Chapter 14
The Last Battleground, pt. 4

"The Gods be for us, for who can be for they?" Nacie hissed as she dodged yet another slash of her enemy's sword, sliding under the black blade and thrusting her daggers into the beast's body.

"Hold your tongue and fight, Nacie!" Nabooru screamed as she jumped high and arched over a wave of magic as it slammed through the flooring and Goblins, all at once. No sooner did her feet hit the rubble and stone of the upturned ground then more forces tried to swallow her up again.

Link raised his shield and charged forward, slashing and hacking with a broken sword, his clothing tattered and torn from several close calls, while blood fell down his cheek and arm from even closer calls.

The goblins opened up before the charging Hylian, only to clear a path for a powerful wave of magics from the Wizrobes as they fired down on him. Link thrust his shoulder against his shield, and dug his feet into the stone floor, but the magic overwhelmed him, flinging his body back dozens of yards. The hero rolled with the blast and was on his feet fast enough to keep from being overwhelmed, but an axe caught his left arm leaving yet another scratch.

"There are simply too many of them!" Link called. "We didn't come through here to fight! We came to get it and get out!"

"These must be the Praetorians!" Nabooru yelled. "The guards set to protect the Triforce! They'll die from us, or from the hands of Nuerme, if they fail!"

Link raised his shield as two large axes slammed against him, knocking him further back. The attacks were wild, unfocused. Quickly, the Hylian was back to his feet, but the room and the positions of the Gerudo afforded him a moment to look around. His eyes darted back and forth as the creatures threw their bodies wildly at the girls.

"They're not really worried about their lives, they're only trying to delay us," he whispered to himself. "Throwing enough wild blows at us to hold us off until someone or something bigger comes."

"Link what are you doing?" Nacie screamed. "Help us, for the love of the goddesses!"

"Fall back!" Link called.

"What?" Nabooru asked.

"Fall back, you heard me!" Link shouted again. "This battle will not be won, today. We were far too aggressive."

As Link spoke, the ground suddenly began to shake violently. Nacie and Nabooru jumped back from their opponents, all of whom retreated away, as well. The enemy forces split and hurried away, disappearing as fast as they had appeared.

The marble flooring crumbled, cracked, and finally exploded as two great dragons thrust up from the depths, fire and lava engulfing all in its wake, and completely separating the three thieves from the triforce.

"Fall back, we're not going to gain anything else, here, today," Link hissed, his fists clenched tight.

Wasting no time, the three turned and hurried through the main portal, clearing through just as the lava engulfed the flooring.


**

"Hurry, line up the rows!" Saria yelled, pointing along the row of cut deku sticks, sharpened and stuck in the ground at the forest's main entrance point. "Fall back into the forests and hide!"

"These will hold the charging Goblins, but what of the witches?" Rook asked, his wide eyes looking about the trees as he tried to calm the crying baby. "Won't they simply come over the trees for us?"

"We will do what we can at the Forest Temple, Rook," Saria answered as she moved the Kokiri along. "My first priority is to make sure the Kikiri aren't slaughtered by armies of Goblins and Zora. I don't know if even the Deku Tree can help us, this time."

Snarls and growls filled the air as the first sign of the charging Goblins burst through the trees, charging forward from the ravine of the cut bridge.

Saria let out a small scream, turning Rook and hurrying them along to the forest. The first goblins rushed forward, stepping on the trick twigs that had been laid out. Their own body weight forced the deku sticks up, and the creatures impaled themselves on the first line of defense.

The Goblins rushed forward, climbing over their dead comrades, rushing after the screaming children and up the ledges into the forest. As soon as they set foot on the higher embankment over the village, roots suddenly began to snap up out of the ground all along the edge, knocking back the Goblins.

Again and again, the goblins charged, and each time, the Deku Tree knocked them back with its roots.

Isis screamed as Rook hurried along slowly through the forest, following the screaming Kokiri. The Goron turned one last corner, his eyes watching as cold air came from a pile of large boulders just as a Goblin stepped in his path, knocking him back.

The creature hissed, raising its large axe as it charged forward.

"No!" Saria screamed, closing her eyes and extending her arms. "You'll not harm them!"

A burst of green magic shot forth from Saria's hands, blasting the creature through the trunk of a tree, bringing the tree down into the forest.

Rook hurried to his feet, turning to go, but stopped, noticing Saria wasn't right behind him. He turned quickly to see the young girl passed out on the grounds. The large Goron wasted no time picking her up and carrying her over his shoulder as he stumbled through the paths and across a large maze to the temple.

The Kokiri children rushed in the door of the temple and hid within as Rook turned to see the valley before him. The Goblins had passed through the Deku Tree's defenses and were beginning to swarm through the forests.

Rook set Saria down on the ground and gently shook her.

"S-Saria?" he cried. "Saria, what do we do?"

Saria blinked suddenly and, though exhausted, pulled herself up.

"There is nothing more I can do, here," she whispered, tears forming at her eyes. "I've used all I had on one Goblin."

"Then we are doomed," Rook shuddered, his eyes falling heavily to the ground.

"No, my friend, we're not," Saria smiled, standing and brushing the side of the Goron's face. "The entire world has changed, has it not? Everything, everywhere is different. Everything, save this forest. Since Gannondorf's destruction, I have complete control, here. Even his revival cannot change that."

"Wh-what do you mean, Saria?" Rook asked.

Saria smiled and turned away from the Goron, stepping to the edges of the stairway leading up to the temple as the Goblin army swarmed through the maze, quickly entering the last leg of the forest.

Saria raised her hands and closed her eyes as sparks of green magic began to flow up about her. "Spirits of the Forest, a plague has infected your ways. Protect the chosen and the innocent, and destroy those who would destroy you."

The green sparks of magic suddenly began to shine all through the forests, slowing the Goblins as they looked about themselves. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Gigantic guardians began to grow out of the ground, hewing large spears as they slaughtered Goblins left and right. Vines, roots, tree limbs all snagged the creatures and yanked them into the darks of the forest, never to be seen again.

Pools of water reached out and pulled the creatures to its depths as plants shot thorns through the tough armor and hides of the creatures.

Boulders were plucked from the earth and thrown into the machines built to attack the temple, as wild animals thrust forward, attacking the creatures as though they were possessed.

Little more than a minute passed, and there was no longer any sign that the Goblins had ever stepped foot in the forest. All returned to it was as quickly as it had come.

"Thank you, Spirits of the Forest," Saria whispered, her hand held hard against her heart.

"Most impressive, indeed, little one," a cracking, harsh voice laughed.

"Indeed, little one, most impressive!" another, similar voice laughed.

Saria looked to the sky as two witches came down on their brooms, both laughing as they circled the temple.

"Your magic is used, your tricks are played, little one," Kotake laughed.

"Your forest friends are too tired, now, to save you, little one, " Koume added. "All is lost, save your life, and that we do not care to take, really."

"Then...then why have you come?" Saria asked as she fell to her knees.

"The baby," Kotake answered. "To us, she was promised. And to us, we wish her given."

"The baby has no value, no worth to Rau!" Rook yelled. "What purpose do you have in taking her!"

"Simple," Koume laughed. "There are great magics within the child! Great and powerful!"

"Magics we wish to use," Kotake laughed.

"You...you will never take her," Saria hissed, her face still lowered to the ground as sweat fell from her nose. "You will never touch her!"

Saria screamed as loud as she could.

As if to answer, the doorway to the temple suddenly seemed to light up. Blues, purples, whites all began emitting from the doorway. Kotake and Koume turned to the light just as hundreds of Fairies thrust out, slamming into the two witches, all of which fought as hard as their tiny bodies would allow.

Kotake fell to the ground and was instantly swarmed over by the Fairies.

Koume, however, raised her hand, and with great ease, trapped the Fairies in a ball of energy. Kotake screamed and stood, readying her blast of hot energy.

"No, sister!" Koume screeched. "Not yet."

"What?" Kotake asked.

"Little one, I will save your precious Fairies, and exchange them for the girl," Koume laughed. "If you give her to us, I promise we will take good care of her, and we will save your little guardians here."

Tears fell down Saria's cheeks as she looked up to the bundle of Fairies. The color of the creatures suddenly turned to a dull green color, as though they all were dying.

"I...can't do...that," Saria whispered. "Rook, you have to run while we fight-"

"No," Rook answered. "There...there is too much dying today. I will give you the baby."

"Rook, no!" Saria cried.

Rook handed the screaming child to Kotake and took the bundle of Fairies, freeing them at once. They immediately changed colors and hurried back in the temple to the Kokiri children.

Kotake and Koume turned and flew off, cackling the whole way.

"Rook..." Saria began, still on her knees. "Rook, what have you done?"

"The...the only thing I could do, my friend," Rook answered, shaking his head and rubbing the tears with his arms. "I could not lose my friends. I could not let them kill you like this. Not when I could still save your lives."


**

"Hmmmmmm Nua-me nua-me," Rauro chanted carefully, desperately trying to pronounce every syllable perfectly. Sweat spread down his forehead as more chaos ensued behind his back.

The screams and screeches of the dark forms echoed in the chamber as Impa clashed with the two, while also trying to hold off the Phantom Shadows. It was the scream of his friend that finally broke his concentration.

Rauru turned to see a bloody Impa darting back and forth, a sword in one hand and a spear along her other arm. Each creature darted and sliced, now and again getting through her defenses and slowly cutting away at her.

Rauru could not help but watch for a split second and admire the audacity of the woman. The stand she made now against three of the most powerful demons to walk the earth was the stuff legends were made of. It would not be enough, however.

"No...no more!" Rauru shouted, lifting his arms and sending a wave of magic through the air, slamming the dark Link against the wall. "You shall not hurt my friend any longer!"

"Rauru, don't be a fool!" Impa screamed, turning to the Priest. "Finish the spell! Make my sacrifice a worthy one!"

"We are failing!" Rauru yelled. "The sword is useless without you to help! I will not let you sacrifice your life without trying to help you fight!"

The Phantom shadows swung from the wall and slammed into the priest, knocking him back. Rauru raised his hand and stopped inches from the wall before turning and waving the creatures back through the walls, themselves.

Impa brought her sword down and parried away Dark Link's attack and thrust her spear through him, a smile across her face.

The creature laughed and stepped sideways from the spear, his body sliding around the spear and re-forming, unharmed.

"You...you were right, Rauru," Impa said, falling to one knee. "We...we cannot win today."

The dark form of Impa came up behind the real Impa and raised her spear. She laughed as she started to bring it down, but a whistling sound stopped her.

An arrow shot through the air, splintering the spear in mid-air and knocking the dark Impa back.

Nacie and Nabooru rushed through the stone frame of the doorway, the only thing left of that wall, and jumped in to attack the dark versions of Link and Impa as the real Impa fell to the ground, exhaustion over-taking her.

"You can't die!" Nabooru shouted, dodging an attack from Dark Impa and slicing through the creature with her sword. "You have to pay me back for saving your life!"

Nacie rolled under Dark Link's sword and thrust her down-turned dagger into his shield, then raised her hand and blasted the creature with flames. The creature screeched in agony and fell to the floor, burning.

Nacie pulled the small diamond from her neck and threw it to Nabooru, who held it up and quickly used it to set Dark Impa on fire, as well.

Nacie turned and kneeled before Impa, chanting a spell to heal the warrior as Nabooru hurried across the temple to try to help Rauru with the Phantom beasts.

"Where did you come from?" Rauru asked. "Why aren't you in Rau's temple, and where is Link?"

"The portals of the other dimension," Nabooru answered as she ducked an attack. "We failed our mission. Link was holding off the last attackers as we passed through the portal. He should be right behind us!"

Rauru threw up a barrier about the two as the creature slammed its fists into them. The barrier held the first hit, but failed on the second. The third, knocked the two hard against the wall.

Slowly, the creature began to hover towards the two as they lay on the floor.

"Not all battles today will be lost," Link's voice called out. The Hylian reached down on the pedestal and pulled the sword from the stone, his body suddenly engulfed in bright blue energy. "Bare witness, phantom, to the changing of the tide."

Link stepped down from the pedestal, raised his sword over his shoulder and charged forward, slicing the master sword through the creature, destroying it in one fell swoop.

"By the Gods," Impa whispered as she was slowly helped up by Nacie. "I have never before witnessed such power."

"Yes," Rauru said as he and Nabooru helped each other painfully up. "It would seem you have become even more powerful than even the Goddesses imagined, Hero of Time."

Link smiled as he sheathed his sword. "I think things are starting to become clearer, now."
**

Gently, Zelda rubbed her soft hand down the long, furry nose of the large horse. Epona's grace and beauty was noticed by all who bared her witness, but Zelda always admired the horse's spirit. They had traveled relatively great distances, helping the remnants of the Army of Termina to Kakariko Village. Quick as the horse would ride, they made it through the demons and hordes of evil to the Forests to find Rook and Saria and bring them back safely.

All this, and still, the horse's eyes would not leave the gates of the city, searching the horizon for any sign of Link.

"I know how you feel," Zelda whispered, rubbing her nose with that of the horse. "I know how you feel."

"There simply isn't going to be enough food or shelter for all my soldiers, Princess," Shiro hissed as he crunched through the snow. "We are not adequately suited for this weather, and we are very beaten. The morale of the men is atrocious, and you are standing near the gates that should be closed!"

Zelda turned to the Knight, her bright blue eyes catching the morning sunrise. "All is lost, if those who sacrificed all they had do not return. Your army is great, and we are in great need of them, but the five who have not returned are worth two of your armies."

"If we have a mask that can turn us to Gods, then why wait?" Shiro asked as he leaned against the wooden walls of the city. "Surely, we are powerful enough to destroy the armies of these lands."

"Open your eyes, Knight," Ruto's voice came from behind as she stepped through the snow. Her wounds were bandaged, but she was still obviously sore. "I challenged Bishop with that mask and was beaten. The Goddesses, themselves, have challenged Rau, and were beaten! Do you honestly believe we can just don the mask and defeat the army with no trouble?"

"My powers with the triforce, and Link's power with the Master Sword and mask should be enough to take down Rau," Zelda answered. "That would be enough for you to take down his main forces. That is, if they survived."

"Survived?" Ruto asked. "What do you mean?"

"I can usually sense Link," Zelda answered, her eyes dancing the horizon. "Even at great distances, I can feel him. Impa, and Rauru are no different, yet I can sense none of them. It's probable that I cannot sense them because they are in the chamber of time, but I still worry."

"Phase one is complete, supposing they return successfully," Ruto said. "What's the next phase?"

"As great as the Army of Termina is, it's still not enough," Zelda answered. "Our strongest weapons have to be used on their leader. We need enough of a force to stand up to their strongest beasts. We need to rally Hyrule, Gerudo, Goron, Kokiri, whatever we can pull together to stand against those forces."

"It is only a matter of time before the monsters do an all-out assault on this town," Shiro answered. "We cannot delay for too long. The final battle, win or lose, must be soon."

"Too soon, and we open ourselves to slaughter," Zelda replied. "Link, Ruto, Darunia, and I have all sent out dispatches to foreign lands besides your own. We cannot strike before tonight. No force will have had time to come. Hopefully, the Empire of Rune will send enough Knights to help us a little, for they are the closest after Termina."

"Rune cannot be trusted...they may even join forces with-" Shiro started. "Hey, you're not listening to me!"

"Can it, bug-boy," Ruto said, standing in front of the Captain.

Zelda had already turned away and started down the stairs. "They-they're here."

As if in response, Nabooru, Nacie, and Rauru walked around the corner, all badly beaten and bruised, and each helping one another to walk up the stairs. Zelda rushed down and hugged each, throwing her arms about them, as tears began to fall from all.

"We...we failed, your highness," Nabooru started.

"It doesn't matter," Zelda cried. "You're here. You're safe for now."

Impa and Link came around the corner, next, the young Hylian helping the badly injured woman up the stairs.

Zelda hurried down and hugged Impa, helping her into Ruto and Shiro's arms before turning to Link.

As the others staggered away, Link's eyes finally raised from the ground to the soft blue eyes of the Hylian Princess. The Master sword gleamed in the morning light in his hands as he smiled a little.

"Please...say something," she whispered.

Link smiled. "It's begun."

"What has?" Zelda asked.

"Our chances at actually being together forever," he answered. "The beginning of the end is at hand."

Zelda smiled as she threw her arms about him and met his lips with her own.
**

Next: The Siege of Kakiro Village