LOVE IN A TIME OF CALAMITY
Part 1: The Return of Calamity Ganon
Chapter 4: The Battle for Hyrule

Author's note
12/3/17: The most unchanged chapter so far, just a few minor edits.
Warnings: Blood/gore, violence. AU-ish spoilers for Calamity Ganon boss fight. If you want to avoid, skip to 'Cheers and sobs…' Nine paragraphs from the bottom.

Raindrops dripped down Link's face as he stepped forward cautiously, Master Sword held aloft and glowing in the receding early evening light. No one knew what form the calamity was to take, and though Link hadn't given it much thought, he certainly hadn't expected… this. This couldn't be it, could it?

The lump in the center gave a sudden lurch, light piercing through the sac like dappled sunlight. Reaching a breaking point it exploded outward, dissipating into heavy black smoke as a giant, monstrous creature was birthed of the mass. Its head was small with wild, mismatched, glowing yellow eyes set into sinewy black skin above a sinister, toothy grin. A long ginger beard hung haphazardly from its chin, resting upon a muscled chest. Its hair stuck out in all directions atop its head. Mismatched arms gave the creature a distinctly lopsided appearance, one arm thick and muscled, the other thin and reedy.

Though its upper body was humanoid, its lower body was spider-like: six mechanistic legs supported a thick, oblong abdomen from which additional arms sprouted. Each was its own weapon: from one, a giant flaming axe melted seamlessly into its sinewy black forearm; another ended in a hand gripping a long, translucent blue polearm; from yet another grew long claws in the place of nails, the same translucent blue; and others sported short swords and clicking scissor-like blades.

It struck an unnerving chord within Link: too much of it looked humanoid for it to seem like just a beast, yet too much of it was bestial to look truly humanoid. It was surreal—a corruption of the natural order.

As Ganon's eyes narrowed on Link, he was momentarily blinded by light and deafened by a howling shriek as Zelda's magic erupted from behind him, piercing Ganon's flesh. As the light began to dim, Link heard Zelda's voice—different, more ethereal and too soft to have been able to be heard over all the noise. It was almost like it was resonating only in his head…?

"I've taken it by surprise; Strike now, Link!"

Link didn't need telling twice. Tightening his grip on the master sword, he lunged forward to where Ganon's head was lolling in a daze and struck hard, slicing across its cheek in a flurry of strikes. The blows seemed to do little, leaving mere scratches on its skin.

As Gannon came to its senses, Link jumped back, circling the half-man half-beast looking for another opening. Ganon had turned a furious gaze on Link, making to strike with its axe-hand. Link lunged to the side narrowly avoiding the fiery appendage and the flames it sent bursting forth from the powerful impact as it struck the muddy ground. No sooner had Link gotten to his feet than Ganon had pulled back its axe and thrown its polearm; Link barely avoided it in a hurried lunge backwards. Lifting one of its rear legs, Link noticed the thick blocky foot was actually the casing for a miniature guardian laser, a realization made in just enough time to raise his shield in defense as it let off a blast of energy.

Upon impact Link went flying backwards, struggling to gather his wits in time to land on his feet. He didn't remain in one spot for long. Zig-zagging his way forward as he avoided more blasts, link rushed, spotting an opening and thrusting the Master Sword forward into its torso. This seemed to have a greater effect as the strike was met with a loud screech; but Ganon recovered quickly, jumping into the air and slamming its body onto the ground with a resounding thump. Link was sent sprawling by the force of the impact, Master Sword embedding itself in the mud 20 feet away.

He felt dazed, black spots filling his vision which he quickly tried to shake away, struggling to focus on the fight. Link clumsily rose to his feet and darted towards the master sword, grabbing the handle and making to put some distance between him and his foe. He could feel a bruise blossoming along his rib cage and thigh where he'd landed, both of which were bound to slow him down in close-quarters combat.

Ganon also took the opportunity to put distance between itself and its prey, quickly scurrying backwards up a nearby building, sending blue tiles tumbling to the ground as its legs scrabbled for purchase. Holding aloft its one weaponless hand, a ball of fire began to form within it. With a flick of the wrist Ganon sent the fire ball slowly floating through the air towards Link. As he tried to run out of range, Link realized the fire ball was tracking his movements, following him where he went. He paused, catching his breath and waiting until it was near enough to be unable to change direction before sprinting away; he could feel heat sear his back as the ball exploded on the ground behind him where he'd been standing moments before.

Once he'd cleared the heat of the explosion Link sprinted towards the still-standing outer wall of a smoldering building, running up the side then back-flipping off the wall in mid-air. Pulling forth his bow, he fired one, two, three arrows into Ganon's chest in quick succession. Ganon roared, jumping down from atop the building as one of its arms scrabbled at its chest. Snapping off the shafts of the arrows, black ooze slowly seeping from its wounds, Ganon took a heaving breath then stretched its arms wide. A burst of fiery energy radiated off of it as its skin suddenly transformed from black to yellow-orange, glowing like a hot coal atop death mountain. The rain sizzled as each droplet fell onto its body, small trails of steam rising off its skin. How was he to get close now?

As the two circled each other, an idea occurred to him. Reaching into his quiver for an electric arrow left over from clearing out a Lynel atop Shatterbreak Point, he quickly knocked it and sent it flying at Ganon. It made to move out of range, but wasn't quick enough: the arrow hit home near one of its back legs, sending an electric current jolting through its body. Ganon fell to the muddy ground, convulsing, its fiery aura momentarily fading. Taking quick advantage, Link darted forward, making several more choice strikes against its head and chest before leaping backwards as Ganon began to recover from the shock. It scuttled back as well, aura re-appearing as it swiped its fiery axe sideways through the air with rapid force, generating a small cyclone. Swiping again, it generated another. Eyes wide, Link sprinted to avoid them as they came whipping towards him, darting back and forth. As he skirted the central fountain, one of the cyclones passed right through, sending loose chunks of stone flying in all directions.

Dropping to the ground to avoid one as it flew at his head, Link almost didn't notice as Ganon threw its polearm at him. Unable to move quickly enough on the muddy ground to get out of range, he quickly raised his shield and felt the polearm collide with it, sending him sliding backwards in the mud. Link's face scrunched up in pain as a searing ache lanced up his arm. Quickly pulling his arm free of his shield and strapping it onto his back with his good hand, he felt along his damaged forearm. Pain exploded where he touched it, but he didn't pull back, quickly feeling out his injury. It wasn't broken, thank the goddessess, but it was perhaps fractured. Reaching into his belt for a red potion while holding his damaged arm against his chest, he pulled it forth, unstoppering it with his teeth and swallowing it down. Immediately the intensity of the pain faded. The potion had helped, but he'd have to be careful with his non-dominant arm; no more close calls. He stood, locating Ganon on the battle field.

Ganon was moving towards link, swinging the arms sporting short swords which Link deftly avoided and parried with the Master Sword. Seeing the futility of the strategy, Ganon pulled the short swords back and made to swing its giant axe once more. Link was far too close. Leaping backwards into a graceful backflip, Ganon narrowly missed him. Upon landing on his feet Link rushed forward in a flurry, swiping and slicing into Ganon rapidly with tremendous force, muscles aching with the effort. Darting backward with another backflip and strafing to the left to get out of melee range, Link could see he'd finally inflicted serious damage.

Black ooze poured from the wound, and the arachnid-esque grace it had exhibited up until now began to give way to clumsy sluggishness. It turned in rage towards Link who stood, Master Sword at the ready. He only needed one more good shot…

Ganon made to throw its polearm at Link once more, but he was too quick. Leaping to the side and deftly avoiding where the weapon embedded itself into the mud, Link sprinted forward, fueled by the nearness of victory, and delivered a fierce series of blows despite the near-unbearable heat radiating from the beast, before leaping backward as Ganon swiped fruitlessly with its shortsword arms. It howled in pain, its fiery aura slowly dimming until its sinewy black and red skin was all that remained.

Black ooze now gushed from the wound as Ganon flailed with furious desperation. Its legs struggled beneath it, slipping and sliding in the mud as it tried to remain standing; but it was over—they had done it. Ganon had been defeated.

Slumping to the ground, Gannon's body twitched once, twice, then fell still, ooze continuing to pour from its final wounds. However, before Link could revel in his victory, in a sudden explosion of black and red smoke its body disintegrated, wispy tendrils flying outward and slowing, swirling in agitation around where Ganon's body had just been.

Something wasn't right. Sensing a presence to his left, Link turned to see Zelda standing next to him, eyes closed and hands clasped as though in prayer. A small frown tugged at her features—she must be able to feel it too.

Suddenly, she lifted her head to gaze forward at the smoke before turning rapidly to look at him. Her eyes were glazed over, a solid white. Despite the battle he'd just endured, the sight of Zelda so unlike herself caused his pulse to quicken in alarm. She spoke with unearthly resonance, as she had before the city gate.

"Ganon has given up reincarnation and is assuming its pure, enraged form: a form of pure hate and malice. If set free upon our world the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before. The fight is not yet over, Hero."

The smoke began to rise into the air, swirling faster, condensing into a black cyclone. Almost as though in response Zelda began to glow brightly, skin and hair shining like gold. She extended a hand forward, palm up.

"I entrust you with the bow of light. It is a sacred relic and a powerful weapon in the face of evil. You will need it for the battle to come."

Fading into existence as it floated slowly from the sky above her hand was a beautiful, ornate golden bow. Though he had little experience with magic, even Link could feel the power which radiated from it. As it came to rest above her opened palm, he reverently reached to grasp it. Lowering her hand, she turned her attention forward. As she blinked, the milky white of her eyes faded and her bright green irises returned; yet still, she glowed.

Before them, the smoke had begun to coalesce, and from within the confines of the cyclone body parts began to appear: first a large, hoofed leg; then, a muscular shoulder. As the cyclone faded, the beast before them became fully revealed: it was a gargantuan creature, skin black like tar with streaks of dark blood-red rippling across it. A fiery mane protruded from the top of its boar-like head, and two large tusks were nestled beneath a snout, set below glowing yellow eyes.

Ignoring the two of them entirely, the beast turned its bulk towards the Castle Town gate and released a guttural roar. Lowering its head, red light began to emanate from within its maw, culminating in a beam of sickly red energy which blasted straight through the rightmost guard tower, obliterating the gate, tower, and a section of wall. With slow, heavy steps, the beast tromped forward, shaking the ground as it walked and destroying all in its path.

Zelda turned once more to Link, her green eyes boring urgently into his. "Call for Epona—she will come. When you reach the field take the bow: I will create weak spots on its hide for you to pierce with its light arrows. Go!" Without waiting for a response, she pulled her clasped hands against her chest, shutting her eyes in concentration. Her golden figure slowly began to dissolve into a mass of shimmering particles, which quickly ascended into the sky.

Link didn't have time to ponder the astonishing magic Zelda had just performed—the beast had already made its way out of Castle Town and into the field. Pulling his hands to his mouth, he let loose a loud whistle. The sound of a whinny in the distance reached him as Epona came galloping from the east. Leaping into the saddle without waiting for her to slow, Link grabbed the reins and snapped them, racing off towards Hyrule Field on the heals of Calamity Ganon.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

She was pure light, now. Distantly, the name Zelda floated across her mind, but who was Zelda? Was she Zelda? It didn't matter. Power coursed through her veins like fire—purifying and potent, yet it did not consume her. Rather, it was like the warmth of life filling her being, granting her soul strength.

She floated high above Hyrule field, a beacon of light—a star hovering above a sea of green. From her vantage she could see Link astride Epona, galloping behind Ganon as it headed south, pulling up on the beast's right. She sent forth a burst of power, trailing through the sky like a falling star towards Ganon and leaving a glowing mark on its hide. She then focused her mind towards link, feeling the wavy tendrils of his consciousness as she projected a message.

"Now, Link! Strike there!"

She could see from on high as, without hesitation, Link pulled forth the bow of light and let loose an arrow hitting the weakened area with pinpoint accuracy.

Falling back as Ganon turned its head to unleash another deadly blast of energy in retaliation, Link circled around to its other side, Galloping in time with Ganon's heavy strides. She let forth another burst of energy, striking Ganon on its opposite side and leaving another glowing mark upon it. Once again Link hit his mark, but this time was too slow to avoid Ganon as its head turned surprisingly sharply. With another blast of energy it upturned the earth before Link, sending him flying from Epona's back.

Epona banked, a hard left away from the fray and towards where Link had fallen. Though slow to recover, Link managed to rise from the ground, mounting her quickly and resuming the chase. As he pulled back up alongside Ganon's flank, Zelda let forth several bursts of power, each leaving marks all along the its side. In rapid succession, Link fired off arrows at each, hitting one after another. They were getting close…

This time Link didn't wait around, falling back behind Ganon before it could turn its head to retaliate. Repeating the pattern, Link had quickly pulled around to the beast's other side and Zelda opened several more weak points along the beast's flank. Though her view was distant, she could tell Link's strength was flagging. His first arrow hit, but his the second and third missed. As he let loose a fourth and fifth, an infuriated Ganon pulled a leg in front of his path, slamming into him and sending him flying from Epona once more.

The final two arrows had hit their marks, however. With a cry, Ganon stumbled in its stride, coming to a shuddering stand-still before falling to the ground with an earth-shaking thump. Link struggled to stand, gripping Epona for support as he got to his feet. A giant eye upon Ganon's back, which had until now been tightly shut, began to slowly open, swiveling around in confusion. This was it! She reached out once more towards Link's mind, urging him on.

"Link, rally your strength, Ganon is almost defeated! Strike at its core; there, atop its head!"

Link stood shakily, bow ready. With urgency she called upon her power, sending forth a beam of light which cascaded down towards the eye atop Ganon's head, leaving a searing mark across its retina. Link made to jump onto the beast. Quickly she called upon the winds, wishing to spare him the searing pain of coming into contact with malice, sending an updraft to help carry him high into the sky. With careful accuracy, he sent a final arrow flying into the beast's eye, striking dead center.

Ganon roared, an unearthly shriek which echoed across the field as its body shuddered and shook. It was now her turn; it was time to seal the beast away.

Slowly, she descended from the sky, glowing like a beacon. Alighting upon the ground before Ganon, it shuddered once as it attempted to stand, sensing her intention. She let the power course through her with renewed fervor, a massive tidal wave of energy slowly building within her. As it had once before, Ganon's body began to dissolve into smoke as once again it resumed its ghostly form, attempting to escape into the sky; but she would not be denied this victory.

Power radiated off of her in waves, like heat from the sands of the Gerudo desert. The wind whipped wildly around her as she slowly unclasped her hands, raising her right and letting the power that had built up within her release. Blinding light burst forth, a golden triforce symbol hovering before her. A sphere of energy expanded rapidly outward, growing, several times larger than the castle itself. Ganon roared, attempting to escape but was quickly consumed as its dark fleeing figure was overtaken by light. The giant sphere pulsed once, twice, thrice, then in the blink of an eye condensed to no more than the size of a palm fruit, before shrinking into nothingness.

Zelda felt a sudden hollowness overtake her, like the loss of breath when one jumps into icy water. The moment she felt her power complete the seal upon Ganon—that same power which had been coursing through her like a raging river—it had subsided suddenly into barely the trickle of a bubbling brook. Despite this, jubilation washed trough her, the strength of her joy distracting from the toll of her magic. She had done it! Calamity Ganon… she had sealed it—it was over!

She made to turn to Link, to share in this moment of victory, but the moment she moved her legs she felt complete and utter exhaustion grip her entire being. Her limbs felt like lead weights and her legs wobbled dangerously. For the first time since they'd engaged Ganon she felt the demands of her body. She dared not move for fear her legs would give out; her head throbbed, her muscles ached, and faintness gripped her. Blackness began to encroach upon the edges of her vision, and as her mind slowly faded into darkness she remembered Link's face hovering over hers, concern etched across his features; he had a deep cut on his forehead, and the desire to help him flowered momentarily within her as she struggled to raise her hand. Then, nothingness overcame her.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Cheers and sobs of relief erupted from within the remaining guard room, soldiers and civilians alike tearfully embracing as the realization that the horror was over washed over them like a soothing tide. But Traysi did not join in the revelry; she was a professional, and had an account to transcribe. Celebration could come later. Scribbling furiously in her notebook, she rushed to write down all she had seen of the battle out the third story window of the guard tower, brow furrowed as she struggled to keep every detail in her mind's eye long enough to ensure its preservation on paper.

It had been by chance she'd been in Castle Town when the Calamity struck. She'd been chatting up Barlow, her go-to guy for confirming castle rumors. She'd come for an anniversary story of sorts—that a year after the sword had been drawn, the Princess was still been unable to unlock the legendary sealing power. Then the earthquakes had struck. When Ganon had appeared in the sky above the castle not long after, she'd thought that it was the end. 'Well, Traysi,' she'd said to herself, 'You've traveled far and wide—you've lived a good life, if a bit on the short side.' But it turned out that, instead of facing a brutal and potentially bloody end, she'd gotten the scoop of a lifetime.

A teary Barlow walked towards the ladder to the observation deck, laughing shakily and clapping the backs of his fellow soldiers as he began his climb with a manic grin upon his face.

"Traysi!" he called up, "Can you believe it? It's over! Sir Link was incredible! I've never seen a man fight like that! And did you see what the Princess—" he stopped short upon reaching the top of the ladder, seeing her scribbling away and stolidly ignoring him. Pulling himself up onto the viewing platform, he gawked at her, gesturing wildly, "Are you seriously writing for that Rumor Mill when the whole of Hyrule was just facing total destruction? A half hour ago your were making peace with the Goddesses!" he exclaimed.

Finalizing her notes, she turned to him with mock impatience. "Yes, Barlow," she said with some exasperation, "Of course I'm writing for the Rumor Mill. I am a professional! And, in case you hadn't noticed, the whole of Hyrule was facing total destruction—as in, past tense." Seeing his dumbfounded expression, she chuckled, turning back to her notebook to add a few final thoughts. She spoke without looking up, a glint in her eyes, "This is the scoop of a lifetime! An eye-witness account of the Battle for Hyrule. I'll sell thousands of copies!"

Suddenly, the joyful shouts and cries of the room below faded as a hush filled the guard room, drawing Traysi's attention away from her notebook. Shutting it and slipping it into the pouch at her waist, she curiously peered over the edge of the viewing platform trying to determine the cause of such a dramatic change in mood.

"Traysi…" Barlow's sudden seriousness caused her to turn quickly towards him, where he stood gazing warily out the observation tower window. Moving to stand next to him and likewise gaze out upon the field, she saw what had caused silence to descend so suddenly. Walking across the field, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead and clothing stained and tattered, was the Hero Link, expression stony; and in his arms held limply against his chest, lay the princess.

Despite her earlier jubilation at not only the defeat of Calamity Ganon but the prospect of such great sales for her next issue of the Rumor Mill, Traysi felt her heart plummet. She had really wanted to be able to relay a happy ending to this tale of tragedy and woe; she'd envisioned, perhaps, the Princess and her Hero returning to Castle Town as the city residents swarmed the streets in cheers and shouts. Instead, it seemed the events of the day would end in uncertainty…

As the Hero and the Princess made their way through the pile of rubble which was once the Castle Town gate, Traysi shook herself from her reverie and darted across the rickety wooden planks to the opposite viewing platform whose window faced the city's interior, Barlow's footsteps sounding behind her. The two of them watched in uneasy silence from on high as Link proceeded through the center of the city towards the Castle. Eyes peered from windows and beneath cellar doors as he passed, the whole of Castle Town silent as its survivors watched and worried, unsure whether their Princess would be okay.

END OF PART 1

A/N: Huzzah! So happy to have part 1 cleaned up, it was bothering me... a lot. Hoping to finish up part 2 over the next 2 weeks, do a revision/edit the week after that, and post by the new year! We'll see how that goes. Either way, there will be an update in January at some point, so look forward to that. Thanks to all the people who have fav'd, followed, and reviewed so far! You're delightful. Happy holidays!