Zelda raised her wooden sword just in time to block Tieong's swing at her head. She switched her weapon back to her right hand as they circled each other, the throbbing in her left palm now unbearable. She feigned an attack at his knee, bringing her sword back up just as he went to block and attacked at his torso. Tieong hurriedly brought his weapon up to block, using so much force he knocked Zelda's sword from her trembling hand.
"Good job Tieong. I'd ask you to fight by my side if I didn't already know you'd be protecting someone else." Zelda forced a smile and nodded in Ket's direction, where the young Sheikah was instructing a few Hylian's.
Tieong smiled. "As if she needs the protection. Not only could she kick me clear out of Hyrule any day, but both her brothers are the mother-bear type. Despite the fact she could kick both of them clear out of Hyrule as well." His smile faded and a stern look crossed his face. "Zelda, you're doing great with the sword in both hands, but I think you're pushing yourself too hard. We have at least enough time to maintain our health while training. Your hands can't keep taking so much punishment. Save some of the pain for Link's rescue, and try to get more sleep, okay?"
Zelda nodded, deciding not to tell him their time was growing less and less by the second. Their inside sources were certain the search was getting closer and closer to the caves they'd inhabited, despite a number of detractive spells. "I'll be careful. Did you get your copy of the map?"
Tieong nodded. "Yeah. Ganon built a pretty impressive piece of architecture. A lot of secret passages we can use to our advantage."
"Though it may never be enough." Zelda muttered under her breath, making sure the young Hylian didn't hear it. She almost laughed when she caught herself thinking of him as young, though he was only a year younger than herself. But even at 20 she sometimes felt as if she'd lived forever, time weighing down on her more the last three years than it had her first 17. "Memorize the entire map. No one eats dinner tonight unless they've proven their mastery of the castle. Our success will depend on everyone understanding where we could fight with an advantage, where we could retreat to, where guards are a minor force to deal with and where they would destroy us."
"I'll know it by heart at lunch time." The youth promised with a smile. His grin widened. "And I know just who to ask for help studying it." He began making his way over to Ket, producing a small laugh from Zelda. Apparently even during a time of crisis boy's could maintain a one-track mind.
Malon surprised her from behind. "Either you ate something disagreeable for lunch or that was a laugh!" The red-head exclaimed. "I haven't heard you utter such a sound in months."
"Well, you were right." She admitted grudgingly. "Tieong and Ket are something to smile about."
Malon handed her a piece of paper. "And something else to show your teeth about. Four more Gerudos to help our cause. Ganon is showing his true male self and chasing various girls around amidst his attempts at hunting us down. The rest of the females seem to disapprove. Even after Nabooru's death, the spirit of doubting Ganon lives on."
Zelda sighed. "I hope Link has enough spirit left in him. I'm actually amazed he's still living. I would have taken my life years ago. He doesn't even know any of us are alive. What else is there to hope for if you believe you're alone and defeated?"
"I'm sure he knows some of us are alive. He's the Hero of Time; it couldn't take more than a thread of hope for him to keep fighting."
"Link will help us." Ruto said, joining the two. "He's the triforce of courage. Deafeat and solitude couldn't make a coward out of him."
"Of course they couldn't." Zelda said quickly, though she privately wondered if the guilt could. "I'm just afraid of finding out." She lowered her voice. "And it looks as though we'll be finding out very soon. I can't say how soon, and I don't want to cause a panic, but please memorize your maps. I don't want a separation or a failure of my plan to kill us all off. We have to be able to move individually."
"Your plan won't fail." Ruto said confidently. "And if something goes wrong, no one will blame you."
Yeah, because they'll be too dead. Zelda thought, but decided to keep it to herself. She retrieved her practice sword and carefully made her way through another form. She would not let her hands get in the way of saving her hero.
~*~
Link sliced down and up, stabbed his stick forward and then thrust it back.
"Are you happy Navi? Another form completed. So what if it's not perfect? You're too picky. Yes, I plan on talking with Ganon again, why, do you have a problem with that? Hey, Ganon and I aren't that different. Every ally of mine that he could destroy, he destroyed. Every ally of his that I could destroy, I destroyed. The main difference is that he won in the end. His power was stronger than my courage." Is that what you really believe? He asked himself. That you're the same as Ganon? "No. I'm better than him. I didn't enjoy killing anything. I didn't even want to. I only have to because it's my destiny. He chose to kill all those people, and he wanted to do it, and he enjoyed doing it. I'll never be Ganon." Link sighed and sat down.
He gripped his wooden sword for a long time, unmoving. "It's been three years Saria." He whispered softly. "What's the point of doing anything anymore? There's probably not even anyone out there for me to have hope for." Before Navi could scold him about his duty to keep fighting, he jumped back into bed and muffled out any noise by keeping the blankets over his ears. His soul was so exhausted he hardly cried when the nightmare hit him.
~*~
Zelda scanned the room, double checking to see that everyone she'd called on was there. Ruto sat talking softly to Malon in one corner, sharing a map of Ganon's castle. Zek and Ket were arguing with Warrick and Asher - two Hylians - , over the best tactics to use in the chambers surrounding Link's rooms. Anders, the oldest of the five remaining kokiri, was helping Tioora, the leader of the Gerudo spies, figure out who would be best to bribe on the night of the rescue, with Ali, Belle, and Cort, the last of the fairies, looking over their shoulder and voicing their opinions when they deemed it necessary.
"Could I have everyone's attention please?" She called out above their soft voices. "We no longer have time to find out just how many Gerudos will betray their king or how many hylians will return to our side. Hopefully those that have will be enough. I've talked with Tioora, and she's found a spy, Kahola, who's willing to risk Ganon's wrath. Tioora will go to Ganon and voice her suspicions of Kahola, whose rooms should then be searched. They should find convincing evidence that we're building up two separate armies, one in the desert and one in caves formed by the lava flows up in the mountains. A day after Ganon's creatures have left to destroy our 'armies', we will use the secret entrances to enter his castle.
"A poison has been prepared, and will be served to him the day we go in. It won't be enough to kill him, he's too strong. But hopefully it will weaken him enough for our purposes. From there our strategy is avoiding discovery. We'll try to keep fighting down to a minimum. The main goal of every encounter we make with one of Ganon's follower's is to crush them with as little damage to our side before they can raise a warning. Once we reach Link we'll assess his situation. If he's able to fight Ganon, then we'll seek him out and give Link another chance. If not we concentrate on getting the hell away from that place. Any questions?"
Anders raised his hand and waved it in the air until she noticed. "What about the spies? When will they be able to join us?"
Tioora answered his question. "About a dozen will meet us when we enter the castle. About ten will be waiting near Link's room. They didn't want to risk discovery in case we didn't make it that far. As for the rest, they've arranged to be rotated in as Link's guards over the course of the estimated rescue date. Those who aren't in rotation will join us as soon as they can."
Ali flittered about a bit. "When? When will we do all this?"
Zelda swallowed. "A week? Maybe more. Tioora is accusing Kahola as soon as she gets back. Then it just depends on how long it takes Ganon to react. The deciding move is his."
~*~
Tioora heard Ganon coming, his heavy footsteps echoing in the emptiness of the throne room. "You wanted to talk with me, precious?"
Tioora glared at him, trying not to let him see how fast her heart raced. She had to pretend as if she were still angry with him, not afraid of him. That she despised Kahola, didn't admire her. "I didn't want to talk with you. But we all have to make sacrifices now and then." Ganon stifled a grin, making her wonder if he didn't enjoy her playing hard to get. "Kahola – I thought she was my friend, something you wouldn't understand – has apparently been dishonest to us all." Tioora forced a frown on her face. "I saw her talking to a fairy. I don't know what possessed her, those disgusting bugs should be squashed. I can't believe my own friend . . ." Ganon's red eyes were practically glowing he was so furious.
"Not again." His words came out clipped. "I won't be betrayed again. Kahola will tell us everything about her little friends or her possessions will, and then the little bitch will be terminated. And I thought I was having a good day." He strode off angrily, stomping the ground as if to relieve tension. Tioora let out a huge sigh of relief at not being discovered and sent up a prayer to Din for Kahola's safety. Then she felt a rush of excitement rush through her, because the plan was now in action and soon their small force would pit themselves against the ruler of Hyrule, to save the one person that could save them.
~*~
Belle slowed her breathing to a whisper, forgetting no one would be able to hear her tiny breaths even if she'd been gasping.
"I want them crushed as soon as possible. Send a force of stalfos to both dwellings. If we do one at a time someone may escape and be able to warn the other half. I don't want Zelda's resistance lasting any longer than it already has. This is going to end now." Belle smiled as Ganon's followers left to do his bidding; it had worked!
Carefully avoiding discovery the fairy flittered through Ganon's castle, going out the first window she saw. Flying up to gaze at Link's tower against the setting sun, she sighed. If it wasn't crawling with skultula's, she would have eagerly flown to Link to tell him the good news. He had to be up to using the master sword one last time, or Ganon's triumph would be complete, and Zelda wouldn't be able to do anything about it.