smoky chaos of the field, but they were quickly approaching the heart of the battle along the defensive perimeter of the southern gate into Castle Town. The sounds of clanging metal, the thumps of shields on flesh, and guttural battle cries reached her ears as the front line loomed. The sight alone from across the field had been horrifying, but up close, where she could see the faces of her soldiers scrunch up in pain with every wound and hear the banshee cries of the monsters as they ran her men through… She wrenched her eyes away in an effort to keep bile from rising to her throat. She needed to focus if she was to get out of this alive.

Link, having slipped his bow over his shoulder, turned briefly to shout behind him, "Stop on my mark!"

Zelda didn't bother to reply, too overwhelmed with the sights and sounds around her and struggling to remain focused on the task at hand. Not but a few moments after his command, he raised his arm at a 90 degree angle, hand in a fist, and shouted. Zelda pulled hard on the reins, but Link didn't follow suit. Instead, he pulled himself up into his saddle, Epona still galloping pell-mell towards the the battle before the gate, then back-flipped gracefully off the mare's back, pulling his bow from his shoulder faster than she could track and firing two arrows in rapid succession before landing lightly on his feet, knees bent and arms outstretched. As he stood, two bokoblins she hadn't noticed running at her from the right fell forward, arrows sticking out from between their eyes. How had he even seen that? Unsheathing the Master Sword, Link darted forward into the fray.

The near-miss sent fear and adrenalin coursing through her. Willing herself to ignore the way her heart pounded in her ears, she grabbed her Sheikah slate and surveyed the battle field in search of something she could do or use to help. She had insisted on coming, now she needed to prove her worth. It only took a moment before she spotted it: wooden shipping crates sat in a pile outside the city gate, and right next to them sat a large, shining silver chest. She quickly activated the magensis rune, lifting the chest off the ground and searching for a target. Finding one, she sent the chest hurtling at the head of large hinox making its way up the battle field. It hit home with a sickening crunch. The beast tripped and face-planted in the mud, all movement ceasing.

Elation bubbled up within her. She had done it! She wasn't useless after all! Fueled by her victory, she selected the magnesis rune again and lifted the chest from the ground. Emboldened by her success, she swung it before her in a wide, distant arc, knocking bokoblins and stahls off their feet; then she swung it back, lower this time, smashing into each of their heads. One by one the monsters disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Victory again!

In her battle-high euphoria, she didn't notice how her unsubtle display had attracted the attention of a group of bow-wielding stahlkoblins. Focusing on trying to set her magnesis target, she was suddenly overshadowed by Link jumping over her head from the left of her horse, shield raised as he sailed above her. The dull thump of arrows resounded against his shield as he landed light on his feet. As he reached the ground Flint reared back, whinnying, throwing Zelda off and into the mud with a thump. Dazed, she looked up trying to grasp what had just happened. A trail of red dripped down her steed's snow-white haunch where an arrow protruded as, eyes wide and nostrils flared, Flint took off galloping across the field.

The noise of battle echoed all around her as she pulled herself to her knees, heart pounding and head spinning. Another near miss. Damnit, she couldn't get anything right! Link quickly approached, eying her with concern. He knelt before her, offering his hand.

"Did you get hit?"

Zelda sought out his eyes—familiar pools of blue in a tide of blood. Shaking her head she accepted his hand, trying to rid herself of morbid thoughts.

"No, I… I'm fine."

Suddenly Link went flying, a blur of gray scales knocking him off his feet. In his place before her stood a tall, striped silver Lizalfos, tongue dangling from its mouth as it eyed its target sprawled across the ground. Zelda stared wide-eyed, heart pounding, too stunned to move. It seemed to suddenly notice her presence, turning to face her as it reached for a polearm off its back.

"Zelda!"

Link's voice brought life to her locked-up limbs as, without thinking, she reached for her dagger.

"Hold it firmly by the handle, angle your wrist just so… lock your elbow, there, like that…" her old tutor's voice floated to the fore of her mind as her body performed the maneuvers she'd been forced to master over the months that followed her mother's assassination all those years ago. Fueled by panic and fear, she quickly darted forward before the Lizalfos had a chance to position its much larger weapon, stabbing hard and deep where the jugular would have been on a hylian target—that was, after all, what she'd been trained to fight. Dark blood spurted forward, coating her hands as the monster's eyes widened in shock. Pulling back and tightening her grip against the slick substance, she strafed to the side, stabbing again into the monster's side, ripping across its stomach. The monster howled in pain, dropping its polearm and leaping backwards, clutching its side and stalking her slowly, at a safer distance. Suddenly she heard a shout as Link came flying from her left, taking the monster by surprise. In one fluid motion he raised the Master Sword, decapitating it. Its head rolled away, as its body slowly slumped to the ground before disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

Zelda stared at where the monster had been, her brain slowly catching up to what she had just done. She felt the dagger slip from her hands as she looked down, noticed for the first time the dark blood coating her hands, slowly being washed away by the rain. She was shaking, her breathing erratic. What had she done?

A hand gently grabbed her shoulder and she started, looking up with startled eyes to see Link staring at her intently.

"Are you alright?"

Before she could answer, a hissing noise sliced through the air, followed by another vicious howl as Gannon's jaws went wide with rage. Zelda cringed as the sound echoed in her eardrums, turning to look towards the Castle. Link followed suit. She could see a third red beam firing on Gannon, this one coming from the North. Vah Rudania—Daruk! However, she'd barely had a chance to register this victory before the beam from Vah Ruta hissed and disappeared. Zelda looked to Link in alarm. His gaze was focused on the castle, eyes hard. Vah Ruta was Mipha's divine beast. If the beam had disappeared, did that mean…?

Suddenly, a sickly red smoke began to seep from Ganon's slowly stretching maw. Zelda watched, transfixed by the unearthly sight; Link followed the scene with wary trepidation beside her. It slithered through the sky above Castle Town until reaching the front line. Link stepped in front of Zelda then, extending his hand and pushing her behind him. Hovering above the fighting, it was then that the smoke was sucked suddenly into the guardians interspersed between the Castle Town guard, like smoke up a chimney. As suddenly as it had entered into the machines, so too did the guardians cease all movement, eyes coming to a halt as their blue glow slowly faded to red.

The Castle Town guard was too busy fighting to notice the change in their counterparts until it was too late. Eyes swiveling, the machines turned their beams on the soldiers as one, and, with a synchronized ticking echoing through the field, every guardian fired upon them. Their bodies went flying, some on fire, some in pieces, landing unceremoniously on the perimeter wall and in heaps across the field. The guardians began charging, making to fire again.

Link suddenly turned, grabbing Zelda's hand tightly and taking off in the opposite direction pulling her with him.

"Run!"

Zelda could hear a ringing in her ears, cold disbelief settling over her like the chill of the rain. She let herself be pulled along, sandaled feet slapping along the soggy ground, gaze unable to turn from the destruction before the gate. The guardians were climbing over the Castle Town walls now, firing upon the city. Screams echoed from within.

Her mind was numb. They had been turning the tide! They'd almost made it through to the gate, until… Her mind struggled to comprehend the mass slaughter that had just occurred. Gone, all of them… Surely some had families, children… Her chest tightened in pain and black spots appeared in her vision—with a sudden gasp, she realized she hadn't been breathing.

"Zelda!"

Whipping her head around from the horrifying scene behind her to face Link, it became clear he'd been trying to get her attention. Seeing he finally had it, he shouted, panting as he spoke.

"Don't look at it; just… keep moving."

So this was it, then. They had failed, and now all that was left was to run and hide from the big bad wolf and hope it never found them. The city shrunk behind them as a copse of trees loomed ahead. Link made for the cover, and Zelda struggled to keep up as he began darting around trunks and underbrush. A stitch formed in her side and, slipping on the mud in her flat sandals, her wet hand slipped through his and she fell to the ground with a gasp, landing on her hands and knees.

Link slowed and backtracked, coming to stand before her; but Zelda couldn't bring herself to rise. Her limbs ached, and a penetrating horror filled her being. It was over. They'd lost. Years of preparation for this moment had still not been enough. She had failed… everyone. Sensing his presence, she spoke her despair, voice hollow and broken.

"How? How did it come to this?"

Link didn't answer, but moved to kneel before her.

"The guardians… they've all turned against us. Calamity Gannon, it… it turned them all against us!" She took a shuddering breath, lifting her head to meet Link's serious expression. Feeling her throat constrict, she knew she couldn't stop the emotions rising within her; couldn't bear to face him. lifting her muddied hands, she covered her face. "It's all my fault!" she sobbed, "Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this cursed power!"

She let out a shuddering gasp. "Everything—everything I have done up until now… It was all for nothing!" Feeling despair and rage and frustration rise within her, she viciously pulled her hands down and shouted at Link, brows drawn and eyes streaming with tears.

"So I really am just a failure!"

Another sob echoed after her proclamation, but the flurry of emotions had died down, leaving her feeling empty.

"My friends… my Kingdom… my father most of all… I tried, and I failed them! I left them…" Her voice came out as barely a whisper, images of the mangled bodies of her Kingdom's soldiers floating vividly in her mind, "All to die."

Her eyes were red-rimmed, hollow, gazing at link with a soul-deep despair. Sorrow filled her being completely, and she could feel her chest tightening at how hopeless the situation had become. There was no chance of victory, now; this was the end. Uncaring of royal protocol or the fact that they were both soaking wet and sitting in mud mid-flight not far from a raging battle field, she launched herself at link, letting the sobs loose like howls upon the wind. She distantly registered surprise as he embraced her tightly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and gently pulling her into his chest. The visceral feeling of his kindness, his tenderness after the horrors which had filled the day burst the damn and she sobbed freely into his chest, letting her despair wash over her in waves. She didn't know how long she'd clung to him—it couldn't have been too long, given what was going on around them—but when finally her tears had run dry, she tentatively pulled her face up to look at him. She expected indifference or impatience or stoicism, but instead he looked upon her with gentleness despite the tension which still shone in his eyes. Leaning forward, he softly gripped her wet shoulders, slowly sliding his hands down to her elbows.

"Zelda." The way he said her name sent shivers up her spine that had nothing to do with the rain.

"We do not choose our fate; nor do we choose how our fate will unfold. And sometimes… sometimes one path is infinitely harder than another."

Lifting his hand, he gently brushed away a wet strand of hair that clung to her forehead before continuing, brow furrowed but eyes kind. His words were slow and deliberate.

"I don't blame you for this. You have given everything you could—so I do not think you a failure. Even though things look bleak, I will keep fighting; for you, and for Hyrule."

His hand had settled on her bare shoulder, a fact Zelda was acutely aware of. Her her heart clenched painfully, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. His words touched her deeply, stirring something in her she had not known was there. Her eyes were lost in his twin pools of blue—the rain, the battle, all forgotten as his words embedded themselves in her heart. She reached out a hand towards his face…

Suddenly, a whirring sound reached her ears, and the moment was broken. Link tensed, standing quickly and bringing Zelda to rise with him. Turning to face the source of the noise, she spotted it: crawling quickly across the field, eye trained upon them and body glowing red, was a guardian.

"Zelda, run."

Link moved in front of her, unsheathing the Master Sword; but she remained still, immobilized by a sudden overwhelm of fear and guilt. The guardians were designed to face off against Ganon—they were extremely powerful weapons. If Link didn't flee with her, he would surely die just as the guards had, chosen hero or not…

Link turned briefly to face her, his expression hard as he placed himself in a defensive stance between her and the approaching beast. "Zelda, Run!"

Fear welled within her and she took several steps back, watching with wide eyes as the guardian wove its way through the trees towards them. Far too soon it was upon them both, a ticking sound echoing off the trees as it aimed its eye on Link.

"Link!"

Just in time, he dove out of the way, rolling to the side. The grass where Link had been standing moments before erupted into flames, and Zelda pulled her arm in front of her face to protect her eyes from embers and flying chunks of dirt. Feeling the heat of the flames upon her face brought her back to her senses and she dove for safety behind the trunk of a large tree, panting heavily with exertion and fear. Link had pulled his bow off his shoulder and knocked an arrow, sending it flying into the guardian's eye—but it seemed to have little effect.

The ticking started again, but this time Link was too slow. While he missed getting a direct blow, he was too close to the blast site and was sent flying into the trunk of a tree, his torso and head hitting with a resounding crack.

Zelda nearly stopped breathing.

"Link!"

The guardian was on the move again, having finally noticed Zelda now that his primary target was no longer a distraction. Link struggled to pull himself up from the ground, leaning on his sword for support. As the guardian approached her, Link dragged himself in front of her, placing himself between her and the guardian. He was wheezing and blood dripped steadily from the back of his head, staining his blond hair red. Panic seized her as she realized what he was trying to do: sacrifice his life for hers. She grabbed his shoulders anxiously, speaking rapidly and stepping slightly to the side to see his face. His pupils were different sizes.

"Link, save yourself—go! I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Run!"

Without a word, Link shot his arm out, using the last of his strength to try and push her behind him as he leaned heavily upon his sword. Glancing up at the guardian, she saw it's eye lock on and prepare to fire, the same ticking noise echoing off the trees as a red dot appeared in the center of his chest.

It suddenly hit her like a hinox: Link was going to die. But he couldn't die… He just… It wasn't possible. He had become a fixture, a constant… Life didn't make sense without him in it, anymore. This just… wasn't possible. She refused to let it be possible.

"NO!"

Without thinking, as if gripped by some deep, unknowable instinct, she jumped in front of him, arm outstretched.

A set of three golden triangles appeared on the back of her hand, glowing white, as a blinding light burst forth from her hand, expanding outward in a golden sphere before bursting like a bubble. A pillar of light extended skyward from her being, surrounding her, before slowly dimming into nothingness. Then, all was still.

The Guardian had stopped moving, making a whirring, clinking noise, its head spinning and spinning. Then, it collapsed on the ground in a heap with a loud thump.

Zelda stared before her, dumbfounded, brain struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

"Was… was that… the power?" she whispered reverently, slowly bringing her hand before her shocked face to observe the well-known symbol that now adorned the back of her hand.

Behind her, she heard a thump. Turning quickly on her heel, she saw Link on his hands and knees upon the ground. Her heart skipped a beat.

"No… No!"

Dropping to her knees before him, she grabbed him by the shoulders just as his arms gave out. He seemed to be pulsing with a very faint, golden glow, but in her fear and confusion, she failed to notice.

"Link… Link!"

His head lolled forward briefly before slowly, so slowly, he lifted it to meet her frightened gaze. His eyes were clear and focused, if confused, and, thank the goddesses, his pupils were the same size!

"Link!" she choked, burying her head in his neck and holding him tightly.

"What… what happened?" His voice was groggy, but very much cogent. Pulling away, she met his confused expression with a slow-building smile.

"I did it," she whispered, wrapping her arm under his neck. When he continued to stare at her blankly, she raised her right hand, turning it so he could see the faintly glowing triangles that now adorned the back of her hand. His eyes widened in shock. He looked from her hand to her face, a smile growing as he did so.

With her help, Link shifted to a kneeling position. Pulling back a bit, she leaned onto the balls of her feet, assessing his condition. "Can you stand?" she asked, now offering him her hand for the first time that day. Link nodded, accepting and pulling himself up.

He looked around the clearing, at the destruction caused by the guardian and at its corpse lying limply in the grass. Turning to Zelda, he slowly raised his hand in offering. They both knew what they needed to do. She met his gaze with confidence. They could do this.

"Are you ready?"

Zelda smiled, the triforce adorning her hand pulsing brightly as her hand came to rest in his. Joy surged through her as she spoke her next words, words she'd longed to be able to say since the day he drew the Master Sword.

"I'm ready."