~ Chapter 11 ~

The Last Battleground

Pt. 2

            The flashes of light reflected in Zelda's eyes as she looked out to the horizon, no longer able to ignore the intensity of the lightning blasts along the frontiers.  The storms were beginning to rage, and, as if the weather itself was connected to the battleground, the violence with which the storms brewed heated the war, and brought fear to the hearts of those desperately trying to defend this last outpost.

Zelda turned away from the massing armies and continued her frantic rush through the crowd of humans, her eyes searching desperately for any who could fit the description Link gave her, Darunia, and Ruto before they left for the fields of Termina. 

Ruto rushed along beside her, her blue skin and almost alien appearance standing out among the thousands of humans gathered in the cove.  Even with the brown cloak wrapped about her, she still easily stood out, and many of the humans, especially those who seldom had dealings with the Zora, shied away from the Princess.

Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky overhead, and the eerie sound of laughter echoed through the hills.  Zelda grabbed Ruto's hand and turned to the source of the laughter.  "We're too late," the Princess whispered.  "Bishop's already here."

"Peoples of Termina," Bishops powerful voice thundered,  "Why must we fight?  Why must you attack and try to stop what is inevitable?  Why do you yearn to live, knowing life is here for only a moment?"

"Should we fight?" Ruto asked.  "He will rip these people apart."

"No, not yet," Zelda answered.  "It is too soon for Bishop to know we're here.  He'll target us, and we don't stand a chance with these new powers he has."

"We would rather die free, then live under your rule, Black Knight!" Shiro's voice called out from the Terminian Army at the edges of the cliff. 

"But, don't you see?" Bishop asked with a laugh.  "You are under my rule, no matter what.  If you die, then the god of the dead will only send your souls back here to rebuild this world and to serve me."

Rather than answer with his voice, Shiro lifted his bow and fired an arrow at the omnipotent figure floating in the sky.  Bishop caught the arrow and snapped it like a twig.  He lifted his fingers and snapped them.  The answer was instantaneous.

The Goblin army poured over the hills and across the chasm on a wide bridge that magically appeared out of thin air.  Fiery arrows lit up the sky, and the cries of the fowl beasts sent shivers down every human's spines.

Shiro raised his sword to the sky and screamed, at once strengthening the resolve of the soldiers and sending them charging forward into the onslaught of Goblins.  The two armies clashed at the edge of the chasm in meeting that was louder and more powerful than the brightest flash of lightning above.

Zelda pulled her sword from its sheath and held her hand up, the magical energy glowing from it to light their way as they hurried several civilians further up the hills and away from the arrows which rained down from the sky.

Bishop floated over the armies, arrows glancing off the force field around him and drew in magical energies, readying his own attacks upon the innocents of these upper hills.

"Zelda!" Ruto gritted her teeth, pulling her bow up and readying an arrow.  "What are we going to do?"

            A batch of civilians stood near the gates, completely open to the attacks as Bishop began firing down on the masses around him, laughing maniacly as he did so.

            "Come on!" Zelda screamed, darting across the field.  A batch of Goblins broke free from the lines and charged after these retreating civilians.  Zelda cut them off and attacked with her sword.

            The four goblins were caught off guard as Zelda slashed into two of them immediately.  She whipped her blade around and caught the third Gobling in the leg, knocking him to the ground.  However, the fourth slipped around her and began to strike down on the Princess of Hyrule.  However, before the sword struck, an arrow ripped through the Goblin's hands, pinning them and the sword against the rock wall behind him.

            Zelda breathlessly fell to the ground, thinking the attack was still to come, but when she turned, and saw the creature screaming in agony as he tried to rip his hands from the wall, she stood and ran to the civilians, trying to rush them into a cove that led to the caves.

            "Come on! Let's go!" she screamed as Ruto caught up, her string still vibrating from the shot she took.  The civilians scattered into the cove and cowered in the shadows.

            "You won't be safe here for long!" Ruto called out.  "You'll have to get down this cove and into the tunnels.  The Gorons will help you down the tunnels and on the path to Hyrule!"

            "Have any of you seen the Mask Maker?" Zelda asked, her eyes searching through the darkened cove for the man they had come to Termina to find. 

            "Mask Maker?" one of the women asked, shielding her eyes from the bright flashes above as another blast sounded from the battlefield.  "Who is the Mask Maker?"
            "He's about my height," Ruto called.  "Brown hair, carries a large sack on his back!"

            "No, I've—"

            "Why, I'm right here," a man answered, standing and looking to the women.

            Zelda and Ruto looked to each other in surprise.  Zelda turned to the man, "The Mask Maker?  The one who helped a young Hylian boy not long ago in these lands.  He found Majora's Mask and returned it to you!"

            "Oh, yes, I remember the young boy," the Mask Maker answered.  "Is he here?  We could certainly use his help, and he certainly is a good deal of help at that."

            "The rest of you people get going down the tunnel!" Ruto yelled.  "You, Mask Maker!  Come here, now!"

            The civilians scattered down the path into the darkness, grateful to escape the carnage behind the cove as the Mask Maker slowly came towards the two women, his body slumped, his heart beating mercilessly.

            "Where are your masks?" Ruto asked.

            "Masks?" the man asked.  "Why on earth do you need masks, now?  None would help against this monster, and this is no time to play!"

            "There was one mask that Link gave you that will help!" Zelda answered.  "We have to find it and bring it back to Hyrule.  It is the only way we can win this war!"

            "Who is this Link, and what mask can help you?"

            "Link is the young boy who helped you!" Ruto answered.  "And we need the Fierce Deity's mask!  Now, answer us, where are your masks!"

            The Mask Maker shook his head and looked down the alley, slowly turning and taking a step down the path.

            "Stop," Zelda hissed, pulling her sword and aiming it at the man.  "Where are you going."

            "Like Majora's Mask, one should not use the Deity's mask on a whim, my ladies.  You should not even know about it.  The effects of that mask are too great even for—"

            "We don't have the time for this!" Ruto screamed.  "She is the Princess of Hyrule, and I am the Princess of the Zora.  So you see, we're individuals who know a thing or two about power!  Together with Link and that Mask, we're going to bring down this Black Knight and all who are fighting to destroy the world  So, you're either going to help us by telling us where the mask is, or you're going to help us by going out and fighting Goblins with us!"

            The Mask Maker, visibly shaken, took another step back.  "I—I am afraid of…Goblins."

            Zelda lowered her sword and stepped forward putting her hand on the man's shoulder.  Trying as hard as she could to ease her voice in the loud carnage of the war behind her, Zelda spoke, "Listen to me, my friend.  We only want the one mask, and we promise to destroy it when we are done.  We will not use it for personal gain or for any evil purpose.  Just, we are begging you, tell us where it is."

            The Mask Maker lowered his eyes and sighed.  "The cave on the other side of the river.  You will have to get through the lines and go to the right, along the river.  Within, you will find my bag hidden in the cave.  Do not let the dark ones find the bags, or let the mask fall in the wrong hands, or all will be lost."

            Zelda and Ruto turned and rushed from the Cove, never again to see the Mask Maker or the alley.  As they rushed out to the field, the slaughter before them was yet another image that was forever burned into their minds.

            Fires raged through the valley, embers flying to the sky.  Bodies hung from massive spears stuck into the ground, as explosions ripped through the human armies.  Still, they held their ground, fighting fiercely back against the monstrous hordes, and unleashing as much carnage as they could with their limited weapons and abilities.

            Zelda pulled her Ocarina and played a tune.  Even though the sound could not be heard over the fighting, Epona rushed out from the cove she had been hiding in and walked to the Princess, nudging her playfully with her nose as she stepped next to Zelda.

            The Princess pulled herself up and helped Ruto up, who held on tightly, having never rode upon a horse before.  "Nasty, devilish creatures," Zelda heard Ruto curse.

            Zelda pulled the horse around and spurred her on towards the masses, raising her sword and readying for an attack through the lines.  Two Gorons shot down the hills, rolled up in balls and shaking the earth with every bounce.  Zelda pulled the charging horse behind the boulders as they cleared a path and rushed Epona toward the caves.

**

            "Here it is!" Ruto laughed, pulling the mask from the bag and holding it high.  "I can't believe we found it!"

            "Perhaps we can yet win this war," Zelda sighed, dropping the masks she held in her hands.  The dark cave was barely lit by the fires outside and above in Ikana's long fields.

            "It's hard to believe that this little…mask…can give such powers to the one that wears it," Ruto whispered, looking down at he Link-shaped mask.  It felt odd, and was heavier than she thought a mask could be.

            "I'm curious as to just what powers you could be talking about," a dark voice called through the cave. 

            Zelda and Ruto jumped, weapons ready and turned to the source.  There, a purple-haired woman stood in the doorway, lazily leaning on the cave's rock wall.  "By the Goddesses, Princess, you are hard to kill, indeed."

            "Sakura," Zelda hissed.  "I wondered what had happened to Bishop's pet."

            "Pet?" Sakura laughed.  "I have anything and everything I ever wanted, now.  You could not begin to understand or believe the pleasures I have at my disposal anytime, now, Princess.  And to think, it all could have been yours if you only would have worked with us."

            "Pleasures?" Zelda asked.  "At what price are these pleasures?  You've sold your soul to Bishop and Rau, and for what?  You watch as innocent civilians are killed and do nothing.  How can you enjoy these pleasures as you watch this?"

            "How can you, born of royalty ask me?" Sakura asked.  "Oh, I can do it as easily as you could watch innocents suffer and die in your kingdom while you slept in your big, comfortable bed.  What have you ever done for them?  What blood have you shed for your people?"

            "More than you can ever know," Zelda answered.  "Ruto, take the mask and slip back through the lines.  Take it to Link.  I'll be right behind you."

            Ruto slid the mask under her arm and rushed past Sakura to the night.  Sakura made no move toward her, but simply watched as she rushed by.  Sakura turned to Zelda and drew her sword, smiling at the Princess.  "I wondered what it was you three were after.  After I heard you were coming, I had spies follow the three of you.  I knew it would have to be something great if you were to risk your lives for it like this.  But, a mask?  What possible powers could a mask give you?"

            "Shut up and fight," Zelda hissed as she edged around with her sword to a better position.

            "Oh, we are touchy tonight, aren't we?" Sakura asked.  "You know, since we're on 'touchy' subjects, I was wondering how Link is doing these days?  I heard he was back in Hyrule.  It took us less time to get there than it took him.  You just have to know the right way to travel, I suppose, but, I had hoped to see him.  After all, I will get bored with the men in this land, and will need a prince by my side."

            "Link would never love you," Zelda spat.

            "But he has, Princess," Sakura laughed.  "Or, at least, he was falling for me.  What?  Do you think he could ever love a Princess?  He needs a soul that is free.  Someone who won't tie him up, but will let him roam without strings attached!  You are hardly that type of person."

            Zelda, a fire lit in her soul, and her eyes almost glowing with anger, raised her sword, let out a scream and charged the Squire.

**

            Sweat bristled down Ruto's forehead as she rushed up the hill.  The Termina Army had collapsed, and the Goblin armies were surrounding them.  Bishop delighted as he flew around, throwing fireballs down on the soldiers below.

            The mask grew heavy in Ruto's arms, and desperation began to break through as she realized the path to the tunnels would not be easy to reach as the Goblin armies swept through the plateau. 

            Ruto stopped and looked around, a slight and distant tinkling sound catching her ears.  Something almost seemed to be calling to her.  She looked down and watched as a glowing, blue teardrop fell from the mask and splashed to the ground.  The sound was coming from the mask itself.  Ruto watched as the mask slowly changed from Link's face to a different human face.  It turned to a human girl's face with blue hair around the edges of the mask.

            Temptation began to eat at Ruto's heart.  Why not?  No one had told her she couldn't do it, and there seemed to be no other choice at the moment.  Slowly, carefully, Ruto lifted the mask to her face, unsure of just what a mask like this could possibly do to her.

            The mask leaped from her hands and suctioned itself to her face, knocking the Zora back to the ground.  The pain Ruto suddenly felt was tremendous, and the world around her felt like it was contorting and shifting.  Suddenly, there was a flash, and Ruto blinked her eyes.  All had returned.  The clouds above, lit by the fires on the ground looked down on her.

            Ruto pulled herself up and looked into the flowing waters beside the cliff.  A human woman with painted lines across her face and long, blue hair looked back.  Ruto jumped as she realized it was her own face she was looking at.

            The Zora Princess could feel the power flowing through her own arms, and began to slowly realize why Link wanted this mask back.  Ruto stood and turned to the floating black figure in the sky.  Gently, she lifted her arms, causing her body to lift to the air, and float in place.

            Ruto smiled and floated forward over the river, pulling energy into her own body, and readied herself for the attack.

**

            A trickle of blood fell from the small cut on Zelda's forehead above her eye.  Sakura's reposts were too fast for her to get back from.  The girl truly had become more powerful than she was before. 

            However, Zelda had become more powerful, too.

            "When I first saw you, I had sympathy for you, Princess," Sakura laughed as she held her sword lightly.  "I thought you were a mere puppet.  A play toy for men.  Now, however, I realize that you just play with men, yourself.  You use your looks to get others to fight and die for you, and then live the luxury life.  How sweet it must have been for you."

            "You do not know me, nor do I want your sympathy!" Zelda screamed as she lunged again.  Her attack was parried away, but the Princess darted back before Sakura could strike again.  "You help that monster, and you, yourself, are a monster!"

            "Such harsh words, Princess!" Sakura laughed, striking as hard as she could.  The princess dodged the attack, but Sakura's attack slashed straight through a rock.  "But I've been called every name there is.  Bishop saved me.  He took me from the streets of the Empire and taught me how to fight.  There is nothing I won't do for him."

            Zelda stopped and looked suddenly at the Squire.  A realization swept over her.  "He uses you, doesn't he?" she asked.

            "Wh—what?" Sakura asked, shocked and angered at the same time. 

            "Sakura, how could you let—"

            "Let him?" Sakura asked, her anger coming through.  "You don't know what it is like where I come from!  The streets of Ciera are a lot harsher than your little kingdom can know.  For a Knight to come along and take a young girl from there and give her the life that I have now is a dream!  I am grateful for what he does for me!"

            "No…no you're not," Zelda whispered.  "I've seen it from the beginning, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  You…you hate him.  You hate Link, too, don't you.  You hate him because he makes you realize how evil Bishop really is.  And you hate me for not having such a life.  Oh, Sakura, I had no idea."

            "Shut up!" Sakura screamed, as she fell to her knees, crying. "I don't want your sympathy!  I deserve what I ge—"

            "NO!" Zelda screamed.  "You don't!  Sakura, what he does to you, no matter where you come from is not right!  I can free you from this.  I can help you.  Leave him and join us.  Link and I will do all we can to—"

            "Help me?" Sakura laughed, the tears still falling.  "Free me from this?  How can you possibly defeat them?  Rau is a god.  Bishop is practically one, now.  Then what?  How am I supposed to live?  What, should I just live with you and Link while you go on about your merry little pathetic lives?"

            Zelda turned from the squire and slowly walked to the door.  "I…I will not fight you any longer.  If you ever want…to be free, leave.  You don't have to come to us, but you are much stronger than you give yourself credit for, Sakura.  Just leave."

            "I DON'T WANT YOUR SYMPATHY!" Sakura screamed.  She raised her blade and ran across the cave.  The squire slammed her sword down as Zelda side-stepped the blade, crushing the rocks below.

            The Princess swiped with her blade and shattered Sakura's sword.  Zelda lifted the end of the blade to Sakura's throat and looked down at the fallen Squire who openly wept on her knees.

            "Kill me," Sakura whispered.  "End this life, please."

            An enormous explosion from the sky caught Zelda's attention.  The Princess turned and looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.  "Ruto?" she asked to herself.

            Zelda turned and ran from the Squire, leaving her weaping at the entrance to the cave.

**

            Ruto drew in her hands, and with everything she could muster, threw out a blast of magic from her hands.  The green bolt of magic ripped through the sky, slamming into Bishop and hammering him into the mountains nearby.

            Ruto turned down to the goblin army below and threw bolt after bolt of energy down on them from above.  The armies broke, and the Goblins ran from the Goddess-like woman in the sky above, their master seemingly defeated.

            As the human armies used the distraction to escape, the mountain nearby exploded, and Bishop flew out from the rubble, his anger sending lighting streaks across the sky.

            "You fool!" the Knight thundered.  "You believe you can defeat me?"

            Ruto drew in her breath and readied herself for the attack.

            Bishop shot across the sky, firing shots at Ruto, who knocked the blasts away with her hands.  The Knight slammed into the Zora Princess, the two crashing through mountain after mountain until Ruto twisted her body around, throwing Bishop away from her.

            She shot a blast of energy at the Knight, hitting him again and again and knocking him deep into the river below.

            Ruto turned to the armies below and focused again on the Goblins.  They re-formed their lines and tried to cut off the human's retreat to the tunnels.  The Gorons had shot forward and were giving their lives to help with the escape, but even that didn't appear to be enough.

            Ruto flew down and thrust her hand into the air.  The ground below began to quake, and large hands made of stone jutted out from the ground, slamming through the Goblin army.

            "Ta-ta!" Bishop's thundering voice came through the sky.  Ruto turned and looked to her side to see the Black Knight floating gently in the sky only a few feet away from her.  "Shouldn't let your guard down, fool. Now, you will see my true power."

            Bishop threw his hand out as Ruto threw her arms up to block, but she was too late.  The Knight let a blast of energy go that enveloped the Princess.  Her screams filled the air as she slammed down on the ground below.

            Bishop landed and summoned a huge hammer from thin-air as he walked towards the limp body of the Zora Princess.  The mask had fallen off, and blue blood came from her mouth as her returned body lay limp in the crater.

            The Knight laughed as he raised his hammer and let it fall.  Before it could land, however, it struck something else.  Darunia rushed forward and raised his arms.  Crossed, they barely stopped the hammer from landing, his arm shattered within the thick, tough skin of the Goron.  Darunia screamed out, pulled back his fist and hit the Knight as hard as he could.  Bishop didn't budge an inch.

            "Don't you see, you fool, that you are dealing with a God?" Bishop asked  He pulled back his own fist and slammed it into the Goron, sending Darunia flying through the air.  Darunia curled up and landed gently, rolling off into the night.

            Bishop turned to the Princess, but was surprised to find her not even there, any longer.  He looked over his shoulder, just in time to see a horse darting away as fast as possible.

            The Knight took to the air, and fired blasts down on the horse.  Zelda turned Epona this way and that to avoid the shots, trying desperately to hold onto Ruto and the mask as she made for the tunnels to Hyrule.

            Zelda's hood fell back in the winds, and her blonde hair poured out into the night air just as she crossed into the tunnels.  The Princess rounded her horse and used her own magics to move a large boulder across the entrance to the cave. 

            "That won't stop him!" Darunia yelled as he rushed down the cave.

            "It'll buy us just a little time!" Zelda yelled.  "Did the armies get through?"

            "Ruto bought us just enough time to pull back, thank the goddesses," Darunia answered.  "Did you get the mask?"

            "Yes!" Zelda said, lifting the heavy mask up and letting her breath out.  "Praise be, a small victory at last."

            "Victory?" a voice called out.  "What victory is this?"

            "Shiro?" Zelda asked, looking down to a soldier carried by other soldiers.  "Shiro is that you?"

            "This is no victory!" Shiro yelled.  "Countless numbers have been slain!  We're running to a foreign land we don't trust, and you're talking about victories?"

            "Keep moving," Darunia barked.  "Or I'll turn you back to face Bishop alone!"

            Zelda looked over her shoulder at the large boulder as Epona slowly kept walking forward behind the massive army.  She closed her eyes and sighed as the realization swept over her that Shiro was right.  They had just attacked one of the weakest of Rau's army and couldn't put a dent in him, even with the deity's mask.  How could they even begin to defeat what even the goddesses couldn't fight?

**

            "Aren't you going to go after them?" Sakura hissed, her red eyes heavily looking up at the floating black-armored figure.

            "Princess Zelda was here?" he asked.  "For how long had she been going through these lands?  I didn't even know she was alive."

            "Bishop, the Goblin Army is ready to follow the caves, but you have to move the boulder!" Sakura yelled.  "What are you doing?"

            "Why?" Bishop asked.  "Why come here?  What could she want, and who was that they saved?"

            "Who cares?" Sakura asked.  "They're hurt, they're weak!  Let's just go and kill them!"

            "No," Bishop answered.  "Send a messenger to Lord Rau.  Tell him of what has happened, and that the lands of Termina are ours.  I, for one, would like to see what pathetic plan our little Princess has cooked up."

            "Yes, my lord," Sakura answered, slowly turning and walking towards the goblin army.

            "Oh, and Sakura, you will, of course, have to be punished for not telling me they were here."

To come:  The tri-force, the master sword.